RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card Review

When looking for a travel credit card, a lot of websites and card agents would guide you towards credit cards from leading issuers like HDFC, SBI Card or Citibank, often carrying high annual fees of above Rs. 5,000. But a new travel credit card from RBL Bank- RBL World Safari Credit Card– has come out as a good competitor for other popular travel cards in the market.

RBL Bank claims it to be the first credit card in India with a 0% foreign exchange markup fee. Other features of the card are also curated to offer maximum benefits to frequent travellers. Read RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card Review here.

Welcome Voucher from MakeMyTrip

The card gives travellers a good start with a welcome gift voucher from MakeMyTrip worth Rs. 3,000, equivalent to the joining fee paid by the user. The conditions to avail of this welcome benefit are:

• Pay the joining fee levied in the statement by the due date
• Make a transaction on the card within 30 days of card activation

Once you meet the above two conditions, the voucher code will be sent to your registered email ID as well as on your registered mobile number.

India’s First Credit Card with 0% Forex Markup Fee

The markup fee for payment in foreign currency ranges from 1.75% to 3.5% for most credit cards. RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card is the first one in the market that does not charge any foreign exchange markup fee.

For example, you spend $100 and the value of 1 dollar in INR is 70. The table below shows the savings on RBL World Safari Card compared to two more travel cards.

Clearly, with a zero forex markup, you would be able to save a lot on your foreign trips, thus making it the perfect credit card for international travel.

Must Read: A Complete Guide to Travelling Abroad with Your Credit Card

Earn Extra Rewards on Travel Spends

RBL World Safari Credit Card allows its users to earn travel points on all their spending. The rate of rewards is higher for travel spends. Travel points can be used to book air tickets, hotel stays and more. You will earn rewards in the following way:

• 2 Travel Points per Rs. 100 for all purchases
• 5 Travel Points per Rs. 100 for travel spends
• International spending will not earn any Travel Points

Reach Spending Milestones and Get Rewarded

RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card also rewards its users for reaching spending milestones. The more you spend the more benefits you will enjoy.

• On spending Rs. 2.5 Lakh in a year, get 10,000 bonus Travel Points
• On reaching a spending limit of Rs. 5 Lakh in a year, get another 15,000 Travel Points
• On reaching the total annual spending of Rs. 7.5 Lakh, get a Taj Experience Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000

Bonus travel points will be automatically added to your credit card account on reaching the milestone and the Taj Gift Card will be delivered to your registered mailing address.

Complimentary Lounge Access

This travel credit card by RBL Bank also gives international and domestic lounge access.

• 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter at all major airports in India
• 2 complimentary international lounge visits annually under the Priority Pass Membership to 1,300+ lounges across the globe
• Get 1 extra visit free under the Priority Pass Program on spending Rs. 50,000 or more in a calendar quarter

International lounge visits other than the complimentary one will charge up to $27 per visit.

Complimentary Golf Rounds

RBL World Safari Credit Card also gives golf benefits (with Mastercard World) in the form of:

• Free access to select golf courses across the country
• 12 complimentary golf lessons per year (1 lesson per month)
• 4 complimentary golf rounds per year (maximum 1 round in a month)
• Post complimentary services, get 50% off on green fee

Drawbacks of RBL World Safari Credit Card

On comparing RBL World Safari Credit Card with other travel credit cards, we found the following downsides:

• The card gives Travel Points instead of Air Miles which adds an unnecessary step for redemption
• The rate of reward earning could be better
• International transactions do not earn any Travel Points
• There are other travel cards in the market giving more complimentary lounge visits in a year than RBL World Safari Card
• There are no benefits on dining, shopping or entertainment
• Unlike most other travel credit cards, RBL World Safari does not offer complimentary membership to any airline’s frequent flyer program

Who should get this card?

Whether you should consider getting this card or not depends on the kind of travel benefit you seek. For example, if you are looking for discounts on flight tickets, and air mile credit card could give you better benefits. The main benefit of RBL World Safari comes in the form of zero foreign exchange markup fees so it is a good credit card for international travellers.

You should get this credit card if:

• You often go on international trips
• You want rewards that can be redeemed across travel as well as other categories
• You put major expenses on credit cards (so that you can avail milestone privileges)

You should consider other options if:

• You want discounts on flights and hotels through air miles
• Lounge access is the main travel benefit you seek
• You want benefits across other categories along with travel

Bottom Line

Travel benefits also come in different forms- airport lounge access, discount on airfares/hotels, air miles, memberships, etc. RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card is a good travel card to start with as it offers benefits across different verticals but the scope of each benefit is less. So, if you are looking for a particular feature, it is best to shop around before choosing.