AURUM SBI Card Review
★ 3.5 / 5
At a Glance
| Joining Fee | ₹9,999 + GST |
| Annual Fee | ₹9,999 + GST (waived on ₹12,00,000 annual spend) |
| Best Suited For | High spenders who want lounge access, movie tickets and milestone vouchers, not a high reward rate |
| Reward Type | AURUM Reward Points (4 RP per ₹100, 1 RP = ₹0.25) |
The AURUM SBI Card is SBI Card’s most premium product, an invite-only metal card that replaced SBI Card ELITE at the top of the range. It is priced at ₹9,999 + GST, which puts it against HDFC Infinia, ICICI Emeralde Private Metal and HDFC Diners Club Black.
Here is the honest headline: AURUM’s base reward rate is 1%, which is poor for this price bracket. What actually carries this card is everything around the points: 4 free BookMyShow tickets every month, unlimited international lounge access, and milestone vouchers that stack up to ₹38,000 a year if you spend ₹20 lakh. If you look at AURUM as a points-earning card, you will be disappointed. If you look at it as a lifestyle-perks card, the maths changes completely.
Rewards & Benefits
Reward rate & earn structure
AURUM gives you 4 AURUM Reward Points per ₹100 spent on eligible retail transactions. Since 1 RP is worth ₹0.25, that works out to a flat 1% return, the same on groceries, travel, dining and online shopping. There are no accelerated categories.
| Spend type | Earn rate | Effective value |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible retail spends | 4 RP per ₹100 | 1% |
| Fuel | No reward points | 0% |
| Rent payments | No reward points | 0% |
| Government transactions | No reward points | 0% |
| Wallet loads | No reward points | 0% |
For a ₹9,999 card, a flat 1% is the card’s single biggest weakness. HDFC Infinia and ICICI Emeralde Private Metal both deliver 3%+ on the same spends.
One useful quirk: SBI Card generally counts categories like utility bills and government payments towards your milestone spend targets even though they earn no reward points. That makes AURUM’s ₹1 lakh monthly milestone noticeably easier to hit than similar targets on competing cards.
Redemption options & point value
1 AURUM Reward Point = ₹0.25. So 4,000 points = ₹1,000.
You can redeem points through the AURUM rewards portal for Amazon and Flipkart vouchers, lifestyle and shopping vouchers, flight and hotel bookings, and merchandise. Unlike most SBI cards, AURUM does not charge the ₹99 + taxes reward redemption fee. SBI Card waived it specifically for this card.
Two rules changed on 1 April 2026 and they apply to AURUM:
- Statement credit redemption is capped at 60,000 reward points per card per calendar month.
- Statement credit can only be redeemed in multiples of 4,000 points.
You can also transfer points to airline and hotel programmes, though the ratios are unflattering:
| Transfer partner | Ratio |
|---|---|
| Air India Maharaja Club | 5 RP = 1 point |
| Qatar Airways Avios | 5 RP = 1 Avios |
| Club ITC Green Points | 5 RP = 1 Green Point |
| AirAsia Rewards | 4 RP = 1 point |
| Adani Rewards | 4 RP = 1 point |
At 5:1, a ₹1 lakh spend converts to just 800 Avios. Treat AURUM’s transfer partners as a nice-to-have, not a reason to pick the card.
Welcome benefit
On payment of the joining fee you get 40,000 AURUM Reward Points, worth ₹10,000. That essentially returns the ₹9,999 base fee in year one (you still bear the ₹1,800 GST).
Alongside the points, the first year includes:
- Club Marriott membership (1 year), discounts on room tariffs, dining and spa at participating Club Marriott hotels in India
- Digital subscriptions to Mint and The Wall Street Journal (1 year)
- Inflection Point Ventures membership (1 year), an angel-investing platform, listed by SBI Card at ₹29,382
Two things to be clear about. First, that ₹29,382 IPV figure is a sticker price, not cash in your pocket. It is only worth something if you actually intend to invest through the platform. Second, all of these memberships are first-year only. They do not renew when you pay the annual fee.
Amazon Prime, Zomato Gold and Discovery+ were offered on AURUM at launch and have since been withdrawn.
Milestone benefits
This is where AURUM earns its keep. There is one monthly milestone and three annual ones.
| Period | Spend required | Reward | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar month | ₹1,00,000 | Tata CLiQ Fashion voucher | ₹1,500 |
| Calendar year | ₹5,00,000 | Tata CLiQ Luxury voucher | ₹5,000 |
| Calendar year | ₹10,00,000 | Taj Experiences voucher | ₹10,000 |
| Calendar year | ₹20,00,000 | Apple Premium Reseller voucher | ₹20,000 |
Hit ₹1 lakh in every one of the twelve months and you collect ₹18,000 in Tata CLiQ Fashion vouchers. Add the three annual milestones and the ceiling is ₹53,000 in vouchers on ₹20 lakh of spending.
Do note the monthly milestone resets on a calendar month, not your statement cycle. ₹95,000 in March does not carry into April.
Dining benefits
AURUM has no dedicated dining programme. Restaurant spends earn the standard 4 RP per ₹100, and the Club Marriott membership gives dining discounts at participating hotels in the first year. If dining discounts are your priority, this is not the card for it.
Travel benefits
The travel case rests on three things: the 1.99% forex markup, unlimited international lounge access, and flight cancellation cover.
Flight cancellation protection lets you claim back cancellation losses on tickets booked with the card, up to 2 claims per year:
| Ticket type | Cover per ticket |
|---|---|
| Refundable | ₹3,500 |
| Non-refundable | ₹3,500 |
Sources disagree on the non-refundable figure. Some list ₹3,000 rather than ₹3,500. Confirm with SBI Card before you count on it.
You also get 24×7 concierge for hotel and flight bookings, plus AURUM Secretarial Access, an unusual perk that lets you authorise a secretary or executive assistant to handle limited interactions with SBI Card on your behalf.
Airport lounge access (domestic / international)
| Access type | Allowance |
|---|---|
| International lounges | Unlimited, via DreamFolks (1,000+ lounges) |
| International guest visits | 1 per quarter (4 per year) |
| Domestic lounges | 4 per quarter (16 per year) |
| Airport spa (domestic) | 1 session per quarter (4 per year) |
Unlimited international access is genuinely one of the best things about this card. The domestic side is the odd part: 16 visits a year is a cap, and every rival at this price offers unlimited domestic access. If most of your flying is within India, this is a real downgrade versus Infinia or Emeralde Private Metal.
Insurance & protection covers
| Cover | Amount |
|---|---|
| Air accidental death | ₹3.5 crore |
| Travel insurance (flight delay, baggage loss) | ₹1,00,000 |
| Lost card liability & fraud protection | ₹10,00,000 |
| Flight cancellation | ₹3,500 per ticket, 2 claims per year |
Fees & Charges
Joining & annual fee, and how to get it waived
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹9,999 + GST (≈ ₹11,799) |
| Annual fee (2nd year onwards) | ₹9,999 + GST (≈ ₹11,799) |
| Annual fee waiver | Spend ₹12,00,000 in the preceding card year |
| Renewal benefit | None |
All fees above exclude GST; 18% GST applies on top of every figure.
The waiver threshold of ₹12 lakh is the second-highest in the segment after Axis Magnus. More importantly, AURUM pays you nothing for renewing. Infinia and Emeralde Private Metal both hand back reward points worth roughly the fee when you renew. AURUM gives you the 40,000-point welcome bonus once, in year one, and never again. From year two, if you are not crossing ₹12 lakh, you are paying ₹11,799 for lounge access, movies and milestone vouchers, nothing else.
Forex markup
1.99% + GST, or roughly 2.35% all-in. Forex markup is the fee your issuer adds to any transaction billed in a foreign currency. At 1.99%, AURUM is among the cheaper premium cards for international spending, though zero-forex cards now exist at a fraction of this fee.
Interest rate & finance charges
3.75% per month, i.e. 45% per annum, on revolved balances and on cash withdrawals from the date of withdrawal.
Fuel surcharge waiver
1% surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle: some sources quote the SBI-wide ₹100 cap instead. Fuel spends earn no reward points on this card.
Cash advance & other charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount, minimum ₹500 |
| Card replacement | ₹1,500 |
| Reward redemption fee | Nil (waived on AURUM) |
| Over-limit charge | 2.5% of the over-limit amount |
| Late payment (₹0–₹500) | Nil |
| Late payment (₹501–₹1,000) | ₹400 |
| Late payment (₹1,001–₹10,000) | ₹750 |
| Late payment (₹10,001–₹25,000) | ₹950 |
| Late payment (₹25,001–₹50,000) | ₹1,100 |
| Late payment (above ₹50,000) | ₹1,300 |
Eligibility & Documents Required
AURUM is invite-only. There is no open application form. You can register interest on the official AURUM site, but SBI Card decides who gets an invitation.
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Annual income | ₹40,00,000 or more |
| Minimum age (salaried) | 21 years |
| Minimum age (self-employed) | 25 years |
| Credit score | Typically 750+ |
Documents: PAN and one identity proof (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence); one address proof; income proof: recent salary slips, Form 16, or three months of bank statements.
There is a second, better-known route: card-to-card. SBI Card has historically issued AURUM to holders of other super-premium cards such as HDFC Infinia, HDFC Diners Club Black and Axis Magnus, using the existing card as proof of standing. If you hold one of these, calling SBI Card is often more productive than the interest form.
No issuer guarantees approval, and meeting the income bar is not the same as receiving an invite.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Welcome points worth ₹10,000 cover the base joining fee in year one | Flat 1% reward rate, weak for a ₹9,999 card |
| 4 free BookMyShow tickets every month, up to ₹12,000 a year | Zero renewal benefit from year two onwards |
| Unlimited international lounge access, plus 1 guest visit per quarter | Domestic lounge access capped at 16 visits a year |
| Milestone vouchers worth up to ₹53,000 at ₹20 lakh spend | ₹12 lakh waiver threshold is high |
| Low 1.99% forex markup | Premium memberships are first-year only |
| No reward redemption fee, unlike other SBI cards | Poor transfer ratios (5 RP = 1 Avios) |
AURUM SBI Card vs Competitors
| AURUM SBI Card | HDFC Infinia | ICICI Emeralde Private Metal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹9,999 + GST | ₹12,500 + GST | ₹12,499 + GST |
| Fee waiver spend | ₹12,00,000 | ₹10,00,000 | ₹10,00,000 |
| Base reward rate | 1% | 3.3%+ | 3% |
| Renewal benefit | None | Points worth roughly the fee | Points worth roughly the fee |
| Domestic lounge | 16 per year | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| International lounge | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Milestone vouchers | Up to ₹53,000 | None | Up to ₹6,000 |
| Movies | 4 tickets/month, up to ₹1,000 | None | Up to ₹1,500/month |
| Golf | 16 rounds + 12 lessons/year | Unlimited | Unlimited |
The pattern is clear. AURUM is the cheapest of the three and has by far the best milestone and movie benefits. It loses on everything that compounds: reward rate, renewal value and domestic lounge access. Competitor figures are indicative; verify current terms on each issuer’s site.
How to Apply
- Visit the official AURUM site at aurumcreditcard.com.
- Click Express Interest.
- Fill in your name, contact details and address.
- Verify your mobile number with the OTP.
- If you fit the profile, SBI Card’s team contacts you to complete the application and collect documents.
If you already hold a super-premium card from another issuer, mention it. The card-to-card route is faster than the interest form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AURUM SBI Card annual fee waived? Yes, on annual spends of ₹12,00,000 or more in the preceding card year. Below that, the full ₹9,999 + GST is charged. Unlike some rivals, paying the fee earns you no renewal points or vouchers.
How many lounge visits does the AURUM SBI Card give? Unlimited international lounge visits through DreamFolks, plus 1 complimentary guest visit per quarter. Domestic lounge access is capped at 4 visits per quarter, or 16 per year.
What is the minimum salary for the AURUM SBI Card? SBI Card looks for a gross annual income of ₹40 lakh or more. Income alone is not enough. AURUM is invite-only, so SBI Card must extend the invitation.
How much is 1 AURUM Reward Point worth? ₹0.25, so 4 points equal ₹1. Combined with the 4 points per ₹100 earn rate, that gives a flat 1% return on eligible spends.
Can I apply for the AURUM SBI Card directly? No. There is no open application. You can register interest on aurumcreditcard.com, or ask SBI Card about a card-to-card upgrade if you hold another super-premium card.
Does the AURUM SBI Card still offer Amazon Prime and Zomato Gold? No. Both were offered at launch and have since been discontinued. The current first-year memberships are Club Marriott, Mint, The Wall Street Journal and Inflection Point Ventures.
How do the AURUM movie tickets work? You get 4 complimentary tickets a month on BookMyShow, each capped at ₹250, for up to ₹1,000 a month. You can book a maximum of 2 tickets in a single transaction within 24 hours.
What is the forex markup on the AURUM SBI Card? 1.99% plus GST, roughly 2.35% all-in, low by premium card standards, though zero-forex options now exist.
Is there a cap on redeeming AURUM points for statement credit? Yes. Since 1 April 2026, statement credit redemption across SBI cards is capped at 60,000 reward points per card per calendar month, in multiples of 4,000 points.
Bottom Line
Get the AURUM SBI Card if you reliably spend ₹1 lakh or more every single month, watch movies often enough to use 4 tickets a month, and fly internationally more than domestically. At ₹12 lakh of annual spend, the fee waiver plus ₹18,000 in monthly Tata CLiQ vouchers plus ₹15,000 in annual milestones plus ₹12,000 of movie tickets plus ₹12,000 in reward points comes to roughly ₹57,000 of value against a waived fee. Nothing else at ₹9,999 comes close on that specific profile.
Skip it if your spending is irregular, or if it sits mostly in fuel, rent, utilities or government payments. Those earn nothing here, and irregular spending means you will miss the ₹1 lakh monthly milestone in the months that matter. Skip it too if you want a points-maximising card: at a flat 1% with 5:1 transfer ratios, AURUM is comfortably beaten by HDFC Infinia and ICICI Emeralde Private Metal, both of which also give you a renewal benefit and unlimited domestic lounge access. And if most of your flying is within India, that 16-visit domestic cap will bite.
The blunt version: AURUM is a coupon card wearing a metal jacket. If you can hit the milestones every month, it works well. If you cannot, you are paying ₹11,799 a year for 1% and some movie tickets.
Fees and features are as of 21 August 2026 and can change without notice. Confirm all charges on SBI Card’s official website and in the card’s MITC document before applying. Card Jaano does not guarantee approval for any credit card.
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