Scapia credit card has been one of the most talked-about lifetime free travel cards in India — and for good reason.
Zero joining fee, zero forex markup, and rewards that actually add up.
But after the February 2026 changes, a lot of people are asking: is it still worth it?
I’ve been using the Scapia card for 5 months. Here’s an honest, experience-based answer.
Quick Verdict:
💳 Scapia is the easiest first travel card to recommend in 2026. Lifetime free, unlimited lounge access, zero forex, and 2% base return on all eligible spends, and free airport perks every time you fly ✈️
Not for you if your primary aim is earning rewards on high forex spends (you save on markup but earn no coins abroad).
Card Overview
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Federal Bank / BOBCARD |
| Network | Visa + RuPay |
| Annual Fee | Lifetime Free |
| Forex Markup | 0% |
| Base Reward Rate | 2% on Visa card; 1% on RuPay card |
| Travel Reward Rate | 4% on bookings via Scapia app |
| Redemption | Flights, hotels, buses, trains, merchandise |
| Lounge Access | Unlimited domestic (₹20,000 monthly spend) |
| Add-on Cards | Free; up to 3 cards |
| Eligibility* | 720+ credit score; Income over ₹40k/month |
| Min. Age | 21 (salaried); 25 (self-employed) |
| Best For | Unlimited lounges, zero forex markup, and free airport privileges |
👆 Apply via my referral link, get ₹1000 flight voucher 🎁
Card Design
You get two physical cards — Visa and RuPay.
The Visa card is punchy orange with a dark top panel.
The RuPay card is bright green with a pixelated QR pattern fading into the background — unmistakably Scapia.
Both feature matte finish and the same illustrated traveller — a figure walking with luggage — which fits the travel theme well. The cards feel premium in hand for a lifetime free product.
Note: The RuPay physical card isn’t issued automatically — I had to request it separately after receiving the Visa card.
Rewards (Scapia Coins)
Every eligible spend earns Scapia Coins — credited automatically on your statement date.
| Spend Type | Reward Rate | Effective Value |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Visa spends | 10 coins per ₹100 | 2% |
| Scapia app spends | 20 coins per ₹100 | 4% |
| RuPay / UPI spends | 5 coins per ₹100 | 1% |
No earning cap — high spenders benefit proportionally.
Note: Spend below ₹500 on Rupay variant and ₹20 on Visa variant don’t earn scapia coins.
Exclusions — no coins on:
Fuel, rent, wallet loads, insurance, utilities, EMI, cash, education, gift cards, govt., and international spends.
I primarily use Scapia for offline swiping and jewelry shopping — both earn the full 2% with no restrictions.
Redeeming Scapia Coins
5 Scapia Coins = ₹1
For example, 10,000 coins = ₹2,000
| Redemption Option | Value |
|---|---|
| Flights, hotels, buses, trains (Scapia app) | 5 coins = ₹1 |
| Merchandise (Scapia Shop) | 5 coins = ₹1 |
| Statement credit | ❌ Not available |
| Redemption fee | ₹0 |
You can redeem up to 100% coins for your travel bookings — no partial redemption forced. That’s rare even on premium cards.
My experience: I redeemed coins for an Ambrane 10,000 mAh power bank via the Scapia Shop — price matched Amazon exactly. No surprises, no inflated pricing.
One thing to note — coins are locked to the Scapia ecosystem. If you want flexibility beyond travel, pairing Scapia with the SBI Cashback Card ensures you’re covered for non-travel redemptions.
Lounge Access
Scapia offers unlimited domestic airport lounge access — rare for a lifetime free card.
The condition: spend ₹20,000 in the previous month, combined across Visa and RuPay.
Hit that and you unlock lounge access for the entire next month — no visit cap, no per-quarter limit.
How it works:
- Open the Scapia app before your flight
- Toggle to lounge access
- Generate a QR code and scan at the lounge entrance
- Valid boarding pass required
Best of all, Add-on cardholders are eligible for lounge access too — they need to individually meet the ₹20,000 monthly spend on their own card.
The once-per-24-hours rule applies at the same airport. If you have connecting flights at different airports on the same day, you can use the lounge at both.
💡 Pro tip: I use other premium cards for lounge access (with no spend condition) and keep Scapia for free airport dining or shopping — that way I’m getting value from both without wasting the airport privilege on lounge access.
Airport Privileges
Each departure, the Scapia app lets you pick one benefit from four options:
- Free airport dining
- Free airport shopping
- Free airport spa
- Unlimited domestic lounge access
For example, on a typical domestic flight, you can either get up to ₹1,000 back on dining/shopping or choose unlimited lounges for that departure.
How it works:
- Select your option in the app before you fly
- Activate the outlet
- Pay with your Scapia card
- You get 100% back as coins on that spend
Caps per visit:
| Terminal | Coins Back | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Up to ₹1,000 | Meet monthly ₹20K spend threshold |
| International | Up to ₹2,000 | Book international flight worth ₹50,000+ via Scapia app in one transaction |
One benefit per departure. No annual cap on number of trips.
💡 Pro tip: Buy an Amazon Pay voucher if you’re short of the 20K milestone, it acts like currency. You won’t earn coins for gift card purchase but it counts for the spend milestone.
App Experience
The Scapia app is the best card management app I’ve used across 20+ credit cards I hold.
Why Scapia app stands out:
- Virtual card in ~3 hours of approval — no waiting for physical delivery to start spending.
- UPI via RuPay — pay via UPI and earn 1% on every transaction (min ₹500).
- Lounge/privilege toggle — clear, one-tap activation before each flight, no confusion.
- Spend tracker — shows exactly how far you are from the ₹20,000 monthly threshold.
- Coin balance and redemption — everything in one place, no redirects to a third-party portal.
The interface is clean, fast, and doesn’t feel like a bank app. Most credit card apps bury features — Scapia surfaces what you actually need before a trip.
Additionally, add-on cardholders get their own app login with direct OTPs and individual transaction visibility — not a shared view.
Federal vs BOBCARD Scapia
Two versions of the Scapia card exist — same branding, different issuers.
| Parameter | Federal Bank | BOBCARD |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Federal Bank | Bank of Baroda |
| Networks | Visa + RuPay combo | Visa + RuPay combo |
| UPI Payments | Yes (via RuPay) | Yes (via RuPay) |
| Reward & Benefits | Same | Same |
| Existing customer restriction | Existing Federal Bank cardholders can apply — approval is likely unless you already hold another Federal co-branded card | Same applies for BOBCARD |
| Availability | Widely available | Limited |
Note: The main difference is serviceability. Both cards, Federal and BOBCARD Scapia share the same benefits and rewards.
🤔 Which one to choose? You don’t get to choose — Scapia’s internal system decides the issuing bank based on your profile, location, and serviceability. Most new applicants I’ve seen still receive the Federal variant unless their area is exclusively serviced by BOBCARD.
My Application Experience
I applied directly through the Scapia app — the process is fully digital, no branch visit required.
- Application submitted and video KYC done within 10 minutes
- Virtual card issued in ~3 hours of approval
- Physical card arrived within 5 working days
The video KYC is straightforward — a short call where an agent verifies your PAN and address. Once that’s done, approval is fast.
Note: The approval process appears to be largely automated — no human review involved. Which also means rejections can happen for reasons Scapia won’t explicitly tell you. I’ve covered these in detail — 7 Real Scapia Rejection Reasons Nobody Will Tell You.
Referral Program
Scapia keeps surprising me with the best referral programs among lifetime free cards.
For instance, the current referral program lets you earn ₹25,000 Amazon Pay Gift Card for successfully referring 6 friends.
How to join
Just activate your virtual card and start referring Scapia to your friends.
If you’re planning to apply, use my referral link — you get the ₹1,000 flight voucher 🎁 at no extra cost, and it doesn’t affect your approval chances in any way.
Note: Scapia changes referral offers periodically — check the current offer before applying.
Honest Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Lifetime free travel card
- 2% base return on all eligible spends — no upper cap
- Zero forex markup
- Free unlimited domestic airport lounge access
- Free airport benefits—dining / shopping / spa / lounge access— every time you fly
- Best-in-class app experience
- Fast digital application and virtual card
Cons:
- Coins are locked to the Scapia ecosystem
- No statement credit redemption
- No international lounge access
Mobodaily Rating
| Parameter | Rating |
|---|---|
| Rewards | ⭐ 4.5/5 |
| Lounge Access | ⭐ 4.5/5 |
| Fee Value | ⭐ 5/5 |
| Zero Forex | ⭐ 5/5 |
| App Experience | ⭐ 5/5 |
| Customer Service | ⭐ 4/5 |
| Eligibility | ⭐ 4.5/5 |
Overall Rating: ⭐ 4.6/5, making Scapia card one of the best among free travel credit cards.
Final Verdict
After 5 months, the Scapia card remains in a wallet staple.
The only major requirement is a ₹20,000 monthly spend. Meeting this unlocks unlimited domestic lounge access, free airport dining or shopping, zero forex on international purchases, and a 2% return on eligible offline spends—all with no annual fee.
Its app is top-tier for a lifetime free card, offering honest pricing and simple redemption.
Scapia is my top recommendation for a first travel card in 2026.
Note: If this review helped you, applying via my link supports Mobodaily at no extra cost. 👇
👆 Apply via my referral link, get ₹1000 flight voucher 🎁
FAQs
Yes — rewards, lounge access, airport privileges, and zero forex are identical on both. The only practical difference is that BOBCARD’s RuPay card may not be issued automatically, requiring a follow-up with support.
Yes. There is no forex markup on international transactions — what you spend abroad is exactly what gets charged. However, Scapia Coins are not earned on international spends.
No. International spends are excluded from coin earning. You save on forex, but don’t earn rewards on those transactions.
Yes — zero forex, unlimited lounges, and airport privileges are all intact. What changed: the monthly spend threshold doubled from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000, and rewards on insurance and utilities were removed. For regular spenders, the value proposition still holds.
Depends on what you need. For higher rewards and international lounge access, AU Ixigo is the closest LTF alternative. For direct cashback, the SBI Cashback Card is a better fit. A full comparison is covered here —Best Scapia Alternatives.
The spend is combined across your Visa and RuPay cards. Most everyday spends count toward the milestone — including fuel (you get the surcharge waiver but no coins on it). Use the Scapia app’s spend tracker to monitor progress. If you’re short before a trip, buy an Amazon Pay voucher via the app to bridge the gap.
Disclaimer: This post contains my personal experience using the Scapia Federal Credit Card. Some links in this post are referral links — if you apply through them, I may receive a referral benefit at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and based on 5 months of actual usage. Credit card benefits are subject to change — verify current terms on the Scapia app or Federal Bank website before applying.
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