Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME Review
★ 3 / 5
Updated 31 August 2026 · By Card Jaano. Fees and features are as listed on SBI Card’s own product page on this date. Check the issuer’s site before you apply.
At a Glance
| Joining Fee | ₹2,999 + GST (₹3,539 all-in) |
| Annual Fee | Nil from the second year onward |
| Best Suited For | Existing holders who want 8 domestic and 4 international lounge visits at no ongoing fee |
| Reward Type | Club Vistara Points, redeemed through Air India Maharaja Points |
This is the upper tier of a card whose airline no longer exists. Vistara has folded into Air India, and SBI has withdrawn the part of the PRIME that justified its ₹2,999 fee: the milestone Premium Economy tickets at ₹1.5 lakh, ₹3 lakh, ₹4.5 lakh and ₹8 lakh of annual spend. SBI’s own page confirms those were discontinued for every card falling due for renewal after 1 April 2025, and that no fee is charged on those cards. What survives is genuinely useful, though: zero renewal fee, 4 Club Vistara Points per ₹200, twelve lounge visits a year and a wide travel insurance stack. SBI no longer accepts online applications for it, so this review is written for people who already hold the card.
Rewards & Benefits
Reward rate and earn structure
| Spend category | Earn rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| All retail categories, fuel included | 4 Club Vistara Points per ₹200 | None published |
One flat rate across everything, which is rare and, on this card, welcome. Four CV Points per ₹200 works out to 2 CV Points for every ₹100 you spend. That is a third more than the base Club Vistara SBI Card earns, and it is the single clearest reason to hold the PRIME rather than the entry version. Fuel counts towards it, which most travel cards exclude.
Redemption and what a point is worth
Club Vistara Points now redeem through Air India’s Maharaja Points programme and its partner airlines. SBI does not publish a fixed rupee value per CV Point, and the real value swings with the route, the cabin and how far ahead you book. Treat any single figure you see quoted elsewhere with caution. The practical test is simple: if you fly Air India often enough to burn the points inside a year, the card earns its keep. If you do not, the points sit still and the card is really a lounge card.
Welcome and milestone benefits
The four milestone Premium Economy tickets are gone for cards renewing after 1 April 2025. Cardholders whose renewal date fell before that keep them if and when they qualify, and SBI charges the fee on those cards. One milestone survives: a hotel e-voucher from Yatra worth ₹10,000 once your annual spend reaches ₹8 lakh. That is a demanding threshold, roughly ₹67,000 a month, so treat it as a bonus for heavy spenders rather than a benefit you plan around.
Lounge access and travel cover
| Lounge type | Visits per year | Quarterly limit |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic airport lounges | 8 | 2 per quarter |
| International, Priority Pass | 4 | 2 per quarter |
Priority Pass membership is issued to the primary cardholder only and runs for two years. Twelve lounge visits a year on a card with no renewal fee is the strongest thing the PRIME still has going for it.
| Cover | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lost card liability | Up to ₹1,00,000 |
| Loss of check-in baggage | Up to ₹72,000 |
| Delay of check-in baggage | ₹7,500 |
| Loss of travel documents | Up to ₹12,500 |
| Baggage damage | Up to ₹5,000 |
| Booking cancellations | Up to 6 per year, ₹3,500 each |
Fees & Charges
| Joining fee | ₹2,999 + GST |
| All-in first year cost | ₹3,539 |
| Renewal fee, per annum | Nil |
| Add-on card fee, per annum | Nil |
| Spend needed for fee waiver | Not applicable, no renewal fee is charged |
GST of 18% applies on top of the joining fee, which is why the real first year cost is ₹3,539 rather than ₹2,999. After that the card costs nothing to keep. There is no spend threshold to chase and no waiver to miss, which makes the PRIME unusually easy to hold in the background purely for its lounge access.
The charge that catches people out is the Priority Pass overage. Your four international visits are per calendar year with a hard limit of two per quarter, so a single trip with two lounge stops in one quarter uses half your allowance. Visits beyond the free ones are billed by Priority Pass at its own usage rate, not by SBI. Interest, forex markup and cash advance charges are set out in SBI Card’s Most Important Terms and Conditions for this product, and you should read those before carrying a balance.
Eligibility & Documents Required
SBI does not publish an income figure, an age band or a credit score cut-off for this card, and it is no longer offered for online application, so there is no live eligibility form to check against. Existing holders keep the card on the terms above. If you are applying through an SBI Card branch or relationship channel, expect the standard set: PAN, proof of identity, proof of current address, and either recent salary slips or the last two years of income tax returns if you are self-employed.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No renewal fee at all from year two | Milestone flight tickets withdrawn for renewals after 1 April 2025 |
| 8 domestic plus 4 international lounge visits a year | Not open to new online applications |
| 4 CV Points per ₹200 on everything, fuel included | No published rupee value per point |
| Travel insurance stack worth up to ₹1 lakh on lost card liability | ₹8 lakh spend needed for the only surviving milestone |
Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME vs Competitors
| Card | Renewal fee | Lounge visits per year |
|---|---|---|
| Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME | Nil | 8 domestic, 4 international |
| Air India SBI Signature | Charged annually | Domestic and international |
| SBI Card Miles Elite | Charged annually | Domestic and international |
If you are still buying an SBI travel card, the Miles Elite and the Air India Signature are the ones actually on sale, and both keep earning benefits tied to a live programme. The PRIME wins on one axis only, and it is a big one: it costs nothing to keep.
How to Apply
SBI Card has taken this product off online application, so there is no apply button that works on its website. Existing holders do not need to do anything. If you want an SBI travel card today, look at the SBI Card Miles PRIME or the Air India Signature instead. You can still call the SBI Card helpline or visit a branch to ask whether the PRIME is available through any offline channel for your segment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME annual fee waived?
There is no annual fee to waive. The card carries a ₹2,999 + GST joining fee in the first year and a nil renewal fee from the second year onward, so no spend threshold applies.
How many lounge visits does the Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME give?
Eight domestic visits a year, capped at two per quarter, plus four international Priority Pass visits a year, also capped at two per quarter. Priority Pass is issued to the primary cardholder only.
Are the milestone flight tickets still available?
No, for most holders. SBI discontinued the Premium Economy milestone tickets for all cards falling due for renewal after 1 April 2025, and stopped charging the fee on those cards. Holders whose renewal date preceded that keep them.
What happens to my Club Vistara Points after the merger?
They redeem through Air India’s Maharaja Points programme and its partner airlines. The earn rate on the card is unchanged at 4 CV Points per ₹200.
Can I still apply for this card?
Not online. SBI Card lists the product for information but does not offer it for online application, and its page shows a benefits link rather than an apply link.
Is the PRIME better than the standard Club Vistara SBI Card?
On earning, yes: 4 CV Points per ₹200 against 3 on the entry card, plus double the lounge access. Both now carry a nil renewal fee.
Bottom Line
Keep it if you already hold it. A card that costs nothing every year and still hands you twelve lounge visits is worth the space in your wallet, whatever happened to the airline. Spend on it only if you fly Air India often enough to actually redeem the points.
Do not go hunting for this card. It is closed to online applicants, its headline milestone benefits have been withdrawn, and the ₹8 lakh Yatra voucher is out of reach for most people. Anyone buying an SBI travel card in 2026 should be reading about the Miles Elite or the Air India Signature instead, both of which are tied to a programme that still has a future.