IDFC First Select Credit Card is a semi-premium credit card issued on Visa Signature platform and is positioned above IDFC Classic Credit Card & below IDFC Wealth Credit Card.
While it used to be a wonderful product when it was initially launched, it lost it’s credibility post the recent devaluation, but it’s still a worthy card to hold for few reasons. Here’s everything you need to know,
Overview
| Type | Semi-Premium Credit Card |
| Reward Rate | 0.6% – 2% |
| Annual Fee | Lifetime Free |
| Best for | Airport / Railway lounge access |
| USP | Complimentary Roadside Assistance Service |
While the card is portrayed as a premium card by the Bank, I wouldn’t call it so. It’s more of an entry-level card but with the ability to serve as a premium credit card if the spends are higher.
Fees
| Joining / Renewal Fee | Lifetime Free |
| Welcome Benefit | 500 INR voucher |
- Welcome voucher worth 500 INR on spending >=15,000 INR within 90 days of card generation.
The advantage of this card is obviously the “Lifetime Free” benefit which comes with all the privileges. But don’t forget the truth about lifetime free credit cards.
Design
It’s a neat & simple design in deep red colour, which is also the bank’s brand colour.
While it looks good, I wish they had a different design for the Select Credit card as it looks almost same as the IDFC Signature debit card with which I used to get confused once in a while.
Rewards
| SPEND TYPE | REWARDS | REWARD RATE |
|---|---|---|
| Offline Spends | 3 RP / 125 INR (3X) | 0.6% |
| Online Spends | 6 RP / 125 INR (6X) | 1.2% |
| Spends >25K (per stmt) | 10 RP / 125 INR (10X) | 2% |
| Spends on Birthday | 10 RP / 125 INR (10X) | 2% |
- 1 Reward Point = 0.25 INR
- Redemption Charges: 99 INR+GST (from 1st Oct 2022)
- Rewards don’t expire
IDFC has added quite a lot of restrictions lately to the rewards program. Looking at the trend, they would probably add more to it in the coming months.
Terms & Conditions:
- Rewards not applicable on Fuel, Insurance & EMI transactions
- Rental txn’s will accrue 3X rewards (0.6%) only and will not be used for 10X calculations.
Meanwhile, this is not the card if you want to charge beyond your credit limit in a month, as that will lead to red flags.
Lounge Access
| ACCESS TYPE | Access Via | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Airport Lounges | Visa | 4/Qtr |
| Domestic Railway Lounges | Visa | 4/Qtr |
| International Lounges | Nil | Nil |
While airport lounge access is quite common, here with IDFC Select Credit Card you also get access to the Railway lounges.
Moreover, as these days HDFC entry-level & premium cards are no longer supported at most airport lounges except the metros, its better to have multiple credit cards in your wallet that gives lounge access.
Other Benefits
- Complimentary Road Side Assistance(RSA) worth ₹1,399
- Revolving Interest Rate: Relatively lower interest rate compared to other banks, usually 20% – 24% p.a. (I got 22% p.a. ROI)
- Buy 1 Get 1 Movie Benefit: Upto Rs.250 per ticket via Paytm Movies.
- Forex Markup Fee: 1.99% + GST
Complimentary roadside assistance is one of the unique feature on this credit card. It maybe useful at times, for ex, to jump start your car on breakdown.
Revolving interest rate is one of the key benefit of the issuer but I hardly see anyone taking advantage of it, maybe the reason is that those who need a low interest rate are not getting it.
Getting the Card
- Eligibility: IDFC Select Ac (or) Other bank credit card with ~1.5L limit
- Apply online (Instant approval)
Fresh Card: If you’ve about ~1.5L credit limit on other bank credit cards, you can apply for the IDFC credit card online and you may likely be eligible for the select variant. If eligible, you can get the virtual card ready for use in matter of minutes.
If you’ve higher limits on other credit cards, you might get approved for the wealth credit card directly, which comes with lot more benefits.
Upgrade: If you’ve IDFC Classic/Millennia Cards with a low limit, you’ll first need to increase your credit limit and then request for an upgrade.
If you’re looking for even more information, do check out the hands-on experience with IDFC select credit card article by Satish.
Bottomline
- Cardexpert Rating: 4/5 (for this segment)
While the IDFC select credit card is of less use in 2022 as we’ve lucrative cashback cards around, it still makes sense to hold one for its benefits, as it gives complimentary access to airport & railway lounges.
Further, IDFC First Bank also runs very good targeted promotions like this one: 6000 bonus points on spends & this one: 10,000 bonus points on spends.
Overall you get a Lifetime Free Credit Card with ongoing benefits, targeted offers and decent rewards especially if you’ve high spends.
Do you have IDFC First Select Credit Card? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
![IDFC Offer: Get Bonus Points on Credit Card Spends [Targeted – July 2023]](https://www.cardexpert.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/idfc-first-credit-card-offer-july-2023-60x42.png){kind=small}
Please re confirm movie offer, ₹ 250 off on each ticket?
Yes, if you buy movie tickets from Paytm movies. This offer can be taken on any day. You can use this offer twice in a month. It can also be taken in one go, if you buy 4 tickets. Thanks.
I applied for an IDFC card in April, and was issued this one. The devaluation has taken some of the sheen out, but still a decent card. RSA is not quite unique to this one, most of the IndusInd cards also have it, have it on my Legend card… The extensive lounge access for an LTF card like this is surely a highlight. The onboarding experience from IDFC is another thing, reminded me of Amex, they were that good!
Yes been using it for a year. Wonderful lounge axis benefit and many times instant discount also available on shopping. Have a credit limit of 5L on it.
Has anyone got a LE on this card? It has the lowest limit among all my cards, using it for more than 5 months now. What is the usual time period for the bank to provide a limit increase?
Is it suitable for fuel? No surcharge type, then only I m interested. Pls suggest.
You need to look out for better cards in case you are only looking at fuel transactions. This card provided fuel surcharge waiver howeevr there are many cards which not only provide surcharge waiver however provide cashback too. Try SBI BPCL Octane card or Standard Chartered Titanium card if your only purpose is to look for Fuel cards.
There used to be a discount on Jio bills which has gone. The cashbacks of earlier periods are yet to be credited for these Jio transactions.
Spend 10k get 500 cashback Diwali offer on my idfc wealth card.
Does fuel expense count for welcome benefit offer of spending 15k in 3 months?
Does anyone know how to go about increasing the credit limit and upgrade from this card to wealth? Customer care is asking me to “wait for the pre-approved offer” which doesn’t seem to arrive for months now. They don’t seem to take any credit limit increase or card upgrade requests at all.
Customer care’s advice: Cancel the existing select card and apply fresh for wealth card after a few weeks but it feels weird to do this. No bank asks its own cardholders to cancel the card like this.
(When they launched credit cards, I had a pre-approved LTF select card offer which I had accepted and now IDFC doesn’t allow me to apply for the wealth card.)
Sid,
are you working on the best cards for 2023?
Yet to begin.
How do we avail the roadside assistance feature from the credit card, do we have to call them?
Had one peculiar experience, I was holding classic variant with billing date on 19th. This month my card got upgraded to select. Now today received statement sms(no mail), then opened it via link and just when I was about to close the statement the due date was surprisingly 23/2/23.
I re checked it was same in sms and statement too. It’s same 23.
Then I called customer care, after a 30 min long call with multiple hold it was their version that– select Card has default bill date 24th. So from next month your bill date will be 24th, so to settle it only 5day is due date.
So anyone who has upgraded IDFC card, be very alert with first statement post upgrade for very short period due date.
I’m feeling lucky that I noticed it, else easily i would have missed it and overdue with lots of penalty and CIBIL decrease…..
Received my statement and I find that effective from 1st May 2023 complimentary domestic airport lounge access will be activated on minimum monthly spend of 5000. TAND can apply.
True, I have also received the same email from IDFC bank.
when to upgrade this card to wealth credit card? Any fuel card suggestion in 2023?
How I got this card?
Opened IDFC zero balance SB acc in 2016. In an year it was converted to 25K MAB acc without my knowledge. From then, not using the acc. Bank charged non maintenance fee since then. I used to call CC to reverse those charges. Mean time, the bank sent me daily SMSs, frequent emails and regular calls(from IDFC Credit card division) to apply for Credit card. Because of SB acc issue, I denied to apply for it.
Finally, yesterday, the branch called me for the first time to apply for the card and asked for two OTPs sent to my mobile one by one . I got the Select card issued instantly with 3.95 Lakh limit. So, it took only 3 minutes of an incoming call from the bank to get this card.