Credit cards: These offer cashbacks and discounts to frequent travelers

Kolkata: Credit card adoption is sweeping the country. In FY25, the cumulative expenditure through credit cards stood at Rs 21.16 lakh crore, recording a 15% surge from Rs 18.32 lakh crore spending FY24, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data revealed. Many credit cards boost certain kinds of activities. Travel and tourism is one of the activities for which some credit cards reward users handsomely. The number of credit cardholders jumped from 2.9 crore at the end of FY17 to 6.2 crore by late 2024 -- a jump by 213%.

For more and more people, travel has now become very a frequent exercise. many undertake travel not only for leisure and holidays but also for business. For whatever reason, if you travel frequently and pay through plastic currency, it could be prudent to use a credit card that incentivises its usage through discounts, reward points and cashback. From booking hotels to buying tickets for the journey, there are a few credit cards that rewards such transactions. let's have a look at a few credit cards that are designed for such usage.

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HDFC Diners Club Privilege: Among other incentives, this card offers two complimentary airport lounge access every calendar quarter anywhere in the world. There are also four reward points for every Rs 150 spent through it. Also, it offers 1,500 worth vouchers on Marriott and Decathlon on quarterly spends of Rs 1.5 lakh. Besides. It entitles one to a maximum of 10X rewards on booking flight tickets or staying in more than 150 hotels both on India and abroad.

SBI IRCTC Platinum Card: This premium SBI card will allow a cardholder to earn up to 10% value back as reward points when he/she books AC1, AC2, AC3 executive chair and chair cars on trains via IRCTC. "Enjoy four complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India -- one per quarter," says company website.

ICICI MakeMyTrip Signature Card: This card from ICICI Bank offers a complimentary international airport lounge access every year. Additionally, it also provides eight domestic airport lounge accesses, which are complimentary. If you spend through it, for every Rs 200 spent, it will offer four reward points on hotel bookings and two points on flight bookings.

YES FIRST Preferred: This YED Bank card provides every year four complimentary airport lounge visits at international airports. Every quarter it will also offer two complimentary lounge visits in the domestic sector.

Axis Bank Magnus: This card from Axis Bank offers unlimited complimentary international lounge visits and four additional guest visits every year. The website also mentions up to 15% off on international and domestic Oberoi and Trident hotels.

However, there is one general word of caution. Credit cards carry the highest interest rates in the market. Therefore, one must opt for a credit card after careful deliberation and not after a fashion. Moreover, one must not incur expenditure through a credit card mindlessly just for the sake of rewards, bonus points or cashback. It is easy to step into a debt trap through a credit card.