Apollo SBI SELECT Credit Card Vs SBI PULSE Credit Card
In today’s fast-paced life, taking care of your health has become just as important as managing your finances. Credit cards like the Apollo SBI Select Credit Card and the SBI Card PULSE offer wellness-focused benefits, along with everyday spending rewards.
The Apollo SBI Select is a great option for those people who are very particular about their health and wellness. The card comes with a joining fee of ₹1,499 + GST. The card offers 25% cashback on medicine purchases made through Apollo 24|7. Not only that, users can earn 10 Reward Points per ₹100 spent on Apollo 24|7 and Apollo Pharmacy, and 2 Reward Points per ₹100 spent on dining, movies, entertainment, and travel. These Reward Points can be redeemed only as Health Credits for Apollo spends.
The SBI Card PULSE comes with a joining fee of ₹1,499 + GST. The users can earn 2 Reward Points for every ₹100 spent and 5x Reward Points on a few selected categories. In addition to the health advantages, the card offers travel benefits. Cardholders will receive free access to domestic airport lounges and a complimentary Priority Pass membership for the initial two years.
Both cards provide health-related perks, reward programs, and travel benefits. Comparing these two options can help you understand which card better suits your lifestyle and health needs.
Based on the Joining fee and Welcome Benefits
Both cards have the same joining fee of ₹1,499 + GST, so there’s no difference in cost to start with. The main difference comes in the welcome benefits. The Apollo SBI SELECT Card gives you an Apollo 24/7 gift voucher worth ₹1,500 along with Apollo Circle benefits and a FITPASS PRO membership, which is more focused on health and wellness.
On the other hand, the SBI Card PULSE offers higher-value welcome perks, including a Noise ColorFit Pulse 4 Pro smartwatch worth ₹7,999, plus complimentary FITPASS Pro and Netmeds First memberships. So, while the fees are equal, the SBI Card PULSE provides more value in terms of welcome gifts.
| Feature | Apollo SBI SELECT Card | SBI Card PULSE |
| Joining Fee | ₹1,499 + GST | ₹1,499 + GST |
| Welcome Benefits |
|
|
Based on Milestone Benefits
Both the Apollo SBI SELECT Card and SBI Card PULSE come with milestone benefits, but in reality, the spending targets for both cards feel quite high and may be difficult for many users to achieve. The Apollo card requires spending of ₹50,000 for a complimentary health check-up worth ₹1,999 and goes up to ₹6 lakh for rewards like a smartwatch, which can be challenging unless you are a high spender.
Similarly, SBI Card PULSE also asks for ₹4 lakh spend to earn a ₹1,500 voucher, which may not feel very rewarding compared to the spending. Even though the fee waiver on PULSE is slightly easier at ₹2 lakh compared to ₹3 lakh on Apollo, overall, both cards have milestones that may not be very practical for average users.
Based on Rewards
When you compare both cards on reward rate, the Apollo SBI SELECT Credit Card clearly gives higher value, especially if you spend on Apollo services. It offers 10 Reward Points for every ₹100 spent on the Apollo 24|7 app and in stores, 2% on dining, travel, and entertainment, and 0.5% on other spends. Plus, its biggest advantage is that 1 Reward Point = ₹1, which makes the value very straightforward and strong, but the downside is that points can only be used as Apollo Health Credits.
On the other hand, the SBI Card PULSE gives 10 points per ₹100 on movies, dining, pharmacy, and chemist spends, but since 1 point = ₹0.25, the actual return is 2.5%. For other spends, it gives 2 points per ₹100, which equals just 0.5%. The benefit here is flexibility, as points can be redeemed for cash, unlike Apollo’s restricted usage.
In simple terms, Apollo SBI SELECT is better suited for higher-value ₹1 per point, but with limited usage, while SBI Pulse offers lower value ₹0.25 per point, but with more flexible redemption options.
Based on Airport Lounge Benefits
When it comes to airport lounge access, the Apollo SBI SELECT Credit Card is simple and easy to use. It gives you 4 free domestic lounge visits in a year. SBI Card PULSE gives more visits, which is 8 visits in a year, but you can only use 2 visits in every quarter, which can be a bit limiting if you travel more at one time. Both cards also give a free Priority Pass membership for the first two years, but you still have to pay when you use it for international lounges. The SBI Card PULSE gives more visits, but with some limits.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, both the Apollo SBI SELECT Credit Card and the SBI Card PULSE are good options if you are looking for health-related benefits along with regular rewards.
However, the Apollo card is more suitable for people who frequently use Apollo services and are comfortable using their rewards only for healthcare expenses. For most users, this limited usage can be a drawback.
On the other hand, SBI Card PULSE offers a better overall experience with more flexible reward redemption, higher-value welcome benefits, and better travel perks like more lounge visits. It also has a slightly easier annual fee waiver condition. Because of this balance between health, lifestyle, and flexibility, SBI Card PULSE turns out to be the better choice for most people.
Reader Comments
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts.