Now a days most banks are offering travel credit cards, and a few of them come with special benefits made just for railway and IRCTC ticket booking. In this post we will go through all such cards available right now, look at their offers and benefits, and at the end give you our pick of the best card for buying train tickets.
If you book train tickets often, even one of these cards can save you a good amount every year through reward points, transaction charge waiver and free railway lounge access. So let us get started.
🏆 Quick answer: For most travellers the IRCTC HDFC Bank Card gives the best value at the ₹500 fee. If you travel AC class often, the IRCTC SBI Card Premier is the strongest overall card.
Best Railway Credit Cards List
Following are the banks currently offering credit cards with special benefits for railway train booking users:
- SBI ( State Bank Of India ) – SBI Credit Cards
- HDFC Bank – IRCTC HDFC Credit Card
- BoB ( Bank of Baroda ) – BoB Railway Credit Cards
- IRCTC RBL Bank Credit Card
These four banks are the official co-brand partners of IRCTC in 2026. We will see each one below with a simple summary of welcome offers, benefits and our rating, so you can compare faster.
SBI Bank ( State Bank Of India ) – SBI Railway Credit Cards
SBI offers the most number of IRCTC co-branded cards three in total. Let us see each one.
First, the list of SBI cards offered in co-operation with IRCTC:
- IRCTC SBI Card Premier
- IRCTC Rupay SBI Card
- IRCTC SBI Platinum Card
Comparison Chart is as follows with summary of Welcome offers , Benefits , Rating / Review details etc.
IRCTC SBI Card Premier
Top Features
Welcome Gift
- Get 1500 Reward Points equivalent to INR 1500 on payment of first annual fee (1 Reward Point= ₹ 1)
Benefits
- Save 1% transaction charges on railway ticket bookings on www.irctc.co.in
- Save 1.8% transaction charges on airline ticket bookings on www.air.irctc.co.in
- 10% Value Back on AC1, AC2, AC3, AC CC as Reward Points for your ticket purchase on www.irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (for Android only)
- Earn 3 Reward Points per 125 spent on Dining and standing instructions on Utility spends
- Earn 1 Reward Point per 125 spent on other non-fuel retail purchases
- Enjoy 8 complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India (Max 2 per quarter)
- Complimentary Rail Accident Insurance of INR 10 Lakhs
- Enjoy freedom from paying the 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions of Rs. 500 – Rs. 4,000, exclusive of GST and other charges
Rating / Review Score
Note: This card suits people who travel by AC class regularly. The higher fee is easily covered by the welcome points and the 10% value back. Visit the SBI Card official website for full details and to apply.
and Many More, Visit following button to check details on SBI Card official website.
When you open with following link you will get Special benefits as well.
IRCTC Rupay SBI Card
Top Features
Welcome Gift
- Get 350 activation bonus Reward Points on single transaction of Rs. 500 or more within 45 days of card issuance. Fuel and Cash spend are not included.
Benefits
- Save 1% transaction charges on railway ticket bookings on www.irctc.co.in
- Buy tickets through irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (for Android only) for AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC CC and earn up to 10% Value Back as Reward Points
- Earn 1 Reward point for every Rs. 125 spent on non-fuel retail purchases, including railway ticket purchases at www.irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (Android only)
- Enjoy 4 complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India (Max 1 per quarter)
- Enjoy freedom from paying the 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions of Rs. 500 – Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges
Rating / Review Score
Note: A practical pick for suburban commuters and anyone who prefers UPI. Visit the SBI Card official website for full details.
and Many More, Visit following button to check details on SBI Card official website.
When you open with following link you will get Special benefits as well.
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card
Top Features
Welcome Gift
- Get 350 activation bonus Reward Points on single transaction of Rs. 500 or more within 45 days of card issuance. Fuel and Cash spend are not included.
Benefits
- Save 1% transaction charges on railway ticket bookings on www.irctc.co.in
- Buy tickets through irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (for Android only) for AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC CC and earn up to 10% Value Back as Reward Points
Earn 1 Reward point for every Rs. 125 spent on non-fuel retail purchases, including railway ticket purchases at www.irctc.co.in and IRCTC Mobile App (Android only)
Enjoy 4 complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India (Max 1 per quarter)
Enjoy freedom from paying the 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions of Rs. 500 – Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges
Rating / Review Score
Note: One thing to note this card gives railway lounge access only, not airport lounge access. If you want airport lounges too, look at the Premier card or the HDFC/RBL cards below. Visit the SBI Card official website for full details.
and Many More, Visit following button to check details on SBI Card official website.
When you open with following link you will get Special benefits as well.
HDFC Bank – IRCTC HDFC Credit Card
HDFC’s IRCTC card was not in our earlier list, but it deserves a spot – at the ₹500 fee level it actually gives more than the other ₹500 cards, mainly because of the extra SmartBuy cashback and double the lounge visits. Sometime this giving as Lifetime Free Credit Card as well
IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card
HDFC Credit Cards Top features related to IRCTC Travel card as follows
Welcome Gift: Gift voucher worth ₹500 on activating the card within 30 days. So the joining fee comes back as a voucher.
Benefits
- Earn 5 Reward Points per ₹100 spent on the IRCTC website and Rail Connect App (up to 1,000 points per month)
- Extra 5% cashback on train tickets booked through HDFC Bank SmartBuy (up to ₹1,000 per month)
- 8 complimentary railway lounge visits in a year (Max 2 per quarter)
- 1% transaction charge waiver on IRCTC bookings (up to ₹1,000 per month)
- 1 Reward Point per ₹100 on all other spends
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions of ₹400 – ₹5,000 (up to ₹250 per cycle)
- ₹500 gift voucher on quarterly spend of ₹30,000
- RuPay variant works on UPI
Reward Redemption: 1 Reward Point = ₹1 when redeemed through HDFC SmartBuy for train tickets. You can pay up to 70% of a ticket using points.
If you book mostly through IRCTC and don’t mind using SmartBuy, this gives the best value among the ₹500 cards. Visit the HDFC Bank official website for full details.
BoB ( Bank of Baroda ) – BoB Credit Cards
BoB providing one exclusive credit cards with lots IRCTC exclusive benefits. Following list with summary of rewards details
IRCTC BoB RuPay Credit Card
Bank of Baroda (BoB) IRCTC Exclusive Credit Card Top Features
Welcome Gift
- Earn 1000 bonus reward points on single transaction of ₹1000 or more within 45 days of card issuance
Benefits
- Upto 40 Reward Points per Rs 100 for ticket bookings on IRCTC Website and Mobile App on linking your Bank of Baroda IRCTC Credit Card Loaylty Number with your IRCTC Profile
- 4 BoB Rewards point = 1 IRCTC Travel Point
- 2 reward points for every ₹100 spent on any other category including train ticket purchases on IRCTC Website and Mobile App
- 1% Fuel Surcharge waived off on all fuel transactions between ₹500-₹3000. (Maximum waiver of ₹100 per statement)
- Enjoy 4 complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India (Max 1 per quarter)
and Many More, Visit following button to check details on Bank of Baroda official website.
IRCTC RBL Bank Credit Card
★ Best for FASTag- 5 reward points per ₹200 on IRCTC train bookings
- 3 reward points per ₹200 on FASTag recharge (RBL / NCMC / UTS app)
- 2 reward points per ₹200 on flights & hotels via IRCTC
- 8 complimentary railway lounge visits / year (max 2 per quarter)
- Train cancellation cover up to ₹5,000
- Tap & Transit for metro and bus stations
As per our review most benefit Credit card is “IRCTC SBI Card Premier”.
More banks credit cards will update soon.
A Note on Kotak Cards
Earlier we had listed a Kotak card here. After review we are removing it from the main list, because Kotak does not have an exclusive IRCTC co-branded card. Some Kotak premium cards give a railway surcharge waiver (up to ₹500 a year), but the value for railway booking is much lower than the dedicated IRCTC cards above. So we would not recommend it as a main card for train ticket booking.
Quick Comparison Chart
| Card | Fee | IRCTC Reward | Lounge | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRCTC SBI Card Premier | ₹1,499 | Up to 10% value back | 8/yr | ★★★★★ |
| IRCTC HDFC Bank Card | ₹500 | 5% + 5% SmartBuy | 8/yr | ★★★★½ |
| IRCTC RBL Bank Card | ₹500 | 5X + FASTag 3X | 8/yr | ★★★★ |
| IRCTC RuPay SBI Card | ₹500 | Up to 10% value back | 4/yr | ★★★★ |
| IRCTC SBI Platinum Card | ₹500 | Up to 10% value back | 4/yr | ★★★★ |
| IRCTC BoB RuPay Card | ₹500 | Up to 40 pts/₹100 | 4/yr | ★★★ |
So Which Card Should You Pick?
- Travel AC class often, don’t mind a higher fee → IRCTC SBI Card Premier
- Want the best value at ₹500 → IRCTC HDFC Bank Card
- Use FASTag along with trains → IRCTC RBL Bank Card
- Want a simple low-fee starter card → IRCTC SBI Platinum or RuPay SBI
- Book lots of tickets every month → IRCTC BoB RuPay Card
🏆 As per our review, the most beneficial card overall is still the IRCTC SBI Card Premier — for its 10% value back, 8 lounge visits and ₹10 lakh rail accident cover. But if you don’t want to pay ₹1,499, the IRCTC HDFC Bank Card is the best value at ₹500.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
- Link your card’s loyalty number to your IRCTC account, or the IRCTC reward points won’t come.
- All these cards have a monthly cap on reward points, so the “up to” rates are not unlimited.
- Reward points usually expire in about 2 years — redeem them on time.
- Fuel, rent, wallet loads and government payments usually do not earn reward points.
- Railway lounge access is for the main cardholder only; guests have to pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best credit card for railway ticket booking in India?
As per our review, the IRCTC SBI Card Premier is the best overall, with up to 10% value back and 8 lounge visits. At a lower ₹500 fee, the IRCTC HDFC Bank Card gives the best value.
Do these cards waive the IRCTC transaction charge?
Yes, all the official IRCTC cards (SBI, HDFC, BoB, RBL) waive the transaction charge on ticket bookings, between 1% and 1.8% depending on the card.
Is there any free IRCTC credit card?
No, there is no zero-fee IRCTC co-branded card right now. The lowest is ₹500. The SBI Platinum drops to a ₹300 renewal from the second year.
Can I pay for tickets using reward points?
Yes. All these cards let you redeem reward points directly on IRCTC at 1 point = ₹1, once your loyalty number is linked.
Which card is best if I also use FASTag?
The IRCTC RBL Bank Card is the only one that gives extra reward points on FASTag recharges.
Disclaimer: Card fees and benefits are decided by the banks and can change anytime. Please check the latest details on the bank’s official website before applying. trainhelp.in is an independent information site and is not connected to any bank or IRCTC.
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