Ixigo AU Credit Card: Suitable for Domestic Travelers who Prefer Railway Travel

• No Payment Gateway charges on train bookings, valid twice per month
• 20 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on train bookings with Ixigo
• 16 exclusive complimentary domestic railway lounge access every year
• 10% Off* on Bus Bookings up to Rs. 300 once per month

Unlike other similar co-branded travel credit cards, like MakeMyTrip ICICI , Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip and Yatra SBI, the Ixigo card extends impressive benefits to railway travel as well- a major differentiating factor for frequent domestic travelers.

Even while MMT ICICI also offers railway lounge access, the frequency is fairly low at 1 per quarter, in comparison to IxiGo cards that offer 16 visits in a year. Besides, unlike the Ixigo card, none of the similar cards offer reward points or even discounts on railway bookings. For instance, if you spend around Rs. 10,000 on your railway ticket bookings with this card, you may earn around 1,000 reward points. Thus, the benefits on railway travel bookings stand as a USP for this credit card, marking this card as a suitable choice for frequent domestic travellers who also prefer rail over airlines travel. The only demerit here is that the co-branded benefit on railway travel is not instant as for flights, hotel or bus ticket bookings, but involves the added hustle of reward points redemption.

Other Credit Cards offering Benefits on Train Bookings

Below mentioned are some co-branded IRCTC credit cards, that offer benefits on railway bookings.

The Ixigo AU Credit Card, clearly outshines even the IRCTC co-branded credit cards, in offering railway travel benefits. Further, a good reward rate on general spends, and other travel benefits, add more to the overall value back, marking this card as a smarter choice over other similar cards for domestic travel benefits via trains.

The card also covers benefits on bus ticket bookings, which Yatra SBI and MakeMyTrip ICICI Card do not cover directly. Even while Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip card covers the bus ticket booking benefit, the maximum discount is limited to Rs. 125. In comparison, the Ixigo card offers a better value here for a direct 10% off up to Rs. 300 per month. For instance, spending Rs. 800 via the EaseMyTrip card would save you just Rs. 125 off on your bus ride, but via the Ixigo card you can save up to Rs. 300. This marks a beneficial feature for those who prefer covering small distances via bus rides.

• 10% discount on flight bookings up to Rs. 1,000 on Ixigo platform once per month
• 1 complimentary international lounge access every year
• 16 exclusive complimentary domestic airport lounge access every year

Apart from railways, the card extends benefits on air travel as well via direct discount and lounge access. However, unlike railway travel it hits & misses in this category. While you get 10% discount on flight bookings, you can avail it only once a month up to Rs. 1,000. Though the maximum limit could still function well for domestic travel, it could be  a relatively minor benefit for those who use the card for international travel tickets. Also, other similar cards like Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip or Yatra SBI have distinguished the airline travel benefits for domestic and international travel, but this card has not. This limits the maximum savings potential on the Ixigo card.

• 10% instant off on hotel bookings up to Rs. 1,000 once per month
• Zero forex markup fee
  

Similar to the benefits of air travel, the savings potential is again limited in the case of hotel bookings due to no differentiation between domestic and international hotel bookings. This marks the Ixigo card again falling behind other similar cards. The Standard Chartered card divides the hotel booking discounts on both domestic and international locations, giving a total benefit of Rs. 15,000 (Rs. 5,000 on domestic hotels and Rs. 10,000 on international hotels). Yatra SBI card does not offer any direct benefit on international hotel bookings, but again, it gives a higher saving capacity at Rs. 2,000. Comparatively, Ixigo card offers the lowest savings on hotel ticket bookings.

Additionally, none of the similar co-branded travel credit cards or entry-level cards in this fee range offer a zero forex markup fee, a benefit usually offered by premium cards. Standalone, it is a good feature; however, overall, the feature turns futile as no other international travel benefit is offered. Those planning to travel abroad will require another credit card to save more on international travel, as there is no significant savings on international holiday bookings. Besides, the international lounge access frequency is seemingly low at 1 per year, and the Priority Pass membership is not complimentary and is issued only on request. Thus, even with a zero forex markup fee, the international travel category remains untouched.

The card comes with the following welcome benefits, on completing the first transaction within 30 days of card issuance:

• Bonus 1,000 reward points
• Ixigo money vouchers worth Rs. 1,000

Via the above mentioned benefits, the card offers worth more than the joining fee charged on card activation. While the Ixigo money voucher equally matches up to the fee value, you also get an additional Rs. 200 via the bonus reward points (value of 1 reward point = Rs. 0.20, thus 1,000 points= Rs. 200). Thereby, for a fee of Rs. 999 you get a value benefit of Rs. 1,200. Besides, the benefit offered is practical as Ixigo money vouchers can be directly used for flight, bus, railway ticket or hotel bookings.

• 10 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on online purchases
• 5 reward Points for every Rs. 200 spent offline

Note: Transactions on Fuel, Rent, Insurance, Jewellery and Wallets are excluded from Reward Points spent calculation.

The general reward rate on online and offline spends is considerably good on this card. Thus, a good factor for those who only want to use a single credit card for travel and other general expenses. Also, since the reward earning is applicable on all online and offline transactions, it could help you earn rewards on other travel (non-Ixigo) bookings as well. This means, even when you do not make a travel booking via Ixigo but via hotel or airline website, you can get 10 rewards on every Rs. 200. The general reward redemption criteria for AU credit cards is Rs. 0.2 per reward rate (as inferred from here).

You can redeem the accumulated reward points on Ixigo credit card here:

• E-vouchers of top brands
• Merchandise
• Mobile/DTH recharges
• Flight/Hotel bookings and much more

For more details on reward points redemption, click here.

• 1% surcharge waiver for fuel transactions ranging between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5,000 across all fuel stations in India
• Zero lost card liability cover for protection against fraudulent transactions in case of loss, Card Counterfeit/Skimming and Online frauds
• Credit shield cover up to Rs. 1.5 Lakh
• Quick easy and secure contactless payments for transactions value up to Rs. 5,000
• XpressEMI feature to convert transactions above Rs. 2,000 into easy EMIs
• Get add-on credit cards for a free lifetime to share card benefits with friends and family

You can consider getting the Ixigo AU credit card, if:

1. You are an Ixigo loyalist
2. You don’t mind sticking to Ixigo for your travel bookings to utilize the money voucher offered on card activation, direct discount on flight, hotel and bus bookings, and accelerated rewards on railway bookings
3. You frequently travel within India
4. You prefer railways over airways
5. You do not have any other credit card offering great number of complimentary railway lounge access
6. You do not already own any of the IRCTC co-branded card or co-branded travel credit card
7. You are comfortable with the maximum discount capping on hotel and flight bookings
8. You prefer traveling short distance via bus rides
9. You are looking for co-branded travel benefits on a credit card with not too high annual fee
10. You own another credit card but that does not offer a zero forex markup fee
11. You are not a heavy spender and can spend around Rs. 1 lakh a year to meet the annual fee waiver
12. You don’t own another credit card and can utilize the accelerated rewards on online transactions

You can explore other credit card options, if:

1. You are not an Ixigo loyalist
2. You prefer other travel portals like MakeMyTrip, Yatra or EaseMyTrip over Ixigo
3. You want a credit card that offers high redemption value on reward points
4. You hardly travel domestically
5. You prefer airlines over railways, and want extensive benefits on air travel
6. You want a good number of international lounge access on your card with complimentary Priority Pass membership
7. You want higher savings on your travel bookings than offered on this card
8. You frequently travel abroad and want a travel credit card with major international travel benefits