Now, a travel-focused core credit card from SBI: Here are all the benefits

India's largest credit card issuer SBI Card on Tuesday launched its first travel-focused core credit card, ‘SBI Card MILES’ in three variants. This card caters to all types of travelers, from those who are just starting to explore to frequent flyers.

The three variants, SBI Card MILES ELITE, SBI Card MILES PRIME, and SBI Card MILES, have been designed to elevate curated travel benefits. Cardholders can earn up to six Travel Credits on every Rs 200 travel spend and up to 2 Travel Credits on spending Rs 200 on other categories. 

SBI Card MILES ELITE comes with multiple and varied spends milestone benefits. These include up to 5000 Travel Credits on reaching spends of Rs 1 lakh in 60 days of enrollment; up to 20,000 Travel Credits on spends milestone of Rs 12 lakh; and spends-based fee reversal on reaching spends milestone of Rs 15 lakh.

 

Key Features of SBI Card MILES:

Multiple card options: SBI Card MILES comes in three variants - ELITE, PRIME, and MILES - each with different benefits and fees to suit your travel needs.

Earn travel credits: You can earn points on travel expenses like flights and hotels, and convert them into air miles or hotel points from over 20 partner airlines and hotel brands  including Air Vistara, Air India, Spicejet, Air France-KLM, Etihad Airways, Air Canada, Thai Airways, Qantas Airways, ITC Hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Accor among others.

Fast rewards: Earn Travel Credits on all your travel bookings, not just on partner brands.

Airport Lounge access: Relax in comfort before your flight with access to airport lounges (varies by card variant).

Flexible redemption: Use your Travel Credits to book flights, hotels, or redeem them for rewards through the SBI Card website or app.

Tailored Travel Benefits:

SBI Card MILES ELITE: This premium option offers the most benefits, including higher reward points, milestone bonuses, complimentary lounge visits, travel insurance, and a lower foreign transaction fee. SBI Card MILES ELITE comes with multiple and varied spends milestone benefits. These include up to 5000 Travel Credits on reaching spends of  Rs 1 lakh in 60 days of enrollment; up to 20,000 Travel Credits on spends milestone of Rs 12 lakh; and spends-based fee reversal on reaching spends milestone of Rs 15 lakh.

With airport lounge access being an important part of the overall travel experience, SBI Card MILES ELITE offers Priority Pass membership. Using the card, cardholders will be able to enjoy up to 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits and up to 6 international airport lounge visits in a year. The card also enables users to earn additional domestic lounge access. Every time a cardholder achieves the cumulative spends of Rs 1 lakh, cardholders will receive 1 gift voucher for lounge access that can be used by either the cardholder or the guest.

SBI Card MILES ELITE cardholders will also enjoy a low foreign transaction mark up of 1.99% and travel insurance cover. The card will be available on Mastercard and RuPay network. The joining and annual fees of SBI Card MILES ELITE is Rs 4,999 plus applicable taxes while SBI Card MILES PRIME and SBI Card MILES have a fee of Rs 2,999 and Rs 1,499 plus applicable taxes respectively.

SBI Card MILES PRIME: This mid-tier card provides a good balance of rewards and fees, with lounge access benefits and reward points on travel spending. With 4 Travel Credits per Rs 200 on every travel spend and a  welcome bonus of 3000 Travel Credits for spends of Rs 60,000 within 60 days of enrollment, this card provides substantial rewards without the high spending requirements of its elite counterpart. Milestone benefits include 10,000 Travel Credits on reaching spends milestone of Rs 8 lakh. Annual fee of Rs 2999 is reversed upon reaching the spends milestone of Rs 10 lakh. Users get 8 domestic airport lounge access in a year (2 visits every quarter) and 4 international airport lounges in a calendar year.

SBI CARD MILES: For those seeking a more entry-level option, the MILES variant offers basic travel rewards and benefits at a lower cost. Users can get 2 Travel Credits per Rs 200 on every travel spend and 1 Travel Credit per Rs 200 on other spends. The Welcome Benefit includes 1500 Travel Credits upon reaching spends of Rs 30,000 in 60 days of enrollment while milestone benefits include 5,000 Travel Credits on reaching spends milestone of Rs 5 lakh. The annual fee of Rs 1,499 plus taxes will be reversed upon reaching the spends milestone of Rs 6 lakh. Users get 4 domestic airport lounge access in a year (1 visit every quarter) but no access to international lounges.

Key differences

Additional Domestic lounges access based on spends

"Indian travellers are large global spenders and naturally, with increased and more robust travel plans, consumers are looking for curated benefits to enhance their travel experiences. SBI Card MILES is our endeavour to offer our customers the best of all the travel benefits. The card has been designed to become one true travel partner for the cardholders. We are sure that our cardholders will enjoy the exclusive benefits offered by our travel-centric core card," said Abhijit Chakravorty, MD & CEO of SBI Card. "