Hey #tribe! Any suggestions on credit card with complimentary international airport lounge access like PriorityPass? I'm looking for cards with annual fees <5K₹ and non-HDFC bank as they won't upgrade me from Millennia.

Why wouldn't they upgrade you? You can always submit a form and they will upgrade you (as long as the criteria is met)

Rupay platinum debit cards come with International Lounge according to Rupay website, I know you are looking for credit card, but it would be worth taking a look The charges are very cheap for what they offer relative, looks too good to be true.

So a couple of things: Even if you get Priority Pass (like in Amex Travel), you still need to pay the ~ $30 per entry fee to the lounger (per pax). I had the Amex Plat for a year which comes with unlimited Priority Pass (no charges) -- but in reality, most of the PP lounges are overflowing with people and you are better outside, than inside the lounge. So it comes down to which routes you fly often. PP lounges are mostly not worth it to go through all the hassle. I have an alternative suggestion and that is to buy access to lounges via LoungeBuddy (or similar) - https://www.loungebuddy.com/ Some of the nicer (outside of PP) lounges are available here as well. And if you are going to pay PP, you may pay these guys slightly higher and get better lounges. ICICI Emeralde offers unlimited International Lounge Access under the DragonPass program. I think it costs 12K / year. So might be worth checking out if you are going to fly enough to justify the expense. But under 5K, is going to be difficult I think.

A lot of cards include PP access for a ~30 USD fee as @loud-glass-33663 stated. I assume you are looking for free lounge access? Those are usually restricted to the high value cards with high fees and requirements, unfortunately. In the case of HDFC, which is what I have, their Regalia and Diners Black cards allowed limited PP access (5 times?) during the year. Infinia, OTOH, allows unlimited access, gives a card to you and a spouse and allows guests.

Diners Black offers unlimited lounge visits a year both domestic as well as international through their own network. The fees (10k+taxes) doesn’t come under your criteria though. I would say if you can get a Diners Black, it’s worth the fees as the cashbacks more than cover for the annual fees. I was lucky to get a Lifetime Free upgrade to the card but IIRC they don’t offer that anymore.

@numerous-salesmen-69050 - You can try Niyo SBM card.

Thanks guys for the helpful answers 😄 According to these suggestions I visited several banks and here's summary if anyone looks into these thread again: 1. SBI: a. Prime - Free PriorityPass(PP) and 4 complementary International lounge visits. (99$ + 30$ x4), 3K₹ annual fees, but you get vouchers against fees. b. Elite - Same as above, but 6 complementary visits. 5K₹ fees. Lot's of other benefits. One caveat though, for both these cards, PP is only valid for 2 years, after that you have to pay 99$. 2. ICICI: Thanks @loud-glass-33663 for the suggesting. a. Emeralde: Indeed a beast! unlimited visits to international lounges with spa. Unfortunately even though my income is eligible, they were insisting on having my company office address in India( I work as a contractor with no office here). I've still applied, and will post the results here again. 3. YES Bank: a. YES FIRST PREFERRED: Only 2.5K₹ fees, even ready to waive off those fees if working in publicly listed company(not my case). Excellent features. b. YES FIRST EXCLUSIVE: Unlimited visits, 10K₹ fees. Features similar to ICICI Emeralde. About HDFC: I visited 2 branches, and both of them told me that unless I get an option of upgrade on my card, I can't upgrade to regalia/infinia from millennia. I'm still trying to connect with other branches and as @adamant-judge-51663 and @gorgeous-tent-29765 said, I'll try with forms. Most of the banks are hesitant to issue cards to people working as contractors/freelancers and not having an office in India even though income is on higher side. Having good credit score helps here as they directly issue card on basis of score without income docs.