IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit Card
The IDFC FIRST Wealth is a lifetime-free Visa Infinite with lounge access, golf, travel insurance, a 10X rewards engine and a low 1.5% forex markup — the card that makes you wonder why anyone pays for a mid-premium card. From 18 June 2026 the old ₹20,000 spend tier was replaced by categories: it earns 10 reward points per ₹200 (~1.25% at ₹0.25/point) on dining, travel, international and birthday spends from the first transaction, 3 per ₹200 on other spends and 1 per ₹200 on utilities/insurance/FASTag/railway (in-app travel redeems at the same ₹0.25). The 2026 cuts trimmed the edges without breaking it: from 18 June 2026 points expire after 24 months, the movie benefit is spend-gated and rewards are capped to your credit limit; and from 1 April 2026 lounge and golf were revised to 1 domestic + 1 international visit per quarter, gated on ₹20,000 of prior-month spend. Clear the ₹3 lakh/month income bar and it is close to automatic.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹500 in vouchers, points or cashback on card activation
1.25% on Dining
10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on dining
1.25% on Travel
10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on travel (in-app travel redeems at the same ₹0.25/point)
️ Airport Lounge Access
1 complimentary visits per quarter at domestic and international airport lounges
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
Golf Privileges
1 complimentary golf round per quarter (spend-gated on ₹20,000/cycle from 1 Apr 2026)
Movie Ticket Benefit
Buy-1-Get-1 movie ticket via the District app — up to ₹250 off the second ticket, twice a calendar month, unlocked by ₹20,000 of spend in the prior calendar month
️ Insurance Cover
Air accident cover of ₹1 crore, personal accident cover of ₹10 lakh, lost-card liability of ₹50,000, travel insurance up to USD 1,200 and trip-cancellation (CFAR) cover up to ₹10,000 (two claims per policy period)
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | reward points | 1.25% | — |
| Travel | reward points | 1.25% | — |
| International | reward points | 1.25% | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.38% | — |
| Utility Bills | reward points | 0.13% | — |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 0.71% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 1.5% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹14,300/yr in total.
golf ~ ₹2,000 /yr
1 complimentary golf round per quarter (spend-gated on ₹20,000/cycle from 1 Apr 2026)
️ insurance ~ ₹3,000 /yr
Air accident cover of ₹1 crore, personal accident cover of ₹10 lakh, lost-card liability of ₹50,000, travel insurance up to USD 1,200 and trip-cancellation (CFAR) cover up to ₹10,000 (two claims per policy period)
movie ticket ~ ₹2,500 /yr
Buy-1-Get-1 movie ticket via the District app — up to ₹250 off the second ticket, twice a calendar month, unlocked by ₹20,000 of spend in the prior calendar month
️ lounge access ~ ₹6,000 /yr
1 domestic + 1 international lounge visit per quarter (from 1 Apr 2026), gated on ₹20,000 prior-month spend
fuel waiver ~ ₹800 /yr
1% fuel-surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹200 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹300 per statement cycle
Should you get it?
Best for: International traveller who pays forex markup on current card, IDFC FIRST salary account holder earning ₹3L+/month, Buys high-value items on 0% EMI regularly, Wants premium benefits without paying a premium fee
Premium tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Dining ( 1.25% back).
Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- Low 1.5% forex + 10X international points — ₹1L international hotel spend earns ₹1,250 in points AND saves ₹2,000 in forex vs a 3.5% card
- Priority Pass for domestic and international lounges (1 domestic + 1 international per quarter from Apr 2026)
- 0% interest EMI on select retail purchases — a rare feature at any premium tier
- Lifetime free — premium benefits with no annual fee burden
- ₹500 welcome gift voucher on ₹5,000 of spend within 30 days of card generation
✕ Cons
- Requires IDFC FIRST relationship — limited to IDFC salary or savings account holders
- Reward redemption restricted to IDFC partner catalogue
- Lounge and golf were trimmed from 1 April 2026 and are now spend-gated on ₹20,000 prior-month spend
- UPI needs the separate FIRST Digital RuPay add-on card, which carries its own ₹199 + GST annual fee
Eligibility & documents
Age
21 –65 years
Min. income
₹3,00,000 /mo
Employment
Salaried · Self-employed · Student
Documents required
- PAN card
- Aadhaar / valid address proof
- Latest 3 months bank statement
- Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
🎁 Statement Credit: Redeem reward points against your card statement at ₹0.25/point — the simplest option. (₹0.25/point)
🎁 IDFC Partner Catalogue: Redeem for vouchers and products from IDFC partner brands via the mobile app. (Up to ₹0.25/point)
🎁 Travel Redemption: Use points for flight and hotel bookings via IDFC FIRST partner portals. (Up to ₹0.25/point)
🎁 Redemption Fee: Every redemption attracts a fee of ₹99 + GST per redemption.
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 Its forex is 1.5%, not zero (a persistent misconception), it needs an IDFC FIRST relationship and ₹3L+/month income (₹36 lakh a year), and redemption stays inside IDFC's modest catalogue.
The bottom line
This remains one of the strongest fee-free premium cards on the market: a comparatively low 1.5% forex markup (worth repeating — not zero, despite the common assumption), lounge access, golf privileges and a 10X earn engine, all without ever charging a fee. The 2026 revisions — 24-month points expiry, a spend-gated movie perk, and the credit-limit earn cap — nibbled at the edges without undermining the overall proposition. Realistically, the income requirement is the only meaningful barrier to entry.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the IDFC FIRST Wealth 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 14 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 2021 · 7 changes · last change Jun 2026
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2026 3 changes — 3 cuts
▼ Reward Observed 13 May 2026 · Effective 18 Jun 2026
Points get 24-month expiry + credit-limit earn cap
Points never expired; no per-cycle earn cap; movie BOGO ungated → 24-month expiry; rewards capped to credit limit/cycle; movie BOGO needs ₹20k spend
Effective 18 June 2026 reward points earned from the July 2026 cycle expire 24 months after being credited (previously lifetime-valid; existing balances valid up to the June 2028 cycle), and points are earned only on spends up to the assigned credit limit per billing cycle. The movie Buy-1-Get-1 now needs ₹20,000 prior-month spend. Partly offsetting: 10X on dining/travel/international now applies from the first transaction (previously required ₹20,000 monthly spend).
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Lounge Effective 1 Apr 2026
Complimentary lounge visits halved
2 domestic + 2 international per quarter → 1 domestic + 1 international per quarter
From April 2026 free lounge visits were halved to 1 domestic + 1 international per quarter (down from 2 each), still gated on ₹20,000 of prior-month spend — a second successive trim to the card's once-generous lounge benefit.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
▼ Fee Effective Jan 2026
Rent, high-fuel and third-party-education payments pick up 1% fees
None → 1% on rent (min ₹249); 1% on fuel above ₹30,000/cycle; 1% on education via third-party apps (min ₹249)
IDFC FIRST's 2026 fee schedule added a 1% Rent and Property Management fee (minimum ₹249 a transaction, MCC 6513), a 1% fee on statement-cycle fuel spends above ₹30,000, and a 1% fee (minimum ₹249) on education payments routed through third-party apps. These sit alongside the earlier FASTag/toll (above ₹10,000/cycle) and railway (above ₹25,000/cycle) fees. None of them applies to the FIRST Private card.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: Reconstructed
2024 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Lounge Observed 1 Apr 2024 · Effective 1 May 2024
Lounge access spend-gated for the first time
4 domestic visits, no minimum spend → Reduced visits; ₹20,000 prior-month spend required to unlock
From 1 May 2024 lounge (and spa) access became conditional on spending at least ₹20,000 in the previous calendar month; complimentary domestic lounge visits were cut (4 with no spend condition → 2 free plus 2 gated on the ₹20k spend), ending the card's earlier no-strings lounge benefit.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
▼ Reward Observed 1 Apr 2024 · Effective 1 May 2024
System-wide reward devaluation (₹100→₹150 basis)
1 pt per ₹100; 6X online, 3X offline; 10X above ₹30k → 1 pt per ₹150; flat 3X base; 10X above ₹20k
Effective 1 May 2024 the earning basis moved from 1 point per ₹100 to 1 point per ₹150 (~33% cut) and base earning collapsed from 6X online / 3X offline to a flat 3X up to ₹20,000/cycle. The 10X trigger dropped ₹30,000→₹20,000 (a slight positive), the Paytm movie BOGO halved from ₹500 to ₹250, and utility spends above ₹20,000/cycle now attract a 1% + GST surcharge.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Reward Effective 21 Aug 2023
Insurance & utility spends cut to 1X, barred from 10X
Eligible for accelerated/10X earning → 1X only; excluded from 10X program & threshold
From 21 August 2023 insurance-premium (MCC 5960/6300) and utility-bill (MCC 4900) spends earn only 1 reward point per ₹150 and are explicitly excluded from the 10X incremental-earn and from the 10X monthly-threshold calculation.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2021 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective 2021
IDFC FIRST Wealth launched
IDFC FIRST Bank rolled out its debut credit-card range in early 2021 (public availability by Mar–Apr 2021); the FIRST Wealth was the lifetime-free Visa Infinite flagship — up to 10X reward points on spends above ₹20,000/month, complimentary domestic + international lounge access via DreamFolks, golf, Buy-1-Get-1 movies, and a low 1.5% forex markup.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
↓ Show all 7 changes 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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Source: IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit Card value timeline — CardAdvisor
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Quick summary
Type Premium credit card
Reward rate 0.38%–1.25%
Best for International traveller who pays forex markup on current card
Joining fee Free
Annual fee Lifetime free
Reviewed by
Devchandra Sah · Cards tested, miles earned, trips booked — for over a decade
Last verified 14 Aug 2026
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280 cards analysed — August 2026
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