RBL Nova vs Standard Chartered Beyond (2026)
Standard Chartered Beyond vs RBL Nova: which wins?
₹1,33,600ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to RBL Nova
Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for
#12 against invite-only on our board, ₹38,720 apart in ranking value at ₹3L a month.
RBL Nova out-earns Standard Chartered Beyond at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
Every metric, row by row — 10 compared
Head to head
| RBL Nova | Metric | Standard Chartered Beyond |
|---|---|---|
| #12 | Our rank | invite-only |
| ₹12,500/yr — wins this row | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹15,000 joining, then ₹25,000/yr |
| ₹10,00,000 spend | Fee waiver | By relationship |
| 2% + GST | Forex markup | 2% + GST (Beyond T&C §7; the 3.5% bank-wide rate does not apply) |
| not published | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr), same rate on cash advances |
| 2.0% | Headline earn rate | 3.3% — wins this row |
| RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) | Currency | StanC 360° Reward Points |
| ₹1.00/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt |
| ₹12,500 Taj Experiences or Luxe gift card on joining-fee payment — refunds the fee in year one | Welcome benefit | Vouchers worth ₹15,000 from Taj, Luxe Gift Cards, MakeMyTrip, Fabindia, Ikea or Marks & Spencer, on realisation of the joining fee |
| 680 of 793 | Lounge doors opened | 718 of 793 — wins this row |
Neither issuer publishes an income floor for these two. RBL Nova is open to a direct application; Standard Chartered Beyond is invite-only, with no public form. How people actually get each one is on its card page.
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
The ₹ face-off at ₹1L/₹3L/₹5L a month
Ranking-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. This is the ranking model, the one that orders the board; each card page prints the earn-rate-only net annual value instead, which reads lower for any card with an accelerator (both models, side by side). Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
RBL Nova out-earns Standard Chartered Beyond at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
How the gap moves with spend — a 20-step sweep from ₹0.25L to ₹5L/month
How the gap moves with spend
RBL Nova leads at all 20 steps, but not by the same amount: ₹10,310 at ₹0.25L a month, ₹21,200 at ₹5L — the gap fans out with spend, widest at ₹1L (₹56,240).
RBL Nova runs a 6.0% booster on Flights & hotels via the RBL Nova travel portal, where Standard Chartered Beyond earns one flat rate; Standard Chartered Beyond charges twice — ₹15,000 to join, then ₹25,000 every year after.
RBL Nova draws above the line, Standard Chartered Beyond below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | RBL Nova | Standard Chartered Beyond | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | −₹4,700 | −₹15,010 | RBL Nova by ₹10,310 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹3,100 | −₹5,020 | RBL Nova by ₹8,120 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹10,900 | ₹4,970 | RBL Nova by ₹5,930 |
| ₹1L | ₹71,200 | ₹14,960 | RBL Nova by ₹56,240 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹79,000 | ₹24,950 | RBL Nova by ₹54,050 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹86,800 | ₹34,940 | RBL Nova by ₹51,860 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹94,600 | ₹44,930 | RBL Nova by ₹49,670 |
| ₹2L | ₹1,02,400 | ₹54,920 | RBL Nova by ₹47,480 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹1,10,200 | ₹64,910 | RBL Nova by ₹45,290 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹1,18,000 | ₹74,900 | RBL Nova by ₹43,100 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹1,25,800 | ₹84,890 | RBL Nova by ₹40,910 |
| ₹3L | ₹1,33,600 | ₹94,880 | RBL Nova by ₹38,720 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹1,41,400 | ₹1,04,870 | RBL Nova by ₹36,530 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹1,49,200 | ₹1,14,860 | RBL Nova by ₹34,340 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,57,000 | ₹1,24,850 | RBL Nova by ₹32,150 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,64,800 | ₹1,34,840 | RBL Nova by ₹29,960 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,72,600 | ₹1,44,830 | RBL Nova by ₹27,770 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,80,400 | ₹1,54,820 | RBL Nova by ₹25,580 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,88,200 | ₹1,64,810 | RBL Nova by ₹23,390 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,96,000 | ₹1,74,800 | RBL Nova by ₹21,200 |
Transfer reach — 5 vs 0 live routes
Transfer reach
0 shared routes · 3 only RBL Nova · 0 only Standard Chartered Beyond — the full partner lists
Only RBL Nova
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
- Air India Maharaja Club
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for — 6 points
What to watch out for
RBL Nova · 2 more →
- 2:1 airline transfers (₹0.50/mile) are worse than redeeming points at the flat ₹1 — transfer only for a specific award
- The ₹40,000 milestone needs ₹3 lakh EVERY calendar quarter (₹12L/year); miss a quarter, lose that ₹10,000
- Base earn is a flat 2% — ordinary once the year-one welcome is spent
Standard Chartered Beyond · 2 more →
- No transfer partners at all — a Standard Chartered point is ₹1, floor and ceiling, minus ₹99 per redemption
- ₹15,000 to join and ₹25,000 a year after that; the annual fee is waived only while you keep ₹50,00,000 of Funds Under Management with SC
- Lose the Priority/Private relationship and SC may downgrade or block the card — and the Priority Pass benefit is retracted for a minimum of one year
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, RBL Nova nets ₹71,200 against ₹14,960 — a ₹56,240 gap. At ₹5L/month, RBL Nova nets ₹1,96,000 against ₹1,74,800 — a ₹21,200 gap. Lounge chasers: Standard Chartered Beyond opens 718 of 793 tracked doors to RBL Nova's 680.
Our standing verdicts: RBL Nova — Keep; Standard Chartered Beyond — Keep. RBL Nova takes 4 of the 6 rounds we can score — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Common questions — 5 answered
Straight answers
Which is better, RBL Nova or Standard Chartered Beyond?
RBL Nova. RBL Nova takes 4 of the 6 rounds we can score. RBL Nova out-earns Standard Chartered Beyond at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
RBL Nova or Standard Chartered Beyond — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, RBL Nova nets ₹1,33,600 against ₹94,880 — a ₹38,720 gap. Those are ranking-value figures: everyday spend at the card's base rate plus a realistic slice at its best accelerator, net of the fee.
Which costs less to hold, RBL Nova or Standard Chartered Beyond?
RBL Nova — ₹12,500/yr against ₹15,000 joining, then ₹25,000/yr. RBL Nova waives its fee at ₹10,00,000 of spend; Standard Chartered Beyond at no spend level — the waiver rides the banking relationship, not the swipe.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, RBL Nova or Standard Chartered Beyond?
Lounge chasers: Standard Chartered Beyond opens 718 of 793 tracked doors to RBL Nova's 680. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Card records last re-verified against their issuers' own documents: RBL Nova on 2026-08-05, Standard Chartered Beyond on 2026-08-15. Every figure on this page — the ranking values, the fee rows, the lounge counts, the transfer ratios — is recomputed from those records each time the site builds, so a devaluation changes the call the day we log it.
Verified against RBL Bank and Standard Chartered's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point
Every document behind this page — 11 of them, each with the day we read it
- official RBL Bank launch press release (17 Nov 2025) — Visa Infinite metal, ₹12,500 fee, 6% travel-portal value back, 10% dining, golf
- official Official product page — ₹12,500 Taj Experiences/Luxe welcome gift card, "Earn 4 Reward Points for every INR 200 spent on purchases anywhere"
- official RBL MITC §A(i) — "Nova™ · INR 12,500 · INR 12,500 (NIL on eligible annual spends of INR 10 Lakh or more)"; The spend waiver the card page does not spell out
- community CardInsider — 4 RP/₹200 base, 12 RP/₹200 travel, 1 RP = up to ₹1, 4 transfer partners at 2:1, 12+12 lounges, 2% forex
- official Air India Maharaja Club — RBL Reward Points transfer partner page
- official Beyond Credit Card T&Cs — §1 joining ₹15,000 and renewal ₹25,000 from year 2, §4 earn 5 RP/₹150 (3 on essentials), §7 2% forex, §9 unlimited Visa lounges in India, §10 unlimited Priority Pass abroad
- official Product page — "Joining Fee: INR 15,000 +GST", "Annual Fee: INR 25,000 +GST", up to 3.3% rewards, 2% on government, utilities and insurance, unlimited lounge access with 8 guest visits a year
- official Tariff table — Beyond Credit card 15,000 (Annual Fee Year 1) / 25,000 (Year 2 onwards) / Nil supplementary; 3.75% a month APR 45%; ₹99 handling and courier charge per reward redemption
- official Rewards-points expiry FAQ — points lapse about three years after they are earned, written off in quarterly batches
- official Federal Bank migration FAQ — the card relationship transfers after 31 Jul 2026; consent via I Agree, SMS ACCEPT or continued use
- official Standard Chartered domestic lounge programme — the Beyond table runs to 83 rooms, the full-fat Visa list