The Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME is one of the best Vistara credit cards in the market today. Between all the rewards, miles, and cashback an airline credit card can be a better fit for domestic travelers who don’t want complete Airmiles redemptions. While we have co-branded cards for most airlines, Vistara cards are much better in rewards. As of now, Vistara has co-branded cards with Axis Bank and SBI Card. In this article, we review one of the Vistara co-branded cards – the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME. This is a higher variant of the base Club Vistara SBI Card.
Overview
| Segment | Premium |
| Card Type | Airline |
| Variant | Mastercard |
| Annual Fee | Rs 2999+GST |
| Reward Rate | ~5.6% |
Fees and Charges
| Joining Fee | Rs 2999+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 1 Complimentary Premium Economy Ticket
3000 CV points on spending Rs 75000 within 90 days |
| Annual Fee | Rs 2999+GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | None |
| Renewal Benefit | 1 Complimentary Premium Economy Ticket |
| Club Vistara Status | Silver |
The complimentary premium economy ticket is worth more than the joining fee. We are valuing the complimentary premium economy ticket for at least Rs 5500. It can of course be even higher depending on the route and time of booking.
Considering the welcome and renewal benefit, the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME card pays us to hold it even if we do not make any spending on it. Effectively, we get more benefits than the fee we pay.
Rewards
- All Spends: 4 Club Vistara(CV) points per Rs 200 ~ 1.6% Return
- 9 CV points per Rs 100 spent on Vistara flights (with the complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership)
We are valuing 1 CV point at 80 paise in this case. But in extreme cases, we can get a value higher than Rs 1 as well or a value of 60 paise too.
Milestone Rewards
The main feature of all Vistara co-branded cards is the milestone benefit. We get 4 premium economy tickets and a hotel stay gift voucher for spending Rs 8 Lakhs in a year. The value of these premium economy tickets increases when we are booking closer to the travel date.
| SPEND MILESTONE | REWARD |
|---|---|
| Rs 1.5 Lakhs | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| Rs 3 Lakhs | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| Rs 4.5 Lakhs | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| Rs 8 Lakhs | 1 Premium Economy Ticket Rs 10000 Yatra Hotels Gift Voucher |
Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME offers a 5.6% return on spends
- Approximate value of one premium economy ticket: Rs 5500 as we need to pay approximately Rs 1000 as redemption charges towards fuel and surcharges.
- Total value of 4 premium economy tickets: Rs 22000
- Value of Yatra Hotel Gift Vouchers: Rs 10000
- CV Points on Rs 8 Lakhs spend: 16000 (excluding Vistara spends)
- Total Return: 16000 CV points ~Rs 12800 + Rs 22000 as Economy Tickets + Rs 10000 Yatra Hotels GV = Rs 44800 ~5.6% Return on Rs 8 Lakh spending
The 16000 CV points alone can get you a Bengaluru to New Delhi Premium Economy ticket. Check the Vistara award chart for many other options. The challenge here will be booking the award ticket as Vistara cards are a bit too popular.
Club Vistara Silver Privileges and Benefits
The Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME offers Silver status for as long as we hold the card. This status comes with its own set of benefits that we can use when flying on Vistara.
- Earn 9 Club Vistara Points for every Rs 100 spent on Vistara flights base fare
- Extra 5 Kg baggage allowance
- 1 class upgrade voucher on Tier Renewal
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
- Domestic Airport Lounge Access in India: 2 complimentary visits per quarter with Mastercard
- International Airport Lounge Access outside India: 4 complimentary visits per calendar year (maximum 2 per quarter) with Priority Pass.
Free Cancellation on Vistara Flights
Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME offers free cancellation on Vistara tickets booked with it
- In case of a refundable ticket, the insurance company will be paying the difference amount up to Rs 3500 whichever is less i.e. entire ticket amount minus taxes and convenience fees
- In case of a non-refundable ticket, the insurance company will be paying the ticket fare (excluding tax and convenience fee) or Rs 3000 per cancellation whichever is less
You can check the complete T&C here.
Insurance Benefits
- Air Accident Cover: Up to Rs 1 Cr
- Loss of check-in baggage: Up to Rs 72000
- Delay of check-in baggage: Rs 7500
- Loss of travel documents: Up to Rs 12500
- Baggage Damage Cover: Up to Rs 5000
Final Thoughts
As expected, the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME is one level above the base variant Club Vistara SBI Card. We get better rewards and benefits from this. The good thing is getting the PRIME variant is better even with the higher annual fee. If we opt for this card, we get 3 Premium Economy tickets on reaching Rs 4.5 Lakhs spend. The base variant gives us 3 Economy tickets at a higher milestone spend of Rs 5 Lakhs. So, even if you are planning to spend the same amount get the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME.
