Updated on: MARCH 10, 2022 / 07:29 AM IST

Credit cards co-branded with airlines offer exclusive privileges on travelling by the partner airline including air-mile earnings, complimentary membership to their loyalty programme and free tickets. If you are a frequent traveller and loyal to an airline, such airline co-branded credit cards can be the right choice for you. Paisabazaar has identified the five best co-branded credit cards offered in collaboration with popular airlines. 

Image Source: Kotak Mahindra Bank | Kotak IndiGo Ka-ching 6E XL Credit Card offers welcome tickets worth Rs 3,000, Accor hotel dining voucher worth Rs 5,000, add-on worth Rs 899 which includes priority check-in, complimentary meal and baggage assistance. It offers eight complimentary airport lounge access in India (two every quarter). Every time you swipe your credit card, you get 6E rewards to redeem against Indigo tickets. The annual fee is Rs 2,500 on this card.

Image Source: SBI Card | Club Vistara SBI Prime Credit Card offers one premium economy ticket on payment of an annual or renewal fee. It also offers a hotel e-voucher from Yatra worth Rs 10,000 on spending Rs 8 lakh, and a complimentary priority pass membership worth Rs 7,457 till the card is active. It also gives eight complimentary airport lounge access in India (two every quarter). The annual fee is Rs 2,999 on this card.

Image Source: SBI Card | Air India SBI Signature Credit Card offers up to 10 reward points for every Rs 100 spent on Air India tickets booked through Air India portals, complimentary membership of the Air India Frequent Flyer programme-Flying Returns, access to international airport lounges with complimentary Priority Pass programme and more. The annual fee is Rs 4,999 on this card.

Image Source: SBI Card | Etihad Guest SBI Premier Credit Card offers 5,000 Etihad guest miles as a welcome gift and complimentary Etihad guest gold tier status after the first card transaction. The customer gets 1,500 Etihad guest miles on spending Rs 1.5 lakh in a calendar quarter. It offers complimentary airport lounge access: 12 in India and six overseas, and other benefits. The annual fee is Rs 2,500 on this card. It offers complimentary airport lounge access: 8 in India and 4 overseas, and other benefits. The annual fee is Rs 4,999 on this card.

Image Source: Axis Bank | Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card offers a complimentary business class ticket voucher as a welcome gift, a complimentary club Vistara membership which includes priority check-in, priority boarding, additional baggage allowance, etc. The customers get four complimentary business class tickets and bonus club Vistara points on achieving milestone spending. The annual fee is Rs 10,000 on this card.

Have a disciplined approach to your credit behaviour. It is critical that you use your co-branded airline credit cards smartly and responsibly. Since credit cards offer a significant interest-free period, there may be a tendency to overspend while travelling with family on vacation. If you spend more than you can repay and cannot pay your credit card bill timely, you will incur hefty interest charges ranging from 28-49 per cent p.a., along with late payment fees.

To shortlist the top five co-branded airline credit cards, Paisabazaar compared the features of all credit cards available within the segment. All the cards are selected based on the primary travel benefits offered by each card for both domestic and international travel. All credit card information is sourced and updated as of March 1, 2022. The co-branded airline credit cards are arranged according to the lowest annual fees.