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Best travel credit cards in India (2026)

Travel cards earn most when you book through their travel portal or transfer points to airlines and hotels. Here's what each top travel card returns on flights and hotels, booked directly and through its portal.

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The top picks

HSBC TravelOne

4% base via Accor; 16% on flights, 24% on hotels via Travel with Points

Flights: 8% Airlines, travel aggregators & foreign-currency spends (2X) · bonus capped at 50,000 points a month
Flights via HSBC Travel with Points: 16% Flights on Travel with Points (4X, Hopper) · bonus capped at 18,000 points a month
Hotels: 8% Travel aggregators (2X) · bonus capped at 50,000 points a month
Hotels via HSBC Travel with Points: 24% Hotels on Travel with Points (6X, Hopper) · bonus capped at 18,000 points a month
Annual fee: ₹4,999 a year (waived on ₹800,000 spend a year)

Axis Bank Horizon

5X (5%) on airlines & Travel EDGE; 2% on everything else

Flights: 5% Direct airline spends (5X)
Hotels: 2% base rate
Hotels via Axis Travel EDGE: 5% Axis Travel EDGE portal (5X)
Annual fee: ₹3,000 a year

HDFC Bank Regalia Gold

12.5% on SmartBuy hotels, 6.2% on SmartBuy flights & vouchers; 1.25% base

Flights: 1.25% base rate
Flights via HDFC SmartBuy: 6.25% SmartBuy flights (5X) · bonus capped at 4,000 points a month
Hotels: 1.25% base rate
Hotels via HDFC SmartBuy: 12.5% SmartBuy hotels (10X) · bonus capped at 4,000 points a month
Annual fee: ₹2,500 a year (waived on ₹400,000 spend a year)

HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege

1% base; 10X on SmartBuy hotels, 5X flights, 5X Swiggy & Zomato; BookMyShow buy-1-get-1

Flights: 1% base rate
Flights via HDFC SmartBuy: 5% SmartBuy flights (5X) · bonus capped at 4,000 points a month
Hotels: 1% base rate
Hotels via HDFC SmartBuy: 10% SmartBuy hotels (10X) · bonus capped at 4,000 points a month
Annual fee: ₹1,000 a year (waived on ₹300,000 spend a year)

Rates are the return per ₹100 spent, with points valued at each card's best redemption (usually transfer to airline or hotel partners); gift-card redemptions are worth less. Caps limit how much spend earns the top rate. Ranked by Cardology; card details last checked 2026-11-03.

Not sure which one fits you?

A card that wins on one category can lose overall once you add the rest of your spends and the annual fee. Tell Cardology roughly what you spend and it works out the best card, or pair of cards, for you.

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Questions

Is a travel credit card worth it?

If you travel a few times a year, the points on flights and hotels plus lounge access usually beat the annual fee, especially when you redeem points as air miles.

Should I book through the bank's portal?

Portals like HDFC SmartBuy and Axis Travel Edge give accelerated points, but compare the price with booking directly first.

How do I know which card is best for me?

Your best card depends on all your spends together, not one category. Cardology's free chat compares cards on your own numbers, including cards you already have, in about a minute.