RuPay is introducing the Benefit Management System (BMS) for RuPay Select/Platinum Debit Cards:
• It is designed to reward high-spending customers, and optimize the benefits based on customer spending patterns.
• It shall enable the management of Common Lounge Access benefit which shall be later extended to other benefits/offers.
Table 1: Effective date details
All member banks are requested to note this circular and onboard on BMS.
Initially, BMS will manage Common Lounge Access benefits and later extend to other offers. Applicable to all RuPay Debit Card Issuers who have availed RuPay Common Lounge Program through NPCI.
Related information
• NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/029 RuPay Debit Platinum Card Program
• NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/030 RuPay Debit Select Card Program
Questions
Issuers with questions about the information in this circular should contact NPCI Relationship Management team or RuPay Product team.
Annexure A – RuPay BMS Details
5th October 2025 via Ekam Portal
a. Banks having ONUS transactions (which are not routed through NPCI) shall upload the eligibility card list / BINs data i.e. Bank shall upload the eligible card list considering the entire card spends (ONUS and OFFUS transaction spends) from their end. For these BINs / Banks, NPCI transaction data shall not be referred for the purpose of identification of the eligible card list.
b. Banks may upload exception BINs/cards that should not be part of spends data.
3. Next quarter timelines
From next quarter onwards similar timelines shall be followed i.e. the spends based lounge program for the given quarter shall start from 15th of the following month. The deadline for the issuer to upload any exception card data shall be 5th of the following month. Examples for next two periods is mentioned below:
Examples:
4. Unused benefits shall be lapsed once the lounge access period is over i.e. it will not be carried forward beyond each defined benefit period.
5. Issuer banks shall be onboarded onto Benefit Management System (BMS) only upon execution of the legal agreement with NPCI.
6. For debit platinum card holders, lounge benefit shall be given only for banks onboarded on Benefit Management System (BMS).
7. Banks, issuing RuPay Debit Select cards, who wish to onboard themselves on BMS later shall be allowed to do so. Till they are onboarded on BMS, the eligibility of one domestic lounge per quarter for debit select card (without spends criteria) shall be applicable as per existing circular.
8. Only BINs on which the issuer banks have availed RuPay Common Lounge Program shall be enabled through BMS.
9. For any exceptions/ deviations from standard offering, banks shall contact NPCI and obtain written confirmation.
10. There shall be no change in lounge offerings or other benefits on feature cards. It shall continue as per existing arrangement.
11. Issuing banks shall be responsible to communicate the lounge eligibility to their card holders.
12. Spends shall be considered of sale transaction only (after adjusting refunds, cashbacks and void transactions).
13. NPCI will not be responsible for lounge unavailability if systems are down. Card holder will not be provided lounge access in such cases as per the existing process
*Applicable only for banks onboarded on BMS.
Importantly note that amount for over utilization of benefits shall be recovered from issuers as per the existing process. Refer to circulars NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/029 and NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/030.
Executive overview
RuPay is introducing the Benefit Management System (BMS), a centralized platform designed to streamline the management and delivery of benefits to customers utilizing digital payments.What shall BMS do:
• It shall act as a unified system to define and verify the eligibility of RuPay customers (cardholders) in real time for various rewards and benefits.• It is designed to reward high-spending customers, and optimize the benefits based on customer spending patterns.
• It shall enable the management of Common Lounge Access benefit which shall be later extended to other benefits/offers.
Table 1: Effective date details
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 01 September 2025 | Platform Go-Live Date |
| 15 October 2025 | Cardholder Lounge Access Start Date |
All member banks are requested to note this circular and onboard on BMS.
Details
As discussed in RuPay Steering Committee Meetings (latest on 23 Jan 2025), the RuPay Common Lounge Access Program will shift to a spends-based model via BMS.Initially, BMS will manage Common Lounge Access benefits and later extend to other offers. Applicable to all RuPay Debit Card Issuers who have availed RuPay Common Lounge Program through NPCI.
Related information
• NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/029 RuPay Debit Platinum Card Program
• NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/030 RuPay Debit Select Card Program
Questions
Issuers with questions about the information in this circular should contact NPCI Relationship Management team or RuPay Product team.
Annexure A – RuPay BMS Details
| Sr no. | Activity | Date/Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platform Go-Live | 1 Sept 2025 |
| 2 | Eligibility Period (Spends) | 1 July – 30 Sept 2025 |
| 3 | Lounge Access Period | 15 Oct 2025 – 14 Jan 2026 |
2. Issuer Upload Deadline:
5th October 2025 via Ekam Portal
a. Banks having ONUS transactions (which are not routed through NPCI) shall upload the eligibility card list / BINs data i.e. Bank shall upload the eligible card list considering the entire card spends (ONUS and OFFUS transaction spends) from their end. For these BINs / Banks, NPCI transaction data shall not be referred for the purpose of identification of the eligible card list.
b. Banks may upload exception BINs/cards that should not be part of spends data.
3. Next quarter timelines
From next quarter onwards similar timelines shall be followed i.e. the spends based lounge program for the given quarter shall start from 15th of the following month. The deadline for the issuer to upload any exception card data shall be 5th of the following month. Examples for next two periods is mentioned below:
Examples:
| Sr no. | Activity | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eligibility Second Period (Spends) | 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2025 |
| Lounge Access – Second Period | 15 Jan – 14 Apr 2026 | |
| 2 | Eligibility Third Period (Spends) | 1 Jan – 31 Mar 2026 |
| Lounge Access – Third Period | 15 Apr – 14 Jul 2026 |
4–13. Additional Rules
4. Unused benefits shall be lapsed once the lounge access period is over i.e. it will not be carried forward beyond each defined benefit period.
5. Issuer banks shall be onboarded onto Benefit Management System (BMS) only upon execution of the legal agreement with NPCI.
6. For debit platinum card holders, lounge benefit shall be given only for banks onboarded on Benefit Management System (BMS).
7. Banks, issuing RuPay Debit Select cards, who wish to onboard themselves on BMS later shall be allowed to do so. Till they are onboarded on BMS, the eligibility of one domestic lounge per quarter for debit select card (without spends criteria) shall be applicable as per existing circular.
8. Only BINs on which the issuer banks have availed RuPay Common Lounge Program shall be enabled through BMS.
9. For any exceptions/ deviations from standard offering, banks shall contact NPCI and obtain written confirmation.
10. There shall be no change in lounge offerings or other benefits on feature cards. It shall continue as per existing arrangement.
11. Issuing banks shall be responsible to communicate the lounge eligibility to their card holders.
12. Spends shall be considered of sale transaction only (after adjusting refunds, cashbacks and void transactions).
13. NPCI will not be responsible for lounge unavailability if systems are down. Card holder will not be provided lounge access in such cases as per the existing process
Table 3: Quarterly Lounge Access Entitlement
| Card Variant | Minimum Quarterly Spends | Lounge Access Quota |
|---|---|---|
| Debit – Platinum | ₹5,000 | 1 Domestic Lounge per Quarter |
| Debit – Select | ₹5,000* | 1 Domestic Lounge per Quarter |
*Applicable only for banks onboarded on BMS.
Importantly note that amount for over utilization of benefits shall be recovered from issuers as per the existing process. Refer to circulars NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/029 and NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/030.
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