Best SBI credit card for travel booking
SBI cards ranked by what they actually return on travel booking — after monthly caps, excluded categories and surcharges, not by the advertised rate. CardMasters is independent of SBI.
Short answer
Across 7 SBI credit cards, 6 return anything at all on travel booking; the rest cap it, exclude it or levy a surcharge. On ₹10,000 a month of that spend, Paytm SBI Card leads at about ₹100 a month (₹1,200 a year) against an annual fee of ₹499. Figures apply each card's own published caps, exclusions and surcharges rather than its headline rate, from issuer terms recorded on 2026-08-04.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-04. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
| # | Card | Per month | Per year | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paytm SBI Card | ₹100 | ₹1,200 | ₹499 + GST |
| 2 | Cashback SBI Card | ₹100 | ₹1,200 | ₹999 + GST |
| 3 | IRCTC SBI Card Premier | ₹80 | ₹960 | ₹1,499 + GST |
| 4 | SBI Card ELITE | ₹50 | ₹600 | ₹4,999 + GST |
| 5 | SimplyCLICK SBI Card | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹499 + GST |
| 6 | BPCL SBI Card OCTANE | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹1,499 + GST |
Compare this against every issuer on the same category: best cards for travel booking across all banks →
Frequently asked questions
Which SBI credit card is best for travel booking?
Paytm SBI Card returns the most in the CardMasters model — about ₹100 a month on ₹10,000 of travel booking, ahead of Cashback SBI Card and IRCTC SBI Card Premier. The order changes with your spend level because each card's monthly cap binds at a different point, and the annual fee still has to be subtracted.
Do all SBI cards earn on travel booking?
No. Only 6 of 7 SBI cards tracked here return anything on this category. The others either exclude it from rewards, cap it at zero, or apply a surcharge that cancels the earn — which is why they are left out of the table rather than shown with a headline rate they do not pay here.
Should I pick a SBI card just because I bank with SBI?
Only if it wins on your actual spending. An existing relationship can help with approval and sometimes with pre-approved offers, but it does not make the card the best value. Compare this ranking against the same category across all issuers before deciding.