IndusInd Legend Credit Card Review: Should You Get It?

I first heard about the IndusInd Legend credit card on an online forum.  Someone mentioned this "lifetime free Legend card". That was 18 months ago, and since then, I've been quietly tracking this card. The "Legend" branding feels ambitious for a lifetime free card. Most banks reserve such grand names for their premium offerings.

But IndusInd positioned this as their flagship lifestyle card without any joining or annual fees. It caught my attention because, frankly, I'm always skeptical when banks promise premium experiences for free.

What started as curiosity turned into a deep investigation. I tracked 19 community discussions and watched how IndusInd handled major changes like discontinuing lounge access. The story that emerged isn't pretty, and I'll share exactly why this card scores only 4.1/10 in my assessment.

The Legend Card Basics: What IndusInd Actually Offers?

The IndusInd Legend's main attraction is its lifetime free structure and a weekend-focused approach.

You earn 1 reward point per Rs. 100 spent on weekdays, and 2 reward points per Rs. 100 on weekends. There's also a welcome bonus of 3,000 points if you spend Rs. 5 lakh or more within the first year.

When I calculated the actual value, those 3,000 points translate to roughly Rs. 750-1,000 in redemptions, depending on how you use them.

Key Benefits of the IndusInd Legend Credit Card

• Lifetime free with no annual or joining fees
• 1x points weekdays, 2x points weekends
• Rs. 25 lakh personal accident insurance coverage
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at petrol pumps
• 1.8% foreign transaction fee (better than standard 3.5%)

Recent Changes to Lounge Access Benefits

A few months back, IndusInd announced that airport lounge access would be discontinued effective March 7, 2025. The concerning part wasn't just the removal, but how they handled it.

Many users reported receiving no prior notice, learning about the change through social media or when their access was denied at airports. This communication failure became a recurring theme in my research.

When banks make unilateral changes without proper customer notification, it raises questions about what other benefits might disappear suddenly. 

If you got an SMS or email from IndusInd in early 2025 telling you that your Legend card's lounge access was being removed, you were not imagining it. Domestic lounge access on the Legend Credit Card was officially discontinued effective 7th March 2025 — and it applies to both the Legend Visa and the Legend Mastercard.

I want to address this directly because I keep seeing people ask about it in forums and the search traffic to this page tells me a lot of Legend holders are still confused about where this leaves them.

Weekend vs Weekday Rewards Test

I decided to test the weekend reward structure through a hypothetical scenario.

Let's saw we have a weekly spend of Rs. 50,000 across a month. This can include grocery shopping on weekends (Rs. 15,000), online purchases during weekdays (Rs. 20,000), and dining expenses split between both (Rs. 15,000).

The weekend shopping will give 300 extra points compared to weekday spending, which translates to roughly Rs. 75-100 in additional value.

However, the redemption process is frustrating based on what I read in the forums. Converting points to actual cash or meaningful vouchers required navigating multiple screens in their portal. The redemption rates are also kind of disappointing compared to my Amazon ICICI card's straightforward 5% cashback on Amazon purchases.

While my Amazon ICICI card shows direct cashback in my statement, the Legend card requires logging into a separate portal, check point balances, and calculate redemption values. 

Community Reality Check

The Negative Sentiment Around IndusInd Legend

After analyzing multiple discussions across Reddit and other forums, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative.

Customer service complaints appeared often, with even issues like fake promises (related to credit limit issuance on applciation screen). 

The lounge access discontinuation generated significant frustration in the discussions, too. One user on Reddit mentioned feeling "betrayed" by the sudden change, especially since they had chosen the card partly for airport lounge benefits. The lack of advance notice made users question what other features might disappear without warning.

Real User Stories I Found

"I've been using IndusInd Bank Legend CC for all of my spends except Amazon...it has been nothing but a pathetic experience with no real value gained."

Big Problem with IndusInd Bank Legend CC
byu/anonymous1490 inCreditCardsIndia

The Transparency Issue:

IndusInd is the most unethical bank in India! Don't get their credit cards!
byu/throwaway_batman_ inCreditCardsIndia

This user's experience with credit limit promises that weren't honored reflects broader trust issues with IndusInd's communication.

Another user compared the Legend card directly with HDFC Regalia Gold, noting that HDFC's customer service and reward structure provided better value despite higher annual fees.

This comparison became a pattern in discussions, with users consistently favoring established players like HDFC and ICICI over IndusInd's offerings.

Competitor Comparison: Where Indusind Legend Falls Short

Here is an honest position: the Legend was already a hard card to justify before the lounge discontinuation happened. A high joining fee for a card that gave you lounge access, weekend reward bonuses, and a few lifestyle perks.

That was a thin value proposition at best. Remove the lounge access and what you are left with is BookMyShow BOGO offers, modest weekend reward rates, and golf privileges that most people use twice a year if at all.

if you are actively looking for a card that gives you airport lounge access — domestic, international, or both — the Legend is no longer the answer.

Here are three cards worth looking at depending on your spend profile and how much lounge access actually matters to you.

Option 1: HDFC Regalia Gold: The Most Practical Upgrade

• Annual fee: ₹2,500 (waived on ₹4 lakh annual spend)
• Domestic lounge access: 12 visits per year
• International lounge access: 6 visits per year via Priority Pass
• Forex markup: 2%

The Regalia Gold is the card I would tell most Legend holders to look at first, simply because it costs less than the Legend to hold and gives you more predictable lounge coverage.

Twelve domestic lounge visits a year works out to one a month. For most people — salaried, flying occasionally for work or leisure — that is more than enough. The Priority Pass tie-up covers you internationally at most major airports. The fee waiver at ₹4 lakh annual spend is achievable if you are putting your regular expenses on the card.

Where it genuinely earns its keep is accelerated rewards on partner brands: 5X reward points on Myntra, Nykaa, Reliance Digital, and Marks & Spencer. General spend gives you 0.67% returns, which is modest but consistent. There is a ₹1,500 voucher milestone at ₹1.5 lakh quarterly spend and a ₹5,000 flight voucher at ₹5 lakh annually — worth factoring in if you spend that much anyway.

The condition to know before applying: international lounge access via Priority Pass requires a minimum of 4 retail transactions on the card before the benefit activates. This catches people off guard when they first try to use the lounge after getting the card.

Who this suits: anyone spending ₹30,000–₹50,000 a month who wants consistent lounge coverage without paying a premium fee. HDFC account holders will find the application and limit enhancement process smoother.

Read the full HDFC Regalia Gold review before applying.

Option 2: Axis Magnus — For High Spenders Who Travel Seriously

Annual fee: ₹12,500 (waived at ₹25 lakh annual spend)Domestic lounge access: UnlimitedInternational lounge access: Unlimited (with guest access)Forex markup: 2%

If you were using the Legend's lounge access frequently and you genuinely travel a lot, the Magnus is the card to upgrade to. The lounge access here is unlimited — both domestic and international — with Priority Pass and guest passes included. That is a meaningfully different proposition from the 12-visit cap on the Regalia Gold.

The earn rate on general spends is 6%, and on Axis's Travel Edge portal it goes up to 30%. Points transfer to airline and hotel programmes at a 5:2 ratio, which is one of the better transfer values available on an Indian credit card. Eight complimentary airport Meet & Greet services per year add some genuine premium utility.

The honest caveats are worth knowing upfront.

The ₹12,500 annual fee is steep, and the waiver at ₹25 lakh is a high bar. More importantly: lounge access on the Magnus now requires a minimum spend of ₹50,000 in the previous quarter to remain active. This is the spend-to-unlock model that HDFC and other issuers have also moved towards. If your monthly spends fluctuate — some months heavy, some light — you can find yourself locked out of the lounge in a given quarter.

The reward cap is real too. Point transfers to airline and hotel partners are capped annually at 1 lakh points for Group A partners and 4 lakh for Group B. For very frequent flyers trying to accumulate miles aggressively, this ceiling matters.

Who this suits: monthly spends of ₹80,000 and above, international travel at least 3–4 times a year, and someone who will actually use the miles for flight or hotel redemptions rather than letting points expire as vouchers.

Full breakdown in the Axis Magnus credit card review.

Option 3: IDFC FIRST Wealth — If You Want Zero Annual Fee

Annual fee: ₹0 (lifetime free)Domestic lounge access: 4 visits per yearInternational lounge access: Yes (conditions apply)Forex markup: 1.5%

For Legend holders who are annoyed at the idea of paying any annual fee at all, the IDFC FIRST Wealth is worth considering. Zero annual fee, access to domestic and international lounges, and a 1.5% forex markup that is actually better than what both the Regalia Gold and Magnus offer.

The condition to know clearly: lounge access on the FIRST Wealth — domestic, international, and railway — is only unlocked in a given month if you spend at least ₹20,000 in the previous calendar month. The card is marketed as having complimentary lounge access, but it is conditional on meeting that monthly spend threshold. Four visits per year is also on the lower side compared to the Regalia Gold's 12.

The reward rate runs at around 0.5% on general spends, going up to 1.67% in best-case scenarios. There is a ₹99 redemption fee per transaction, which is a minor but consistent friction point that adds up over time.

Who this suits: someone who spends consistently above ₹20,000 per month and wants the lounge benefit without a fee, particularly if they travel internationally and want the lower forex markup.

Which One Should You Pick?

It depends on where your monthly spend sits.

If you are spending ₹30,000–₹60,000 per month, the Regalia Gold makes the most sense. The annual fee is manageable, the lounge coverage is adequate, and the partner brand accelerators give you something back on shopping spend.

If you are spending ₹80,000 or more per month and travel regularly, the Magnus pays for itself through rewards alone — but only if you actually redeem points for flights or hotels, not vouchers.

If the annual fee is a dealbreaker, the IDFC FIRST Wealth gives you lounge access at zero cost, provided your monthly spend stays above ₹20,000 consistently.

What none of these cards can do is replicate the Legend as a low-maintenance card with straightforward lounge access and a flat joining fee. That positioning no longer exists on the Legend, and IndusInd has not announced anything to replace it.

What About Keeping the Legend?

There is a case for keeping it if you already have it. The Legend is still an LTF card for many holders who got it through specific channels. The BookMyShow BOGO offer remains: community members on CardMaven noted they are keeping it specifically for the BookMyShow benefit and bank account discounts while monitoring for further devaluations. If your Legend is genuinely fee-free and you have another card for lounge access, there is no reason to close it (closing cards affects your credit age).

But if you applied for the Legend specifically because you wanted a card with lounge access, and the joining fee was justified in your mind by that benefit — that justification is gone. This is the moment to upgrade.

The Bigger Picture

This is not just about IndusInd. The lounge access trend across Indian credit cards has been moving in one direction for the last two years. Banks pushed lounge access heavily as an acquisition tool, particularly on LTF cards, and found that the cost of providing it was unsustainable relative to how little these cardholders were actually spending. What we are seeing now — spend-to-unlock thresholds on Magnus, quarterly caps on other cards, and outright removal on Legend — is the correction.

That does not mean lounge access is disappearing from credit cards entirely. The Regalia Gold's 12 visits, the Magnus's unlimited access, and the IDFC Wealth's conditional access are all still real. But the era of getting lounge access on a card you barely use is winding down.

If you want that benefit reliably, you will need to pick a card and put your spending behind it.

Quick Comparison Table

*Subject to spend conditions — read terms before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the IndusInd Legend lounge access discontinued for both Visa and Mastercard versions?Yes. IndusInd confirmed the discontinuation applies to both the Legend Visa Credit Card and the Legend Mastercard, effective 7th March 2025.

Can I still use the IndusInd Legend card for other benefits after March 2025?Yes. Benefits like BookMyShow BOGO offers, weekend reward bonuses, and golf privileges remain on the card. Only the lounge access benefit has been removed.

Which is the best lifetime free credit card with lounge access in India?The IDFC FIRST Wealth is the most accessible option with no annual fee. The catch is you need to spend at least ₹20,000 in the previous month to unlock lounge access in any given month. The Regalia Gold offers more generous lounge access (12 visits/year) but carries a ₹2,500 annual fee.

Does the Axis Magnus lounge access have any conditions?Yes. Effective May 2024, Magnus lounge access requires a minimum spend of ₹50,000 in the previous 3 calendar months. If you miss that threshold in any quarter, lounge access is paused until you meet it again.

Should I close my IndusInd Legend card?Not necessarily. If the card is fee-free for you, keeping it open is generally better for your credit score (preserves credit age and available limit). Just do not rely on it for lounge access anymore.

Final Verdict on IndusInd Legend Credit Card

What IndusInd Legend Does Right

The lifetime free structure eliminates annual fee concerns, which appeals to cost-conscious users.

The Rs. 25 lakh insurance coverage provides genuine protection value that many lifetime free cards don't offer. For existing IndusInd customers, the integrated banking relationship can simplify financial management.

Weekend spending rewards can benefit users who concentrate their purchases on Saturdays and Sundays.

If you're someone who does major grocery shopping, dining, and entertainment expenses during weekends, the 2x point structure provides measurably better returns than weekday spending.

Where It Disappoints

Customer service consistently fails to meet basic expectations. The communication failures around benefit changes damage trust.

Removing lounge access without proper notice shows poor customer relationship management. Users deserve transparency about changes to their financial products, especially when those benefits influenced their initial decision to apply.

Also, the reward value remains below competitive alternatives. The complex point system, poor redemption rates, and weekend-dependent structure provide lower returns than simpler cashback cards.