New Airport Lounge Access Rules: What Debit and Credit Card Holders Need to Know Before April

We have access to the airport lounge while flying, where we may indulge in a variety of things at our leisure. As Indian banks reduce reward programs and the National Payments Corporation of India withdraws the benefit on RuPay Platinum debit cards, free airport lounge access on many debit and credit cards will be reduced from April 2026, as per the reports.

The modifications represent a larger industry change as card networks and lenders seek to control the increasing expense of lounge access while making sure the benefit is mostly utilized by active cardholders. Following the changes, cardholders will no longer be able to use these cards to enter railway lounges or airport lounges (whether domestic or international) after the deadline.

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On its RuPay Platinum debit cards, Punjab National Bank stated that free access to domestic lounges would cease on April 1. In a similar vein, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank and HDFC Bank have all declared that the lounge perks on these cards would be discontinued, according to the reports.

In recent years, as use increased and costs rose, banks and card networks have progressively reduced the perks of lounge access. To make sure that premium travel benefits are only accessible to frequent card users, several lenders have switched to spend based eligibility models, as suggested by many reports.