20+ Best Travel Credit Cards

List of Best Travel Credit Cards

If you fully understand the benefits of travel credit cards and need one, you can choose from our list. Depending on your requirements and expectations for a travel credit card, here are some of the best credit cards currently available in the Indian credit card market.

Generic Travel Cards:

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Hotel Co-Branded Cards:

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Airlines Co-Branded Cards:

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Travel Platform Co-Branded Cards:

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Features and Benefits of Travel Credit Cards

Travel credit cards can be either generic or co-branded (launched in partnership with an airline like IndiGo, or in some cases, IRCTC or even travel portals like MakeMyTrip, AdaniOne, etc.). Co-branded travel cards, as you can guess, offer special benefits on spends on the partner airline and/or earn rewards as the partner airline’s AirMiles, which are credited to the airline’s frequent flyer program.

Generic travel credit cards, on the other hand, either earn Reward Points at an accelerated rate on travel-related spends or offer travel-related value-added privileges like complimentary hotel loyalty program membership or a complimentary night stay at partner hotels, etc.

Both co-branded and generic travel credit cards usually offer complimentary airport/IRCTC lounge access and a comprehensive insurance plan, along with multiple travel insurance covers. Some of the features and benefits that one expects from a travel credit card are-

Complimentary Lounge Access: Almost all travel credit cards offer complimentary airport or IRCTC railway lounge access. Entry-level and mid-level travel credit cards offer only domestic airport lounge access and IRTC lounge access. At the same time, premium travel cards usually also offer complimentary international airport lounge access or at least a complimentary membership to the Priority Pass lounge program.

Air Miles: This applies only to co-branded travel credit cards. Co-branded travel credit cards launched in collaboration with an airline often earn Reward Points as the partner airline’s AirMiles. For example, those who have the HDFC Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card shall earn rewards in the form of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Hotel Loyalty Program Membership/Stay Vouchers: Some premium travel credit cards also offer complimentary membership in certain hotel loyalty programs or complimentary stay vouchers at partner hotels. For example, the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card offers complimentary Taj stay vouchers/gift cards.

Welcome/Milestone Benefits: Many travel credit cards offer travel vouchers (like hotel stay vouchers or gift cards) as a welcome benefit upon card membership or as a milestone benefit upon achieving the stipulated spend milestone. Some travel cards also offer complimentary flight ticket(s) as a welcome benefit or as a milestone benefit.

Accelerated Reward Rate on Travel Spends: Some travel credit cards earn Reward Points/Miles at an accelerated rate on travel-related spends. For example, the Horizon Credit Card offers accelerated rewards on direct airline spends.

How to Compare Travel Credit Cards?

Travel credit cards, as you know, offer special travel benefits to cardholders. These benefits may come in a number of different forms, including complimentary airport/IRCTC railway lounge access, complimentary hotel stay vouchers/hotel loyalty program memberships, Reward Points such as AirMiles, bonus Reward Points/Miles on travel spends, etc. Now, since different travel cards come with different types of travel benefits, it is often difficult to compare two credit cards objectively. For example, how would you compare a travel credit card like the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, which offers complimentary domestic airport lounge access and Taj Stay vouchers (on meeting the spending targets), with a card like the Axis Atlas Credit Card that earns RPs as EDGE Miles?

If you have to choose a travel credit card for yourself, we would suggest that you be very clear about your requirements- for example, you must decide whether the majority of your trips are going to be only within India or whether you will frequently be traveling to foreign destinations as well. Listed below are some of the pointers, rather some of the parameters, that one must keep in mind to compare travel credit cards, and before making a call on which travel credit card will suit you the best.

Co-Branded vs Generic Travel Credit Cards

Many credit card issuers tie up with airlines, IRCTC, or holiday booking portals (like MMT or Yatra) to launch co-branded credit cards. These co-branded cards offer extra benefits on spending at partner merchants. A co-branded credit card may be a good pick for you if you prefer a particular airline over others or if you prefer railways over airways as a mode of transportation.

For example, an IndiGo or KrisFlyer co-branded credit card may be a good pick for a frequent domestic flyer, while an Etihad or Emirates co-branded card might be the best fit for someone who frequently travels to Gulf destinations like Dubai.

On the other hand, a generic travel credit card may be the best-suited one for you if you have no specific preference for a particular airline or travel portal. A generic travel credit card like the AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card or RBL World Safari Card will almost always offer complimentary access to domestic/international airport lounges and a higher reward rate on travel spends or international transactions made with the card.

Airport/Railway Lounge Access

Almost all travel credit cards offer complimentary airport or railway lounge access. While entry-level and mid-level travel cards usually offer lounge access only at domestic airports or at railway stations, premium travel credit cards also offer complimentary lounge access at international airports or at least complimentary membership of a lounge access program like Priority Pass.

If travel experience matters to you a lot, complimentary lounge access is definitely one of the important factors that you must consider when choosing a travel credit card. If you travel to nearby places within India, an IRCTC co-branded travel credit card that offers complimentary railway lounge access can be a great pick for you. Also, suppose you frequently travel by air within the country. In that case, you may consider a travel credit card that offers complimentary domestic airport lounge access, while you might ignore the international lounge benefit. However, suppose you are a frequent international flyer. In that case, you must make sure that the travel credit card you choose offers a certain number of complimentary airport lounge access at international airports as well.

Another point worth keeping in mind is that if you are looking for a credit card just for the lounge access benefit, sometimes generic credit cards (which are not particularly travel-centric cards) offer more (sometimes even unlimited) lounge access at airports/railway stations. For example, suppose you require a credit card just for railway lounge benefits. In that case, IDFC FIRST Credit Cards offer 4 complimentary IRCTC lounge access every quarter at select railway stations across the country, which is more than what any of the IRCTC co-branded credit cards offer.

Similarly, HDFC Infinia and Diners Club Black Credit Cards offer unlimited international airport lounge access to both primary and add-on card members, a benefit that you do not get with most premium travel credit cards. The following table summarises the railway/airport lounge access feature that you get with the aforementioned travel credit cards-

Credit Card	Domestic Airport	International Airport Lounge Access	Railway Lounge Access
Axis Horizon	6 Per Calendar Quarter With Mastercard World Variant and 8 Per Calendar Quarter With Visa Signature Variant	8 Each Year (2 Every Quarter)	N/A
HDFC Regalia Gold	3 Complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge Access Every Quarter (12 Each Year)	6 International Lounge Visits Via Priority Pass (For Both Primary and Add-on Cardholders)	N/A
American Express Platinum Travel	2 Domestic Lounge Access Every Quarter (8 Each Year)	Priority Pass Membership	N/A
IDFC Mayura	4 Free Visits Across the Country Each Quarter, 16 in a Year. One Additional Free Guest Visit Each Quarter	4 Free Visits Each Quarter, 16 in a Year	4 Complimentary Railway Lounge Access Each Quarter
SBI Card MILES PRIME	2 Domestic Lounge Access Every Quarter (8 Each Year)	4 Domestic Lounge Access Every Quarter (1 Each Year)	N/A
SBI Card Miles Elite	8 Visits Each Year (Maximum 2 Per Quarter)	6 Free Visits Each Year (Maximum 2 Per Quarter)	N/A
Axis Olympus	Unlimited Airport Lounge Access	Unlimited Airport Lounge Access	N/A
HDFC INFINIA	Unlimited Airport Lounge Access	Unlimited Airport Lounge Access	N/A
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC	12 Complimentary Visits Each Year	12 Complimentary Visits Each Year	N/A
KrisFlyer SBI	1 Visits Each Quarter (4 Annually)	4 Airport Visits Abroad	N/A
Scapia Federal	Unlimited on Making Spends of ₹10,000 for the Visa Variant and ₹15,000 for the RuPay Variant	N/A	N/A
Adani One Signature	4 Free Domestic Airport Lounge Visits Each Quarter	2 International Lounge Visits Each Year	N/A
MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank	8 Visits Each Year (Maximum 2 Per Quarter)	One Free Visit Each Year	N/A

Hotel Loyalty Program Membership/Hotel Stay Vouchers

Some premium travel credit cards offer complimentary vouchers from premium hotel chains. For example, the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, one of the great travel cards in India in the premium segment, offers complimentary Taj Stay vouchers upon meeting spending targets. This benefit may be important for you if you want to enjoy a premium travel experience without any compromises.

Foreign Currency Mark-up

The usual foreign currency mark-up fee, as applicable for most credit cards, is about 3.5% of the conversion amount. Some travel credit cards charge a lower or sometimes even zero markup fee on international currency purchases. For example, a zero forex mark-up fee is charged on international transactions done with ixigo AU Credit Card and RBL World Safari Credit Card, while a lower foreign currency mark-up fee of just 2.5% is applicable on 6E Rewards XL – IndiGo HDFC Bank Credit Card. Suppose you are a frequent flyer to global destinations. In that case, you should definitely consider this benefit when choosing a travel credit card for yourself unless you plan to use a prepaid forex card for all foreign currency transactions.

How to Find The Right Travel Credit Cards?

In order to find the right travel credit cards for yourself, you will have to understand your travel requirements first. If you travel very often, you should go with premium travel credit cards, irrespective of their higher fees, as you would be able to save even more using these cards if used wisely. On the other hand, if you travel only once or twice every year, you can go with the basic travel cards that come with lower fees and offer 2-4 complimentary lounge access yearly. Other factors that you need to understand are whether you should choose co-branded or non-co-branded cards. If you travel via a particular airline frequently, you can go with a co-branded credit card issued by that airline.

How Do Travel Credit Card Reward Points Work?

Credit Card Points are the rewards you earn when making purchases using your credit card. Some cards offer accelerated rewards in certain categories, and travel credit cards generally come with a higher reward rate in travel categories, such as flight and hotel bookings. These points work as your savings, as they can later be redeemed against many options and even against the card’s outstanding balance. Let us understand this using a simple example.

Suppose you have a credit card that offers air miles on all your spends, and you have earned 10,000 air miles so far, with every air mile equivalent to ₹1. Now, if you want to book a flight worth ₹30,000, you can use these Airmiles and pay the rest of the amount in cash. This is how you will be able to book a flight worth ₹30,000 with ₹20,000 only. Similarly, you can use Reward Points against other categories as well, such as shopping, dining, etc.

Do’s and Don’ts While Using a Travel Credit Card

It is never a good idea to go with a card without knowing how you can use it for maximum benefits and whether it will be worth it or not. Here are some important do’s and don’ts that you should keep in mind while using a travel card:

Do’s

• Make sure to understand your travel requirements before you choose a travel credit card for yourself.
• If you have complimentary lounge access with your credit card, you should register it as soon as you receive your card, or at least understand the process so that you don’t face any difficulties at the last minute.
• Redeem your reward points/Airmiles against a category that gives you the maximum conversion value.

Don’ts

• Never let your rewards/air miles expire without redeeming them for your benefit. You should be aware of the validity of your card’s reward points and redeem them before the expiry date.
• Don’t delay or miss your credit card bill payments, as the additional charges, such as interest and late payment fees, might be even more than the benefits that your card offers.
• Before making any large purchases, check if you can use your rewards to get some vouchers that will reduce your overall spending.

Why Apply for a Travel Credit Card?

Travel credit cards are very advantageous for frequent travelers, but at the same time, you should also keep in mind that these cards generally come with a higher annual fee. So, you should not just go with a travel credit card randomly, but get it only if you are someone who has all the following requirements:

• You travel domestically as well as internationally very often. However, basic cards are always good, even if you travel only once or twice every year, but you don’t get a super-premium card with a high annual fee.
• You don’t want to compromise on your luxuries even when you are traveling. One of the biggest reasons travel cards have a high annual fee is that they offer complimentary lounge access and many more exclusive privileges, such as deals and discounts on flights and premium hotel bookings.
• You are a responsible credit card user. If you are not responsible enough to use a credit card, you won’t be able to maximize the benefits of a travel credit card, and you will just end up paying a high annual fee without any benefits.

How to Apply for Travel Credit Cards in India?

The application process for a travel credit card, just like any other credit card, is usually very simple. You can apply for travel credit cards through Card Insider-

• Visit the review page of the credit card you want to apply for on Card Insider.
• Click/tap on the “Apply Now” option.
• You will be redirected to the official credit card page on the card issuer’s website.
• You can now proceed with the application on the card issuer’s website by entering the requested details in the designated fields.
• Once you have successfully submitted your credit card application, the card issuer will evaluate it to determine your eligibility for the card you applied for.
• If you are eligible for the card, the card issuer will mail it to your address, usually within 15 days of your application submission.

Best Credit Cards with Zero or Low Foreign Currency Markup Fee

Almost all credit cards charge a markup fee on foreign currency transactions. The usual markup fee is 3.5% of the conversion amount. However, some premium and mid-range travel credit cards have a foreign currency mark-up fee that is either zero or very low. Some such travel credit cards are the RBL Bank World Safari Credit Card and the IndiGo 6E Reward XL HDFC Bank Credit Card.

It is worth noting that some other premium credit cards, in addition to these travel-specific credit cards, offer a lower foreign currency markup. For example, the foreign currency markup fee charged on HDFC Infinia and Diners Club Black Metal Credit Cards is also less than 2%.

Bottom Line

As you can see, there are several credit card sub-categories within the travel segment, each targeting specific customer niches. Those who frequently fly with IndiGo would benefit from opting for an IndiGo Co-Branded Credit Card, while those who book with multiple airlines can consider the Axis Horizon Credit Card, which offers up to 5X rewards on direct airline spends.

From airlines to hotels, there are plenty of rewarding options available; it simply depends on your personal needs and spending behavior. It’s important to choose the right travel credit card based on your travel habits and preferences.