Apply for Best Travel Credit Cards 2022

Best Travel Credit Cards in India 2022

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.

Top Travel Credit Cards in India

 

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.

1. IRCTC SBI RuPay Credit Card

• 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

2. Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank Travel Easy SuperCard

• 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

3. Citi PremierMiles Credit Card

• 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

4. ICICI Bank MMT Platinum Credit Card

• 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

5. ICICI MMT Signature Credit Card

• 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

6. SBI ELITE Credit 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

How to Apply for Travel Credit Cards

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.

Eligibility Criteria and Documents Required for Travel Credit Cards

Below is the generic eligibility criteria and documents required for travel credit cards:

1. Eligibility Criteria to Apply for Travel Credit Card

• 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

2. Documents Required to Apply for Travel Credit Card

• 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.

Key Features and Benefits of Travel Credit Cards

Some of the common features and benefits of availing travel credit cards are mentioned below:

• Welcome Benefits: 

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.

• Complimentary Lounge Access: 

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.

• Insurance: 

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.

• Protection Against Unauthorised Transaction: 

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.

• Travel Rewards:

You earn travel reward points by making holiday bookings or by booking air tickets with your travel credit cards. You can later use these points to buy merchandise, gifts or for availing travel benefits.

• Air Miles:

Travel credit cards also offer air miles instead of offering reward points. You can collect air miles when you purchase services or goods and these points can then be utilised to pay for air travel. 

• Vouchers   

You can earn various vouchers by using travel credit cards. The best travel credit cards in India can offer you a variety of vouchers like travel vouchers, stay vouchers and dining vouchers. These vouchers are offered either on reaching a milestone or at the time of getting a new credit card in the form of a welcome bonus.

• Co-Branded Vouchers

Many financial institutions collaborate with tours and travel websites or airline companies to issue travel credit cards. Both the parties then sponsor the credit card and offer discounts, vouchers and other benefits.

Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners

Travel credit cards are available in three broad categories of entry level or beginners, mid-level and premium. Most, if not all, travel credit cards for beginners are co-branded. Travel credit cards for beginners usually have limited benefits. Here is a list of some of the best travel credit cards in India meant for beginners. 

1. IRCTC SBI Platinum Credit Card

This travel credit card was launched by SBI in association with IRCTC. It is one of the best travel credit cards in India and is available against a membership fee of ₹300 per year. The joining fee applicable in the first year is ₹500. If you are a frequent train traveller, this is the best travel credit card for you as this card offers you benefits while booking rail tickets. IRCTC SBI Platinum Credit Card offers the following features:

• You get 10% Value Back Reward Points on railway ticket bookings made via IRCTC app or website

• If you book railway tickets from IRCTC mobile app or website, you will receive 1.8% waiver on transaction surcharge

• You earn 1 Reward Point per ₹125 spent in transactions other than those related to IRCTC or fuel 

• You can book railway tickets by redeeming reward points  

2. IRCTC RuPay SBI Credit Card

This SBI and IRCTC co-branded credit card can be used at 3.7 million terminals in India. In addition to other rewards, the IRCTC RuPay SBI Credit Credit Card offers you four complimentary railway lounge accesses per year. IRCTC RuPay SBI Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards in India if you frequently travel by train . This card has a one-time annual fee of ₹500 and annual renewal fee of ₹300. Here are some of the features of the IRCTC RuPay SBI Credit Card: 

• You get 350 reward points as activation bonus 

• You get 10% Value Back as reward points if you book tickets via IRCTC mobile app or irctc.co.in

• You get 1 reward point for every ₹125 that you spend on non-fuel purchases.

• You save 1% transaction charge on railway ticket bookings made via IRCTC website 

3. MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card

This is a co-branded credit card offered by MakeMyTrip and ICICI Bank. MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card can serve as a lifetime free credit card. It is available for a joining fee of ₹ 500.  This is one of the best travel credit cards in India for beginners and you can earn rewards on a variety of bookings and purchases. Here are some of the prominent features of this credit card:

• You get a ₹3,000 Holiday Voucher from MakeMyTrip as an activation bonus

• You earn ₹2 MMT My Cash on ₹200 spent on flight bookings made via MakeMyTrip

• You earn ₹3 MMT My Cash on ₹200 spent on hotel and holiday bookings made via MakeMyTrip

• You earn ₹1 MMT My Cash on ₹200 spent on domestic spends made outside MakeMyTrip

• You earn ₹1.25 MMT My Cash on ₹200 spent on international spends made outside MakeMyTrip

• If you spend ₹50,000 minimum in a year on hotels, flights or holiday bookings made via MakeMyTrip, you will get 1,000 MMT My Cash  

• You get complimentary discounts at partner restaurants  

4. Yatra SBI Credit Card

This is a co-branded credit card offered by SBI and Yatra travel portal. Yatra SBI credit card is available at ₹499 annual fee. It offers discounts on bookings made through Yatra website or mobile app. Yatra SBI Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards  for frequent travellers. Here are some of the key features of this credit card:

• As a welcome gift, you earn Yatra vouchers worth ₹8,250 

• You get ₹1,000 discount on domestic flight bookings of ₹5,000 made on Yatra

• You get ₹4,000 discount on international flight bookings of ₹40,000 made on Yatra 

• You get a 20% discount on hotel bookings of ₹3,000 

• You earn six reward points for spending ₹100 on dining, grocery, entertainment, movies, departmental stores 

• The card also offers you an air accident cover of ₹50 Lakhs.

Do’s and Don’ts While Using a Travel Credit Card

If you are using a travel credit card, it is important that you understand the exact utility and maximum benefits of your card. Financial institutions offer a variety of cards that are tailored to meet the requirements of a specific category of customers. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts that you need to know when you use your travel credit card:

1. Do’s

 

• Choose the best travel credit card that meets your travel requirements. If you are a frequent flyer, or a frequent train passenger, your card selection would be different

• You should understand all the benefits offered by your card so you know when, where and how to use the benefits

• You should redeem reward points against a category that offers maximum conversion value 

2. Don’t

• You should not let your reward points or other benefits expire. It is always better that you keep a check on the expiry of reward points and air miles. You should redeem them at a proper time, to your maximum benefit, without letting them expire 

• You should not delay or miss your credit card bill payments as it will cost you additional charges and late payment penalties 

• You should not make any purchase before checking the availability and conversion of reward points and vouchers