STANDARD-CHARTERED
Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card
Good fit for frequent travelers who value lounge access and low forex — ₹5,000 annual fee.
Top reasons to choose this card
- 16 domestic lounge visits, spend-gated
- Low 2% forex markup
What you'd do with it
- Useful for travelers who need around 16 domestic lounge visits a year.
- Good for travel 2% forex · 4 per quarter lounge
- Moderate forex 2% forex markup
- Strong lounge access 4 per quarter domestic lounge
Annual fee ₹5,000 per year
Forex markup 2% high
Lounge access 4 per quarter
Rewards / ₹100 5 pts up to · ₹150
The catch International: 1/month · requires ₹20,000 spend (issuer terms apply). International lounge cap is 1 visit per year.
- Waiver condition missing
- Welcome benefit timing may vary
- Annual fee known
- Forex markup known
- 4 per quarter domestic lounge
At a glance
Snapshot · usage · fitFast facts
- Annual fee
- ₹5,000 higher than 93 of 112 cards
- Joining fee
- ₹5,000
- Forex markup
- 2% lower than 71 of 111 cards
- Lounge access
- 4 per quarter domestic lounge
- Reward rate
- Up to 5 pts / ₹150
Good fit for
- Good for travel
- Strong lounge access
Still worth it?
Evidence-backed snapshotGood fit if
- Forex markup is low at 2%.
- Use this for utilities spends, but verify caps and exclusions before relying on the headline rate.
- 4 per quarter domestic lounge
Verify before applying
- Annual fee known
- Waiver condition missing
- Forex markup known
- 4 per quarter domestic lounge
- Airport lounge list may change
- ₹4,000 welcome benefit listed
- Welcome benefit timing may vary
- Monthly interest known
- Welcome benefit timing and claim process.
- Lounge terms to verify: 4 per quarter domestic lounge. Verify spend criteria, guest rules, and airport list before relying on it.
- Annual fee waiver terms and eligible spend exclusions.
- Issuer fees, GST, finance charges, and late-payment terms.
- Reward terms to verify: base earn is 5 points per ₹150, but caps, excluded categories, and redemption rules are not fully structured.
Next best move
Compare with IDFC FIRST Bank Mayura Similar tier comparison Low forex credit cards Cards under the low-forex threshold. Forex ranking (verified) Compared on verified forex markup, then annual fee. Lounge access shortlist Discovery list of cards with cardholder lounge access. Best travel credit cards Cards suited for international spend and lounge-heavy travel.
Is this good for lounge access?
4 per quarter domestic lounge. Check current spend criteria, guest rules, visit caps, and airport acceptance before relying on it.
Is this good for international spends?
Forex markup is 2%, which can be useful for international spends if the annual fee and usage pattern still make sense.
Is the annual fee easy to recover?
Value depends on usage and waiver terms. GST may apply on the annual fee.
When do welcome benefits arrive?
A welcome benefit worth ₹4,000 is listed, but timing may depend on joining fee payment, card activation, first eligible transaction, or issuer processing.
Spending requirements
Spend gates · caps · milestone thresholdsRequirementAmountPeriodUnlocksRealismStrength
Lounge access spend gate₹20,000period not specifiedLounge eligibilitytrivialstrong
Watch outs
Before choosing this card- Annual fee is ₹5,000, so value depends on actual usage.
Reward reality
Point value · limits · exclusionsVerified value₹1 per pointHeadline redemption
Best verified laneUtilities3 pts / ₹150
Reward rules
Structured earn rates · eligibility · caps when they bindScopeRateEligibilityLimit
General spend5 pts / ₹150——
Utilities3 pts / ₹1503 RP/₹150 on utilities, supermarkets, insurance, rent, government (Apr-2023 r…—
Estimated usage
Example usage at this monthly spend
₹
- At this monthly spend, you'd earn: Estimated using base earn (5 pts / ₹150). ~1,670 pts/month. Partner/category bonuses not included.
- Fee waiver conditions unclear — verify
- Forex cost ~₹1,000 per ₹50k international spend
Illustrative only, using current base rates and snapshot data.
Benefits & charges
Side-by-side factsBenefits
Lounge Access
- Domestic (cardholder)
- 4 per quarter — via Standard Chartered Bank India lounge programme · verified 7 Jul 2026
4 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- Standard Chartered Official Ultimate Card
- PaisaBazaar
- BankBazaar
- Issuer site (verify current terms) (opens in new tab)
- Operator-verified anchor
- International (cardholder)
- Not included
4 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- Standard Chartered Official Ultimate Card
- PaisaBazaar
- BankBazaar
- Issuer site (verify current terms) (opens in new tab)
- Operator-verified anchor
Rewards
- Base earn
- 5 pts / ₹150 value depends on redemption
- Headline point value
- ₹1.00 per Reward Point (Headline redemption) · verified 7 Jul 2026 Operator-verified headline rate — full channel grid in Redemption value.
Redemption value
- You earn
- Reward Points
- Redemption
- ₹1.00 per Reward Point · verified 7 Jul 2026
Fees & charges
Fees
- Monthly interest rate
- 1% / month
- Annual fee
- ₹5,000
- Joining fee
- ₹5,000 · verified 7 Jul 2026
- Interest-free period
- Up to 48 days
International Use
- Forex markup
- 2%
6 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- Standard Chartered Official Ultimate Card
- CardInsider
- PaisaBazaar
- BankBazaar
- Issuer site (verify current terms) (opens in new tab)
- Operator-verified anchor
- Product tier
- Premium
Fuel Benefits
At the pumpNo verified fuel benefit available.
Annual fee break-even math
When does this card pay for itself ₹1.5L Break-even using base rewards to offset ₹5,000 fee
Base rewards only: at base earn rates, you need roughly ₹1.5L in yearly spend to offset the ₹5,000 annual fee.
Compare with similar cards
Similar tier · similar benefitsThe fine print
Caps · exclusions · sources · last refresh- Annual fee: ₹5,000.
- Forex markup currently listed at 2%.
- 4 per quarter domestic lounge.