IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
IDFC FIRST Bank · Visa · Premium card
A lifetime-free card that still provides airport lounge access and zero forex markup; a strong combination for occasional travellers who do not want an annual fee.
Fee-averse travellers who want dining/travel rewards and lounge access without paying for it.
Terms checked 13 Sept 2026
- Annual fee
- Lifetime free
- Joining fee
- ₹0
- Base reward rate
- 0.4%
- Forex markup
- 0%
Reward rates by spending category
Published catalogue rates before caps and merchant-category exclusions.
| Category | Recorded rate |
|---|---|
| Dining & delivery | 1.3% |
| Travel & hotels | 1.3% |
| International spending | 1.3% |
| Online shopping | 0.4% |
| Groceries & essentials | 0.4% |
| Subscriptions & streaming | 0.4% |
| Beauty & wellness | 0.4% |
| Entertainment & movies | 0.4% |
| Offline store shopping | 0.4% |
| House rent | 0.4% |
| Education & family | 0.4% |
| Healthcare & pharmacy | 0.4% |
| Other miscellaneous | 0.4% |
| Gold & jewellery | 0.4% |
| Bills & utilities | 0.1% |
| Insurance premiums | 0.1% |
| Fuel & commute | 0% |
Caps and fee waiver
- Reward caps
- No general cap recorded
- Annual fee waiver
- Not needed
- Monthly income requirement
- Approx. ₹1,00,000/month
Airport lounge access
4 domestic airport lounge visits per year
1 domestic airport lounge visit per quarter · Issuer card
Guest access: Chargeable
Requires ₹20,000 per Calendar month for the following calendar month
Spend condition: Spend ₹20,000 in the current calendar month for access in the next month
Movies and entertainment
District · Buy one, get one · up to ₹125 · 2 uses/month
Requires ₹20,000 per Calendar month for the following calendar month.
Benefits & conditions
Expand a category to see recorded benefits, fees and eligibility, with conditions and links to the sources. Categories without recorded details are grouped below; missing information does not mean a benefit is unavailable.
Rewards and cashback · 5 items
Birthday-month rewards
Usage-based value10 points per ₹200 applies to eligible birthday spend when that context is supplied.
Conditions: 10 points per ₹200 applies to eligible birthday spend when that context is supplied.
Dining, travel and international rewards
Usage-based value10 points per ₹200 applies from the first eligible dining, travel or international transaction; international purchases stop earning from 26 October 2026.
Utility, insurance, rail and FASTag rewards
Usage-based value1 point per ₹200 applies to eligible utility, insurance, railway and FASTag payments.
Other eligible rewards
Usage-based value3 points per ₹200 applies to other eligible online and offline purchases.
20% bonus reward points on eligible Rewards Gallery hotel bookings and 10% on flights
Shown without a cash value
Fees · 1 item
Lifetime-free annual fee
Recorded value ₹-0No annual card fee is recorded under the currently reviewed terms.
Welcome benefits · 2 items
₹500 welcome voucher
Recorded value ₹500Voucher from an eligible brand after the introductory spend requirement.
Conditions: Spend ₹5,000 within 30 days of card generation · UPI, add-on, wallet-load, EMI-converted and ATM transactions are excluded
Up to ₹1,000 first-EMI cashback
Recorded value ₹1,0005% cashback on the first eligible EMI transaction during the introductory window.
Conditions: Complete the first eligible EMI transaction within 30 days · Cashback is capped at ₹1,000
Airport lounge access · 2 items
Domestic lounge access
Usage-based value1 visit per quarter through Issuer card. Guest access: chargeable.
Conditions: Spend ₹20,000 per calendar month
Four complimentary railway lounge visits per quarter after ₹20,000 prior-month spend
Shown without a cash value
Movies and entertainment · 1 item
District movie offer
Usage-based · up to ₹3,000Buy one, get one offer up to ₹125, 2 times per month.
Conditions: Spend ₹20,000 per calendar month
Travel privileges · 1 item
Discounted airport meet-and-greet and transfer services
Shown without a cash value
Dining · 1 item
10X points on dining, travel, international and birthday spend; 3X on other eligible spend
Shown without a cash value
Insurance and protection · 2 items
Trip cancellation cover up to ₹10,000, usable for up to two claims in a policy period
Shown without a cash valueAir accident, personal accident, purchase protection, credit shield, lost-card liability and travel insurance under issuer terms
Shown without a cash value
Fuel benefits · 1 item
1% fuel surcharge waiver under current issuer terms
Shown without a cash value
Concierge · 1 item
Travel concierge and 300+ merchant offers
Shown without a cash value
Foreign-currency charges · 1 item
Zero forex markup
Usage-based value0% foreign-currency markup before applicable tax.
Conditions: Applies to eligible foreign-currency transactions
Eligibility and availability · 1 item
Application eligibility
Shown without a cash valueApplication availability: open. Published minimum monthly income: ₹1,00,000. The issuer publishes annual income of ₹12 lakh or more.
Other benefits · 1 item
24/7 roadside assistance
Shown without a cash value
Other categories (5)
These categories have no detailed entries. We distinguish confirmed absences from information that still needs review.
Fee waiver
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source 1 ↗Official source 2 ↗Spend milestones
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source 1 ↗Official source 2 ↗Card tiers
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source 1 ↗Official source 2 ↗Golf
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source 1 ↗Official source 2 ↗Memberships
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source 1 ↗Official source 2 ↗
What stands out
- ✓ 10X points on dining, travel, international and birthday spend; 3X on other eligible spend
- ✓ One domestic airport lounge visit per quarter after ₹20,000 spend in the prior month
- ✓ District movie BOGO up to ₹125 twice monthly after ₹20,000 prior-month spend
- ✓ Lifetime free with zero forex markup, travel protection and four railway lounge visits per quarter
What to watch
Every reward redemption costs ₹99 plus GST, and international transactions stop earning points from 26 October 2026.
Recorded exclusions
Fuel Commute · Wallet load · Emi · Cash withdrawal
How GainFair evaluates this card
The personal card advisor applies your monthly spending to category rates, limits rewards at the applicable caps, adds eligible movie, milestone and lounge value, and subtracts annual fees plus foreign-currency markup and GST. It can recommend keeping your current cards when a new card does not create enough incremental value.
Affiliate disclosure: Affiliate link · GainFair may earn a commission if you complete a qualifying action. You pay nothing extra, and compensation never affects recommendations or rankings. Read the full disclosure.
Compare against
These cards have the closest mix of purpose, reward style, fee model and tier. They are suggestions for comparison, not rankings.
Card change history
Material changes verified against dated issuer notices. Effective dates can differ from announcement dates.
- Value reduced
International transactions will stop earning points
The issuer has announced a future removal of reward points on international purchases.
- Before
- Eligible international purchases earn 10X points.
- After
- International transactions will earn no reward points.
Checked 21 Sept 2026IDFC FIRST Select important update ↗ - Mixed impact
Reward threshold removed and earn rates revised
IDFC FIRST Bank removed the former spend threshold and introduced 10X, 3X and 1X earning bands.
- Before
- The prior reward schedule and qualifying threshold applied.
- After
- Rewards start from the first eligible transaction: 10X on dining, travel, international and birthday spend; 3X on other spend; 1X on utilities, insurance, rail and FASTag.
Checked 21 Sept 2026IDFC FIRST Select important update ↗
Issuer sources
Open the sources used for this card's product details, rewards, fees and eligibility.
Sources checked 13 Sept 2026 · Latest recorded change effective 18 Jun 2026