Which card has a lower forex fee: Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card or SBI Card Miles Prime?

SBI Card Miles Prime has lower forex markup (2.5% vs 3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card or SBI Card Miles Prime?

Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹1,500 annual fee vs ₹2,999 annual fee).

Which card offers better lounge access?

Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card: 2 per quarter domestic + 3 per year international. SBI Card Miles Prime: 8 domestic + 4 international lounge visits/year.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card has higher conservative base reward value (~0.67% vs ~0.25%).

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature vs SBI Card Miles Prime Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature and the SBI Card Miles Prime. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Zen Signature

Miles Prime

The short answer

Verdict

Pick Miles Prime for spending abroad.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics

Annual fee

Zen Signature ₹1,500 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spend

Miles Prime ₹2,999 Waivable at ₹10,00,000 spend

Zen Signature saves ₹1,499/yr
Forex markup

Zen Signature 3.5%

Miles Prime 2.5%

Miles Prime saves ~₹1,000 per ₹1L abroad
Domestic lounge

Zen Signature 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)

Miles Prime 8/year

Reward earning explained

Per card

Zen Signature

5 pts / ₹150 · Up to 10 pts / ₹150 on Shopping Lifestyle

Strong data

Miles Prime

2 Travel Credits / ₹200 · Up to 4 Travel Credits / ₹200 on Travel

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature: ₹1,500 vs SBI Card Miles Prime: ₹2,999), forex markup (3.5% vs 2.5%), or lounge access (8/year (2 per quarter) vs 8/year).

Forex markup SBI Card Miles Prime wins

SBI Card Miles Prime is better for forex

SBI Card Miles Prime is stronger here. SBI Card Miles Prime has a lower forex markup (2.5% vs 3.5%).
Lounge access Tie

Both cards are similar for lounge access

Domestic lounge access is 2 per quarter. Domestic lounge access is 8 per year.
Rewards Tie

Both cards are similar for rewards

Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature conservative base value ~0.7% vs SBI Card Miles Prime's ~0.3%. SBI Card Miles Prime conservative base value ~0.3% vs Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature's ~0.7%.

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

Kotak Zen Signature: ~₹330/month at base rate
SBI Miles Prime: ~₹130/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field	Zen Signature Kotak Mahindra Bank	Miles Prime SBI Card
Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for SBI Miles Prime	Not specified	₹1 lakh
Insurance — Underwriter Only available for SBI Miles Prime	Not specified	Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 8/year (2 per quarter) vs 8/year	8/year (2 per quarter)	8/year
International lounge visits 3 per year vs 4 per year	3 per year	4 per year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup 3.5% vs 2.5%	3.5%	2.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee ₹1,500 vs ₹2,999	₹1,500	₹2,999
Annual-fee waiver ₹1,50,000 vs ₹10,00,000	₹1,50,000	₹10,00,000
Interest-free period Up to 51 days vs Up to 50 days	Up to 51 days	Up to 50 days
Monthly interest rate Only available for SBI Miles Prime	Not specified	3.75% / month
Fuel benefit 1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹5,000 transactions · ₹3,500/year waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded vs 1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹3,000 transactions · ₹250/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded	1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹5,000 transactions · ₹3,500/year waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded	1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹3,000 transactions · ₹250/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded
Rewards
Base earn Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison. 5 pts / ₹150 vs 2 Travel Credits / ₹200	5 pts / ₹150	2 Travel Credits / ₹200
Conservative base value ~0.7% vs ~0.3%	~0.7%	~0.3%
Earn ceiling 6,500 points per statement cycle; at 5 pts / ₹150, this lane reaches the cap at ₹1,95,000 of eligible spend vs Not stated	6,500 points per statement cycle; at 5 pts / ₹150, this lane reaches the cap at ₹1,95,000 of eligible spend	Not stated
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. ₹0.25 vs ₹1	₹0.25	₹1
Point validity Only available for SBI Miles Prime	Not specified	2 years

Notes

Kotak Zen Signature Credit Card: Condition: ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.

Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature

Verify with issuer

SBI Card Miles Prime

Verify with issuer