SBI Card Elite Vs SBI Prime Credit Card – Which One Should You Get?

When it comes to major credit card issuers in India, the name of the SBI Card is always on top. SBI Card issues a lot of premium and basic credit cards with world-class privileges in order to allow its customers to avail themselves of maximum facilities with minimal charges. Individuals who want to get a premium credit card from SBI always look for one of these two cards: SBI Card Elite or SBI Card Prime. Both of the cards come with almost the same benefits and that is the reason why people are often confused to choose one of them. From reward programs to lifestyle privileges to travel benefits, these cards provide you with exclusive advantages over several categories. If you are also thinking of getting one of these cards, you must compare their features wisely and then go with the one that seems to benefit you the most. We are here with the comparison article titled “SBI Card Elite Vs Prime Credit Card” to help you choose a card that best suits your requirements:

SBI Elite Credit Card

SBI Card Elite is the second most premium credit card offered by the SBI Card. The card is issued in three variants, which are: Amex, Visa, and MasterCard. It comes with a quite high joining fee and welcomes its customers with gift vouchers that are worth the same as the joining fee. Along with its exciting reward programs, the card comes with several features including movie benefits, dining benefits, travel benefits, and many more. You get complimentary movie tickets, free access to luxury airport lounges, and a lot more privileges with this card. Refer to the below-mentioned points for further details:

• You get welcome gift vouchers worth Rs. 5,000 from any of these brands: Hush Puppies/Bata, Yatra, Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop, and Aditya Birla Fashion.
• You get 10 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 you spend on groceries, departmental stores, and dining.
• You get 2 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent elsewhere.
• The reward points you earn can be redeemed against gift at sbicard.com or against cashback at a rate of 1 Reward Point = Re. 0.25.
• Under the milestone benefits of the card, you can earn up to 50,000 bonus Reward Points every year. The milestone program is as follows:

– Get 10,000 bonus RPs on spending Rs. 3 lakh in a year.
– Get 20,000 bonus RPs on spending Rs. 4 lakhs in a year.
– Get 35,000 bonus RPs on spending Rs. 5 lakhs in a year.
– Get 50,000 bonus RPs on spending Rs. 8 lakhs or more in a year.

• You get complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership and Trident Privilege Red Tier membership.
• You get 8 complimentary domestic lounge access every year with a maximum of 2 visits per quarter.
• You get complimentary Priority Pass membership with 6 complimentary international lounge access.
• With the AmEx variant, you can save up to 25% on your dining bills at several participating restaurants across the country.
• You get 2 complimentary movie tickets every month on BookMyShow with the maximum discount price capped at Rs. 250 per ticket.
• You get 4 complimentary rounds of Golf every month and 1 complimentary Golf lesson.
• The card provides you with an insurance cover worth Rs. 1 lakh against a lost/stolen card.
• The annual fee is waived off if you spend Rs. 10 lakhs or more in the previous anniversary year.

SBI Prime Credit Card

SBI Prime Credit card is also among the most premium credit cards issued by the SBI Card. Like the SBI Card Elite, it also comes in three variants; Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. It comes with a comparatively low joining fee and provides almost all the benefits that one expects from a credit card. From reward points to travel to dining, the card comes loaded with a number of exclusive privileges. To know more about the card’s benefits and fees & charges, refer to the following points:

• You get a welcome gift voucher worth Rs. 3,000 from Yatra/Hush Puppies/Bala/ Pantaloons, etc.
• You get 10 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on groceries, dining, departmental stores, and movies.
• You get 2 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent elsewhere.
• You get 20 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on your birthday.
• You can redeem your earned reward points against gift vouchers or statement cash at the value of 1 RP = Re. 0.25.
• You get a Pizza hut e-voucher worth Rs. 1,000 on spending Rs. 50,000 or more in a quarter.
• You get gift vouchers worth up to Rs. 7,000 from Pantaloons/Yatra on spending Rs. 5 lakhs in a year.
• You get up to a 25% discount on dining with the Amex variant of the card.
• You get 8 complimentary domestic lounge access every year.
• You get 4 complimentary international lounge access every year with the Priority Pass membership.
• You get complimentary access to golf games 4 times per month and 1 complimentary golf lesson.
• You get an air accident cover worth Rs. 50 lakhs and a fraud liability cover worth Rs. 1 lakh.
• The annual fee is waived off if you spend Rs. 3 lakhs or more in the previous year.

SBI Card Elite vs Prime Credit Card

These two top cards from the SBI Card are a choice of thousands of customers across the country and a lot of individuals are confused about which one they should choose. If you are also willing to get one of these cards, make sure to compare them on the basis of different factors as mentioned in the table given below:

Features	SBI Card Elite	SBI Prime Credit Card
Annual Fee	Rs. 4,999	Rs. 2,999
Interest Rate	3.5% per month	3.5% per month
Welcome Benefits	Travel or shopping voucher worth Rs. 5,000	Travel or shopping voucher worth Rs. 3,000
Reward Rate	10 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on dining, departmental stores, and groceries. 2 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent elsewhere.	10 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on departmental stores, groceries, and dining. 2 Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent elsewhere.
Reward Redemption	The reward points you earn can be redeemed against gift vouchers and statement cash at a rate of 1 RP = Re. 0.25.	The earned reward points can be redeemed against gift vouchers and statement cash, where 1 RP = Re. 0.25.
Milestone Benefits	Earn up to 50,000 bonus Reward points every year.	Earn gift vouchers worth up to Rs. 11,000 every year.
Dining Benefits	Up to 25% discount on dining with the AmEx variant.	Up to 25% off on dining at partner restaurants with the AmEx variant.
Movie Benefits	2 complimentary movie tickets every month.	5X Reward Points (10 Reward Points) on dining and movie spends. Get up to 25% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants (only with AmEx variant).
Travel Benefits	Complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership Complimentary Trident Privilege Silver Tier membership Exciting discount offers at luxury hotels.	Complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership Complimentary Trident Privilege Silver Tier membership Exciting discount offers at luxury hotels.
Airport Lounge Access	8 complimentary domestic lounge access every year 6 complimentary international lounge access every year	8 complimentary domestic lounge access every year 4 complimentary international lounge access every year.
Forex Markup Fee	1.99% on all foreign currency spends.	3.5% on all foreign currency spends.
Golf Benefits	4 complimentary golf games and 1 complimentary golf lesson every month.	Access to 4 complimentary golf games and 1 golf lesson each month.
Insurance Benefits	Fraud liability covers worth Rs. 1 lakh.	Air accident cover worth Rs. 50 lakhs. Fraud liability covers worth Rs. 1 lakh.
Spend-based Waiver	The annual fee is waived off on spending Rs. 10 lakhs in a year.	The annual fee is waived off on spending Rs. 3 lakhs in a year.

Bottom Line

After comparing the two cards, you might have come to a decision of which card are you going to choose. None of the two cards can be considered better than the other as it totally depends on the requirements of people. However, both of the cards come with the same rewards program, but there is still a difference between them. The SBI Elite Card comes with a comparatively higher joining fee and provides exciting movie benefits, which are not provided by the SBI Prime Card that comes with a lower annual fee. But on the other hand, SBI prime card comes with a complimentary air accident insurance cover which you will not get with the SBI Card Elite. It is true that most of the features of both the cards are the same, but small things can also make a difference.

If you are someone who is not much interested in movies, you can undoubtedly go with the SBI Card Prime as it provides you with all the other benefits with a lower annual fee. But, if you are a movie lover, you must choose the Elite card as it will benefit you worth much more than the annual fee it charges. Moreover, it will also allow you to save on your international travel as it comes with complimentary lounge access as well as a low foreign currency markup fee. So, it is highly advisable for you to analyze and note down your spending habits first and then go with a card that fulfills most of your requirements. Also, make sure to let us know which card are you going to apply for, and feel free to ask your doubts/queries in the comment section below!