Travel credit cards make holidays easy, convenient, and light. How, you ask? Well, a travel credit card can reduce your worries of having to carry around too much cash. If you are a frequent traveller, be it for business or leisure, you must apply for the best travel credit card.
These offer exciting credit card rewards on both domestic and international travel along with benefits like complimentary lounge access, free premium economy tickets, air mile earning, hotel discounts, co-branded benefits with airlines and travel partners, among many others. Go through the below table to understand about the top travel credit cards in India.
Travel Credit |
Joining/Annual Fees |
Best For
|
₹500 + GST
|
Railway bookings |
|
|
Booking rides on Ola, Uber; fuel purchase |
|
|
Airline transactions |
|
|
Holiday bookings |
|
|
Holiday bookings |
|
|
Lowest Forex Markup |
Now that you know the top travel credit cards in India, let’s learn about the exclusive benefits associated with the above-mentioned travel credit cards.
Buy AC1, AC2, AC3, and AC CC tickets through irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (for Android only) and earn a value back of up to 10%
Save 1% charges on transactions related to railway ticket bookings made on www.irctc.co.in
Avail complimentary railway lounge access 4 times in a year (max 1 per quarter) at participating lounges in India
Earn a 10% monthly cashback on spending ₹400 on Ola and Uber as well as fuel purchases
Enjoy a gift voucher of ₹1,000 when your annual spending crosses the threshold of ₹1 lakh
Get fuel surcharge waiver of up to ₹100 per month on refuelling your vehicle at any petrol pump in India
Earn 10 Miles/₹100 on airline transactions or 4 Miles/₹100 on other transactions with Citi PremierMiles Credit Card
Get the chance to redeem miles from more than 100 airlines and hotel partners. You can also transfer miles to 14 hotel and airline partners
Avail Lost Card Liability Cover of ₹10 Lakh and Air Accident Insurance Cover of upto ₹1 crore with Citi PremierMiles Credit Card
Enjoy complimentary lounge access in select airports across India
Get exclusive welcome benefit of ₹500 My Cash reward points on ICICI Bank MMT Platinum Credit Card
Get MakeMyTrip (MMT) holiday voucher worth ₹3,000
Avail benefits worth up to ₹2,000 on ICICI Bank MMT Platinum Credit Card
Enjoy complimentary lounge access per quarter at airports across India on spending ₹5,000 in a calendar quarter
Enjoy railway lounge access per quarter at participating lounges in India
Get ₹1,500 My Cash rewards on joining the ICICI MMT Signature Credit Card
Avail complimentary MMTBLACK Exclusive membership
In addition, get a MakeMyTrip holiday voucher worth ₹2,500 on this card
Get complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership with SBI ELITE Credit Card
Enjoy the lowest Foreign Currency Mark-up charge of 1.99% on international usage
Enjoy 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge access every quarter in India
Get a complimentary membership to the Priority Pass Program worth $99 with the SBI ELITE Credit Card
Enjoy 6 complimentary airport lounge access per calendar year, outside India (maximum 2 visits per quarter). This offer is effective from July 01, 2017
Get access to 1,000+ Airport Lounges across the globe
Earn 2 Reward Points on every₹100 spent on international transactions
To apply for a credit card online, follow the steps mentioned below:
Step 1: Visit Bajaj Market’s official website and click on ‘Cards’.
Step 2: Enter your contact information and other personal details.
Step 3: Click on ‘Check my offer’ to browse the list of cards being offered to you.
Step 4: Select the travel credit card that offers you the maximum benefits.
Step 5: Follow the instructions and submit the application.
Below is the generic eligibility criteria and documents required for travel credit cards:
Age: You must be above 21 years
Residence: You must be a resident of India or a non-resident Indian (NRI)
Income: You must meet the income-specific requirements for the travel card.
Credit Score: You must have a good credit score of 750 or above
Proof of Identity: One copy of either your PAN card, Aadhaar card, Passport, driver’s licence, Voter’s ID, NREGA-issued job card, or any other photo ID card issued by the government
Proof of Address: One copy of either your Aadhaar card, Passport, driver’s licence, utility bills for the last 3 months, documents related to property registration, ration card, bank account statement for the last 3 months, NREGA-issued job card, or any other photo ID card issued by the government
Proof of Income: One copy of either your latest Form 16, salary slips for the last three months, or bank statement for the last 3 months
Note: The eligibility and documents may vary from one card issuing bank to another.
Some of the common features and benefits of availing travel credit cards are mentioned below:
These benefits include vouchers or bonus points that you receive once the travel credit card is approved. In most cases, the bonus points are in the form of air miles which you can redeem at partner airlines and save money.
One of the most attractive features of travel credit cards is the free access to airport lounges. The number of visits at domestic and international lounges may vary depending on the travel credit card. Some special cards, i.e. those in partnership with IRCTC, give you access to railway lounges too.
Comprehensive travel insurance is another benefit you can enjoy on your travel credit card. This feature protects you against unforeseen travel expenses such as medical emergencies, baggage loss, etc.
Some travel credit cards offer maximum liability on the lost travel credit card. Therefore, even if you lose your travel credit card in a foreign country, you can avoid payment for unauthorised transactions post-reporting to the credit card issuing bank.
Some other benefits you can enjoy are co-branded benefits, no annual fee (applicable on specific travel credit card), travel vouchers, exclusive discounts and offers, air miles, etc. You can even enjoy accelerated rewards on travel credit cards.
Axis Bank Vistara Infinite credit card and Club Vistara SBI Prime card are some of the top credit cards that offer Vistara benefits.
Some of the best travel credit cards in India are IRCTC SBI RuPay Credit Card, RBL Travel Easy SuperCard, Citi PremierMiles Credit Card, ICICI MMT Platinum Credit Card, ICICI MMT Signature Credit Card, and SBI Card ELITE.
Credit cards from top banks offered in partnership with airline companies or travel websites offer the best discounts on flight ticket bookings. Some of these top cards are ICICI MMT Platinum credit card, Air India SBI Signature credit card, Axis Bank Vistara Infinite credit card, etc.
Credit cards which have a low foreign exchange markup fee, such as the SBI ELITE credit card, are ideal for international travel.
Yes, when you book a flight with a travel credit card you get benefits like exclusive discounts, cashback, and special offers. The card also lets you enjoy complimentary airport lounge access and air accident cover, among other things, on your credit card.
Travel credit cards prove to be beneficial when they offer protection for baggage loss or allow you to earn reward points or miles on bookings which you can then redeem while travelling.
Travel credit cards usually offer points or miles on both travel-related purchases and everyday purchases. Once you complete shopping or make transactions with this credit card and accumulate a considerable amount of reward points, you can redeem them and save while travelling, i.e. flight bookings and hotel stays.
While choosing a travel credit card: compare the joining or annual fee, foreign currency mark-up fee, foreign transaction fee, and standard cash withdrawal charges. Above all, you must consider your travel needs, which will help you to shortlist and compare travel credit cards thoroughly.