Skip to content

IDFC FIRST stretches its reward base from ₹150 to ₹200 a point

From 18 January 2026, Classic, Millennia, Select and Wealth earn their reward points per ₹200 spent instead of per ₹150. The multipliers stay; every one of them now pays 25% less.

What changed

Worse for you

Devaluation · IDFC FIRST Bank

Before

Classic, Millennia, Select and Wealth earn 3X / 10X reward points per ₹150 spent

After

The same multipliers per ₹200 spent — 3 RP per ₹200 everyday, 10 RP per ₹200 at 10X

See it with every other change · How FY2026 scored on the devaluation index

IDFC’s January cardmember notices kept every multiplier on the page and changed the number underneath them. From 18 January 2026, a reward point on FIRST Classic, Millennia, Select and Wealth is earned per ₹200 spent, not per ₹150. 3X is still 3X and 10X is still 10X. Each one is now 25% smaller.

The arithmetic at the ₹0.25 a point IDFC pays:

  • Everyday spend (3X): 3 points per ₹150 was 0.5% back. 3 points per ₹200 is 0.375%.
  • 10X: 10 points per ₹150 was about 1.67%. 10 points per ₹200 is 1.25%.

The same notices added two fees: 1% on FASTag loads past ₹10,000 in a statement cycle, and 1% on railway spends past ₹25,000.

This was the first of two cuts to these cards in one year. On 18 June IDFC cut the app-travel bonus and ended lifetime-valid points.

Update, 26 October 2026. This paragraph used to promise a third: a 9 September notice said foreign spends would stop earning points from 26 October. IDFC withdrew it on 13 September — its cardholder notice says reward points “will continue to be earned as applicable for the respective cards on international transactions” — so these cards keep earning abroad, now with zero forex markup.

Our take: a free card with 0.375% on everyday spend is a card to keep for the perks, not for the points. Put your volume on something that pays.

More on this story

  1. IDFC FIRST Ashva cuts travel multipliers — 33% less on hotels, 37% less on flights

  2. IDFC FIRST Wealth app-travel bonus falls — 33% to 20%

  3. IDFC FIRST Gaj caps rewards at credit limit — a 100% earn cut past limit

  4. IDFC FIRST ends lifetime points — 24-month expiry lands

  5. IDFC FIRST launches zero-forex Diamond Reserve card

  6. IDFC FIRST unveils Gaj, an invite-only ₹12,500 metal flagship

IDFC FIRST Bank transfer partners

Sources

Published · All news · Every change since 1961 · Report an error