IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
Eligibility – Aadhar, PAN, Income Proof (12+ LPA) & Decent Credit Score
Benefits – Buy 1 Get 1 on movie, Roadside Assistance worth ₹1399, Dining Discounts
Lounge Access – 4 Domestic airport and 4 Railway lounge visits per quarter
Introduction – IDFC First Select Credit Card Review
Its premium, popular, and lifetime free. What more can credit card enthusiasts desire? IDFC First Bank has introduced the IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card with a zero annual and joining fee. This credit card has gained popularity due to its generous reward program and travel benefits, making it a rare find among lifetime-free credit cards that offer such advantages.
IDFC has promoted the First Select Credit Card as one of its premium credit card offerings. We conducted research to understand if this card delivers what it takes to be considered a “Premium Credit Card”, especially by comparing its benefits to other premium credit cards. A big highlight for IDFC Select is being lifetime free whereas other issuers’ premium cards entail substantial joining and annual fees.
What is IDFC First Select credit card?
The IDFC First Select credit card is a premium credit card designed for working professionals with a decent income (at least 12+ LPA). The card provides a range of exclusive offers and benefits, including dining discounts, a buy-one-get-one offer on movie tickets, welcome vouchers, cashbacks on EMI transactions, and various travel benefits.
Furthermore, you can earn up to 10 times the reward points on your everyday expenditures, which can be redeemed for various options according to your preferences.
IDFC First Select Credit Card Benefits
- If you purchase a movie ticket through Paytm, and the ticket’s total cost is less than ₹250, you will receive an additional ticket free of charge (Buy 1, Get 1). You can avail of this offer twice a month.
- 300+ Merchant offers, All year long! | Up to 20% discount at 1500+ restaurants |
Up to 15% discount at 3000+ Health & Wellness outlets - Complimentary Roadside Assistance worth ₹1,399,
- Fuel surcharge waiver of 1%, at all fuel stations across India, up to ₹300/month
A detailed PDF outlining the details of these privileges can be found here on IDFC First Bank Website – FIRST-Select-Privileges (idfcfirstbank.com)
Our Analysis of the benefits offered on this card –
- The Paytm movie discount is indeed attractive; however, there is a catch: ticket prices sometimes cost more than ₹250 these days. In such rare circumstances, this offer becomes inapplicable. Yet for most situations it is an above average discount.
- The card offers various online shopping benefits for shopping, dining, and health & wellness outlets, which, in my opinion, makes it a valuable option for a lifetime free card.
- Rest of the benefits are pretty standard and average.
Welcome Benefits for IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
- If you spend ₹15000 within 90 days of getting this card you will get a ₹500 voucher that you can redeem.
- If you spend more than ₹2500 then you can convert it into 3 EMI and repay them monthly and additional benefit of it is you can get 5% cashback on the EMIs aslo if you make an EMI within 90 Days of receiving this and then you will get the 5% cashback.
Example – if you spent ₹3000 you will get ₹150 cashback and the limit of cashback is ₹1000 on 5% rate.
IDFC First Select Credit Card Lounge Access
If you are a frequent traveler who prefers utilizing the two primary and well-known modes of transportation, the IDFC first select credit card lounge access benefits include 4 complimentary visits to domestic airport lounges per quarter when you achieve a minimum monthly spend of ₹5000 on Limited Lounges. Additionally, it offers four complimentary visits to railway lounges per quarter.
List of eligible Lounges:
Click here
Analysis – If a card is lifetime free, it is very rare for them to provide unconditional lounge access benefits. As we can see despite the fact that IDFC select offers 4 airport lounge access every quarter, you can only avail if you have had an avg. monthly spend of ₹5000. In such situation, I’d rather prefer a credit card that charges ₹499 every year but offers 1 airport lounge access per quarter guaranteed without any spend conditions, for example the AXIS Flipkart Credit Card.
How to Apply for for IDFC First Bank Select Credit Card
You have the option to apply for the IDFC First Select Credit Card according to your convenience. For offline application, kindly visit your nearest IDFC First Bank branch, equipped with all the requisite documents, and complete the application process by filling out the physical application form. For online application, please proceed by following the straightforward steps outlined below:
- Visit the IDFC First Bank’s official website.
- Click on the option ‘Credit Cards.’
- Click on the option ‘Select.’
- Now, click on Apply Now and proceed further by filling in all the required details.
IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card Eligibility
- Should be 20+ to apply for this card.
- The Applicant should have a decent income, as the minimum requirement for applying for this card is an annual income of ₹12 lakhs or more.
- The applicant should have a good credit score.
Minimum Monthly Income Required – Above ₹1,00,000
Documents Required for IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
- Address Proof– Driving License, Aadhar Card, Passport, Utility bills, Voter ID Card of the applicant.
- Identity Proof – PAN Card, Aadhar Card, Voter ID Card, or Driving License of the applicant
- Income Proof – Applicant’s salary slips for the latest three months or Bank Statement for the last three months, and latest audited ITR in case of self-employed people.
Fees & Charges for IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
- There is no Annual fee as the Card is lifetime free.
- Interest Rates (APR) Of the IDFC Select Card starts from 0.75% to 3.5% per month (9% to 42% per annum)
- The OVL(Over Limit Fee) Charges are 2.5% of the over-limit amount subject to a minimum charge of ₹500.
- Forex Markup at 1.99% for all international transactions.
- Late Payment Fee is 15% of Total Amount Due (subject to a minimum of ₹100 and a maximum of ₹1250)
- Interest-free cash withdrawals on Domestic and International ATMs for up to 48 days (Cash Advance Fee of only ₹199 per transaction)
Note – GST is applicable on top of all the charges mentioned above.
Late Fee
15% of Total Amount Due (subject to a minimum of ₹100 and a maximum of ₹1250)
IDFC Select Credit Card Rewards Program
The IDFC Select Credit Card has a pretty god reward program considering it is a lifetime free credit card. Similar to other IDFC Credit cards The IDFC Select card also have lifetime validity reward points that you can redeem anytime in the future. The reward point value can go from 1x to upto 10x.
Here is a breakdown on what kind of spend will earn you how many reward points –
- 1X = 1 Reward point per ₹125 spent | 1 Reward point = ₹0.25 | 4 Reward point = ₹1
- 10X Reward Points on incremental spends above ₹25,000 per month and spends done on your birthday
- 6X & 3X Reward Points on online & offline purchases respectively for spends up to ₹25,000 per month
- Unlimited Reward points that never expire
- Use Reward points to instantly pay for online or in-store purchases
Analysis on rewards – if you break this reward structure in simple understandable figure. For every ₹100 that you spend on this card you will earn ₹0.20 – ₹2* as rewards.
Please note that the reward program does not apply to Fuel purchases, EMI transactions, or Cash withdrawals.
Transactions related to Rental and Property management will earn you 3X reward points. However, it’s important to mention that these transactions are not eligible for the 10X reward program or included in the 10X threshold calculations.
Starting from August 21st, 2023, IDFC First Bank have included Insurance premium payments in their reward program, earning you 1X rewards. Additionally, Utility bill payments will now also earn you 1X reward points. Just remember, these transactions are not part of the 10X reward program or the associated threshold calculations.
IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card Comparison
Above shown is a Comparison of the IDFC first select credit card with other similar segment cards that are also lifetime free and have a good reward program.
Conclusion
As per our review, the IDFC First Select Credit Card appears to be a suitable choice for employed individuals with a decent income. However, it’s worth noting that the eligibility requirement of an annual income exceeding 12 lakhs might seem somewhat steep, particularly when we consider the card’s reward offerings. Aside from 1+1 movie discount every month, even the complimentary domestic lounge access benefits are conditional on avg. monthly spend.
The card does not offer any reward points for travel bookings nor does it provide supplementary travel-related perks. Furthermore, a notable drawback of this premium-tier card is the card does not provide any international lounge access privileges. The IDFC select card is lacking some of the basic features a premium-tier credit card should have.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to open an account in IDFC bank, in order to apply for this card?
No having a bank account is not compulsory.
Can I apply for this card without income proof?
Income Proof is required for this Credit Card, But if you have a good credit score & good existing credit limits on other cards then the bank may not ask for any income proof.
How can i contact IDFC Bank Customer care?
You can contact through the IDFC First Bank customer care number 18605001111 or email at creditcard@idfcfirstbank.com.
What is the duration of validity for IDFC Select Reward Points?
The IDFC Select Credit Card have lifetime validity reward points that you can redeem anytime in the future.
IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
In this Latest IDFC First Select Credit Card review, We take a look at what are the Features, Benefits & Reward Program this Lifetime free card offers.
Product Brand: IDFC First
3.8
Pros
- Lifetime Free - Zero Annual & Joining Fee
- Domestic Airport & Railway Lounge Access 4 Per Quarter
- Movie Ticket Discounts on Paytm
- Low Forex Markup
- Complimentary Roadside Assistance
- Personal Accident Cover
Cons
- No Travel Booking Discounts
- No International Airport Lounge Access
- Only Available In Selective Cities
IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card
In this Latest IDFC First Select Credit Card review, We take a look at what are the Features, Benefits & Reward Program this Lifetime free card offers.
Product Brand: IDFC First
3.8
Pros
- Lifetime Free - Zero Annual & Joining Fee
- Domestic Airport & Railway Lounge Access 4 Per Quarter
- Movie Ticket Discounts on Paytm
- Low Forex Markup
- Complimentary Roadside Assistance
- Personal Accident Cover
Cons
- No Travel Booking Discounts
- No International Airport Lounge Access
- Only Available In Selective Cities
Author
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