If you hold this card: You keep the card, but it was heavily devalued from 31 March 2025 — Air India earn cut from 15 to 5 points per ₹100 — and points now accrue as Maharaja Points under Air India’s new Maharaja Club programme.
SBI Card closed the Air India co-brands (Platinum and Signature) to new applications on 10 October 2024, as Vistara merged into Air India and the Flying Returns programme was replaced by the Maharaja Club. Air India has said a new Maharaja Club co-branded card is coming, but as of 2026 it is not launched and the issuing bank has not been confirmed.
In-depth review
Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card
A card caught mid-transformation — closed to new applications for an extended period, with the loyalty programme underneath it completely rebuilt (Flying Returns gone, Maharaja Club in) and a refreshed co-brand reportedly in development to replace it. For existing holders who fly Air India, a reasonable hold while the programme stabilises. For everyone else, the smart move is to wait for the new card.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
5 miles/₹100 on Travel (~2.5% value)
5 reward points per ₹100 on Air India (cut from 15 in Mar 2025); convert 1:1 to Maharaja Points (expire 24 months)
1% on Other
2 reward points per ₹100 on daily spend (1:1 to Maharaja Points)
Airport Lounge Access
Complimentary: 8 domestic airport lounge visits a year (2 a quarter)
Hotel Membership
Complimentary Air India Maharaja Club membership; reward points convert 1:1 to Maharaja Points
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
8 visits/yr
Domestic lounges
₹8,000
Estimated annual value
3.5%
Forex markup
2.5%
Travel reward rate
AIRLINE / TRAVEL PARTNERS
- Domestic airport lounge access (8 domestic visits/yr, worth ~₹8,000)
- Miles on: Air India
- 2.5% effective return on travel bookings
For existing holders who fly Air India and want to keep earning Maharaja Points while the programme settles. Not available to new applicants — prospective Air India flyers should wait for the refreshed co-brand.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 24 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.50. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelonly at Air India | airline miles | 2.5%5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.50 | — |
| Other | airline miles | 1%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.50 | — |
Travel: 5 reward points per ₹100 on Air India (cut from 15 in Mar 2025); convert 1:1 to Maharaja Points (expire 24 months) · Air India
Other: 2 reward points per ₹100 on daily spend (1:1 to Maharaja Points)
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 24 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,769 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,769 |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹11,000/yr in total.
Complimentary Air India Maharaja Club membership; reward points convert 1:1 to Maharaja Points
8 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits a year (2 per quarter) under the Visa Lounge Access programme
Should you get it?
- Best for: Air India frequent domestic and international flyer, Maharaja Club (Maharaja Points) collector, SBI account holder with loyalty to Air India's TATA network, Aspiring business class redeemer accumulating Maharaja Points
- Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on everyday spends (1% back; 2.5% only at Air India).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Earns reward points on every rupee spent — converting 1:1 to Air India Maharaja Points
- Accelerated earn on Air India ticket bookings
- Air India is rebuilding its network post-TATA acquisition — miles becoming more valuable
- Low fee for an airline co-branded card
✕ Cons
- Discontinued — SBI Card no longer accepts new applications for this card
- Best value only for frequent Air India flyers
- Modest 2 points per ₹100 on general spends
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / address proof
- 📄Income proof (salary slips or ITR)
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Convert reward points 1:1 to Air India Maharaja Points
- 🎁Redeem Maharaja Points for Air India award flights and upgrades
What your SBI Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Capped at 60,000 pts/month from Apr 2026
Vouchers & merchandise
Only four SBI cards can transfer Reward Points at all. The two Air India co-brands reach Air India alone, at 1:1 (⇒ ₹1/pt — the only SBI Reward Point route that beats cash). AURUM reaches four partners through its own portal — Air India 5:1, Qatar 5:1, Club ITC 5:1, airasia 4:1 — and EVERY ONE OF THEM LOSES MONEY: at 5:1 an Aurum point is worth ₹0.20 against the ₹0.25 SBI itself publishes for it, and the airasia route is ₹0.05. AURUM earns plain SBI Reward Points despite the 'AURUM Reward Points / ARP' branding: SBI's own T&C says points carry forward UNCONVERTED on upgrade to Aurum, keeping the old card's expiry, which no separate currency could do. Do not confuse any of this with SBI Card MILES, which earns Travel Credits — a genuinely different currency with 25 partners, and which reaches Club ITC at 2:1 where Aurum gets 5:1.
✈ Transfer partners
Direct transfers from this card only, ranked by what a point is worth in the destination programme. Full calculator, every currency →
Closed to new applications and mid-rebuild — the earn was devalued (15→5 RP/₹100), the loyalty currency changed, and the replacement card is not out yet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still apply for this card?
How did it reward Air India spends?
What lounge access did it include?
How has the Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card changed over time?
Has the Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card been devalued recently?
How did the Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card change in 2024?
The bottom line
There is little to do here as a new applicant: the card has been closed to new applications since October 2024 and the loyalty programme beneath it was rebuilt (Flying Returns → Maharaja Club) with the Air India earn cut to 5 RP/₹100. Existing holders can reasonably hold while a refreshed Maharaja Club co-brand is developed; everyone else should wait for that card.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 2 earn rules, 1 paid only at named merchants and 2 recorded perks.
Last updated 24 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card are taken from SBI Card's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 24 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for SBI Card. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2013 · last change Mar 2025
2025
- ▼ RewardEffective 31 Mar 2025
Air India earn slashed from 15 to 5 Reward Points per ₹100
15 Reward Points per ₹100→5 Reward Points per ₹100
Effective 31 March 2025, SBI Card cut the Platinum's accelerated earn on Air India tickets booked by the primary cardholder from 15 to 5 Reward Points per ₹100 — a 66.7% reduction — leaving the base 2 points per ₹100 on other spends unchanged. The parallel Signature variant was cut from 30 to 10.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2024
- ◆ RedemptionEffective 12 Nov 2024
Flying Returns retired; card rewards now feed the new Maharaja Club
Flying Returns miles→Maharaja Points (24-month expiry, extendable by flying)
On 12 November 2024 Air India merged Flying Returns and Club Vistara into a single programme, Maharaja Club, with Maharaja Points as the currency. The Platinum's reward points now convert 1:1 into Maharaja Points instead of Flying Returns miles; the underlying award chart was later repriced (a mixed revaluation) on 1 April 2026.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
- ▼ EligibilityEffective 10 Oct 2024
Closed to new applications after the Vistara–Air India merger
Open to new applicants→Discontinued — existing holders only
With effect from 10 October 2024, SBI Card discontinued the issuance of new Air India SBI Platinum (and Signature) cards ahead of Vistara's merger into Air India. Existing cardholders keep the card, but no new applications are accepted; a refreshed Maharaja Club co-brand has been flagged as coming but is not yet issued. SBI Card's own Customer Notices page carries the notice verbatim: "W.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 the issuance of Air India SBI Platinum Credit Cards has been discontinued" (re-read live 2026-08-20; the product page still renders benefits and a "Apply Now" title tag but offers no application route, and the card is absent from SBI's Travel & Fuel lineup).
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2013
- ◆ LaunchEffective 2013
Air India & SBI Card launch the Air India SBI Platinum co-brand
SBI Card and Air India launched their co-branded cards (Platinum entry tier) in September 2013, bundling complimentary Flying Returns frequent-flyer membership. The Platinum earned an accelerated 15 Reward Points per ₹100 on Air India tickets booked for self via airindia.com/app and 2 per ₹100 on other spends, plus a 5,000-point welcome bonus and milestone bonuses (5,000 points at ₹2 lakh and 10,000 points at ₹3 lakh annual spend), with points converting 1:1 to Air India miles.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: Reconstructed
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/sbi-air-india-platinum#value-timeline">Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).