In-depth review
IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card
A lifetime-free entry card with decent online rewards, but its real distinction is among the lowest interest-rate floors in India — from 8.5% p.a. (risk-priced up to 46.2%) versus the ~42% norm. For a first card, that safety net matters more than a slightly higher cashback rate. The June 2026 revision was mixed: points now expire after 24 months and are capped to your credit limit, but the category 10X on dining and travel now applies with no minimum spend, and since 26 October 2026 international spends earn no points. Get it for the safety margin; let a category card handle pure rewards.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹500 in vouchers, points or cashback in year one — usually conditional on a first spend within 30–90 days
1.25% on Dining
10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on dining
1.25% on Travel
10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on travel
Railway Lounge Access
4 complimentary railway lounge visits per quarter, unlocked by ₹20,000 of spend in the prior calendar month
Zero Forex Markup — but no rewards abroad
No markup on international spends, but they earn nothing on this card, so a purchase abroad costs no extra and returns nothing.
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
Movie Ticket Benefit
25% off up to ₹100 on movie tickets once a month (via the District app), when spend-active the previous month
Insurance Cover
Personal accident cover of ₹2 lakh and lost-card liability of ₹25,000 (valid with at least one transaction in the last 30 days), plus complimentary roadside assistance worth ₹1,399 up to 4 times a year
🎬 ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
Movies, OTT subscriptions and entertainment perks.
- 25% off up to ₹100 on movie tickets once a month (via the District app), when spend-active the previous month
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
0% — Zero!
Forex markup
1.3%
Travel reward rate
- Railway lounge access (16 visits/yr, worth ~₹2,400)
- Zero forex markup — zero extra cost abroad
- Travel insurance cover included
For students and young professionals who want a free first card with a genuine low-interest safety net for months when full payment is not possible. Use a category card alongside it for higher everyday rewards.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 27 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | reward points | 1.25%5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Travel | reward points | 1.25%5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.38%1.5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Utility Bills | reward points | 0.13%0.5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
Dining: 10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on dining
Travel: 10 RP per ₹200 (~1.25%) on travel
Other: 3 RP per ₹200 (~0.375%) on all other spends, online & offline (the 6X-online accelerator was cut to 3X on 1 May 2024); points expire 24 months, capped to credit limit per cycle
Utility Bills: 1 RP per ₹200 (~0.125%) on utilities, insurance, FASTag & railway; no rewards on fuel, EMI or cash
Earns nothing on: International · Fuel · EMI Conversions · Cash Advances
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 27 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 0.71% p.m. |
| Forex markupInternational spends are excluded from rewards on this card, so a purchase abroad costs no extra but earns nothing. A card with a small markup that still earns can work out better overseas. | 0% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹4,000/yr in total.
4 complimentary railway lounge visits per quarter, unlocked by ₹20,000 of spend in the prior calendar month
Personal accident cover of ₹2 lakh and lost-card liability of ₹25,000 (valid with at least one transaction in the last 30 days), plus complimentary roadside assistance worth ₹1,399 up to 4 times a year
25% off up to ₹100 on movie tickets once a month (via the District app), when spend-active the previous month
1% fuel-surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹200 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹200 per statement cycle
Should you get it?
- Best for: First-time card users, Low to moderate spenders
- Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on Dining (1.25% back).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- No joining or annual fee — lifetime free
- Simple, accessible entry/mid-tier card
- No forex markup since September 2026 (IDFC KFS dated 15 Sep 2026), rare on a free first card
- Can be linked to UPI for everyday payments
✕ Cons
- Reward caps may limit value for very high spenders
- Fewer premium travel and lifestyle perks
Eligibility & documents
This is the figure for salaried applicants. Where IDFC FIRST Bank sets a separate one for the self-employed, its own eligibility page gives it.
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Statement credit / cashback adjustment
- 🎁Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
- 🎁Flight & hotel bookings via the issuer rewards portal
- 🎁Every redemption attracts a fee of ₹99 + GST per redemption
What your IDFC Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Never-expiring points
Brand & e-gift vouchers
Earn rates outside the dining and travel accelerators are average, international spends earn nothing from 26 October 2026, points now expire after 24 months, and IDFC's redemption catalogue is limited — the card's genius is its safety net, not its rewards.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really no annual fee?
What is the finance charge if I carry a balance?
What earns 10X reward points?
Is the card UPI-linked?
What is 1 reward point worth?
How has the IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card changed over time?
Has the IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card been devalued recently?
When did the IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card change in 2026?
The bottom line
Millennia is the kindest entry card in India: free forever, decent online earn, and finance charges a fraction of the industry's if life ever forces you to revolve. For a first card, that safety margin matters more than headline cashback — just note the June 2026 cuts (24-month expiry, credit-limit cap) and that the 6X-online accelerator was cut to 3X back in May 2024.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 4 earn rules, the spends listed as earning nothing and 4 recorded perks.
Last updated 27 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card are taken from IDFC FIRST Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 27 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for IDFC FIRST Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Guides and reviews related to this card.
IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card
A lifetime-free entry card with decent online rewards, but its real distinction is among the lowest interest-rate floors in India — from 8.5% p.a. (risk-priced up to 46.2%) versus the ~42% norm. For a first card, that safety net matters more than a slightly higher cashback rate. The June 2026 revision was mixed: points now expire after 24 months and are capped to your credit limit, but the category 10X on dining and travel now applies with no minimum spend, and since 26 October 2026 international spends earn no points. Get it for the safety margin; let a category card handle pure rewards.
IDFC FIRST Classic Credit Card
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IDFC FIRST WOW! Credit Card
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IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card
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IDFC FIRST EA₹N Credit Card
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Axis Bank Neo Credit Card
Built for someone at the very start of their credit journey — a fresh graduate or first-time earner wanting a cheap card with a few genuinely useful everyday perks, from a bank that publishes no income criterion for it. It won't scale with your income, and isn't supposed to: its job is to be a good first card and hand you off to something bigger in a year or two. On that narrow brief, one of the better options around.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2021 · last change Oct 2026
2026
- ▼ RewardObserved 9 Sept 2026 · Effective 26 Oct 2026
International spends stop earning reward points
Reward points on international spends at the card's own rate→No reward points on international spends
From 26 October 2026 IDFC FIRST Bank credit cards stop earning reward points on international spends, except the Ashva, Mayura, Gaj, FIRST Private, FIRST WOW!, FIRST WOW! Black and IndiGo cards. IDFC announced it in its 9 September 2026 letter to cardmembers, the same letter that removed the forex markup, so paying abroad still costs no markup but earns nothing. On the Classic, Millennia, Select and FIRST Wealth this ends the 10X rate on international spends.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▲ FeeEffective 9 Sept 2026
Forex markup removed
1% to 3.5%, depending on the card→0% (nil)
IDFC FIRST Bank stopped charging a markup on foreign-currency spends on all its credit cards from 9 September 2026, the effective date its letter to cardmembers gives. Its Key Fact Statement dated 15 September 2026 lists the markup on foreign-currency and currency-conversion transactions as nil, with no card-by-card exception, where the January 2026 edition charged 3.5% on most cards and less on a few (1.99% on the FIRST Select, 1.5% on the FIRST Wealth, 1.49% on the IndiGo card and 1% on the Ashva). The same letter says international spends stop earning reward points from 26 October 2026 on most IDFC FIRST cards; that is recorded as its own change.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 13 May 2026 · Effective 18 Jun 2026
In-app travel accelerators trimmed (hotels & flights)
33% bonus on hotels, 13% bonus on flights→20% bonus on hotels, 10% bonus on flights
From 18 June 2026 the accelerated reward points on travel booked through the IDFC FIRST Bank app were cut for the Millennia — hotel bookings from a 33% bonus to 20%, and flight bookings from a 13% bonus to 10% — reducing a bounded upside for customers who book travel in-app.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 13 May 2026 · Effective 18 Jun 2026
Points get 24-month expiry + credit-limit earn cap
Points never expired; no per-cycle earn cap→24-month expiry; rewards capped to credit limit per cycle
Reward points credited from the July 2026 statement cycle now expire 24 months after being earned (previously lifetime-valid), and points accrue only on spends up to the assigned credit limit in a billing cycle. The FIRST Millennia was explicitly named among the affected cards. Existing balances stay redeemable for 24 months from the July 2026 cycle.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 18 Dec 2025 · Effective 18 Jan 2026
FASTag & railway spends cut to 1X, plus high-usage fees
Earned at card rate, counted toward 10X threshold→1X only; excluded from 10X threshold; 1% high-usage fee
Under a portfolio-wide fair-usage revision effective 18 January 2026, FASTag recharges and railway spends earn only 1X and no longer count toward the 10X threshold. A 1% fee (plus GST) now applies if FASTag recharges exceed ₹10,000 or railway spends exceed ₹25,000 in a billing cycle. The same notice added that no reward points accrue for a cycle if the Minimum Amount Due is not paid by the due date.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/idfc-millennia#value-timeline">IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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