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People love to travel to different parts of their country or many even love to travel across the globe for sightseeing. There may be others who travel due to their business commitments. During traveling to different places the travel credit card is of considerable use.
The travel credit card provides many benefits that make the trip more enjoyable. The numerous benefits provided by the card include airport lounge access, frequent flier miles, cashback, waived baggage fees, discounts on travel expenses, and many more benefits. On top of all these benefits, credit cards also provide sign-up bonuses.
Travel credit cards have become a competitive category in recent years and there are many features that have become common across them. Before you sign up for a new card you should consider and compare the features so that you can get the most value from the cards. The card should fit your budget, lifestyle, and travel habits. The following factors can be considered-
- If maintaining the card will prove to be a burden then look for a card with low annual fees.
- Chose a card that has no transaction fees while paying for the items that you have purchased abroad.
- The cards offer a number of reward points on every Rs. 100 that you spend on travel-related expenses like room bookings, car rentals, and fuel expenses. Look for a card that has more rewards so that the points can be accumulated faster.
- Compare the other perks like a sign-up bonus, cashback, and discounts.
The best travel credit cards are:
1) Citi Premier Miles Credit Card-
Joining fees- Rs.3000+ taxes.
Annual fee- Rs. 3000+ taxes.
The Citi PremierMiles credit card is a travel card that is suitable for people who travel frequently and the miles earned through it can be redeemed across many airlines, unlike other co-branded cards that allow benefits with only one airline. The miles earned never expire as you can always redeem them for flight anytime. The card also offers many privileges on travel, hotels, and entertainment in India and over 30 countries abroad.
The other features are-
- You get 10 miles per Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions and 4 miles per Rs. 100 spent on the other transactions like Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra.
- Complimentary domestic airline lounge access.
- No annual fee will be charged on spend of Rs 30,000 or more in a membership year.
- Get benefits worth more than Rs. 20,000 in the first year (Welcome miles worth RS. 4500, miles worth Rs 3200 on airline spending and additional miles worth Rs 11600 on travel and other spending.
- 250 turbo points on activation.
- 4 turbo points per Rs 150 spent on fuel, 2 turbo points per Rs 150 spent on grocery and 1 turbo point for Rs 150 spent on other categories (Cashback value per turbo point of Rs 1)
2) American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card-
Joining fee- Rs. 3500+ taxes.
Annual fee- Rs 5000 + taxes.
The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is suitable for persons who want travel benefits and reward points that can be redeemed with travel vouchers. If you like to spend and are looking for perks this card is a good option. The other features are-
- You get a welcome gift of 10,000 membership reward points redeemable for a Flipkart voucher or pay with points option in Amex travel worth Rs 3000.
- If you spend Rs. 1.9 lakhs in a membership year you get a Flipkart voucher or travel benefits worth Rs 4500.
- If you spend Rs. 4 lakhs in a membership year you additionally get a Flipkart voucher or travel benefits worth Rs. 7500.
- 8 complimentary visits per year to airport lounges every year across India (one per quarter).
- A Taj experiences E-gift card worth Rs. 10,000 from the Taj and Vivanta Hotels.
- You get 1 membership reward point for every Rs 50 spent except for spend on fuel, insurance, utility bill payment, and cash transaction.
- Earn milestone bonus membership reward points on reaching the following three milestones; spending Rs 5000 within 60 days of getting card membership makes you eligible for a welcome gift, reaching the threshold limit of Rs 1.9 lakhs, and reaching the threshold limit of Rs. 4 lakhs every year.
3) Air India SBI Signature Credit Card-
Joining Fee- Rs 4999+ Taxes
Renewal Fee- Rs 4999
Air India SBI Signature Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards in India and you should avail of it if you spend a lot on credit cards the reward rate is 4%. The redemption of reward points is not only for the air mile conversion but for many services from the rewards catalog. Since it is a co-branded card, the advantages are limited to Air India travel. The other features of this travel credit card are-
- Earn 20,000 reward points as a welcome gift.
- Complimentary membership of the Air India frequent flyer program.
- 4 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent.
- Up to 1 lakh bonus reward points yearly.
- Reward points can be converted to Air India miles where 1 reward point is equal to 1 Air India Air mile.
- Up to 30 reward points can be earned for every Rs 100 spent on Air India tickets booked through airindia.com or the Air india mobile app. You get 30 reward points when you book for yourself and 10 reward points when booking for others.
- International airport luxury lounge access with complimentary priority pass program.
- Visa lounge access in India at major domestic airports.
4) Yatra SBI Card-
Annual fee- Rs. 499+ taxes.
Renewal Fee- Rs. 499+ taxes.
The card not only gives discounts on domestic and international flight bookings but also offers reward points on dining, groceries, entertainment, departmental store purchase, and spending while on international tours. A great benefit is the 6 discounts of 20% that it offers on domestic hotel bookings. The other features are-
- On joining get Yatra.com vouchers of Rs. 8250.
- Get Rs. 1000 off on domestic flight bookings with a minimum of Rs. 5000.
- Persons can get Rs. 4000 off on International flight bookings with a minimum transaction of Rs. 40,000.
- Get 20% off on domestic hotels on a minimum transaction of Rs. 3000, a maximum discount of Rs 2000.
- Avail the 6 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on departmental stores, grocery, movies, dining, and entertainment (up to 5000 reward points per month).
- Complimentary air accident covers of Rs. 50 lacs.
- You get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps in India.
- Annual fee waived off on spending on Rs 1 lakh or more every year.
- The SBI Yatra credit card can be used at 24 million outlets worldwide.
- Avail of add-on cards for your parents, spouse, and children.
- Pay utility bills with the Easy Bill Pay facility on the Yatra SBI card.
- You can transfer the outstanding balance on another bank’s credit card to the Yatra SBI card to avail a lower rate of interest.
5) MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card-
Joining fee – Rs. 2500.
Renewal fee – Nil.
The main features are-
- You get Welcome abroad with Rs. 1500 cash and a MakeMyTrip holiday voucher worth Rs. 2500 plus MMTBlack enrolment as a joining benefit.
- 1 MyCash= Re 1. Rewards earned on this card are transferred to MakeMyTrip MyWallet as cash.
My cash may be used to make bookings at MakeMyTrip. MyCash earned through this cash shall be valid for a period of 1 year in the MyWallet of the cardholder.
- You also get complimentary MMTDoubleBlack membership which is an invite-only pay upfront membership with many benefits.
- You get a complimentary international roaming pack worth Rs. 3999.
- Get exclusive MMT cab benefits on this card.
- The MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card allows you to relax with lounge access privileges at airports. You get a complimentary Dreamfolks card and you can relax at more than 450 airport lounges across 115 countries.
- Get 1 complimentary railway lounge access in a quarter for lounges in India.
- Get a 25% discount, maximum up to Rs 150 on the purchase of a minimum of 2 tickets per transaction. This can be availed through BookMyShow and Inox.
- You also get exclusive dining offers through ICICI Bank Culinary treats program.
- 1% fuel surcharge will not be applicable on fuel transactions up to Rs 4000 at HPCL petrol pumps.
6) Axis Bank Vistara Credit Card-
Joining Fee- Rs. 1500.
Renewal fee – Rs. 1500.
The Axis Bank Vistara credit card is ideal for frequent flyers. Its main features are-
- A complimentary economy class ticket voucher as a welcome gift. This benefit is continued on the renewal of the card.
- Privileges of complimentary club Vistara base membership.
- Avail 2 club Vistara points for every Rs. 200 spent on the Axis bank Vistara credit card and redeem for upgrades and award flights.
- 3 economy class tickets on achieving the milestone spend.
- Complimentary lounge access at selected airports in India.
- Get CV points on every swipe.
- Get air accident cover of Rs 2.5 crore.
Travel credit cards are a great help for people who travel regularly and the benefits provided are many according to the company and the card selected. Always compare the privileges provided by the card flier miles, cashback, and a host of benefits to help you in savings and awards for a pleasant trip.