Recently, SBI Card and Singapore Airlines launched two co-branded credit cards: the KrisFlyer SBI Card and the KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex. Singapore Airlines is one of the best airlines in the world, and a large number of Indian credit card users transfer their rewards to Singapore Airlines' loyalty program, KrisFlyer. Having a co-branded credit card can be highly beneficial for customers who frequently travel with Singapore Airlines. Let’s review the card benefits and see if these two cards are worth considering.
Charges:
Joining Fees: Rs. 2,999+GST
Annual Fees: Rs. 2,999+GST
Welcome Benefit:
Get 3,000 KrisFlyer miles on payment of annual fees and first transaction within 60 days of card issuance.
Main Benefits:
Airport Lounge Access:
Get 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges. Maximum surcharges waiver Rs. 250 per statement.
Reward System:
Charges:
Joining Fees: Rs. 9,999+GST
Annual Fees: Rs. 9,999+GST
Welcome Benefit:
Get 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on payment of annual fees and first transaction within 60 days of card issuance.
Main Benefits:
Airport Lounge Access:
Get 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges. Maximum surcharges waiver Rs. 500 per statement.
Reward System:
The KrisFlyer SBI Card is a very basic credit card with a low reward rate and seems a bit overpriced. In fact, you can earn more SQ miles using the HDFC Regalia Gold than with this co-branded credit card for regular spending, so the basic variant isn't very beneficial and I recommend skipping it.
On the other hand, the KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex offers a better reward rate, but it lacks perks to justify its high annual fee. While the 10,000 SQ miles as a welcome benefit can easily compensate for the joining fee, from the second year onward, the card may feel overpriced for the benefits it offers.
This card provides decent rewards on spending. You'll earn 3% SQ miles on normal spends, with an additional 2% if you spend ₹5L in a year, making the overall reward rate 5%, which is excellent. If you spend ₹10L in a year, you'll earn 3% on normal spends and 1.3% in milestone rewards, totaling a 4.3% reward rate—still a solid offering.
However, SBI Card could have added more perks to make this a top-tier premium credit card. Not offering any tier status benefits with this co-branded card is somewhat disappointing. Overall, it's a good card for those looking to accumulate SQ miles, but it could have been better.
KrisFlyer SBI Card:
Charges:
Joining Fees: Rs. 2,999+GST
Annual Fees: Rs. 2,999+GST
Welcome Benefit:
Get 3,000 KrisFlyer miles on payment of annual fees and first transaction within 60 days of card issuance.
Main Benefits:
Airport Lounge Access:
- Enjoy 1 complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge visits every quarter
- Complimentary membership to the Priority Pass Program worth $99
[This membership is only for the first two years, meaning that from the third year onward, you will no longer have complimentary PriorityPass membership or complimentary international lounge access.] - 4 complimentary International Airport Lounge visits per year (max. 1 visit per quarter)
Get 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges. Maximum surcharges waiver Rs. 250 per statement.
Reward System:
- Earn 5 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 spent on Singapore Airlines Group [Reward Rate: 2.5% SQ Miles]
- Earn 5 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 on international spends [Reward Rate: 2.5% SQ Miles]
- Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 on other eligible spends [Reward Rate: 1% SQ Miles]
- Exclusion from the reward points program: Spends on Property Rental, Fuel, Wallet Recharge, Utility and Government related payments.
- Earn additional 3,000 KrisFlyer miles on Annual Spends of Rs. 3 Lacs as Milestone Rewards [Additional 1% SQ Miles milestone benefits].
- Tier upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership on Spends of Rs. 2.5 lacs on Singapore Airlines
KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex:
Charges:
Joining Fees: Rs. 9,999+GST
Annual Fees: Rs. 9,999+GST
Welcome Benefit:
Get 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on payment of annual fees and first transaction within 60 days of card issuance.
Main Benefits:
Airport Lounge Access:
- Enjoy 2 complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge visits every quarter.
- Complimentary membership to the Priority Pass Program worth $99
[This membership is only for the first two years, meaning that from the third year onward, you will no longer have complimentary PriorityPass membership or complimentary international lounge access.] - 8 complimentary International Airport Lounge visits per year (max. 2 visit per quarter)
Get 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges. Maximum surcharges waiver Rs. 500 per statement.
Reward System:
- Earn 10 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 spent on Singapore Airlines Group [Reward Rate: 5% SQ Miles]
- Earn 8 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 on international spends [Reward Rate: 4% SQ Miles]
- Earn 6 KrisFlyer miles per Rs 200 on other eligible spends [Reward Rate: 3% SQ Miles]
- Exclusion from the reward points program: Spends on Property Rental, Fuel, Wallet Recharge, Utility and Government related payments.
- Earn additional 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on Annual Spends of Rs. 5 Lacs as Milestone Rewards. [Additional 2% SQ Miles milestone benefits]
- Earn 3,000 additional bonus KrisFlyer miles on cumulative spend on Rs. 10 lacs. [Total 1.3% SQ Miles in milestone benefits in 10L spent in a year]
- Tier upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership on Spends of Rs. 7.5 lacs on Singapore Airlines.
The KrisFlyer SBI Card is a very basic credit card with a low reward rate and seems a bit overpriced. In fact, you can earn more SQ miles using the HDFC Regalia Gold than with this co-branded credit card for regular spending, so the basic variant isn't very beneficial and I recommend skipping it.
On the other hand, the KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex offers a better reward rate, but it lacks perks to justify its high annual fee. While the 10,000 SQ miles as a welcome benefit can easily compensate for the joining fee, from the second year onward, the card may feel overpriced for the benefits it offers.
This card provides decent rewards on spending. You'll earn 3% SQ miles on normal spends, with an additional 2% if you spend ₹5L in a year, making the overall reward rate 5%, which is excellent. If you spend ₹10L in a year, you'll earn 3% on normal spends and 1.3% in milestone rewards, totaling a 4.3% reward rate—still a solid offering.
However, SBI Card could have added more perks to make this a top-tier premium credit card. Not offering any tier status benefits with this co-branded card is somewhat disappointing. Overall, it's a good card for those looking to accumulate SQ miles, but it could have been better.
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