SBI Card launches SBI Card PULSE for Health Conscious Customers

India’s second-largest credit card issuer SBI Card on Tuesday, December 14 announced the launch of its brand new credit card- SBI Card PULSE targeted at health and fitness enthusiasts. As it is a fitness-centric credit card, it provides Noise ColorFit PULSE SmartWatch as a welcome gift and offers accelerated Reward Points at pharmacies and chemist shops.

SBI Card has launched SBI Card PULSE keeping in mind the growing awareness regarding fitness and health among Indian consumers, particularly in the post-pandemic era. As the lifestyle of Indian consumers is changing with increased global exposure and a higher disposable income, people are willing to spend more on their health, hence the need for a health and fitness-centric credit card.

SBI Card PULSE Features and Benefits

SBI PULSE Credit Card comes loaded with multiple fitness and health-related benefits like a Noise smartwatch as a welcome gift, FITPASS and Netmeds membership as joining benefit and accelerated reward rate at chemists and pharmacy stores as SBI Card aims to target health and fitness enthusiasts with this offering. The card comes with a membership fee of Rs. 1,499 per annum. Some of the key features of SBI Card PULSE are:

Welcome Benefit

You get a Noise ColorFit PULSE smartwatch worth Rs. 4,999 as a welcome benefit on signing up for the card membership (subject to realization of the joining fee).

Joining/Activation Benefit

You get complimentary one-year membership of Fitpass Pro as a joining benefit which includes-

• FITPASS Membership- access to over 4,000 gyms and fitness centers with up to 12 complimentary sessions every month (max 3 per week and 1 per day).
• Fitcoach and Fitfeast Membership- access to personal fitness coaching routines powered by artificial intelligence and expert nutritionists via the FITPASS mobile app.

You are also entitled to a complimentary membership of Netmeds First that includes-

• Unlimited online consultation with doctors.
• Annual basic health check-up.
• Additional discount of 5% on pathology lab tests.
• Additional 2.5% NMS cash (up to Rs. 100) on every prepaid offer.
• Unlimited free and priority delivery via Netmeds.

Reward Points

• SBI Card PULSE earns you 2 Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent on most spend categories.
• The card earns 5X Reward Points (10 Reward Points per Rs. 100) on spends on pharmacies, chemist shops, movies and dining.
• The monetary value of 1 Reward Point is Rs. 0.25 which translates into an effective reward rate of 0.5% on normal spends and 2.5% on spends on pharmacies, chemist shops, movies and dining categories.

Milestone Benefits

• The annual fee of the card is waived off on an expenditure of a minimum of Rs. 1,499 in the preceding year.
• You get a Netmeds voucher worth Rs. 1,500 on achieving the annual spend milestone of Rs. 4 lacs.

Travel Benefits

• You are entitled to 8 complimentary airport lounge access at domestic airports across India.
• You also get complimentary membership of the Priority Pass lounge access program worth USD 99.

Insurance Benefits

You get multiple insurance benefits with SBI Card PULSE as per the table below-

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

1% fuel surcharge is waived off on fuel purchases at filling stations across the country for transactions between Rs. 500 and Rs. 4,000. The maximum waived amount is capped at Rs. 250 per statement cycle.

Market Competition

Although Axis Bank also offers a fitness credit card- Axis Bank AURA Credit Card that also comes with benefits such as free video consultations with doctors and free annual check-ups, SBI Card, with the launch of SBI Card PULSE, takes the health and fitness category at a different level.

While both the cards offer health benefits and offer accelerated reward rates on fitness and pharma spends, SBI Card Pulse is targeted towards a more affluent customer segment as it comes with a higher membership fee and also offers more additional benefits like a smartwatch as a welcome gift, complimentary airport lounge access and an accelerated reward rate not only at pharmacies and chemist shops but also on dining and movies spends.

Bottom Line

Considering all the benefits and features of SBI PULSE Credit Card, it should be the card of choice for you if you are a gym enthusiast or if a substantial amount of your credit card spending is on pharmaceuticals. As a bonus, you also get a smartwatch by Noise- ColorFit PULSE as a welcome gift on joining the card membership. Although you also get complimentary airport lounge access with SBI Card PULSE, it is probably not the best of choices if you are looking for a credit card, particularly for travel benefits. Similarly, it is also not a great choice if you are looking for a credit card for your online shopping needs.