5 pts / ₹150 · Up to 10 pts / ₹150 on Shopping Lifestyle
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Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature vs SBI Card Prime Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex
Side-by-side comparison of the Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature and the SBI Card Prime. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
VerdictNo decisive winner on the core dimensions — the head-to-head below shows where the small differences are.
Head-to-head
Three core metrics- Annual fee Zen Signature saves ₹1,499/yrZen Signature ₹1,500 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spendPrime ₹2,999 Waivable at ₹3,00,000 spend
- Forex markup Zen Signature 3.5%Prime 3.5%
- 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)Prime 8/year (2 per quarter)
Reward earning explained
Per card2 pts / ₹100 · 10 points/₹100 on eligible departmental Stores, dining, grocery, and movies
Strong dataPick based on what matters
3 dimensionsStart with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature: ₹1,500 vs SBI Card Prime: ₹2,999), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (8/year (2 per quarter) vs 8/year (2 per quarter)).
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Forex markup Tie Both cards are similar for forex
Forex markup is 3.5%.
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Lounge access Tie Both cards are similar for lounge access
Domestic lounge access is 2 per quarter.
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Rewards Tie Both cards are similar for rewards
Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature conservative base value ~0.7% vs SBI Card Prime's ~0.5%. SBI Card Prime conservative base value ~0.5% vs Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen Signature's ~0.7%.
All fields
Example usage at this monthly spend
At ₹50k/month spend:
- Kotak Zen Signature: ~₹330/month at base rate
- SBI Prime: ~₹250/month at base rate
Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.
| Field | Zen Signature Kotak Mahindra Bank | Prime SBI Card |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge Access | ||
| Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats | 8/year (2 per quarter) | 8/year (2 per quarter) |
| International lounge visits 3 per year vs 4 per year | 3 per year | 4 per year |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹1,500 vs ₹2,999 | ₹1,500 | ₹2,999 |
| Annual-fee waiver ₹1,50,000 vs ₹3,00,000 | ₹1,50,000 | ₹3,00,000 |
| 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 Prime | Not specified | 3.75% / month |
| Fuel benefit Only available for Kotak Zen Signature | 1% surcharge waiver · ₹500–₹5,000 transactions · ₹3,500/year waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded | Not specified |
| Rewards | ||
| Base earn Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison. 5 pts / ₹150 vs 2 pts / ₹100 | 5 pts / ₹150 | 2 pts / ₹100 |
| Conservative base value ~0.7% vs ~0.5% | ~0.7% | ~0.5% |
| 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 3,000 points per month; at 20 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹15,000 of eligible spend | 6,500 points per statement cycle; at 5 pts / ₹150, this lane reaches the cap at ₹1,95,000 of eligible spend | 3,000 points per month; at 20 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹15,000 of eligible spend |
| Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. | ₹0.25 | ₹0.25 |
| Point validity Only available for SBI 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 , opens external siteSBI Card Prime
Verify with issuer , opens external site