Make The Most Of Your Year-End Holidays With These Travel Credit Cards

Whether you are a frequent traveller looking for perks such as complimentary lounge access and priority boarding, or an occasional traveller looking to save on your next vacation, there’s a travel credit card for you.

A travel credit card provides rewards for travel bookings along with benefits like free tickets, complimentary lounge access, co-branded offers and exclusive discounts and deals on travel-related purchases. Many financial institutions also partner with travel platforms to offer co-branded credit cards that have premium perks.

Perks of Using a Travel Credit Card

Travel credit cards provide great benefits and offers that you can enjoy during your vacations. Let us take a look at the most common benefits provided by travel credit cards.

• Complimentary Airport Lounge Access

Certain travel credit cards offer complimentary lounge access at both domestic and international airports. You can relax at select airport lounges at no extra cost. Some lounges even provide free access to family and friends who are accompanying  you.

• No Liability on Lost Cards

Even if you lose your credit card in a foreign location, you will have zero liability for any fraudulent transactions that are made, if you immediately report the loss of your card to the bank.

• Travel Insurance

Select credit cards come with a comprehensive travel insurance cover that protects you from unexpected expenses that may pop up during your trip. For eg: medical emergency, loss of passport or ticket, loss of baggage, etc.

• Annual Fee Waiver

Due to exclusive privileges that are offered on these credit cards, it is difficult to find a travel credit card with no annual fee. However, you can waive off these annual renewal fees by spending a specific amount, depending on the issuing bank.

5 Top Credit Cards For Travelling

With so many options available, it can get quite overwhelming to choose a travel credit card. We have shared the details of some of the top travel credit cards in India that can help you on your next vacation.

• IRCTC SBI RuPay Credit Card

The IRCTC SBI Rupay Credit Card is a co-branded credit card that offers exciting benefits and rewards in partnership with IRCTC. This SBI card has a joining fee of just ₹ 500 and is suited for individuals who prefer railways as their mode of transport.

• You can get 350 activation bonus reward points on a single transaction of ₹500 or more within 45 days of issuing the card.
• You can get 1 reward point for every ₹125 that is spent on non-fuel retail purchases on the app or website of IRCTC.
• You can get 4 complimentary lounge access at the railway station per year.

• Yatra SBI Credit Card

This SBI Credit card provides great discounts and offers on Yatra.com with additional benefits in the form of reward points on departmental stores, movies, entertainment and dining. This card is a great option for all-round benefits, especially for travelling. 

• You can get up to ₹ 1,000 off on domestic flight bookings that are made on the Yatra platform worth ₹ 5,000 or more.
• You can get welcome vouchers from Yatra that are worth ₹ 8,250 as an activation benefit.
• You get a 1% fuel surcharge across petrol pumps across India, capped at ₹ 100 per month.

• HDFC Regalia Credit Card

The HDFC Regalia credit card has a host of travel and lifestyle rewards. With this credit card, you get complimentary lounge access, a variety of joining benefits, and more offers across categories such as dining, travel and shopping.

• You can get up to 12 complimentary airport lounge access per year at both domestic and international airports.
• You get 10,000 bonus reward points when you spend ₹ 5 Lakhs in an anniversary year.
• You get a 1% fuel surcharge across petrol pumps across India on your transactions between ₹ 400 and ₹ 5,000

• ICICI MMT Signature Credit Card

ICICI Bank MakeMyTrip Signature Credit Card is a co-branded credit card that provides travel benefits, such as, complimentary lounge access, exclusive memberships, bonus reward points on travel bookings, holiday voucher, and more. This is a great option if you travel frequently and want a luxurious travelling experience. 

• You get holiday vouchers from MakeMyTrip holiday worth ₹ 2,500
• If you spend ₹ 2.5 Lakhs, you get 1,100 My Cash per anniversary year
• You get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on your transactions of up to ₹ 4,000 at HPCL pumps. 

• SBI Elite Credit Card

This SBI card is a top-notch premium credit card with benefits across various categories such as shopping, movies, travel, and more. With a reward rate of 2.5% on some categories, SBI Card Elite is a highly rewarding card, especially if you are an avid shopper.

• You get 5X Reward Points on grocery, department store spends and dining.
• You get up to 10,000 bonus rewards on spending ₹ 3 Lakhs to ₹ 4 Lakhs in a calendar year.
• You get a complimentary Club Vistara Silver Membership.

If you travel extensively domestically or internationally, you must consider applying for a travel credit card as it can help you save up on travel expenses. Make sure to do your own research to figure out which credit card best suits your needs and requirements.