YES BANK ELITE+ Credit Card Review

At a Glance

Joining Fee	₹999 + GST (₹1,179 all-in), waived on ₹20,000 of spends within a month of card set-up
Annual Fee	₹999 + GST, waived on ₹2,00,000 of retail spends a year
Best Suited For	Online shoppers who book flights and hotels with points and want a few lounge visits
Reward Type	YES Rewardz Points, worth up to ₹0.25 each

The YES BANK ELITE+ Credit Card is the card YES BANK used to sell as YES Premia, and the bank says YES Premia, ELITE and ELITE+ are the same product. It costs ₹999 + GST, and that fee is easy to escape: spend ₹20,000 in the first month and the joining fee goes, spend ₹2 lakh a year and the renewal fee goes.

In return you get 12 reward points per ₹200 spent online, 2 domestic lounge visits a quarter, international lounge access and a 3% forex markup. The catch is in how much those points are actually worth, which this review works out below.

Rewards & Benefits

Reward rate and earn structure

Spend	Points per ₹200	Value at ₹0.25 a point
Online shopping	12, capped at 12,000 points a statement cycle	1.5%
Offline shopping	6	0.75%
Select categories (utilities, cable and streaming)	4, with utility points capped at 300 a cycle	0.5%
Rent, wallet, fuel, government, insurance, education, railways, toll, jewellery, EMI and cash	0	Nil

The exclusion list grew on 15 June 2026, when insurance, education, railways, toll, ferry and jewellery stopped earning points. The 12,000-point cap equals ₹2 lakh of online spends in one cycle, so it only matters to very heavy spenders.

Redemption and point value

Redemption	Value of 1 point
Flights and hotels	₹0.25, up to 70% of the booking
E-gift vouchers	₹0.10
Statement credit	₹0.10
Air India Maharaja Club	10 points = 1 Air Mile
Merchandise or donation	₹0.10

The ₹0.25 value only holds on flights and hotels. Turn the same points into vouchers or a statement credit and they are worth 60% less, so online spends return 0.6% rather than 1.5%.

Each redemption costs ₹100 + GST, the minimum is 2,000 points, and flight bookings add a ₹99 + GST convenience fee. Points stay valid for 36 months.

A worked example: ₹30,000 a month, two thirds online and the rest offline, earns 1,500 points a month or 18,000 a year. Used on flights, that is ₹4,500, less ₹118 per redemption.

Lounge, golf and lifestyle

Benefit	Allowance
Domestic airport lounge	2 visits a calendar quarter, primary cardholder only
Domestic lounge spend condition	₹50,000 spent in the previous quarter, excluding rent and wallet loads
International lounge	Included, with no spend condition; YES BANK’s value chart counts 3 visits a year
Movie tickets on District	25% off, discount capped at ₹250 a calendar month
Golf	4 green fee waivers and 1 lesson a calendar month at select Indian courses
Purchase protection	Up to ₹50,000 against accidental damage for 6 months on phones and electronics bought online
Fuel surcharge waiver	1% on ₹500 to ₹4,000, capped at ₹125 a statement cycle

Each lounge entry places a refundable ₹2 hold in India and a $1 hold abroad. Guests are charged at the lounge’s own rate.

Fees & Charges

Charge	Amount
Joining fee	₹999 + GST, waived on ₹20,000 spent within a month of set-up
Annual fee	₹999 + GST, waived on ₹2,00,000 of retail spends a year
Interest rate	3.99% a month (47.88% a year)
Cash withdrawal	2.5% or ₹650, whichever is higher
Late payment	Nil if total outstanding is up to ₹500, otherwise 10% of the statement balance, capped at ₹1,350
Forex markup	3% (2.75% before 15 June 2026)
Dynamic currency conversion	1%
Rent	1%, minimum ₹199 on payments above ₹1,000, maximum 5 rent payments in 30 days
Wallet loads above ₹2,000	1%
Utilities	1% once the previous month’s utility spends crossed ₹25,000
Fuel	1% on a transaction above ₹10,000, or once the month’s fuel spends cross ₹25,000
Education through third-party apps	1%

GST at 18% applies to every fee and to interest. The renewal waiver needs about ₹16,700 of retail spends a month. Rent and wallet loads do not help you get there, and neither, in practice, do the excluded categories.

The charge that catches people out is the ₹100 + GST redemption fee. Cash out 2,000 points as a voucher and you get ₹200 of value for ₹118 in fees, so always save up and redeem in large blocks against travel.

Eligibility & Documents Required

You need to be 21 to 60 years old, salaried or self-employed, with a net monthly salary of ₹1 lakh or an income tax return of ₹9 lakh or more.

YES BANK will not issue ELITE+ to anyone who already holds a YES BANK credit card. Keep your PAN, Aadhaar and recent salary slips or ITR ready. Approval is at the bank’s discretion.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Joining fee waived on ₹20,000 in a month	Points worth only ₹0.10 outside travel
1.5% back on online spends used for travel	₹100 + GST fee on every redemption
International lounge access with no spend rule	Long exclusion list, including insurance and education
3% forex markup, below the usual 3.5%	Domestic lounges need ₹50,000 a quarter

YES ELITE+ vs Competitors

Feature	YES ELITE+	Kotak Air	HSBC Visa Platinum
Annual fee	₹999, waived at ₹2 lakh	₹999	Nil
Base return on travel redemption	1.5% online, 0.75% offline	1% (3% on Kotak Unbox)	About 1.2% via Accor
Domestic lounge	2 a quarter	4 a year	None
International lounge	Yes	No	No
Forex markup	3%	3.5%	3.5%

Fees are plus GST. ELITE+ is the only one of the three with lounges abroad, and it wins for online shoppers who fly.

Our Kotak Air review suits people who want miles with transfer partners, and the lifetime free HSBC Visa Platinum suits anyone who wants no fee at all.

How to Apply

Open the ELITE+ page on YES BANK’s site and choose Apply for Credit Card Online. Enter your mobile number and PAN, fill in your income details and complete video KYC.

Once the card arrives, set it up in the iris by YES BANK app. Then plan ₹20,000 of spends in the first month so the joining fee is reversed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the YES ELITE+ annual fee waived?

Yes, on ₹2,00,000 of retail spends in a year. The joining fee is waived separately if you spend ₹20,000 within a month of the card being set up.

Is YES ELITE+ the same as YES Premia?

Yes. YES BANK states that YES Premia, YES BANK ELITE and ELITE+ all refer to the same card.

How many lounge visits does YES ELITE+ give?

2 domestic visits each calendar quarter, if you spent ₹50,000 in the previous quarter. International lounge access has no spend condition.

What is a YES Rewardz Point worth on ELITE+?

₹0.25 on flights and hotels and ₹0.10 on vouchers, statement credit or merchandise. Every redemption carries a ₹100 + GST fee.

What is the minimum salary for YES ELITE+?

₹1 lakh net a month, or an ITR of ₹9 lakh for the self-employed.

Bottom Line

Get the YES ELITE+ if most of your spending is online, you can cross ₹2 lakh a year to keep it free, and you will redeem points on flights and hotels where they return 1.5%.

The international lounge access is rare at this fee. Skip it if you want cashback or vouchers, because at ₹0.10 a point the card returns well under 1%.

Skip it too if you already hold a YES BANK card, since you cannot get it, or if your big bills are insurance, education or rent, which earn nothing.