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ICICI MakeMyTrip vs SBI IRCTC SBI Card Premier

Side-by-side comparison of the ICICI Bank MakeMyTrip and the SBI Card IRCTC SBI Card Premier. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

The short answer

Pick MakeMyTrip for spending abroad.

Pick IRCTC SBI Card Premier for UPI payments.

MakeMyTrip costs ₹500 less a year but waives only at ₹3,00,000 spend, IRCTC SBI Card Premier at ₹2,00,000.

Head-to-head

  • Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie.
    MakeMyTrip ₹999 Waivable at ₹3,00,000 spend
    IRCTC SBI Card Premier ₹1,499 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend
    ₹500/yr apart · waiver gates differ
  • Forex markup Forex markup outcome: MakeMyTrip wins.
    MakeMyTrip 0.99%
    IRCTC SBI Card Premier 3.5%
    MakeMyTrip saves ~₹2,510 per ₹1L abroad
  • Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: insufficient data to compare.
    MakeMyTrip 8/year (2 per quarter)
    IRCTC SBI Card Premier Airport lounge access not verified
  • Rewards Rewards outcome: tie.
    MakeMyTrip ~1%
    IRCTC SBI Card Premier ~0.8%
    conservative base value
  • UPI payments UPI payments outcome: IRCTC SBI Card Premier wins.
    MakeMyTrip No UPI support
    IRCTC SBI Card Premier Supports UPI

Reward earning explained

MakeMyTrip

1 myCash / ₹100

Strong data
IRCTC SBI Card Premier

0.8 pts / ₹100 · Up to 10 pts / ₹100 on IRCTC

Strong data

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank: ~₹500/month at base rate
  • IRCTC SBI Card Premier: ~₹400/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

All fields

Field MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank IRCTC SBI Card Premier SBI Card
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
8/year (2 per quarter) vs Airport lounge access not verified
8/year (2 per quarter) Airport lounge access not verified
Railway lounge visits
Only available for IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Not specified 8 railway lounge visits per year — IRCTC Executive Lounges
International lounge visits
Only available for MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank
1 per year Not specified
Forex / International Use
Forex markup
Source agreement differs — verify both.
0.99% vs 3.5%
0.99% 3.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee
₹999 vs ₹1,499
₹999 ₹1,499
Annual-fee waiver
₹3,00,000 vs ₹2,00,000
₹3,00,000 ₹2,00,000
Interest-free period
Up to 48 days vs Up to 50 days
Up to 48 days Up to 50 days
Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month 3.75% / month
Late-payment charge ₹100–₹1,300 depending on outstanding balance ₹100–₹1,300 depending on outstanding balance
Fuel benefit
Only available for IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Not specified 1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹4,000 transactions · ₹250/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded
Rewards
Points per ₹100
Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison.
1 myCash / ₹100 vs 0.8 pts / ₹100
1 myCash / ₹100 0.8 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value
~1% vs ~0.8%
~1% ~0.8%
Earn ceiling
Not stated vs 750 points per statement cycle; at 4 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹18,750 of eligible spend
Not stated 750 points per statement cycle at 4 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹18,750 of eligible spend
Point value (headline channel)
Issuer headline rate at the travel/SmartBuy channel — not the lowest redemption option.
₹1 ₹1
Point validity
3 years vs 2 years
3 years 2 years
Insurance — Air accident cover
Only available for MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank
₹1 crore Not specified
Insurance — Personal accident cover
Only available for MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank
₹1 crore Not specified
Insurance — Lost card liability cover
Only available for IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Not specified ₹1 lakh
Insurance — Underwriter
Only available for IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Not specified Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited

Notes

  • Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.