Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 8th May 2024.
SBI Air India Signature credit card was launched long back in 2013 but didn’t gain the traction that it should due to issues in delivering the product features to the cardholders. This card looks good on paper and with the reimagined Air India Flying Returns program making a mark due to reduced mileage requirements, I see it again getting popular soon. There is another low-end variant of this card called the SBI Air India Platinum which I have reviewed simultaneously.
Some find this card super-worthy and others complicated. Read on to know all about this card and let all your doubts fade away!
Contents
Charges and Welcome Benefits
| Joining Fees | ₹4999 + GST |
| Welcome Benefits | 20,000 Flying Returns Points |
| Renewal Fees | ₹4999 + GST |
| Renewal Benefits | 5,000 Flying Returns Points |
| Renewal Fee Waiver | NA |
20000 points against the joining fees are brilliant since they can be converted to Air India FR miles in 1:1, giving exceptional value. Even the renewal fee is well compensated in this card and can be considered free.
Reward Accrual
| Spends Area | Reward Rate |
| Air India Flight Bookings Via (Air India Website and App) | 30 FR Points/₹100 (Self) 10 FR Points/₹100 (Others) |
| All Retail Spends* | 4 FR Points/₹100 |
- *Excluding spending on Digital Wallet loads and Rental Payments.
Milestone Benefits
| Annual Spends | Bonus Reward Points | Cumulative Reward Points |
| ₹5L | 20,000 FR Points | 20,000 FR Points |
| ₹10L | 30,000 FR Points | 50,000 FR Points |
| ₹20L | 50,000 FR Points | 1,00,000 FR Points |
A noteworthy thing is that all retail spending is counted for considering milestone achievements.
TechnoFino Maximum
On spending ₹5 Lakh in a year you can bag 40,000 FR points in a year in total whereas on spending ₹10 Lakh and ₹20 Lakh you can easily pocket 90,000 and 1,80,000 points respectively. If you travel Air India frequently then by booking by booking your and your family member’s revenue tickets this reward rate can be bumped dramatically.
The major issue lies in the accrual of 30 FR miles per ₹100 spent since many users have reported endless battles being fought both with SBI Card and Air India for the accelerated points but to no avail. If that issue can be sorted out then this card is certainly grab-worthy.
Reward Redemption
Since the value of miles is highly dependent on many factors such as route, availability, revenue cost, time of travel and how many days you book in advance so stating a fixed value wouldn’t be justified here.
Just for an idea I would like to mention some sweet spots here and compare their revenue fares. Booking business or premium economy for domestic routes won’t make much sense since the mileage requirement is very high. For the domestic economy also the value is not that great!
The value is great for some destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam etc. For instance, DEL-HKG requires 16000 FR points for economy lite fare and revenue tickets are mostly north of ₹20,000 if you plan to fly Cathay Pacific or Vistara. Hence to derive a good value you will have to find some sweet spots by comparing them to other FFPs like Aeroplan and KrisFlyer. For such selected routes and classes this card would easily yield a reward rate close to 9-10%.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
| Benefit | No of Complimentary Access/Year |
| Airport Lounge Access – Domestic | 8 (2/Quarter) |
| Airport Lounge Access Via Priority Pass – International | 0 |
A travel credit card without complimentary international lounge access doesn’t add up. SBI should rework this since a fee of ₹4999 is considered a premium product in India.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
- Get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver maximum of up to ₹250 per statement with your Air India SBI Signature Card, across all petrol pumps on the purchase of fuel worth ₹500 to ₹4,000 to avail of this benefit.
Forex Markup Charges
- Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST
Forex markup charges are on the much higher side for a travel credit card and hence not recommended to be used overseas.
TechnoFino Recommends
The card looks promising on paper but SBI Card and Air India should immediately resolve the issues about accelerated reward points so that the true potential of this card can be realized. Also, the card lacks travel-centric features like lower forex markup and complimentary international lounge access which should be provided at this fee point.
Other than this it comes with a brilliant reward earning rate and redemption options are huge when it comes to Air India Flying Returns especially if you travelling with your family since Air India releases the highest seats on its loyalty program for its metal. This card is certainly grab-worthy. Also if you hold a AMEX Platinum charge card then don’t bother about this card since you can earn around 10X points using AMEX Rewards Accelerator Program.
But if your spending is low then you can give this card a pass and go for the lower variant SBI Air India Platinum which can yield a minimum of 5-7% reward rate.
What are your thoughts about the SBI Air India Signature credit card? Feel free to share
Chief Editor, TechnoFino.
Personal finance nerd! Physics enthusiast and trainer. When not into Physics, he is minting points and hunting for the next best credit card for himself.
do we get points for spends on fuel, taxes ?? i ask this because i have read in other forums that no points for fuels and taxes
thank you
also insurance ?