Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card – Benefits, Fees & Eligibility

Introduction

The Air India SBI Platinum Card is a co-branded credit card offered by Air India and SBI Card, designed for frequent travelers, particularly those who prefer flying with Air India. It comes with an annual fee of ₹1,499 + GST and offers a range of travel privileges, including accelerated reward points on Air India bookings and complimentary domestic airport lounge access. However, it is important to note that SBI Card has discontinued new applications for this credit card.

Welcome Benefits

• Get 5,000 Reward points as a welcome gift upon the payment of your joining fee. These points will be credited within 15 days from the date of annual fee payment posting.
• Receive complimentary membership to the Air India Frequent Flyer Program - Flying Returns.

Fees

• Annual Fee (one-time): ₹1,499 + GST
• Renewal Fee (per annum): ₹1,499 + GST (from the second year onwards)
• Add-on Card Fee: Nil
• Rewards Redemption Fee: Nil
• Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5% + GST
• Interest Rates: 3.75% per month (45% per annum)
• Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver is available on transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000 at all petrol pumps across India. The maximum waiver is capped at ₹250 per statement cycle.
• Cash Advance Charges: 2.5% of the transaction amount or ₹500, whichever is higher.
• All applicable taxes would be charged as applicable on all fees, interest, and charges.

Rewards

• General Spends: Earn 2 Reward points for every ₹100 spent on all other purchases.
• Air India Ticket Bookings: With effect from 31st March 2025, earn 5 Reward Points for every ₹100 spent on all Air India ticket purchases made through the Air India website, mobile app, booking offices, and call centers. This includes any super saver tickets purchased for yourself and others. These points will be credited within 60 days from the date of transaction posting.
• Anniversary Gift: Enjoy an anniversary gift of 2,000 Reward points every year upon card membership renewal.
• Milestone Bonus Reward Points:
  • Achieve an annual spend of ₹2 lakhs and get 5,000 bonus Reward points (cumulative bonus: 5,000).
  • Achieve an annual spend of ₹3 lakhs and get an additional 10,000 bonus Reward points (cumulative bonus: 15,000).
• Domestic Lounge Access: Enjoy 8 complimentary visits per year to Domestic VISA Lounges in India, with a maximum of 2 visits per quarter.
• Insurance Benefit: Receive a complimentary lost card liability cover of ₹1 lakh. This cover is applicable from 48 hours prior to reporting the loss until 7 days post the reporting of the loss.
• Complimentary Air India Frequent Flyer Program Membership: Get complimentary membership to the Air India Frequent Flyer Program - Flying Returns.

Rewards Redemption Guide

• Convert your Reward points into Air India miles: 1 Reward point is equal to 1 Air India Air mile.
• Reward Points are converted to Air India Air Miles in 7 working days from the date of receiving the request.
• Air Mile redemption is possible for a minimum of 5,000 Reward points and in multiples of 5,000.
• Reward Points once converted into Air India Air Miles cannot be reversed.
• Flying Returns Loyalty Program Conditions for Redemption:
  • To redeem miles for yourself, the member is required to have at least one flight accrual activity registered from the date of enrollment as a Flying Returns member.
  • To redeem miles for family and friends, the member needs to have at least five flight accrual activities registered from the date of enrollment.
• There is no rewards redemption fee.

Card Review

The Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card is considered a decent mid-level travel credit card, especially beneficial for individuals who frequently travel with Air India. It provides an accelerated reward rate on Air India bookings and valuable complimentary domestic airport lounge access, which is often not available with many other mid-level cards. This card is an excellent choice for those whose primary airline for domestic travel is Air India. For very frequent travelers, the premium Air India SBI Signature Credit Card might be a more suitable option.

Pros

• Most suited for individuals who often travel with Air India.
• Offers complimentary domestic airport lounge access.

Cons

• Does not offer specific benefits for dining or movies.

Important Product Details

• Welcome benefit of 5,000 Reward points on paying the joining fee.
• Annual anniversary gift of 2,000 Reward points on card membership renewal.
• Opportunity to earn up to 15,000 bonus Reward points annually based on spend milestones.
• Earn 5 Reward points per ₹100 on Air India ticket bookings.
• Earn 2 Reward points for every ₹100 spent on other categories.
• Provides 8 complimentary visits per year to domestic airport lounges in India (maximum 2 visits per quarter).
• Includes complimentary lost card liability protection worth ₹1 lakh.
• Offers a 1% waiver on fuel surcharge for transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle.
• Complimentary membership to the Air India Frequent Flyer Program - Flying Returns.
• Note: New applications for this credit card have been discontinued by SBI Card.

Other Details

• Lost Card Liability Cover: This cover protects you for ₹1 lakh from 48 hours prior to reporting the loss until 7 days post the reporting of the loss.
• Cash on the Go: Withdraw cash from over 1 million Visa ATMs worldwide, including over 18,000 Visa ATMs in India and more than 10,000 State Bank ATMs.
• Global Acceptance: The card is accepted at over 2 million Visa outlets worldwide and over 2,85,000 outlets in India.
• Add-on Cards: You can apply for add-on cards for your spouse, parents, children, or siblings above the age of 18.
• Emergency Card Replacement: Get your Air India SBI Platinum Card replaced anywhere in the world. A 24x7 helpline is available for emergency card replacement, even while traveling abroad. For lost cards in India, call 39 02 02 02 (prefix local STD code) or 1860 180 1290.
• Easy Bill Pay at Zero Charge: Utilize the Easy Bill Pay facility to pay electricity, insurance, telephone, and other utility bills without missing due dates.
• Flexipay: Convert any transaction worth ₹2,500 or more into easy monthly installments by logging on to sbicard.com within 30 days of purchase.
• Balance Transfer on EMI: Transfer the outstanding balance from other bank's credit cards to your Air India SBI Platinum Card to avail a lower interest rate and pay in EMIs. This can be booked by logging into sbicard.com.
• Online Railway Tickets Booking: Book railway tickets online via irctc.co.in. Register, log in, make reservations, and pay through your SBI Card at payment gateways that accept Visa Cards. All transactions are governed by the terms and conditions of irctc.co.in.
• Payment Settlement Order: All payments made for a cardholder account will be settled in the order mentioned on the SBI Card website's "Order of Payment Settlement" page.
• Payment Acceptance: Cheques payable outside clearing zones are not accepted. Payment is accepted through local cheques or drafts payable in Delhi only.
• Co-brand Product Information: The value proposition of this co-brand product may be funded jointly by SBI Card and Air India, and there may be fee and revenue sharing between the two parties.
• Helpline: For assistance, call SBI Card helpline at 39 02 02 02 (prefix local STD code) or 1860 180 1290.
• Information is correct as per July 2018 and is subject to change at the discretion of SBICPSL.