May 21, 2025 · 15 mins read
Santosh Kumar
Premium credit cards are offered by banks to high-net-worth individuals and also to their loyal customers. These credit cards offer exclusive and luxurious benefits unlike any other regular credit card. Although the joining fee as well as the annual fee of these credit cards is skyrocketing, they provide you with the best privileges, including premium travel reward programs with elite hotel groups, free access to airport lounges, airport VIP facilitation, free golf sessions and many more.
Let us have a closer look at the most popular premium credit cards and analyse their features so that you can choose the best credit card for you:
A premium credit card goes beyond standard features, offering exclusive rewards, luxury benefits, and personalized services. Typically, premium credit cards provide perks such as airport lounge access, higher reward points, concierge services, and complimentary insurance.
What sets them apart is the lifestyle value they deliver, whether it’s travel, shopping, or dining. In the growing market of premium credit cards in India, banks design these cards to match the aspirations of high-income individuals and frequent travelers. While regular cards focus on basic transactions, a premium credit card builds prestige and convenience into your daily life.
For those who want the most premium credit card in India, features like global acceptance, higher credit limits, and VIP access to events are the defining factors. Ultimately, the best premium credit card is not just about status but about aligning benefits with your spending habits. With so many options, understanding what makes a card “premium” is the first step toward choosing wisely.
Finding the best premium credit card in India depends on how you spend and what benefits matter most. If you’re a frequent traveler, choose cards that offer lounge access, air miles, and complimentary stays. For shopaholics, cashback or reward-heavy premium credit cards India make more sense.
Dining discounts, fuel benefits, and concierge services also differentiate options. With several banks competing to provide the best premium credit cards, each card highlights unique perks, from global lounge access to luxury brand tie-ups. While some users prioritize status by picking the most premium credit card in India, practicality should be the key factor. It’s best to compare interest rates, reward redemption flexibility, and hidden charges before finalizing.
Remember, the best premium credit card is not always the flashiest, it’s the one that saves you money while matching your lifestyle. Evaluate rewards against your daily and annual expenses, and you’ll quickly identify which card truly fits your needs.
Applying for premium credit cards in India requires meeting specific eligibility benchmarks. Unlike basic cards, a premium credit card is designed for individuals with higher incomes and strong credit profiles. Typically, banks set minimum monthly income requirements, often starting from ₹1 lakh or more, depending on the product.
To qualify for the best premium credit cards, applicants also need a good credit score, usually 750 or above, reflecting consistent repayment behavior. Holding a relationship with the issuing bank, such as a high-value savings account, can further increase eligibility. For those aiming at the most premium credit card in India, exclusive invitations may apply, as banks often extend them only to select customers. Proof of income, identity, and address are standard requirements when applying. Meeting these criteria ensures access to premium credit cards India, which reward financially disciplined individuals with exclusive perks. Ultimately, your lifestyle, income, and creditworthiness determine which best premium credit card in India you can secure.
One of the biggest questions with premium credit cards is whether the annual or joining fees are justified. The cost of the best premium credit cards can range from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000 or more annually. However, the value comes from benefits like unlimited lounge access, complimentary hotel stays, higher reward multipliers, and insurance coverage.
For frequent travelers, these perks often exceed the cost, making the card worthwhile. In contrast, occasional users may find the fees outweigh the gains, even if they own the most premium credit card in India. When comparing premium credit cards India, it’s important to assess how much you’ll realistically use the rewards and services.
The best premium credit card in India balances cost with practical benefits, ensuring you extract more value than you spend. If you align your lifestyle with the right card, the high annual fee becomes an investment rather than a burden. Ultimately, the worth depends on usage patterns.
Here are the top premium credit cards that offer luxury travel and lifestyle benefits and decent value for your expenses.
Best Pick For: All-round Benefits (Rewards, Air miles, Lounge and Golf)
Joining Fee: Rs. 12,500+ taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 12,500+ taxes (Waived off on spending Rs. 10 Lakh or more in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Free Priority Pass Membership and unlimited access to its lounges in India & abroad
2: Low foreign currency markup fee of 2% (GST extra)
3: Unlimited free golf games at select golf courses in India and overseas
4: Welcome benefit of 1 year Club Marriott Membership (Membership offers 20% discount on dining and stay)
5: 5 reward points per Rs. 150 spent on retail, except fuel
6: 10x rewards on travel and shopping via HDFC SmartBuy
7: Good Food Trail Dining program at premium restaurants across top cities
8: 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India. Valid on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 1 lakh
Best Pick For: Rewards and International Travel
Joining Fee: Rs. 10,000 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000 + Taxes (Waived off on spending Rs. 5 Lakh or more in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Annual memberships of Club Marriott, Forbes, Amazon Prime, MMT BLACK, and Swiggy One (3 months) on spending Rs 1.5 lakh in the first 90 days
2: 5 reward points on spending Rs. 150 across all retail spends
3: Up to 10x reward points on SmartBuy spends
4: 2x reward points on weekend dining
5: Unlimited lounge access to 1,000+ airport Lounges in India and across the world for primary and add-on card members
6: 6 golf games per quarter across selected courses in the world
7: Low foreign currency markup fee of 2%
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Best Pick For: Rewards & Lifestyle Benefits
Joining Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes (Nil for Burgundy Private customers)
Annual Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes (Nil for Burgundy Private customers)
Key Features:
1: 15 EDGE REWARD points per Rs. 200 spent on the card
2: Complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership for savings of up to 25% at fine-dining restaurants
3: Free 50 rounds of golf every calendar year
4: Free tickets for 5 movies and 5 non-movie tickets per month booked through BookMyShow
5: Unlimited lounge access at domestic as well as international lounges
6: 12 free guest visits every calendar year
7: Free hotel and dining memberships, including Club Marriott, Accor Plus, and Taj Epicure
8: Up to 15% off on International & Domestic Oberoi and Trident Hotels
9: Up to 20% off and other privileges at Postcard hotels
10: 0% forex markup fee
11: Concessions on health and wellness coaching at Weljii, diagnoses at leading medical institutions, etc.
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Best Pick For: Travel and Rewards
Joining Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes (Waived off on spending Rs. 35 Lakh or more in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Priority Pass membership with free unlimited international lounge visits for both primary and add-on cardholders
2: Free unlimited domestic lounge visits for both primary and add-on cardholders
3: 12 free guest visits across international and domestic lounges
4: 8 free VIP assistance services
5: Hotel benefits with multiple memberships like ITC Culinaire, Accorplus, Club Marriott Asia Pacific, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, and Postcard Hotel
6: 15,000 Edge rewards on card activation
7: 15 Edge reward Points per Rs. 200 spent
8: 30 Edge reward Points (2x) per Rs. 200 spent internationally
9: Low forex markup fee of 1.5%
10: 50 free golf rounds every year across select golf courses in India
11: Up to 25% off across premium restaurants via EazyDiner Prime Membership
12: B1G1 offer on the movie (up to Rs. 500 off on second ticket) and non-movie ticket (up to Rs. 1,000 off on second ticket), five times a month each
13: Health and wellness benefits via Weljii, referral-based services for second medical opinion
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Best Pick For: Rewards and International Travel
Joining Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000 + Taxes (Waived off on spending Rs. 25 Lakh in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Unlimited complimentary domestic and international lounge access for primary and add-on cardholders, along with 12 additional guest visits
2: Exclusive benefits at select hotels like Shangri-la Singapore, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Intercontinental Chennai, etc.
3: Complimentary VIP airport meet and greet and 'Airport by Invitation' service.
4: Up to $1000 USD saving on round-trip private air charter booking through Vitesse Worldwide
5: Low forex markup fee of 0.5%
6: Welcome benefit of 2 Lakh reward points and Oberoi Hotels 3-gift voucher worth Rs. 9,000
7: Additional 50,000 reward points on spending Rs. 10 Lakh or more in the first 90 days of card issuance
8: 20 reward points per Rs. 200 spent on domestic transactions
9: 40 reward points per Rs. 200 spent on international transactions
10: 12 rounds of complimentary green fees and 12 complimentary golf lessons in a year, along with 4 complimentary green fees for guests
11: Buy One Get One offer on movie tickets, giving up to 4 free tickets in a calendar month
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Best Pick For: Rewards and Travel
Joining Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 50,000 + Taxes
Key Features:
1: 1,00,000 reward points worth Rs. 25,000 and Complimentary Club ITC Culinaire Select & Accor Plus Explorer Memberships as welcome benefits
2: Complimentary Taj Experiences Signature dining voucher on spending Rs. 15 Lakh in 6 months
3: Unlimited complimentary lounge access worldwide
4: Unlimited complimentary golf rounds & lessons
5: Unlimited complimentary railway lounge access
6: 0% interest on cash withdrawal
7: 0% forex markup fee
8: 15% off on a stay at the Trident Hotel
9: Complimentary night at ITC Hotels by paying for 2 consecutive nights
10: Up to Rs. 1,500 off on ticket bookings through BookMyShow
11: 3 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on rent & education-related payments
12: 1 reward point for every Rs. 100 spent on insurance premium payments
13: 10 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent
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Best Pick For: Travel & Rewards
Joining Fee: Rs. 12,500 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 12,500 + Taxes (Waived off on spending Rs. 25 Lakh in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Luxe gift card/ The Postcard Hotels/ Yatra voucher worth Rs. 12,500 on making the first transaction within 30 days from card issuance
2: 12 EDGE reward points per Rs. 200 spent on cumulative monthly spends of up to Rs. 1.5 Lakh
3: 35 EDGE reward points per Rs. 200 spent above the cumulative monthly spends of Rs. 1.5 Lakh
4: 60 EDGE reward points per Rs. 200 spent on the Travel EDGE portal up to cumulative monthly spends of Rs. 2 Lakh
5: 35 EDGE reward points per Rs. 200 spent on Travel EDGE portal above monthly spends of Rs. 2 Lakh
6: Unlimited complimentary international lounge visits with Priority Pass and 4 additional guest visits per year
7: Unlimited visits to select domestic airport lounges for both primary and add-on cardholders (subject to spending Rs. 50,000 in the previous three months)
Best Pick For: Rewards and Travel
Joining Fee: Rs. 12,499 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 12,499 + Taxes (Reversed on spending Rs. 10 Lakh in the preceding year)
Key Features:
1: Taj Epicure membership and 12,500 bonus rewards as card activation benefits
2: 6 ICICI reward points per Rs. 200 spent, including spends on grocery, education, utilities, and insurance payments
3: Vouchers worth Rs. 6,000 as milestone benefits
4: Unlimited domestic and international lounge access every year
5: Unlimited golf lessons or rounds every month
6: Complimentary EazyDiner Membership every year
7: Buy 1 ticket and get up to Rs. 750 off on the 2nd ticket on BookMyShow bookings twice a month
Premium credit cards are offered to high-net-worth individuals, which means people who have a high annual income. These cards offer premium benefits like unlimited lounge access, a low forex markup fee, complimentary premium hotel memberships, free airport services, and much more. However, with such extensive features these come with a high annual fee, which can go up to Rs. 50,000 – Rs. 60,000, offering benefits that are unlikely to be enjoyed with a regular credit card.
All premium credit cards charge very high annual fee with benefits that easily surpass the fee charged. However, amongst these, Axis Bank Primus Credit Card is the most expensive credit card in India right now. It charges a joining fee of Rs. 5 Lakh and an annual fee of Rs. 3 Lakh.
The decision as to whether or not you should get a premium credit card depends on your eligibility and your spending preferences. Since premium cards usually come with more strict eligibility norms, especially in terms of annual income of the applicant, it is important to check whether you qualify for the card. Secondly, you must consider the value that such premium cards would offer you to decide whether you should apply for them.
Usually, individuals with a high annual income can apply for premium credit cards by visiting the official website of the respective card issuer. Besides this, some of the premium cards, like HDFC Infinia, are invite-only, which means they are offered only to select customers of the bank. Hence, you need to maintain a relationship with the bank to avail a super premium card, in some cases.
Premium credit cards come with features like VIP meet-and-greet service at airports, unlimited lounge access, discounts at luxury hotels, etc., that are generally not available with regular cards. However, such features would be valuable only for those who can make the most of them. For example, a premium card that offers complimentary membership to a luxury hotel along with a discount on your stay will not hold any value for someone who does not travel frequently.
Yes, banks often provide pre-approved offers for a premium credit card if you have a strong credit score, steady income, and good repayment history. Pre-approval means the bank has already screened you with a soft check, but final approval may still require document verification.
Most premium cards allow fee waivers if you meet a minimum annual spend requirement. Some issuers also offset fees with reward points, cashback, or loyalty benefits. Long-term customers with a solid track record can sometimes negotiate a waiver directly with the bank.
Yes, premium cards usually include travel insurance, purchase protection, and emergency coverage. Concierge services are another key perk, helping with travel bookings, dining reservations, and lifestyle requests. These features enhance convenience and peace of mind.
If you use the card only occasionally, the high annual fee may outweigh the benefits. However, frequent travelers or heavy spenders can extract maximum value from perks like lounge access, bonus rewards, and partner discounts.
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