Credit Cards these days serve bigger purposes than being just instruments of credit. They come with value-added benefits like cashbacks, reward points, rebates, instant discounts, etc.  Furthermore, each of these cards is also tailor-made to different lifestyles of the users. Some cards offer extra perks for frequent shoppers, some cards give free tickets to religious movie watchers, and there are cards that offer reward points for all the spending we make using cards, there are also cards that suit people who travel a lot, either for business or for pleasure. If you are a frequent traveller, then this article is for you. So, when you want to yield benefits from all the miles you travel through your Credit Card, these are the key features that we should consider before applying for one.

  1. A welcome kit for new cards
  2. Extra reward points for your travel
  3. Extra miles on your spending
  4. Access to airport lounges while travelling
  5. Special gifts travel vouchers and discounts periodically.

Based on these criteria, we will discuss the Best Travel Credit Cards in India and their benefits that would be most advantageous for you.

  1. American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card
  • You get 5,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points as a welcome gift that you can redeem for travel vouchers.
  • You get 1 Point for every Rs. 50 spent with some exceptions
  • If you spend Rs. 1.90 Lakhs in a year, you get Travel Vouchers worth Rs. 7,700 or above.
  • If you happen to spend Rs. 4 Lakhs in a year, then you get Travel Vouchers worth a minimum of Rs. 11, 800. In addition to that, you can also enjoy Taj Experiences Gift Cards worth Rs. 10,000.
  • With this card, you can enjoy 4 complimentary lounge accesses per year
    1. YES FIRST Preferred Credit Card
  • Welcome and renewal reward points up to 20,000
  • Earn 20,000 Bonus Reward Points when you spend Rs. 7,50,000 or more in a year
  • 8x reward points on every Rs. 100 retail spending
  • The points can be redeemed for flight bookings, hotel bookings, movie tickets and gifts
  • Complimentary golf programs
  • 4 complimentary Airport Lounge access in a year
  • Fuel Surcharge Waiver

  1. Citi PremierMiles Credit Card

This card from Citibank for frequent flyers lets you earn extra miles on all the spending you make on your card. Using these extra mile points, you can book your complimentary travel with over 100 airlines to travel with. You can redeem these miles for hotel stay too.

  • You earn 10,000 Miles with your first spend of Rs. 1,000 or more on your Citi PremierMiles Card when you spend within 60 days of obtaining the card.
  • You can earn 10 miles for every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions at their exclusive website www.premiermiles.co.in.
  • Earn 4 Miles for every Rs. 100 spent on all other transactions
  • Redeem miles across 100+ domestic and international airlines
  • You can transfer your miles to any of Citibank’s hotel and airline partners
  1. YATRA SBI Card

This SBI card partnered with Yatra.com gives you a host of benefits for your travel. The card also has some added advantage for shopping and entertainment. You can find the Eligibility Criteria for All SBI Credit Cards including Yatra SBI card on SBI website.

  • A welcome gift of vouchers worth Rs. 8,250 from Yatra.com that can be used for domestic, international travel and hotel bookings.
  • Worldwide acceptance, the card is accepted at over 24 million outlets worldwide.
  • Travel Benefits:
  • 1,000 off on domestic flight bookings when you spend a minimum of Rs. 5,000
  • 4,000 off on international flight bookings when you spend a minimum of Rs. 40,000.
  • 20% discount on domestic hotel booking when you spend a Minimum of Rs. 3,000 Max. Discount that can be availed is Rs. 2,000 per transaction.
  • 6 reward points on every Rs. 100 spend on grocery, dining, entertainment, international spending. 1 reward point on every Rs. 100 spends on all other categories.
  • Complimentary Lounge access at various airports
  • Complimentary Air Accident coverage
  • Fuel surcharge waiver in India up to Rs. 100 per month
  1. Standard Chartered Yatra Platinum Credit Card
  • Welcome gift of vouchers worth Rs. 4,000 from Yatra.com within 60 days of the setup of card.
  • 10% cashback on travel bookings made through Yatra.com
  • Fuel surcharge waiver on fuel expenditure up to a certain limit
  • Waivers on cancellation fee when you book through Yatra.com, subject to certain conditions.
  • Earn 4x reward points on all spending on Yatra.com and 2x reward points for all other expenditure for every Rs. 100 spent.
  • Enjoy discounts and offers for your dining, shopping and travel with Standard chartered Good Life program.
  1. JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Signature Card
  • Welcome gift of 7,500 bonus JP miles given in various stages
  • 3,000 JP miles upon renewal and swiping within 60 days
  • 6 JPMiles for every Rs. 150 spent, except for spends on fuel
  • 18 JPMiles for every Rs. 150 spent on jetairways.com for the purchase of tickets
  • 1 Tierpoint for every Rs. 2,00,000 spent
  • Exclusive Jet Airways travel benefits like complimentary tickets, extra baggage allowance and dedicated check-in.
  1. HSBC Advance Visa Platinum Card
  • 2x Reward points for every 150 spent
  • 3x Reward points on online purchases for the first 2 years from the date of issuance of your card.
  • 5x Reward points on subsequent purchases made after spending 4,00,000 in a year up to a maximum of Rs. 10,00,000 in a year.
  • Nil Joining and Annual Fees
  • Air Miles Conversion on Jet Airways and Singapore Airlines
  • Fuel Surcharge Waiver
  1. IndusInd Pinnacle Credit Card
  • Get a Jet Airways promotion code every time you fly and get 100% discount on base fare plus airline fuel charges. Other taxes and charges apply.
  • 5x Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent online
  • 5x reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions
  • 1x reward point for every Rs. 100 spent on E-com utility transactions and at the point of sale terminals.
  • You will be given 4 ways to redeem the points earned. You have to choose between cash credits, hotel bookings, Airline miles and various vouchers.
  1. Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card
  • Earn up to 4x reward points on every Rs. 150 spent on Travel, Hotels, Restaurants and international spending.
  • Earn up to 2x reward points for all other spending
  • You can redeem the points earned for air tickets, mobile recharge and merchandise
  • Fuel surcharge waiver
  • Railway surcharge Waiver
  • Airport Lounge Access
  1. MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card
  • Get Rs. 3,500 worth vouchers from My Cash plus MMTDOUBLEBLACK and MMTBLACK enrolment and Lemon Tree Hotels as a welcome benefit.
  • Enjoy benefits worth up to Rs. 70,000, certain T&C apply
  • Get every sixth ride complimentary with Ola, T&C apply
  • Complimentary Airtel international roaming pack, T&C apply
  • Enjoy complimentary airport lounge access and domestic railway lounge access with the card