With all the discussions on airlines and airports, we often miss out on one thing. The Indian Railways! It is the mode of transport used by the majority of us and connects to far more places than the airports ever will. Even if many take a flight to go to a major city, chances are we then take a train to a remote city/village. We always tend to focus on how to save on the air ticket. But how to save on the train tickets. Here is one card that helps you. In this post, we review the IRCTC SBI Platinum Card and its features/benefits.
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card Fees and Charges
| Joining Fee | Rs 500 plus taxes |
| Annual Fee | Rs 300 plus taxes |
| Welcome Benefit | 350 RP on Rs 500 spend within 45 days of card issuance |
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card Rewards
SBI Card in collaboration with IRCTC offers good value on AC travel bookings. We get:
- Up to 10% reward points for AC travel (1st, 2nd, 3rd, Executive Chair Car, Chair Car) as per the below dates
- 4% RP for travel between April 1 – July 14 and September 16 – January 14
- 10% RP for travel between January 15 – March 31 and July 15 – September 15
- 1 RP = Rs 1
- Reward points will be accumulated in the IRCTC loyalty account. Check T&C here.
In addition, the card also offers 1 RP per Rs 125 spend (excluding fuel). This is a 0.8% return.
For the upto 10% value back on AC tickets, the cardholder has to be one of the passengers on the booked ticket.
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card Complimentary Railway Lounge Access
The IRCTC SBI Platinum card gets 1 complimentary railway lounge access per quarter. The cities where this is available are Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ahmedabad, Kolkata(Sealdah). The benefits in the lounge include:
- Two hours of lounge stay
- A/C sitting arrangements
- 1 Buffet Meal – Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner as per the time of visit
- Unlimited tea and coffee
- Free Wi-Fi
- Newspapers and Magazines
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card Benefits
- Save 1% transaction charges on IRCTC bookings
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs 500 to Rs 3000
My View
This is a lucrative card from SBI for someone who regularly travels in trains. 10% value back on AC tickets is good during the off-peak season.
One thing I would like to see a change in is the complimentary railway lounge access. We seldom travel alone. SBI Card needs to add complimentary access for guests or add-on cardholders. The other addition could be a little more benefits on non-AC ticket bookings. 0.8% for an IRCTC co-branded card is a bit less as per me.
If you are looking for other cards that offer good benefits on IRCTC, then do have a look at HDFC Bank credit cards. They offer 5% cash back or up to 3X reward points with Smartbuy.
