IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card Review: Benefits, Fees & Rewards

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The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card¹ is a premium credit card secured by a fixed term deposit held at IDFC FIRST. Your card can help you unlock travel, lifestyle and dining benefits, as well as perks like lounge access and insurance.

It’s useful to know that the IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card is different from the standard IDFC FIRST WOW Credit Card. This IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card review walks through all you need to know, and also has a side-by-side comparison of the IDFC FIRST WOW vs WOW Black cards so you can decide if either fits your needs. We'll also introduce you to the Wise Travel card, which allows you to hold 40+ currencies in on card and spend without any forex markups or hidden fees.

What is the IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card?

The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card is a travel- optimised credit card which you’ll be eligible for by holding a fixed deposit amount of 20,000 INR or more at IDFC.

The card is available to resident Indians only, and has an annual fee of 750 INR which can be waived with an annual spend of 150,000 INR or more. Other IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card benefits include rewards, discounts, exclusive offers; and travel perks.

Is the IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card safe?

Yes. Your IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card is safe to use with normal precautions. You’ll need to keep your card details secret, and review your transactions regularly to check for anything suspicious, as you would with any credit card.

IDFC is a safe and regulated bank which is registered with the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which means your fixed deposit is insured up to 500,000 INR per depositor.

IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card: Features and benefits

You’ll need to pay a joining fee when you sign up for the IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card which costs 750 INR, but this unlocks welcome benefits which the bank states are worth 5,000 INR or more. After this there are annual fees but these can be waived if you spend 150,000 INR or more - and you’ll be entitled to a range of perks and benefits as you use your card.

Some of the main IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card benefits include²:

• Welcome benefits including travel discounts, money off when you use MakeMyTrip, and a 3-month EazyDiner Prime Membership
• IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card lounge access up to 4x annually for domestic lounges only
• Lifetime free digital UPI card
• 25% discount up to 100 INR on movie tickets per month
• Trip cancellation cover worth 10,000 INR
• Lost card liability cover of 25,000 INR
• Personal accident coverage of 200,000 INR
• Complimentary roadside assistance up to 4 times a year

Do note that the insurance benefits and roadside assistance are only active if the cardholder has completed at least one purchase or ATM withdrawal transaction within the previous 30 days. The lounge access benefit also requires a minimum monthly spend of 20,000 INR.

Your card also offers the opportunity to earn reward points as you spend, with the following reward rates⁴:

• 4 reward points for every 150 INR spent online, offline, and overseas
• 1 reward point for every 150 INR spent on insurance premium payments, utility bill payments, FASTag recharges and railway tickets
• 3 reward points for every 150 INR spent on UPI transactions above 2,000 INR
• 1 reward point for every 150 INR spent on UPI transactions under 2,000 INR
• Earn 50 reward points per 150 INR spent on hotel bookings and 30 reward points per 150 INR spent on flight bookings when you book through the “FIRST Rewards Gallery” section on the IDFC FIRST Bank Mobile App

You can redeem your points against travel bookings or through other options.

• Redeem rewards through other options - 1 point is equal to 0.25 INR
• Redeem rewards against hotel or flight bookings in the Bank App - 1 point is equal to 0.5 INR

Lounge access

If you spend 20,000 INR you’ll be entitled to one complimentary domestic airport lounge visit every quarter. This means that over the course of the year, you could get 4x visits to domestic airport lounges if you meet the minimum spend rules.

UPI or virtual card features

Your WOW Black card also offers a free digital UPI card which lets you earn up to 3x rewards, which is the equivalent to 1% cash back for all on- and offline UPI spending.

Travel rewards and welcome benefits

The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card offers higher reward earning on select travel bookings, and lets you redeem your points on hotel and flight bookings made through the bank app.

The welcome benefits also include up to 1,500 INR discount on bookings made with MakeMyTrip, and a 500 INR voucher you can use against travel bookings made in the bank app.

IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card exchange rate

The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card is issued on the Mastercard network, and the exchange rate used when you spend abroad is set by the network.

IDFC does not add any forex charge to the rate used. Instead, your overseas spending is converted back to INR using the live Mastercard exchange rate at the time your transaction is processed, and the calculated rupee amount is then added to your monthly card statement.

IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card charges

Before you decide if the IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card is right for you, it’s important to weigh up the costs of getting and using your card. Here's a summary:

*Details correct at time of research - 19th May 2026

IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card limit: how does it work?

The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card limit is set according to the value of fixed deposit you hold with IDFC. Your limit will be at least 100% of the deposit value, which must be 20,000 INR or more.

If you would like to access a higher limit you may be able to have your limit adjusted by adding a new fixed deposit or linking an existing fixed deposit to your card through the IDFC FIRST Bank app.

IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card eligibility

The IDFC FIRST WOW Black Credit Card eligibility criteria are as follows:

• 18 to 80 years​ old
• Indian citizen with a permanent residential address in India
• Fixed Deposit (FD) of 20,000 INR or more with IDFC FIRST Bank

IDFC FIRST WOW vs WOW Black: what’s the difference?

If you’re torn between IDFC FIRST WOW vs WOW Black it can help to compare them side by side. The IDFC FIRST WOW card is a lifetime free physical card, but doesn’t have as many reward opportunities compared to the Black card. You’ll also need to pay an annual fee if you want to have a UPI enabled digital card.

Both the IDFC FIRST WOW and the WOW Black card are secured by a fixed term deposit, so if you’re a resident Indian selecting the right one for you may simply depend on whether you think you’ll earn enough in additional rewards to make the additional joining or annual fee worthwhile.

Here’s a quick IDFC FIRST WOW vs WOW Black side-by-side comparison to help you decide:

*Details correct at time of research - 19th May 2026

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