Synopsis: With the rise in credit card usage in India the NPCI introduced Rupay, one of the first of its kind. This article talks about the 5 best RuPay credit cards that one can use for travel.
When NPCI introduced RuPay in 2012, it marked the beginning of financial independence. India’s credit card industry before the arrival of RuPay was a monopoly for foreign players such as Visa and Mastercard, which meant that a considerable portion of every transaction fee would have exited the country. But then RuPay revolutionized the sector with its domestic payment infrastructure, reducing interchange fees and bringing millions of previously underserved Indians into the formal banking system, and gave rise to a new generation of cards tailored to Indian spending habits and travel patterns.
The real change took place when RuPay became part of the UPI payments ecosystem. Users can connect their RuPay credit cards to popular mobile wallets like Google Pay and PhonePe, earn credit card reward points, and use their cards to pay even for the smallest UPI transactions, which Visa and Mastercard versions do not support. However, RuPay cards’ attractiveness for travellers is not limited to any sort of patriotism. Indeed, there are some highly effective RuPay cards which provide free or inexpensive lounge access, no forex loading, fast reward points on travel reservations, and minimal annual fees. Here’s an insight into five of the best.
IndusInd Bank Tiger Credit Card
The IndusInd Bank Tiger Credit Card is a lifetime-free co-branded RuPay card offered jointly by IndusInd Bank and Tiger Fintech (a Bajaj Capital Group subsidiary). It is ideal for travelers looking for top-of-the-line travel benefits and features at zero cost.
Travel Benefits: Tiger Credit Card holders can access two domestic lounges and two international lounges each quarter and year, respectively, using Priority Pass services, a unique feature among zero-cost cards. Another attractive feature is the lower foreign transaction fee of only 1.5% on all overseas purchases, which is among the best in the market. Lastly, there is a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹400 and ₹4,000.
Reward System: The card comes with a rewards multiplier system which depends on your yearly spendings starting from 1x and ending in 6x on spends higher than ₹5 lakhs per annum. Rewards can be exchanged into Airmiles (each reward equals 1.2 Airmiles) or travel/voucher credits through Indus moments portal. Also, a free movie ticket valued at ₹500 via BookMyShow will be given once every six months.
To apply for the card, please visit the Official Website
IRCTC Rupay SBI Card
IRCTC SBI Platinum Credit Card is a partnership between SBI Card & IRCTC. This is a RuPay-based credit card that has been specially designed for millions of Indians who depend on rail transportation for their domestic travels.
Travel Perks: The most distinctive aspect of the card is that users will get up to 10% rewards in the form of points when they book AC class tickets via IRCTC’s website or mobile app. In peak travel months (between January 15 – March 31 and July 15 – September 15), the customers will earn 10 points per ₹100, whereas during the off-peak period, customers will earn 4 reward points per ₹100. Customers can also save 1% on IRCTC transaction fees. Additionally, there are 4 free railway lounge access per year (one per quarter) in selected stations such as Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata (Sealdah).
Reward Points: Users will receive reward points to their IRCTC Loyalty Account, which will be redeemed at 1 point = ₹1 towards booking train tickets. Customers will receive a 350 points welcome bonus if the first transaction is ₹500 or more within 45 days from the date of issue. Note: This card does not offer airport lounge access and is primarily valuable for train travellers.
To apply for the card, please visit the Official Website
Also Read: Top 5 Credit Cards to Earn High Cashback on Cleartrip Flight Bookings in 2026
BOBCARD Eterna
BOBCARD Eterna is Bank of Baroda’s most popular travel and lifestyle credit card. This RuPay-powered card allows for UPI transactions and one of the best cards for travel.
Travel benefits: One of the best travel benefits associated with the BOBCARD Eterna card is unlimited free access to domestic airport lounges for both the main card and add-on cards provided there is a minimum spend of ₹40,000 per quarter in the previous quarter. (However, this requirement is waived for new customers during the first quarter). International travelers also have the advantage of lower foreign exchange transaction fees at just 2% (versus the standard 3.5%). Travel-related purchases earn a lucrative 5X multiplier, which translates into 15 reward points for every ₹100 spent.
To apply for the card, please visit the Official Website
BOBCARD Premier
BOBCARD Premier is Bank of Baroda’s RuPay Credit Card offering travel-based benefits to explorers at an economical fee point than the Eterna card.
Benefits: This card provides one free visit to the airport lounge every quarter (on condition of a minimum spend of ₹20,000 in a quarter). Spending on travel and foreign purchases will get you 5X rewards (10 reward points per ₹100). A fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on transactions made between ₹400 and ₹5,000 (max of ₹250 per month).
Ixigo AU Credit Card
Ixigo AU Credit Card is a co-branded travel credit card by AU Small Finance Bank, partnered by ixigo, an online travel website that operates in India. The RuPay variant comes with features like UPI rewards and UPI transaction points. This card is available on Visa and RuPay networks.
Benefits for Travelling: The biggest selling point of this travel card is that there is no foreign exchange charge levied on international spends. There are 16 free lounges a year, which include 8 free domestic lounges and 8 railway lounges (only 2 per quarter, with the condition that you spend ₹20,000 each quarter). One free international lounge is provided annually. On the ixigo portal, the card users can avail of a discount of 10 percent on flights (up to ₹1,000), 10 percent on hotels (up to ₹1,000), and 10 percent on buses (up to ₹300). For train ticket booking on ixigo, there will be no payment gateway charge.
Rewards: Rewards Points earned are 10 reward points per ₹200 spent on Online Transaction and 5 reward points per ₹200 spent on Offline Transactions. RuPay variant holders earn these reward points on UPI transactions. Quarterly rewards are 5,000 reward points for spending ₹75,000 per calendar quarter. Rewards points can be used for redeeming ixigo Money (at ₹0.50 per point) or any other merchandise or voucher.
Comparison table
| Feature | IndusInd Tiger | IRCTC SBI Platinum | BOBCARD Eterna | BOBCARD Premier | Ixigo AU |
| Joining Fee | Nil | ₹500 + GST | ₹2,499 (waivable) | ₹1,000 (waivable) | Nil (LTF offer) |
| Annual Fee | Nil | ₹300 + GST | ₹2,499 (waivable) | ₹1,000 (waivable) | Nil (LTF offer) |
| Interest Rate | 3.50% p.m. / 42% p.a. | 3.50% p.m. / 42% p.a. | 3.25% p.m. / 39% p.a. | ~3.25% p.m. / 39% p.a. | 3.49% p.m. |
| Joining Benefits | Tiered rewards; golf access | 350 bonus reward points | FITPASS Pro + 10,000 RPs on milestone | 500 bonus RPs on milestone | 1,000 RPs + ₹1,000 ixigo vouchers* |
| Airport Lounge | 2 domestic/quarter + 2 intl/year | None | Unlimited domestic (spend-gated) | 1 domestic/quarter (spend-gated) | 8 domestic/year + 1 intl/year |
| Railway Lounge | — | 4/year (1/quarter) | — | — | 8/year |
| Forex Markup | 1.50% | 3.50% | 2.00% | Standard | 0% |
| Best Suited For | International + domestic travel | Frequent train travellers | High-spend lifestyle + travel | Budget travellers | Domestic + platform-linked travel |
Conclusion
There is no perfect RuPay travel credit card as the ideal one would differ from individual to individual based on their spending habits. People frequently traveling by train may benefit from using the IRCTC SBI Platinum Card for booking tickets from IRCTC. For those that spend lavishly and require access to lounges, the BOBCARD Eterna is the way to go. For budget travelers, the Ixigo AU Credit Card is ideal due to the absence of any charges. Choose a card that best aligns with your spending habits.
Written by Shrikara
