BOBCARD Eterna & Tiara Devaluation: Finance Charges Up, Insurance Gone, Lounge Access Gated (July–October 2026)

BOBCARD, Bank of Baroda's card-issuing arm, is rolling out four changes to its premium cards — Eterna, Eterna (FD), Tiara, and Varunah Premium — between July and October 2026. The updates raise finance charges, remove accidental death insurance, restrict HPCL fuel rewards to eligible merchant outlets, and nearly double the quarterly spend required for unlimited domestic lounge access.

What's changing and when

The details below are drawn from Bank of Baroda's BOBCARD product update and corroborated by coverage from LiveMint, CardInsider, and SaveSage.

The affected cards are Eterna, Eterna (FD), Tiara, and Varunah Premium. CardAgent's catalog currently lists BOBCARD Eterna and Tiara as offering 'unlimited' domestic lounge access; from 1 October 2026, that unlimited access will only remain accurate for cardholders who clear ₹75,000 of spend in the preceding quarter.

Why this matters if you hold one of these cards

The finance-charge hike matters most for revolvers — anyone who occasionally carries a balance — because the annualised cost of borrowing jumps from roughly 39% to 45%. Removing accidental death cover chips away at the safety net that some cardholders valued as a no-cost add-on. And the lounge threshold rising from ₹40,000 to ₹75,000 per quarter means occasional travellers who comfortably cleared the old bar may fall short under the new one.

Should you keep the card?

• If you pay in full every month and don't rely on the accidental death cover, the interest-rate change doesn't affect you.
• If you're a frequent lounge user who comfortably spends ₹75,000 or more per quarter on the card, nothing changes in practice.
• If you got the card mainly for the accidental death cover or for occasional lounge access on lighter spend, compare alternatives before the October threshold change.

Frequently asked questions

Does this affect all BOBCARD credit cards? No — only Eterna, Eterna (FD), Tiara, and Varunah Premium are named in Bank of Baroda's update; other BOBCARD products are unaffected by this specific change.

What happens to existing accidental death cover if I already hold the card? It continues until 25 August 2026, after which it is discontinued for existing cardholders — the removal is not limited to new card issuances.

Is the ₹40,000 lounge threshold gone immediately? No — it holds through 30 September 2026. The ₹75,000 threshold only takes effect from 1 October 2026.