Another BOB Credit Card Devaluation - July 2026
BOBCARD has announced another round of credit card changes. Finance charges are increasing on select cards, HPCL fuel benefits will depend on eligible outlets, and accidental death insurance cover is being discontinued. The lounge access spend requirement is also being increased, but it will take effect later.
Bank of Baroda credit cards already saw some changes earlier this year that affected reward earning categories, charges on education and toll transactions and cash withdrawal limits. You can read the full breakdown here: BOB CREDIT CARD DEVALUATION.
BOBCARD has announced another set of changes that will affect users who depend on card benefits regularly. From July 2026, finance charges are going up on select cards, HPCL fuel rewards are becoming conditional and accidental death insurance cover is being removed. The lounge access spend requirement will change later, from 1st October 2026.
If you hold Eterna, Eterna FD, Tiara, Varunah Premium or any of the affected variants, here is what you need to know.
What Changed at a Glance
BOBCARD has revised four major features across July and October 2026:
Unlimited domestic lounge access on Eterna, Eterna FD, Tiara and Varunah Premium cards will continue with the ₹40,000 preceding-quarter spend requirement till 30th September 2026. From 1st October 2026, the requirement will increase to ₹75,000 spends in the preceding calendar quarter.
Interest charges on Eterna, Eterna FD and Tiara cards are increasing from 3.25% per month to 3.75% per month.
HPCL accelerated rewards and fuel surcharge waiver will apply only at eligible HPCL fuel outlets listed by HPCL and BOBCARD.
Air and Non-Air Accidental Death Cover will not apply to cards issued after 15th July 2026, and will be discontinued for existing eligible cardholders from 25th August 2026.
Overall, these changes make some of these card benefits harder to access, especially for users who kept these cards mainly for lounge access, HPCL fuel rewards or insurance coverage. The full details are available in BOBCARD’s official document.
Higher Spend Needed for Airport Lounge Access
BOBCARD has updated the timeline for the domestic lounge access change. For Eterna, Eterna FD, Tiara and Varunah Premium cardholders, unlimited domestic lounge access will continue with the existing ₹40,000 spend requirement till 30th September 2026.
From 1st October 2026, cardholders will need to spend ₹75,000 or more in the preceding calendar quarter to qualify for unlimited domestic lounge access within India.
This means the lounge access devaluation is still happening, but the higher spend requirement now applies from October 2026 instead of July 2026. For users who were meeting the earlier ₹40,000 threshold, this gives some extra time before the new ₹75,000 requirement starts.
Interest Charges Increased
From 15th July 2026, the bank is increasing interest charges for Eterna, Eterna FD and Tiara cards. The interest charge is moving from 3.25% per month to 3.75% per month. In annual terms, this means the rate increases from 39% per annum to 45% per annum.
If you always pay your bill in full before the due date, this change may not directly affect you. But if you use the minimum due option or carry unpaid balances, borrowing on these cards becomes more expensive. For example, at 45% per annum, the interest on a ₹50,000 unpaid balance over one year would be ₹22,500, excluding any other fees or charges.
HPCL Fuel Benefits Will Now Depend on Eligible Outlets
HPCL cardholders will need to be more careful. From 15th July 2026, accelerated reward points and fuel surcharge waiver benefits will only apply at eligible HPCL fuel outlets, that is in the list shared by HPCL.
For users who regularly use BOB HPCL cards, it will become important to check whether their usual fuel outlet is part of the eligible HPCL outlet list before relying on accelerated rewards or fuel surcharge waiver.
The eligible fuel outlet list will be available on Bank of Baroda website, so cardholders should check the latest list before using the card for fuel spends.
Accidental Death Insurance Being Discontinued
Air and Non-Air Accidental Death Cover benefits are being removed across several card variants.
For cards issued after 15th July 2026, this benefit will not be applicable. For existing eligible cardholders, the cover will be discontinued from 25th August 2026.
Affected variants include Eterna, Eterna FD, Empower Business, Elite, Renaissance, Premier, Premier FD, Corporate Platinum, Platinum Select, Select, Select FD, Swavlamban, Signature, Tiara, Prime, Assure, Pragati BGGB, Pragati BRKGB and Pragati BUPB.
Should BOB Credit Cardholders Be Worried?
This 2026 update mainly affects users who relied on lounge access, HPCL fuel benefits or accidental death insurance cover. It also matters for users who carry unpaid balances, since finance charges are increasing on select cards.
If you naturally spend more than ₹75,000 every quarter on Eterna, Eterna FD, Tiara or Varunah Premium, the lounge benefit may still work for you from October 2026 onwards. But if you were using the card mainly for lounge access and only meeting the earlier ₹40,000 threshold, the card becomes less attractive once the new requirement starts.
For HPCL cardholders, the card can still be useful if your regular fuel outlet is eligible. In short, this does not make every BOB credit card useless but it does mean cardholders should check whether the card still fits their actual spending pattern.
With card benefits changing so often, it becomes important to know whether your card is still worth using. SaveSage helps you track benefit changes, compare cards based on your actual spending, and understand when a card no longer gives the same value it once did.
There have been several credit card devaluations in 2026. You can read about some of them here:
