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SBI Card and Air India are building a new Visa co-brand credit card for Maharaja Club members
The partners announced the programme on October 28 but have not yet said when it launches, what it costs or how many points it earns.
SBI Card, India's largest pure play credit card issuer, and Air India announced on October 28 that they have agreed to develop a new co-brand credit card programme on the Visa network for members of Air India's Maharaja Club loyalty programme. SBI Card disclosed the partnership to the stock exchanges the same day under the SEBI listing rules, attaching the joint press release dated Gurugram.
The card is meant to reward both everyday spending and travel with Maharaja Points. Air India says Maharaja Club has added more than five million members since the programme was redesigned in 2024, and that points can be earned and redeemed on Air India and Air India Express flights to 104 destinations, on 25 other Star Alliance airlines, and with more than 100 partner brands in hospitality, retail, lifestyle and financial services.
In the release, Air India Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal said the goal is to build India's most compelling travel credit card programme and make Maharaja Club the loyalty currency of choice for millions of Indians. SBI Card MD and CEO Salila Pande described it as a travel focused card aimed at changing what customers want from a card on their trips, and Visa's Group Country Manager for India and South Asia, Suresh Sethi, said Visa brings its global network and co-brand experience.
What the announcement does not include is the product itself. CNBC TV18 and the Free Press Journal both reported that the launch date, joining and annual fees and the reward structure have not been disclosed. This is not the first Air India card from SBI Card: the existing Air India SBI Signature and Platinum cards still appear on Air India's partner page, and SmartSpend reported that SBI stopped issuing both on October 10, 2024, so the new programme effectively restarts the airline's card tie-up with the issuer.
Entrackr included the tie-up in its weekly funding and deals report for October 26 to 31. For the payments market, the card adds one more airline loyalty product to a crowded travel card segment, and its value to users will depend on earn rates that are still to be published.
