If you frequently travel by train, a co-branded IRCTC credit card can help you save money on railway tickets while offering additional perks. The IRCTC SBI Premier Credit Card is a notable option, providing enhanced rewards and benefits compared to the IRCTC SBI Platinum Credit Card. With a joining and annual fee of Rs 1499 + GST, this card offers 10% value back on AC class bookings through IRCTC, along with attractive milestone rewards. Key benefits include complimentary railway lounge access and savings on IRCTC transaction charges.
Fees
| Joining Fee | Rs 1499+GST ~Rs 1769 |
| Welcome Benefit | 1500 points ~Rs 1500 Value |
| Annual Fee | Rs 1499+GST ~Rs 1769 |
| Renewal Benefit | None |
| Annual Fee Waiver | On Rs 2 Lakh annual spend |
Rewards on IRCTC Spends
| Spend Category | Reward Rate |
|---|---|
| AC1, AC2, AC3, Executive Chair Car and Chair Car IRCTC Bookings | 10% |
| Air Tickets IRCTC Purchases | 5% |
| IRCTC E-Catering Purchases | 5% |
- Reward points will be credited to your IRCTC loyalty account.
- Each RP is equal to Rs 1.
- To avail of the 10% value back on AC tickets, the cardholder must be listed as one of the passengers on the booked ticket.
- For group bookings where the cardholder is one of the travelers, a 10% value back is provided on the total booking amount, including the primary cardholder’s fare and that of all co-travelers. This makes it an excellent choice for family travel.
Rewards on Other Spends
The IRCTC SBI Premier Credit Card goes beyond offering a 10% value back on AC railway tickets. It provides 2.4% returns (3 Reward Points per Rs 125) on dining and utility bill payments set up as standing instructions, and 0.8% returns (1 Reward Point per Rs 125) on other retail spending. However, no rewards are earned on rent payments, government payments and wallet transactions.
| Spend Category | Reward Rate | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Dining, Utility Spends (SI Only) | 3 RP/Rs 125 | 2.4% |
| Other Retail Spends | 1 RP/Rs 125 | 0.8% |
| Rent, Government Transactions, Wallets | No Rewards | NIL |
Milestone Rewards
| Annual Spends | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Rs 50,000 | 2500 RP ~Rs 2500 |
| Rs 1 Lakh | 5000 RP ~Rs 5000 |
This is a total of 7.5% return on Rs 1 Lakh travel spends. So, we can double dip with 10% rewards on AC travel. These benefits are applicable for all travel spends, not only IRCTC ones. SBI Card also has a list of MCCs that are eligible for this benefit. Most of the travel related MCCs including travel agents, airlines, are eligible as per the list.
IRCTC SBI Premier Credit Card Railway Lounge Access
We get 2 complimentary railway lounge access per quarter using the IRCTC SBI Card Premier. The cities where this is available are Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ahmedabad, Kolkata(Sealdah). The benefits in the lounge include:
- Two hours of lounge stay
- A/C sitting arrangements
- 1 Buffet Meal – Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner as per the time of visit
- Unlimited tea and coffee
- Free Wi-Fi
- Newspapers and Magazines
Other Benefits
- Save 1% transaction charges on IRCTC railway ticket bookings
- Save 1.8% transaction charges on IRCTC air ticket bookings
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs 500 to Rs 4000 (Max Rs 250/statement cycle)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 10% value back on AC railway ticket bookings
- Reward points credited to IRCTC loyalty account for easy redemption
- Complimentary railway lounge access
Cons
- Annual fee may be a little high if you don’t have sufficient spends on IRCTC
- Low rewards on non-AC IRCTC bookings
Final Verdict
This is another rewarding card after the IRCTC SBI Platinum card for frequent train travellers. You get 10% value back on AC train tickets, plus an extra 7.5% return on milestone spending, making it an excellent offer. With the milestone rewards, we save up to 17.5% on our IRCTC AC tickets.
One improvement we’d like to see is in the complimentary railway lounge access. Since we rarely travel alone, it would be great if SBI Card offered complimentary access for guests or add-on cardholders. Another potential enhancement could be more benefits for non-AC ticket bookings. The 0.8% return for an IRCTC co-branded card at a feels a bit low, in my opinion.
The second change should be to lower the Rs 2 Lakh annual fee waiver threshold to Rs 1.5 Lakhs, making it easier to qualify for the waiver. Since milestone rewards cap at Rs 1 Lakh spend, reaching the Rs 2 Lakh annual spend requirement would be challenging for someone relying solely on travel bookings.
If you are looking for other cards that offer good benefits on IRCTC train bookings, then do have a look at IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card.
Frequently Asked Questions
IRCTC SBI Premier Credit Card
9 thoughts on “IRCTC SBI Premier Credit Card Review: Get 10% return on AC Tickets”
Does premier offer 10% cashback throughout the year or does it offer 4% & 10% cashback in different months?
It is 10% cashback throughout the year.
I asked SBI Card regarding this and escalated it to nodal, and this was their reply:
“We would like to reiterate that IRCTC SBI Credit Card Reward Points entitlement are based on date of travel.
4 Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent
(Valid on tickets with Date of Travel between April 1 – July 14 and September 16 – January 14)
10 Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent
(Valid on tickets with Date of Travel between January 15 – March 31 and July 15 – September 15)
With reference to further benefits on IRCTC Premier card, please refer: https://www.sbicard.com/en/personal/credit-cards/travel/irctc-premier-card.page”
Are you really sure if it’s 10% throughout the year?
The email refers to IRCTC SBI Credit Card which is the lower variant, not the Premier variant. You can check with them regarding the IRCTC Premier card or also check the T&C document.
Thanks a lot for the clarification. Your comments helps me solve a lot of mysteries on this issue. Even though I escalated it to Nodal, they kept iterating that there is no 10% cashback throughout the year. But the document t&c you send, made it pretty clear that there is no such conditions of differential cashback and it’s 10% cashback throughout the year. Thank you!
Does IRCTC PREMIER has the same reward rate as IRCTC Platinum? As in irctc platinum, we get different reward rate in different quarter for train bookings. Could you please confirm? Thanks!
No, this 10% cashback is valid for the entire year.
Does SBI Premier also has condition of “Different reward rate for different months”, like seen in Sbi platinum irctc?
Also, what are the other major difference between premier and platinum? Thanks!
No, the Premier card does not have that condition. Premier gets better rewards and milestone benefits than the Platinum card.