Best Travel Credit Card in India

For frequent travelers, earning Frequent Flyer Miles is a good way to save money on flight tickets. Every flight has few seats that can be booked using these air miles. These are particularly useful, if the date of travel isn’t far as the seat prices are fixed (if available). In India, Jet airways has the largest frequent flyer program - JPMiles.

The following cards were considered for the comparison:

1. American Express Jet Airways Credit Card
2. Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card
3. JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card

Other cards were not considered for either of the following reasons:

• Low JPMiles accumulation rate
• Acceptability issues (with Diners Club)
• High annual fees

Comparison of Cards:

	American Express Jet Airways Credit Card	Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card	JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card
Annual Fees	First year – Rs. 5,000 Later – Rs 10,000	First year – Rs. 5,000 Later – Rs 5,000	First year – Rs. 2,500 Later – Rs 2,500
Enrolment Benefits	10,000 JPMiles	10,000 JPMiles	10,000 JPMiles
Renewal Benefits	5,000 JPMiles	5,000 JPMiles	4,000 JPMiles
Spends Benefit	8 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent 16 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent on jetairways.com	6 or 7 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent 12 or 15 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent on jetairways.com	6 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent 18 JPMiles for every INR 150/- spent on jetairways.com
Domestic Lounge Access	Complimentary - Unlimited	8 complimentary visits per year	Complimentary – Unlimited
International Lounge Access	Priority Pass with the US $99 annual fee waived off + US $27 for every visit	NA	Priority Pass with the US $99 annual fee waived off + 5 complimentary visits per year
Renewal Fee Waiver	Only for JetPrivilege Platinum Tier members	Only for JetPrivilege Platinum Tier members	Spend Rs. 3 lac in 12 months

Summary:

American Express Jet Airways Credit Card

• Highest JPMiles accumulation rate on normal spends (+)
• Offers exclusive benefits in some high end hotels & resorts (+)
• Low acceptability rate of AMEX cards (-)
• High annual fee from second year onwards (-)
• Best travel card if you are already JetPrivilege Platinum Tier member (+)

 

Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card

• Limited domestic lounge access (-)
• No Priority Pass membership (-)
• Provides two separate physical cards for AMEX & Visa, so cumbersome to carry (-)
• Wide acceptability with Visa Card (+)

      

     JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card

• Lowest annual fee with fee waiver option (+)
• Highest JPMiles accumulation rate on jetairways.com (+)
• 5 complimentary International Lounge visits per year (+)
• Wide acceptability with Master Card (+)

Conclusion: 

For a budget traveler, looking for basic travel related features (Frequent Flyer miles and Lounge access) at low annual fee, JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card is the best travel card right now in India.




Disclaimer: The above article is based on extensive research and data available over the internet. Please carry out an independent study before accepting any credit card offers.