SBI Card and IndiGo launch co-branded credit card with up to 7% rewards and travel privileges

SBI Card and IndiGo have launched the ‘IndiGo SBI Card’, a co-branded credit card introduced in two variants—IndiGo SBI Card and IndiGo SBI Card ELITE—as part of the IndiGo BluChip loyalty programme. The cards provide a tiered structure for earning rewards and bonuses and are positioned to attract frequent flyers and travel enthusiasts across India. "The cardholders can earn up to 7% rewards on purchases, SBI Card said in a statement." 

Both cards offer a welcome benefit upon payment of the first-year annual fee and completion of the first transaction within 60 days. The basic card has a joining and renewal fee of Rs 1,499 plus taxes, with a welcome reward of 2,500 IndiGo BluChips, while the ELITE variant requires a fee of Rs 4,999 plus taxes and provides 5,000 IndiGo BluChips along with an IndiGo 6E Eats voucher.

Customers can also earn milestone benefits — up to 2,500 BluChips on annual spends of Rs 2 lakh and increments at higher spend thresholds for the base card, and up to 6,000 BluChips at various spend levels for the ELITE version.

The rewards structure grants up to 7 BluChips per Rs 100 spent on IndiGo's website and app for ELITE cardholders, and 3 BluChips per Rs 100 for the standard card. Accelerated rewards are also available for hotel and travel bookings on other platforms. Cardholders are eligible for annual milestone benefits, including additional BluChips on achieving higher annual spend levels, and the ability to earn up to 29,000 bonus BluChips per year by combining spend and travel privileges. BluChips can be redeemed for flight bookings, seat upgrades, hotel reservations, meals, and Fast Forward vouchers through the IndiGo platform.

Lounge access is a significant feature of the new cards. The standard IndiGo SBI Card allows for four domestic lounge visits per year, provided the cardholder spends at least Rs 50,000 in the previous quarter. The ELITE variant increases this to eight domestic visits and adds six complimentary international lounge visits annually, subject to a minimum spend of Rs 1,00,000 in the previous quarter. Additional benefits for ELITE cardholders include a lower foreign currency spend markup of 1.99%, enhanced fuel surcharge waivers, and travel insurance covering flight cancellations and lost baggage.

Within India’s expanding travel and credit card sector, this partnership positions SBI Card and IndiGo to challenge established co-branded products such as HDFC Bank-Diners Club Miles Card and Axis Bank-Miles & More Card. According to SBI Card, "Customers who spend money on products within the IndiGo ecosystem, as well as on reservations for hotels and trips, will receive rewards, SBI Card said." Market analysts note that the sector’s growth rate is driven by increased air travel and demand for loyalty-linked credit cards, with SBI Card targeting a greater market share among IndiGo’s frequent flyers.