HDFC Bank Credit Cards News Update (May 2026): If you are holding the HDFC Regalia Gold or HDFC Diners Club Privilege credit card, your airport lounge benefits are taking a massive hit.
Starting this quarter, lounge access is no longer complimentary by default. Instead, HDFC has transitioned these cards into a spend-based lounge access mechanism, requiring users to spend a minimum of ₹50,000 in the previous calendar quarter to unlock access for the next quarter.
This sudden policy change has caught many cardholders off-guard, especially Tier 2 and Tier 3 city travelers who only use their credit cards during holidays or major shopping seasons.
What Exactly Changed?
- Old Policy: Unconditional 12 complimentary lounge visits per year for Regalia Gold.
- New Policy (May 2026): Lounge access is now linked to a quarterly milestones target. You must spend ₹50,000 in Q1 to get lounge access vouchers in Q2.
- Impacted Cards: HDFC Regalia Gold, HDFC Diners Club Privilege, and select HDFC corporate card variants.
For high spenders, this milestone is easily reachable. But if you only keep the Regalia Gold for travel benefits and lounge comfort, this card has just lost its primary value proposition.
Top Alternatives: What Credit Cards to Get Instead?
Since you will be devalued by HDFC, here are the top credit cards in India offering lounge access and robust reward structures without strict spend barriers:
1. AU Ixigo Credit Card (Top Pick for Travel)
If travel benefits and lounges are your main priority, the AU Ixigo Card is currently the best replacement.
- Lounge Access: 16 complimentary international & domestic lounge slots per year.
- Key Advantage: Very low spending barriers, lifetime free for early applicants, and excellent reward conversion on flight bookings.
- Affiliate ID:
au-ixigo
2. SBI Cashback Credit Card (Top Pick for Online Spends)
If you want to offset the lounge devaluations with pure online savings, redirect your spends to the SBI Cashback Card.
- Benefits: Flat 5% cashback on all online spends up to ₹5,000 per month.
- Key Advantage: Direct cash credits to your statement, eliminating complex point redemption terms.
- Affiliate ID:
sbi-cashback