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Scapia, in association with Federal Bank, has launched a lifetime free (LTF), travel-focused credit card that looks almost too good to be true on paper. While most credit cards charge 3.5% + GST on foreign currency transactions, this LTF card offers zero forex markup, making it especially attractive for international travellers.
The card also features unlimited lounge/spa access and a unique offering called Airport Privileges, which we’ll discuss in detail in the next few sections.
The card offers a base reward rate of 2% (10 % Scapia coins) on regular spends and 4% on travel-related spends (20 % Scapia coins), both earned in the form of Scapia Coins. These coins can be redeemed for travel bookings, visa fee and scapia shop.
1 Scapia coin = ₹0.2
| Joining / Annual Fee | Nil |
| Welcome Benefits | Get 1,000 Scapia Coins worth ₹200 and ₹1,000 off on your first flight booked through the Scapia app when you apply using a referral link. |
| Base Rewards | 10% Scapia coins on regular spends and 20% Scapia coins on travel spends. 1 Scapia coin = ₹0.2 |
| Lounge/Spa Access | Domestic – Unlimited* International – Zero * on fulfilling the spends criteria |
| Variants | Visa and Rupay |
| Forex Charges | Zero |
| Eligibility | Good Credit Score and no existing credit card from Federal Bank |
Scapia Airport Privileges
The Scapia Credit Card offers Airport Privileges when you spend ₹10,000 in the previous month on the Visa variant and ₹15,000 on the RuPay variant. These airport privileges are divided into two categories: lounge/spa access and shopping/dining benefits.
Every time you visit an airport, you can choose either to access the lounge/spa or spend up to ₹1,000 at airport shops or eateries. If you choose shopping or dining, the ₹1,000 you spend is credited back as Scapia Coins. These coins can be redeemed for flights, hotels, trains, buses, visas, or purchases on the Scapia Store. This flexible approach allows you to decide how you want to use your airport benefit on each trip, whether it’s relaxing in a lounge/spa or enjoying food and shopping at the terminal.
The Real Question
Now the obvious question arises: is it worth spending ₹10,000 on a card that offers only a 2% base reward rate, especially when those rewards are locked into Scapia’s ecosystem? Is it really worth sacrificing higher base rewards available on other cards just to unlock airport privileges?
Let’s consider a scenario where you’re travelling twice in a month. Since you already know about your upcoming travel in the following month, you can start routing your regular spends (especially those that don’t earn high rewards on your other credit cards) through Scapia to meet the spending threshold required to unlock airport privileges. If that’s not possible, you can simply purchase an Amazon voucher worth ₹10,000 (or the remaining amount needed to meet the threshold) for future use and unlock the airport privileges.
That ₹10,000 spend earns you 1,000 Scapia Coins, valued at ₹200.
Now, for your two round trips, you use the airport privileges four times. Each time, you choose shopping or dining at the airport and spend ₹1,000, receiving the same amount back as Scapia Coins and an additional 10% Scapia coins as base rewards. This results in 20,400 Scapia Coins, valued at ₹4,080.
So, on a total spend of ₹14,000, here’s what you get:
- ₹10,000 Amazon voucher
- ₹4,000 worth of food/gifts purchased at the airport
- ₹4,280 worth of Scapia Coins (₹200 from the initial spend + ₹4,080 from airport privileges)
These Scapia Coins can later be redeemed for flights, hotels, trains, buses, visas, or purchases on the Scapia Store.
And, if you understand the value of an Amazon voucher, you know it’s almost equivalent to cash. It can be used for a wide range of purchases, including utility bill payments. So effectively, you’ve paid ₹4,000 out of pocket, received ₹4,000 worth of products immediately, and also locked in ₹4,280 worth of future travel value within the Scapia ecosystem.
Now, suppose you travel only once in a month. In this case, you use the airport privileges twice (one round trip) and spend ₹2,000 on airport shopping or dining. In return, you receive:
- ₹2,000 worth of food or products immediately at the airport, and
- ₹2,140 worth of Scapia Coins, locked into the Scapia ecosystem for future travel spends.
This makes the trade-off worthwhile even for someone who travels just once a month, provided they are comfortable redeeming rewards within Scapia’s ecosystem. In the following month, you only need to spend the remaining amount required to reach ₹10,000 to unlock airport privileges again for the next month.
Final Verdict
For someone who isn’t a credit card geek and wants a simple life time free credit card that covers almost everything related to travel, the Scapia Credit Card is a very compelling option. It offers a 2% base reward rate on non-travel spends, 4% rewards on travel spends, zero forex markup, unlimited lounge/spa access or airport privileges and is lifetime free—a combination that’s hard to beat.
Even for seasoned credit card users with a stronger portfolio, the card can still add value. Used strategically, such as purchasing Amazon vouchers to unlock airport privileges, as illustrated above. It can complement an existing setup without replacing higher-reward cards.
Overall, if you’re looking for a straightforward, low-effort travel card with meaningful airport benefits and no annual fee, the Scapia Credit Card is well worth considering.
For referral benefits, use the link below.
