Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card is a basic credit card by Kotak Mahindra Bank but is quite famous amongst the customers because of the rewards and benefits that this card offers to its members. Instead of being an entry-level credit card, this card provides some great features such as reward points on the regular spends made using the credit card and some accelerated reward points while the cardholders spend on some specific categories such as dining, travel, etc, and bonus reward points on the basis of the amount used through the credit card. Also, with this credit card, the traveling experience of the cardholders is made much better by providing them with complimentary lounge visits every quarter.

kotak white credit card

With Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card, the cardholders can save a lot on fuel and railway tickets as this credit card provides a fuel and railway surcharge waiver. The card issuer company does not charge any joining fee on this credit card but does charge a renewal fee of Rs. 999 which again can be waived off on the basis of the amount that the cardholders spend using the credit card.

On the other hand, the Kotak White Credit Card by Kotak Mahindra Bank is a new launch by the bank that rewards the cardholders in the form of White Pass Value. Both the credit cards provide some great benefits to the customers in terms of travel and lifestyle but at some point are quite different from each other. Lets us discuss in detail the features and benefits provided by these credit cards to have a better understanding of both credit cards. This rewarding method is more like a milestone benefit as the cardholders will get White Pass Value on the basis of the amount spent using the credit card. The cardholders can also enjoy luxurious travel experiences as the cardholders will get complimentary access to domestic and international airport lounges and will also get complimentary Priority Pass Membership. The joining and renewal of the Kotak White Credit Card are placed at Rs. 3,000 which can be waived off considering the amount the cardholders spend using this credit card.
Both the credit cards by Kotak Mahindra Bank are quite decent credit cards providing the cardholders with some exclusive benefits and rewards. Now let us discuss in detail the features and benefits of individual credit cards to have a better understanding of the same.

Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card

A decent credit card by Kotak Mahindra Bank, the Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card provides cardholders with plenty of rewards and travel benefits. With this credit card, the cardholders can earn reward points on all the spends that they make using this credit card. Additionally, the cardholders can also earn bonus reward points while they achieve a particular amount of spending in an anniversary year. The cardholders also get complimentary access to domestic airport lounges and can also save while spending on fuel and railway ticket bookings as they are entitled to receive a waiver on these transactions. This credit card does not charge any joining fee but charges a renewal fee of Rs. 999. The following are the details and features that come along with the Kotak Mahindra Royale Signature Credit Card –

  • The cardholders are entitled to receive 2 Reward Points for every Rs. 150 that they spend using this credit card except the amount spent on fuel and railway transactions.
  • The cardholders will get accelerated 2x Reward Points for every Rs. 150 spent on some particular categories such as hotels and restaurants, Airlines, Tour operators and travel agencies, package tour operators, and international spends.
  • Under the Visa Lounge Access Program, the cardholders will get 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge access in a year.
  • You get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all the fuel transactions between Rs. 500 and Rs. 3,000 made using this credit card. The maximum surcharge benefit that the cardholders can enjoy is capped at Rs. 3,500 in a year.
  • An additional benefit with this credit card is that the cardholders can enjoy a surcharge waiver on the railway ticket bookings as well on all the tickets booked on the IRCTC Website or the railway ticket booking counters. The maximum railway surcharge benefit that the cardholders can enjoy is capped at Rs. 500 in a year.
  • In the form of milestone benefits, the cardholders will get bonus reward points. On achieving spends of Rs. 4 Lakhs in a year, you will get 10,000 bonus reward points and on achieving spends of Rs. 8 Lakhs or more in a year, the cardholders will get 30,000 bonus reward points, which is huge.
  • Also, you get an insurance cover of Rs. 2.5 Lakhs for any fraudulent transaction made using your credit card.
  • The renewal fee of Rs. 999 of the Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card can be redeemed if the cardholder is able to spend Rs. 1 Lakh or more in an anniversary year.
  • The points that the cardholders earn can be redeemed for a variety of products and vouchers available at the www.kotakrewards.com website.
  • For the purpose of redemption, 1 Reward Point = Rs. 0.1875.

Kotak White Credit Card

A semi-premium credit card by Kotak Mahindra Bank, the Kotak White Credit Card is a downgraded version of the Kotak White Reserve Credit Card. The rewarding system of this credit card is quite different as you get rewarded with White Pass Value in the form of reward points with the credit card and it is more like a milestone benefit method. The cardholders get some exciting benefits in the form of welcome benefits, complimentary Priority Pass Membership and complimentary access to domestic and international airport lounges.The cardholders are also entitled to railway and fuel surcharge waivers with which the cardholders can save enormously on such transactions. The Kotak White Credit Card comes with a joining and renewal fee of Rs. 3,000 which is on the higher side but justified with respect to the rewards and benefits that this credit card provides. Furthermore, the renewal fee of this credit card can be waived off on the basis of the amount spent using this credit card. Following are the detailed benefits and features of this credit card –

  • As a welcome benefit to this credit card, the cardholders will get a gift voucher worth Rs. 1,500 on spending Rs. 30,000 using this credit card within the first 60 days from the date of card setup date.
  • The cardholders will earn reward points in the form of White Pass Value. You will start earning White Pass Value once you have crossed the spending limit of Rs. 2 Lakhs. The following table will explain this better –
Spends White Pass Value (Incremental) White Pass Value (Cumulative)
< 2 Lakhs Rs. 0 Rs. 0
2 – < 4 Lakhs Rs. 2,000 Rs. 2,000
4 – < 6 Lakhs Rs. 4,000 Rs. 6,000
6 – < 9 Lakhs Rs. 6,000 Rs. 12,000
9 – < 12 Lakhs Rs. 7,000 Rs. 19,000
12 Lakhs and above Rs. 8,000 Rs. 27,000
  • You get complimentary Priority Pass Membership with which the cardholders get access to more than 1,300 airport lounges around the world.
  • The cardholders will get 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year, limited to 2 per quarter.
  • With Priority Pass Membership, the cardholders will get 4 complimentary international lounge visits in a year.
  • For any fraudulent activities that might take place through your credit card, your card comes with an insurance cover worth Rs. 2.5 Lakhs against such transactions.
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all fuel transactions between Rs. 500 and Rs. 3,000 at all fuel stations in India. The surcharge amount is capped at a maximum of Rs. 3,500 in a year.
  • 1.8% to 2.5% surcharge waiver on the booking of railway tickets on the IRCTC Website or at the Indian Railway Booking Counters. The maximum surcharge waiver under this category is capped at Rs. 500 in a year.
  • The renewal fee of Rs. 3,000 of the Kotak White Credit Card can be waived if the cardholder is able to spend Rs. 5 Lakhs or more in an anniversary year.
  • The White Pass Value earned with this credit card can be redeemed for various products and vouchers available at www.kotakrewards.com.

Quick Comparison

Now that we have discussed the features of both the cards individually, let us now have a quick comparison between The Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card and The Kotak White Credit Card-

Basis Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card Kotak White Credit Card
Reward Rate
  • 2 RP for every Rs. 150 spent.
  • 4 RP for every Rs. 150 spent on selected categories.
  • Rewards are credited in the form of White Pass Value.
  • You start earning White Pass Value once you overachieve spends of Rs. 2 Lakhs.
Reward Redemption
  • Can be redeemed against products and vouchers available at the Kotak Rewards Website.
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.1875
  • Can be redeemed against a pool of products and vouchers available at the Kotak Rewards Website. 
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
  • 1% on transactions between Rs. 500 and Rs. 3,000.
  • The surcharge amount is capped at a maximum of Rs. 3,500 in a year.
  • 1% waiver on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000.
  • Surcharge capped at a maximum of Rs. 3,500 in a year.
Railway Surcharge Waiver
  • Yes, you get a railway surcharge while booking on the IRCTC website or at the Railway booking counters.
  • 1.8% - 2.5% railway surcharge waiver while booking railway tickets at the IRCTC Website or at the railway booking counters.
  • Surcharge amount is capped at a maximum of Rs. 500 in a year.
Welcome Benefits
  • NA
  • Gift voucher worth Rs. 1,500 on spending Rs. 30,000 using your credit card within the first 60 days of card issuance.
Milestone Benefit
  • 10,000 Reward Points on achieving spends of Rs. 4 Lakhs in a year.
  • 30,000 Reward Points on achieving spends of Rs. 8 Lakhs or more in a year.
  • NA
Domestic Lounge Access
  • 2 complimentary domestic lounge access in a year 
  • 8 complimentary visits in a year, limited to 2 per quarter
International Lounge Access
  • NA
  • 4 complimentary visits in a year
Joining Fee
  • NIL
Rs. 3,000 + Taxes
Renewal Fees
  • Rs. 999 + Taxes
  • (Can be waived off on spending Rs. 1 Lakh or more in the previous year)
  • Rs.3,000 + Taxes
  • (Can be waived off on spending Rs. 5 Lakhs or more in the previous year)
Eligibility
  • The applicant should be a resident of India.
  • Issued to both salaried and self-employed individuals between the age of 21 years to 65 years.
  • The applicant should have an annual income of Rs. 24 Lakhs or more.
  • The applicant must be a resident of India.
  • Issued to both salaried and self-employed individuals between the age of 28 years to 65 years.
  • The applicant should have an annual income of Rs. 25 Lakhs or more.
  • This credit card is issued only at selected locations in India which include Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune.

Bottom Line

Though being a basic credit card, the Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card provides some great benefits to the cardholders which include generic reward points on their spends and accelerated reward points while spending on some specific categories. With this credit card, the cardholders get huge milestone benefits which are an attractive feature of this credit card. In case of travel benefits, the cardholders get complimentary access to domestic airport lounges under the Visa Lounge Program and also get a railway surcharge waiver on the booking of railway tickets. Additionally, the cardholders also get a fuel surcharge waiver which helps them save on fuel transactions. On the other hand, the Kotak White Credit Card is a semi-premium credit card that provides cardholders with a unique rewarding system.

The cardholders will get reward points in the form of White Pass Value on the basis of the amount that you spend using your credit card, just like milestone benefits. Additionally, the cardholders will get travel benefits such as complimentary Priority Pass Membership and complimentary access to the domestic and international airport lounges. The only thing that you should consider before opting for this credit card is that you have to be sure that your annual spending will go beyond Rs. 2 Lakhs so that you can enjoy the White Pass Value benefit. Both the credit cards provide some great benefits and features to the cardholders but cardholders should choose one after thoroughly going through the benefits of each credit card and after analyzing their own needs, demands, and spending pattern.

For any more queries related to these cards, please feel free to ask us in the comment section below!

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