I am not so much of a card churner, as you all know. I don’t actively seek new lines of credit from banks. The best I usually do is to call the bank to switch me to a new product by moving my existing line of credit to the new card. That is how I got rid of my Citibank Jet Airways Credit Card and got myself the PremierMiles Credit Card last year.
However, a few weeks back, before the whole ICICI/HDFC Jet-cobranding effort was revealed, I was quietly beginning to like a new credit card product. It is an innocent looking ‘Platinum’ credit card in today’s era when perhaps I only carry more premium cards in my wallet and most of my spend goes on the Citibank PremierMiles and on the American Express Gold Charge Card, where there is a 5x MR on spend (groceries & movies these days!)
However, apart from travel, home supplies and entertainment, one big chunk of my life was still not earning enough miles. That was dining out. See, I am a self-admitted foodie, and I love going out to new places to try food/cuisines. Having said that, I even wear a professional hat where I am supposed to take people out for entertainment at times. The Citibank PremierMiles is currently offering me a 10 PremierMiles on 100 Rs. spent at hotels, but this means I only get these extra miles when I go to a restaurant which is inside a hotel and using their credit card terminals. Otherwise, I could be limited to earning 4 PremierMiles per Rs. 100 at a regular place.
After the PremierMiles promotion on Hotels ends in September 2012, I would be back to earning 4 PM/Rs. 100 on Hotels as well, which was a significantly less proposition than the 10 PM/Rs. 100 on hotels at this moment.
So, purely by chance, while I was scouring around the Standard Chartered Bank’s India website for their Emirates co-branded card, I discovered the Platinum Rewards Card. I’d closed my relationship with Standard Chartered Bank a long time ago, but I got excited and decided to apply. The new card got delivered today.
Let me explain my haste now. The SCB Platinum Rewards card, earns you 5 reward points per Rs. 100 spent on Fuel, Dining and Hotels. Like you know, I love collecting JP Miles as much as I hate the complexity in spending them on the airline. With the Citi/Jet fiasco in May 2012, I think I lost the ability to earn miles to nudge over into my Jet Airways account via Citi PremierMiles.
The reward program of SCB Credit Cards sucks pretty much. Except that they transfer miles into Jet Airways JetPrivilege. For the Platinum card holders, they offered 83 JPMiles per 100 SCB Reward points, which essentially meant 1.2 SCB Points = 1 JP Mile. On a Rs. 1,000 dinner bill that easily becomes 42 JPMiles, and on a stay at a hotel where a room night could be Rs. 5,000 easy (more like Rs. 10,000 usually), I could be earning over 208 JP Miles (250 SCB Reward points) as compared to the 200 PremierMiles.
One could argue that it was not worth the effort that I collect 8 miles more on such a large transaction. But I am a believer in economies of scale. And I think spend enough to get a few thousand miles extra out of this route. What is more, the card came free of charge for life, so it does not hurt at all to keep.
Do you think it was a good decision or bad? I’m more tempted with the JP co-branded cards as well, and I am not comparing just yet because I haven’t taken up all the cards yet. This one was applied for before I knew about even the HDFC Bank – JP partnership coming to life.
Your views? Is this one for the wallet or one for the sock drawer?
Related Posts:
- Sunday Plastic: The ‘new’ Citibank Premier Miles Credit Card
- Hang on, do not use your Citi PremierMiles for Jet Airways redemptions
- Citibank Premier Miles Card changes and special promo on international spends
- Sunday Plastic: The American Express Gold Charge Card
- Burn Notice: Citibank and Jet Airways – friends turning foes!
- Bye Bye Citibank Jet Airways Platinum Credit Card!
- Finally, a credit card which earns me lots of miles in India!
- Details out about the new Jet Airways ICICI Bank card
- Jet Airways’ HDFC Bank co-branded credit card does not raise the bar!
- Sunday Plastic: Jet Privilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card
- Jet Airways ICICI Bank Credit Card is better than the Jet Airways HDFC Bank CC
Live From A Lounge is present on Facebook, Twitter & available via email, RSS.
@AJ it’s free only if you spend 30K annually. Otherwise 750 fees. Or am I looking at a different platinum product?
@manish not updated on the website, apply online and you will see somewhere once pre approved.
What is your opinion between Amex Kingfisher card which give you in addition to points free tkts on spend and other cards only give points? Is not Amex cards are beneficial ?
@AJ Not sure if I am looking are the right card, but this one has a 750 annual fee from second year.
apply online, it is free for life. even the documents i signed on said the same thing. Platinum Rewards is the name of the card
Check their Manhattan Platinum which earns 5 reward points per 100 spent. The JP miles conversion is still the same (1 mile = 1.2 reward points). Its 999/- per year though.
@Manish, since a fee is involved in Manhattan Platinum, I think paying for other CCs which offer way better value makes more sense. Like the Citi PM. This one from SCB I took since it was free for life.
Interesting