IDFC FIRST Ashva Credit Card
The IDFC FIRST Ashva is a competent semi-premium metal card — a low 1% forex, lounges, golf, Postcard Hotels perks and non-expiring points — let down mainly by its company. It earns 5 reward points per ₹150 up to ₹20,000 of monthly spend, 10 per ₹150 on incremental spend above that, and 3 per ₹150 on rent, wallet, education and government (redeemed at ₹0.40 on in-app travel, ₹0.25 elsewhere), with 16 domestic + 8 international lounge visits a year gated on ₹20,000 prior-month spend, a 7,500-point joining benefit paid in three 2,500-point tranches and a 7,500-point milestone at ₹8 lakh. The catch is internal, but not the one usually stated: the lifetime-free FIRST Wealth matches the spec sheet — Visa Infinite, lounges, golf, ₹0 — yet NOT the rewards engine. On ordinary spend the Ashva earns 0.83% below the gate and 1.67% above it against the Wealth's 0.375%, so it out-earns its free sibling by two to four times; the Wealth wins only on dining, travel and international at 1.25%. The real question is whether that edge covers ₹2,999, and on general spend it takes roughly ₹33,000 a month before it does. The 2026 cuts (international 10X→5X) trimmed the case further.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹1,875 in vouchers, points or cashback on card activation
0.83% on Other
5 RP per ₹150 up to ₹20,000/month (~0.83%), 10 RP per ₹150 on incremental above ₹20,000 (~1.67%), 3 RP per ₹150 on rent/wallet/education/government; points never expire
0.83% on International
5 RP per ₹150 on international spends (~0.83%; cut from 10X in Jan 2026)
️ Airport Lounge Access
Up to 16 domestic and 8 international airport lounge visits a year (requires ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month)
Golf Privileges
Up to 2 complimentary golf rounds or lessons a month — one unlocked per ₹20,000 spent in the previous statement cycle
Movie Ticket Benefit
Buy-one-get-one movie ticket up to ₹400 off, twice a month via District by Zomato, on ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month
Milestone Bonus
~₹1,875 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | reward points | 0.83% | — |
| International | reward points | 0.83% | — |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹3,539 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹3,539 |
| Forex markup | 1% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹41,675/yr in total.
️ lounge access ~ ₹25,000 /yr
Up to 16 domestic and 8 international airport lounge visits a year (requires ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month)
golf ~ ₹8,000 /yr
Up to 2 complimentary golf rounds or lessons a month — one unlocked per ₹20,000 spent in the previous statement cycle
movie ticket ~ ₹6,000 /yr
Buy-one-get-one movie ticket up to ₹400 off, twice a month via District by Zomato, on ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month
milestone bonus ~ ₹1,875 /yr
7,500 reward points on ₹8 lakh of spend in a card anniversary year, credited on payment of the next annual fee (cash withdrawals, fees and EMI amortisation do not count)
fuel waiver ~ ₹800 /yr
1% fuel-surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹200 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹300 per statement cycle
Spend milestone
· ₹8,00,000 a year ₹1,875 of value
Should you get it?
Best for: IDFC customers spending ₹20,000+ a month, App-led travel bookers who redeem points at ₹0.40
Premium tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Other ( 0.83% back).
Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- Up to 10X reward points on higher spends
- Strong app-based travel redemption — points are worth ₹0.40 there against ₹0.25 elsewhere
- Domestic and international lounge access, plus 4 railway lounge visits a quarter
- CFAR trip-cancellation cover up to ₹25,000 twice a year
- ₹5,000 off The Postcard Hotels stays of ₹25,000+ every quarter
- Low forex markup for a ₹3,000 metal card
✕ Cons
- Best rates need ₹20,000 of spend in a statement cycle
- IDFC cut reward rates across its cards in 2026 — verify current terms
- Lounge access is conditional on prior-month spend
Eligibility & documents
Min. income
₹75,000 /mo
Employment
Salaried · Self-employed
Documents required
- PAN card
- Aadhaar / address proof
- Income proof (salary slips or ITR)
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
🎁 Book flights and hotels on the IDFC FIRST app for ₹0.40 per point
🎁 Redeem for statement credit and vouchers at ₹0.25 per point
What your IDFC Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Statement credit BEST Never-expiring points
Gift voucher catalogue BEST Brand & e-gift vouchers
The concern The ₹20,000-per-cycle gate. Only spend ABOVE it earns the 1.67% that justifies the ₹2,999 — below it the Ashva pays 0.83%, and a spender who never clears the gate is paying a fee for an earn rate that does not cover it. IDFC's own free FIRST Wealth is the standing alternative, and it also wins outright on dining, travel and international (1.25%), a set the Jan 2026 international cut (10X→5X) made harder to argue with.
The bottom line
The Ashva holds up well as a metal card in its own right — a genuinely competitive 1% forex markup and a solid set of perks — but the real comparison that matters is against its own free sibling rather than the wider market. The FIRST Wealth card matches its feature set at no cost, just with a weaker earn rate: on general spending the Ashva returns 0.83% below the ₹20,000 threshold and 1.67% above it, versus 0.375% on the Wealth. That means the ₹2,999 fee isn't really a rewards argument so much as a spend-volume one — you'd need roughly ₹33,000 a month of general spending for the extra earnings to offset the cost. The January 2026 cut to the international rate, down from 10X to 5X, weakens that case further, since international spending is precisely where the free Wealth card already has the edge.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the IDFC FIRST Ashva Credit Card are taken from IDFC FIRST Bank 's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page . Last verified 16 Aug 2026 . Reviewed by Devchandra Sah . Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for IDFC FIRST Bank . All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2024 · 4 changes · last change Jun 2026
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2026 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Benefit Effective 18 Jun 2026
Movie BOGO spend-gated; earn capped to credit limit
A second trim: from 18 June 2026 the buy-one-get-one movie-ticket benefit required ₹20,000 of spend in the previous calendar month to unlock (previously unconditional), and reward points were earned only on spends up to the credit limit within a billing cycle.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: Reconstructed
▼ Reward Effective 18 Jan 2026
International earn halved; top rate spend-gated
10X (10 RP/₹150) → 5X (5 RP/₹150)
From 18 January 2026 international spends earned 5X instead of 10X reward points, and the 10X domestic rate now required ₹20,000 of spend in a billing cycle. IDFC also stopped awarding reward points for any cycle in which the minimum amount due is not paid by the due date. In-app travel redemption stayed at ₹0.40/point, ₹0.25 elsewhere.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
2025 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Welcome Effective 1 Sept 2025
Welcome benefit restructured into a three-tranche 7,500-point plan
7,500 reward points in three tranches: 2,500 on fee realization, 2,500 on ₹20,000+ net spends in the 2nd statement cycle, 2,500 in the 3rd
For cards generated on or after 1 September 2025 the joining benefit pays 7,500 reward points in three equal tranches — on realization of the joining fee, and on ₹20,000 or more of net spends in each of the second and third statement cycles. IDFC does not publish the structure that applied immediately before this date, so no before value is recorded.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2024 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective 19 Sept 2024
IDFC FIRST launches the Ashva metal card
IDFC FIRST Bank unveiled the Ashva, a metal Visa card at ₹2,999 joining/annual fee aimed at affluent travellers: a low 1% forex, 5 RP per ₹150 up to ₹20,000/month and 10 RP per ₹150 on incremental spend above that, 16 domestic + 8 international lounge visits a year, golf, movie benefits and a 7,500-point milestone at ₹8 lakh annual spend.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Quick summary
Type Premium credit card
Reward rate 0.83%
Best for IDFC customers spending ₹20,000+ a month
Joining fee ₹2,999
Annual fee ₹2,999
Reviewed by
Devchandra Sah · Cards tested, miles earned, trips booked — for over a decade
Last verified 16 Aug 2026
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