SBI Card ELITE
The SBI Card ELITE was always a membership portfolio more than a rewards card — and in 2026 the Vistara–Air India merger pulled the Trident Privilege Red and Club Vistara Silver status memberships out. What remains is quietly decent: a low ~1.99% forex (the old 3.5% is outdated), 6 international Priority Pass visits a year (2/quarter), 5X (~2.5% at ₹0.25/point) on dining, grocery and departmental stores, 2 RP per ₹100 (~0.5%) elsewhere, and milestones worth up to ₹12,500 (50,000 RP across ₹3L/₹4L/₹5L/₹8L). SBI has since put a membership back in the slot — a complimentary 1-year Club ITC Silver Tier. A ₹5,000 e-gift welcome voucher offsets the year-one fee, and the ₹4,999 fee waives at ₹10 lakh. It is now a travel-leaning card for the internationally-mobile SBI customer.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹5,000 in vouchers, points or cashback on card activation
2.5% on Dining
5X (~2.5% at ₹0.25/point) on dining, grocery and departmental stores. SBI caps accelerated points at 10,000 a calendar month ACROSS all of them together, then drops to 2 RP per ₹100 — we apply the cap per category, so a spender who maxes two categories is credited a little high
2.5% on Groceries
5X (~2.5%) on grocery and departmental stores, sharing the 10,000-point monthly accelerated cap with dining
️ Airport Lounge Access
8 domestic visits a year (2 a quarter) + 6 international Priority Pass visits a year (2 a quarter), with a complimentary Priority Pass membership
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹4,999 + 18% GST (₹5,899 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹10,00,000/year
24x7 Concierge
Concierge service for flower and gift delivery and online doctor consultation
Movie Ticket Benefit
₹500 off per BookMyShow booking, up to ₹6,000 a year — primary cardholder only
Hotel Membership
Complimentary 1-year Club ITC Silver Tier membership, granted after your first transaction within 60 days of card issuance
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | reward points | 2.5% | ₹2,500 |
| Groceries | reward points | 2.5% | ₹2,500 |
| Other | reward points | 0.5% | — |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹5,899 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹5,899 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 1.99% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹45,000/yr in total.
️ lounge access ~ ₹20,000 /yr
8 domestic visits a year (2 a quarter) + 6 international Priority Pass visits a year (2 a quarter), with a complimentary Priority Pass membership
movie ticket ~ ₹6,000 /yr
₹500 off per BookMyShow booking, up to ₹6,000 a year — primary cardholder only
hotel membership ~ ₹3,000 /yr
Complimentary 1-year Club ITC Silver Tier membership, granted after your first transaction within 60 days of card issuance
concierge
Concierge service for flower and gift delivery and online doctor consultation
fuel waiver ~ ₹3,000 /yr
1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions of ₹500–₹4,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle
️ insurance ~ ₹500 /yr
Credit card fraud liability cover of ₹1 lakh
milestone bonus ~ ₹2,500 /yr
10,000 bonus reward points at ₹3 lakh of annual spend
milestone bonus ~ ₹2,500 /yr
A further 10,000 bonus reward points at ₹4 lakh of annual spend
milestone bonus ~ ₹3,750 /yr
A further 15,000 bonus reward points at ₹5 lakh of annual spend
milestone bonus ~ ₹3,750 /yr
A further 15,000 bonus reward points at ₹8 lakh of annual spend — 50,000 points (~₹12,500) across all four rungs
Milestone ladder
- 1₹3,00,000 a year₹2,500 of value
- 2₹4,00,000 a year₹2,500 of value
- 3₹5,00,000 a year₹3,750 of value
- 4₹8,00,000 a year₹3,750 of value
Should you get it?
Best for: Frequent travellers, Higher spenders
Premium tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Dining ( 2.5% back).
Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- Strong rewards that can offset the annual fee for the right spender
- Premium lifestyle perks (domestic and Priority Pass lounge access, movie tickets, milestone benefits)
- Complimentary 1-year Club ITC Silver Tier membership after your first transaction
- Milestones worth 50,000 points (~₹12,500) a year across ₹3L, ₹4L, ₹5L and ₹8L of spend
- Lower forex markup, friendlier for international spend
✕ Cons
- Annual fee applies unless the spend-based waiver is met
- Higher income / eligibility bar
Eligibility & documents
Age
21 –65 years
Min. income
₹1,00,000 /mo
Employment
Salaried · Self-employed · Student
Documents required
- PAN card
- Aadhaar / valid address proof
- Latest 3 months bank statement
- Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
🎁 Statement credit / cashback adjustment
🎁 Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
🎁 Flight & hotel bookings via the issuer rewards portal
What your SBI Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Statement credit BEST Capped at 60,000 pts/month from Apr 2026
Rewards catalogue / vouchers BEST Vouchers & merchandise
The concern The Trident Privilege and Club Vistara memberships that justified the fee are gone, and Club ITC Silver is a thinner replacement — the card now stands on its forex, lounges and milestones, so light/occasional users get less than the brochure once promised.
The bottom line
While the post-merger withdrawal of Club Vistara and Trident memberships shifted its original profile, the SBI Card ELITE continues to offer solid travel and lifestyle value. Its attractive 1.99% foreign exchange markup, 6 international Priority Pass visits, 5X points on daily categories, Club ITC Silver status, and milestone bonuses worth up to ₹12,500 make it a capable option for internationally active SBI cardholders.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the SBI Card ELITE are taken from SBI Card 's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page . Last verified 15 Aug 2026 . Reviewed by Devchandra Sah . Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for SBI Card . All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2016 · 5 changes · last change Nov 2025
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2025 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Fee Effective 1 Nov 2025
1% fee on third-party education payments & wallet loads
No surcharge on education/wallet-load spends → 1% fee on 3rd-party education fees & wallet loads over ₹1,000
In its system-wide fee revision effective 1 November 2025, SBI Card added a 1% fee on education-fee payments made via third-party apps/aggregators (Paytm, PhonePe, Razorpay, etc.; direct school/college website or campus POS payments stay free) and a 1% fee on digital-wallet loads exceeding ₹1,000. Applies to SBI Card ELITE.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Benefit Effective 2025
Club Vistara Silver & Trident Privilege memberships discontinued
Complimentary Club Vistara Silver + Trident Privilege Red memberships → Both memberships withdrawn
Following the Vistara-Air India merger (Vistara ceased operations 12 Nov 2024; Club Vistara folded into Air India's Maharaja Club through 2025), the complimentary Club Vistara Silver and Trident Privilege Red status memberships bundled with the ELITE were discontinued, stripping the card of the status perks that had defined its value case and leaving lounge access, forex and milestones.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: Reconstructed
2024 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Reward Observed 1 Mar 2024 · Effective 1 Apr 2024
Reward points removed on rent payments (MCC 6513)
Base RP earned on rent payments → No RP on rent payments (MCC 6513)
SBI Card stopped awarding Reward Points on rent payments coded under MCC 6513, effective 1 April 2024 for standard cards (15 April 2024 for co-branded cards). SBI Card ELITE was explicitly on the affected list; combined with the ₹199 processing fee, rent became a fully unrewarded, fee-bearing spend.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2022 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Fee Effective 15 Nov 2022
Rent-payment processing fee introduced (₹99, later ₹199)
No rent-payment processing fee → ₹99 + GST (raised to ₹199 + GST from 17 Mar 2023)
SBI Card began levying a ₹99 + GST processing fee on every rent-payment transaction from mid-November 2022, then doubled it to ₹199 + GST effective 17 March 2023. Applies system-wide including SBI Card ELITE.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2016 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective 2016
SBI Card ELITE launched (rebrand of SBI Signature)
SBI's premium lifestyle/travel card debuted around September 2016 as a rebrand of the earlier SBI Signature card: joining/renewal fee ₹4,999 + GST, 2 RP per ₹100 base (~0.5%) with 5X on dining/grocery/departmental, a welcome e-gift voucher, milestone reward points up to 50,000 RP across ₹3L/₹4L/₹5L/₹8L, plus complimentary domestic and international (Priority Pass) lounge access.
Verification: SBI Card (archived) ↗ · Confidence: Reconstructed
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: SBI Card ELITE value timeline — CardAdvisor
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Quick summary
Type Premium credit card
Reward rate 0.5%–2.5%
Best for Frequent travellers
Joining fee ₹4,999
Annual fee ₹4,999
Reviewed by
Devchandra Sah · Cards tested, miles earned, trips booked — for over a decade
Last verified 15 Aug 2026
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