For years, complimentary airport lounge access was the ultimate flex attached to a credit card. One swipe at an airport’s lounge reception, and you’d enter a quieter space with hot meals, Wi-Fi, coffee and comfortable seating. Once a premium perk only for affluent travellers, even entry-level cards were soon offering lounge visits to rope in customers.
But the economics of lounge access in India has changed in the last two years. Banks have tightened access, set minimum spending criteria and, in some cases, removed lounge benefits entirely. This means lounge access is no longer “free” unless you are a valuable customer for the bank.
