Devaluation Now minimum spends required for lounge access on rupay debit cards too wef 01/01/2025

[Lobogris]

A very welcoming news for premium card holders.

Not enough. Debit cards should not have any lounge access at all except perhaps a few rare ones where a high TRV is required and even then, there should be some further conditions based on spends. Entry level credit cards should not have any lounge access. Mid level ones should have a spend based fee reduction like spend 20k per month and the bank would subsidize 1 lounge visit by 50% and the customer pays something like Rs 350. Only top cards should have lounge visits but again with a minimum 50k per month spending per card with a similar requirement for each add on card. Unlimited visits, where available, should require a minimum 1 lakh per month spend. International lounge visit should also require a minimum 50k spend AND the ticket should have been purchased via that same card. Why should a customer give business to another bank for buying the ticket and expect a different bank to pay for his or her lounge visit?
This is just the beginning. Expect the spend based requirements to become higher and higher to the point where only elite customers would get lounge access. The lounge operators might start their own promos where you can directly purchase a visit for 250 to 500 or the airline offers it when buying a ticket. After all people pay 500 to 750 to choose a seat.

 

[Anupama_Jha]

Not enough. Debit cards should not have any lounge access at all except perhaps a few rare ones where a high TRV is required and even then, there should be some further conditions based on spends. Entry level credit cards should not have any lounge access. Mid level ones should have a spend based fee reduction like spend 20k per month and the bank would subsidize 1 lounge visit by 50% and the customer pays something like Rs 350. Only top cards should have lounge visits but again with a minimum 50k per month spending per card with a similar requirement for each add on card. Unlimited visits, where available, should require a minimum 1 lakh per month spend. International lounge visit should also require a minimum 50k spend AND the ticket should have been purchased via that same card. Why should a customer give business to another bank for buying the ticket and expect a different bank to pay for his or her lounge visit?
This is just the beginning. Expect the spend based requirements to become higher and higher to the point where only elite customers would get lounge access. The lounge operators might start their own promos where you can directly purchase a visit for 250 to 500 or the airline offers it when buying a ticket. After all people pay 500 to 750 to choose a seat.

₹250 to ₹500 is still a killer deal 🤝🏻 for 3 hrs unlimited food and beverages.

But it's too low. It will start with minimum ₹1,000 or more

 

[Lobogris]

₹250 to ₹500 is still a killer deal 🤝🏻 for 3 hrs unlimited food and beverages.

But it's too low. It will start with minimum ₹1,000 or more

I meant as a promotion, not the normal rate. Perhaps as per time of day at off peak or to get people in like restaurants do sometimes.

 

[Swastik]

₹250 to ₹500 is still a killer deal 🤝🏻 for 3 hrs unlimited food and beverages.

But it's too low. It will start with minimum ₹1,000 or more

Plenty won't pay even measly 250-500, this will filter a lot

 

[tachniki]

Plenty won't pay even measly 250-500, this will filter a lot

Enough people are buying coffee for 300+ and food for 500+ and seats for even more; 250-500 will filter nothing. At best, it may replace people who are using lounge (with cards) now with people who can easily afford rs 250-500 then. 🙂

At airport like Bangalore, there will be 5000 to 10000 passengers at anytime. To fill a 200 seater lounge, 2 to 4% of people should be afford 500. We will get way more than that.

India has changed so much in last 6 to 8 years. Folks were earlier looking for no frill flights. Now, roughly 30% of people order food and beverages in Indigo. Indigo revenue from food sale was about 760 cr in Fy 23 and had 70% margin. If 30% of people are buying food for 2 hour flight, certainly 10% of people can afford 500 rs lounge at airport.

If we want to keep current lounges empty, my guess will be a Rs 1000 entry fees or more with or without cards. Obviously there are other alternatives to solve this. Banks have no intention to solve this.

This discussion feels like deja vu.