Devaluation Yes Bank Credit Card Devaluation - Now Spend 1L to Get Free Lounge Access

[TechnoFinoTechnoFino is verified member.]

Hey TFCians,

Now it’s Yes Bank, and they’re raising the spending requirements to get complimentary airport lounge access. Several Yes Bank credit cards have been devalued, making it necessary to spend a significant amount each quarter to qualify. And some changes regarding reward point redemption.

Here are the details:

Airport Lounge Access:
Effective from April 1, 2025, you’ll need to meet a spending threshold in the previous quarter (Dec 21 - Mar 20 | Mar 21 - Jun 20 | Jun 21 - Sep 20 | Sep 21 - Dec 20) to qualify for complimentary lounge access in the following quarter (Apr 1 - Jun 30 | Jul 1 - Sep 30 | Oct 1 - Dec 31 | Jan 1 - Mar 31).

• Yes Bank MARQUEE/RESERV Credit Card: Spend Rs. 1,00,000 in a quarter to receive complimentary airport lounge access.
• Yes Bank YES First Preferred/YES First Business Credit Card: Spend Rs. 75,000 in a quarter.
• Yes Bank ELITE+/SELECT/BYOC/WELLNESS PLUS/YES Prosperity Business Credit Card: Spend Rs. 50,000 in a quarter.

Please Note:

• The number of complimentary lounge accesses remains the same, subject to meeting the spending threshold.
• This threshold applies only for complimentary access to domestic lounges (within India).

YES Rewardz Points Redemption – effective December 1, 2024

1. Yes Private & Private Prime Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 6,00,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels.
2. For MARQUEE Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 3,00,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels.
3. For RESERV Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 2,00,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels.
4. For Other Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 1,00,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels.

Important: The above changes in YES Rewardz redemption are in addition to the existing cap of 50% of available YES Rewardz points when redeeming against gift vouchers and statement credit.

This move by Yes Bank was something everyone anticipated. After ICICI Bank’s similar change, I predicted that most banks would follow this trend of imposing high quarterly spending requirements for complimentary airport lounge access. Don’t be surprised if other banks also increase their spending requirements for lounge access—even RuPay now requires spending for lounge privileges.
I’ve posted a thread on “Free Airport Lounge Access Using Credit Cards: How It Works.” You can check it out for insights into why banks want you to spend to access free lounge benefits.
The 70% cap on reward point redemption isn’t new either; HDFC Bank introduced similar restrictions on their premium credit cards long ago. This change shouldn’t be a big issue, as most people use their Yes Bank reward points for gift vouchers anyway. In short, these changes were expected, and it’s likely that other banks will, unfortunately, follow this trend soon.

 

[amitr29]

While I do feel sad because this is technically a devaluation but I am also happy as lounges in metro cities like Delhi/Mumbai were turning worse than railway stations. This is a good thing in the long run.

Recently did an international trip via Delhi and Encalm lounge had a 20 mins line around 12AM in the night. It was so bad that we decided to eat at the food court and wait near the Airline gate itself. Luckily for domestic transfer had the Amex Centurion lounge (the other domestic lounge had the same issue - a very long queue).

What spend based criteria will also do is to either keep people completely away from lounges or stick to a particular credit card (which helps the bank). Also, this was bound to happen because in other countries lounge access isn't given away so easily.

I agree to what you are saying. I faced similar issue at Mumbai airport and there was no place to sit inside the lounges.

But this isn't the solution. There are free for life cards still giving lounge access at a very low spend. Spending 25k-50k in a quarter is absolutely nothing in India.

I feel keeping high threshold is a good step and may work only if all banks follow this. But said that keeping a cap on a any paid card with fees of 10k plus is not right.

 

[Swastik]

Agreed Rupay select cards are generous as of now but I am mentioning Premium and Super Premium cards which charge a bomb and are slowly charging for complementary features. Who knows even the PSU Banks might bring in spend criteria for Rupay in near future

NPCI already implemented spend criteria for rupay credit cards to access exclusive rupay lounge situated at delhi international airport from next year onwards.

I expect NCPI or issuing banks to come up with some kind of spend criteria for all Rupay cards,
ICICI and HDFC have already put in place spend criteria on debit cards so it’s not unheard of

 

[Swastik]

I agree to what you are saying. I faced similar issue at Mumbai airport and there was no place to sit inside the lounges.

But this isn't the solution. There are free for life cards still giving lounge access at a very low spend. Spending 25k-50k in a quarter is absolutely nothing in India.

I feel keeping high threshold is a good step and may work only if all banks follow this. But said that keeping a cap on a any paid card with fees of 10k plus is not right.

Lounge charges are putting a strain on banks financials,
I reckon in due course of time all these LTF/Low fee cards with low spend criterias will disappear

 

[Shoxie]

Lounge charges are putting a strain on banks financials,
I reckon in due course of time all these LTF/Low fee cards with low spend criterias will disappear

I just reckon that even in premium cards whenever a card is issued as LTF, banks will stop giving lounge access to those specific cards alone.

LTF Infinia? No lounge benefits for you. Done and dusted.

 

[Swastik]

I just reckon that even in premium cards whenever a card is issued as LTF, banks will stop giving lounge access to those specific cards alone.

LTF Infinia? No lounge benefits for you. Done and dusted.

Post in thread 'ICICI Emerald Metal LTF & DCB Metal LTF'

Oct 31, 2024

not yet i guess

I'll take it as a good sign, as soon as a card starts being sourced LTF, devaluation is sure to follow suit

• Swastik

• 

😅, i was mentioning this in another thread just this morning,
As soon as a card starts getting soured LTF, devaluation is not far of,
That's why i didn't bother to take HDFC Swiggy card recently, it's being issued left and right to everyone on Swiggy app
And that's why i think Tata neu infinity will suffer very soon, expect spend criteria to be announced any time now

 

[Lobogris]

I expect NCPI or issuing banks to come up with some kind of spend criteria for all Rupay cards,
ICICI and HDFC have already put in place spend criteria on debit cards so it’s not unheard of

You haven't heard? They have already introduced it with effect from Jan 1st.

Free access to RuPay exclusive airport lounge: New guidelines released by NPCI to be applicable for these people

Now if you spend Rs 5,00,001 and above you will get unlimited RuPay airport lounge access.

m.economictimes.com

 

[telescope]

Empty lounges - here we go. 🙂

Not going to happen until rupay dc is there.

 

[Swastik]

You haven't heard? They have already introduced it with effect from Jan 1st.

Free access to RuPay exclusive airport lounge: New guidelines released by NPCI to be applicable for these people

Now if you spend Rs 5,00,001 and above you will get unlimited RuPay airport lounge access.

m.economictimes.com

Only for Rupay exclusive credit card lounge at DEL T3,

All other lounges are still pretty much mid-day meal centers

 

[Swastik]

I've said this before and I'll say this again,

Bigger Airports should come up with a 2 lounge system
Basic, premium, and debit cards can be sent to a basic lounge with free food
And a 2nd more exclusive lounge can be set up for Super Premium Cards, Priority banking debit cards, etc

BLR experimented with 080 but soon most cards got access to it and now it has turned into another encalm like airport dhaba

 

[TechnoFinoTechnoFino is verified member.]

So... Yes Bank hasn’t spared its Private credit card this time. Now, the Yes Private card will have a cap of 70% reward point usage per travel booking transaction.

YES Rewardz Points Redemption – Effective December 1, 2024: For Yes Private & Private Prime Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 600,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels booking.

Additionally, merchandise redemption for both cards will now be discounted.

 

[tachniki]

Let's put some number here. What percentage of people using airport today use airport lounge in India. I see way bigger crowd near gates than in lounge. And number of gates are obviously way more than lounge. I will guess number to be 5% (or even lesser). But let's say 15%. Now, what percentage of air traveller will have ability to spend 35k per month on a single credit card. People are spending 10 to 20k for a round trip per person. I will easily put that number to 30-40% (underestimating).

So, will such devaluation affect number of people in lounge. I highly doubt it. People will just consolidate their expenses on a single card based on various other benefits. With such devaluations, banks are forcing people to spend more on their card or make them choose their card instead of competitor. If ICICI devalues and Yes doesn't. Then people might choose to use ICICI for everything but Yes for lounge.

So many folks in this thread looking for exclusivity or lesser crowds. Why? Lounges are not only places where traffic has increased in last 20 or 30 years. See state of our roads. Because way more people can afford cars. 15 years back cars like Wagon R or Alto might be most selling (priced between 3 to 6 L). Today Creta is one of most selling card. It is priced 15L or more. If we build toll roads, what is percentage of people using toll roads vs non toll road. See state of trains. AC coaches sometimes sell faster than sleeper. If lounges are getting crowded more, we need more lounges. We can't be creating class and saying I deserve and others don't.

If we really need to live with less number of lounges, then only good way be to make it paid, possibly subsidised, with card. Rs 300 is going to be still cheap and many will still use it. If one eats basic breakfast at airport, it costs about 500. Coffee everywhere is 250+. 🙂 Anyways that whole pricing thing is still going to be different ball game. Who will force it? Lounges - they can possibly lose some money for it. Doubtful banks can pull that off. Some bank will play spoilsport and give it for cheaper or free. And they should, right? Else where is free market competition.

 

[Vickymaster1010]

What wil I do of my 40k joining points of yes marquee wil that be devalued now ??

 

[Shoxie]

Let's put some number here. What percentage of people using airport today use airport lounge in India. I see way bigger crowd near gates than in lounge. And number of gates are obviously way more than lounge. I will guess number to be 5% (or even lesser). But let's say 15%. Now, what percentage of air traveller will have ability to spend 35k per month on a single credit card. People are spending 10 to 20k for a round trip per person. I will easily put that number to 30-40% (underestimating).

So, will such devaluation affect number of people in lounge. I highly doubt it. People will just consolidate their expenses on a single card based on various other benefits. With such devaluations, banks are forcing people to spend more on their card or make them choose their card instead of competitor. If ICICI devalues and Yes doesn't. Then people might choose to use ICICI for everything but Yes for lounge.

So many folks in this thread looking for exclusivity or lesser crowds. Why? Lounges are not only places where traffic has increased in last 20 or 30 years. See state of our roads. Because way more people can afford cards. 15 years back cards like Wagon R or Alto might be most selling (priced between 3 to 6 L). Today Creta is one of most selling card. It is priced 15L or more. If we build toll roads, what is percentage of people using toll roads vs non toll road. See state of trains. AC coaches sometimes sell faster than sleeper. If lounges are getting crowded more, we need more lounges. We can't be creating class and saying I deserve and others don't.

If we really need to live with less number of lounges, then only good way be to make it paid, possibly subsidised, with card. Rs 300 is going to be still cheap and many will still use it. If one eats basic breakfast at airport, it costs about 500. Coffee everywhere is 250+. 🙂 Anyways that whole pricing thing is still going to be different ball game. Who will force it? Lounges - they can possibly lose some money for it. Doubtful banks can pull that off. Some bank will play spoilsport and give it for cheaper or free. And they should, right? Else where is free market competition.

Totally agreed!

The elitism came out when lounges were compared to Midday meals! How easy it is for people to criticise schemes like Midday meals and reservation! They forget collective growth will only take the country forward. Only their growth will not even help them in the long run.

Ps: I'm ashamed to say this everytime I aruge along these lines. I belong to upper class, and I've not availed any of these schemes. But if don't say this, I'd be dismissed like an entire society of people are.

 

[tachniki]

The elitism came out when lounges were compared to Midday meals! How easy it is for people to criticise schemes like Midday meals and reservation! They forget collective growth will only take the country forward. Only their growth will not even help them in the long run.

I could not have said that better. Thanks for putting it.

 

[HumorSimpson]

So... Yes Bank hasn’t spared its Private credit card this time. Now, the Yes Private card will have a cap of 70% reward point usage per travel booking transaction.

YES Rewardz Points Redemption – Effective December 1, 2024: For Yes Private & Private Prime Credit Cards: Redeem up to 70% of the total invoice value or 600,000 YES Rewardz points (whichever is lower) per calendar month on flights and hotels booking.

Additionally, merchandise redemption for both cards will now be discounted.

View attachment 73663

 

[Arkapal Sen]

only this thing will never get devaluation

 

[Swastik]

Totally agreed!

The elitism came out when lounges were compared to Midday meals! How easy it is for people to criticise schemes like Midday meals and reservation! They forget collective growth will only take the country forward. Only their growth will not even help them in the long run.

Ps: I'm ashamed to say this everytime I aruge along these lines. I belong to upper class, and I've not availed any of these schemes. But if don't say this, I'd be dismissed like an entire society of people are.

Alright, comparing lounges to miday meals might not have been the most apt analogy here,

But judging by the number of people cheering Yes cards devaluation instead of criticizing it, their frustration with lounge overcrowding is palpable

I myself flew out of BOM T1C and dropped by at Travel club lounge for some snacks and a cup coffee and even before entering the lounge i was regretting the decision, food was abysmal, service was suffering, no place to sit, people hogging the buffet area and running around all over the place, i left in no time,
Sitting at the food court watching planes go by on tarmac was much more peaceful, and free

 

[Swastik]

Let's put some number here. What percentage of people using airport today use airport lounge in India. I see way bigger crowd near gates than in lounge. And number of gates are obviously way more than lounge. I will guess number to be 5% (or even lesser). But let's say 15%. Now, what percentage of air traveller will have ability to spend 35k per month on a single credit card. People are spending 10 to 20k for a round trip per person. I will easily put that number to 30-40% (underestimating).

So, will such devaluation affect number of people in lounge. I highly doubt it. People will just consolidate their expenses on a single card based on various other benefits. With such devaluations, banks are forcing people to spend more on their card or make them choose their card instead of competitor. If ICICI devalues and Yes doesn't. Then people might choose to use ICICI for everything but Yes for lounge.

So many folks in this thread looking for exclusivity or lesser crowds. Why? Lounges are not only places where traffic has increased in last 20 or 30 years. See state of our roads. Because way more people can afford cards. 15 years back cards like Wagon R or Alto might be most selling (priced between 3 to 6 L). Today Creta is one of most selling card. It is priced 15L or more. If we build toll roads, what is percentage of people using toll roads vs non toll road. See state of trains. AC coaches sometimes sell faster than sleeper. If lounges are getting crowded more, we need more lounges. We can't be creating class and saying I deserve and others don't.

If we really need to live with less number of lounges, then only good way be to make it paid, possibly subsidised, with card. Rs 300 is going to be still cheap and many will still use it. If one eats basic breakfast at airport, it costs about 500. Coffee everywhere is 250+. 🙂 Anyways that whole pricing thing is still going to be different ball game. Who will force it? Lounges - they can possibly lose some money for it. Doubtful banks can pull that off. Some bank will play spoilsport and give it for cheaper or free. And they should, right? Else where is free market competition.

And i do agree here that with more wealth being generated and more people are getting access to luxury goods and services, their will be a shortage, so instead of being classist or elitist about this things maybe we should have a more holistic approach, like say increasing number of lounges or putting some nominal charges on lounge usage

 

[Shoxie]

Alright, comparing lounges to miday meals might not have been the most apt analogy here,

But judging by the number of people cheering Yes cards devaluation instead of criticizing it, their frustration with lounge overcrowding is palpable

I myself flew out of BOM T1C and dropped by at Travel club lounge for some snacks and a cup coffee and even before entering the lounge i was regretting the decision, food was abysmal, service was suffering, no place to sit, people hogging the buffet area and running around all over the place, i left in no time,
Sitting at the food court watching planes go by on tarmac was much more peaceful, and free

Please do not take it as an attack against you! The intention of either of us was not that.

I just wanted to point out how classim and elitism is ingrained into us. We're being made to look at these schemes are something which is low class. It just comes out without even realizing what we're doing.

Only if we speak up, people would realize what's happening. That's the only reason why I bought that up.

 

[Vickymaster1010]

What wil I do of my 40k joining points of yes marquee wil that be devalued now ??

Plz help someone