Updated 09 August 2021

I am not here to tell you that you and your family can travel for free as chances are you might have been made to believe so by numerous other sites claiming this and obsessed with credit card points! We too got carried away and believed that for quite a while and we chased points and miles however for us, a normal travel and fun loving family of three, “free travel” turned out to be myth! It never happened for us. What we figured is unless you are a business traveller or travelling for work frequently and your company wants you to stay say around 52 nights a year or more in hotels, then you need to be a really high spender for achieving “free travel“. Then we remembered someone saying “There’s no free lunch”. Still what we figured is that there is a lot of value which you can get out of travel credit cards if used right!

Note from Sam: This post is updated regularly with new information and latest offers.

OUR BEST FAMILY TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS FOR 2020 IN INDIA

Now I am no lawyer but going through the terms and conditions of most credit cards did make me feel so for a short while! It kind of sucked the life out of me and I guess the fun out of travelling too! We LaidBackTravellers believe that travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. We consider it food for our soul! There is a charm in starting a new journey to see a new place, meet different people, make new friends and learn new cultures.

As Penelope Riley famously said,

Its not the destination you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way!

 

 

 

 

 

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The best thing you can do for your children is give them the space to explore.

A post shared by Tattletales (@laidbacktraveller) on Nov 27, 2019 at 11:17pm PST

That said, having used a handful of good travel credit cards over the years and having gone through a whole plethora of credit cards on offer, did give me a good insight as I did get to compare the card features on offer. The boring time spent to go through the cards TnC’s is something I am not too proud off! but I do love our complimentary lounge visits and flight/hotel upgrades! In my defense, I am only human!

We do concede that good travel credit cards do offer some valuable perks enhancing your travel and its definitely a great way to travel Smarter and cheaper! which is kind of what we have been advocating for a few years now! So, while you try to stay safe from the pandemic you can take advantage of temporary benefits such as cashback or build up our points/miles balances out of our daily expenses for redeeming it in the future. Good travel credit cards offer great and worth-while rewards on various day-to-day expenses, which can be used to book free flights, free hotels and more. These travel points and perks will come in handy either for domestic or international travel once your life returns to normalcy. From hotel vouchers to flight upgrades to unlimited lounge access to elite status, some travel credit cards provide awesome perks and benefits upgrading the overall travel experience while saving money as well. With the right card (or cards) travel can become truly rewarding!

As I was trying to decide which card (or cards) is right for me from a huge number of seemingly same cards out there, I know that it can be a daunting task to decide which card is right for you. I was faced with a few questions as you might too! Does it align with your travel goals? Does it add value to your lifestyle? Does the benefits and savings in form of the reward rate/cashback/vouchers on domestic/international spends outweigh the card fees? Does the limit on international/domestic airport lounges matches your travel frequency? Does the credit card allow flexibility in redeeming / converting reward points / miles as cash / air miles? Does your card charges a low Foreign currency markup charge in case of international travel? Does it provide any benefits on international spends?

The ongoing pandemic has also brought the focus back on a comprehensive travel insurance more so for the international traveller. Most credit card provide baggage delay compensation and air accident compensation. Is the compensation adequate? Does the credit card provide any foreign hospitalization cover? Is it adequate for the length of your international stay?

It took me a while to compare and collate this article, but I have finally listed the top travel credit cards for every type of traveller (some of which we have been using personally over the years!). You will find only 5 top travel credit cards which have made it to our list below but I have compared 30+ travel credit cards and found most of them not worthy of mention either due to low reward rate or the perks not lucrative enough. Also, I have avoided cards with very high annual fees as we don’t find that being of enough value to the regular family travellers like us! Whether you are a beginning to collect reward points / miles or a seasoned frequent flyer, there is a right travel credit card for you.

LBT’s best family travel credit cards:

• American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card – Best for starter domestic travel

• Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card – Best for earning miles

• HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card – Best for starter international travel

• HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card – Best for lounge access

• Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card – Best for Air Vistara Business Flyers

To start our analysis, here are some comparisons of the best travel credit card offers and bonuses available right now.

Comparing our best travel credit cards

The best travel credit cards

Let’s take a look at the details of each of these travel credit cards and offers, including their offered reward rate and some of the ways I’ve been able to put the credit card benefits to use.

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card: Best for starter domestic travel

Why it’s the best travel credit card for starter domestic travel: Amex Platinum Travel credit card is the best option for those who are new to earning travel rewards and want a premium travel experience because it lets you earn generous Milestone Bonus Reward points (MBRP) on reaching spending limits and a reasonable annual fee. The MBRP is redeemable for Travel vouchers with flexibility to convert points to air miles along with other reward options. As per LBTs calculations, on spends of 4 lacs p.a., savings amount to ₹26,370 equating to awesome 6.6% savings in the first year and a generous 5.3% from second year onwards.

Welcome Bonus: You’ll get 5,000 Milestone Bonus Membership Rewards Points (for the first year only) redeemable for Travel Vouchers worth ₹3,500.

Rewards rate: You earn 1 Membership Rewards Point (MRP) earned for every Rs. 50 spent except for spend on Fuel, Insurance, Utilities, Cash Transactions and EMI conversion. Also, with the American Express Rewards Multiplier Program, you can earn 3x Membership reward points when you shop on your favorite brands like Amazon and Flipkart among others.

Travel Benefits: You’ll get ₹5,000 Travel Vouchers on spends of ₹1.90 Lacs in a year & additional ₹8,000 Travel Vouchers on spends of ₹4 Lacs in a year. Also, you get a Taj Experiences E-Gift Card worth ₹10,000 from Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta Hotels on spends of ₹4 Lacs in a year.

Airport Lounge Benefits: You get 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per year. Although you get a Complimentary priority pass but the international lounge access chargeable. 

Annual Fee: First year: ₹3,500+taxes (Second year onwards: ₹5,000+taxes)

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax

Redemption Value: 1 Regular Membership Reward Point = ₹0.40.

1 Milestone Bonus Reward point = ₹0.70 (Basically Welcome Bonus)

1 Spend Membership Bonus Reward Point = ₹0.67 ~ ₹0.80 (This is the spend based bonus reward points)

Why it’s worth it: You’ll earn a solid return (~6.6% back) with milestone reward points, travel vouchers and voucher from Taj Group including flexibility to convert points to air miles along with other reward options. You’ll enjoy 4 complimentary visits per year to airport lounges across India. You get complimentary membership to Priority Pass Program, although you don’t get free international lounge access as you do with other premium credit cards. Still this is the must-have perfect starter travel credit card for anyone who regularly shops online, dines or visits high end hotels but can’t justify a higher annual fee and does not travel internationally too often.

Read more here: Amex Platinum Travel review

Apply here: American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card: Best for earning miles

Why it’s the best travel credit card for earning miles: If you are a frequent flyer, it can be sweetly rewarding to have an air miles credit card. Rated under the Visa Signature platform, the Citibank PremierMiles card offers a nice mix of benefits and earning opportunities for the average spender, which makes it great for members of any frequent flyers programs who enjoy travel benefits but aren’t looking for an abundance of luxury perks and aren’t interested in spending a high annual fee.

Welcome Bonus: Earn 10,000 welcome Miles (₹4,500) after you spend ₹1,000 on Citibank PremierMiles Card within 60 days of card issuance. Earn 3,000 Miles (₹1,350) on card renewal every year.

Rewards rate: Earn minimum 4 Miles per ₹100 on all spends (Rewards return rate ~1.8%). Also, you’ll earn accelerated 10 miles per ₹100 spent on any airline transactions and also for any flights/hotels booking at www.premiermiles.co.in (Rewards return rate ~4.5%)

Travel Benefits: You’ll be able to redeem miles across domestic and international airlines or even transfer your miles with 2:1 conversion ratio to any of hotel & airline partners.

Airport Lounge Benefits: You’ll enjoy 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per quarter that’s 32 visits a year.

Annual Fee: ₹3,000+taxes (Complementary for Citigold customers with NRV of ₹75 lacs)

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax

Redemption Value: 1 Mile = ₹0.45 with Online Travel Partners like GoIbibo, IndiGo, MakeMyTrip, Yatra. 1 Reward Point = ₹0.30 with other partners such as BookmyShow, Vodafone, Shoppers Stop and Westside, Indian Oil and for redeeming points via vouchers.

Why it’s worth it: The Citibank Premier Miles card allows you to redeem miles across various airlines or transfer your miles to several airlines, including British Airways, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Air India, plus Taj InnerCircle. The transfer ratio is 2:1 for all partner airlines and hotels. And for those who know they don’t want to redeem for travel at this time, Citibank PremierMiles has various Online Travel Partners with a reasonable redemption value. For a manageable annual fee, you’ll enjoy a very generous 8 domestic lounge visits per quarter which is 32 visits in a year which is much higher than the competition in this annual fee range along with a generous return in miles (a calculated ~3.6% overall rewards) in miles. You’ll enjoy the freedom of evergreen miles that never expire. Moreover, the miles can be redeemed for flights without  any restriction of blackout dates as is the case with most other cards. Being a frequent flyer for any airline is twice as rewarding as you’ll get Frequent Flyer Program Miles for flying the airline over and above the accelerated miles earned on your Citibank PremierMiles Card. Moreover, you can grab some amazing offers and privileges available on travel, hotels, entertainment, etc. both in India and abroad.

Read more here: Citibank PremierMiles Card review

Apply here:  Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card

HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card – Best for starter international travel

Why it’s the best travel credit card for starter international travel: HDFC Bank Regalia credit card is the best option for those who are either starting to travel internationally or visit international destinations a few times in a year and want a premium travel experience because it gives you free access to domestic as well as international airport lounges with a very low foreign exchange markup fee. You also earn very generous rewards on most spends except fuel with regular 2x/5x/10x Smartbuy offers although presently the available offer is a 5% cashback with a maximum cap of ₹2,000 cashback per month. You also earn additional reward points on reaching spending limits and most people have been getting it Lifetime free. The Reward points are redeemable for flight and hotel bookings on the HDFC’s exclusive Smartbuy travel portal. As per LBTs calculations, on spends of ₹8 lacs p.a., savings amount to ₹42,167 equating to very generous return of ~5.3% back.

Welcome Bonus: Earn 2,500 reward points (₹1,250) as welcome benefit and renewal benefit only if membership fee is paid. Since most cards issued are Lifetime free, reward points will not be applicable. Also, for the first year you will get Zomato Gold membership after ₹75,000 spends in 3 months.

Rewards rate: Earn 4 reward points per ₹150 on all retail spends including Insurance, Utilities, Education and rent pay except spends on Fuel. You’ll earn 10,000 reward points (₹5,000) on achieving annual spends of ₹5 lacs. Additionally, you’ll earn 5,000 reward points (₹2,500) on achieving annual spends of ₹8 lacs. Also, you’ll earn upto ₹2,000 cashback every month from the Smartbuy accelerated rewards program. The reward points will be valid for 2 years.

Travel Benefits: For flight and hotel bookings via the exclusive Smartbuy travel portal, you’ll be able to redeem up to 70% of booking value through reward points and the rest with Regalia credit card. There is another option to redeem points by transferring points to Singapore Airlines (Kris Flyer) air miles with 2 reward points : 1 Air mile conversion rate. Unfortunately, at present this conversion is restricted only to Kris Flyer, so it is better to redeem points even though it is a bit restricted. However you will still earn the cashback of up to ₹2,000 on the amount paid with the Regalia credit card. 

Airport Lounge Benefits: You’ll enjoy 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per year (both at the domestic & international terminal). You get complimentary membership to Priority Pass Program on completing 4 retail transactions. You as well as your add on card member can together enjoy 6 free international lounge access per year.

Annual Fee: ₹2,500+taxes (Most cards are issued Lifetime free). If you get a paid version, you can get the renewal fee waived upon spends of ₹3 Lacs in a year.

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 2.0% + Service Tax

Global Value program: If you choose to subscribe to the Global value program with Annual / Renewal fee ₹199, you’ll get 1% cashback on international spends up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle. You’ll also get a welcome / renewal Benefit of 500 Bonus reward points on your first international transaction once in a year. Additionally, on International spends of ₹1.5 Lac in a year, you’ll get a milestone benefit of ₹2,000/- Yatra voucher once a year.

Redemption Value: 1 Reward Point = ₹0.50

Why it’s worth it: If you are new to international travel or travel internationally once is an while, the HDFC Regalia is a great option. You will earn reward points across a wide range of purchases, and then use those rewards at a ₹0.50-per-point ratio across a wide range of redemption options including flights and hotels. While seasoned credit card holders may not appreciate the recent downgrades of Regalia including most other HDFC credit cards, still you’ll earn a very generous return of ~5.27% back with various spend based reward points and cashbacks. You’ll enjoy 12 complimentary visits per year to airport lounges across India with a great feature of limits resetting every calendar year, unlike other cards which reset every quarter. You get complimentary membership to Priority Pass Program, and you’ll enjoy 6 free international lounge access per year along with your add-on card partner. The card also comes with a solid benefit of a low foreign exchange markup fee making it suitable for international usage.

Apply here:  HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card

HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card – Best for lounge access

Why it’s the best travel credit card for lounge access: With the HDFC Bank Diners Club Black credit card, you’ll have unlimited lounge access to 700+ lounges both domestic and international. Even add-on card members have access to the unlimited lounge access. No other card in this range offers this kind of access. Hoards of other amazing benefits and redemption options make it the best travel credit card for both domestic and international travel as well. You earn top-of-the-line rewards on your spends and the 10x Smartbuy rewards program is too good to be true, even with the max cap of 7,500 reward points per month. The Reward points are redeemable for flight and hotel bookings on HDFC’s exclusive Smartbuy travel portal for Diners Club Black card. As per LBTs calculations, on spends of ₹8 lacs p.a., savings amount to ₹1,30,000 equating to massive overall return of ~16.25% back.

Welcome Bonus: Get complimentary annual memberships for Club Marriott, Forbes Digital, Zomato Gold, Amazon Prime, Make My Trip Double Black & Times Prime either on spends of ₹1.5 lacs within 90 days or upon joining fees realization.

On spends of ₹8 Lacs in a year you get renewal of complimentary annual memberships for Club Marriott, Forbes Digital, Zomato Gold, Amazon Prime, Make My Trip Double Black & Times Prime.

Rewards rate: Earn 5 reward points per ₹150 (~3.33% return rate) on all retail spends including Insurance, Utilities, Education and rent pay except spends on Fuel. With the Smartbuy accelerated rewards program, earn 10x reward points (~33.3% return rate) on Flights, Hotels, Bus, Instant Vouchers; 5x reward points (~16.65% return rate) on Amazon and Rail & 3x reward points (~9.99% return rate) on Flipkart and Compare & Shop. Maximum Cap on Smartbuy program is 7,500 reward points per month. The reward points will be valid for 3 years. Earn 2x reward points on weekend dining at stand alone restaurants capped at 1000 RP per day. However, base reward points accrued on dining i.e. 5 reward points per ₹150 has no capping. Furthermore, on achieving monthly milestone spends of ₹80,000 in any one month get complimentary choice of any 2 vouchers can be availed amongst Ola Select membership or Book My Show or TataCLiQ worth Rs. 500 each every month.

Travel Benefits:  For flight, hotel bookings and experiences via the exclusive Smartbuy travel portal, you’ll be able to redeem up to 70% of booking value through reward points and the rest with Diners Club Black credit card. Alternatively, you’ll also be able to convert the reward points to airmiles for book flights for a choice of airlines such as Intermiles, Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer), British Airways (Avios), Club Vistara, Jet Airways (JPMiles) with a awesome conversion rate of 1 Reward Point = 1 AirMile. This can be a more lucrative option.

Airport Lounge Benefits: You’ll enjoy Unlimited Domestic & International Airport lounge access for primary as well as add-on card members. You will not get any Priority Pass as your Diners Black credit card itself will get you and your add-on card member access to unlimited lounge benefits.

Annual Fee: ₹10,000+taxes. You can get the renewal fee waived upon spends of ₹5 Lacs in a year.

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 1.99% + Service Tax

Global Value program: If you choose to subscribe to the Global value program with Annual / Renewal fee ₹199, you’ll get 1% cashback on international spends up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle. You’ll also get a welcome / renewal Benefit of 500 Bonus reward points on your first international transaction once in a year. Additionally, on International spends of ₹1.5 Lac in a year, you’ll get a milestone benefit of ₹2,000/- Yatra voucher once a year.

Redemption Value: 1 Reward Point = ₹1

Why it’s worth it: Its not just the unlimited lounge access or the low foreign exchange mark up fee or the global value program which lands this card on our list of most valuable travel credit cards. Besides the complimentary memberships to Club Marriott, Make my trip double black and others and global lounge access, the HDFC Diners Club Black is a super premium travel credit card that can provide amazing redemption options. It shines with its amazing Smartbuy accelerated rewards program which earns 10x reward points (~33.3% return back) on Flights & Hotels among other great rewards program and other monthly milestone spend benefits.

Other card highlights include best in class conversion rate in airmiles among both domestic and international travel partners including Intermiles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, British Airways Avios and Club Vistara. The higher conversion rate allows you to opt for premium cabin award flights. The benefits are extendable to add-on card members as well. In light of the coronavirus pandemic as travel is not the first thing on most people’s mind, Diners Club Black gives you the option to redeem points as cash as well as among other redemption options.

Apply here:  HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card

Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card – Best for Air Vistara Business Flyers

Why it’s the best travel credit card for Air Vistara Business flyers: If you fly Air Vistara often, it can be lucrative to have a cobranded credit card from the airline. The Axis Bank Vistara Infinite offers a nice mix of perks such as Club Vistara Gold membership, domestic lounge access and tempting milestone-linked business class flights along with a great way to earn miles on every spends, for a manageable ₹10,000 annual fee, which makes it great for Air Vistara frequent flyers who are looking to upgrade their flying experience.

Welcome Bonus: Get a Complimentary Business Class ticket (Taxes and Surcharges Apply) & Complimentary Club Vistara Gold Membership.

Rewards rate: Earn 6 Club Vistara Points for every ₹200 spent (a cool ~3% return rate) on all spends except fuel and wallet transfers.

Milestone benefits: On achieving spends of ₹1 Lac in the first 3 months, you’ll get 10,000 Bonus CV Points (only in the first year). Also, on achieving spends of ₹2.5 Lacs, ₹5 Lacs, ₹7.5 Lacs & ₹12 Lacs, you’ll get 1 Air Vistara Business class ticket each.

Travel Benefits: You’ll get priority check-in, priority boarding, complimentary lounge access & additional baggage allowance, priority baggage handling, milestone-linked maximum of 4 business class tickets (max 5 in the first year), and redeeming of earned miles for more Air Vistara reward flights. 

Airport Lounge Benefits: You’ll enjoy 2 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter including the exclusive Vistara lounge at Terminal 3 of IGI Airport, Delhi.

Annual Fee: ₹10,000+taxes.

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax

Redemption Value: 1 Club Vistara Point = ₹1

Why it’s worth it: At a manageable ₹10,000, frequent flyers of Air Vistara can enjoy elite-like benefits without breaking the bank to reach the elite Club Vistara Gold membership tier-by-tier. You’ll earn a cool ~3% return in Club Vistara points on your spends for redeeming reward flights on Air Vistara apart from the milestone-linked reward Business class tickets which pushes the reward return rate to an awesome ~7% for the first year (~5.4% from second year onwards).

However, if you are prefer flying economy or premium economy and are Air Vistara flights frequent flyer, you would want to look into the co-branded Air Vistara and SBI cards. When it comes to reward economy flights, Club Vistara SBI Card has a distinct edge over the Axis Bank Vistara Card. Similarly for premium economy reward flights, Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME is a clear winner when compared to its counterpart Axis Bank Vistara Signature Card. 

Apply here:  Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card

Bonus Information – Super Premium Card

HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card – Best Premium Travel Card for the High Net worth individual

Why it’s the best premium travel credit card for Family Travel: HDFC Bank Infinia credit card is the best super-premium card out there if one can get their hands on it. With its top of the line default reward rate of 3.3% and Unlimited International Lounge Access for self and add-on card members, the benefits for family travel are hard to beat. A low foreign exchange markup fee (2%+GST) combined with a higher default rewards rate (3.3%), actually equates to overall net gains (about 1%) which basically means you are rewarded just by using it for international spends among other spends. You also earn very generous rewards on most spends (except fuel and wallet reloads) with regular 2x/3x/5x/10x Smartbuy offers. Although presently there is a cap of 15,000 reward points per month for the Infinia card users (which is by far the highest offered by HDFC bank), you still need to be a really high spender to reach that limit. Our inherent nature does not allow us to spend high anyways and so we haven’t reached that limit so far and we do not have any intention to do so as well. Plus the 10x reward rate on flights, hotels and instant vouchers equates to 33% effective reward rate. The Reward points are redeemable for flight and hotel bookings on HDFC’s exclusive Smartbuy travel portal. Presently there is a restriction as only you can only pay 70% of the flight or hotel cost by redeeming the reward points with the rest paid by your Infinia card however you still get 33% reward points on the balance 30% which you pay by using your card. This makes it quite hard to stop using the card although we think anyone already using this card would not want HDFC bank to stop giving the perks anytime soon.

Annual Fee: ₹10,000+taxes (Generally not issued Lifetime free). Most get a paid version and you can get the renewal fee waived upon spends of ₹8 Lacs in a year. Even if you are not able to achieve the spend threshold for renewal fee waiver, no issues, you will still get compensated with 10,000 reward points. With 1 Reward point = 1 INR when redeemed on the Infinia Portal, what you lose is just the taxes paid. With the benefits offered, we consider it a very small price to pay.

Welcome Bonus: You get 10,000 reward points (equal to ₹10,000) as welcome benefit and renewal benefit only if the card fees is paid. If you achieve spends of ₹1,50,000 in the first 3 months of card issuance, you will not be required to pay the card fees and so you won’t get the welcome bonus. Likewise, if you achieve spends on ₹8 Lacs in a year, you will not need to pay the renewal card fees and so you will not get the renewal bonus reward points. So it does not really matter if you achieve the spends or not, you will be compensated with the same rewards points (minus GST amount paid) for the amount you pay for the card fees.

Also, you get Club Marriott Membership however it is only for the first year. Even on card renewal, this membership does not get renewed. Although I must add that once you have the Infinia card up and running in the first year, you will not feel the need for the Club Marriott membership from the second year onwards anyway.

Rewards rate: The cardholder earns 5 reward points per ₹150 on all retail spends including Insurance, Utilities, Education and rent pay except spends on Fuel and wallet reloads.

But the real deal is the HDFC Bank’s 2X/3X/5X/10X Smartbuy accelerated rewards programs.

Dining: 2X Reward points (6.6% rewards rate) on dining at stand alone restaurants is presently capped at 1000 reward points per day. However, the default reward points accrued on Dining i.e. ₹5 reward points per 150 is with no capping.

HDFC Bank’s Smartbuy portal: 3X reward points (9.9% rewards rate) on Flipkart & Compare & Shop and 5X reward points (16.5% rewards rate) on Amazon and Rail tickets.

10X reward points (33% rewards rate) on Flights, Hotels, Bus and Instant Vouchers. This is where this card shines. Whether it is the flights or the hotels you book, you effectively get 33% back as rewards points on your spends. Even when buying gift vouchers to use on Amazon and Flipkart or any other brand, you still get 10X reward points i.e. 33% back as reward points. There is a 5k purchase limit per month on the gift vouchers for Amazon and Flipkart with other brands having their own individual limits.

Also, the maximum cap on 10X Smartbuy accelerated rewards program is 15,000 Reward points per month. The reward points will be valid for 3 years.

Travel Benefits: The Reward points are redeemable for flight and hotel bookings on HDFC’s exclusive Smartbuy travel portal. Presently there is a restriction as only you can only pay 70% of the flight or hotel cost by redeeming the reward points and the rest with your Infinia card however you still get 10X reward points (33%) on the balance which you pay by using your card.

There is another option to redeem points by transferring points to Club Vistara, Singapore Airlines (Kris Flyer) air miles or Intermiles with 1 reward points : 1 Air mile conversion rate. Unfortunately, at present this conversion is restricted only to Kris Flyer & Intermiles, with Club Vistara added to this list recently.  I personally would choose to redeeming points (and get 10X reward points back on amount paid with card) than converting to air miles but if you have sufficient points, you may choose to convert them to air miles and not have to pay anything in cash

Airport Lounge Benefits: It doesn’t get better than this. Having Unlimited lounge access at Domestic & International Airport is an amazing perk to have for family travellers like us. The Infinia card comes with a complimentary Priority Pass membership for the primary cardholder as well as the add-on cardholders. This membership comes with unlimited lounge access at all priority pass lounges in airports across the world. This includes both International and Domestic lounges.

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 2.0% + Service Tax

Global Value program: If you choose to subscribe to the Global value program with Annual / Renewal fee ₹199, you’ll get 1% cashback on international spends up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle. You’ll also get a welcome / renewal Benefit of 500 Bonus reward points on your first international transaction once in a year. Additionally, on International spends of ₹1.5 Lac in a year, you’ll get a milestone benefit of ₹2,000/- Yatra voucher once a year.

Redemption Value: 1 Reward Point = ₹1 when redeemed at the exclusive Infinia Portal for flight and hotel bookings.

1 Reward point : 1 Air Mile when redeem points by transferring points to Singapore Airlines (Kris Flyer) air miles, Intermiles or Club Vistara.

1 Reward point : ₹0.50 when redeemed for products or vouchers via NetBanking or Smartbuy.

1 Reward point : ₹0.30 when redeemed for cash in statement credit to the card holders account.

Why it’s worth it: If you are new to international travel or travel internationally once is an while, the HDFC Regalia is a great option. You will earn reward points across a wide range of purchases, and then use those rewards at a ₹0.50-per-point ratio across a wide range of redemption options including flights and hotels. While seasoned credit card holders may not appreciate the recent downgrades of Regalia including most other HDFC credit cards, still you’ll earn a very generous return of ~5.27% back with various spend based reward points and cashbacks. You’ll enjoy 12 complimentary visits per year to airport lounges across India with a great feature of limits resetting every calendar year, unlike other cards which reset every quarter. You get complimentary membership to Priority Pass Program, and you’ll enjoy 6 free international lounge access per year along with your add-on card partner. The card also comes with a solid benefit of a low foreign exchange markup fee making it suitable for international usage.

Being an Invite only card, HDFC Infinia scores a notch above the Diners Club Black card in its acceptance due to Visa / Mastercard network and a higher limit of reward points (15,000 RP/month) that can be collected each month. Most of the other perks are similar to the Diners Club Black card such as unlimited lounge access or the low foreign exchange mark up fee or the global value program which puts this card as a top travel credit card. It also shines with its amazing Smartbuy accelerated rewards program which earns 10x reward points (~33.3% return back) on Flights & Hotels among other great rewards program.

Other card highlights include best in class conversion rate in airmiles among both domestic and international travel partners including Intermiles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Club Vistara although Diners Club Black has more airline redemption options like British Airways Avios as well. The higher conversion rate allows you to opt for premium cabin award flights.

Read more here: HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card review

Check out more details here:  HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card

Frequently asked questions

How do travel rewards cards work?

You earn points or miles on across various spending categories through the Travel rewards cards, the aim being to earn enough rewards to book free flights and hotel stays. The best travel rewards cards earn points or miles that can be transferred to various airline and hotel partners like Amex points or Citi miles. You’ll get access to certain travel and purchase protections. They help you to upgrade your travel experiences in many ways. The best travel rewards card come with premium benefits like lounge access, dining privileges and more. You can contact us or comment below to help you maximize your credit card strategy to reach your travel goals and so much more.

Is a travel rewards credit card worth it?

It can be very rewarding to get your more than your money’s worth from a travel rewards credit card. This will depend on your travel frequency, whether you feel comfortable about paying the card fees to qualify for rewards, whether you are able to earn enough rewards value to justify any annual fees and whether you are able to pay off the card balance “in full” for every statement cycle. Paying off your credit card spends each month ensures that high interest is not accrued which compounds if the balance is carried from month to month. You can benefit from a travel rewards credit card if you travel often for work or leisure and if your normal daily spends are able to earn you substantial reward points or miles from a high ongoing rewards return rate or various bonuses offered. Based on your annual spends, you can decide if the travel rewards credit card is worth it by comparing the rewards rate and bonus offered from different card issuers. If your annual spends are not high enough, substantial reward points or miles can still be earned to restrict spending to one credit card and pay it off as a monthly bill.

Is the travel card’s joining/renewal fees worth it?

One of the most important thing you’ll want to check before applying for a travel credit card like any other credit card is to make sure you’ll actually be able to utilize all the benefits and rewards offered which make up for the annual fee. Let’s say, you have applied for a co-branded card with a particular airline but if you can’t use the reward flights or if you are not a frequent flyer, then probably you are not getting your money’s worth. There is definitely a merit in a travel credit card with annual fees only if you’re able to get great value out of their benefits and rewards.

From so many cards out there, how do I pick the right travel credit card for my free travel?

There are a few different things you’ll want to analyse to help you determine the right travel rewards credit card for you: 

• Your spend patterns : You’ll want to take a stock of your monthly and annual spend habits to help you analyse which card can provide you the maximum value. This is also important to analyse if you’ll be able to get annual fee waiver, if offered by the provider. 
• Welcome bonus : Does the welcome bonus offered offset the joining fee, if applicable? Is it lucrative enough for new cardholders?
• Rewards earn rate : Does the card earn you solid rewards return rate on your most common purchases? Are there any restrictions? Does it earn you any accelerated rewards on shopping, dining or travel?
• Flexibility of various Redeeming options : What are the various options for redeeming your rewards points with the travel credit card? Are the options convenient to use? What is the reward conversion ratio for various redeeming options to help decide which option gives the maximum value? Is there any restriction on the number of rewards program’s travel partners to choose from? Research your options to see if you will be able to utilize them for your travel benefits. Also, take a look if you can use rewards to book travel directly through the credit card issuer’s website and the rewards conversion rate.
• Benefits : A travel card with higher spend limits tends to have a higher annual fee and more benefits too. The higher annual fee for having more benefits is justified only if you are able to utilize most of its benefits such as accelerated and milestone bonus reward points, airport lounge access and complimentary elite status.
• Annual fee : It is absolutely fine if you don’t feel comfortable paying a high annual fee, you still have some great options under ₹5,000 as well.

What is the best travel credit card?

The best travel credit card for you would be the one that matches your need and what value a card could provide you the most, without burning a hole in your pocket. You do not need to spend ₹60,000 a year for a great travel rewards card; there are great options under ₹10,000 as well. We think HDFC Bank Diners Club Black and Amercan Express Platinum Travel give the best overall value as a travel rewards card however for us, it is HDFC Bank Infinia credit card that does the trick. Although we still think that HDFC Bank Diners Club Black has a slight edge over HDFC Infinia as far as travel advantages are concerned.

For someone starting out to use credit cards, we would recommend starting with Amex Platinum Travel or Citi PremierMiles as it earns you Amex points or Citi miles, as these are among the easiest rewards to redeem and you have various travel partners to utilize. But if your annual spends on the higher side, you can get significant value out of HDFC Diners Club Black or HDFC Infinia.