IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card review
IDFC FIRST Bank · Visa · points Official sources Checked 30 Oct 2026
At a glance
- Annual fee
- ₹0
- Joining fee
- ₹0
- Fee waiver
- Not needed (no annual fee)
- Base return
- 0.38% base
- Point value
- ₹0.25 per point
- Domestic lounge
- ₹20,000 prior-month spend (from Apr 2026; cut from 2); plus 4 railway lounge visits/quarter
- International lounge
- None found
Estimated net value a year
| Profile | Net | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| First card, light spender ₹15k a month | ₹884 | 0.5% |
| Metro salaried ₹60k a month | ₹3,495 | 0.5% |
| Family household ₹80k a month | ₹3,825 | 0.4% |
| Frequent flyer ₹1.5L a month | ₹13,050 | 0.7% |
| Online shopper ₹50k a month | ₹2,580 | 0.4% |
| Rent-heavy ₹90k a month | −₹1,413 | -0.1% |
Fee maths: There is no annual fee to recover, so value depends only on how much of your spend lands in rewarded categories. On our 6 profiles it nets from −₹1,413 (rent-heavy) to ₹13,050 (frequent flyer), equal to −0.1% to 0.7% of spend across the profiles. On the rent-heavy profile it earns nothing or loses money, because that spend is excluded or carries a fee.
After fees and caps, best-case redemption. Use your own spend.
Our take: The mid-tier IDFC FIRST card, lifetime free with an income requirement of ₹12 lakh a year. The earn rates match Millennia and Wealth: 5 points per ₹100 (1.25% at ₹0.25 a point) on dining, travel and international spends, and 1.5 points per ₹100 elsewhere. What it adds is one domestic airport lounge visit a quarter on ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month, plus four railway lounge visits. Rent carries a 1% fee with a ₹249 minimum, and fuel and rent earn nothing.
From the card's terms: strengths
- No annual fee
- 1 domestic lounge visit a quarter
From the card's terms: limits
- Base return is only about 0.38% on other spends
Reward rates and caps
| Spend category | Points per ₹100 | Value per ₹100 | Cap | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International (foreign currency) | 5 | ₹1.25 | No cap found | 10X (5 points per ₹100) on international purchases per the issuer's page (re-read 30 Oct 2026: the page still lists it); one aggregator reported a cut from 26 Oct 2026, not seen on the official page. |
| Dining & food delivery, Flights & hotels | 5 | ₹1.25 | No cap found | 10X = 10 pts per ₹200 (5/₹100) on dining, travel (and international, not modelled). Official page states no minimum spend for Wealth; Millennia/Select pages list 10X with no threshold. In-app hotel +20% / flight +10% bonus. |
| Everything else, Other online shopping, Amazon, Flipkart, Groceries, Entertainment & OTT | 1.5 | ₹0.38 | No cap found | Base rate on all other eligible spends, online and offline |
| Bills & utilities | 0.5 | ₹0.13 | No cap found | Utilities, insurance, FASTag, railway at 1X; 1% fee on FASTag >₹10,000/cycle and railway >₹25,000/cycle; IDFC's MITC (a 2025 file, read 30 Oct 2026) also lists a 1% fair-usage fee on utility spends above ₹20,000 a statement cycle |
| Fuel | 0 | ₹0 | No cap found | No points; 1% fuel surcharge waiver on ₹200-5,000 txns (cap ₹300/cycle); 1% fee above ₹30,000 fuel/cycle |
| Rent | 0 | ₹0 | No cap found | Rent payments: 1% fee (min ₹249) since Jan 2026; EMI/cash advance also earn nothing |
Point value: 1 point = ₹0.25; ₹99+GST redemption fee; in-app hotel +20%, flight +10% bonus (official; earlier +33%/+13% aggregator figure replaced)
Excluded or reduced
- fuel
- rent
- EMI conversions
- cash advances
- fees and charges
- government services
- education
- wallet load
Other benefits
- Welcome: About ₹500 (₹5,000 spend in 30 days; aggregator)
- Renewal: None
- BOGO movies (₹20,000 prior-month spend)
- 0% forex since 9 Sep 2026
- Travel insurance USD 300, air accident ₹1 crore
Eligibility
Annual income ₹12 lakh or more (official)
Compare
- IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit Card
- IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card vs Axis Bank Select Credit Card
Related guides
- How to read a credit card MITC
- Airport lounge access on credit cards
- Paying rent with a credit card
- Fees on rent, wallet, utility, fuel and education spends
- Forex markup and using a card abroad
- How reward points work and what they are worth
- Credit card devaluations and what to do
FAQ
What is the annual fee of the IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card?
No annual fee. Fees exclude 18% GST.
How do IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card rewards work?
0.38% base, up to 1.25% on international (foreign currency). 1 point = ₹0.25; ₹99+GST redemption fee; in-app hotel +20%, flight +10% bonus (official; earlier +33%/+13% aggregator figure replaced)
Does the IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card give airport lounge access?
Domestic: ₹20,000 prior-month spend (from Apr 2026; cut from 2); plus 4 railway lounge visits/quarter. International: None found.
Who is the IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card best suited to?
The mid-tier IDFC FIRST card, lifetime free with an income requirement of ₹12 lakh a year. The earn rates match Millennia and Wealth: 5 points per ₹100 (1.25% at ₹0.25 a point) on dining, travel and international spends, and 1.5 points per ₹100 elsewhere. What it adds is one domestic airport lounge visit a quarter on ₹20,000 of spend in the previous month, plus four railway lounge visits. Rent carries a 1% fee with a ₹249 minimum, and fuel and rent earn nothing. There is no annual fee to recover, so value depends only on how much of your spend lands in rewarded categories. On our 6 profiles it nets from −₹1,413 (rent-heavy) to ₹13,050 (frequent flyer), equal to −0.1% to 0.7% of spend across the profiles. On the rent-heavy profile it earns nothing or loses money, because that spend is excluded or carries a fee.
Sources
- IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card (official product page) official fetched 2026-10-29
- CardAdvisor IDFC FIRST Select aggregator fetched 2026-10-29
- CardAdvisor CardInsider IDFC devaluation aggregator fetched 2026-10-29
Not financial advice. Figures are estimates from published terms and may be outdated; confirm with IDFC FIRST Bank before you apply. Methodology.
