Luxury credit cards, as the name suggests, are usually expensive and are targeted towards high-income individuals who have a high total relationship value (TRV) with the card issuer. According to the DBS Bank India website, "The TRV is the sum of all balances of accounts held with the bank, including balances in Savings Account, Current Account, Credit Card Accounts, Loans and Insurances."
Top hotel credit cards:
"Luxury credit cards generally come with with annual fees as high as Rs. 60,000. Most of these cards cater to multiple spend categories ranging from shopping, dining and movies to luxurious benefits around travel bookings, luxury hotel memberships, access to premium golf courses, VIP airport assistance, etc. Such cards usually offer maximum value to the consumers through a comparatively high reward rate, lifestyle benefits, travel benefits and more. Along with these, cardholders can also avail substantial benefits on reaching quarterly or yearly spend milestones. When used responsibly and strategically, the benefits offered on most of the luxury cards can easily surpass the high annual fee. These cards also come with stricter eligibility criteria, with some of them being invite-only cards. Those who are eligible for a luxury credit card must check whether the benefits offered match their spending preferences and would be able to give value back worth the annual fee charged," said Rohit Chhibbar, Head of Credit Cards Business, Paisabazaar.
The list below shows some of the most popular luxury credit cards that offer significant value to the users across multiple categories. (Source: Paisabazaar. All card information is sourced from the card provider's website as of 5 February, 2024.)
Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card
Annual Fee
- Rs. 50,000
Key Benefits
- 50,000 reward points on card activation and renewal
- 15 EDGE reward points for every Rs. 200 spent
- 2x reward points on international spends
- 8 free VIP assistance services covering airport check-in, security check, immigration processes and porter services
- 4 free chauffeured luxury airport pick-ups/drops every year
- Free unlimited domestic & international lounge visits for both primary and add-on cardholders along with 12 free visits for guests
- Complimentary Priority Pass membership
- Complimentary hotel membership benefits such as ITC Culinaire, Accorplus, Club Marriott Asia Pacific, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Postcard Hotel covering discounts on room rates, convenient check-ins and check-outs, free night stays, etc.
- Complimentary EazyDiner Prime membership with savings up to 25%
- 50 free golf rounds every year across select golf courses in India
- B1G1 benefit on BookMyShow on movie and non-movie tickets, 5 times in a month each
- Low forex markup fee of 1.5%
- Annual fee waiver on spending Rs. 35 Lakh in a year
- No cash withdrawal charges
American Express Platinum Credit Card
Annual Fee
- Rs. 60,000
Key Benefits
- 1 Membership Reward point for every Rs. 40 spent
- 3X Membership reward points on international spends
- 5X Membership reward points on spends at American Express Reward Multiplier
- Access to over 1300+ Airport Lounges globally such as The Centurion Lounge, Priority Pass Lounges, Escape Lounges, etc
- Exclusive deals on airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, Delta Airlines, etc.
- Complimentary benefits worth Rs. 44,300 at iconic 5-star properties that include guaranteed 4pm late check-out, room upgrades at check in when available, daily breakfast for two, WiFi, etc
- Complimentary Elite Tier memberships such as Taj Reimagined Feature, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, Hilton Honors Gold Status, Radisson Reward Premium Status, and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
- 25% off at Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta Hotels
- 50% off on Suites at Oberoi Hotels and Resorts
Axis Bank Burgundy Private Credit Card
Annual Fee
- Rs. 50,000
Key Benefits
- 30,000 welcome EDGE reward points on first transaction
- 15 EDGE reward points for every Rs. 200 spent
- Complimentary hotel and dining
- 30,000 welcome EDGE reward points on first transaction
- 15 EDGE reward points for every Rs. 200 spent
- Complimentary hotel and dining memberships including Club Marriott, Accor Plus and Taj Epicure
- Up to 15% off and stay privileges at Postcard hotels and International & Domestic Oberoi & Trident Hotels
- Unlimited lounge access at international airports for Priority Pass holders and add-on Priority Pass holders with 12 free visits for guests
- Unlimited domestic airport lounge access for primary and add-on cardholders along with 12 free guest visits
- Up to 30% discount on conveyance to airports in India and abroad
- Health & Wellness benefits with concessions on coaching at Weljii, complimentary consultations for second opinions and global travel & medical assistance during international travel
- 0% forex markup fee
- Up to 40% savings on Dining
- 50 complimentary rounds of golf per year
- BookMyShow benefits on movie, and non-movie tickets, 5 times in a month each
- Complimentary concierge service for 8 airport visits.
IDFC FIRST Private Credit Card
Annual Fee
- Rs. 50,000
Key Benefits
- 2 Lakh bonus rewards points worth Rs. 50,000 and Curated Taj Epicure Membership on card activation
- 1 Lakh bonus reward points worth Rs. 25,000 and Taj Epicure membership renewal on payment of annual fees
- 6 rewards on every Rs. 100 spent on online spends and 3 rewards on every Rs. 100 spent on offline spends and rental transactions
- 1 reward on every Rs. 100 spent on insurance premium payments and other transactions
- 10 rewards on every Rs. 100 spent on birthday
- 10 rewards on every Rs. 100 spent on online, offline and in-store spends beyond cumulative monthly spends above Rs. 30,000
- 1 reward point = Rs. 0.25
- Unique redemption option of redeeming reward points for donation against a charity with 25% rewards back
- Karma points for 10% of the amount spent on birthdays, for a maximum value of Rs. 25,000 per year
- Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge and spa access in India
- 4 complimentary railway lounge visits in a quarter
- Instant discount of up to Rs. 750 per month for movies, plays, and event ticket bookings at BookMyShow, twice in a month.
- Up to 2 complimentary golf round or lesson in a month
- 0% forex markup fee
HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card (Invite-only card)
Annual Fee
- Rs. 12,500
Key Benefits
- Complimentary Club Marriott membership for first year
- 12,500 bonus reward points on card activation
- 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent
- 10x rewards on travel and shopping spends at Smartbuy
- Redeem reward points for 1:1 against flight and hotel bookings via Smartbuy, Apple products & Tanishq vouchers and for air mile conversion
- Unlimited airport lounge access across the globe for Primary and Add-on members
- Unlimited complimentary golf games at leading courses across India and select courses worldwide
- Low forex markup fee of 2%
- Renewal fee waiver on spending Rs. 10 Lakh in a year
- Bonus 12,500 reward points on payment of card renewal fee
- Complimentary nights & buffet at participating ITC hotels
- Global Personal Concierge -24 X 7.
