IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card Review

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has teamed up with State Bank of India (SBI) to offer the one-of-a-kind IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum card, majorly for railway ticket bookings. According to IRCTC’s website, the SBI Bank Platinum card, also known as the SBI railway card offers consumers free railway tickets as well as a slew of other perks. The card comes with the option to earn reward points, a 1.8% transaction fee waiver, free personal injury insurance, and up to 10% value back on railway reservations.

The features of the IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card are limited because it is an entry-level card, but it is ideal for those who travel by rail frequently. Here is our review of the IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card, where we delve deep into the pros, cons, rewards, cashback, and more. We attempt to answer the question of whether you should get one for yourself or not.

IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card Review 2022

Pros

• Spend Rs 500 or more within 45 days of card issuance and get 350 additional Reward Points.
• When you buy rail tickets for AC1, AC2, and AC CC categories at irctc.co.in, you can get up to 10% back in Reward Points.
• When you book your train tickets through irctc.co.in, you’ll get a 1.8 percent transaction fee waiver. You’ll also get 1 Reward Point for every Rs. 125 spent on non-fuel purchases.
• 4 complimentary railway lounge access
• In India, all petrol pumps are exempt from a 1% fuel levy.
• Book free rail tickets with your Reward Points (1 Reward Point = 1 Rupee).
• You can replace your IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card through the 24×7 helpline in case of emergency

Cons

• Non-uniform reward rate throughout the year:  SBI Card’s reward structure should have been simplified by offering a 10% reward rate throughout the year, rather than bucketing it into peak and off-peak times.

• No renewal fee waiver based on spending: All other SBI Credit Cards offer a renewal fee waiver based on spending. This would have been a lovely touch to the card, and it would have enticed more people to go for it.

Rewards and cashback

• Peak Season IRCTC Train Reservations: 10% as points (for AC1, AC2. AC3 and AC CC classes)
• Off-season IRCTC Train Reservations: 4% as points (for AC1, AC2. AC3, and AC CC classes)
• All other transactions: 0.8% return in the form of points (1 Reward point for every Rs 125)

Fees and charges

• Joining Fee: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs 500 (one-time)
• Interest rate: up to 3.5% per month

Who should get an IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card?

The IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Credit Card is a fairly straightforward card that’s excellent for people who don’t travel much or just travel seasonally, via rail. You can save money on train tickets, plane tickets, and e-catering. To obtain a more comprehensive coverage in terms of advantages and awards, however, you should pick the more premium IRCTC SBI Bank Premier Credit Card,

If you don’t use this service very often, you should make use of this card. You can choose from the RBL Platinum Maxima and the HDFC Diners ClubMiles credit cards, too. If your spending is not more than Rs 50,000 in a billing year, the IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum Card is the best option for you. If you like to read about this topic, may we also suggest our review of sbi irctc premier credit card?

Eligibility criteria

Age

• You must be between 21 and 65 years old

Income

• Salaried – Pay receipts from the previous three months (or bank statements from the previous three months)

• Self-employed – ITR from the previous year, as well as a bank statement for the previous three months and Form 16

Documents

• 2 full-color passport photographs
• Proof of ID (anyone) – a passport, a driver’s license, a voter’s identification card, a PAN, and an Aadhaar card
• Proof of Address (anyone) – Aadhaar card, passport, driver’s license, voter’s ID Electricity, telephone, and postpaid mobile phone bills are all examples of bills. A bank statement or a Post Office savings account statement.

Conclusion

In India, the market for regular rail travellers is immense, and credit cards tailored specifically to their needs have a lot of potential. With the launch of this product (IRCTC | SBI) on the RuPay network, a wider audience will be able to take advantage of the card’s outstanding value proposition. SBI Bank confirms its commitment to providing users with secure, value-added cashless payment solutions with this launch.

IRCTC SBI Bank Platinum credit card is a specialised credit card for booking railway tickets. This  card ensures that you can choose the best card for your IRCTC spending each year. Other cards, on the other hand, are better if you want to get certain perks from each category, such as shopping, rewards, eating, travel, and so on.

Rating and Reviews

Cashback and Rewards: 3.5/5 During peak season, a 10% reward rate on rail tickets with no upper limit is quite beneficial. If you don’t travel by rail much, though, we would advise you to avoid this card.

Fees and charges: 4/5 If you only want a low-fee SBI card in your wallet for partner merchant discounts, we recommend the SBI SimplyCLICK credit card if you spend most of your money online and the SBI SimplySAVE credit card if you spend most of your money offline.

Eligibility: 3.5/5 There are no benefits on everyday expenses such as groceries, shopping, electricity bills, and so on. However, for every 1 reward point Rs 125 paid, which is by far the lowest in any category.

Overall:  3.5/5 If you order train tickets on a regular basis, the Amazon Pay ICICI credit card or the Flipkart Axis Bank credit card may be the best option. Both cards do not include complimentary access to airport lounges. It’s an obvious flaw.