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Travel credit cards are designed to help frequent travellers save a significant amount on flights and hotel bookings along with benefits on other travel spends. Users can save considerably through free flight tickets, air miles, discount with popular travel brands, complimentary lounge access, travel insurance and more. From cards co-branded with popular airlines/travel portals to cards that offer substantial savings in the form of air miles/rewards, the options are endless. To help you compare and make the right choice, here is the list of top travel credit cards in India.
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Axis Atlas Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹5000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹5000
2.5X EDGE Miles on Travel spends
Up to 12 international and 18 domestic lounge access every year
Product Details
Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹3000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹3000
Up to 32 visits to domestic and 8 to international airport lounges annually
Up to 5 EDGE Miles per Rs. 100 spent; 1 EDGE Mile = 1 Partner Point
Product Details
HSBC TravelOne Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹4999
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹4999
Up to 12% savings on travel bookings via HSBC Rewards Marketplace
Up to 20% off on Zomato, Yatra, EaseMyTrip, etc.
Product Details
Axis Magnus for Burgundy Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹30000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹30000
Unlimited complimentary domestic & international lounge visits
Up to 24% value back on travel spends
Product Details
HDFC Diners Club Black Metal Edition Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹10000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹10000
Unlimited airport lounge access for primary and add-on members
High base rewards rate of 3.33% with 5 reward points per Rs. 150 spent
Product Details
IndusInd Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹10000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹5000
Up to 6 Avios on every Rs. 200 spent
Up to 36,000 bonus Avios as milestone benefit
Product Details
Kotak IndiGo 6E Rewards XL Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹1500
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹1500
8 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per year
Up to 6% rewards on spends across different categories
Product Details
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹10000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹10000
Unlimited complimentary domestic & international lounge visits
2.5 Skywards Miles on every Rs. 100 spent
Product Details
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹3000
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹3000
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status with 4x MB Points on partner hotel spends
12 airport lounge access each within and outside India per year
Product Details
MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹999
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹999
Up to 6% savings on MakeMyTrip spends
Rs. 1,000 MMT voucher every year
Product Details
Yatra SBI Card
Joining fee: ₹499
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹499
Yatra.com vouchers worth Rs. 8,250 as joining benefit
Up to Rs. 4,000 off on flight bookings through Yatra.com
Product Details
Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹350
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹350
20% discount on domestic & international hotel bookings via EaseMyTrip
10% discount on domestic & international flight bookings via EaseMyTrip
Product Details
Ixigo AU Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹0
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹0
10% discount on travel bookings at Ixigo
4X reward points on train bookings via Ixigo
Product Details
IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Joining fee: ₹1499
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹1499
10% valueback on AC1, 2 & 3, ECC & CC bookings via IRCTC
Rewards redeemable on IRCTC in 1:1 ratio
Product Details
YES BANK Paisabazaar PaisaSave Credit Card
Joining fee: ₹0
Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹499
6% cashback on travel and dining spends
Unlimited 1% cashback on all other spends, including UPI
Product Details
Note: Details mentioned in the video have been sourced from the issuer’s website as of November 2024. For updated information, refer to this page.
Travel credit cards are typically offered in collaboration with popular airlines or travel portals, allowing individuals to avail benefits on the collaborated brand. However, there are some cards through which you can earn Air Miles on your purchases and later redeem them against your travel bookings. So, here is a list of the best travel credit cards, including both co-branded and generic credit cards.

Joining Fee: Rs. 5,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 5,000
Key Features and Benefits:
*Subject to annual spends.
Axis Atlas credit card is an excellent option for those who spend a substantial amount every month on travel as well as other expenses. The card offers 10% value-back on travel spends as reward points redeemable across 15+ airlines and hotels in 1:2 ratio. On spends beyond travel, users can get up to 4% value-back as 2 points per Rs. 100. Along with the highest conversion ratio, the card has a unique tier-based structure allowing high-spenders to extract maximum value from the card by reaching higher tiers with better benefits. However, being a travel credit card, the only disappointing bit is that this card charges a high forex mark-up fee of 3.5% and offers no concierge services.

Joining Fee: Rs. 3,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000
Key Features and Benefits:
Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card offers EDGE Miles with a 5% value-back on travel bookings and a base rate of 2% on other card spends. Though the value-back on travel spends is similar to that offered by Axis Atlas, Horizon offers this 5% rate only on Travel EDGE platform and standalone airline platforms. Axis Horizon’s EDGE Miles to travel points conversion ratio of 1:1 is quite good, but lower than Axis Atlas (1:2). Moreover, Axis Horizon offers a significantly high number of complimentary domestic lounge visits, without any spend-based condition. Substantial value-back on travel spends, lounge access and bonus EDGE Miles on renewal together make it one of the best travel credit cards in India.
Suggested Read: Best Credit Cards with Lounge Access

Joining Fee: Rs. 4,999
Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999
Key Features and Benefits:
HSBC TravelOne Credit Card is an airline-agnostic travel credit card that offers value back in the form of reward points. Cardholders can earn 4% value-back on travel spends through accelerated (2X) rewards points and redeem them with partner airlines and hotels at a 1:1 ratio, allowing them to save on their travel expenses. The card also provides exclusive discount offers on travel platforms like Yatra, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip, PayTM, and StayVista Hotels, along with complimentary lounge access, which further enhances the value of this card for frequent travellers. Besides travel, TravelOne also offers lifestyle benefits such as complimentary golf rounds, dining discount, and more.

Joining Fee: Rs. 30,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 30,000 (Waived off on spending Rs. 30 Lakh in the preceding year)
Key Features & Benefits:
While Axis Magnus lost most of its value after two rounds of devaluation, Magnus for Burgundy still stands strong as a travel card due to its 5:4 conversion ratio. The base rate itself translates to 4.8% value-back on travel, reaching even higher (up to 14%) if cardholders spend beyond the pre-set threshold. This makes the card a great option for high-spenders who can spend significantly across multiple categories and redeem the accumulated points for excellent travel value across 15+ partner airlines and hotels. Unlimited domestic and international lounge access along with a limited number of guest visits, low forex mark-up fee and 4 free airport meet and greet services further enhance its value for frequent travellers.

Joining Fee: Rs. 10,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000
Key Features & Benefits:
HDFC Diners Club Black Metal Credit Card offers premium features to justify its high annual fee, starting with a strong reward rate of 3.33% across all spends including travel, unlimited airport lounge access, and other travel benefits like a low forex mark-up fee of 2% and concierge services to assist with travel plans and more. While it is ideal for international travellers, the card also offers decent benefits on other lifestyle categories, such as dining, movies, golf, and more. Overall, HDFC DC Black not only find a place in the list of best travel credit cards in India but also caters to lifestyle spends on dining, shopping and entertainment, which also make it a great all-rounder credit card.

Joining Fee: Rs. 10,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 5,000
Key Features & Benefits:
IndusInd Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card is a premium credit card tailored for those who travel frequently. What sets this card apart is its unique partnership with two airlines, Qatar Airways and British Airways, offering flexibility compared to other co-branded airline cards. Cardholders can get up to 3% value-back on travel spends through accelerated rewards along with exclusive benefits based on their choice of airline and travel destinations. In addition to airline-specific perks, the card offers a generous number of complimentary lounge visits each year and a low forex mark-up fee. Overall, it is a well-rounded option for frequent flyers who prefer flexibility across these two airlines along with premium travel benefits.

Joining Fee: Rs. 2,500
Annual Fee: Rs. 2,500
Key Features and Benefits:
Kotak IndiGo Ka-ching 6E Rewards XL Credit Card majorly offers value back through the rewards program. The card offers benefits similar to HDFC IndiGo XL, including accelerated reward points on IndiGo spends, domestic lounge access, and a discounted convenience fee on IndiGo tickets. However, at a slightly higher annual fee, this card marginally surpasses HDFC IndiGo XL with a reward rate of 6% on IndiGo spends, offering better value back. When it comes to international travel, the card fails to offer basic benefits like international lounge visits, especially at an annual fee of Rs. 2,500, users would expect at least one or two international lounge visits.

Joining Fee: Rs. 10,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000
Key Features & Benefits:
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card is designed specifically for frequent Emirates flyers, offering a range of travel-related benefits. Cardholders can earn up to 2.5 Skywards Miles on every spend and later redeem them for flight bookings or upgrades through Emirates. The card also offers unlimited complimentary domestic and international airport lounge access, along with free spa sessions—making it a good option for frequent international travellers who prefer flying with Emirates.

Joining Fee: Rs. 3,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000
Key Features & Benefits:
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Card is designed for travellers who prefer staying at Marriott-owned properties. From rewards on activation to milestone benefits, this card offers multiple ways to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points. These points can be used for travel services or to book stays at luxury hotels like St. Regis, JW Marriott, Le Méridien, Sheraton, and many more participating properties. In addition to the perks at Marriott hotels, the card also offers a generous number of complimentary international and domestic lounge visits, making it a valuable option for frequent travellers.

Note: The card is offered as a dual proposition with Mastercard and RuPay.
Joining Fee: Rs. 999
Annual Fee: Rs. 999
Key Features and Benefits:
The card is a replacement of two other ICICI Bank co-branded cards with MakeMyTrip: MMT ICICI Platinum and MMT ICICI Signature. MMT ICICI Bank Credit Card offers exclusive benefits on MakeMyTrip with up to 6% value back on travel bookings, a welcome voucher, and an impressive reward structure. All rewards earned are transferred to the MMT account as My Cash that are redeemable for travel bookings on MakeMyTrip at a value of 1 My Cash = Rs. 1. In comparison to the previous variants, the card offers a higher reward rate and privileges like a low forex mark-up fee that make it suitable for not just domestic but also international travellers. However, the benefits on the card can be maximized only by restricting the travel bookings to MakeMyTrip.

Joining Fee: Rs. 499
Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Key Features and Benefits:
Available at an annual fee of Rs. 499, Yatra SBI Credit Card offers welcome benefits worth up to Rs. 8,250 in the form of Yatra Vouchers. Users will also get a direct discount on their flight and hotel bookings on Yatra. Also, being a travel credit card, the reward earning rate of 6% on day-to-day spends like groceries, dining, etc. is a decent benefit. Users can redeem the accumulated reward points against Yatra.com discount vouchers. However, one thing that reduces the overall value of this card is the low redemption ratio of 4:1. This is a suitable option for travellers who prefer Yatra for their travel bookings are also looking to earn rewards on regular everyday spending.

Joining Fee: Rs. 350
Annual Fee: Rs. 350
Key Features and Benefits:
Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card offers the highest benefits on your bookings via EaseMyTrip. With this card, you can get a direct discount on your flight and hotel bookings without any minimum transaction limit. The card offers benefits similar to Yatra SBI Card by offering discount along with reward points. However, Yatra SBI Card comes with a minimum transaction limit. While co-branded cards like MMT ICICI Platinum restrict their benefits to the MMT portal only, this card offers accelerated rewards on travel spends other than the EaseMyTrip portal as well. This is an ideal option if you want to earn basic travel benefits and don’t want to pay a high annual fee.

Joining Fee: Nil
Annual Fee: Nil
Key Features and Benefits:
Ixigo AU Credit Card targets people who frequently travel by bus and train. With direct discount on Ixigo spends and accelerated reward points on online spends, cardholders can save on their travel bookings other than Ixigo as well. Also, the discount on Ixigo spends can be availed every month, making it a suitable option for frequent travellers. If you are a beginner or an Ixigo loyalist, this credit card can be a great way to save on travel spends, especially if you do not have any other credit card. However, apart from a zero forex markup fee, this card does not offer any benefits on international travel, which might be a drawback for some consumers.

Joining Fee: Rs. 1,499
Annual Fee: Rs. 1,499
Key Features and Benefits:
IRCTC SBI Card Premier is an advanced version of IRCTC SBI Platinum Credit Card. At an annual fee of Rs. 1,499, the card offers decent benefits for people who travel domestically via train. With a slightly higher annual fee, this is the best credit card among other IRCTC co-branded cards like IRCTC HDFC or IRCTC BoB by offering a value-back of 10% along with 1 reward point per Rs. 125 on IRCTC bookings. Also, the card compensates for its joining fee by offering 1,500 reward points worth Rs. 1,500 against your travel bookings at IRCTC.

Joining Fee: Nil
Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Key Features and Benefits:
YES BANK Paisabazaar PaisaSave Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards due to its accelerated 6% cashback without any brand restrictions. While most travel cards either offer value-back through air miles or are co-branded, offering direct cashback without limiting any brand makes YES PaisaSave Credit Card stand out among other travel cards. Although the accelerated cashback is capped at Rs. 3,000, cardholders can still earn unlimited base cashback after reaching this spend threshold, leading to significant savings. Overall, this credit card is a suitable option for frequent travellers looking for a cashback card with a low annual fee and decent benefits on travel and dining spends.
To help you find the right travel credit card that best suits your needs, here is a table containing the reward points to airmiles or hotel loyalty points conversion ratio of some of the top credit cards for travel. You can browse through the list of cards and the corresponding points transfer ratios to get a better idea about the how to best utilise the rewards conversion options and the final value-back that you can earn through the given cards.
There are a number of travel-centric benefits that issuers offer on their credit cards. Some common benefits are:
Airport Lounge Access: Travel credit cards come with domestic and international lounge access. Priority Pass is a common lounge access program, the membership to which costs US $99. However, travel credit cards may offer complimentary membership to this program, along with a limited number of free visits to the partner lounges.
Accelerated Reward Points on Travel: Based on the type of card, the card offers accelerated reward points on a particular category. On travel credit cards, you can earn extra reward points when you book air tickets or make a holiday booking. These points may later be used for gifts, merchandise or for more travel benefits.
Air Mile Earnings: Instead of reward points, travel-centric credit cards may offer Air Miles. These miles can be used to book air tickets on the dedicated travel website of the bank. Some cards allow you to transfer their Air Miles to select frequent flyer programs while others may also let you convert your reward points into Air Miles of the given airline partner.
Co-branded Benefits: A number of providers have launched travel credit cards in association with airlines or a travel portal. For example, SBI has launched cards in collaboration with Air India and ICICI Bank offers cards co-branded with MakeMyTrip. Such cards are beneficial for those who are loyal to a particular brand.
With so many options available in the market, it can be confusing to find the right credit card. Here, we will talk about a few things that will help you choose the best travel credit card.
The first step towards finding the best credit card is to understand your spending habits. It is easier to find a card that suits your lifestyle better when you know exactly what you are looking for.
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You need to ask yourself the following questions:
Based on your answer to the above questions, you can shortlist a few cards and then proceed.
If you need to travel frequently for business, free lounge access will be very beneficial. Go for a card that offers access to international or domestic lounges as per your needs. The number of visits will, however, be limited. So, after you exhaust all the free visits, you will have to pay for the same. But if your card issuer has enrolled you on a lounge access program such as Priority Pass, the same is likely to continue.
For those who wish to travel more, a card with accelerated reward points on travel will help. These cards also come with shopping, dining, and other benefits which enhances the overall card value. Even if you do not use the card for travel often, you can still capitalize on other benefits. And when you use it for travel, it will reward you better.
Card issuers also offer credit cards in association with airlines like Air India and British Airways or travel portals like Yatra, MakeMyTrip, etc. You should choose these cards only if you are loyal to the said brand and book tickets or holidays quite often. Benefits may come in the form of free tickets on joining or reaching a spending milestone, flat discount with the brand, complimentary travel vouchers or extra reward points.
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You should compare credit cards, once you have shortlisted two or more of them, on the following parameters to narrow down your search and choose the best travel card:
Annual Fee: The first point of comparison should be the annual fee. You may get excellent travel benefits on a card but you must know whether these benefits make up for the cost of maintaining the card.
Common benefits such as air miles and domestic lounge access for an exorbitant annual fee would not be a good bet. Choose a card that charges a reasonable fee for the services you can avail.
Rewards/Air Miles: A lot of users do not pay attention to the rewards program on their credit cards. However, they also add to the benefits of owning a travel credit card.
You must compare the rates at which you can earn reward points or Air Miles on the card. Also, read about the ways in which you can redeem the accumulated reward points. Choose the card that offers better reward points and redemption value.
Sign-up Bonus: When a card is issued to you, the provider offers a sign-up bonus, commonly known as a welcome gift.
In case of travel credit cards, this benefit may come in the form of travel vouchers, bonus Air Miles, flight tickets, etc. When you have narrowed down the searches as per annual fee and rewards, you should look for the sign-up bonus next.
See if the joining fee of the card is equally compensated by the welcome bonus. Such benefits can also be availed on reaching certain spending milestones or on card renewal.
Lounge Access: Travel credit cards usually offer access to international and domestic airport lounges. The number of visits, however, differs from one card to another.
You must compare the international/domestic lounge visits that the cards offer. As mentioned earlier, lounge visits are helpful only if you are a frequent flyer. For someone who travels only once or twice a year, such benefits would not make much of a difference.
Suggested Read: Lifetime free credit cards
While travel credit cards come with multiple benefits, you should make proper use of it in order to make the most of the rewards program. Here are a few do’s and don’ts:
Do’s
Don’ts
The best travel credit card for you would be the one that aligns with your travel needs. For example, if you prefer to fly with a particular airline, a card co-branded with your preferred airline could help you save a substantial amount over a period. On the other hand, if you do not want to restrict the benefits to one or more brands, getting a card that caters to all travel spends would be better. It is also important to check the additional perks like lounge access, forex mark-up fee, hotel benefits, etc. and choose a card that allows you to easily maximize the value.
To maximize the benefits offered on your travel credit card, you should understand the features of your card and plan your trips around it. For instance, if your card offers air miles, you should try to put maximum spends on the said card to accumulate more points and redeem them later. Using the right card for the right purchase is the key to maximising value. In addition to rewards, you should also try to make the most of the perks. For example, if your card offers free memberships, make sure you register and activate the same soon after getting the card.
Most travel credit cards offer free airport lounge access but the number of complimentary visits varies from card to card. Also, some card may only offer domestic lounge visits while others may offer both domestic and international lounge visits.
Yes. A travel credit card can be used for daily expenses beyond the travel category. In fact, putting other expenses on the card would help you accumulate more miles/rewards which can later to redeemed to get discounted/free flight tickets or hotel stays.
No. Domestic travellers can also get travel credit cards and save on their trips within the country through air miles, complimentary lounge access, hotel memberships and more.