Air India SBI Signature Card Review
★ 3 / 5
At a Glance
| Joining Fee | ₹4,999 + GST (₹5,899 all-in) |
| Annual Fee | ₹4,999 + GST, with no spend-based waiver |
| Best Suited For | Frequent Air India flyers who put ₹5 lakh or more a year through the card |
| Reward Type | Reward Points, converted 1:1 into Air India Maharaja Points |
The Air India SBI Signature Card is the senior half of SBI’s Air India co-brand pair, priced at ₹4,999 against the Platinum’s ₹1,499. The extra ₹3,500 buys three things: 10 Reward Points per ₹100 on Air India tickets instead of 5, a milestone ladder that runs up to 1,00,000 bonus points a year instead of stopping at 15,000, and 8 domestic lounge visits instead of 4. What it does not buy is a fee waiver. SBI’s own Most Important Terms and Conditions list the renewal fee flat at ₹4,999 with no spend-based reversal, so ₹5,899 leaves your account every year whatever you spend.
Rewards & Benefits
Reward rate and earn structure
| Spend category | Earn rate |
|---|---|
| Air India tickets, base fare only | Up to 10 Reward Points per ₹100 |
| All other retail spends, domestic and international | 4 Reward Points per ₹100 |
| Fuel, rent, government, wallet loads, Flexipay, merchant EMI | Nil |
The accelerated rate covers Air India bookings made through the website, app, booking offices and call centres, on primary and add-on cards, including Super Saver tickets bought for other people. SBI publishes no monthly cap on either rate. It does publish a condition worth reading twice: the 10 points arrive in two instalments. Four are credited as soon as the transaction posts, and the remaining six within 60 working days, and only if your 9-digit Maharaja Club membership number was recorded on the ticket when it was issued.
Two clauses quietly disqualify people. The name on the ticket must match your SBI Card correspondence name and your Maharaja Club profile exactly, spelling and order included, and cardholders whose names carry initials in any of the three are ineligible for the accelerated points altogether. Tickets booked with miles, or part-paid with miles, do not qualify either.
The exclusion list is long. Nothing accrues on cash withdrawals, balance transfers, Flexipay, merchant EMI or fuel. E-wallet loads stopped earning on 1 July 2020, rent payments on 15 April 2024, and government transactions on 15 July 2024. On a card with no fee waiver, every excluded rupee is one that does nothing towards the ₹5,899.
Redemption and point value
Reward Points convert into Air India Maharaja Points at 1 point to 1 Maharaja Point, credited within 7 working days of the request. Redemption starts at 5,000 points and moves in multiples of 5,000. The conversion runs one way only: once points become Maharaja Points they cannot be reversed, and the terms are explicit that points cannot be used against charges on the card itself.
Neither SBI Card nor Air India publishes a fixed rupee value for a Maharaja Point, because what it is worth depends on the award seat you book. The only rupee figure SBI puts in writing is an accounting one: if redeemed points ever have to be reversed as a statement debit, they are valued at 1 Reward Point to ₹1. That is a clawback rate, not a redemption rate. Unredeemed Reward Points expire 24 months after they are earned.
Welcome, anniversary and milestone benefits
The welcome benefit is 20,000 Reward Points on payment of the joining fee, credited within 15 days of the fee posting, plus complimentary Air India Maharaja Club membership. Redeeming Maharaja Points for yourself requires one flight accrual after enrolment; redeeming for family or friends requires five.
| Annual spend | Bonus Reward Points | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| ₹5 lakh | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| ₹10 lakh | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| ₹20 lakh | 50,000 | 1,00,000 |
| Every card anniversary | 5,000 | Paid on top |
Milestones run on a 12-month cycle from your account creation date, not the financial year. The first rung sits at ₹5 lakh, which is where this card starts to make sense at all.
Worked example. On ₹6 lakh a year, with ₹1.5 lakh of that on Air India tickets and ₹4.5 lakh elsewhere, you earn 15,000 accelerated points, 18,000 base points, 20,000 at the ₹5 lakh milestone and 5,000 on the anniversary: 58,000 points a year. Against ₹5,899, each Maharaja Point needs to be worth about 10 paise to break even. In year one the 20,000 welcome points take the total to 78,000, dropping the break-even to roughly 7.6 paise.
Push to ₹10 lakh with ₹2 lakh on Air India and you collect about 1,07,000 points, where break-even falls to 5.5 paise. Run ₹3 lakh through it with no Air India bookings and you get 17,000 points for the same ₹5,899, or roughly 35 paise a point.
Lounge access and other privileges
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Domestic lounge access | 8 complimentary visits a year, maximum 2 per quarter, under the Visa lounge programme |
| Priority Pass | Complimentary membership worth $99, visits charged at $27 plus taxes each |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on transactions of ₹500 to ₹4,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle |
| Add-on cards | Free, for spouse, parents, siblings and children above 18 |
| Acceptance | Visa, over 29 million outlets worldwide and 3,25,000 in India |
| Insurance cover | None published with the card |
Two lounge visits a quarter is the real travel benefit here, and unused quarters do not roll forward. The Priority Pass is easy to misread: the membership is free, the lounges are not, at $27 plus taxes every time you walk in. At a ₹4,999 fee, the absence of any air accident or travel cover is a genuine gap.
Fees & Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹4,999 + GST (₹5,899 all-in) |
| Renewal fee, per annum | ₹4,999 + GST, no spend-based reversal |
| Add-on card fee | Nil |
| Foreign currency markup | 3.5% |
| Dynamic currency conversion | 3.5% on transactions of ₹1,000 and above |
| Finance charges | Up to 3.75% per month, 45% per annum |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount or ₹500, whichever is higher |
| Late payment charge | Nil up to ₹100 outstanding, then ₹100, ₹500, ₹750, ₹950, ₹1,100, rising to ₹1,300 above ₹50,000 |
| Overlimit fee | 2.5% of the overlimit amount or ₹600, whichever is higher |
| Payment dishonour fee | 2% of the payment amount, minimum ₹500 |
| Rent payment processing fee | ₹199 per transaction |
| Utility payment fee | 1% if utility spends cross ₹50,000 in a billing cycle |
| Wallet load fee | 1% on every wallet load above ₹1,000 |
| Education payment fee | 1% through third-party apps, nil when paid directly to the institution |
| Card replacement fee | ₹100 to ₹250 |
| Cheque payment fee | ₹200 |
There is no threshold to chase. SBI’s fee schedule lists a flat ₹4,999 renewal with no reversal clause, unlike the Apollo, PRIME and Tata Neu cards priced around it. Your annual target is the ₹5 lakh milestone instead, and the honest way to read year one is ₹5,899 buying 20,000 bonus points plus 8 lounge visits.
The charge that catches people out. Rent, utilities and wallet loads are not only excluded from rewards, they carry fees of their own: ₹199 per rent transaction, 1% once utility spends cross ₹50,000 in a cycle, and 1% on wallet loads above ₹1,000. Routing those through this card costs you twice, once in fees and once in the milestone progress you fail to make.
Eligibility & Documents Required
SBI Card publishes no fixed minimum income for this card. Its own product record places it in the ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh monthly income band, the highest band among the Air India pair and a clear step above the Platinum. There is no secured variant.
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 years and above |
| Nationality | Indian resident |
| Income | No fixed minimum published; positioned for the ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh monthly band |
| Credit score | No published minimum; a clean repayment record improves your odds |
Documents: PAN, identity proof such as Aadhaar or passport, address proof, and income proof in the form of salary slips, Form 16, or audited returns if you are self-employed. Approval is at SBI Card’s discretion.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,00,000 bonus points a year across three milestone rungs | No spend-based fee waiver, so ₹5,899 is a fixed annual cost |
| 20,000 welcome points, four times the Platinum’s | The first milestone only starts at ₹5 lakh of annual spending |
| Up to 10 points per ₹100 on Air India tickets, with no published cap | Six of those 10 points depend on your Maharaja Club number being on the ticket |
| 4 points per ₹100 base rate, double the Platinum’s | Names carrying initials are ineligible for the accelerated rate |
| 8 domestic lounge visits a year, 2 per quarter | Priority Pass visits cost $27 plus taxes each |
| 5,000 anniversary points every year | No published rupee value for a Maharaja Point, and no insurance cover |
Air India SBI Signature vs Competitors
| Air India SBI Signature | Air India SBI Platinum | SBI Card MILES PRIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹4,999 + GST | ₹1,499 + GST | ₹2,999 + GST |
| Fee waiver | None | None | Waived at ₹10 lakh annual spends |
| Air India earn rate | Up to 10 points / ₹100 | 5 points / ₹100 | Not an airline co-brand |
| Base earn | 4 points / ₹100 | 2 points / ₹100 | Not an airline co-brand |
| Welcome benefit | 20,000 points | 5,000 points | Not published on this card |
| Milestones | Up to 1,00,000 points to ₹20 lakh | 15,000 points to ₹3 lakh | Not published on this card |
| Anniversary bonus | 5,000 points | 2,000 points | Not published on this card |
| Domestic lounge | 8 visits, 2 per quarter | 4 visits, 1 per quarter | Not published on this card |
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% | 2.5% |
Against its own sibling the split is clean. Below ₹5 lakh of annual spending the Platinum wins, because its milestones start at ₹2 lakh and it costs ₹4,130 less to hold. Above ₹5 lakh the Signature pulls away on double the base rate, double the airline rate and a milestone ladder six times longer. If you spend at that level but do not fly Air India specifically, SBI Card MILES PRIME is the more sensible ₹2,999, since its fee can at least be waived.
How to Apply
SBI Card’s own record marks this card as unavailable for online application, so the routes below are the ones SBI itself lists.
- Call the SBI Card helpline on 1860 180 1290, 1860 500 1290, or 39 02 02 02 with your city STD code prefixed.
- Or apply through SBI Card’s ILA chatbot on sbicard.com, or visit your nearest State Bank of India branch.
- Keep your PAN, identity proof, address proof and income proof ready, and complete video KYC.
- Note the application reference number and track it on sbicard.com.
Once approved, pay the joining fee to trigger the 20,000 welcome points, then enrol in the Air India Maharaja Club and add your 9-digit membership number to every booking, or you will only ever see 4 of the 10 points.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Air India SBI Signature annual fee waived on spending? No. SBI’s fee schedule lists the renewal fee at a flat ₹4,999 plus GST with no spend-based reversal, so it is payable every year. Plan around the ₹5 lakh milestone instead of a waiver.
How many reward points does the card give on Air India tickets? Up to 10 Reward Points per ₹100, on the base fare only. Four post immediately and six follow within 60 working days, provided your 9-digit Maharaja Club number was on the ticket when it was issued.
How many lounge visits does the Air India SBI Signature give? Eight complimentary domestic visits a year, capped at two per quarter under the Visa programme. The Priority Pass membership is complimentary but carries no free visits, so each one costs $27 plus taxes.
What is one Air India Maharaja Point worth? No fixed rupee value is published, because it depends on the award seat you redeem against. Reward Points convert 1:1, redemption starts at 5,000 points in multiples of 5,000, and the conversion cannot be undone.
What is the minimum salary for the Air India SBI Signature Card? SBI Card publishes no fixed income requirement. Its own product data places the card in the ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh monthly income band. You need to be an Indian resident aged 18 or above with income proof.
Do my points expire? Yes. Unredeemed SBI Reward Points expire 24 months after they are earned. Once converted, Maharaja Points follow Air India’s own validity rules, so convert close to when you actually intend to book.
Bottom Line
The Air India SBI Signature is a high-spend card wearing an airline badge. At ₹6 lakh a year with ₹1.5 lakh of Air India bookings you collect roughly 58,000 Maharaja Points, and each needs to be worth about 10 paise to justify the ₹5,899. Anyone redeeming against real award seats will clear that comfortably, and at ₹10 lakh the maths becomes genuinely good. The milestones, not the earn rate, are where this card makes its money.
Skip this card if you spend under ₹5 lakh a year, because the first milestone is out of reach and there is no waiver to fall back on. Skip it if your name carries initials on your card or Maharaja Club profile, since you will then only ever earn 4 of the 10 points on tickets, and skip it if your spending sits in rent, fuel, utilities or government payments. Occasional Air India flyers should take the Platinum at ₹1,499 and stop there.
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