What most of us look for while travelling is for options and benefits that can make our travel smoother and convenient. We usually get stuck on benefits like free airport lounge access, cashbacks, early check-ins or room upgrades. But we often don’t realise that hotel bookings take up the larger part of our travel budget.
This is where hotel credit cards become handy.If you love travelling and staying in good hotels, choosing the right hotel credit card can save you thousands of rupees every year.
A hotel credit card is just like the other normal credit cards but comes with some extra benefits for hotel stays. To make your search easier, we’ve created a simple and detailed guide to the best hotel credit cards in India for 2025.
1. HDFC Bank Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card
- Joining fee: Rs. 3000 + taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): Rs. 3000 + taxes
Hotel-booking benefits
- 1 Free Night Award on joining. Valid for staying at eligible Marriott hotels. Redeemable up to 15,000 Bonvoy points.
- 10 Elite Night Credits – it is a part of the hotel loyalty program that helps to upgrade status.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status that helps to get perks and benefits like better room availability and member benefits.
- Rewards on spending: 8 Bonvoy Points per Rs 150 spent at eligible Marriott hotels, 4 Bonvoy points per Rs 150 spent on travel dining, 2 Bonvoy points per Rs 150 spent on other eligible purchases
Other rewards and benefits
- Complimentary lounge access (12 domestic + 12 international lounge visits per year)
- 2 Complimentary golf access per quarter
Eligibility Criteria: Any salaried person aged 21-60 years with an Indian citizenship earning ~Rs 1,00,000 Monthly Income should be more than Rs 1,00,000. While, for a self-employed individual, the age limit is 21-65 with an annual ITR of more than ₹15 lakh per annum.
This credit card is ideal for a frequent traveller and also for people who want a low-fee hotel booking credit card with free night stay and reward points benefits.
2. HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card
- Joining fee: Rs. 2,500 + taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): Rs. 2,500 + taxes
Hotel-booking benefits
- Get up to 5X reward points on booking for hotels via SmartBuy
- Discounts on dining, 1+1 buffet on eligible ITC hotels
- Hotel and flight vouchers on milestone completion
Other rewards and benefits
- Unlimited airport lounge access (domestic + international)
- Complimentary golf lessons & games at leading courses across India and select any courses across the world
- Travel insurance
- Click here to learn how to earn maximum rewards with this card.
Eligibility Criteria: To apply for this card, you must be an Indian resident with a stable income of more than one lakh and a good CIBIL score. Self-employed people should have annual tax return of more than 12 lakh. The age requirement generally ranges from 21 to 65.
3. Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card
- Joining fee: Rs. 5,000 + taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): Rs. 5,000 + taxes
Hotel-booking benefits
- Get 5,000 EDGE miles as a welcome bonus which can be used for Hotel bookings.
- Get 5 EDGE miles on every 100 rs spent on travel bookings through Axis Travel Edge which can later be redeemed for hotel stays.
- Get up to 5X reward points on spending on hotel stays.
- Get up to 25% off at partner restaurants after a minimum spend of Rs 2,500 twice a month.
Other rewards and benefits
- On first transaction within 37 days, you get a welcome gift (EDGE miles) of 2,500 points.
- You get complimentary lounge access per year depending on the status of your card (Silver, Gold, Platinum).
- Travel insurance
- Unlimited complementary lounge access for both domestic and international airports.
Eligibility Criteria: To apply for the Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card, you must be an Indian resident and at least 21 years old. If salaried then you must have a stable annual income of more than Rs 60,00,000 and a good CIBIL score. Self-employed people should have an annual tax return of more than 12 lakh.
4. SBI Elite Credit Card
- Joining fee: Rs.4,999 + Taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): 4,999 + Taxes
Hotel-booking benefits
- Get Rs 5,000 worth of hotel vouchers as a welcome gift.
- Get special discounts of up to 15% on selected hotels.
- Cardholders get free movie tickets worth Rs 6000 which can be used for hotel bookings.
- Get maximum discounts on hotel bookings by booking through their partner apps like Yatra and EaseMyTrip.
Other rewards and benefits
- The card owners enjoy the maximum discount of Rs 250 per ticket on booking two travel tickets every month.
- You get 5X Reward Points on Dining and on stores and grocery purchases.
- 6 complimentary Airport Lounge visits every year across India
- Cardholders enjoy a complimentary 1-year Club ITC Silver Tier Membership
Eligibility Criteria: Minimum age required for this card is 21 and the person should have an earning of Rs 60,000 or more if employed and Rs 7,20,000 if self-employed.
SBI Elite Credit Card is ideal for people who want a balanced premium card for movies, hotels and travel.
5. American Express Platinum Travel Card
- Joining fee: ₹66,000 + Taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): ₹66,000 + Taxes
Hotel-booking benefits:
- The card owners enjoy free upgrade rooms at check-in.
- Enjoy daily breakfast for two person
- Benefit of late checkout
- Complimentary credit worth USD $100
- 25% off at selected hotels
- 50% off on suites, Oberoi hotels and resorts
- Get the third night for free on booking for two nights
Other rewards and benefits
- Unlimited lounge access
- Membership of 5+ premium hotels
- Unlimited golf and games courses
Eligibility Criteria: The minimum age requirement for applying for this card is 18 years and above, and the minimum Annual Salary for Self-Employed Individuals is ₹6 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs. The income requirement for a salaried person is ₹4.5 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs per annum. Also, your CIBIL score should be above 700.
Certain Co-branded cards are the cards launched in partnership with travel/booking platforms that also allow maximum benefits, which will further help you in identifying better options. Here’s a list of some of the best co-branded credit cards.
Co-branded cards
1. Standard Charted EaseMyTrip Credit Card
Co-branded with a travel and hotel booking platform, this card has a very low joining fee of Rs 350. The renewal fee may be waived if met with the maximum spend criteria. The benefits include:
- 20% instant discount on hotel bookings across India when booked via EaseMyTrip.
- 10% discount on flights
- 2 complimentary lounge passes every year
- Reward points on every Rs 100 spent
This card is ideal for tight-budget people who occasionally travel or book hotels.
2. Yatra SBI Card:
Co-branded with a travel platform, this card has a very low joining fee of Rs 499. The benefits include:
- A welcome voucher: 2 vouchers worth Rs 500 for domestic travel and 2 Vouchers worth Rs 1000 for international travel.
- You get one reward points for every Rs 100 spent.
- Cardholders enjoy fuel surcharge waver across all petrol pump in India
- Maximum discounts on grocery shopping.
Invite-only cards
If you are a high-end spender, these invite only cards might come handy for you as these card offers maximum benefits.
1. HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card (Premium/Metal edition)
- Joining fee: Rs. 12,500 + taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): Renewal fee may be waived if you spend ₹10 lakh or more within the year.
Hotel-booking benefits:
- Complimentary Club Marriott membership for the first year, get discounts on your stays and dining at Marriott hotels across Asia.
- Special offers at partner hotels like Book for 3 nights but pay for 2.
- Get maximum reward points for your spending. 5 reward points per Rs 150 spent and up to 10X reward points on spends made through SmartBuy.
2. Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card
- Joining fee: Rs. 50,000-60,000 + taxes
- Annual Fee (Renewal fee): ₹ 50000+ GST. Renewal fee may be waived if you spend ₹35,00,000 or more within the year.
Hotel-booking benefits
- The card owners receive the membership of luxury hotels like Taj Epicure, ITC, Acoor etc and enjoy exclusive deals.
- Suite upgrades, complementary breakfasts and late check out.
- Get up to 50% at all day dining in selected premium restaurants and 20% off on food and beverages in eligible Marriott hotels.
Quick Guide: How to Choose the Right Card
- List types of hotels you usually stay in for example chain, luxury, local, abroad, domestic.
- Get an estimate of how many nights per year you stay in hotels.
- Check your annual spend and ability to cover the interest, taxes and renewal fee.
- Opt for the card which aligns with your profile and choices perfectly.
Written by: Supriya
