SBI Card and Vistara Launch New Co-Branded Travel Credit Cards

SBICard, the country’s second-largest credit card issuer, has launched a new co-branded airline credit card in partnership with Air Vistara, the premium domestic carrier. The offering includes two variants on the MasterCard network, featuring complimentary flight tickets, hotel vouchers, free cancellations, lounge access and other benefits tied to card spends. Below is a clear, concise overview of what each variant offers and how to evaluate them.

Club Vistara SBI Card (Basic)

• Fees: Rs. 1,499 + GST
• Welcome Bonus: 1 economy ticket + 1,000 CV Points (on Rs. 50,000 spend)
• Regular Rewards: 3 CV Points per Rs. 200 spent (approx. reward rate ~1.1%)
• Milestone 1: Complimentary economy ticket on Rs. 1.25 lakh spend
• Milestone 2: Complimentary economy ticket on Rs. 2.5 lakh spend
• Milestone 3: Complimentary economy ticket on Rs. 5 lakh spend + Rs. 5,000 Yatra hotel voucher
• Insurance Benefit: Cancellation cover – up to 4 cancellations, each up to Rs. 3,500
• Lounge Access: Domestic via MasterCard (4 visits per year – 1 per quarter)

If you spend Rs. 5 lakh in a year, you would earn roughly 6,000 CV Points and receive three complimentary Vistara economy tickets (excluding the welcome benefit). Using a conservative estimate of Rs.3,500 per economy ticket, the approximate return on spend is around 4%. Actual value will vary by route and fare class—popular routes such as BOM and DEL can yield different ticket values.

Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME (Premium)

The PRIME branding distinguishes the higher-tier variant and bundles enhanced benefits geared toward frequent travelers.

• Fees: Rs. 2,999 + GST
• Welcome Bonus: 1 premium economy ticket + 3,000 CV Points (on Rs. 75,000 spend)
• Regular Rewards: 2 CV Points per Rs. 100 spent (approx. reward rate ~1.5%)
• Tier Benefit: CV Silver tier
• Milestone 1: Complimentary premium economy ticket on Rs. 1.5 lakh spend
• Milestone 2: Complimentary premium economy ticket on Rs. 3 lakh spend
• Milestone 3: Complimentary premium economy ticket on Rs. 4.5 lakh spend
• Milestone 4: Complimentary premium economy ticket on Rs. 8 lakh spend + Rs. 10,000 Yatra hotel voucher
• Insurance Benefit: Cancellation cover – up to 6 cancellations, each up to Rs. 3,500
• Lounge Access: Domestic via MasterCard (8 visits per year – 2 per quarter) and International via Priority Pass (4 visits per year)

If you reach Rs. 8 lakh in annual spend, you would collect around 18,000 CV Points plus four complimentary Vistara premium economy tickets, a Rs. 10,000 hotel voucher and potential upgrade benefits. Using an assumed value of Rs.7,500 per premium economy ticket, this package can translate to an estimated return on spend comfortably above 7%, making the Prime variant particularly attractive for heavy spenders and frequent Vistara flyers.

Should you apply?

SBI Card’s policy typically allows customers to hold two SBI credit cards: usually one regular flagship (for example, Elite or Prime) and one co-branded card. This restriction means you may need to choose which SBI co-branded product to keep if you already hold one.

Among SBI’s co-brand options, the Air India Signature card has unique benefits that may make it the better pick for some customers. If you don’t need the Air India card, Vistara Prime delivers compelling value and compares favorably to similar market options such as the Axis Vistara Signature card.

Note: Given occasional processing issues with newly launched SBICard products, it’s prudent to wait a week or two after launch before applying to avoid early hiccups.

Bottomline

Overall, these SBICard Vistara variants are well structured, offering familiar airline co-brand benefits while adding hotel vouchers and cancellation coverage that set them apart. Earning on fuel spends is an added plus. The primary gap is the absence of a variant that offers complimentary business-class tickets, which could be due to limited demand or conservative program design.

For frequent Vistara travelers and high spenders, the Prime variant is particularly compelling. The basic variant remains a solid choice for moderate flyers who want steady airline rewards without a high annual fee. It will be interesting to see whether SBICard expands the lineup with a business-class tier in future.

What are your thoughts on the newly launched SBI Vistara credit cards? Share your comments below.