When looking for a travel credit card what are the most important things that you look for? Well, it could be air miles, complimentary airport lounge access, discounts on flights and hotel stays, etc. However, banks usually issue credit cards with exciting welcome bonuses/ benefits to attract customers in the form of complimentary memberships, free or discounted flight tickets, holiday vouchers from various merchants, and much more. In this article, we have curated a list of the 5 best travel credit cards that come with exclusive welcome benefits.
| Credit Card | Annual Fee | Welcome Bonuses/Benefits |
| Citi Premiermiles Credit Card | Rs. 3,000 | Welcome gift of 10,000 miles on spending Rs. 1,000 within 60 days |
| SBI Card Elite | Rs.4,999 | Welcome voucher worth Rs. 5,000 redeemable on Yatra.com |
| MMT ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card | Rs.2,500 | Avail complimentary Rs. 1,500 ‘My Cash’ as a welcome benefit |
| Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card | Rs. 3,000 | Get a Vistara Premium Economy class ticket and complimentary enrolment in the Club Vistara Silver Membership Program |
| 6E Rewards XL IndiGo HDFC Bank Credit Card | Rs. 2,500+ G.S.T. | 1 Complimentary 6E Prime Add-On (Priority check-in, choice of seat, a complimentary meal & quicker baggage). Multiple welcome vouchers from merchants |
Citi Premiermiles Credit Card
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000
Renewal Fee: Rs. 3,000
Features & Benefits
- Earn 10 miles for every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions and the Premiermiles website
- 4 miles for every Rs. 100 spent on the card
- Accumulated air miles never expire
- 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter
- Air Accident Cover up to Rs. 1 crore
If you are a frequent traveler and looking for a travel credit card with air miles benefits then Citi PremierMiles Credit Card is the right option for you. You can redeem the earned air miles across several airlines and these earned airlines never expire which makes this card stand out in the market. Besides air miles, Citi Premiermiles Credit Card lounge access with 8 complimentary visits is also a great benefit. However, this card comes with a drawback as the foreign markup fee (3.5%) is quite high and the card does not offer any international airport lounge access which makes this card a poor choice for international travelers. Overall, it is a good card and can be considered to get discounted flight tickets, air miles, lounge access, and much more. |
SBI Card Elite
Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999
Renewal Fee: Rs. 4,999
Features & Benefits
- Club Vistara Silver Membership with 1 complimentary upgrade voucher
- 9 Club Vistara points per Rs. 100 spent on Vistara Flights
- Complimentary Trident Privilege Red Tier Membership with 1,000 welcome points on registration
- Complimentary Priority Pass Membership along with 6 international lounge visits per calendar year
- 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits each year
| SBI Card Elite is an all-rounder card with multiple benefits across different categories such as travel, shopping, and entertainment. This card is a great option for those who travel abroad frequently as it comes with a low markup fee of 1.99% which is quite good when compared to other travel cards in the market offering a markup fee of 3.5%. You can also avail 5X reward points on various categories such as dining, grocery, and departmental store purchases. Complimentary memberships and milestone privileges make it even better for the user. However, this card is surely for the elite segment with a plethora of luxury benefits. So, if you can afford to pay a high annual fee for it, then this card could be the right choice for you. SBI Card Elite Review |
Note: In case, if you are looking for a co-branded travel credit card offering exciting welcome benefits with a low annual fee, you can consider applying for Yatra SBI Card.
MMT ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card
Joining Fee: Rs. 2,500
Annual Fee: Nil
Features & Benefits
- 1 international lounge benefit under Dreamfolks membership
- 2 complimentary domestic lounge access every quarter on spending Rs. 5,000 in the previous year
- 1 complimentary railway lounge access every quarter
- Complimentary international roaming pack up to Rs. 3,999
- Complimentary MMT BLACK Exclusive membership
| If you plan your travel for leisure or business through MakeMyTrip, then MMT ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card is what you are looking for. This card offers exclusive benefits in the form of multiple welcome offers, reward points on travel bookings, holiday vouchers, etc. Not only this, this card also offers complimentary airport lounge access & railway lounge access to provide you ease whilst traveling. However, this card is not a good option if you have a high rewards card across different categories. Though, if you want to avail exclusive benefits on MMT, you can go for the ICICI MMT Signature Card. You can also take a look at the platinum version of this card. MMT ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card Review |
Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000
Renewal Fee: Rs. 3,000
- 4 Club Vistara Points for every Rs. 200 spent on the card
- Rewards can be redeemed for booking flights and other upgrades
- Bonus CV points and up to 4 complimentary Premium Economy tickets on achieving spending milestones
- Air accident cover of up to Rs. 2.5 Crore and purchase protection cover of Rs. 1 lakh
- Lost card liability cover up to 100% of the credit limit
| If you are loyal to Vistara Airlines, you can go for a co-branded airline credit card -Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card that offers exclusive travel-focused benefits such as Club Vistara Points on your travel, premium economy class tickets as a milestone benefit, complimentary Vistara memberships and much more. Not only this, you can also avail travel insurance protection & discounted golf access. However, you must know that these credit cards only offer benefits on Vistara. In case you travel via different airlines, you can go for other travel cards that offer benefits on multiple airlines. Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card Review |
6E Rewards XL IndiGo HDFC Bank Credit Card
Annual Fee: Rs. 2,500+ taxes
Renewal Fee: Rs. 2,500+ taxes
Features & Benefits
- Welcome Vouchers from merchants such as –
- Accor Hotel Stay voucher (30% off )- Rs. 5,000
- Accor Hotel Dining voucher (min. Txn of Rs. 1500) – Rs. 1,000
- Budweiser- Rs. 250
- 5% 6E Rewards per Rs. 100 spent on the IndiGo website or mobile app
- 3% 6E Rewards per Rs. 100 spent on dining, grocery purchase, and entertainment spends
- 1 complimentary IndiGo air ticket worth Rs.3,000 on making 3 or more transactions in each of the first three months
- 8 complimentary domestic lounge access through Mastercard Lounge Access Program.
If you plan most of your travel through IndiGo airlines, then you can consider applying for this card as it offers exciting benefits such as hotel stays, dining vouchers, etc. Not only this, but you can also avail 6E rewards on IndiGo featured partners. However, the reward earnings are very less compared to other cards in the market, and no rewards for reaching spending milestones no matter how much you spend on the card. Also, there is no clarity on how the accumulated rewards can be redeemed. Consider all the pros and cons of the card and then make a decision whether this card caters to your travel needs and requirements or not. |
Looking for a co-branded travel credit card?
