The SBI Air India Signature Credit Card is the premium variant of Air India Credit Cards issued by SBI Card. Although it’s a rewarding card, it wasn’t very popular in the past due to the poor service that the airline used to offer.
However, as Air India’s service and overall experience improve, the SBI Air India Signature Credit Card is expected to gain traction in the coming months.
With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the SBI Air India Signature Credit Card:
Overview
TypeAirline Credit CardReward Rate~4.5%Best forRedemptions on Air IndiaUSPMilestone benefits
The USP of the SBI Air India Credit Card is its milestone benefit, which offers a substantial number of air miles upon reaching specific spending thresholds.
This makes the card appealing in 2024, especially when there are many restrictions on spend categories.
*** Best Air India Credit Card ***
To apply, You’ll need to open the link on desktop (not mobile), click on “start apply journey” and click on “change card” and choose “Air India SBI Signature Card”.
Fees
Joining Fee4,999 INR+GSTWelcome Benefit20,000 Reward points(~10,000 INR Value)Renewal Fee / Annual Fee4,999 INR+GSTRenewal Benefit5,000 Reward pointsRenewal Fee waiverNil
While the welcome benefit is quite attractive, the renewal benefit, like most other SBI Credit Cards, is a bit low and may not encourage cardholders to renew the card.
Design
The design of Air India SBI Signature Credit Card still looks pretty good even in 2024.
Rewards
SPEND TYPEReward POINTSREWARD RATERegular Spends4 RP / 100 INR2%Air India Spends (Self)30 RP / 100 INR15%Air India Spends (Others)10 RP / 100 INR5%
1 Air India Flying Return Point = ~0.50 INR (approx)
Category exclusions apply, just like most other SBI Cards
The earn rate on Air India spends is excellent, and it’s decent for regular spends as well. However, it’s important to note that there have been complaints about the fulfillment of points on Air India spends.
Milestone Rewards
SPENDMILESTONE BENEFITSAVINGS (CUMULATIVE)5 Lakhs20,000 Points~2%10 Lakhs30,000 Points~2.5%20 Lakhs50,000 Points~2.5%
The spend-linked milestone benefit is the key feature of the SBI Air India Signature Credit Card, as this alone can offer an approximate 2.5% value (excluding regular points), depending on the spend.
If you combine the milestone benefits with regular points earnings, it adds up to a solid ~4.5% return on spend. In rare cases, the reward rate could even be double that.
Redemptions
Points transfer ratio from Card to Air India: 1:1
Min flights to take for redemptions (self): 1
Min. flights to take for redemptions (others): 5
With the SBI Air India Signature Credit Card, points accumulate on the card, and you can choose to transfer them to Air India at a 1:1 ratio when you wish.
You can redeem your points on Air India or Star Alliance flights, but generally speaking, it’s more beneficial to redeem them on Air India, given that there are numerous non-stop flights from India to the rest of the world.
Sample domestic redemptions:
Bangalore to Mumbai (eco): 4000 Points+1.2K taxes
Bangalore to Mumbai (biz): 21,000 Points+3.5K taxes
Sample international redemptions on AI & Star Alliance network:
Mumbai to London (AI-biz): 125K points+17K INR
Mumbai to London (AI-eco): 38K points+4K INR
Bangalore to Singapore (AI/SQ – biz): 50K+9000 INR
Bangalore to Singapore (AI – eco): 13K+3500 INR
Bangalore to Singapore (SQ – eco): 25K+4000 INR
For Star Alliance redemptions, you could consider Air Canada’s Aeroplan or even LifeMiles. That said, even redemptions on Air India via Star Alliance is better.
However, I know a few frequent flyers who have been using the Air India Frequent Flyer program for many years, both for domestic and international business class redemptions.
This is because not only the “availability is better,” but you can also get “more than one business class seat at a time,” which isn’t always possible through Star Alliance redemptions.
I’ve personally used it to redeem for multiple domestic economy tickets and even on star alliance network once to fly Thai Airways Business Class back in time.
Airport Lounge Access
ACCESS TYPEVIALIMITDomestic Lounge AccessVisa (Infinite)2/Qtr
While Air India Signature Credit Card doesn’t provide complimentary International lounge access, I think it’s fair enough, given that the card is well loaded with rewards.
Other Benefits
Forex Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax
1% fuel surcharge waiver (spends between Rs.500 and Rs.4,000)
Should you apply?
If you spend 20 Lakhs on this card, this is what you get:= 20,000+30,000+50,000+80,000(Regular earn rate)= 1,80,000 Reward points
So you get 1.8L Air India Flying Returns Points on 20L Spend (regular spends). That gives at-least ~4.5% reward rate when you redeem points in most sectors as seen above in the examples.
And just incase if you fly AI business out of Bangalore – domestic, you also get access to one of the most beautiful Air India Lounge at BLR T2. So overall, it’s worth it.
To apply, You’ll need to open the link on desktop (not mobile), click on “start apply journey” and click on “change card” and choose “Air India SBI Signature Card”.
Bottomline
The SBI Air India Signature Credit Card has been noteworthy for a small segment of cardholders over the years, but going forward it would cater to a larger audience as Vistara merges with Air India.
However, Air India Credit Cards have never been as lucrative as Vistara Credit Cards like the Axis Vistara Infinite Card and it might not be in the future either, as it’s difficult for the airline to provide a higher reward rate with a larger customer base.
This is already evident with Vistara to Air India points transfer planned at 1:1, which itself is a devaluation. But it would be good to see if Air India chooses to keep their credit card loyalists happy in the coming months.
SBI Air India Signature Credit Card looks decent even after a decade of it’s launch. What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.