BOBCARD Premier Credit Card Review 2026: Rewards, Lounge Access & Fees

BoB Premier Credit Card

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card is a good mid-range travel and lifestyle card from BOBCARD. It offers a nice balance of rewards, lounge access, and everyday benefits at a reasonable annual fee.

The Premier card gives higher reward points on travel, dining, and international spends. You also get complimentary domestic airport lounge access and fuel surcharge waiver benefits. Compared to the entry-level Easy card, the Premier card offers much better rewards and travel perks. While it is not as premium as the Eterna card, it still delivers solid value for most users.

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card is best suited for users looking for a RuPay credit card with UPI support, domestic lounge access, and decent travel rewards under a low annual fee segment. Below is a detailed review of the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card, including its fees, features, rewards, and lounge access benefits.

BOBCARD Premier Card Fees

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card normally comes with a joining and annual fee of ₹1000 + GST. However, BOBCARD is currently offering the card as Lifetime Free for a limited period for new applicants.

Regular Joining Fee₹1000 + GST
Regular Annual Fee₹1000 + GST
Current OfferLifetime Free (Limited Period Offer)
Annual Fee WaiverNot Applicable
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₹1000 off on your first flight booking
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BOBCARD Premier Reward Rate

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card offers accelerated rewards on travel, dining, and international spends. However, BOBCARD has expanded its MCC exclusion list significantly over the last few updates, which reduces the card’s real-world reward rate for many users.

Eligible UPI spends via the RuPay variant earn standard reward points unless the merchant falls under excluded MCC categories.

Travel, Dining & International Spends10 Reward Points per ₹100 spent
Base Reward Rate2 Reward Points per ₹100 spent
Reward Value1 RP = ₹0.25
Effective Reward Rate (Accelerated Categories)~2.5%
Effective Reward Rate (Regular Eligible Spends)~0.5%
Monthly Accelerated Reward CapAccelerated rewards capped at 2000 bonus RP per month

Latest BOBCARD MCC Exclusions

As per the latest BOBCARD terms effective April 1, 2026, reward points are not provided on several major spending categories. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of BOBCARD cards today.

No Reward Point CategoriesRent, railways, toll payments, wallet loads, insurance, education, hospitals, government payments, supermarkets, utility-related payments, fast food, transportation, charity, contractor services, agriculture and select retail categories
Telecom Spends (MCC 4814)Now eligible for core reward points from April 1, 2026

The recent BOBCARD changes make the card less rewarding for users who spend heavily on excluded everyday categories. Still, the card can provide decent value if most of your spending is focused on travel, dining, and international transactions.

Complimentary Airport Lounge Access

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card offers complimentary domestic airport lounge access across major airports in India. However, BOBCARD now has a quarterly spending requirement to unlock lounge access benefits.

Domestic Lounge Visits1 complimentary visit per calendar quarter
Annual Lounge Limit4 complimentary visits per year
Spend Requirement₹20,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter
New CardholdersSpend condition waived in the quarter of card issuance

For example, if you want lounge access between April and June, you must spend at least ₹20,000 between January and March.

Eligible lounges include major airport lounges such as 080 Lounge Bengaluru, Encalm Lounge Delhi, Adani Lounge Mumbai, and partner lounges across Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and other cities. The minimum spend criteria is waived for the quarter of issuance.

Download the Official Lounge List & Policy Update PDF

Other Key Features

Fuel Surcharge Waiver1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹400 and ₹5000.
Maximum waiver: ₹250 per statement cycle.
Forex Markup Fee3.5% + GST on international transactions.
Merchant OffersEligible for BOBCARD instant discount offers during sales on Amazon, Flipkart and other partner merchants.
RuPay UPI SupportThe RuPay variant can be linked to UPI apps for eligible UPI transactions.

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card is not a low forex card, so it may not be the best option for heavy international spending. However, the card still works well as a mid-range lifestyle card thanks to its lounge access, accelerated rewards on travel and dining, and regular merchant discount offers.

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Earn up to 5% cashback on UPI spends
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Pros & Cons

✔ Pros
  • Lifetime Free offer available currently
  • RuPay variant supports UPI payments
  • Complimentary domestic lounge access
  • Good rewards on travel and dining spends
  • Useful BOBCARD instant discount offers
✘ Cons
  • Large MCC exclusion list for rewards
  • Low base reward rate on regular spends
  • Accelerated rewards capped monthly
  • 3.5% forex markup is quite high
  • Lounge access now requires quarterly spends

Final Verdict: Should You Apply for the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card?

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card is a decent mid-range lifestyle card, especially if you can get it under the current Lifetime Free offer. The card works best as a secondary credit card for UPI payments, lounge access, and occasional travel or dining spends.

The RuPay variant adds extra utility because you can link it with UPI apps and use it for everyday transactions.

You Should Apply If

  • You want a RuPay credit card for UPI payments
  • You can get the card as Lifetime Free
  • You want basic domestic lounge access with a low spend requirement
  • Your spending is focused mainly on travel, dining, and international transactions

You Can Skip This Card If

  • You are a high spender on travel and dining categories
  • You want strong rewards on all spending categories
  • Most of your spends are on excluded MCC categories like insurance, rent, education, supermarkets, or utilities
  • You want a low forex credit card for international usage
Premium Lifestyle Pick
BoB Eterna
Lifetime Free
Premium lifestyle card with strong rewards on online spends and lounge access.
Earn 3.75% back on online shopping
Unlimited lounge access
Buy 1 Get 1 movies
Low 2% forex markup
Add-on card lounge access

Final Thoughts

The BOBCARD Premier Credit Card has become less rewarding after the recent MCC exclusions and new fee revisions. Still, if you get it as an LTF card, it remains a useful backup card for lounge access, UPI spends, and BOBCARD instant discount offers.

BOBCARD Premier Credit Card FAQs

Is the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card Lifetime Free?
BOBCARD is currently offering the Premier Credit Card as a limited-period Lifetime Free (LTF) card for eligible users.
Does the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card support UPI?
Yes. The RuPay variant of the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card can be linked to UPI apps for eligible UPI transactions.
How many lounge visits are offered?
The card offers 1 complimentary domestic airport lounge visit per calendar quarter, subject to the quarterly spend requirement.
What is the spend requirement for lounge access?
You must spend at least ₹20,000 in the previous calendar quarter to unlock lounge access for the current quarter.
What is the forex markup fee on the BOBCARD Premier Credit Card?
The card charges a forex markup fee of 3.5% + GST on international transactions.

BOBCARD Premier Credit Card

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13 thoughts on “BOBCARD Premier Credit Card Review 2026: Rewards, Lounge Access & Fees”

  1. HI, do the exclusion list for BOB cards to earn reward points apply to UPI payments too?

  2. Tried to apply using the link getting message as “INSUFFICIENT_PERMISSIONINSUFFICIENT_PERMISSION”. Please update the correct link. Thank you.

  3. Can we switch to Eterna from premier ?
    I received the bob premier card today. I wanted to know i can get Eterna instead of Premier. Is there way i can get eterna now , i am eligible as per their income requirement

    also do we get 2.5% on wallet load or just 0.5%?

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