Scapia Federal Credit Card: Dual-network benefits and travel rewards – Is it worth it?

Mint

3 days ago

In the last few years, the travel industry has grown well. According to an ICRA report on the Indian Aviation Industry, in FY 2024-25, the domestic air passenger traffic was around 16.53 crores, higher by 7.6% compared to FY 2023-24. The international air passenger traffic for Indian aircraft carriers stood at 3.38 crores, higher by 14.1% compared to FY 2023-24. With the growth in the travel segment, the demand for travel-centric credit cards has also picked up. Taking note of this growth, some banks have launched travel credit cards.
As a frequent traveller, what will you expect from a travel credit card? Accelerated reward points on travel spends, good travel-related redemption options, complimentary airport lounge access, zero forex markup, etc. The Scapia Federal Credit Card offers all these features and benefits and a lot more. The best part is that it is a lifetime free credit card and offers dual-network (Visa and RuPay) benefits.
In this article, we will look at the features and benefits of the Scapia Federal Credit Card and whether you should make it your travel companion.
The Scapia Federal Credit Card is a co-branded travel card issued by Federal Bank in collaboration with Scapia Technology Private Limited. It is an all-in-one travel credit card that takes you places. It makes every aspect of your travel rewarding. Scapia Federal Credit Card
The Scapia Federal Credit Card offers the following features and benefits.
1. Accelerated rewards on travel spends: The cardholder gets 20% of the transaction value as Scapia Coins for travel spends made on the Scapia App.
2. Base reward rate: Apart from travel spends on the Scapia App, all other spends earn 10% Scapia Coins. The exclusions include rent, wallet loading, education, Government spends, gift vouchers, fuel spends, business services, etc.
The redemption value of 5 Scapia Coins is Rs. 1 (1 Scapia Coin = Rs. 0.20). It translates into an accelerated reward rate of 4% on travel spends on the Scapia App, and a base reward rate of 2% on other spends.
3. Zero forex markup: One of the biggest USP of the Scapia Federal Credit Card is its zero forex markup. Banks charge a markup of up to 3.5% on forex transactions. So, using the Scapia Federal Credit Card on a foreign trip can save you a lot of money in forex markup. However, the forex spends don't earn any Scapia Coins.
As discussed earlier, the redemption value of each Scapia Coin is Rs. 0.20, and they can be redeemed through the Scapia App. The coins can be used for travel bookings like flights, hotels, railway tickets, bus tickets, Visa fees, etc. There is no restriction on the percentage of the transaction value that can be paid with Scapia Coins. So, if you have an adequate number of Scapia Coins, you can redeem them to make your travel booking 100% free.
Scapia has built a full-stack travel platform that prioritises usability and reliability. With 24/7 customer support and in-house tech powering everything from bookings to payments, they have made the customer experience seamless.
The Scapia Federal Credit Card offers a unique airport privileges program. When the cardholder spends Rs. 10,000 or more in a month, the program gets activated for the next month. The cardholder can choose one of the following 4 benefits per departure.
A. Complimentary lounge access: On meeting the Rs. 10,000 or more spend criteria in the previous month, a cardholder can enjoy unlimited complimentary domestic airport lounge access in the following month. You can avoid long queues by generating the QR code on the Scapia app and avail complimentary lounge access.
B. Eat for free at your favourite outlet: Even though the Scapia Federal Credit Card offers complimentary airport lounge access, not everyone will prefer to eat at the lounge. If you want to eat at your favourite outlet at the airport, Scapia has it covered. When you pay at an airport food outlet using the Scapia Credit Card, for up to Rs. 1,000 spent, an equivalent amount of Scapia Coins will be credited to your account. The offer is applicable at Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru airports.
For transactions at other airports, the Scapia Coins credited will be equivalent to up to Rs. 500 spent. To avail the offer, the cardholder must select the food outlet in the Scapia App and activate the offer before swiping the card at the outlet.
C. Complimentary shopping: As explained in the earlier section, there is an offer for shopping at the airport outlets. You will get Scapia Coins equivalent to spends of up to Rs. 500 or Rs. 1,000, depending on the airport location. You must select the shopping outlet in the Scapia App and activate the offer before swiping the card at the outlet.
D. Enjoy a spa session: Instead of eating or shopping, what if you want to enjoy a relaxing spa session before boarding your flight? The Scapia Credit Card can provide you just that. You will get Scapia Coins equivalent to spends of up to Rs. 500 or Rs. 1,000, depending on the airport location. You must select the spa in the Scapia App and activate the offer before swiping the card at the spa.
A cardholder can choose one of the airport privileges from the 4 options available, per departure. Thus, the airport privileges are an excellent feature and are unique to the Scapia Federal Credit Card. The program is available in more than 70 airports across the country and is broader than most of the lounge programs available with other cards. With airport lounges becoming increasingly crowded and queues getting longer, cardholders can get access to various outlets in the airport of their choice.
The Scapia Federal Credit Card offers dual-network benefits. Along with the physical Visa card, you can opt for a digital RuPay card for UPI transactions. Both credit cards will have a combined single credit limit, and you will get a consolidated single bill. It is a unique proposition that sets this card apart from other cards where you have to manage multiple bills and repayments when you hold multiple cards.
While the Scapia Federal Credit Card has a lot of benefits, it has a few limitations. It does not offer complimentary international airport lounge access. Some banks allow you to transfer credit card reward points to airline and hotel loyalty programs. However, there is no such option to transfer Scapia Coins. Thus, it ties you down to the Scapia ecosystem.
The Scapia Federal Credit Card is a lifetime-free credit card, which means no joining fees or annual renewal fees. A lifetime-free credit card with so many travel benefits is a great deal.
The Scapia Federal Credit Card has excellent features like unlimited complimentary domestic airport lounge access, accelerated rewards on travel spends, good travel redemption options, zero forex markup, etc. The airport privileges program that provides Scapia Coins equivalent to up to Rs. 1,000 spent on food, shopping, or spa at airports is unique.
The best part is that with so many benefits, the card is being offered on a lifetime free basis, i.e., no joining or annual renewal fee. Along with the value it provides to its customers, the Scapia App is seamless to use and frequent travellers will enjoy using it. So, if you are a frequent traveller, you must add this card to your wallet and make the most of all the travel benefits.
Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.