Best Credit Cards for Travel Booking in India
Travel rewards depend on the booking route and a realistic redemption value, not the best-case transfer example. Points here are valued conservatively.
Short answer
On ₹10,000 a month of travel booking, Yes Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave returns the most in the CardMasters model at about ₹600 a month (₹7,200 a year) before its annual fee of ₹0. 86 issuer-verified cards return anything at all on this category; the rest cap it, exclude it or charge a surcharge — 0 name it in their own exclusion list and 0 add a processing fee on top. Figures apply each card's published caps, exclusions and surcharges rather than its headline reward rate, and are calculated from issuer terms recorded on 2026-08-25.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-25. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
| # | Card | Per month | Per year | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave | ₹600 | ₹7,200 | ₹0 |
| 2 | RBL Bank Nova | ₹600 | ₹7,200 | ₹12,500 |
| 3 | Bank of Baroda (BOBCARD) Eterna | ₹375 | ₹4,500 | ₹2,499 + GST |
| 4 | Standard Chartered Ultimate | ₹333 | ₹3,996 | ₹5,000 + GST |
| 5 | Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip | ₹250 | ₹3,000 | ₹350 + GST |
| 6 | Federal Bank Scapia | ₹200 | ₹2,400 | ₹0 |
| 7 | AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ | ₹200 | ₹2,400 | ₹4,999 + GST |
| 8 | Axis Bank IndiGo Premium | ₹200 | ₹2,400 | ₹5,000 + GST |
| 9 | Axis Bank ACE | ₹150 | ₹1,800 | ₹499 |
| 10 | HSBC Live+ | ₹150 | ₹1,800 | ₹999 + GST |
| 11 | IDFC FIRST Bank FIRST Classic Credit Card | ₹125 | ₹1,500 | ₹0 |
| 12 | IDFC FIRST Bank FIRST Millennia Credit Card | ₹125 | ₹1,500 | ₹0 |
| 13 | IDFC FIRST Bank FIRST Select | ₹125 | ₹1,500 | ₹0 |
| 14 | IDFC FIRST Bank FIRST Wealth | ₹125 | ₹1,500 | ₹0 |
| 15 | RBL Bank World Safari | ₹125 | ₹1,500 | ₹3,000 + GST |
Your own spend level changes this order, because monthly caps bind at different points. Run the ranking at your actual monthly spend →
What to check before applying
- Value points at what you would realistically redeem, not the headline rate.
- Portal-only accelerated rates do not apply to direct airline bookings.
- Check lounge access conditions separately from the reward rate.
Frequently asked questions
Which credit card is best for travel booking in India?
At ₹10,000 a month of travel booking, Yes Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave ranks first at about ₹600 a month in the CardMasters model, followed by RBL Bank Nova (₹600) and Bank of Baroda (BOBCARD) Eterna (₹375). The ranking changes with your spend level because monthly caps bind at different points, and the annual fee has to be subtracted from the annual total.
How is the monthly value calculated?
Each card's published earn rate is applied to ₹10,000 of monthly travel booking, then its category cap, exclusions and any surcharge are applied, and reward currency is valued at a conservative redemption rate rather than the issuer's best-case example. This is the same calculation CardMasters uses for personalised recommendations.
Why do some well-known cards return nothing here?
Because they exclude this category from rewards, cap it at zero, or levy a surcharge that cancels the earn. Cards returning nothing on travel booking are left out of the table rather than shown with a headline rate they do not actually pay here.
Does the annual fee change the ranking?
Yes. This table ranks by reward return only. Subtract the annual fee plus GST — unless your spend clears the waiver threshold — before deciding, and compare the result against the cards already in your wallet rather than in isolation.