Fuel prices are constantly fluctuating which is quite worrisome for those who commute in their own vehicles. However, there are two co-branded credit cards available in the market that cater your fuel needs- BPCL SBI Card Octane and IndianOil Citibank Credit Card. Apart from fuel benefits, both the cards provide additional benefits in the form of reward points, welcome offers, fuel surcharge waiver, annual fee waiver, etc. Take a look at the comparison of both the credit cards below:
| Basis of Difference | BPCL SBI Card Octane Vs IndianOil Citibank Credit Card | |
Annual Fee | Rs.1,499+ G.S.T | Rs. 1,000+ G.S.T. |
| Best Suited For | Fuel Benefits & Reward Points | Fuel Benefits |
| Key Feature | 7.25% value-back of fuel purchases | 4 Turbo Points for every Rs. 150 spent on IndianOil fuel stations |
Welcome Benefit | 6,000 reward points worth Rs. 1,500 | 250 Turbo Points on your first transaction within 30 days of card issuance |
Reward Points | 25 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent at BPCL fuel, lubricants & Bharat Gas website & app | 4 Turbo Points per Rs. 150 spent on fuel purchases at authorized IndianOil retail outlets |
Other Privileges | An exclusive portal for Regalia cardholders where you can use the accumulated points directly for airline ticket booking or for hotel stays | 4 complimentary rounds on Green Fees per year and 1 complimentary golf lesson per month at select courses in India |
Fuel Benefits
With Citi IndianOil Credit Card, you can avail 71 liters of free fuel every year. Not only this, but you will also get Rs.250 worth of free fuel on the first spend on your card and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on your transactions at authorized IndianOil fuel stations. When it comes to BPCL SBI Card Octane, there’s no such benefit as free fuel, but you will get a 6.25% + 1% fuel surcharge waiver on every BPCL transaction up to Rs.4,000 (exclusive of GST and other charges).
| Which Card is Better? Both the credit card provides decent fuel benefits, however, a fuel surcharge waiver is not a very impressive benefit because it is only limited to the respective fuel outlet and almost every other credit card available in the market provides this benefit but without any limitation of using it only at a specific petroleum outlet. |
Multiple Welcome Benefits
With SBI BPCL Octance Credit Card, you get the welcome benefit of 6,000 bonus reward points* on the payment of the joining fee. These reward points are credited within 30 days of the payment of the joining fee. The reward points can be redeemed instantly against fuel purchases at BPCL. On the other hand, with Citi IndianOil Credit Card, you can avail 250 Turbo Points on the first transaction within 30 days of card issuance.
| Which Card is Better?- Clearly, BPCL SBI Octance offers a better welcome benefit as it will help you save Rs. 1,500 which also compensates for the annual fee of Rs. 1,499 as compared to Citi IndianOil Credit Card where you can only save Rs. 250 (1 turbo point = Rs.1) for paying an annual fee of Rs. 1,000. |
Exclusive Reward Points
Citi IndianOil Credit Card and BPCL Octane SBI Card both let you earn reward points on every purchase that you make not only on fuel but also on grocery or any other categories. Take a look at the table below to compare the reward points each card offers:
| BPCL SBI Card Octane (4 Reward Points= Rs. 1) | Citi Indian Oil Credit Card (1 Turbo Point=Rs. 1) |
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BPCL Octane Vs. Citi IndianOil: Value Back Comparison
Below is the value back comparison of BPCL SBI Card Octane Vs. Citi IndianOil Credit Card:
| Category | Monthly Spends | BPCL Reward Points | Monetary Value | Indian Oil Reward Points | Monetary Value |
| Fuel | 5000 | 1250 | 312.5 | 133.33 | 133.33 |
| Groceries | 2000 | 200 | 50 | 26.66 | 26.66 |
| Movie Tickets | 1000 | 100 | 25 | 6.66 | 6.66 |
| Others | 2000 | 20 | 5 | 13.33 | 13.33 |
| Total Savings | Rs. 392.5 | Rs.179.98 |
| Which Card is Better? BPCL SBI Card Octane offers better reward points in all the categories except for other categories. Applying for this card is a viable option if you are a true BPCL loyalist and specifically looking for a fuel card. When we talk about Citibank IndianOil Credit Card, the reward rate is too low which does not let you save more money on fuel expenses as well. However, the only advantage of applying for the IndianOil Citi Credit Card is that the rewards points never expire, hence you can either redeem them instantly or keep collecting. |
Complimentary Lounge Access
BPCL SBI Card Octane also offers travel benefits in the form of complimentary lounge access i.e. 4 complimentary visits per calendar year to domestic VISA lounges in India (maximum 1 visit per quarter) whereas you will not able to enjoy such a travel perk if you apply for IndianOil Citi Credit Card.
Milestone Benefits
BPCL SBI Card Octane offers milestone benefits as an e-gift voucher worth Rs. 2,000 from Aditya Birla Fashion or Yatra or Bata/Hush Puppies if you spend Rs. 3 lakh annually, but the same is not the case with IndianOil Citibank Credit Card as does not offer any milestone benefits. However, in my opinion, the brands offered on achieving the milestone could have been better.
Annual Fee Waiver
To avail BPCL SBI Card Octane, you will have to pay an annual fee of Rs. 1,499 if you spend Rs. 2 lakh in comparison to Rs. 1,000 for Citi IndianOil Credit Card which can be waived off on spending Rs. 30,000 in a year. Keep in mind the perks that both the credit cards offer respectively this annual fee reversal is an amazing benefit and can honestly help you save a lot of money.
Other Benefits
BPCL SBI Card Octane offers a decent amount of additional benefits. Such as:
- Complimentary fraud liability cover of Rs. 1 lakh
- Instant reward redemption at select BPCL petrol pumps
- Contactless transactions can be done with SBI BPCL Credit Card
- This card can be used to make bill payments for electricity, telephone, mobile, and other utility bills
- BPCL SBI Card is accepted internationally at over 24 million outlets worldwide, including over 3.5 lakh outlets in India
- Purchases worth Rs. 2,500 or more can be converted into easy EMIs via Flexipay option
- You can redeem your rewards points at Shop & Smile Rewards Catalogue
IndianOil Citibank Credit Card might disappoint you since it only offers an additional benefit this card offer is on dining i.e. up to 20% discount at partner restaurants.
Which Credit Card Should you Get?
You should consider getting BPCL SBI Card Octane if:
- You prefer Bharat Petroleum over other fuel providers
- You want to receive value-back on your fuel purchases
- You want to earn reward points on multiple other categories apart from fuel
- You can pay the annual fee of Rs. 1,499
You should consider getting Indian Oil Citibank Credit Card if:
- You prefer IndianOil Outlets over other fuel providers
- You are ready to pay the annual fee of Rs.1,000
- You can spend Rs. 30,000 within a year to get this card for free
Bottom Line
Now that we have compared both the credit cards on the basis of their key features, benefits and annual fee, and other parameters it is fair to say that BPCL SBI Card Octane looks promising due to its benefits in the form of accelerated rewards across categories. This card comes with a decent reward program and allows you to save enough on fuel expenses (though only via Bharat Petroleum). The more you spend on fuel, the more value back you will get.
However, if you think none of the credit cards mentioned above fulfills your requirements, you can consider applying for other fuel cards, click here.
