The right credit cards for travel can be a golden ticket to unlock various travel benefits and experiences. However, choosing the right credit card for travel among the various options available requires careful consideration of various factors.
Credit Cards for Travel Rewards
These are the top credit cards for travel, that will not only provide you travel benefits but also will provide opportunities to earn many rewards and cashbacks.
| Card Name | Annual Fee |
| MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card | NIL |
| Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card | Rs.350 |
| Yatra SBI Card | Rs.499 |
| IRCTC SBI Card Premier | Rs.1,499 |
| Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card | Rs.1,499 |
| HDFC Intermiles Signature Credit Card | Rs.2,500 |
| Kotak Indigo XL Credit Card | Rs.2,500 |
| Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card | Rs.3,000 |
| Club Vistara IDFC First Credit Card | Rs.4,999 |
| Air India SBI Signature | Rs.4,999 |
| Axis Atlas Credit Card | Rs.5,000 |
(1) MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card
The card which is on the first spot in the list is this co-branded card offered by ICICI Bank in collaboration with MakeMyTrip.
The card is considered as the top option to select by the travelers who frequently travel and do not wish to compromise on their luxury travel.
Travel benefits of the card are
Travel Benefits | Get 1,500 as MyCash and a holiday voucher from MakeMyTrip, of Rs.2500 as a welcome gift. |
| Get access to 1 complimentary railway lounge in a quarter. | |
| Get access to 1 spa session and 1 international lounge access every year at selected airports in India through complementary Dreamfolks membership. | |
| Earn 4x reward points as 1.25 My Cash on Rs.200 spent on domestic transactions outside MakeMyTrip, and 1.50 My Cash on every Rs.200 spent on international transactions outside MakeMyTrip. | |
| Earn 4x reward points as 2 MyCash on every Rs.200 spent on flight bookings through MakeMyTrip. | |
| 4 MyCash on every Rs.200 spent on hotel or holidays booking through MakeMyTrip platform. | |
| Also the card also offers airtel roaming pack and 1 % fuel surcharge waiver. | |
| Fees and Charges | Annual fee is NIL |
| Joining fee charges are Rs.2500 | |
| Financial charges 3.5% per month and 42% per annum. |
(2) Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card
This co-branded card is offered by Standard Chartered in collaboration with EaseMyTrip. The card is said to offer the highest and special benefits to its users.
The travel benefits it offers are
| Travel benefits | Get awarded with 10 reward points on spending Rs.100 every time at standalone websites, airlines or hotels, outlets, or on mobile applications, except on any travel aggregators. |
| The value of 1 reward point is equal to Re 0.25, if it is redeemed through Standard Chartered 360 rewards portal. | |
| Get off upto Rs.125 on bus tickets. | |
| A flat 20% discount on domestic and international hotel bookings. | |
| A 10% discount on flight bookings of domestic and international flights. | |
| Get access to 2 complementary international lounge visits every year through Priority Pass. | |
| Access to 1 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.350. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.350, but can be reversed or turned down if the spending is more than Rs.50,000 annually. |
(3) Yatra SBI Card
The card that SBI launched in collaboration with a travel website portal. The card offers a welcome bonus of Rs.8,250 in the form of vouchers from Yatra.com. Also the users will get exclusive discounts and offers on making their flight and hotel bookings via Yatra platform.
Below are the benefits card offers for travel purpose
| Travel Benefits | Get a welcome gift of value Rs.8250 as vouchers from Yatra. That can be used for international and domestic travel bookings, holiday vouchers, etc. |
| Get upto 6X rewards on spending Rs.100 every time internationally. | |
| Upto 20% off on domestic hotel bookings at a minimum transaction value of Rs.3,000. | |
| An accident cover of Rs.50 lakh is given to primary cardholders. | |
| A flat 4,000 off on international flight bookings on a minimum transaction value of Rs.40,000. | |
| 1,000 off on booking domestic flights at a transaction value of Rs.5,000 | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.499. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.499, but can be waived off or tuned down if the spending is Rs.1 lakh in a year. |
(4) IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Another co-branded card by SBI. The credit card is one of the best ones to consider when looking for benefits of booking railway tickets and getting access to railway lounges.
The set of benefits the card offers are
Travel Benefits | Get upto 1,500 reward points on the payment of joining fee. |
| Save upto 1% transaction charges on railway tickets bookings via www.irctc.com. | |
| Avail 1 reward point on every Rs.125 spent on all retail purchases, that includes purchasing railway tickets at IRCTC mobile app or website. | |
| Get access to 8 complimentary railway lounges every year. | |
| Save upto 1.8% of the transaction charges on air tickets bookings via irctc platform. | |
| Avail upto 5% value back on e-catering and air tickets on IRCTC. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.1499. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.1499. |
(5) Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card
As the name of the card suggests, SBI Platinum card, the card is designed specially to offer its users the premium features and benefits of booking flight tickets. One of the best to look at for the frequent travelers.
The travel benefits the card offers are as followed
Travel benefits | Get welcome vouchers of upto Rs.5,000. |
| Earn upto 5,000 reward point bonus, and that will be added to your account in 15 days. | |
| Avail upto 10,000 reward points on spending Rs.2 lakh or more than it annually. | |
| Spending Rs.100 every time on Air India tickets for self, users will be awarded with upto 15 reward points. | |
| The card offers a complimentary membership to the premium Air India Frequent Flyer Program – Flying Returns. | |
| Get access to domestic airport lounges. | |
| Fees and charges | Joining fee charges are Rs.1499. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.1499. | |
| The Add on card fee is NIL. |
(6) HDFC InterMiles Signature Credit Card
By availing this card you can easily redeem InterMiles and book flight tickets and hotels from the InterMiles website. The card can be a good option for those who use their credit card for their maximum spends and can enjoy a high reward rate and program.
The benefits of the card for travel are
| Travel benefits | Get complimentary InterMiles Silver Membership. |
| Get 6 intermiles on every Rs.150 on all spendings. | |
| Enjoy upto 8,000 bonus at the time of purchasing the card. | |
| Avail Rs.750 flight discount voucher for the first year. | |
| Get 12 intermiles points on every Rs.150 spend hotel and flight bookings via the InterMiles website. | |
| Get Rs.2,000 as the hotel discount voucher for the first year. | |
| Get upto 16 free domestic lounge visits under the Visa Access Lounge Program per year. | |
| Also get a complimentary Priority Pass Membership with 5 free visits every year to international lounges. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.2,500 |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.2,500, but can be waived off or turned down on spending Rs.3 lakh in a year. |
(7) Kotak Indigo XL Credit Card
The card’s full name is Kotak Indigo Ka-ching Rewards XL credit card. As the name of the card displays, it offers high rewards on all your travel expenses on IndiGo platform.
| Travel benefits | Get a welcome gift of IndiGo air ticket worth Rs.3,000. |
| By spending Rs.100 every time on IndiGo airlines get awarded with 6x reward points. | |
| Upto 2 reward points on spending Rs.100 on all other categories. | |
| Get 3 reward points while spending Rs.100 each time on partner merchants, stores, grocery, and entertainment. | |
| Avail access to 8 complimentary lounge visits every year. | |
| Get priority check-in, choice of seats, complimentary meal, etc. with a prime add-on package of Rs.899. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.2,500. |
| Joining fee charges are Rs.1,500. | |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.2,500. |
(8) Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card
This card is suitable for those who prefers Vistara Airlines as it provides upto 2% of Club Vistara Points which can only be redeemed within free flights and flight upgrades.
The set of benefits are as followed
| Travel benefits | The reward points can only be redeemed either for booking flights or for other upgrades. |
| For every Rs.200 spent, 4 Club Vistara points will be provided. | |
| Get 1 complementary premium economy ticket as a welcome gift. | |
| For the first year, enjoy a complimentary club Vistara silver membership. | |
| Lost card liability cover of upto 100% of the card limit is provided. | |
| Insurance of upto Rs.2.5 crores is provided as the air accident cover with a purchase protection cover of Rs.1 lakh | |
| When achieving some spending milestone, the user will be awarded with bonus club vistara points and 4 complimentary premium economy tickets. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.3,000. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.3,000. |
(9) Club Vistara IDFC First Credit Card
This card is best suited for the ones who love to spend high and travel mostly through Vistara airlines.
The travel benefits of the card are
| Travel benefits | Get upto 5 complimentary premium economy class tickets in a year. |
| Enjoy upto 2 complimentary visits to domestic airport lounges and spas every quarter. | |
| Get upto 6 club vistara points on every Rs.200 spent on spending above Rs.1 lakh. | |
| Enjoy a complimentary club Vistara membership as the welcome gift. | |
| Get 1 complimentary visit to the international airport lounge per quarter. | |
| Enjoy 1 club vistara reward point every time Rs.200 is spent on rent, fuel, insurance and utility. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.4,999. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.4,999. |
(10) Air India SBI Signature
Being a co-branded card, most of the benefits and advantages are for the Air India users. The card offers benefits like Priority Pass Membership and complimentary domestic and international lounge access to its travel users.
Travel benefits of the card are as followed
Travel benefits | As a welcome gift, get upto 20,000 reward points. |
| After spending Rs.100 every time on SuperSaver booklet purchases, get upto 10 reward points. | |
| When achieving some spending marks, enjoy upto 1 lakh bonus reward points. | |
| Provides a lost liability cover of upto Rs.1 lakh. | |
| Enjoy upto 30 reward points when ticket booked for self and upto 10 reward points on booking for others. | |
| Spending Rs.100 every time on booking tickets via airindia.com or airindia mobile app, enjoy upto 30 reward points. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.4,999. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.4,999. |
(11) Axis Atlas Credit Card
This credit card is a perfect choice for those who spend a noted amount every month on travel purposes and on other expenses as well.
The card offers various benefits for travel purpose, like
| Travel benefits | Get 5 EDGE miles on every Rs.100 spent on airlines, hotel bookings, and on travel EDGE portals. |
| Users falling silver membership tier – get upto 8 domestic and 4 international lounge visits. Also upto 2,500 EDGE mile points on spending Rs.3 lakhs. | |
| Users falling in gold membership tier – get upto 12 domestic and 6 international lounge visits. With that enjoy 5,000 EDGE mile points on spending Rs.7.5 lakhs. | |
| Users falling in platinum membership tier – get upto 18 domestic and 12 international lounge visits. Also upto 10,000 EDGE mile points on spending Rs.15 lakhs, with airport concierge services and 2 complimentary airport pick ups. | |
| Fees and charges | Annual fee charges are Rs.5,000. |
| Renewal fee charges are Rs.5,000. |
Summing Up: Credit Cards for Travel Rewards
Each of the above mentioned credit cards offer a diversified range of benefits and perks and has different reward criteria. Most of the cards are co-branded cards, which helps the user to avail benefits from both the sides.
Note: Want to know about the most rewarding credit cards for shopping lovers? To know about it in detail, visit our article, Most Rewarding Credit Cards for Shopping Lovers.
Yup, the IRCTC one is a big relief for train travelers.