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SBI CARD · AIR INDIA SBI SIGNATURE CREDIT CARD

Air India SBI Signature Credit Card

ANNUAL FEE
₹4,999
FIRST-YEAR NET VALUE
₹1,54,601 for a mid spender · travel
SBI CARD Air India SBI Signature
Updated 2026-04 3 verified sources Data is current
01 ELIGIBILITY

Can I get this card?

Meet these thresholds and you're likely to be approved. Final call is SBI Card's.

MONTHLY INCOME ₹1.0L+ Salaried or self-employed
CREDIT SCORE 750+ Excellent band preferred
AGE 21 – 65 Primary or add-on applicant
RESIDENCY Indian PAN, Aadhaar + income proof
02 FIT

Is this card for me?

We've modeled this card's value for a default urban spender. Tweak the persona to see how it shifts — or personalize with your real spends.

DEFAULT PERSONA · MID SPENDER · TRAVEL
₹1,54,601 first-year net value · mid spender · travel
Category rewards ₹1,29,600
Milestone bonus· 20,000 bonus reward points; 30,000 bonus reward points (total 50,000 including previous milestone) + ₹25,000
Welcome benefit· Welcome reward points ₹5,000
Annual fee − ₹4,999

Net first-year value ₹1,54,601
SPEND LEVEL
LIFESTYLE
Want numbers tuned to your real spends?
03 EARN

What will I earn?

Base rate, accelerated categories, milestones, and what each reward point is actually worth when you redeem.

BASE REWARD RATE
4 pts 4 points per ₹100
≈ 2.00% back on eligible spends
NOT ELIGIBLE Fuel · rent · wallets · utility · government
ACCELERATED CATEGORIES Up to 15.0% back
Air India website, mobile app, booking offices & call centers · 15.0%
Third-party booking platforms · 5.0%
Everything else (base) · 2.0%
MILESTONES Cumulative bonuses at annual spend tiers
₹5L 20,000 bonus reward points
₹10L 30,000 bonus reward points (total 50,000 including previous milestone)
₹20L 50,000 bonus reward points (total 100,000 including previous milestones)
04 MAXIMIZE · YOUR EDGE

How do I extract every rupee?

Plays grounded in this card's specific levers. Updated each time SBI Card tweaks the program.

01

Book Air India direct, never a third party.

Air India tickets via airindia.com, the app, or ticket offices earn 30 RP per ₹100 — 15% back. Third-party booking platforms (MMT, Cleartrip, OTAs) pay only 10 RP per ₹100, a third of the direct rate. Skip the convenience tax.

02

Transfer points 1:1 to Maharaja Club.

Reward points transfer to Air India Maharaja Club at 1:1 (5,000 RP minimum) — valued at ₹0.50/point on award redemptions. Statement credit pays just ₹0.20/point and vouchers ₹0.25. Moving points to miles more than doubles your redemption value.

03

Pace to the ₹10L milestone if you can.

Spending ₹5L/year drops 20,000 bonus RP; ₹10L adds another 30,000 for 50,000 cumulative; ₹20L adds 50,000 more. The ₹10L tier is the inflection point — 50,000 RP = 50,000 Air India miles, enough to cover a premium-cabin domestic round-trip.

04

Treat the ₹4,999 fee as pre-paid.

Pay the joining fee and 20,000 welcome RP (~₹10,000 in AI miles) land immediately. The ₹4,999 annual renewal also triggers 5,000 RP (~₹2,500). There's no spend-based waiver, so the fee is a pay-to-play cost — renewal RP neutralise half of it automatically.

05

Book a lounge visit every quarter.

You get 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits per year — strictly capped at 1 per quarter. Unused quarters don't roll forward, so set a calendar nudge before each quarter closes if you haven't flown yet.

05 COSTS

What will I pay?

Fees, transaction charges, interest rates — all inclusive of taxes where noted.

FEES

Charges below are base amounts; GST applies where applicable.

Joining fee ₹4,999 · + 18% GST · one-time
Annual fee (year 2+) ₹4,999
Add-on cards Up to 3 free
TRANSACTION CHARGES
Foreign currency markup 3.5%
Finance charges (purchase) 3.49% per month · ~42% APR
Late payment ₹100 – ₹1,300 · based on outstanding
06 BENEFITS

What else comes with it?

Non-reward perks — lounges, dining, golf, insurance, concierge. Worth factoring into the total value, even when hard to price.

Airport lounges

4 domestic visits per year via Priority Pass. Primary cardholder.

Welcome voucher

₹5,000 Welcome reward points.

Travel cover

Air accident cover, lost-card liability, emergency card replacement abroad.

07 FAQ

Common questions

There's no spend-based waiver, so the ₹4,999 fee (₹5,899 with GST) is a hard cost. But the 20,000 welcome points (worth ~₹10,000 as Air India miles) plus 5,000 renewal points each year (~₹2,500) mean you're net positive on year one before any earn.

HOW WE KEEP THIS CURRENT

Last verified 2026-04. Sources: Issuer website, CardExpert, PaisaBazaar. Next scheduled review: 6 months from last update.