Credit cards with health and wellness benefits focus on helping you with your medical needs and emergencies. The motive behind such cards is to increase the access to healthcare and medical facilities. Here we have discussed the health and wellness focused credit cards offered by popular banks in detail and why it is significant to have such a card, specifically during the adverse COVID-19 pandemic. Check the list of top 5 credit cards for medical benefits here.
Top 5 Health Credit Cards for Medical Benefits in India
| Credit Cards | Annual Fee | Key Health & Wellness Benefit |
| Axis Bank Aura Credit Card | Rs. 749 | 4 video doctor consultations free per month via Practo and Rs. 750 worth Decathlon voucher as a welcome gift |
| SBI Pulse Credit Card | Rs. 1,499 | 10 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on pharmacy, chemists, movies and dining |
| YES Bank Wellness Plus Credit Card** | Rs. 2,999 | 30 Reward Points per Rs. 200 spent on Chemist/ Pharmaceutical stores and Complimentary annual preventive Health Check-up (31 parameters) |
| Apollo SBI Credit Card** | Rs. 499 | 3X Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on all Apollo services and complimentary Apollo Silver Tier Membership |
| RBL Bank Practo Plus Credit Card** | Rs. 2,000 | Unlimited online consultations and 1 Practo HealthCash on every Rs. 100 spent |
** As per RBI guidelines, the issuance of new credit cards on the Mastercard platform has been discontinued until further notice. Thereby, these cards are not issued currently. Normal card services will continue for existing users.
1. Axis Bank Aura Credit Card
Axis Bank Aura Credit Card is exclusively designed to cater to the health and wellness needs of the individuals. Available at an annual fee of Rs. 749, the card offers unique features that are powered by Poshvine and other specialists such as Decathlon, Practo, Fitternity, IndushealthPlus, 1MG etc.
Features and Benefits of Axis Aura Credit Card-
- 4 free interactive video fitness sessions
- Access to 16 recorded sessions per month
- Annual discount of up to Rs. 500 on health checkup
- 2 EDGE Reward Points per Rs. 200 on all transactions
- 5X Reward Points per Rs. 200 on all Insurance spends
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver for transactions between Rs. 400 to Rs. 4,000 per month
- 30% discount on nutritional / diet consultation from renowned nutritionists
- Minimum 30% discount on nutritional food
- Up to 20% off at partner restaurants in India
Who should get Axis Bank Aura Credit Card?If you have regular medical expenses and are a frequent user of Decathlon, Practo, Fitternity, IndushealthPlus, 1MG etc. this card could be a good choice. It is possibly targeted at the young adults who have children or elderly parents at home as their medical needs would be higher. You can consider getting this card if you are looking for a health related card at nominal fee, you want medical consultation services and are very much involved in fitness activities and sessions and you wish to earn rewards points along with the health benefits. |
2. SBI Pulse Credit Card
SBI Card Pulse is designed especially for people who choose a healthy and active lifestyle. The card offers memberships and benefits with leading health brands such as Netmeds, FittPASS Pro and reward points across spends on chemists and pharmacies.
Features and Benefits of SBI Pulse Credit Card-
- 1 year complimentary FITPASS PRO and Netmeds membership – renewed every year with card renewal
- 10 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on chemists, pharmacies, dining and movies
- 2 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on all other purchases
- Get a Noise ColorFit Pulse Smart Watch on the payment of the joining fees a welcome benefit
- 8 complimentary ((2 per quarter) domestic lounge access in a calendar year
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver for transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 4,000 per month
Who should get SBI Pulse Credit Card?You should get SBI Pulse Credit Card, if you are looking for a health credit card that offers benefits across other categories such as entertainment and lounge access. This card is suitable for people who can pay a high annual fee of Rs.1, 499. However, note that the welcome benefit offered on this card is worth more than the annual fee paid. SBI pulse card is not suited for people looking for lifestyle benefits or a high reward rate. |
3. YES Bank Wellness Plus Credit Card
YES Bank in collaboration with Aditya Birla Wellness Private Limited has launched ‘YES BANK Wellness Plus’ Credit Card, which focuses on the holistic health, self-care and wellness of the consumers.
Features and Benefits of Yes Bank Wellness Plus Credit Card-
- Complimentary annual Eye & Dental Check-up
- Unlimited consultation with General Practitioner, Specialist & Nutritionist through App
- 12 Complimentary Fitness sessions (Gym,Yoga,Zumba, etc.) per month
- 6 reward points per Rs. 200 spent on all other categories
- 1,000 reward points on YES PayNow registration
- Redemption of Reward Points against Air Miles (10 Reward Points = 1 InterMile / 1 Club Vistara Point)
- Domestic Lounge access (limited to 2 visits per quarter) for Primary Cardmembers across 30 + Lounges in India
- Life Insurance Cover of Rs. 1 crore for death due to Flight Accidents
- Medical Insurance cover of Rs. 25 lakh for emergency hospitalization when travelling overseas
- Credit Shield cover in case of accidental death of Primary Cardmember
- Interest Rate of 3.5% per month (42% annually) on Revolving Credit, Cash Advances and Overdue Amount
- 1% Fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India for transactions between Rs. 400 to Rs. 5,000
Who should get YES Bank Wellness Plus Credit Card?If you have regular medical expenses and would also like to earn rewards on your medicine related purchase, this card could be a good choice. The card offers a reward rate of 3%, which is decent for a credit card of this fee range. The card also comes with easy redemption options and the reward points can also be redeemed for airlines, which is indeed an added benefit. However the annual fee of Rs. 2,999 might seem a bit tight on the pocket. Also the card does not offer any discount via popular medical chains and hospitals. The insurance benefits of up to Rs. 1 crore offered by the card are quite decent . Overall this card could be a good choice for people with medical needs on an everyday basis. However, if you think that you only need to go to the doctor once in a while, you could definitely get better options as per your spending habits for a lower annual fee. |
4. Apollo SBI Credit Card
Launched in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals, the Apollo SBI Credit Card is specifically designed to offer healthcare benefits. With this card, you will get an instant discount on select Apollo services and also get extra rewards for using your card at any of the Apollo Hospitals.
Features and Benefits of SBI Apollo Credit Card-
- 500 Reward Points worth Rs. 500 on payment of joining fee
- 1 reward point for every Rs. 200 for all non-fuel retail purchase
- 1 reward point per Rs. 100 for Beauty and Wellness Services
- 2X rewards per Rs. 100 on movies, entertainment and dining
- Direct conversion of reward points into Apollo Health Credits in 1:1 ratio
- Get Apollo vouchers against accumulated reward points
- Save upto Rs. 2713 on Annual Spend of Rs. 4 Lakh
Who should get Apollo SBI Credit Card?The Apollo SBI Card offers a complimentary Silver Tier Membership to the cardholders. Under this, you will be enjoying the following benefits: 1% of the bill amount as Health Credits (HC) at Apollo Centers, 5% off on non-pharmaceutical products, 10% off on pharmaceutical products and 10% off on Apollo Branded products. Silver Tier is the basic membership which you can get while registering through OneApollo Websites, AskApollo App or by walking into any Apollo Pharmacy Store. The one limitation with the card is that the reward points cannot be redeemed for items against SBI Card’s rewards catalogue. They can only be redeemed to avail services at Apollo Healthcare Centers and related stores only. The annual fee waiver condition is set too high at Rs. 90,000 for a card that does not offer benefits across other categories. To be able to get the waiver, you will need to put more expenses on the card. You can consider getting this card if you visit Apollo for all your medical needs and emergencies. The annual fee waiver condition is set too high at Rs. 90,000 for a card that does not offer benefits across other categories. To be able to get the waiver, you will need to put more expenses on the card. The card is only good for medical services with Apollo Healthcare. |
5. RBL Bank Practo Plus Credit Card
With RBL Practo Plus Credit Card, the cardholders will be able to avail 24*7 doctor consultation for themselves and family members, earn HealthCash on everyday spends and many more benefits.
Features and Benefits of RBL Bank Practo Plus Credit Card –
- Free health check-up for cardholder and family members
- Free Full Body Health Checkup that will give you an update on the status of your health
- 1 HealthCash = 1 Rupee (HealthCash will be automatically credited monthly on your Practo account)
- 2 complimentary Domestic airport lounge access every quarter
- Free home sample pick-up and get e-report in 24 hours
Who should get RBL Practo Plus Credit Card?RBL Bank Practo Plus Credit Card offers benefits like unlimited online consultations, cashbacks in the form of HealthCash, free health checkups etc. The card offers HealthCash for spends which can be used on Practo app for availing services like ordering medicine, tests, online consultations etc. which is only beneficial for Practo users. Given that this card mainly focuses on health benefits, the features are very limited. There is no spend based reversal criteria for joining and renewal fee on this card and hence you have to compulsorily shell out Rs. 2,000 each year. This card doesn’t justify the higher joining and renewal fee compared to other co-branded credit cards that were launched recently. Unavailability of flat cashback, limited option to redeem rewards and only the first year benefit of unlimited online consultation makes the card a not so popular option. |
Why is it important to have a Health-Focused Credit Card in COVID-19 Crisis?
The recent spread of Coronavirus pandemic made us realize that medical emergencies truly come unexpected. In such a situation, there is always a possibility that you may find it difficult to arrange cash, specifically when the cost of treatment is expensive. In such a situation, you might require an urgent loan but definitely won’t be having any time for the process. A medical credit card would come in handy at such times. A credit card is a quick way to pay for medical emergencies as there is no time to wait for a loan approval to come through. Moreover, if such a card comes with additional health benefits, it would be very helpful for your finances.
Bottom Line
Although rare in number, heath credit cards available in the market offer protection against a variety of medical exigencies. Even though one can never guess when a medical emergency might strike, having a credit card that covers your expenses helps you stay prepared in the moment of need. It is still advisable to do a thorough research of the cards based on your medical history.
Suggested Read: Credit Card for Doctors in India
