People who frequently travel usually seek benefits that make their journey convenient and luxurious. Lounge access, air miles, ticket upgrades, etc. are the most sought after amenities. However, discounts on hotel stays, accelerated reward points and other benefits like concierge services are also quite beneficial. We have curated a list of credit cards that provide discounts and other offers on hotel stays via membership to loyalty programs at top hotels in India and abroad.
Different Hotel Memberships Available via Credit Card
There are certain loyalty programs which have hotels in India only while others have a global presence. Therefore, it is important to choose a credit card that matches your travel pattern. You don’t want to pay for a credit card that offers international travel benefits when most of your travelling is only within India.
Enrolling in a loyalty program will prove beneficial to the frequent traveller. Users get lots of benefits like discounts, room upgrades and other rewards that make stays cheaper and luxurious. The various hotel memberships offered to the frequent traveller are given below.
* Voted by readers of Travel+Leisure Magazine
Trident Privilege
Trident Privilege participating hotels are situated in only India. There are 10 participating five star hotels in this program. The hotels are situated in the following cities:
- Agra
- Nariman Point; Mumbai
- Bhubaneswar
- Chennai
- Cochin
- Gurugram
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
- Udaipur
- Bandra Kurla; Mumbai
Under Trident Privilege loyalty program members earn reward points on all eligible spends. The points can be redeemed on all the participating hotels. Moreover, there are different tiers that offer bonus reward points to frequent user.
The trident hotels are part of the Oberoi group and customers will be immersed in the luxury that is synonymous with the brand.
Choose the card offering Trident Privilege if:
- If you mostly travel domestically and within the 10 fore-mentioned cities
- You want a luxurious travel experience
Credit Cards that offer Trident Privilege –
- SBI Card Elite
Club Marriott
Mariott International is one of the largest hotel chains in the world. They are situated in over 120 countries and have over 13.00 lakh rooms. Their hotels can be found near every major airport or business hub. They offer a variety of rooms that cater to the frequent traveller that wants to stay for a few nights or luxurious suites for those that are looking for a weekend getaway.
Offers
Indian Hotels
- Get up to 20% off on food and beverages for a maximum of 10 guests
- Get up to 20% off on Best Available Rate on base category rooms
- Get 20% off on Spa at select hotels
- Get 5 vouchers offering 30% off to the member on best available rate of a base room
Asian Pacific Hotels
- Get up to 20% off on food and beverages for a maximum of 10 guests. Chance to save 20% on premium wines and spirits is available at select hotels only
- Able to save up to 20% on weekend rates
Choose the credit card offering Club Marriott membership if:
- You travel for both business and pleasure
- Want to stay at a hotel that is close to airport or business hub
Credit Cards that offer Club Mariott Membership –
- HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card
- Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card
- HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card
- Axis Bank Burgundy Private Credit Card
Club ITC Culinare
Club ITC Culinare is an award winning Hotel Loyalty Programme voted by the readers of Travel+Leisure magazine in 2019. There are over 100 hotels covered under this program.
Members get one free night stay, room upgrades, food discounts and more when they enroll. Prominent benefits for the members are:
- Earn 25% of bill amount as Green Points on food spends at participating ITC hotels
- Earn 5% of bill amount as Green Points on all non-food hotel spends at ITC hotels or on eligible hotel spends at Fortune Hotels
- Save 20% at Fortune Hotels
- Milestone benefits like 500 bonus green points on completing 3 day stay at the hotel, weekend night certificate on completion of 12th stay in a year, earn up to 4,000 Green Points on food and beverage spends, etc.
- Get discount of 50% on room charge for suites on weekends, that is, night stays of Friday and Saturday
- Late check-out option if there are no prior bookings
- Non – residential expenses are also eligible for Green Point accrual
Choose the credit card offering Club ITC Culinare membership if:
- You prefer dining at top restaurants
- Travel frequently to tourist hot spots or business hubs
- You want to support Indian Brands
Credit Cards that offer Club ITC Culinare Membership
- ICICI Bank Diamant Credit Card
Taj Memberhips
Taj hotels offer two memberships:
- Taj Inner Circle
- Taj Epicure
The Taj membership has something for everyone whether they are tourist, frequent traveller, business persons or one who simply enjoys fine dining.
Taj Inner Circle rewards users in the form of Reward Points that can be redeemed on participating hotels, restaurants and airlines. There are also tiers in the program which offer accelerated reward points and additional benefits like discounts and room upgrade vouchers.
Taj Epicure membership is worth Rs. 13,500 + Taxes. Members get the following benefits:
- Silver Tier membership of Taj Inner Circle
- 25% Reward Points on Dining and Spa
- Complimentary night at select hotels
- Happy hours at select bars for up to 10 people
- 2 room upgrade vouchers
- First 3 dining transactions earn 50% Reward Points
- Reward Points don’t expire
Choose the credit card offering Taj Inner Circle Membership if:
- You frequently stay at Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) hotels
- Prefer using Taj Inner Circle frequent flyer partners which include; American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and more
- Frequently make international travels
Choose the credit card offering Taj Epicure membership if:
- Want all the benefits associated with Taj Inner circle Silver Tier membership
- You enjoy fine dining
- You don’t want your reward points to expire
Cards that offer Taj Innercircle Membership
- ICICI Bank Diamant Credit Card
- IndusInd Celesta
Cards that offer Taj Epicure Membership
- ICICI Bank Diamant Credit Card
- Axis Bank Burgundy Private Credit Card
- Citi Prestige Credit Card
- YES First Exclusive Credit Card
Accor Plus
Accor Plus is a loyalty program which is used by many top hotel chains like Ibis, Ibis Styles, Sofitel and more. Accor Plus partners are situated in over 20 countries in Asia Pacific region. There are over 1,000 hotels and 1,400 restaurants in Asia Pacific region.
Top benefits offered are:
- 10% discount on Best Available Room Rate
- Access to Red Hot Rooms where discounts can be up to 50%
- Early Access to Accor promotions world-over
- Up to 50% off on dining at about 1,400 restaurants
- Chance to cook with celebrity chefs
- Automatic qualification for Elite Silver status in ALL – Accor Live Limitless
Get a credit card offering Accor Plus membership if:
- You frequently travel in Asia Pacific region and prefer to stay in Accor Plus Partner Hotels
- You prefer dining in Accor Plus partner restaurants
Credit Cards offering Accor Plus Membership
- Axis Bank Burgundy Private
Shangri La Golden Circle
Shangri La Golden Circle is a loyalty program that has the following Partners:
- Taj Inner Circle
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Klook
- Blacklane
- The Economist
Customers earn points on hotel stays and non-hotel stays. The reward points can be redeemed for room upgrades, dining, spa visits and lifestyle products. Top benefits are:
- Priority check in and check out
- Room upgrade if reserved room type is not available at time of check in
- Guaranteed room availability for reservations made 72 hours prior to arrival
- Bonus Award Points
- Get access to members’ only dining & other experiences
Get a credit card offering Shangri la Golden Circle membership if
- You want multiple options where you can redeem your reward points
- You want to be able to convert your reward points into Taj Inner Circle Points
Credit Cards offering Shangri la Golden Circle membership
- IndusInd Celesta
Do note that there are various Terms & Conditions associated with the various benefits.
HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 10,000. Get waiver on spending Rs. 5 lakh in an anniversary year.
Best Suited For – International Travel
Top Travel Features
- Club Marriott Membership
- Low foreign currency mark-up fee at just 1.99%
- Unlimited Airport lounge access at over 800 Lounges in India and worldwide
SBI Card Elite
Annual Fee – Rs. 4,999.
Best Suited For – International Travel
Top Travel Features
- Trident Privilege Membership
- Low foreign currency mark-up fee at just 1.99%
- Club Vistara Membership
ICICI Bank Diamant Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 10,000. Waived off on spending Rs. 25.00 lakh
Best Suited For – High Net-worth Individuals
Top Travel Features
- Taj Epicure Plus, Taj InnerCircle Gold, Club ITC Culinare Membership
- Airport Lounge Accesses via Dragon Pass and Mastercard lounges
- Get Private Jet charters from Club One Air
Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 30,000
Best Suited For – Luxurious Domestic Travelling
Top Travel Features
- Club Marriott Membership
- Club Vistara Gold Membership
- Unlimited free lounge visits
Axis Bank Burgundy Private Credit Card
Annual Fee – Available to Axis Bank Burgundy clients only
Best Suited For – High Net-worth Individuals who travel frequently
Top Travel Features
- Club Marriott, Accor Plus and Taj Epicure Membership
- 0% foreign currency mark-up fee
- Unlimited lounge access at international as well as domestic lounges
HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 10,000. Waived on spending Rs. 8.00 lakh or more in a year
Best Suited For – International and Domestic Travel
Top Travel Features
- Club Marriott Membership
- Unlimited lounge access via Priority Pass
- Low foreign currency mark-up fee of 2.00%
YES First Exclusive Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 10,000
Best Suited For – International Travel, Balance Carry and Golfing
Top Travel Features
- TAJ InnerCircle Epicure Membership
- Low Foreign Currency Mark-up Fee of 1.75%
- Life insurance against air accident worth Rs. 3.00 crore and Rs. 50 lakh coverage for emergency hospitalization when overseas
IndusInd Celesta Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 5,000
Best Suited For – Domestic Travel and Concierge Service
Top Travel Features
- Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade Membership & Taj Inner Circle Membership
- Unlimited domestic lounge access
- Avail private air chopper service for travelling
Citi Prestige Credit Card
Annual Fee – Rs. 20,000
Best Suited For – Travel and Golfing
Top Travel Features –
- Taj Epicure Plus and Taj InnerCircle Silver membership
- Welcome gift of 2,500 bonus points and benefits worth Rs. 10,000 from ITC/Taj
- 1 reward point on every Rs. 100 spent: online and in-store.
- Air accident insurance worth Rs. 5 crore and overseas medical insurance worth Rs. 50,000
Bottom Line
Nowadays, there are a lot of credit cards aimed towards the frequent traveller. If you frequently travel over-seas, domestically or do a bit of both, there is a card for you. We suggest that first, you figure out what sort of travelling do you do. Do you prefer getting rental cars or want a car service. Do the places you travel to have the hotels whose memberships the card offer. Once you have figured out all the details then only get a card that meets most of your needs. This will ensure your travels are smooth, luxurious as well as light on the pocket as well.
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