Base reward rate: Up to 40 pts/₹100 on IRCTC, 4 pts/₹100 on Departmental Stores, 2 pts/₹100 on others
Redemption options: Cashback, IRCTC Travel Points
Redemption value: 1 Pt = ₹4.00
Fees & Charges
Joining fee: 500
Annual fee: 350
Pros
Exceptional rewards on IRCTC bookings, offering up to 40 reward points per ₹100 spent on AC class tickets during promotional periods (Jan 15-Mar 31 & Jul 15-Sep 15).
Provides a direct 1% transaction charge waiver on bookings made via the IRCTC website or mobile app, an immediate saving on top of reward points.
Includes 4 complimentary railway lounge visits per year (capped at 1 per quarter), a targeted and valuable benefit for frequent train travelers.
Offers decent accelerated rewards on everyday spending, providing 4 reward points per ₹100 at departmental stores.
Features strong travel rewards beyond rail through the BOBCard SmartDeal portal, with 20 points per ₹100 on hotels and 8 points per ₹100 on flights.
Complimentary lounge access with no minimum spend requirement
Cons
The headline IRCTC reward rate is highly conditional and seasonal; for roughly 7.5 months of the year, the earning rate is 60% lower at 16 points per ₹100.
The base reward rate for non-accelerated categories is low at just 2 reward points per ₹100, which is significantly below the 1% value back offered by many competing entry-level cards.
Despite being a travel card, it completely lacks complimentary airport lounge access, a common feature even on cards with similar or lower annual fees.
The welcome bonus of 500 reward points (for a ₹5,000 spend in 60 days) is weak, as its value does not fully offset the ₹500 joining fee.
The high foreign exchange markup fee of 3.50% makes the card expensive for any international transactions.
Best Use Case
Frequent train travelers who book via IRCTC and seek railway lounge access.