RBL Bank has always focused on building long-lasting, nurturing relationships with customers, and its credit card portfolio is strong. You can find everything from travel, shopping, movies, fuel, and other credit cards from the bank.
If you regularly visit foreign countries on business trips or vacations, look for a credit card with a low foreign exchange markup fee. When you use your credit card abroad, you have to pay a markup fee on the transaction, usually around 3-3.5% of the total amount. RBL Bank offers credit cards with lower markup fees, and the RBL Bank World Safari card has no markup fee at all.
Keep reading to know about the forex markup fees charged by the top RBL Bank credit cards and everything else related to it –
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5 Travel Points/₹100 Spent on Travel and 2 Travel Points/₹100 Spent on All Other Eligible Spends
MakeMyTrip Voucher Worth ₹3,000
Card Details +
The joining fee on this card is ₹3,000, and you get a MakeMyTrip voucher as a welcome benefit along with travel points for your spending. You can redeem these points for hotel/flight bookings, as well as other rewards, on the RBL Rewards website. Being a travel card, you get complimentary domestic and international lounge access and complimentary golf rounds. The best part about this credit card is that it does not charge any foreign exchange markup fee on foreign country spending, which is excellent for those who regularly visit foreign countries.
Accelerated 12 RPs/₹200 Spent for Flights and Hotel Bookings. 4 RPs/₹200 Spent on Eligible Categories
Taj Experiences Or Luxe Gift Card Worth ₹12,500
Card Details +
The RBL Bank Nova Credit Card is a premium, invite-only card designed mainly for frequent travellers who value lifestyle perks. It offers strong rewards on flight and hotel bookings, generous domestic and international lounge access with guest visits, golf benefits, and a welcome voucher that offsets the joining fee. While it doesn’t offer zero forex markup, the 2% foreign currency markup is relatively low for a premium card, making it a decent option for international spending. Overall, it’s a solid travel-focused card, though slightly more expensive than some long-standing premium alternatives.
5 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on domestic transactions, 10 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on international transactions.
28,000 Reward Points (For Those With Fee Variant)
Card Details +
The RBL Bank Insignia Preferred Banking World Credit Card is a premium offering by the bank and has many high-end benefits and privileges. The card is just for the bank’s Insignia Preferred members, and you must get in touch with your relationship manager in order to apply for this credit card. With this card, you get a complimentary Priority Pass membership, dining offers, movie benefits, and an unmatched concierge service. The reward rate on the credit card is also quite decent, offering 10 RPs per Rs. 100 spent on international and 5 RPs per Rs. 100 on domestic spends. Moreover, you also get access to golf sessions at top courses around the world.
Whenever you swipe your credit card at a foreign merchant POS outlet or anywhere online where the transaction is in a foreign currency, the credit card issuer charges an extra forex markup fee to process the transaction. The details of the forex markup fee are provided in the credit card agreement document, which you must read before using the card.
Basically, the credit card network, like Visa, Amex, or Mastercard, charges a 1% forex fee, and the card issuer then further adds a percentage amount to it, bringing the total forex markup fee to around 3-3.5% on most credit cards. Different card issuers and different credit card variants may charge different forex markup fees on your international spends.
Other than forex markup, you are also charged around a 1% currency conversion fee by the card’s payment processor. Normally, the currency conversion fee is charged to the card issuer, but they pass this fee to you, and you end up paying both the forex markup and currency conversion fee. 3% of the total transaction amount may not seem much at first, but if you regularly make international purchases with your card, these fees can add up over time.
The following table features a side-by-side comparison of the credit cards –
| Category | RBL World Safari | RBL NOVA |
| Joining/Annual Fees | ₹3,000 + GST | ₹12,500 + GST |
| Welcome Benefit | MakeMyTrip Voucher Worth ₹3,000 | Taj Experiences Or Luxe Gift Card Worth ₹12,500 |
| Reward Earning | 5 Travel Points/₹100 Spent on Travel and 2 Travel Points/₹100 Spent on All Other Eligible Spends | Accelerated 12 RPs/₹100 Spent for Flights and Hotel Bookings. 4 RPs/₹200 Spent on Eligible Categories |
| Reward Redemption | Travel Points Can Be Redeemed for Various Products, Vouchers, and More. 1 Travel Point = ₹0.25 | 1 Reward Point = Up to ₹1 |
| Dining/Movie Benefits | N/A | 10% Off at Top Restaurants in India |
| Travel Benefits | Complimentary Domestic and International Lounge Access with Priority Pass | Complimentary Domestic and International Lounge Access with Priority Pass |
| Forex Markup Fee | Nil | 2% |
RBL Bank offers over 15 credit cards to meet its customers’ needs and requirements. The bank offers everything from premium cards to movies, shopping, and travel credit cards. The bank also offers credit cards with low forex markup fees, ideal for people who regularly travel to foreign countries or make frequent foreign-currency purchases with their credit cards.
The RBL Bank World Safari credit card charges no markup fee on foreign transactions. At the same time, the RBL Bank Insignia Preferred Banking World Card charges a 1.5% forex fee, and the RBL Nova a 2% charge on international spends. All other bank cards have the standard 3.5% markup fee.
It is being speculated that the all-new super-premium RBL Lumiere Credit Card will also feature zero Forex markup charges.
Let us know in the comments section if you plan on getting an RBL Bank credit card with low forex markup fees.
The forex markup fee on the RBL Bank World Safari credit card is 0%. It does not charge any forex markup fee and is a perfect card for you if you regularly make spends in foreign currency or travel abroad.
The RBL Bank World Safari and the RBL Bank Insignia Preferred Banking World Card charge a forex markup fee lower than the standard 3.5%. The RBL Bank World Safari card does not charge any forex markup fee at all, while the RBL Bank Insignia Preferred Banking World Card charges a 1.5% forex markup fee.
The forex markup charged by the RBL Bank ShopRite credit card is 3.5% of the total transaction amount.