Credit cards with travel perks too good to ignore!

Credit cards can help you earn luxurious stays, free flights and much more through reward points earned on your travel expenses.

But, choosing the right credit card for tickets and hotels is a tough job.There are hundreds of options with terms and conditions which keep getting finer.

Lucky you, we already went through it all and made a short list of our own favourite cards for travel.

We’ve hand-picked 3 travel credit cards for different incomes levels and goals like savings, luxury rewards or overall benefits.

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Axis Atlas

If you travel often and love premium stays and perks, the Axis Atlas credit card might just be the right card for you.

Eligibility

• Salaried: ₹12L+ annual income
• Self-employed: ₹15L+ annual income

Fees

• Joining: ₹5,000 + GST
• Annual: ₹5,000 + GST
  

What you get

• 5 EDGE miles: Per ₹100 on flights, hotels, and axis travel edge portal
  
• 2 EDGE miles: Per ₹100 on other spends
  
• 1 EDGE mile: ₹1 on the axis portal
  
• 1 EDGE mile: 2 partner points (or 1 for Marriott) if you convert to airline/hotel loyalty programs

Note: Atlas miles has the highest value of rewards conversion among all other axis cards. Even premium.

Tiered rewards

• Silver (₹0–7.5L spend): 2,500 bonus miles at ₹3L + 8 domestic & 4 international lounge visits
  
• Gold (₹7.5–15L): +2,500 miles + 12 domestic & 6 international lounges
  
• Platinum (₹15L+): +5,000 miles + 18 domestic & 12 international lounges

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Example

Ranveer & Deepika spent ₹3L on travel last year.

So, they get ~₹78,715 worth of benefits(26.2%).

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HSBC Travel One

If you're looking for a travel card that delivers real savings instead of rewards without demanding high income, the HSBC Travel One credit card is worth considering.

Eligibility

• Salaried individuals with ₹4L+ annual income
• Available in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, etc.

Fees

• Joining: ₹4,999 + GST
• Annual: ₹4,999 + GST (waived on spends above ₹8L/year)
  

Welcome perks

• ₹1,000 cashback
• ₹3,000 postcard hotels voucher
• EazyDiner prime for 3 months
• 3,000 bonus points on ₹1L spend in 90 days
  

Rewards

• 4 points per ₹100 on flights, travel sites & foreign currency spends (max 50,000 points/month)
• 2 points per ₹100 on all other spends
• 1 point = 1 mile/hotel point (Air India, Singapore Airlines, Accor, Marriott, and more)
  

Travel & lifestyle benefits

• 6 domestic + 4 international lounge visits/year
• 15% off on Yatra, EaseMyTrip, PayTM Travel & ClearTrip (save up to ₹5,000/use)
• 11% off on StayVista (₹3,000 max, twice/year)
• Up to 20% off at select duty-free stores
• 4 rounds of Golf+ 12 lessons/year
• 10% off on Zomato + 2-for-1 movies (twice/month)

Milestone bonus

10,000 bonus points on ₹12L+ annual spend.

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Example

Ranveer and Deepika booked a ₹3L international trip via Yatra.

The best part is the 45,000 that was never spent!

Note: The discounts were valid till 31’st march and there have been no further updates. Yet, if the discounts continue then this card could be your ultimate money saver when it comes to essential travel.

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HDFC Diner’s Club Black

If your monthly income is on the higher side and you spend big on flights, hotels, dining, or even daily shopping, this card is designed to reward you across the board.

Eligibility

• Salaried: ₹25L+ net monthly income (age 21–60)
  
• Self-employed: ₹30L+ annual ITR (age 21–65)
  

Monthly benefits

Spend ₹80,000 in a month and get free vouchers up to ₹800 for:

• Ola Cabs
  
• cult.fit Live
  
• BookMyShow
  
• TataCliQ
  

Reward structure

• 5 points per ₹150 on regular spends
  
• 2X (10 pts/₹150) on weekend dining
  
• 10X (50 pts/₹150) on SmartBuy (flights, hotels, select brands)
  
• 6 complimentary golf games/quarter
  

Value of points

• 1 Reward Point = ₹1 (for travel, vouchers, or products)
  
• That’s 3.3% return on regular spends
  
• 16.5% on flight bookings (5X)
  
• 33.5% on hotels and select spends via SmartBuy (10X)

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Example

Ranveer & Deepika spent ₹3L on travel and hotels.

That’s a reward rate of 25%!

And the best part is these rewards could be redeemed for anything including flights, hotels, meals, desert, electronic appliances, clothes shopping and even for giving gift cards.

Final takeaway

If you’re a travel freak earning more than 12 Lakhs a year, who loves luxury stays and facilities, Axis Atlas is the best choice.

If your primary concern is to save money while travelling and you don’t spend much, HSBC Travel One Card is a great option. A lot of different travel booking platforms have partnered cards with banks, yet, the discounts on this HSBC card while booking online beats any other card in the same category.

If you earn more than 30 Lakhs a year  and want to make the most of all your expenses then HDFC Diner’s Club Black credit card is the best option.