Best travel credit cards in India

Travel cards are the most expensive category and the easiest one to overpay for. A ₹5,000 annual fee is fine if you fly every month and use the lounges; it is money wasted if you take two holidays a year.

Four things to check before the fee

Lounge access rules. Since 2024 almost every issuer has linked lounge visits to quarterly spending, usually ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh. The "12 visits a year" on the brochure is really "12 visits if you spend ₹4 lakh a year on the card". Our listings show the condition next to the count.

Forex markup. Standard is 3.5% plus GST. Regalia Gold, Infinia and Magnus charge 2%, SBI ELITE 1.99%, Scapia and a few fintech cards 0%. On a ₹2 lakh foreign trip the difference between 3.5% and 0% is ₹7,000, more than most annual fees.

Transfer partners. Axis Atlas and Magnus let you move points to airlines and hotel programmes, which is where the real value is: a business-class redemption can turn 2% earning into 6% to 8%. HDFC's SmartBuy is simpler but capped. SBI and ICICI have no meaningful transfer options.

Insurance that is actually useful. Air accident cover sounds impressive but lost-baggage, flight-delay and overseas medical cover are the ones you will claim on. Check the amounts and the claims process in the MITC.

Our view

For someone who flies six to ten times a year domestically, IDFC FIRST Select is hard to argue with: no fee, lounge access and 1.99% forex. For frequent international travel, Axis Atlas or HDFC Regalia Gold. Scapia is the card to carry abroad on a budget. Infinia and Magnus are superb but need income the bank will verify.