In today’s evolving credit card ecosystem, rewards and benefits are no longer optional, they’re expected. Consumers today want more than just points; they want experiences, savings and tangible value from every swipe. Following this shift that many banks have undertaken, IDFC FIRST Bank has made its move with a series of updates, effective from 20th February, 2025. The bank has added more rewards to its line-up of credit cards, especially for shoppers and travellers.
Updates on IDFC First Credit Cards–
- IDFC cards are now lifetime free, which means no joining and no annual fee unless they are the special fee-based variants. IDFC cards also have up to 45 days of interest free ATM withdrawals.
- New add-on cards issued after February 20, 2025, incur an annual fee of ₹499 + taxes. Replacement card fees will be ₹199 + taxes.
- If you pay education fees using platforms like CRED, PayTM, Cheq, or MobiKwik, you’ll now be charged a 1% fee, with at least ₹249 being added. To avoid this extra charge, it’s better to pay directly on your school or college’s official website or at their payment counter.
- If you spend more than ₹30,000 on fuel in a single billing cycle, a 1% fee will now be charged on the total fuel amount. Also, the fuel surcharge waiver for Ashva, Mayura, and FIRST Wealth Credit Cards is now limited to ₹300 per billing cycle.
- The bank has revised its interest rate (APR) range, which will now start at 8.5% per year and go up to 46.2%, instead of the earlier range of 9% to 43.8%. The overdue interest rate stays the same at 47.88% per year. Interest will still be charged only on unpaid balances. These changes do not apply to the FIRST SWYP Credit Card.
- Different IDFC FIRST credit cards offer varying levels of travel and shopping benefits. For example, the FIRST WOW! Credit Card offers zero forex markup fees, while the FIRST Select Credit Card provides lounge access and travel insurance.
Also read: Kotak Mahindra Revises Credit Card Charges – Here’s the Full Breakdown
Bonus Rewards for Shopping
- Select IDFC credit cards now offer up to 10X reward points on all popular online platforms. This includes major ecommerce events like Flipkart’s Big Billion Days, Amazon’s Great Indian Festival and more.
- A newly introduced milestone spend program allows cardholders to unlock monthly bonus points if they hit certain shopping thresholds. The Ashva Credit Card offers up to 10X incremental reward points on spends exceeding ₹20,000 in a statement cycle, in addition to the base rewards.
Travel Benefits
- Complimentary Domestic Lounge Access:
- FIRST Select Credit Card: Offers 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per quarter.
- FIRST Wealth Credit Card: Offers 2 complimentary domestic and international airport lounge visits per quarter, along with 2 domestic lounge and spa access, upon spending ₹20,000 every month.
- Book your flights or hotels using your IDFC card on travel portals like MakeMyTrip or EaseMyTrip, and earn 5X to 10X rewards, plus additional discounts on select fare classes.
- For international transactions, the IDFC FIRST WOW! The card is designed for international travel with zero forex markup fees, meaning no extra charges for using the card abroad.
- New travel-centric insurance benefits are offered in many IDFC FIRST Bank credit cards such as travel insurance, including coverage for baggage delay, flight delays and loss of belongings.
Written by Teertha Ravi
