In-depth review
Shaurya Select SBI Card
The step-up defence card: a first-year-free Rs.1,499 card for armed-forces members that adds 4 domestic lounge visits, concierge and milestone vouchers up to Rs.7,000 on top of 2.5% on CSD canteen, dining, movies, grocery and departmental stores (0.5% elsewhere). Good if you spend enough to waive the fee at Rs.1.5 lakh. Its 5X is twice the entry Shaurya's, whatever the shared marketing suggests.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
2.5% on Dining
10 RP per Rs.100 (~2.5% at 4 RP = Re.1) on dining, movies, departmental stores, grocery and CSD canteen. SBI markets this as 5X against this card's 2 RP base, not the entry Shaurya's 1 RP. Capped at 6,000 points a calendar month across all those categories together, then 2 RP per Rs.100
2.5% on Groceries
10 Reward Points per Rs.100 (~2.5% at 4 RP = Re.1) on grocery, departmental stores and CSD canteen, sharing the 6,000-point monthly cap with dining and movies
Airport Lounge Access
Complimentary: 4 domestic airport lounge visits a year (1 a quarter)
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹1,499 + 18% GST (₹1,769 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹1,50,000/year
24x7 Concierge
24x7 concierge for gift and flower delivery, restaurant referral, courier, car rental and limousine referral.
Milestone Bonus
~₹7,000 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
UPI Linked
Pay UPI QR codes from your credit line. What UPI payments earn can depend on the app you pay through, so check the rewards details.
Insurance Cover
Complimentary personal accidental insurance cover of Rs.10 lakhs — a RuPay-network benefit this card carries (registration may be required).
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
4 visits/yr
Domestic lounges
₹2,000
Estimated annual value
3.5%
Forex markup
- Domestic airport lounge access (4 domestic visits/yr, worth ~₹2,000)
- Travel insurance cover included
👑 PREMIUM LIFESTYLE BENEFITS
Concierge, golf, hotel membership and high-value perks for premium cardholders.
₹2,000
Milestone bonus value
- 24x7 lifestyle and travel concierge
- Travel insurance and accident cover
- Rs.500 Pizza Hut e-voucher for each calendar quarter you spend Rs.50,000 — up to Rs.2,000 a year at a steady Rs.50,000 a quarter, which is the Rs.2 lakh annual equivalent this row is gated on
For armed-forces members who have outgrown the entry Shaurya and spend enough to use the lounges and clear the ₹1.5 lakh waiver — those wanting travel and lifestyle perks layered on top of everyday 5X earning.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 15 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | reward points | 2.5%10 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹1,500one cap shared with Groceries |
| Groceries | reward points | 2.5%10 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹1,500one cap shared with Dining |
| Other | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
Dining: 10 RP per Rs.100 (~2.5% at 4 RP = Re.1) on dining, movies, departmental stores, grocery and CSD canteen. SBI markets this as 5X against this card's 2 RP base, not the entry Shaurya's 1 RP. Capped at 6,000 points a calendar month across all those categories together, then 2 RP per Rs.100
Groceries: 10 Reward Points per Rs.100 (~2.5% at 4 RP = Re.1) on grocery, departmental stores and CSD canteen, sharing the 6,000-point monthly cap with dining and movies
Other: 2 Reward Points per Rs.100 on all other categories (~0.5% at 4 RP = Re.1).
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Rent · Government & Tax · Wallet Loads · Online Gaming · EMI Conversions · Cash Advances
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
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 15 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,769 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Renewal benefitCredited each year the annual fee is charged; none in a year it is waived on ₹1,50,000 of spend. | ≈ ₹375 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 2.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Add-on card fee | Free |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹12,600/yr in total.
4 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits every year (max 1 per quarter).
Rs.7,000 Yatra or Pantaloons e-voucher on Rs.5 lakh of spend in an eligible year — SBI's milestone is genuinely annual, measured from your card anniversary
Rs.500 Pizza Hut e-voucher for each calendar quarter you spend Rs.50,000 — up to Rs.2,000 a year at a steady Rs.50,000 a quarter, which is the Rs.2 lakh annual equivalent this row is gated on
24x7 concierge for gift and flower delivery, restaurant referral, courier, car rental and limousine referral.
Complimentary personal accidental insurance cover of Rs.10 lakhs — a RuPay-network benefit this card carries (registration may be required).
1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs.500 and Rs.4,000; max Rs.250 per statement cycle.
Milestone ladder
- ₹2,00,000 a year₹2,000 of value
- ₹5,00,000 a year₹7,000 of value
Should you get it?
- Best for: Defence personnel wanting lounges and concierge on top of everyday rewards, Higher spenders who can clear Rs.1.5 lakh to waive the fee, CSD canteen, dining and grocery-heavy armed-forces households
- Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on Dining (2.5% back).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- First-year fee waived, and renewal fee reversed at Rs.1.5 lakh annual spend
- 5X Reward Points on dining, movies, grocery, departmental store and CSD spends
- 4 domestic lounge visits, concierge and milestone vouchers up to Rs.7,000
- Better base earn (2 RP per Rs.100) than the entry Shaurya card
✕ Cons
- Eligibility is limited to armed-forces / defence personnel
- Rs.1,499 renewal fee needs Rs.1.5 lakh spend to waive
- Points are worth only Re.0.25 each; base earn is still ~0.5%
- Rewards are modest outside the 5X categories — 2 Reward Points per Rs.100 (~0.5%) on other spends
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / address proof
- 📄Defence service ID / proof of service
- 📄Income proof (salary slips or ITR)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Pay your card outstanding with Reward Points (4 RP = Re.1)
- 🎁Redeem Reward Points against gifts from the SBI Card rewards catalogue
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
Eligibility is limited to defence personnel, and the ₹1,499 renewal needs ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend to waive while points are worth only ₹0.25 each.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Shaurya Select SBI Card for?
What is the fee structure?
What milestone benefits does it offer?
Does the Rs.10 lakh accident cover apply to this card?
How has the Shaurya Select SBI Card changed over time?
Has the Shaurya Select SBI Card been devalued recently?
When did the Shaurya Select SBI Card's fees last change?
How did the Shaurya Select SBI Card change in 2024?
The bottom line
A capable mid-tier defence card when the volume is there — first year free, 5X on real everyday categories, plus lounges, concierge and up to ₹7,000 in vouchers. The decision comes down to spend: clear ₹1.5 lakh and use the lounges and it is a clear yes. Do not be told the ₹250 Shaurya delivers the same thing: both are marketed as 5X, but Select's 5X is 10 points per ₹100 against the entry card's 5, so Select earns twice the rate on the same categories.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 3 earn rules, 2 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 6 recorded perks. The renewal fee is conditional — it is waived on a published spend target, so the fee you pay depends on what you spend.
Last updated 15 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Shaurya Select SBI Card are taken from SBI Card's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 15 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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Guides and reviews related to this card.
Shaurya Select SBI Card
The step-up defence card: a first-year-free Rs.1,499 card for armed-forces members that adds 4 domestic lounge visits, concierge and milestone vouchers up to Rs.7,000 on top of 2.5% on CSD canteen, dining, movies, grocery and departmental stores (0.5% elsewhere). Good if you spend enough to waive the fee at Rs.1.5 lakh. Its 5X is twice the entry Shaurya's, whatever the shared marketing suggests.
Shaurya SBI Card
A defence-personnel card with an unusually low Rs.250 fee, 5X points on everyday categories including CSD canteen spends, and a 1,000-point welcome worth most of the fee. It is a genuinely good-value entry card for armed-forces members — provided you know points are worth only Re.0.25 each.
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 2019 · last change Apr 2026
2026
- ▼ RedemptionObserved 26 Feb 2026 · Effective 1 Apr 2026
Statement-credit redemption capped & blocked into 4,000-point multiples
Unrestricted statement-credit redemption, any point quantity→Max 60,000 RP/month; redeemable only in multiples of 4,000
Effective 1 April 2026, SBI Card capped statement-credit redemption at 60,000 Reward Points per card per calendar month and required redemptions in multiples of 4,000 points, removing partial/small redemptions. The 4 RP = ₹1 (₹0.25/point) conversion rate is unchanged. Applies to the Shaurya Select SBI Card (only Air India SBI Signature and the two PhonePe SBI variants are exempt).
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2025
- ▼ FeeEffective 1 Nov 2025
1% fee on third-party education payments & wallet loads
No surcharge on education/wallet-load spends→1% fee on 3rd-party education fees & wallet loads over ₹1,000
In its system-wide fee revision effective 1 November 2025, SBI Card added a 1% fee on education-fee payments made via third-party apps/aggregators (Paytm, PhonePe, Razorpay, etc.; direct school/college website or campus POS payments stay free) and a 1% fee on digital-wallet loads exceeding ₹1,000. Applies to the Shaurya Select SBI Card.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
2024
- ▼ RewardEffective 1 Dec 2024
Digital gaming spends stop earning
Reward Points earned→No Reward Points on MCC 5816, 7993, 7994
From 1 December 2024 the card stopped accruing Reward Points on spends at Digital Gaming Platforms and Merchants (MCC 5816, 7993 and 7994), named as a numbered clause in the card's own T&C booklet. CORRECTED 2026-08-27: this was recorded as a TWO-CARD event on the basis that the Shaurya, Doctor's, Doctor's-IMA and Apollo booklets carry no equivalent clause. SBI publishes a card-by-card list (list-of-cards-oct24.pdf) naming roughly 45 affected cards, so the clause's absence from a booklet is not evidence the exclusion does not apply. Recorded here 2026-08-06 after the SBI audit; it now binds in card-data via an ONLINE_GAMING exclusion.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardEffective 1 Jun 2024
Government transactions stop earning reward points
Earned→Excluded
From 1 June 2024, government-related transactions (MCC 9399 and 9311 — tax, fines and government-service payments) on the Shaurya Select SBI Card no longer accrue reward points. Date corrected 2026-08-06 from 15 July to 1 June 2024: the card's own T&C booklet says "W.e.f. 01 Jun 2024". 15 July 2024 is the APOLLO card's date, and had been copied across.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 1 Mar 2024 · Effective 1 Apr 2024
Reward points removed on rent payments (MCC 6513)
Base RP earned on rent payments→No RP on rent payments (MCC 6513)
SBI Card stopped awarding Reward Points on rent payments coded under MCC 6513, effective 1 April 2024 for standard cards. As an RP-earning SBI-branded card, the Shaurya Select SBI Card was covered; combined with the ₹199 processing fee, rent became a fully unrewarded, fee-bearing spend.
Verification: SBI Card ↗ · Confidence: High
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-shaurya-select#value-timeline">Shaurya Select SBI Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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