Best Travel Credit Cards in India (2026): Lounges & Zero Forex

Best Travel Credit Cards in India (2026): Lounges, Forex Fees and Who Each Suits

May 12, 2025

The best travel credit card depends on one question: do you mostly want airport lounges, or do you want to stop paying a forex fee on foreign spending? Most cards do one of these well, and few do both. This guide compares four cards whose terms we could check against the bank’s own pages, and explains how the forex fee works so you can judge any other card yourself.

Quick Answer

You are…	Look at
Paying in USD or EUR often, want no annual fee	Federal Bank Scapia, or IDFC FIRST WOW! (needs an FD)
Flying abroad a few times a year	RBL World Safari
Want domestic and international lounges with a mid-range fee	HDFC Regalia Gold
Earn ₹20,000-30,000 a month	See our guide for entry-level incomes

The Four Cards Side by Side

Card	Annual fee	Forex markup	Lounge access
Federal Bank Scapia	₹0	0%	Domestic, with ₹20,000 spend in the previous billing cycle
IDFC FIRST WOW!	₹0, needs a ₹20,000 FD	0%	Not stated on the bank’s page
RBL World Safari	₹3,000 + GST	0%	2 domestic a quarter, 2 international a year (spend conditions apply)
HDFC Regalia Gold	₹2,500, waived at ₹4 lakh spend	Not 0%; check the fee schedule	3 domestic a quarter, 6 international a year (spend conditions apply)

What Forex Markup Is, and Why It Matters

Forex markup is the fee a bank adds when it converts a foreign-currency payment into rupees. It applies when you swipe abroad and also when you pay a foreign website in dollars, such as a software subscription or an overseas store. Many cards charge around 3.5% plus 18% GST on that fee. On a ₹1 lakh foreign spend, that is roughly ₹4,100 in fees. A card with 0% markup removes that cost, but it does not remove the exchange-rate spread built into the rate you are given.

Two habits matter more than the card. First, always pay in the local currency when a terminal offers to “convert to INR”. That is dynamic currency conversion, and it usually gives a worse rate. Second, note that some banks add a separate charge on rupee transactions made abroad. HDFC Bank, for example, has set a 1.75% markup on rupee-denominated transactions made abroad or with overseas-registered merchants from 15 May 2026.

Federal Bank Scapia: Lifetime Free, 0% Forex

No joining or annual fee, and no forex markup on international transactions.
Domestic lounge access is no longer simply “unlimited”. You choose either lounge access or Coins back on dining, shopping or spa spend at the airport (up to ₹1,000 a visit at metro airports and ₹500 at smaller ones), and you unlock it by spending ₹20,000 in the previous billing cycle. You also have to activate it in the app before paying.
Forex spending, rent, fuel, wallet loads and some other categories do not earn Coins.
Reward rates differ between the Visa and RuPay variants and have changed over time, so check the app before relying on a number.

Best for: people who spend abroad or in foreign currency online and want no annual fee. Worth knowing: the lounge benefit has strings, so do not choose it only for lounges.

Apply for Federal Bank Scapia Card

IDFC FIRST WOW!: Zero Forex, Backed by an FD

Lifetime free, with zero forex markup.
It is issued against a fixed deposit of at least ₹20,000 with IDFC FIRST Bank. You must keep the FD while the card is active, and breaking it leads to card cancellation.
The bank’s page does not list lounge benefits, so do not assume them.

Best for: first-time cardholders or people with thin credit history who want zero forex without a salary-based approval. Your ₹20,000 stays earning FD interest, but it is locked. Details are on the bank’s page.

RBL World Safari: 0% Forex With Lounges

₹3,000 + GST a year and 0% forex markup.
Domestic lounges: 2 a quarter if you spent ₹35,000 or more in the previous calendar quarter.
International lounges: Priority Pass with 2 free visits outside India a calendar year, plus one more if you spend ₹50,000 or more in a calendar quarter. Extra visits are charged up to $35 each.
Reward points: 2 per ₹100 on eligible domestic spend and 5 per ₹100 on travel. International purchases earn no points.

Best for: people who fly abroad a few times a year and want a real credit card with zero forex. Worth knowing: you save the forex fee but earn no points on foreign spending. The fee-waiver spend was not stated on the bank’s page, so confirm it before applying. See the bank’s page.

HDFC Regalia Gold: Lounges for a Mid-Range Fee

₹2,500 annual fee, waived at ₹4 lakh annual spend (HDFC Bank’s terms document, updated 9 October 2026).
From 15 May 2026, domestic lounge access is 3 visits a calendar quarter if you spent ₹60,000 or more in the previous quarter. International access stays at 6 visits a year via Priority Pass.
HDFC added “Boarding Edge” from the same date. You pick two travel benefits a quarter, such as spa access or an airport transfer, after uploading a boarding pass on SmartBuy.
Foreign spending is not free of markup, and we could not read the exact percentage in the bank’s document. A comparison site lists it at 2%, so check the fee schedule.

Best for: people who spend ₹20,000 or more a month, fly a few times a year and value lounges and rewards over the lowest forex cost. Worth knowing: the domestic lounge count is lower than it used to be, and it depends on how much you spent in the previous quarter.

Apply for HDFC Credit Cards

How to Choose

Add up your last 12 months of foreign spend. If it is under about ₹50,000, a 3.5% fee costs you under ₹2,100 plus GST, and a fee-bearing card with lounges may still be better.
Check the spend condition on every lounge benefit. Most lounge visits now depend on spending in the previous quarter or billing cycle. A “free” lounge you do not qualify for is not free.
Do not pay a fee you will not recover. A ₹3,000 annual fee needs to save you at least that in forex fees, lounge visits and rewards.
Avoid carrying a balance. Credit card interest, usually well above 30% a year, wipes out any travel benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 0% forex card really free to use abroad? You avoid the bank’s markup, but the exchange rate used for conversion still has a spread. Card networks set that rate, not the bank. Paying in local currency avoids a second, avoidable loss from dynamic currency conversion.

Can I get a travel card on a low salary? Yes. Cards secured against a fixed deposit, such as IDFC FIRST WOW!, do not depend on your salary. For other options, see our guide to travel cards for entry-level incomes.

Do lounge visits cost anything extra? On the cards above, the included visits are free if you meet the spend condition. Beyond them, Priority Pass charges per visit, up to $35 on the RBL card.

Before You Rely on This

Card terms change often, especially lounge access and rewards. Confirm on the bank’s page before applying.
We removed cards we could not verify against a bank source in October 2026. This is not a ranking of every travel card in India.
HDFC Regalia Gold’s forex percentage was not confirmed from the bank’s own document.
Fees are shown before GST unless stated.

Sources: bank pages and terms documents for Federal Bank Scapia (Scapia, May 2026), IDFC FIRST Bank, RBL Bank and HDFC Bank (feature-change letter effective 15 May 2026 and terms document of 9 October 2026). Verified October 2026.

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