YES Bank Marquee vs Standard Chartered Ultimate (2026)
Two flat engines with no transfer route worth using: 4.5% online that settles in portal travel vs 3.33% everywhere at a fixed ₹1 — the ceiling is the whole fight.
Head to head
| Metric | YES Bank Marquee | Standard Chartered Ultimate |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #19 | #15 |
| Annual fee | ₹4,999 + GST | ₹5,000 + GST |
| Fee waiver | ₹10,00,000 spend | None |
| Forex markup | 1% + GST (DCC on INR-billed international transactions also 1%) | 2% + GST (Ultimate-specific; 3.5% on other SC cards) |
| APR | 2.99%/mo (35.88%/yr) — Marquee shares the YES Private premium tier; other YES cards pay 3.99%/mo | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr APR), same rate on cash advances |
| Effective reward rate | 2.3% | 3.3% |
| Currency | YES Rewardz (YES CC Rewardz) | StanC 360° Reward Points |
| House value | ₹0.25/pt | ₹1.00/pt |
| Welcome benefit | 40,000 YES Rewardz points (₹10,000) on the ₹9,999 joining fee; 20,000 more each renewal | 6,000 reward points (₹6,000) on fee payment |
| Lounge doors opened | 72 of 644 | 583 of 644 |
| Income — salaried | ~₹3L+/month (community) | ~₹2L+/month (community) |
| Income — self-employed | ~ITR ₹24L+/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.
Standard Chartered Ultimate out-earns YES Bank Marquee at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
Transfer reach
Only YES Bank Marquee
- Air India Maharaja Club
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, Standard Chartered Ultimate nets ₹34,960 against ₹32,400 — a ₹2,560 gap. At ₹5L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate nets ₹1,94,800 against ₹1,62,000 — a ₹32,800 gap. Lounge chasers: Standard Chartered Ultimate opens 583 of 644 tracked doors to YES Bank Marquee's 72.
Our standing verdicts: YES Bank Marquee — Keep; Standard Chartered Ultimate — Keep. On our board, Standard Chartered Ultimate sits at #15 to YES Bank Marquee's #19 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →