BOBCARD Eterna Credit Card Review
BoB premium card: 3.75% effective on online/dining/travel (capped 5,000 RP/cycle), unlimited domestic lounges subject to ₹75,000 spend in the preceding calendar quarter (since 15 July 2026), air/non-air accident insurance withdrawn (discontinued for all cardholders from 25 August 2026). Limited Period Lifetime Free Card Offer (milestone-based waivers; not income-based). April 2026 verified against BOBCARD official.
Who this is for
The BOBCARD Eterna is Bank of Baroda’s flagship credit card. It’s a strong all-rounder targeting 8-15 lakh annual spenders who want meaningful rewards on online/dining/travel (3.75% effective), unlimited lounges, and premium insurance. BOBCARD’s landing page features a Limited Period Lifetime Free Card Offer. The ₹12 lakh+ income is the card eligibility requirement (not an LTF qualifier). The “free” path comes from milestone-based fee waivers: ₹25,000 spend in first 60 days waives the joining fee; ₹2,50,000 annual spend waives the annual fee.
Fees & waivers
| Head | Detail |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | 2,499 — waived on 25,000 spend in first 60 days |
| Annual fee (year 2+) | 2,499 — waived on 2,50,000 annual spend |
| Lifetime Free (current limited-period offer) | The BOBCARD Eterna landing page is currently running a banner labelled “Limited Period Lifetime Free Card Offer” right next to the Apply CTA, on top of the listed ₹2,499 fee. The page does not publish a separate qualifier for this offer — applications during the promo window may be issued on a Lifetime-Free basis subject to BOBCARD’s issuance criteria. Apply during the offer to lock in the LTF benefit, and confirm the LTF terms in writing on the welcome kit / sanction letter. |
| Milestone fee waivers (fallback if LTF promo isn’t honoured) | Joining fee ₹2,499 + GST is waived on ₹25,000 spend in the first 60 days; annual fee ₹2,499 + GST is waived on ₹2,50,000 anniversary-year spend. |
| Underlying card eligibility | Indian Resident; Salaried / Self-employed with Net Annual Income > ₹12 lakh; age 25–55 years (issuer-confirmed). |
| Welcome bonus | 10,000 bonus RP on 50,000 spend in 60 days (worth 2,500) |
| 5L annual milestone | 20,000 bonus RP (worth 5,000) |
Reward structure
- 15 RP per 100 (~3.75%) on: dining, travel and international, online shopping
- 3 RP per 100 (~0.75%) on all other categories
- Welcome: 10,000 bonus RP on 50,000 spend in 60 days
- Annual 5L milestone: 20,000 bonus RP
- Redemption: 1 RP = ₹0.25 as cashback / statement credit.
Other welcome and lifestyle benefits (per issuer page)
- FITPASS Pro 12-month membership worth ₹48,000 as a fit welcome gift — must be activated within 60 days of card issuance.
- Movie BOGO via District app: Buy-One-Get-One on movie tickets via District, up to ₹250 per month (Axis-level mechanic; per current BOBCARD page).
- Forex markup 2% on international transactions — among the lower forex rates in this fee tier.
- Up to 3 lifetime-free add-on cards for spouse / parents / siblings / kids over 18.
- Smart EMI on transactions above ₹2,500, tenures 6–48 months.
Lounge access
Unlimited domestic lounge visits available, conditional on ₹75,000 spend in the preceding calendar quarter (raised from ₹40,000 on 15 July 2026). For steady users spending ~₹25,000/month, this unlocks effectively-unlimited lounge access — rare at this fee tier.
Insurance & other benefits
- Air accident cover discontinued from 25 August 2026
- Non-air accident cover also discontinued from 25 August 2026
- Zero lost-card liability on fraudulent transactions
- 6-month FITPASS Pro Membership: 12 months free (worth ₹48,000 per BOBCARD official) — activate within 60 days of card issuance
- Movie: B1G1 with up to 250 off on the 2nd ticket on District, once per month
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations on ₹400–₹5,000 transactions (max ₹250 per statement cycle; no reward points on fuel)
Compared with alternatives
| Card | Fee | Online rate | Lounges |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOBCARD Eterna | 2,499 (Limited-period LTF offer) | 3.75% | Unlimited @ ₹75K/Q spend |
| HDFC Regalia Gold | 2,500 | 1.33% | 12 int’l + unlimited domestic |
| SBI Cashback | 999 | 5% flat online | None |
| HDFC Millennia | 1,000 | 5% on 11 partners | 8 dom/Q @ 1L spend |
| ICICI Rubyx | 2,000 | 0.5-1% | 2/Q @ 75K spend |
What we like
- 3.75% on online + dining + travel is class-leading
- Unlimited lounge access (spend-gated) is very generous
- 2% forex markup is low for this fee tier
- FITPASS 6-month membership adds ~15K wellness value
- 10K welcome (one-time) + 20K annual milestone = ₹7,500 in year one, ₹5,000 a year after
Where it falls short
- ₹75K quarterly spend gate for lounges means light users don’t unlock
- RP at 0.25 is standard — redemption value isn’t best-in-class
- BoB’s card customer service rated lower than HDFC/ICICI in user surveys
- App/portal experience is less polished than flagship competitors
- Forex markup is 2% — lower than most cards, but not zero
Should you apply?
Apply if: Your annual income is ₹12L+ (the card’s eligibility criterion), you spend 20K+ monthly online/dining/travel, and you value lounges + insurance. One of India’s best flagship-for-free deals.
Skip if: Income below 12L (the 2,499 fee is steeper than SBI Cashback alternative), or spend primarily offline (the 3.75% applies only to online, dining, travel and international spends).
The bottom line
BOBCARD Eterna is an undervalued flagship with a unique lifetime-free path for 12L+ earners. The 3.75% on online/dining/travel + unlimited lounges (₹75K/quarter spend-gated) + 2% forex + FITPASS combine into a package that many premium cards at 3x the fee struggle to match. If you qualify for LTF, this should be in your wallet.
Verified against Bank of Baroda’s official BOBCARD Eterna page and April 2026 listings. ₹12 lakh+ income is the card’s eligibility criterion; BOBCARD does not link lifetime-free status to income. Lounge access requires ₹75,000+ spend in the preceding calendar quarter (from 15 July 2026).