Travel on co-branded credit cards Premium

Discover the benefits and drawbacks of co-branded travel credit cards for frequent travellers seeking rewards and discounts.

A post-COVID surge along with rising aspiration to travel have fuelled the growing demand for travel-centric credit cards offering benefits like accelerated rewards/air miles and discounted flights among others. While most benefits are bundled into premium credit cards, stringent eligibility criteria and high annual fee makes them less accessible to a sizeable part of the population. As a result, many travellers turn to co-branded travel credit cards.

Credit cards co-branded with airlines or hotels offer value-back in the form of air miles or loyalty points that can be used at the brand’s portal for direct travel bookings.

Most airline/hotel co-branded cards offer complimentary membership to the associated brand’s loyalty programme.

Apart from airline/hotel co-branded cards, some travel cards are co-branded with popular travel portals like MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, Ixigo and Yatra, and offer discount on flights and hotel bookings made through their respective platforms.

However, co-branded travel credit cards come with their own set of drawbacks. Since rewards are offered in partner miles/loyalty points, redemption options are restricted. Some of these cards may also lack broader travel benefits around lounge access, forex mark-up fee, etc. Travellers, confused whether a co-branded travel card would be the right fit for them, should keep the following things in mind:

Compare core value

The key factor in choosing a travel credit card is rewards programme. When comparing an airline co-branded card to an airline-agnostic travel card, it is essential to evaluate the total value you get for spending.