NPCI has issued new guidelines for RuPay credit card holders. Under this, card holders will be provided special facilities in special RuPay lounges present at airports. The new rules will come into effect from January 1, 2025. Read this report for detailed information.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates services such as UPI payments, Bharat Bill Pay and RuPay cards, has issued new guidelines related to access to its lounges at airports. According to this, unlimited access to these lounges will be free for three months on spending more than Rs 5 lakh through your RuPay-enabled credit card. These guidelines also include complimentary access. These will come into effect from January 1, 2025.
According to NPCI, “RuPay has set up a special lounge at the T3 departure terminal of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. This is RuPay’s first exclusive lounge at Departure Pier 11, T3D near boarding gate number 41. RuPay’s exclusive lounge offers a wide range of food, drinks and entertainment.”
As per the guidelines, five levels of expenditure have been fixed for access. These are-
| Category | Spending Limit | Access Policy |
| Tier 1 | Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 | 2 free visits in three months |
| Tier 2 | Rs 50,001 and Rs 1 lakh | 4 free visits in three months |
| Tier 3 | Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh | 8 free visits in three months |
| Tier 4 | Above Rs 5 lakh | Unlimited lounge access for three months |
According to NPCI, the travel benefits will be reduced to zero at the end of the calendar quarter. According to Rahul Jain, CFO of NTT Data Payment Services India, customers using RuPay credit cards will benefit more as it will give them an incredible and hassle-free travel experience. With such initiatives, the domestic card network is expected to gain popularity and is set to empower customers. This will encourage people to adopt cards on a large scale.
Recently, many airport lounges have started accepting RuPay cards. The issuance of RuPay cards has increased after the launch of credit cards on UPI and now RuPay has set up its first exclusive lounge at Terminal 3 (T3) of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
