SBI Elite Credit Card Powered by Mastercard Review

By | July 19, 2017

There is a new credit card recently launched by SBI and its called SBI Card Elite and is powered by Mastercard. Well, I was wondering where the “Elite” names comes from and its likely to be from Mastercard itself. As you might know, Mastercard has various variants like titanium, platinum & world issued in India.

SBI Elite Credit Card

SBI Elite Credit Card – Yes, it looks awesome

And there is another variant called “Elite” in other countries like USA. I’ve been asking Mastercard about this Elite version as to when its planning to launch in India but got no proper response. But here we got it, but with nothing much of special features as i expected.

So, SBI Signature got its name from “Visa Signature” and SBI Elite got its name from “Mastercard World Elite” kind of, though they haven’t disclosed it as a separate variant yet.

Joining Fee & Welcome Bonus on SBI Elite Card:

  • Joining Fee/Renewal Fee: Rs.4999+Tax = ~Rs. 5,750
  • Spend Based Reversal of Annual Fee on spends of Rs. 10 Lakhs

You get an equivalent amount of welcome bonus from any one brand of your Choice: Yatra, Hush Puppies/Bata, Marks & Spencer, Westside and Shoppers Stop.

Looks like they’ve removed Jabong voucher option which i opted for in SBI Signature card. To me Yatra is a good option as you can use it for Flight bookings.

SBI Elite Rewards

Here is the basic/milestone based bonus reward points structure of SBI Elite Credit Card.

  • 1 Reward Point = 0.25 INR (Not declared though)
  • Regular RP Earn Rate: 2 reward points per Rs.100 spent (0.5% in value)
  • Accelerated Earn Rate: 10 reward points per Rs.100 spent (2.5% in value)
  • Earn 10,000 bonus RP on achieving annual spends of 3 lakhs and 4 lakhs
  • Earn 15,000 bonus RP on crossing annual spends of Rs. 5 lakhs & Rs. 8 lakhs

So if you’re a person who spend 8 Lakhs, you get:

= 16,000 RP(regular) + 50,000 RP (total annual spend bonus) = 66,000 RP

= 16,500 INR (~2% savings in value)

Well, that’s 1% less than SBI Signature credit card (no more available) which is powered by Visa. I’ve recently shared how i earned Rs.18,000 Cashback with this card. Also, they haven’t mentioned anywhere if the points can be redeemed for Cash Credit on statement on Elite card. Most likely you can.

Complimentary Movie Tickets & lounge Access:

Complimentary movie tickets worth Rs.500 per month is an excellent benefit on this card which they have on SBI Signature card too and is my fav one.

Complimentary lounge Access by Mastercard is really worth it as Mastercard has more affiliated lounges than Visa Signature cards Complimentary lounge access. However, you can get this benefit in most HDFC debit card and on ICICI coral cards.

  • 6 complimentary Airport Lounge visits per year, outside India ( max. 2 visits per quarter)W.e.f. 1st July 2017
  • Only Primary Cardholders are eligible for Priority Pass and
  • Complimentary PP membership will be valid for 2 years only

Features of SBI Elite Credit Card:

  • CardExpert Rating: 4/5 [yasr_overall_rating]
  • Reward rate: ~0.5%  normally, upto ~2% on accelerated rewards
  • Accelerated Rewards: You can earn 5X Reward points on Dining, Departmental stores, Grocery and International spends.
  • Complementary Airport lounge access: Yes, through MasterCard Lounge Access program. Also you get complimentary membership for Priority Pass, with 6 free access. (max. 2 visits per quarter)
  • Fuel Surcharge Waiver: Enjoy 0% surcharge (Minimum transaction of INR 500. Maximum waiver of INR 250 per statement cycle)
  • Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax
  • Special Features: Complimentary movie tickets, Accelerated rewards feature.
  • Personal Concierge Service: Global Concierge Assistance for all your travel & other needs. Its kind of virtual assistant service over phone.

Overall, compared to SBI Visa Signature card, SBI Elite card gives you 1% lesser value back and also you need to spend 3 Lakhs more than signature variant to get this. This credit card is enabled with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology so you can pay just by tapping. Apart from decent reward rate, the major advantage of this card is its looks 😀

If you’re looking for similar cards with cash-back feature, checkout the best cashback credit cards in India for more options.

Do you think SBI Elite card is for you? Do share your views in comments below.

Author: Siddharth

Helping Indians to choose right credit cards, pick right offers and enjoy luxury vacations for less. Day & night exploring the spiritual reality of our human existence.

128 thoughts on “SBI Elite Credit Card Powered by Mastercard Review

  1. Anudeep

    Don’t understand why sbi cards are having that much joining fees compared to hdfc and citi cards. This card is perfect example, i think sbi cards are overrated.

    Reply
  2. Alex

    hmm, it is quite interesting. After reading this review, i decided to go ahead and get the SBI Visa Signature card and to my suprise, it is not accepting any applications.

    Is SBI phasing out its Visa variant to bring out the MasterCard variant in Elite?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      I don’t think they stopped issuing. Try offline/online application. Once has to go through at-least.
      Its one of their premium card and is very unlikely to happen.

      Reply
      1. RAVI RANJAN

        Hey Sid,

        I’m having my doubts whether this is on world elite or just the name of this card is elite. As far as I enquired, none of the bin checker site confirms it’s on world elite. All of them says it’s just world.

        Can you re-confirm it?

        Reply
  3. Deepak

    Same happened with me. Not possible to apply for signature visa on sbicard.com

    Surely a tactic to get Elite more applications.
    When you try to compare elite and signature on their site, it gives identical results. Its misleading and a trap

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Looks like they’re trying to give more business to Mastercard over Visa for some reason.
      Try to apply via branch.

      Reply
      1. Shivakumar

        They are offering me upgrade from prime to elite is it worth.
        Can u please suggest me siddharth

        Reply
  4. Deepak Gupta

    Some news:
    SBI Elite – Visa Signature arrived in my mail today, when I had applied for SBI Visa Signature card.
    I believe SBI has stopped issuing ‘SBI Signature’, and now issues ELITE SIGNATURE, with identical milestones as ELITE card (3,4,5,8 lakhs instead of 2,3,4,5 lakhs).

    So while I will keep this card, I would not renew it next year.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      That’s interesting to know. Yes, Elite card is not so ELITE.

      Reply
  5. Vinod Kannan

    OMG, I received my SBI SIGNATURE CARD statement this month. I have received a communication in the statement that “>Dear SBI Cardholder, w.e.f. 15 Sept. 2016, Bonus Reward Milestones for your SBI Signature/ Signature Contactless Card will be revised. You will earn 10,000 Bonus Reward
    Points each at Rs. 3 lakhs & Rs. 4 lakhs annual spends and 15,000 Bonus Reward Points each at Rs. 5 lakhs & Rs. 8 lakhs annual spends. Annual fee will be reversed on
    spends of Rs. 10 lakhs or more in previous year. In all future communication from the effective date, your card will be referred as ‘SBI Card ELITE’.”. So, no more signature card from SBI it seems. I don’t know whether this message is intended only to me or to everybody else holding a SBI SIGNATURE CARD.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Vinod,
      Am yet to receive. But yes, its obvious and i expected this to happen someday or other.
      Because 3% as cashback is actually quite much 🙂

      Reply
      1. Rakesh

        I have also received similar statement and more so it looked as if they have converted signature card to elite which os unethical, as we get less points on elite than signature.

        Reply
  6. Tanu Gupta

    i havent got my statement yet, will it make sense to surrender signature card and get Elite card issued later. 🙂 and take the 5k gift voucher aswell..! Serious Qn, pls suggest.
    regards..
    Tanu

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Not suggested, as Signature card is better than Elite one.

      Reply
      1. Tanu Gupta

        i should have surrendered it i guess Siddharth… 🙁
        Just got message from SBI team that SBI Signature is now SBI Elite. 🙁

        Reply
  7. Amandeep singh

    I applied for visa signature and received elite visa signature with similar features I think they changed the card type now.

    Reply
  8. Rohan

    Is this card worth the trouble for BookMyShow coupons, or should we look elsewhere? Any comments on the RBL Fun+ card?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes, Its worth it for BMS offer. Will review it in sometime 🙂

      Reply
  9. Ajay

    I got my Elite CC 2 weeks ago. Handsome limit. SBI didn’t ask for any income proof. Just the PAN & address proof. Based on the CIBIL score they gave a very good limit.

    Annual fee 4999+tax+unknown stuff = 5700+
    If annual spend is 10Lac, next yr annual fee waived off.
    Accelerated points are less attractive compared to SBI Signature CC.
    4 points = Rs 1 confirmed.
    250×2 = Rs 500 per month off on BookMyShow.
    2 complimentary visits/quarter in Airport Lounges.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      They also issue cards based on savings a/c transactions & Card on card basis for which they don’t ask for IT.

      Reply
    2. MAB

      how long does it take to receive the cc by post from the day of application

      Reply
  10. Ashok

    Hi Siddharth,

    Any idea about the difference between Elite and Elite Advantage?
    I checked it online in sbi site and I couldn’t find any.

    I currently have HDFC Moneyback card and Citibank Rewards card which I don’t like.
    I’m looking for a card with Lounge access and Bookmyshow discounts. SBI Elite has both these.
    Any other recommendations?

    Also can you tell me about the voucher on Yatra? Does it come with restrictions?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      As far as i know, “Advantage” is FD based card.
      HDFC Regalia is good for lounge access and overall reward rate.
      Unsure about yatra voucher. Haven’t used.

      Reply
      1. akash tripathi

        siddharth yatra voucher works absolutely fine as it is promised, I’ve the same SBI Elite visa signature it got this on October 2017 and utilized yatra voucher in January for flite in march, and the best point was that there was no condition to use it-

        Total Flight Price
        Rs. 11,466.00
        (-) Discount
        (-)Rs. 5,000.00
        Travel Assistance and Insurance
        Rs. 538.00
        Online Processing Fee
        Rs. 820.00
        You paid
        Payment Mode : CreditCard
        Rs. 7,824.00

        and this was as easy to get, just call cx care she sent me a messege and an email with code.
        after using the card for months i believe this is completly worth paying annual fees of aprox 6000/-
        because every month we get 500/- off on movie ticket plus it’s parterns coupon of 5000/-

        if we calculate we see we are getting benifit of 11000/- (500*12 for movies +5000 voucher against annual fee) upon paying apporx. 6000/- every year… plus reward points 🙂

        Reply
        1. Vaibhav H

          Exaactly, its the same reason I have kept this card…. I feel worth paying 5K PA.
          Common, very useful features …..
          1. Movie Tickets
          2. Domestic & International lounge access
          3. Fairly good reward point

          Not commonly used..
          1. ITC membership
          2. Club Vistara membership

          Overall great card, thanks

          Reply
  11. Ashok

    Would it be a nice idea to pay the Annual fee and getting it back as Yatra voucher.
    And then using the card for the BookMyShow offer alone for one year and then closing the card? (Assuming they don’t introduce the quota). As currently this is the only card i could see which provides offer on BMS without quota limit.
    Because I’m not a person who could spend lacs and lacs with the credit card.
    Max would be around 2 lac in a year for me for which I have HDFC already.

    Reply
  12. Robin Chatterjee

    Could not find th mastercard elite variant on teh SBicards site on the Visa variant. Are they not acce\pting new applications for this ? What are the beenfits of Mastercard over visa ?

    Reply
  13. MAB

    Iam new to credit card and i applied for sbi elite card but i want to know when they charge and how they deduct the annual fees which is 4999 plus taxes and renewal fees

    Reply
  14. Prince Kartikay

    Hi,

    Just an update SMS i received from SBI, says that the foreign txn markup fees stand corrected to 1.99% + tax now.

    Reduced from an earlier 3.5%. I guess this is how they want to take on HDFC Regalia.

    This definitely adds some value on this card for ppl who have overseas expenditure.

    Reply
      1. Nirmal

        I also got this SMS that says the foreign txn markup fees stand corrected to 1.99% + tax now, and I didn’t got my accelerated reward points for the transactions which I did this month.. I am also seeing a new SBI Elite Advantage card listed in SBI website, but more or less it provides same feature as that of SBI Elite, note sure what is the difference.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          “Advantage” is nothing but a secured card.
          Yes, markup fee reduced but its effective rate is 0.5% loss. Will write an article on that shortly.

          Reply
  15. Ankur Gupta

    Now it is only available in visa. I wanted a mastercard though.

    Reply
  16. Pratik

    Is the BMS offer available only for a limited period of time? or its till you use the card?

    Reply
  17. Amar Chilka

    Dear Siddharth,

    I m using SBI signature card since last one year.
    I have paid annual fees Rs5000/- plus tax. I was expecting gift voucher of Rs 5000/- but after speaking with SBI card customer care person, informed that now this offer is cancelled and your card has converted SBI signature elite .

    I am very much upset , pl suggest shall I have surrender the card , as I don’t use much credit card
    My annual use in less than 2 lakh

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes, you must go for Simply Click instead. Elite is for high spenders to get good value back.

      Reply
  18. Siddhant

    Hi Siddharth,

    Thanks for the info. My first year is going to be completed with SBI Elite card and now the renewal charges of Rs 5000 + tax will come. My annual spend is around Rs. 5-6 lacs. What do you suggest should I go with the renewal or should I go for another credit card?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Consider downgrading it to simply click.

      Reply
  19. Ketan Kunde

    Two additional benefits with Elite announced recently:
    1. Complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership along with 1 lounge access voucher and 1 upgrade voucher.
    2. Complimentary Trident Privilege Red Tier membership.

    Reply
  20. Shomen

    I’m soon going to use the lounge benefit for 1st time on my SBI Elite card. Wanted to know if you have used it @ domestic lounge of Mumbai T2. Is entry free for add on cardholder too? Since I’m flying with wife, don’t want any embarrassment!

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      If its Mastercard, yes you have access, only for primary cardholder.

      Reply
  21. H C GOPINATH

    received elite signature card,my annual usage is around 3 lakhs only, i think i am unable to use the other offers of the card. I can surrender the card without start using it,if i surrender what are the charges i have to pay.

    Reply
  22. Sahil

    You recommended I should get this SBI Elite over Prime. However, it seems the prime has better rewards. Please clarify and update if there is a change to Elite rewards to match that of prime?
    Looks like they are going the Amex way where the Amex Platinum Charge card has lower rewards compared to the Amex Travel Card

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      SBI Elite because you spend more also has more benefits. SBI Prime is good for spends around 3L.

      Reply
  23. Saravanan R

    Please update the article with latest updatation such as 10 lac spend based waiver on annual fee, free priority pass usage allowance, club vistara membership.

    Reply
  24. Rahul Shrivastav

    Elite card is a fantastic option, especially when HDFC cards are witnessing massive devaluations.
    Yes you pay Rs. 5750/5900 to begin but you get value back easily by way of shopping voucher.
    More over this card offers you best movie benefits, no spend conditions, no day of the week conditions, no 1+1 etc. By 2 or more tickets and 500 Rs. Are reduced from amount payable.
    Trident & Vistara Siler membershup are icing on the cake.
    And than there are periodic Visa offers like 15% discount on medicines at Apoolo farmacy ,& others.
    10000 extra points if you reach annual spends of Rs. 3 lacs.
    So even if you pay 5K as renewal fee, you get all the amount in cash back plus some. And Rs. 6000 worth of movies to top that.
    Definitely worth a DEKHO ☺

    Reply
      1. Harsh

        Holding elite since quite a time now. This card betters an amex card. Plus you get a 10X earning possibility here that I don’t get on my amex . Catalog redemptions are the best way to utilise elite. 50000 RP will give you a 16000 INR yatra voucher (that gives a 1RP=0.32 p instead of 1RP =0.25p). Also, SBI is much more reliable than HDFC that recently announced changes on Diners Club, making them almost useless.

        Reply
  25. Srikanth Matrubai

    Dear Siddharth,
    I have a Titanium Card…..do you think I can get an upgrade to the Elite Card.
    On the Annual Income side, I easily cross all the criteria.

    Reply
  26. Sulabh Gupta

    Even if your spend is > 10 lakhs, the rewards are not that greater in Elite vs. what you get in Prime.

    Elite – 12,500 Rs. worth of RP + BMS Vouchers of 6,000
    Prime – 11,000 Rs. worth Gift voucher + (BMS offer of 1+1 if you have Visa Signature) + RP earnings are better on Utility and Grocery.

    It is a no brainer in favour of Prime if spending < 10 lakhs as extra 5k renewal on Elite.

    Reply
      1. Ashwin

        But it has fixed quota and difficult to score unless you book the offer when it opens at 10am or 4pm.

        Reply
    1. Ebin

      BMS offer on visa signature is based on conditions.Elite no such conditions. So please don’t compare.

      Reply
  27. Shiva

    Hi Siddharth
    I am using SBI Signature card for last 1.5 years. My annual spend on this card is around 5.5 lakhs. Suggest me a good suitable card for me other than SBI.

    Reply
  28. Sandeep

    I am using this card from 1 year. last month i paid renewal fee. I called customer care gv vocher. Now they are saying vocher is only for first year and it will not applicable to renewal.

    Is it true?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      Yes, GV voucher only for first year. For renewal fee waiver, you need to have total annual spending of 10L.

      Reply
  29. Mouli

    I have a HDFC regalia and have applied for SBI elite card… The reward points in regalia accrue with every spend at 4 points / 150 spent as against 2/100 on regular spend plus milestone based in elite. Which means points accrue faster in regalia than in elite as I dint need to wait to spend 3 lacs to earn 10k points. Meaning to say if I spend 2.5 lacs in 3 months , I would have earned 6667 points in regalia as against 5000 in elite and by spending another 50k in the 4th month only I would have earned more points in elite than in regalia (16000 elite vs 8000 regalia). Further in regalia I guess u can redeem points which is appxtly 0.60 ps to 0.75 ps (flight n hotels) per 1 point as against 0.25 in elite…Which means regalia has more value than elite (5k-6k regalia vs 4k elite).

    Based on above, on a long term basis is it better to use elite just for BMS and lounge while actually spend using the regalia to earn points (plus lounge for anyone accompanying) which has more value than elite ? Am I missing something ?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      Hi Mouli,

      Based on you illustration, it seems like already your spending 4.5L(2.5L(3 months) + 2L(50K for next 4 months)), if you spend another 50K then you’ll get better benefits.

      If you spend 5L on Elite, you’ll get minimum 45K reward points(10K(3L milestone benefit) + 10K(4L milestone benefit) + 15K(5L milestone benefit) + 10K(regular reward)) and that’s equivalent to Rs.11,250. Also spending on grocery, department stores & dining gives you additional 5X rewards, but only shortcomings of Elite is you need to spend 10L(you have another 8L milestone benefit of 15K reward points) to get renewal fee waiver.

      Reply
  30. Gkcards

    SBI elite card is giving 4 tickets free for comicon this weekend at insider.In

    Reply
  31. Pankaj Khandelwal

    I recently upgraded my SBI prime to SBI ELITE card. I was expecting that they will also enhance the credit limit. But they kept the same credit limit. Is there any way to increase the credit limit based on other cards limit. As I have other cards which have good credit limit but SBI didn’t increase my credit limit. even after having ITR over 15L. Is there any way to increase credit limit of SBI.

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      Yes, but you need to negotiate with their customer care. I upgraded from simply save to Elite, initially they have same limit and told can’t enhance limit until next 6 months. I raised to customer card to cancel the upgrade and close the card, if they can’t provide me decent limit, after 2-3 conversations they increased limit by 4 times on sending latest payslip.

      Reply
  32. Sayantan Ghosh

    Hi,
    Will our complimentary PP membership be renewed after 2 years?
    I travel a lot, it was one of the reasons I have applied for this card.
    Please reply ASAP

    Reply
  33. SHILADITYA CHAUDHURY

    I got the offer to upgrade my SBI Prime card to Elite.
    As per my understanding, the reward rate in PRIME card is much better than the SBI Elite card.
    Only major advantage of the Elite card are the free movie tickets. So, it makes sense if you are a regular movie goer.
    For me, I go for movies less frequently and I also have a “buy one get one” offer on my Citi debit card for movies.

    So, do you think it makes sense for me to “Upgrade”?
    The biggest issue with this card is very high renewal fees with ZERO benefit.
    I am not sure why people would go for this card when there are way better premium cards like Yes first or Diners black with much better reward rate and lower or no renewal fees.

    Reply
  34. AKHILESH AKSHAY

    hey sid

    m holding the sbi elite card which i use mostly in the last financial year before my renewal fee i had spent 30 lakh on my card . got the rewards point more than 1lakh + and converted into INR . my experience was awesome with sbi elite card. can u suggest which card i should opt . annual spend in e-commerce more than 6crore .
    existing card with limit – sbi 107000
    hdfc – 65000
    kotak – 65000
    A.Y. ITR 17-18 – 510000
    A.Y. ITR 16-17 – 450000
    thanks

    Reply
    1. Mickey

      Akhilesh did you say your annual spend in e-commerce is 6 crore??🙄🙄 what exactly do you spend on and how do you manage this spend with credit card limits!!!

      Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Its only for spends on Vistara that gives you 9 points per 100 INR. Isn’t it?

      Reply
    2. Prashant Gupta

      He is confusing with the points that vistara gives and the points on spends with card which are of course only2-3 not 8-9 depending on the tier status on Vistara.

      Reply
  35. Dealmaker

    Using this card for 2+ years. Note that I gave only PAN card xerox and NOTHING else. No salary slips, no ITR, nothing. And voila the card came with 4.5L limit 😀

    funny thing is before this I had SBI Yatra card with 75K limit, which I had closed in 2015. So the NO salary slip stuff was surprising.

    Reply
  36. Nitz

    Hi Siddharth.
    Signature/Elite was one of the best CC i have used.
    My annual spend was close to 4-5 lakh and still I saved around 20k with the card alone due to cashback and reward points and movie tickets.
    I continued it for two years and then closed it. Alas! as I closed it, I can not apply for this card ever again as SBI tells me their system does not allow a customer to reapply for a CC one it was closed.

    Reply
    1. Surya

      Hello,
      Sorry to differ but factually this is incorrect, I had SBI card for many years and then closed it, after few months applied again, just to help someone achieve his sales target, and voila, I get another SBI Credit card that too with twice the credit limit than earlier.

      Surya

      Reply
  37. Naresh

    My expense on sbi elite card is 4 L annually. Should I continue to use this card.

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Depends what you are looking for and spending on. In general, shift to HDFC Regalia.

      Reply
  38. Gaurav

    I am got an offer from SBI for an upgrade to Elite, I am also comparing benefits ( and ofcourse reading the posts ) to me PRIME looks like a better option. I spend 7 – 8 Lakhs per year on credit cards. I see the cashback is better but then again prime has 20 reward points for auto payment of bills.. I have two cards from SBI, prime and click and I swap between the two to make the maximum points ( click for online and prime for everything else )….. so is it stil worth the upgrade to Elite ?

    I checked the responses above but I dont see any points that really helpful in taking this decision

    Reply
    1. Rajesh

      Gaurav

      How did you get two cards from SBI and that too regular cards? I heard one regular and one co-branded is allowed. I have simply save card.

      Reply
    2. SaurabhN

      @Gaurav I am in same boat like you, I recently upgraded from my 15 year old SBI Platinum card to Prime card as I found it to be better and affordable (reversal of fee amount in case of annual spend 3lacs) than Elite. Also, I have Click card and I use it for online transactions only and Prime I use for every other offline or bill pay.

      Reply
  39. Padmanabhan KP

    How many complimentary visits available on the priority pass that comes along with this?

    Reply
  40. Vipul

    I am using SBI Elite card which owned by my father, credit card sales guy didn’t told him about 4999 plus as annual fees he said only Rs 1699 is charged as one time …so what can be done now its been a month…what i can do and the voucher we are getting as rewards can use one time for purchase of any item in bata huspuppy…is there any chance these charges can waived.

    Reply
    1. Praveen Perumalla

      Firstly, call customer care and speak with them. In parallel, login a waiver request in your online portal and escalate it to the nodal officers.

      Reply
  41. Ayush Agrawal

    “Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax”

    This is now 1.99% + taxes. Pretty cool card, IMO. Do they give the vouchers even with the renewal, if fees are paid?

    Reply
    1. Kunal Chakravertti

      Foreign Exchange Markup @ 1.99% is a big big advaantage..especilly if you use international websites (I do!!!)

      Reply
    2. Surya

      Hi, no, they don’t provide vouchers during renewal fee payment. SBI Elite fares poorly here. Anyhow, it’s how they work and that’s their product design.

      Reply
  42. Kunal Chakravertti

    I just love this card somehow…looks classy also..BMS is great.. Managed to get statement credit approx 14.5k spending 5 lacs already (1.5L in spencers, more, shoppers top, dining, etc & remaining 3.5L on normal spends) The biggest advantage of SBI cards is their tie-up with goibibo, where you don;t have to pay any convenience fess while booking flights (have to book via estore in SBI available in app only!) -for domestic flights it’s 250-300 per passenger per ticket, for international flights 500-800 per passenger per ticket savings (no promo codes allowed)- Differenet perspective!!!

    Reply
    1. Sukant

      Thanks Kunal for the info. It’s really a good saving for 4 passengers in my case

      Reply
  43. Deepak Patil

    Kindly update, this card is available inn both variants, Visa and Mastercard.

    Reply
  44. Murali

    Does this card rewards expiry after 3 years (like HDFC, SC ultimate, Amex Platinum travel) or valid for life time (Like Yes first exclusive)?

    I have this card (Visa Signature) . But i didn’t use much as first year. Got shopping voucher equivalent to fees which is usually free for 1st year.
    I have other cards SC Ultimate (Master World), Amex Platinum Travel and Diners club miles. I covered all 4 Card Networks.

    SC Ultimate Gives rewards for any type of spend.
    Priority pass with SC ultimate/ HDFC Diners Miles covers Airport Lounges
    Amex Platinum Travel Covers Domestic travel Vouchers for 4L spend.

    Should i continue using this just for Book my Show? Even though it is offered up to 2 tickets and up to 500/- Most of the tickets fall below 350/- except IMAX 3D!!

    How are you guys using this for maximum benefit except for Movies?

    Reply
  45. PT

    @Murali,
    Yes, the rewards expire after 24 months from the accrual date.
    I had this card till few months back and I mainly kept it to pay the rent via red Giraffe and BMS offer but after SBI pulled the plug on RedGiraffe I downgraded it to SimplySave.

    In Bangalore the cheapest ticket on a weekend in a descent multiplex will cost you upwards of 250, so in that way I was able to reap its benefit almost every month. With rent payment I was also able to hit the milestone points which was the whole idea to use this card for rent payment.

    On its own BMS offer is not lucrative as I can get around 50% off using VISA infinite card too and I have IDFC debit card which gives me upto 250 cashback for movie tickets.
    But now with DCBs monthly benefit offer I got a 500 BMS voucher so it doesn’t pinch me for not having SBI Elite card.

    Will suggest you to drop it if you have other infinite or signature cards but if you do not have those then this one is a descent card with lounge benefits and milestone rewards along with the monthly BMS offer.

    Reply
  46. Arjun

    Most of my spend will be online transaction,as per elite reward system, departmental stores 5x reward,so online shopping sites like Amazon and Flipkart consider as departmental store,and get 5x reward..?

    Reply
  47. shardha

    Is there any renewal benefit for the renewal fees paid for this variant?

    Reply
  48. Kalpana

    can add on card members eligible to access domestic lounges for this card?

    Reply
  49. Manoj Kumar Saini

    After using this card for 2 years, i am closing it. to avail all offeres you have to be good in math, ironically i am not. i am a person who spend it by card and pay bills. on approval, i got 5K shoppers stop coupon, that worked fine. Regarding Vistara membership and ITC, is hardly useful. i have vistara membership already so not useful. ITC membership also just matter of few bucks, not worthy to flaunt. regarding other stuff i am writing here–

    One of the worst Customer care__ there was a technical glich in their system, so they showed 200 due on my card even after payment. i got a call as well as Msg, so i paid on same day. after few days same thing. i again paid. after next bil too, again 200 due, this time i asked the telecaller to connect me to a senior person. He was almost bullying to me. I complained on Tweeter, i got a call from social media team. i explained them and they acknowledged it.

    but on next bill. SAME THING..it was a night mare. seriously.

    One of the Highest charges on cards. —– Dont ever opt for EMI, it will cost 16 to 32 percent. and Forecloser fee as well. I am not using this card. just waiting to over 2 EMIs and then will close.

    Best i found is AMEX cards— i have 2 cards of AMEX.. loving it..

    Reply
    1. Suresh

      Saini ji,
      To be a smart credit-card user you need to be good at Math, that’s how any business works

      Reply
  50. Jeson Francis

    I recently received my SBI Elite Credit Card. I’m already having HDFC Regalia First, ICICI Amazon Pay and ICICI Platinum (my first one for the sake of a card) credit cards. I normally use the cards for both online and offline transactions.
    1. My intention of getting SBI Elite was due to BMS offer, Welcome voucher and Card executive from the bank assured that only joining fee will be charged and No renewal fee if used regularly without any min. threshold of usage ( Salary account holder in SBI) .
    Should I stick on using Elite or dump/degrade it after one year? Will I will be charged after 1 year? If charged, will I get voucher as initially?

    2. I’m already utilizing lounge benefits using regalia first. But SBI Elite is acceptable in few more airports (eg: Goa, I am from there) where Regalia doesn’t work though Lounge is not that good.

    3. How Should I utilize my cards- which card for which kind of transactions? My annual spends range around AVG 2-3 Lacs.
    4. I’m also having PP from Regalia. Will it be renewed freely after the initial expiry period? What about PP from SBI Elite? Are they having the same policy as of Regalia

    5. I’m yet to receive my voucher from SBI Elite as I got the card now after one month delay due to lockdown. What will be the validity of the welcome voucher as I can use it only when lockdown ease?

    Expecting my fellow users advice😀😀

    Reply
    1. Suresh

      1) Annual fee waiver depends on your negotiotaion with the executives, ask them to send you an email confirmation stating they wouldn’t charge you the Renewal fee. This mail would help you after a year. No, you won’t get any vouchers based off renewal fee.
      2) Make hay while the sun shines.
      3) Given that your annual spends aren’t on the higher side, aim first for the card having lowest milestone (if any) and subsequently use that others or use a card to avail the offers it has.
      4) PP is a lucrative attraction for any cardholder and hence issued initially for free, it’s not renewed for free later on, at least with SBI. No clue about HDFC
      5)I hope you got it by now

      Reply
  51. Akshay

    Hi guys,

    I have a SBI Prime card currently and received a call today from SBI where they offered me an upgrade to Elite if I want to. They ll charge 5k which will be paid using my reward points from Prime. My question is whether an upgrade makes sense? Our annual spends are around 5L and knowing about COVID-19, don’t think we ll use BookMyShow anytime soon while Prime gives us Pizza Hit vouchers every quarter.

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Ankur

      no point in upgrade as main benefit is bookmyshow vouchers for this card

      Reply
    2. Mouli

      I cancelled my Elite card,because main feature of this card is BookMyShow only

      Reply
    3. Suresh

      BTW, I used to get Pizza Hut vouchers on my Elite card too Pre-COVID. But considering you’ll be shelling 5k, it would ony make sense to upgrade in case your speding is higher ( and you can exploit the milestone benefits ) + if you are getting the welcome vouchers.
      Cheers

      Reply
  52. Kalpana

    Is there any renewal benefit on this card? Will they provide any points wrt the annual fess, like other cards doing?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      No, you need to spend 10 lakhs to get renewal fees waiver.

      Reply
    2. Tejas Ghongadi

      No. SBI Elite card does not have any renewal benefit.

      Reply
  53. Rahul Ray

    I had applied for this card for utilising it’s benefits of priority pass which I would use for international airports (outside india). But I read somewhere it only gives free PP membership and not free visits to those lounges
    Is that so?
    Note – I am not talking about international lounges inside india

    Request you to kindly clear my doubt
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Suresh

      COPIED DIRECTLY FROM SBI CARDS’ WEBSITE :
      -> 6 complimentary Airport Lounge visits per calendar year, outside India ( max. 2 visits per quarter)W.e.f. 1st July 2017
      ->Usage fee of $27+applicable taxes will be charged on your SBI Card ELITE for visits to the Priority Pass member lounge after the complimentary visits
      -> Only Primary Cardholders are eligible for Priority Pass and complimentary membership will be valid for 2 years only
      JFGI

      Reply
  54. Mohan

    I got a preapproved additonal sbi elite card offer. My existing sbi credit card is sbi simply click. Does it worth to have additional sbi elite card offer ? Its difficult for me to spend 10l per annum to get the renewal fees waiver. I am planning to get it for one year and cancel later. Is this wise decision?

    Reply
    1. Arnab Chaudhuri

      Dont take this card. You will regret it. Instead take SBI Prime.

      Reply
        1. Vineet

          You will never be able to get the value out of it as Book My Show vouchers are basically useless , eating out in Restaurants are impossible. The fees is too high for the benefits offered. I just cancelled it this year after having it for 3 years

          Reply
        2. Arnab Chaudhuri

          You are paying 5900k for a card which doesn’t even give 1% default reward rate without the milestone. There are far better cards than this. You can get HDFC Regalia. Even axis FK has better cashback. Atleast in prime, u can earn alot of rewards. Also this card doesnt have dedicated golf tieup. It depends on mastercard network. The visa variant doesnt even have golf privileges. Instead if u can plzzz try to get diners club after the ban is lifted.

          Reply
    2. Shivi

      Its’ fee used to get offset by the 2x BMS movie tickets. With cinema halls closed now and risky to visit even when opened, I’d think twice before renewing it. You can keep it for one year but then they won’t downgrade you to SimplyClick again. And with the uncertainty over Covid restrictions looming large, even SBI Prime won’t be beneficial. Maybe continue with SimplyClick. SC is now giving 5x RP on Amazon shopping btw, so that’s 1.25% reward down from 10x/2.5% earlier.

      Reply
      1. Mohan

        Its an additional card along with simply click. I got an offer of 2.5K amazon voucher along with the welcome benefits. So i have gone for this card. I am planning to close it after using it for an year before they charge the renewal fees.

        Reply
  55. Vamana

    Hi Siddharth .. I have a query . The BMS movie ticket offer renews on calendar month basis or billing cycle month basis ?

    Reply

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