SBI Card Miles
Joining Fee: ₹1,499 + GST
Annual Fee: ₹1,499 + GST
Reward Type: Reward points
Welcome Benefit
1,500 Travel Credits on spending ₹30,000 within the first 60 days of card issuance.
Rewards Structure
The SBI Card Miles earns Travel Credits for eligible spends, which can be redeemed for flights, hotels, and more. The reward structure is as follows:
Travel Spends: 2 Travel Credits per ₹200 spent (~1% return)
Other Spends: 1 Travel Credit per ₹200 spent (~0.5% return)
Excluded Categories: No rewards for fuel, rent, wallets, education, utilities, or insurance transactions.
Milestone Benefits
5,000 bonus Travel Credits on reaching annual spends of ₹5 Lakhs, adding an extra 1% bonus reward rate.
Reward Redemption Options
The Travel Credits earned with this card can be redeemed in the following ways:
1 Travel Credit = ₹0.50 for travel bookings (flights, hotels, etc.).
1 Travel Credit = ₹0.25 for redemption through the Shop and Smile product catalog.
Airline Transfer Partners
One of the key benefits of the SBI Card Miles is the ability to transfer Travel Credits to various airline loyalty programs. Below are the airline partners and their conversion rates:
- Air Arabia (AA Rewards): 2:1
- Air India (Flying Returns): 1:1
- Air Asia (airasia rewards): 1:1
- Air Canada (Aeroplan): 1:1
- Air France – KLM (Flying Blue): 1:1
- Air Vistara (Club Vistara): 1:1
- Ethiopian Airlines (ShebaMiles): 2:1
- Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 1:1
- Japan Airlines (JAL Mileage Bank): 2:1
- Qantas Airways (Qantas Frequent Flyer): 1:1
- Saudia (AlFursan): 2:1
- SpiceJet (SpiceClub): 1:1
- Thai Airways (Royal Orchid Plus): 1:1
- Turkish Airlines (Miles&Smiles): 2:1
- United Airlines (MileagePlus): 2:1
Hotel Transfer Partners
In addition to airlines, cardholders can also transfer their Travel Credits to hotel loyalty programs. The available hotel partners and conversion rates are as follows:
- Accor (ALL – Accor Live Limitless): 2:1
- IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG One Rewards): 1:1
- ITC (Club ITC): 2:1
- Orchid Hotels (Orchid Rewards): 1:1
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (Wyndham Rewards): 1:1
- Shangri-La Group: 6:1
Airport Lounge Access
The SBI Card Miles provides complimentary domestic airport lounge access for cardholders, making it an attractive option for travelers.
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 2 complimentary visits per quarter.
International Airport Lounge Access: Not available.
Additionally, cardholders can earn extra domestic lounge visits based on their spending, with 1 additional domestic lounge visit granted for every ₹1 Lakh spent, capped at 8 extra visits per membership year.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver on fuel surcharge for transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000.
Maximum waiver of ₹250 per statement cycle.
Foreign Currency Markup
The SBI Card Miles credit card comes with a foreign currency markup fee of 3% + GST (~3.5%).
Summary
The SBI Card Miles is an entry-level travel credit card with a ₹1,499 annual fee, offering 2 Travel Credits per ₹200 on travel spends and 1 Travel Credit per ₹200 on other purchases. Cardholders earn milestone rewards of 5,000 Travel Credits for spending ₹5 Lakhs annually and receive 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter. Travel Credits can be redeemed for flights, hotels, or transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs. The card also provides a 1% fuel surcharge waiver but excludes categories like fuel, rent, and utilities from earning rewards. With a 3% + GST forex markup, it's suitable for occasional travelers, though frequent travelers may find more rewarding alternatives.