IRCTC BOBCARD vs IRCTC SBI Card Premier (2026)
The two rail co-brands: BOBCARD's headline 40 RP/₹100 is throttled to ₹250 a cycle; SBI's quieter 10% value-back actually pays. The fine print decides this one.
Head to head
| Metric | IRCTC BOBCARD | IRCTC SBI Card Premier |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #68 | #63 |
| Annual fee | ₹350 + GST | ₹1,499 + GST |
| Fee waiver | None | ₹2,00,000 spend |
| Forex markup | 3.5% + GST (standard BOBCARD) | 3.5% + GST |
| APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) — standard BOBCARD tier (non-Eterna) | Up to 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) |
| Effective reward rate | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Currency | BOBCARD Reward Points | IRCTC SBI Reward Points |
| House value | ₹0.25/pt | ₹1.00/pt |
| Welcome benefit | 500 bonus reward points on spending ₹5,000 within the first 60 days | 1,500 Reward Points on fee payment |
| Lounge doors opened | 21 of 662 | 21 of 662 |
| Income — salaried | ₹3.6L+/yr (community) | not published |
| Income — self-employed | ₹4.8L+/yr (community) | not published |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
Net annual value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
IRCTC SBI Card Premier out-earns IRCTC BOBCARD at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
Transfer reach
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, IRCTC SBI Card Premier nets ₹12,912 against ₹10,210 — a ₹2,702 gap. At ₹5L/month, IRCTC SBI Card Premier nets ₹64,560 against ₹52,450 — a ₹12,110 gap. Lounge chasers get no tiebreak here: both open 21 of 662 tracked doors.
Our standing verdicts: IRCTC BOBCARD — Downgrade; IRCTC SBI Card Premier — Keep. On our board, IRCTC SBI Card Premier sits at #63 to IRCTC BOBCARD's #68 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →