Is the SBI Elite Credit Card Worth It?
Enter what you spend where this card pays more, and the benefits you would use. See what it is worth to you in rupees, after its fee.
- 207Cards to check
- FreeCost
- Dining card
- ₹5,899 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹83,333 a month
- 0.5% base, up to 2.5% on dining
- 14 lounge visits a year
- Pays in reward points
- dining: 2.5% back, up to ₹2,500 a month
- groceries: 2.5% back, up to ₹2,500 a month
- spending ₹83,333 or more a month: the ₹5,899 fee is waived
- flyers: 14 airport lounge visits a year
- spending abroad: 1.99% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹83,333 a month (₹10,00,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹5,899 fee is then charged
- most of your spending is fuel, rent, wallet top-ups or government payments: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you rarely spend on dining or groceries: the 2.5% rate applies only there, everything else earns 0.5%
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 3.75% a month (45% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 2 RP per ₹100 (~0.5%) base; milestones total 50,000 RP (~₹12,500) across ₹3L/₹4L/₹5L/₹8L
Total on the card: ₹0 a month
Abroad and benefits
Every rate on this card, and what your spend earns
| Spend category | Rate | Monthly cap | Where it applies | Your spend earns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPI payments (scan and pay) | Earns nothing | - | a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI | - |
| Online shopping | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 2.5% | ₹2,500 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 5X (~2.5% at ₹0.25/point) on dining, grocery and departmental stores. SBI caps accelerated points at 10,000 a calendar month ACROSS all of them together, then drops to 2 RP per ₹100, we apply the cap per category, so a spender who maxes two categories is credited a little high | - |
| Groceries | 2.5% | ₹2,500, shared with other bonus rates | All grocery and departmental stores except Metro Cash & Carry, Reliance Market and Walmart, which SBI names as ineligible for the accelerated rateTerms: 5X (~2.5%) on grocery and departmental stores, sharing the 10,000-point monthly accelerated cap with dining | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| School and college fees | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Wallet top-ups | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Taxes and government payments | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
Card data sourced via CardAdvisor.in, India Credit Card Facts, CC BY 4.0, adapted by SkyloFin.
Common Questions
When is a credit card worth its annual fee?
When the rewards you actually earn in a year are more than the fee plus 18% GST, or when you spend enough for the bank to waive the fee. This calculator works out both from the card's own published terms.
Why is GST added to the fee?
Card fees carry 18% GST, so a ₹1,000 fee costs ₹1,180. Where the bank already quotes the fee with GST, it is not added twice.
What does 'capped' mean?
Many cards limit the reward you can earn in a month in a category. Spending above the cap earns nothing extra, so the calculator stops counting there.
Is a lifetime free card always better?
Not always. A paid card with higher rewards can leave you with more once you spend enough. The break-even line shows the monthly spend where that starts.
Guides in Plain Words
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