Best Travel Credit Cards for Frequent Flyers
Have you caught a travel bug, but your limited funds and high travel costs are bugging you? Look no further and get a travel credit card.
Travelling is generally a costly affair with considerable expenses among which flight tickets and hotel bookings constitute some of the major spending categories. Getting a suitable travel credit card specially designed for frequent flyers can be your solution to this problem. These cards not only help you save on such travel expenses but also contribute towards making your journey more comfortable.
Here is a detailed guide listing some of the best travel credit cards and how they can benefit frequent flyers in making their travels cost-effective.
Best Credit Cards for Travel in India
Several travel credit cards are designed in association with popular airlines and travel portals and hence come with exclusive benefits on the travel bookings made via the respective travel collaborators. On the other hand, some cards give general travel-related perks irrespective of the brand or portal you use.
Given below are some of the top travel credit cards offered by the leading card providers which you can explore and choose from as per your travel needs:
Axis Atlas Credit Card
Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card offers overall travel benefits without any restriction to any airline or travel portals at an annual fee of Rs. 5,000.
Top Travel Benefits:
- Welcome benefit of 2,500 EDGE Miles
- 5 EDGE Miles on every Rs. 100 spent on up to Rs. 2 lakh travel spends in a month
- 2 EDGE Miles on every Rs. 100 spent on other expenses
- 1 EDGE Mile = Rs. 1 on Travel EDGE platform
- 1 EDGE Mile = 2 Partner Travel Points, except Marriott Bonvoy Points
- Maximum 12 international and 18 domestic lounge visits in a year, based on annual spends
- Up to 5,000 bonus EDGE Miles as milestone benefit
Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card
At a low annual fee of Rs. 350, this Standard Chartered credit card offers travel discounts on EaseMyTrip portal and rewards on other expenses.
Top Travel Benefits:
- 20% off on hotel bookings on EaseMyTrip, up to Rs. 5,000 off on domestic and Rs. 10,000 on international flights
- 10% off on flight tickets booked via EaseMyTrip, up to Rs. 1,000 on domestic and Rs. 5,000 on international bookings
- 10 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on standalone travel websites, apps and outlets
- 1 complimentary visit to domestic lounge every quarter
- 2 complimentary visits to international lounges every year
Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card
This IDFC FIRST credit card is in collaboration with Club Vistara and comes at an annual fee of Rs. 4,999.
Top Travel Benefits:
- Club Vistara Silver membership, 1 Premium Economy ticket voucher and 1 Class upgrade as welcome benefits
- 6 CV Points on every Rs. 200 spent up to Rs. 1 lakh monthly spends
- 4 CV Points on every Rs. 200 spent post reaching Rs. 1 lakh monthly spending milestone
- Up to 5 Premium Economy ticket vouchers and 6,000 CV Points as milestone benefits
- 1 international lounge with 2 domestic lounge access and spas in every quarter on monthly spends of Rs. 20,000
Kotak IndiGo Ka-ching 6E Rewards XL Credit Card
Offering airline loyalty points on every spend, Kotak IndiGo Ka-ching 6E Rewards XL card comes at an annual fee of Rs. 2,500.
Top Travel Benefits:
- IndiGo flight ticket worth Rs. 3,000 as welcome benefit
- 6% 6E Rewards on spends made on IndiGo airlines
- 3% 6E Rewards on spends made at partner merchants
- 2% 6E Rewards on other spends
- 8 domestic airport lounge visits in every year
- Complimentary Prime add-ons with choice of seat, priority check, free meal and faster baggage assistance
Air India SBI Signature Credit Card
This SBI card allows you to convert your earned reward points into Air India Air Miles and comes at a yearly fee of Rs. 4,999.
Top Travel Benefits:
- Air India Frequent Flyer program membership and 20,00 reward points as welcome benefits
- 30 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on Air India tickets cooked via official website/app
- 10 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on Air India tickets booked via Air India booking offices/call centres and on SuperSaver booklet buys
- 4 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on other purchases
- 1 Reward Point = 1 Air India Air Mile
- 2 domestic lounge access every calendar quarter
- Up to 1 lakh reward points as bonus annual milestone benefits
Intermiles HDFC Diners Club Credit Card
Co-branded with Intermiles, this HDFC credit card comes with an annual fee of Rs. 5,000 and offers InterMiles as reward points on every card transaction.
Top Travel Benefits:
- InterMiles Gold membership, Rs. 2,000 flight discount voucher, Rs. 3,000 hotel voucher and up to 25,000 InterMiles as welcome bonus
- 16 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on flight and hotel bookings made via InterMiles
- 8 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on other purchases
- Up to 10% discount on Etihad Airways bookings
- Unlimited domestic airport lounge access
- Unlimited complimentary golf games
Indusind Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card
IndusInd Avios is a premium category travel credit card with a joining fee of Rs. 40,000 and an annual fee of Rs. 10,000 from second year onwards.
Top Travel Benefits:
- Option to choose your preferred airlines between British and Qatar Airways for co-branded benefits
- 55,000 Avios as welcome bonus on opting for British Airways as your preferred airline
- 20,000 Avios and Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold-tier membership as welcome bonus on selecting Qatar Airways as your preferred airline
- 5 Avios on every Rs. 200 spent at PoS at select international destinations
- 2 Avios on every Rs. 200 spent on British and Qatar Airways
- Up to 50,000 Avios as annual spending milestone benefits
- 2 international Priority Pass lounge access per quarter
- 2 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter
- Up to 20% off on Qatar Airways flight bookings on choosing Qatar Airways as your preferred airline
- Low forex mark-up fee of 1.5%
- 2 complimentary meet-and-greet services at select international airports every year
How do Travel Credit Cards Help Frequent Travellers?
Even though there are multiple card options with great overall benefits, it is still better to have a credit card for travel if you are a frequent traveller. These cards have dedicated benefits and offers for your travel-related expenditure, some of which are listed below:
Co-branded Discounts: Many leading providers offer travel cards co-branded with leading airlines like Club Vistara, Air India, and Etihad and travel portals like EaseMyTrip, Yatra, MakeMyTrip, and others. These cards offer exclusive discounts on bookings made via the respective travel brands. If you are loyal to a particular travel brand or frequently travel with a specific airline, these cards may be a good choice.
High Rewards Rate on Travel: Travel credit cards often come with accelerated rewards earning rates on travel spends. So, you can have higher returns on your flight, holiday, and hotel bookings by using them.
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access: Travel cards help you make your travel experience more comfortable by offering complimentary lounge access to both domestic as well as international lounges. Some even come with complimentary Priority Pass membership and guest visits.
Spend-based Air Miles Earnings: Some cards either offer air miles in place of general reward points on every card spend or let you convert your earned rewards into air miles. These air miles can further be used to purchase flight tickets, thus saving you money.
Low Forex Mark-up Fee: Many credit cards also offer you the benefit of low or even no foreign currency exchange mark-up charges which can help you save on your international spends. So, if you are someone who loves to shop on your foreign travels, then such cards can be quite useful for you.
Summing It Up..!!
Travel credit cards can be quite beneficial for frequent flyers if chosen and used well. So, pick a card with features that best match your travel patterns and needs. Factors, like types of rewards, favoured airlines or travel portals, rewards redemption options and value, annual fees, and other such perks must be considered while comparing your card options before taking the final call. Careful selection and mindful usage of travel credit cards can go a long way in helping you maximise the savings using your card.