IRCTC SBI Platinum Card: Review of SBI Railway Card

India is heading towards a cashless economy, and thus the use of Credit Cards have been rampant in the past few years. Owing to the changing trends, SBI Cards, which is the second-largest cards issuer in the country has rolled out a wide array of Credit Cards to cater to customers from all walks of life.

IRCTC SBI Platinum Card is an SBI Railway Card and by far one of the most sought after Credit Cards by SBI Cards. It is essentially a Co-Branded Credit Card offered by SBI in conjunction with the subsidiary of Indian Railways – IRCTC. Designed by the iconic cartoonist of India R K Laxman, this card comes with a wide array of benefits including –

• 350 Bonus Reward Points on Card Activation, when the user spends Rs. 500, within the first 45 days of card issuance.
• Cashback of Rs. 100 on the first ATM cash withdrawal, within the first 30 days of card issuance.
• Complimentary membership the Frequent Traveller Programme of Indian Railways – ShubhYatra.
• 10% of your 1AC and 2AC ticket base fare can be redeemed back as Reward Points on purchasing tickets through www.irctc.co.in
• 1 Reward point for each Rs. 125 spent on non-fuel retail purchases, including purchase of railway tickets at official IRCTC site.
• 8% transaction charge waiver on Credit Card transactions at www.services.irctc.co.in
• 1 Reward Point for every Rs. 125 spent on shopping, dining and travelling using the Railway Card, wherein 1 Reward Point = Re. 1.
• Complimentary personal accident insurance cover of Rs. 10 Lakh, in case of loss of life, in a train accident (when travelling via valid ticket).
• 1% fuel surcharge on transactions worth Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, across all petrol pumps in India, with a maximum waiver of Rs. 100 per billing cycle.

This IRCTC and SBI co-branded card also offers multiple facilities, including but not limited to-

Balance Transfer

Given that SBI Railway Credit Card accrues minimal interest, you can now transfer balances from their other credit cards to this SBI Railway Card and pay off your debt in a cost-effective manner.

However, you would be required to pay a processing fee with respect to the transfer.

Flexipay

IRCTC SBI Railway Card offers Flexipay facility which can be used to enjoy your dream vacation or fulfil any other financial obligations that may come your way without any worry. Through this facility, you convert your purchases into easy instalments.

Add-on Card

If you want to share the benefits of your SBI Railway Card with any of your family members aged 18 and above, you can apply for an Add-On Card, at a nominal fannual fee of Rs. 250 only.

Annual Fee and Other Costs

Below mentioned are the costs associated with your IRCTC SBI Platinum Card-

• One Time Joining Fee: Rs. 500
• Recurring Annual Fee: Rs. 300
• Extended Credit Charges (Interest Rate): 20% per annum
• Minimum Amount Due: 5% of Total Outstanding (Min. Rs. 200 + applicable taxes + EMI (for EMI-based product) + OVL amount (if any)
• Cash Advance Limit: Up to 80% of credit limit (a maximum of Rs. 12,000 per day)
• Cash Advance Charges: Up to 3.35% per month from the date of withdrawal
• Cash Advance Fee: Domestic ATMs – 2.5% of the transaction amount, subject to a minimum of Rs. 300
• Cash Advance Fee: International ATMs-3% of the transaction amount, subject to a minimum of Rs. 300
• Over-Limit Charges – 2.5% of over-limit amount subject to a minimum of Rs. 500
• Late Payment Fee as per the table shared below:

Types of SBI Credit Cards

SBI Cards offer all types of SBI Credit Cards such as shopping, travel, lifestyle, rewards, etc. Let us take a quick look at some of the most popular SBI Credit Cards that are currently ruling the marketplace. Besides enjoying the available travel booking benefits of SBI Railway Card, you can club your card with any of the following cards for your day-to-day expenses. This way, you can make most of the available benefits of the Credit Card.

1. SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card

SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card comes with an annual fee of Rs. 499. It is essentially designed to serve salaried individuals and comes with multiple benefits, including:

• 2,000 Reward Points as the welcome bonus
• Fuel surcharge waiver of up to 1%
• Annual fee waiver on spends of Rs. 90,000 in a given year
• Reward points on utility bills, shopping, travel, etc.

2. SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card

As the name suggests, SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card is designed for patrons who heavily rely on online shopping. Some of the prominent features of this card are –

• Annual fee of Rs. 499
• 10X Reward Points on online spends (with exclusive partners- Amazon/ BookMyShow/ Cleartrip/ Lenskart/ Netmeds/ Rentomojo/ UrbanClap)
• Earn 5X Rewards on all other online spends
• Fuel surcharge waiver of up to 1%
• Annual fee waiver on spends of Rs. 1 lakh in a given year.

3. SBI ELITE Credit Card

SBI ELITE Credit Card is designed for people who have a high inclination towards lifestyle expenditure. Offered at a comparatively high annual fee of Rs. 4,999, the card offers multiple benefits including –

• Welcome bonus of Rs. 5,000 (e-Voucher)
• 5x Reward Points on dining out, buying groceries and on international spends
• Annual fee waiver on spends of Rs. 10 Lakh in a given year

4. SBI Prime Credit Card

Offered at an annual fee of Rs. 2,999 SBI Prime Credit Card is designed to cater to the needs of people with medium to high spending necessities. Some of the prominent benefits of this card include–

• Welcome bonus of Rs. 3,000 (e-Voucher)
• 10x Reward Points on dining out, buying groceries, and on international spends
• Annual fee waiver on spends of Rs. 3 Lakh in a given year

As you now know about various types of Credit Cards, wait no more before you avail a card that best suits your spending behaviour, and make the most of this credit instrument!

Also Read: Top 10 Credit Cards to Get Airport Lounge Access