A More Intuitive Eligibility Flow – The Rolling Model
A rolling, spends-based model could support this naturally —
where each qualifying spend within a recent 90-day window unlocks a lounge visit for the next 90
days, keeping eligibility continuous and easy to understand.
For instance, if a cardholder crosses the spend threshold in
January, access becomes available through the following three months.
If the threshold is met again in March, the window simply
extends further. Each qualifying cycle opens one visit, without the need to
track calendar quarters or fixed cut-off dates.
The logic remains spends-based and controlled, but the
experience feels more intuitive — aligned to recent activity rather than
timelines.
Good infrastructure rarely asks users to think.
It simply works.
That has been the quiet strength of India’s digital payments
ecosystem. When we make a UPI payment or tap a card, we don’t calculate
settlement cycles or backend processes. The system handles the complexity and
gives us instant clarity.
We move forward with confidence.
A similar evolution is now visible in card benefits.
Through the Benefit Management System (BMS), the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced centralized, real-time
verification of RuPay cardholder eligibility for benefits such as airport lounge access.
It’s a thoughtful step forward.
Linking benefits to spending makes programs fair and
sustainable.
Centralized checks make the experience consistent across banks and airports.
Digital validation reduces friction at the lounge counter.
From a systems perspective, the foundation is strong.
From a travellers’ perspective, however, there may be room for
a small usability refinement.
Today, eligibility often follows quarterly windows — spending
in one period and accessing the benefit in the next. While operationally
logical, this structure requires customers to remember timelines.
Airports, however, are not calendar-driven moments.
No one thinks in quarters while heading to a boarding gate.
The only question most travellers have is simple:
Am I eligible right now?
Since the system already determines eligibility digitally,
that answer could be surfaced earlier and more clearly.
For example, once a boarding pass is generated, a RuPay
cardholder could:
• open their banking app, or
• view lounge status
linked to their card
and instantly see:
“Eligible today – 1 visit available”
or
“Not eligible – next access unlocks on…”
No calculations.
No memory.
No uncertainty at the counter.
In addition, eligibility windows could feel more intuitive if
aligned with recent behaviour instead of fixed quarters.
A rolling model such as:
Spend ₹X within 90 days → one lounge visit unlocks for the next 90
days
keeps the spend-based principle intact while matching how
customers naturally track their activity — by recent usage, not calendar math.
Importantly, this does not change the economics or criteria of
the program.
Only the visibility improves.
And often, clarity is what defines a good customer experience.
In many ways, this reflects the broader philosophy behind safe
digital payments: the best systems remove mental effort.
Payments confirm instantly.
Rewards post automatically.
Eligibility should feel just as effortless.
Because once the system knows, the customer should know too.
Sometimes, small usability refinements create the greatest
comfort.
About NPCI & RuPay
NPCI operates India’s core retail digital payment systems,
including UPI and RuPay. RuPay Debit Cards provide everyday payments along with
lifestyle benefits such as domestic airport lounge access, with eligibility increasingly
managed through NPCI’s centralized Benefit Management System (BMS).
Disclaimer
This note is an independent, informational
perspective intended to discuss usability and customer experience only.
The only Joy is Safe ePayments.
Additional Reading
• RuPay Debit Platinum Card Program — Circular
NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/029
• RuPay Debit Select Card Program — Circular NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/030
• Implementation of Benefit Management System (BMS) — Circular
NPCI/2025-26/RuPay/036 (19 June 2025)
• Update on Lounge Access
on Debit Cards — Circular NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/045
About NPCI & RuPay
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) operates
India’s core retail payment systems, including UPI and RuPay. RuPay Debit Cards
provide everyday payment capabilities along with benefits such as airport lounge access. Eligibility for
these benefits is managed through NPCI’s centralized Benefit Management System
(BMS).
Learn more:
https://www.npci.org.in
https://www.rupay.co.in
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The Joy of Safe ePayments
Nayakanti Prashant
Citizen Advocate — Safe ePay Day
“Let’s make April 11 a global symbol of care — in
payments, in protection, in progress.”
