Scapia Credit Card
Scapia is genuinely disruptive — it took zero-forex markup and unlimited lounge access, once locked behind ₹3,000–₹50,000 fees and income bars, and gave them away free in a slick app. It earns 4% on travel booked through the Scapia app (20 coins per ₹100, 5 coins = ₹1) and 2% on other spends. It is issued by Federal Bank as well as BOBCARD (Bank of Baroda) — the app, the rewards and the headline terms are the same either way, though each bank sets its own repayment fine print. The two network rails are not identical either. The figures here are the Visa card's, and the RuPay (UPI-linked) rail earns half the rate on everyday spends — 5% coins against Visa's 10% — with a ₹500 minimum transaction rather than ₹20. For young international travellers it is the easiest "yes" in the market. February 2026 brought its first real devaluation, gating the lounge access behind ₹20,000/month of spend and removing rewards on insurance and utilities (rent and fuel are also excluded). The core magic survives — zero forex, free, app-native — but the "no catch" era is over.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
4% on Travel
20 Scapia Coins per ₹100 on travel booked via the Scapia app (5 coins = ₹1 → ₹0.20/coin, ~4% effective), redeemable only for travel in-app
2% on Other
10 Scapia Coins per ₹100 on other spends (5 coins = ₹1 → ₹0.20/coin, ~2% effective), redeemable only for travel via the Scapia app; insurance, utilities, rent and fuel excluded from earning (Feb 2026)
️ Airport Lounge Access
Unlimited domestic airport lounge access, unlocked by ₹20,000+ spend in the previous calendar month (Feb 2026 spend gate); below that, lounge visits are self-paid
Zero Forex Markup
Use abroad without extra charge — swipe internationally like you do domestically.
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
UPI Linked
Link to PhonePe, GPay or Paytm and earn credit card rewards on UPI payments
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | reward points | 4% | — |
| Other | reward points | 2% | — |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 0% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹12,000/yr in total.
️ lounge access ~ ₹12,000 /yr
Unlimited domestic airport lounge access, unlocked by ₹20,000+ spend in the previous calendar month (Feb 2026 spend gate); below that, lounge visits are self-paid
Should you get it?
Best for: Budget international traveller, Booking.com user for hotel stays, First-time cardholder wanting no-fee + zero forex, Backpacker or leisure traveller, not a corporate card user
Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Travel ( 4% back).
Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- Zero forex markup — your only card that does not penalise international transactions
- 20 Scapia coins per ₹100 on travel booked via Scapia — redeemable for flights and hotels without blackout dates
- 10% off international hotels via Booking.com through Scapia app — ₹50,000 hotel spend saves ₹5,000
- Lifetime free — no annual fee for the first card with zero forex in India
✕ Cons
- Coins can only be redeemed for travel — not cashback, not gift vouchers
- Scapia app ecosystem is still maturing — fewer partner options than legacy bank portals
- Lower base earn on non-travel domestic spends vs IDFC FIRST Millennia or Axis ACE
Eligibility & documents
Age
21 –65 years
Min. income
₹25,000 /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.
🎁 Scapia App — Flights: Book flights directly in the Scapia app using Scapia Coins. No blackout dates. (5 coins = ₹1)
🎁 Scapia App — Hotels: Book international hotels at 10% discount via the Scapia app. Additional Booking.com integration. (5 coins = ₹1)
🎁 Scapia Store: Redeem coins for lifestyle products and gift cards in the Scapia Store. (Variable)
What your Federal Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Statement credit BEST Standard redemption
Gift voucher catalogue BEST Brand & e-gift vouchers
The concern The Feb 2026 devaluation gated lounge access behind ₹20,000/month and stripped earning from insurance, utilities, rent and fuel — and further trimming is possible, so it is no longer the no-strings card it once was.
The bottom line
Scapia remains a compelling travel companion for frequent flyers and overseas spenders by combining lifetime-free terms, zero foreign currency markup, and app-based travel redemptions. Even with the February 2026 revision that introduced a ₹20,000 monthly spend requirement for airport lounge visits and excluded utilities and insurance from earning rewards, its core value of 0% forex markup on international transactions remains standout in the zero-fee segment.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Scapia Credit Card are taken from Federal 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 Federal 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 2023 · 7 changes · last change Feb 2026
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2026 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Reward Effective 27 Feb 2026
Insurance and utility spends dropped from earning
Effective 27 February 2026 Scapia stopped awarding coins on insurance (MCC 6300) and on utility spends — electricity, mobile, broadband, gas and water (MCCs 4900, 4812, 4814, 4816, 4899). With fuel and rent already excluded, this removed the easiest routes to both earn coins and hit the lounge spend target, ending the card's no-catch era.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Lounge Effective 27 Feb 2026
Lounge spend gate doubled to ₹20,000/month
₹10,000/month → ₹20,000/month
From 27 February 2026 the preceding-month spend needed to unlock unlimited domestic lounge and airport privileges doubled again from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000, tracked jointly across the Visa and RuPay variants. Below the threshold, lounge visits are self-paid. This is the current live requirement per Federal Bank.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2025 1 change — 1 improvement
▲ Network Effective 12 Jun 2025
RuPay UPI dual-network variant added
On 12 June 2025 Scapia and Federal Bank added a RuPay (UPI-linked) rail alongside the existing Visa card, letting one card and single credit limit span UPI, domestic and international spends. The RuPay variant earns 5% coins on eligible spends of ₹500+ while Visa keeps 10%; zero forex and lounge benefits are unchanged.
Verification: Scapia ↗ · Confidence: High
2024 3 changes — 3 cuts
▼ Reward Effective 7 Sept 2024
Fair-usage caps and category exclusions added
From 7 September 2024 a fair-usage policy capped 10% coins on utility, telecom and cable spends at ₹20,000/cycle (nothing beyond), excluded fuel from earning entirely, dropped Government and Business Services from rewards, and applied a 1% convenience fee on rent. The card's earn surface narrowed sharply from its no-catch launch.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
▼ Fee Effective 7 Sept 2024
Finance charge raised and convenience fee added
3.49%/month → 3.75%/month
Effective 7 September 2024 the monthly finance charge on revolved balances rose from 3.49% to 3.75% (about 45% p.a.), and a 1% convenience fee (max ₹3,000, excl. GST) began applying to any single transaction above ₹50,000.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
▼ Lounge Effective 7 Sept 2024
Lounge spend gate raised to ₹10,000/month
₹5,000/month → ₹10,000/month
Effective 7 September 2024, the previous-billing-cycle spend needed to unlock unlimited domestic lounge access doubled from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000, applying to statements generated from October 2024 onward. The first tightening of what had been near-frictionless lounge access.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
2023 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective 15 Jun 2023
Scapia Federal card launched
Travel fintech Scapia launched its co-branded card with Federal Bank as a lifetime-free, app-native disruptor: zero forex markup on international spends, 10% back in Scapia Coins on eligible spends (5 coins = ₹1, so ~2% value) with 20% on app-booked flights and hotels (~4%), and unlimited domestic lounge access. Coins redeem only for travel in the Scapia app.
Verification: Scapia ↗ · 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: Scapia Credit Card value timeline — CardAdvisor
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Quick summary
Type Mid credit card
Reward rate 2%–4%
Best for Budget international traveller
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
How we research →
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280 cards analysed — August 2026
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