HDFC Regalia Gold and SBI Card tighten airport lounge access
HDFC Bank and SBI Card are tightening up on airport lounge perks.
Now, if you have an HDFC Regalia Gold card, you'll need to spend at least ₹60,000 every quarter to unlock three domestic lounge visits for the next quarter.
SBI Card holders with select cards will see their free domestic lounge visits drop to just four per year, capped at one per quarter, starting January 10, 2026.
Banks tie lounge access to spending
With more people using lounges but not necessarily spending more on their cards, banks are trying to cut costs and encourage actual card usage.
As Adhil Shetty, CEO of BankBazaar, puts it, linking lounge access to spending helps banks manage rewards while nudging users to swipe more often.
If you want those comfy airport perks, make sure you're meeting your card's spend targets and know your visit limits: just having the card isn't enough anymore.