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SBI IRCTC Platinum Credit Card: Features, Fees & Rewards Reviewed

Many of my friends and relatives hold an SBI credit card, most commonly the SBI IRCTC Platinum Credit Card. For people who travel by train at least once a month between home and work, this card can be useful because it offers savings of up to 10% on IRCTC spends. Below is a clear breakdown of the card’s fees, rewards and benefits.

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Table of Contents

  • Joining Fees
  • Rewards
  • Features & Benefits
  • Bottomline

Joining Fees

  • Joining/Renewal Fee: Rs.500 + GST
  • Welcome Benefit: 350 points

The welcome benefit offsets part of the fee, which makes sense for a low-fee card that delivers strong returns on IRCTC train bookings.

Rewards

  • IRCTC Train Bookings – Peak Season: 10% as points (applicable on AC1, AC2, AC3 and CC)
  • IRCTC Train Bookings – Off Season: 4% as points (applicable on AC1, AC2, AC3 and CC)
  • All other spends: 0.8% as points (1 reward point for every Rs. 125)
  • 1 reward point = Rs. 1
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Note: To be eligible for rewards, the booked ticket must include at least one traveller whose name matches the cardholder’s name.

Features & Benefits

  • Save on transaction charges: 1.8% saving on railway ticket booking fees compared with standard online transaction charges
  • Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% waiver on fuel transactions of Rs. 500 – Rs. 3,000 (exclusive of GST and other charges). Maximum waiver is Rs. 100 per statement cycle.

Bottomline

  • Cardexpert Rating: 3.8/5

This is a basic card and remained attractive until SBI introduced a higher-tier option, the SBI IRCTC Premier Credit Card. For many users, the Premier version now offers better value. Keeping the Platinum card makes sense mainly if your spends are low or your travel falls into periods when the card provides the 10% return.

If your annual spend on train tickets is under Rs. 20,000, neither IRCTC card is likely to be the best option. In that case, consider entry-level cards that reward broader spending categories, such as cards from SBI, Axis or ICICI that target everyday purchases and online shopping.

Do you have the IRCTC Platinum credit card? Share your experience in the comments below.