My flight was at 6:10 a.m., and I was running on four hours of sleep. The security line looked endless. I spotted the lounge sign and had the same thought everyone has: Please let my card get me in. I carry a RuPay Credit Card that I also use as a UPI-linked card for daily QR payments. Airport lounge access is a different struggle, though. UPI doesn’t matter there. The person at the desk needs the card, and the card needs the right lounge benefit.
The first time I tried
At Bengaluru, the staff ran my card on their POS. A small validation charge appeared, and the gate beeped green. I got a quiet corner and a real breakfast. It felt like winning adulthood.
The next month, in Mumbai, I wasn’t so lucky. My free visits had a quarterly cap, and I’d already used them. The staff were polite but firm. I paid to enter, or I could wait outside. I waited.
What I’ve learned
- Not every RuPay Credit Card has lounge access. It depends on the exact card variant your bank issued.
- Free visits are usually capped (per quarter or year). Unused visits rarely carry over.
- Some banks tie access to recent spends. If you didn’t meet the threshold, the free entry won’t apply that quarter.
- Lounges can be full. Even if your card is eligible, entry isn’t guaranteed at peak times.
Where Kiwi fits into my routine
I use Kiwi for everyday life: it gives me a RuPay Credit Card I can link to UPI in the Kiwi app, so I scan QRs and pay on credit at most local stores. For lounges, the rules are separate. with kiwi’s neon membership you are eligible for 3 lounge access..
So I signed up for kiwi neon membership. It costed me 999 a year (+GST). I got three lounge accesses along with milestone based cashback. this rupay credit card ensured lounge access irrespective of the spend.
The bottom line
Yes, some RuPay Credit Cards do provide lounge access. The network makes it possible, but your bank and card variant decide the details—how many visits, whether there’s a spend requirement, and which lounges participate. If airports are a regular part of your life, read your card’s benefits like you read a boarding pass.
For me, the routine is simple: RuPay + UPI for daily QR spends, and a quick benefits check before every flight. When the door beeps green, I know I did my homework. When it doesn’t, I know why—and I don’t take it personally.
