Planning a trip? Top 10 travel credit cards to make it more rewarding

Travel credit cards are a special category of credit cards that offer a range of advantages, from reward points and loyalty programs to travel memberships, stay vouchers and welcome perks

Whether you move a lot for business or simply love leisurely getaways, the are credit cards that cater to your needs. Travel credit cards are a special category of credit cards that offer a range of advantages, from reward points and loyalty programs to travel memberships, stay vouchers, welcome perks, and a plethora of benefits, including travel insurance and complimentary airport lounge access.

Travel credit cards offer an opportunity to maximise your travelling experience while helping you make your trip more affordable. 

There are two primary types of travel credit cards: co-branded and generic. Co-branded cards are created in collaboration with specific partners, such as airlines, travel portals, or railways, and the benefits and rewards are closely linked to spending with these partners. In contrast, generic travel cards provide additional benefits and accelerated rewards for travel-related expenditures, whether it's booking flights or hotel stays. 

Among the popular choices of travel credit cards are the Yatra SBI Card, Air India SBI Signature, HDFC Bank Superia, InterMiles HDFC Bank Diners Club, and the Axis Bank Miles & More World Credit Card, just to name a few.

“These cards grant travellers privileges such as complimentary checked baggage and access to exclusive airport lounges, elevating your travel game. Moreover, they reward wanderlust with bonuses on travel expenses and confer elite status, making their adventures not just comfortable but also cost-effective,” said Chakravarthy V., Cofounder and Director, Prime Wealth Finserv. 

Given the plethora of companies providing both co-branded and generic travel cards, the process of selecting the right one can indeed be overwhelming. The challenge is compounded by the array of perks available during Diwali.

To assist you in making an informed decision, here is a list of the top 10 travel credit cards compiled by Bankbazaar.com and the deals they have in store for you: 

1. HDFC Bank Superia Credit Card

The HDFC Bank Superia card offers a range of benefits across a number of categories such as dining, travel, and shopping. The card also provides reward points with every purchase along with a welcome bonus.

Annual Fees: Rs 1,000

Key rewards and benefits

1. The Superia Credit Card provides a welcome offer of 1,000 reward points.
2. For every spend of Rs 150, cardholders get 3 reward points.
3. You get 50 per cent more reward points for every Rs150 spent on dining expenses.
4. With the reward points, you can redeem them to purchase tickets at more than 20 international airlines through KrisFlyer - Singapore Airlines Frequent Flyer Program.
5. You can also redeem the reward points for AirMiles. These miles can be used to purchase tickets from Air India. The miles can also be redeemed against air vouchers for other leading domestic airlines.
6. Cardholders get 50 per cent more reward points when they dine with HDFC Bank Superia credit card.
7. The fuel surcharge of 1 per cent is waived off on all fuel transactions for minimum transactions of Rs 400.
8. If you spend Rs 15,000 within the first 90 days from the date of set up, the first-year membership fee will be waived.
9. By spending Rs 75,000 in the first year, your next year's annual fee will be waived.

Axis Bank Miles & More World Credit Card

The Miles and More credit card from Axis Bank is more rewarding for frequent flyers, offering benefits and complimentary lounge access at 30+ domestic airports. 

Annual fee: World Select Credit Card - Rs 4,500, World Credit Card - Rs 3,500

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Welcome Bonus of up to 55,000 miles in the first year for exciting rewards.
2. Annual Bonus: World Select Card: 4,000 award miles, World Card: 3,000 award miles
3. Rewards on Spends: With World Select Card you get 6 award miles for every Rs. 200 spent, World Card offers 4 award miles for every Rs. 200 spent with no expiry for Award Miles.
4. Priority Pass Membership: World Select Cardholders get 4 Priority Pass lounge visits per year, while World Cardholders get 2 Priority Pass lounge visits per year. 
5. Minimum 15 per cent discount at partner restaurants.
6. 1 per cent refund on fuel transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000.
7. Convert purchases over Rs. 2,500 to monthly instalments.

Axis Bank Titanium Smart Traveller Credit Card

The Axis Bank Titanium Smart Traveler Credit Card helps you to save money through a range of deals for travel, shopping, dining etc.

Annual fee: Rs 100 (from 2nd year, gets waived if you spend a minimum Rs 50,000 the year before)

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Cardholders earn Edge Reward Points for most purchases with this Axis Bank credit card.
2. They get 4 Edge Loyalty Points for every Rs 100 spent while travelling abroad and 2 Edge Loyalty Points for every Rs 100 spent on holiday packages, hotel bookings, and travel bookings within India. 
3. You get 2X loyalty rewards throughout your birthday month for all card transactions.
4. You can convert Edge Reward Points to air miles for flight tickets and travel bookings.
5. Titanium Smart Traveller Credit Cardholders also get complimentary airport lounge access in domestic and international terminals at select top airports.

Yatra SBI Card

This credit card provides discounts on flights and domestic hotel bookings through the Yatra platform, offering savings for frequent travellers, particularly within India. Additionally, it offers reward points for other expenses, which can be exchanged for Yatra discount vouchers.

Annual fee: Rs 499

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Yatra SBI Cardholders receive 2 vouchers of Rs.500 each for domestic travel upon joining.
2. You get 2 vouchers totalling Rs 1,000 each for an international flight.
3. Receive a Rs 750 hotel booking voucher, Rs 1,500 voucher for a domestic holiday package and Rs 3,000 voucher for an international holiday package.
4. Upon joining, cardholders receive vouchers worth Rs 8,250 from Yatra.com.
5. You get a Rs 1,000 discount when booking a domestic flight worth at least Rs 5,000 and Rs 4,000 discount for international flight bookings of Rs 40,000 or more.
6. Earn 6 reward points for every Rs 100 spent on departmental stores, grocery, dining, movies, and entertainment.
7. Annual fee waiver upon spending Rs 1 lakh in one year.
8. Complimentary Air Accident Insurance cover worth Rs.50 lakh.
9. Balance transfer option for pending credit from an existing credit card.

IRCTC SBI Card Premier

The IRCTC SBI Card Premier, a collaboration between the State Bank of India and IRCTC, provides various benefits, including cashback on railway ticket bookings, as well as advantages in fuel, reward points, and insurance categories. 

Annual fee: Rs 1,499 along with a monthly finance charge of 3.5 per cent

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. On joining, cardholders get 1,500 reward points.
2. 10 per cent value back on booking train tickets for AC1, AC2, AC3, and AC CC as reward points from IRCTC.
3. 3 reward points for every Rs 125 spent on dining and utility bill payments.
4. On annual travel spends of Rs 50,000 you get 2,500 reward points.
5. 5,000 reward points on annual travel spend of Rs 1 lakh.
6. Annual fee of Rs 1,499 reversed on spending Rs.2 lakh in a year.
7. Complimentary rail accident insurance of Rs 10 lakh.
8. Complimentary air travel accident insurance of Rs.50 lakh.
9. Complimentary fraud liability cover of Rs.1 lakh.
10. 1 per cent transaction charge waived on railway bookings from IRCTC's website.
11. The transaction charge of 1.8 per cent is waived for airline ticket bookings from IRCTC.
12. The fuel surcharge of 1 per cent is waived on all fuel purchases.
13. 8 complimentary visits in a year to railway lounges across India.

Axis Bank Vistara Signature

The Vistara Signature credit card offers 3,000 Vistara points upon activation and milestone benefits for flight ticket purchases.

Annual fee: Rs. 3,000 with an annual interest rate of 41.75 per cent

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Welcome benefits include a complimentary Premium Economy air ticket for new cardholders and with every card renewal.
2. Cardholders receive a Silver Membership of Club Vistara, offering dedicated check-in and excess luggage allowances.
3. Enjoy up to a 15 per cent discount at Axis Bank Dining Delights restaurants.
4. Earn 4 CV Points for every transaction over Rs 200, redeemable for various products and services.
5. In the first 3 months of card membership, transactions totalling Rs 75,000 earn 3,000 CV points, and additional Premium Economy air tickets are awarded for higher transaction amounts.
6. Cardholders are covered by insurance, including up to Rs 2,50,00,000 in Air Accident Cover and lost card liability up to 100 per cent of the credit card limit.
7. Repayment mode can be changed to Equated Monthly Installments (EMI) for payments exceeding Rs 2,500.
8. Exclusive lounge access is provided at select airports for Vistara Signature credit cardholders.

Air India SBI Signature

The Air India SBI Signature credit card is tailored for frequent travellers, offering accelerated reward points on flight bookings, domestic lounge access, Priority Pass membership, and more, making journeys rewarding.

Annual fee: Rs 4,999

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Cardholders receive a welcome gift of 20,000 reward points upon paying the joining fee.
2. Benefit from a lost card liability cover of Rs 1 lakh.
3. Earn up to 1 lakh bonus reward points annually.
4. Access over 600 international airport lounges with the Priority Pass Program.
5. Receive a reward of 5,000 points when paying your renewal fee after a year.

HDFC Regalia

HDFC Bank's Regalia credit card offers a range of lifestyle and travel rewards, including joining benefits, complimentary lounge access, and more in travel, dining, and shopping categories. However, effective December 1, the lounge access program for Regalia credit cardholders has been updated. Users must now meet a spending criterion of Rs 1 lakh or more per quarter in a calendar year to access lounge facilities.

Annual fee: Rs 2,500

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Complimentary Priority Pass membership for access to over 1,000 airport lounges globally.
2. 6 complimentary lounge visits outside India per calendar year for primary and add-on cardholders.
3. 12 free visits to domestic airport lounges through the Regalia Visa Credit Card Lounge program.
4. Travel concierge services for customized travel experiences.
5. Insurance coverage includes air accident death cover of Rs 1 crore, emergency overseas hospitalization cover of up to Rs 15 lakh, and credit liability cover of up to Rs 9 lakh.
6. Airport privileges like priority check-in, additional baggage allowance, and Club Vistara points.
7. Complimentary 1-year Zomato Gold membership.
8. Up to 2 free drinks at participating restaurants.
9. Zomato Gold membership for Regalia cards issued after March 20, 2019, and limited to the primary cardholder.
10. Renewal fee waived if you spend over Rs. 3 lakh in the previous year.

SBI Card Elite

The State Bank of India's Elite Card is designed for frequent travellers, providing travel and lifestyle benefits like lounge access, flight and hotel booking discounts, and dining and entertainment offers. 

Annual fee: Rs 4,999 plus taxes

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Cardholders receive an e-Gift Voucher of Rs 5,000 upon joining. 
2. Free movie tickets worth Rs 6,000 annually valid for a minimum of 2 tickets per booking per month.
3. You earn 5X reward points on department stores, dining, and groceries.
4. 2 reward points for every Rs 100 spent on other categories.
5. Access to Priority Pass Program worth $99.
6. Complimentary international and domestic airport lounge visits.
7. The card also offers the lowest forex mark-up charge at 1.99 per cent for international use.
8. Free Club Vistara Silver membership.

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card

The Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card, designed for Vistara Airlines flyers, offers discounts on daily purchases, higher rewards, and various benefits. 

Annual fee: Rs 4,999 plus taxes

Key rewards and benefits: 

1. Welcome benefits include a complimentary Premium Economy ticket voucher, Club Vistara Silver Membership, one free one-class upgrade voucher, 3-month BQ Prime subscription, and 3-month free EazyDiner Prime membership.
2. Cardholders earn 6 CV Points on every Rs 200 spent up to Rs 1 lakh per statement cycle. Earn 4 CV Points on every Rs.200 spent up to Rs.1 lakh per statement cycle. Get 1 CV Point on utility, fuel, rent, wallet load, and insurance spending. Receive 10 CV Points on dining spending on your birthday. Note that CV Points are not valid for EMI transactions and cash withdrawals.
3. Complimentary access to domestic airport lounges and spas 8 times per year, and international airport lounges 4 times per year.
4. Each anniversary year, cardholders unlock up to 5 Premium Economy Ticket Vouchers.
5. You receive up to Rs. 10,000 in trip cancellation insurance on hotel and flight bookings.
6. You can also enjoy 4 complimentary golf rounds and 12 complimentary golf lessons per year.
7. Benefit from a competitive forex mark-up of only 2.99 per cent on overseas transactions.

“When examining cards, assess the annual fee and associated charges. While premium cards may carry higher fees, they often provide extensive travel benefits. It’s essential to weigh these benefits against the yearly cost to ensure they justify the expense. Opt for a card that not only delivers valuable rewards but also suits your financial plan and spending patterns, ensuring that the advantages outweigh the associated costs,” said Adhil Shetty, CEO of Bankbazaar.com.