As India becomes a prominent travel market for airlines, more and more international airlines are launching co-brand credit cards in India to keep their loyal customers loyal and attract more customers into their fold. After Miles & More (Lufthansa Group/Axis Bank), Skywards (Emirates/ICICI Bank), Etihad Guest (Etihad/SBI Card) and Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways/IndusInd Bank), it is the turn for Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer to launch a co-branded credit card.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer partners with SBI Card to launch co-brand credit cards in India
Singapore Airlines Limited and SBI Card have launched the KrisFlyer SBI Card today. This is Singapore Airlines’ first co-branded credit card in India. This co-branded credit card offers privileges in the air and on the ground with the SIA Group, which comprises Singapore Airlines, Scoot Airlines, KrisShop.com, the Kris+ lifestyle app, and Pelago.
The newly launched credit card has two variants: KrisFlyer SBI Card and KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex.
KrisFlyer SBI Card
The entry-level card is the KrisFlyer SBI Card.
- Welcome Benefit: You receive 3,000 KrisFlyer miles on the first transaction within 60 days.
- Spend-Based Rewards: On spending with SIA Group entities (Singapore Airlines, Scoot Airlines, KrisShop.com, the Kris+ lifestyle app, and Pelago) and on spending in international currency, you get accelerated rewards at the rate of 5 KrisFlyer miles for every INR 200 spent. You receive 2 KrisFlyer miles for every INR 200 spent on other eligible spends.
- Annual spend milestones: There are two milestones on this card:
- Milestone 1: Bonus KrisFlyer miles of 3,000 on annual spends of INR 300,000
- Milestone 2: Tier status upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Silver Tier membership on spending INR 250,000 on Singapore Airlines.
- Lounge Benefits: The following lounge benefits are included:
- Four complimentary domestic airport lounge visits in a year (Maximum of 1 visit per quarter)
- Four complimentary international airport lounge visits in a year (Maximum of 1 visit per quarter)
- Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver (Valid for transactions at fuel stations of amounts up to Rs 3,000).
- Travel Insurance:
• Air Accidental Death coverage of INR 1 Crore
• Baggage loss/delay coverage of INR 1 Lakh
• Fraud loss protection coverage of INR 1 Lakh - Annual Fee: The card comes with a yearly fee of INR 2,999 + GST
KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex
As is the current norm, a high-end card has been added for those who have already engaged with the KrisFlyer programme. The KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex offers the following benefits.
- Welcome Benefit: You receive 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on the first transaction within 60 days.
- Spend-Based Rewards: On spending with SIA Group entities (Singapore Airlines, Scoot Airlines, KrisShop.com, the Kris+ lifestyle app, and Pelago), you get accelerated rewards at the rate of 10 KrisFlyer miles for every INR 200 spent. In terms of international spending, you get accelerated rewards of 8 KrisFlyer miles for every INR 200 spent. You receive 6 KrisFlyer miles for every INR 200 spent on other eligible spends.
- Annual spend milestones: There are two milestones on this card:
- Milestone 1: Bonus KrisFlyer miles of 10,000 on annual spends of INR 500,000
- Milestone 2: Tier status upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold Tier membership on spending INR 750,000 on Singapore Airlines.
- Milestone 3: Additional Bonus KrisFlyer miles of 3,000 on annual spends of INR 10,00,000
- Lounge Benefits: The following lounge benefits are included:
- Eight complimentary domestic airport lounge visits in a year (Maximum of 2 visits per quarter)
- Eight complimentary international airport lounge visits in a year (Maximum of 2 visits per quarter)
- Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver (Valid for transactions at fuel stations of amounts up to Rs 3,000).
- Travel Insurance:
• Air Accidental Death coverage of INR 3.5 Crore
• Baggage loss/delay coverage of INR 1 Lakh
• Fraud loss protection coverage of INR 10 Lakh - Annual Fee: The card comes with a yearly fee of INR 9,999 + GST
Both cards will be offered on the MasterCard and American Express platforms.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Abhijit Chakravorty, MD & CEO of SBI Card, said,
International travel has emerged to be a key spending category with rise in income, rapid advancement of technology and digitalization. We are delighted to partner with Singapore Airlines to present top-notch and luxurious experience to the super-premium cardholder segment, with an array of exclusive benefits, setting new benchmarks in the industry. Our collaboration is a significant step toward enriching travel experiences of the customers by combining SBI Card’s secure and seamless payment solutions and Singapore Airline’s unparallel network and world class flying experience.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Bryan Koh, Divisional Vice President Loyalty Marketing, Singapore Airlines shared,
KrisFlyer has evolved from an airline loyalty programme to a travel and lifestyle-centric rewards programme that unlocks an entire universe of special benefits for our customers. With international travel growing so rapidly, this exclusive co-branded credit card with a partner as trusted as SBI Card, gives our members in India a new avenue to earn miles and privileges, not just when they fly with us. We are very pleased and proud to have collaborated with SBI Card in what is surely going to be a very successful partnership.
My Take
Both the cards are “true” loyalty credit cards, encouraging loyalty to the airline by gifting status on spending on the airline per se. If you are not a long-haul flyer (just a regional flyer) or an economy class flyer, you would like the KrisFlyer SBI Card. On the other hand, if you fly the airline’s premium cabins or fly a lot with them, you should get the KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex, which will get you Gold status on the airline in no time just by spending.
Bottomline
Singapore Airlines and SBI Card have launched two cobranded cards, KrisFlyer SBI Card and KrisFlyer SBI Card Apex, for airline and card issuer customers in India. The cards offer the opportunity to earn KrisFlyer Miles and Status by spending on the card itself in India and around the globe. The rewards are also generous.
What do you think of the KrisFlyer SBI Cards range that was launched today?
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With SBI is very bad. My annual usage is 20 lac in HDFC card but SBI issued cashback card to me eith just 10k limit.
Already IRCTC SBI card with 50k limit for 6 years. No limit enhancement.
A complimentary 1st year gold membership would have been a killer.