6 best co-branded credit cards compared: What you get for travel, dining, and more

Mint

4 days ago

By carefully selecting a co-branded credit card that supports your personal brands, you can also benefit from greater discounts and reward features associated with those companies. This is a carefully compiled guide to the best co-branded cards - and how to best utilise a co-branded card to work for you - whether you travel often, shop online, or fuel your commute. Brand-incentive cards: These credit cards encourage brand loyalty with substantial incentives such as airline miles or voucher savings. These cards generally work well if you spend a significant amount of time within that ecosystem.
These credit cards encourage brand loyalty with substantial incentives such as airline miles or voucher savings. These cards generally work well if you spend a significant amount of time within that ecosystem. Lifestyle benefits: Cards like Marriott Bonvoy and Taj have specifically focused on rewarding lifestyle choices with more exceptional moments (for example, lounge access) and travel experiences.
Cards like Marriott Bonvoy and Taj have specifically focused on rewarding lifestyle choices with more exceptional moments (for example, lounge access) and travel experiences. Milestones and sign-up offers: Most co-branded cards provide value if you meet spend minimums or loyalty tiers at destinations and instant value in the form of attractive welcome gifts & milestone benefits. Limited touchpoint reward flexibility: Many points are limited to consumption of partner brand products, compared to general reward cards. Higher APR's: If you don't pay the co-branded card off each month, some co-branded cards have higher interest rates. Spending behaviour pressure: You may feel pressured to overspend on consumption of partner brand products once you reach waiver levels.
Co-branded credit cards
Annual fees
Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card
₹ 350
Yatra SBI Card
₹ 499
Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card
₹ 0
IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card
₹ 1500
Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card
₹ 500
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card
₹ 500
(Note: Please visit the bank's official website to learn more about the fees & charges of the credit card of your choice)
1. Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card: 10% off flights, 20% off domestic hotel stays via EaseMyTrip. 2X reward points for all other purchases, eliminate 10X for travel categories. You're granted two free domestic lounge passes a year.
2. Yatra SBI Card: Welcome coupons of ₹ 8,250 at Yatra. Discounts of ₹ 4,000 on international flights, ₹ 1,000 on domestic flights. Revising the fuel charge plus a ₹ 50 lakh in travel accident cover.
3. Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card: 5% cash back for prime members, 3% for non-prime members. 1% to 2% cash back for other online purchases and for purchases with partnering merchants.
4.IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card: At IndianOil petrol stations your fuel expenses benefit 5%. 10% cash back on utility bills, groceries and anything else. Turbo Points which you can convert to fuel immediately.
5. Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card: You will receive a 10% cashback on food and beverages from Swiggy, Instamart, Genie and Dineout. 5% cash back from recognised websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, etc.
6. Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card: You will get a 25% cash back on DTH, broadband and Airtel mobile payments. You get 10% cash back on BigBasket, Zomato and Swiggy purchases. 1% cashback with allowance of waiving the fuel surcharge for any other purchases. Assess your brand loyalty before determining the best co-branded card.
Relate card benefits to your travel, fuel and shopping spending.
Examine the waiver level spending and the join and renewal fee costs.
Pay the balance in full so that the card benefits exceed your costs. Compare the benefits with the interest rates.
In conclusion, discipline is key: never pay interest on outstanding loan balances, meet thresholds without overspending, and keep credit utilisation as low as possible. The right co-branded card can realize your day-to-day expenses and allow you to closely surf the rewards wave, whether that is through cashback or solid travel savings.
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