Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card: Get up to 5 Premium Economy Tickets in a Year

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card Overall Rating: ★★★★
Welcome Benefit	★★★★
Reward Benefits	★★★
Milestone Benefits	★★★★
Travel Benefits	★★★★

Note: IDFC FIRST Bank is not accepting new applications for Vistara co-branded credit cards. Content on this page, including card review, is based on information available before Vistara-Air India merger. Some features may be outdated. Please check the bank’s website for latest updates.

Among all Vistara Credit Cards in the Premium Economy segment, Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card is the frontrunner. The reward rate on this card is only slightly higher than that on its Axis and SBI Card counterparts; however, users have more opportunities to earn CV Points with lesser exclusions. Even categories like utility bill payments and wallet load are rewarded, albeit at a lower rate. Cardholders can also earn one extra complimentary ticket with the IDFC Card, on reaching the highest spending milestone of Rs. 12 Lakh- a feature particularly helpful for high-spenders. Unlike Axis and SBI Card, the IDFC FIRST Vistara Card also caters to international travellers, offering a limited number of international lounge visits in a year along with a slightly lower forex mark-up fee of 2.99%.

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card clearly outranks Axis Vistara Signature and SBI Card PRIME but it also charges a higher annual fee of Rs. 4,999 (Axis and SBI Card charge Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,999 respectively).

If you are a frequent traveller who prefers Vistara airlines and can spend up to Rs. 12 Lakh in a year to avail maximum benefits, this card could be a worthy addition to your wallet.

Video: Quick Review of Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card Detailed Review | FREE Flight Tickets | Features & Benefits

Note: Details mentioned in the video have been sourced from the issuer’s website as of May 2024. For updated information, refer to this page.

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card: Features and Benefits

Good Value back on Welcome Benefits

At a joining fee of Rs. 4,999, the card comes with the following welcome benefits:

• 1 complimentary Premium Economy Ticket Voucher
• 1 Class Upgrade Voucher
• 3 months complimentary EazyDiner Prime membership
• Complimentary Club Vistara Silver Membership

The travel-focused welcome benefits on this card are similar to those offered on Axis Bank Vistara Signature Card. In addition, the IDFC Card also offers a 3 month EazyDiner membership and BQ Prime subscription, which costs around Rs. 1,895. Besides, a premium economy ticket and class upgrade voucher would clearly sum up to a price greater than Rs. 4,999. Clearly the value back offered via the activation benefits, surpasses the joining fee charged.

However, this may not be an exceptional advantage as the welcome benefits on most credit cards in this fee range compensate for the fee charged. To give readers a perspective, other travel credit cards such as Axis Bank Atlas and Air India SBI Signature offer reward points/miles equivalent to the fee, as shown in the table below.

Up to 6,000 Bonus CV Reward Points

The card offers bonus reward points in the first three months after card activation, as follows:

Up to 10 Club Vistara Points on every Transaction

With Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card, you get rewards as CV points on your every day spends with the following reward categories:

• 6 CV Points on every Rs. 200- On spends up to Rs. 1 Lakh in each statement cycle
• 4 CV Points on every Rs. 200-  On spends above Rs. 1 Lakh in each statement cycle
• 10 CV Points on every Rs. 200 on all dining spends on your birthday
• 1 CV Point on every Rs. 200 on every spend done on Fuel, Insurance, Utility, Rent & Wallet Load

Note: CV Points are not applicable on EMI Transactions & Cash Withdrawal

In terms of offering reward points, this card functions differently than the other IDFC Credit Cards such as IDFC Wealth and IDFC Select. With these cards you get 10X rewards on achieving a spending milestone of Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 25,000 per month respectively. Thereby, you earn more, as you spend more. However, with the Club Vistara Card, the reward benefits decline by exceeding the Rs. 1 Lakh mark. Thus, a concern for heavy spenders.

However, the capping of Rs. 1 Lakh per month is quite high which many users may not be able to reach, thus earning a higher value-back of 6 CV Points per Rs. 200. Even if looked upon beyond the incremental reward structure, 4 CV points is also a decent number. Moreover, the card offers 1 CV Point per Rs. 200 on rent, utilities, fuel, insurance and wallet reload, which are generally excluded from other credit cards’ rewards program.

Thus, overall Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card can be a good choice if you manage to spend around Rs.1 Lakh a month, or even beyond it. By spending at least Rs. 1 Lakh per month, you can also reach the yearly milestone of Rs. 12 Lakh, which would give you up to 5 free premium economy tickets.

Multiple Milestone Benefits in a Year

With Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card, you can get up to 5 complimentary Premium Economy Ticket Vouchers on reaching the following spend milestones:

Complimentary tickets as milestone benefits is a common feature among all Vistara co-branded credit cards. In the Premium Economy Segment, Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Card provides the best value to high-spenders as Axis Vistara Signature and SBI Card PRIME offer only 4 tickets on yearly spends up to Rs. 9 Lakh and Rs. 8 Lakh respectively. However, those who can reach annual spends of Rs. 12 Lakh can avail an additional complimentary ticket with the IDFC FIRST Card. Moreover, as Axis Vistara Signature has added several new exclusions to their spend milestone calculation from 20th April 2024, it might be difficult for cardholders to maximize this benefit. With Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Card, it would be easier to achieve these milestones.

Other Travel Benefits on Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card

The card offers the following travel benefits: 

• 2 complimentary* visits to domestic airport lounges and spas per quarter
• 1 complimentary* visit to the international airport lounge per quarter
  
• Cancellation For Any Reason (CFAR) Insurance of up to Rs. 10,000 on 2 claims annually, valid for hotel and flight booking cancellations
• Air Accident Cover of Rs. 1 crore
• Personal Accident Cover of Rs. 10 Lakh and Lost Card Liability Cover of Rs. 50,000
• Additional coverage for loss of checked-in baggage, delay of checked-in baggage, loss of passport & other documents, and flight delay of USD 1200
• The card comes with a low forex mark-up fee of  2.99%

*Spend Rs. 20,000 in a month to avail complimentary lounge access and spa benefit in the next month.

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST vs. Axis Vistara Signature vs. Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME

Is Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card better than other Vistara co-branded cards?

As can be seen from the comparison table above, Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card has an edge over either Axis Vistara Signature or Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME or both primarily on 5 grounds:

1. The IDFC Card has a better reward rate at 6 CV Points for every Rs. 200 spent than Axis Bank and SBI Card’s Vistara co-branded cards. Moreover, its rewards program has lesser exclusions, which also helps users extract better value out of the cards.
2. As compared to Axis Bank and SBI Card, IDFC FIRST’s Vistara Card offers one additional Premium Economy Ticket on reaching annual spends of Rs. 12 Lakh. This can be a valuable feature for high-spenders who can easily reach the highest milestone.
3. Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card also charges a lower foreign exchange mark-up fee of 2.99%. Though there are other travel credit cards offering lower forex markup advantage, this number is still better than the other two Vistara co-branded cards compared above.
4. While all three cards offer the same number of complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year, IDFC FIRST and SBI Card also provide 4 complimentary international lounge visits, which is an added advantage for international travelers.
5. The joining benefit on IDFC FIRST Card is also better than the other two as it offers up to 6,000 CV Points on spends of Rs. 90,000 in the first 90 days. On the other hand, SBI Card offers only 3,000 bonus CV Points on spends of Rs. 75,000 for the same duration.

Check Eligibility & Apply Online for Other Similar Credit Cards

Other Travel Credit Cards to Consider

SBI Card ELITE

3.5_/5

Joining fee: ₹4999

Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹4999

5X reward points on dining, grocery and departmental store spends

Complimentary Priority Pass membership

Lounge Access

Movies

Rewards

Check Eligibility

Product Details

• 2 reward points per Rs. 100 spent on other categories
• Up to 50,000 bonus reward points as milestone benefits
• 6 complimentary international lounge access in a year; 1.99% forex mark-up fee
• Up to 8 complimentary domestic lounge access per year, 2 per quarter
• Free movie tickets worth Rs. 6,000 in a year
• Low forex mark-up fee of 1.99%

Know More

Axis Atlas Credit Card

4_/5

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

Travel

Lounge Access

Rewards

Check Eligibility

Product Details

• Up to 2,500 bonus EDGE Miles as welcome benefit
• Up to 5 EDGE Miles per Rs. 100 spent on travel
• Redeem EDGE Miles at value of 1 EDGE Mile = 2 Partner Points
• Milestone benefits of up to 5,000 EDGE Miles
• Up to 5,000 EDGE Miles as milestone benefit

Know More

Air India SBI Signature Credit Card

3.5_/5

Joining fee: ₹4999

Annual/Renewal Fee: ₹4999

20,000 reward points and complimentary Air India Frequent Flyer program membership as welcome benefits

Up to 1 Lakh bonus reward points as milestone benefit every year

Travel

Check Eligibility

Product Details

• Up to 30 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on Air India
• Redeem reward points at a value of 1 Reward Point = 1 Air Mile
• 5,000 bonus reward points every year on card renewal
• 8 complimentary domestic lounge access every year
• Complimentary Priority Pass Membership

Know More

Compare (2/3)

Who should get the Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card?

You should consider getting this card, if:

• You are looking for a travel credit card and prefer Vistara Airlines over other carriers
• You can spend at least Rs. 1 Lakh in a month to avail milestone benefits as well as the accelerated rewards
• You take foreign trips once in a while and would like additional benefits for the same such as international lounge access and low forex mark-up fee

If your needs and spending patterns align with the pointers listed above, you can consider getting this card. To apply for this card, you can contact IDFC FIRST Bank Credit Card directly. You can however, explore other travel credit cards with Paisabazaar, and apply for the best suited card for you.