RBL Nova vs YES Bank Marquee (2026)
The answer flips at ₹1L a month: YES Bank Marquee below it, RBL Nova above.
Head to head
| RBL Nova | Metric | YES Bank Marquee |
|---|---|---|
| #19 — wins this row | Our rank | #27 |
| ₹12,500/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹9,999 joining, then ₹4,999/yr — wins this row |
| ₹10,00,000 spend | Fee waiver | ₹10,00,000 spend |
| 2% + GST | Forex markup | 1% + GST (DCC on INR-billed international transactions also 1%) — wins this row |
| not published | APR | 2.99%/mo (35.88%/yr) — the YES Private/Prime/Marquee/Reserv premium tier (V18 MITC); other YES cards pay 3.99%/mo |
| 2.0% | Headline earn rate | 2.3% — wins this row |
| RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) | Currency | YES Rewardz (YES CC Rewardz) |
| ₹1.00/pt | House value | ₹0.25/pt |
| ₹12,500 Taj Experiences or Luxe gift card on joining-fee payment — refunds the fee in year one | Welcome benefit | 40,000 YES Rewardz points (₹10,000) on the ₹9,999 joining fee; 20,000 more each renewal |
| 731 of 789 — wins this row | Lounge doors opened | 72 of 789 |
| not published | Income — salaried | ~₹3L+/month (community) |
| not published | Income — self-employed | ~ITR ₹24L+/yr (community) |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
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.
YES Bank Marquee wins under ₹1L/month; RBL Nova takes over above it.
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹1L a month: YES Bank Marquee is ahead by ₹12,801 at ₹0.25L, RBL Nova by ₹34,000 at ₹5L.
YES Bank Marquee pays a renewal bonus whatever you spend, and RBL Nova pays nothing to stay; YES Bank Marquee charges twice — ₹9,999 to join, then ₹4,999 every year after.
RBL Nova draws above the line, YES Bank Marquee below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | RBL Nova | YES Bank Marquee | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | −₹4,700 | ₹8,101 | YES Bank Marquee by ₹12,801 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹3,100 | ₹16,201 | YES Bank Marquee by ₹13,101 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹10,900 | ₹24,301 | YES Bank Marquee by ₹13,401 |
| ₹1L | ₹71,200 | ₹32,400 | RBL Nova by ₹38,800 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹79,000 | ₹40,500 | RBL Nova by ₹38,500 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹86,800 | ₹48,600 | RBL Nova by ₹38,200 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹94,600 | ₹56,700 | RBL Nova by ₹37,900 |
| ₹2L | ₹1,02,400 | ₹64,800 | RBL Nova by ₹37,600 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹1,10,200 | ₹72,900 | RBL Nova by ₹37,300 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹1,18,000 | ₹81,000 | RBL Nova by ₹37,000 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹1,25,800 | ₹89,100 | RBL Nova by ₹36,700 |
| ₹3L | ₹1,33,600 | ₹97,200 | RBL Nova by ₹36,400 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹1,41,400 | ₹1,05,300 | RBL Nova by ₹36,100 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹1,49,200 | ₹1,13,400 | RBL Nova by ₹35,800 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,57,000 | ₹1,21,500 | RBL Nova by ₹35,500 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,64,800 | ₹1,29,600 | RBL Nova by ₹35,200 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,72,600 | ₹1,37,700 | RBL Nova by ₹34,900 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,80,400 | ₹1,45,800 | RBL Nova by ₹34,600 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,88,200 | ₹1,53,900 | RBL Nova by ₹34,300 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,96,000 | ₹1,62,000 | RBL Nova by ₹34,000 |
Transfer reach
Both reach
- Air India Maharaja Club 2:1 vs 15:1
Only RBL Nova
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
- AirAsia Rewards
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
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
YES Bank Marquee · 3 more →
- ₹0.25/point only on YES Rewardz flights/hotels, capped at 70% of invoice — the lone Maharaja route (15:1, ≈₹0.07/pt) is a decoy; statement credit pays ₹0.10
- Offline spends earn half (2.25%); utilities/cable just 1.25%, capped 1,250 RP/cycle
- Fuel, rent, wallet and government earn zero since 1-Apr-2025 — and 15-Jun-2026 zeroed insurance, education, railways, toll and ferry too
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, RBL Nova nets ₹71,200 against ₹32,400 — a ₹38,800 gap. At ₹5L/month, RBL Nova nets ₹1,96,000 against ₹1,62,000 — a ₹34,000 gap. Lounge chasers: RBL Nova opens 731 of 789 tracked doors to YES Bank Marquee's 72.
Our standing verdicts: RBL Nova — Keep; YES Bank Marquee — Keep. On our board, RBL Nova sits at #19 to YES Bank Marquee's #27 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Straight answers
Which is better, RBL Nova or YES Bank Marquee?
RBL Nova. It sits at #19 on our board to YES Bank Marquee's #27. RBL Nova takes 5 of the 8 rounds we can score. YES Bank Marquee wins under ₹1L/month; RBL Nova takes over above it.
RBL Nova or YES Bank Marquee — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, RBL Nova nets ₹1,33,600 against ₹97,200 — a ₹36,400 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 YES Bank Marquee?
YES Bank Marquee — ₹9,999 joining, then ₹4,999/yr against ₹12,500/yr. RBL Nova waives its fee at ₹10,00,000 of spend; YES Bank Marquee at ₹10,00,000 of spend.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, RBL Nova or YES Bank Marquee?
Lounge chasers: RBL Nova opens 731 of 789 tracked doors to YES Bank Marquee's 72. 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, YES Bank Marquee on 2026-08-09. 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.