Best Travel Credit Cards in India for International Trips 2026: What Actually Works

A credit card for a trip abroad has four numbers that matter: the annual fee, the forex markup on every foreign-currency swipe, how many airport lounge visits you get outside India, and what your rewards are actually worth when you redeem them. This guide compares six cards Indian travellers commonly carry abroad, using figures from each issuer's own product page, terms PDF or Most Important Terms and Conditions (MITC), checked in September 2026.

Card terms change often, and several of these cards changed in 2026 alone (Axis Bank revised its cards from 28 August 2026; Scapia changed its lounge rule from 27 February 2026). Treat every figure below as a starting point and confirm it on the bank's current terms page before you apply.

Quick answer

• Lowest cost on spending abroad: Scapia (issued with Federal Bank, Axis Bank or BOBCARD) has no joining fee, no annual fee and 0% forex markup. It does not list complimentary lounge access outside India.
• Most lounge access abroad for a fee: HDFC Bank INFINIA (invite only) and Axis Bank Magnus both give unlimited international Priority Pass visits, with a ₹12,500 annual fee and a 2% markup.
• Mid-range fee with a lower markup: SBI Card MILES ELITE (₹4,999 fee, 1.99% markup, 6 international lounge visits a year) and HDFC Regalia Gold (₹2,500 fee, 2% markup, 6 international visits a year).
• Watch the markup on miles cards: Axis Atlas earns well on travel bookings, but it charges 3.5% on foreign-currency transactions, so it is a poor card to swipe abroad.
• Many travellers carry two cards: a zero-markup card for daily spending abroad, and a premium card for lounges and travel bookings made in rupees.

Comparison table: fees, forex markup, lounges and earn rates

All fees are plus applicable taxes. "PP" means Priority Pass. Checked against issuer pages between 17 and 23 September 2026.

How forex markup works, and what it costs

When you pay in a foreign currency, the card network converts the amount to rupees and your bank adds a markup on top. Axis Bank's MITC describes it plainly: the network rate on the settlement date, "increased by a Currency Conversion Factor". The markup is charged on every foreign-currency transaction, including online purchases billed in dollars or euros from India, and the bank adds taxes on the fee itself.

On ₹2 lakh of spending abroad, the markup alone works out to:

• 0% (Scapia): ₹0
• 1.99% (SBI Card MILES ELITE): ₹3,980
• 2% (INFINIA, Regalia Gold, Magnus): ₹4,000
• 3.5% (Axis Atlas, and most other Axis Bank cards): ₹7,000

A premium card can still come out ahead if its rewards on those foreign spends are worth more than the markup, so check how its points are valued (below) and whether foreign spends earn the full rate.

Always pay in the local currency

Card terminals and ATMs abroad often offer to charge you in rupees. This is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), and it usually costs more, not less. The merchant sets its own conversion rate, and some Indian banks add a separate DCC fee on top. Axis Bank's MITC, for example, lists a DCC mark-up of 3.5% on most of its retail cards (2% on Magnus) for international transactions made in rupees. Choose the local currency (euros in Paris, baht in Bangkok, dirhams in Dubai) every time.

For a wider look at cards, cash and UPI abroad, see our forex comparison guide for Indian travellers, and our UPI abroad guide for the countries where UPI works at the counter.

Does TCS apply to credit card spending abroad?

No, not at present. Tax Collected at Source (TCS) applies to transactions under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). The Ministry of Finance announced on 28 June 2023 that use of international credit cards while overseas will not be treated as a remittance under LRS until further notice, and banks' notices on the TCS changes from 1 April 2026 repeat that TCS is not applicable to spending on international credit cards.

Debit cards and forex cards are different. Spending abroad on them does count under LRS. For most purposes TCS is nil up to ₹10 lakh in a financial year (counted across all your LRS transactions, including remittances and forex card loads), and 20% on the amount above ₹10 lakh; education and medical remittances have a lower rate. Overseas tour packages are a separate category, with TCS at a flat 2% from 1 April 2026. See our guide to TCS on foreign tour packages. TCS is not a final cost; it is credited against your income tax and can be claimed when you file your return.

The credit card exemption is "until further notice", so check again before a large trip.

The cards, one by one

HDFC Bank INFINIA Metal Edition

INFINIA is HDFC Bank's top retail card and is available by invitation only. The joining and renewal fee is ₹12,500, and the renewal fee is waived if you spend ₹10 lakh or more in the preceding 12 months.

• Forex markup: 2%.
• Lounges: unlimited domestic lounge access in India, and unlimited international access outside India via Priority Pass, for both primary and add-on cardholders. Each add-on cardholder must use their own Priority Pass; otherwise they are treated as a guest. Guest visits are charged at USD 27 plus tax per guest per visit.
• Rewards: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 spent, and up to 10X on travel and shopping through HDFC's SmartBuy portal, subject to HDFC's caps. HDFC values one point at ₹1 against flights and hotel bookings and as up to 1 airmile, but only up to ₹0.30 as cashback against your statement. So the same points are worth about 3.3% of spend on travel and about 1% as cash.

Who it suits: people who already qualify for an invitation, spend enough to get the fee waived, and fly often enough to use unlimited lounge access for themselves and their family.

HDFC Bank Regalia Gold

Regalia Gold is HDFC's current card in the Regalia line. The joining and renewal fee is ₹2,500, and the renewal fee is waived on ₹4 lakh of spend in your card year.

• Forex markup: 2%.
• Lounges: 6 complimentary lounge visits a calendar year outside India via Priority Pass. Domestic lounge access is spend-linked: 3 visits a calendar quarter, unlocked by spending ₹60,000 or more in the previous quarter.
• Rewards: 5 Reward Points per ₹200 on retail spends. A point is worth ₹0.50 against flights and hotel bookings, which works out to about 1.25% of spend.

Who it suits: travellers taking a few international trips a year who want some lounge access abroad at a modest fee.

Axis Bank Magnus

Magnus carries a ₹12,500 annual fee, waived on ₹25 lakh of spend in the preceding year. New cardholders choose a welcome voucher worth ₹12,500.

• Forex markup: 2%, lower than the 3.5% most Axis cards charge.
• Lounges: unlimited complimentary international lounge visits and 4 guest visits a year with Priority Pass, plus unlimited visits to select domestic lounges in India. Since 28 August 2026, Priority Pass no longer works for domestic lounges in India; present the Magnus card and your boarding pass instead. Lounges in Indian international terminals after immigration still count as international.
• Rewards: 12 EDGE Reward Points per ₹200 on spends up to ₹1.5 lakh in a calendar month, and 35 points per ₹200 on spends above that. Points convert to partner miles at 5 points to 2 miles across about 20 airline and hotel partners.

Who it suits: high spenders. The accelerated rate starts only above ₹1.5 lakh a month, and the fee waiver needs ₹25 lakh a year. From 28 August 2026, Axis also excludes gift card purchases from rewards and from fee-waiver spend, and no longer gives rewards on toll payments, which removes a common way people used to reach those thresholds.

Axis Bank Atlas

Atlas is Axis Bank's miles card. The annual fee is ₹5,000, and benefits step up through Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers as your annual spend crosses ₹7.5 lakh and ₹15 lakh.

• Forex markup: 3.5%. Atlas is not on the list of Axis cards with a reduced rate in the bank's MITC.
• Lounges: international visits of 4 (Silver), 6 (Gold) or 12 (Platinum) a year, and domestic visits of 8, 12 or 18. These counts include any guests you bring.
• Rewards: 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on travel spends (Travel EDGE, airlines and hotels, up to ₹2 lakh a month) and 2 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on other spends. Axis values 1 EDGE Mile at ₹1. Milestone bonuses are 2,500 EDGE Miles at ₹3 lakh, another 2,500 at ₹7.5 lakh and another 5,000 at ₹15 lakh of annual spend, with exclusions for rent, wallets, fuel, insurance, utilities and several other categories.

Who it suits: people who book a lot of flights and hotels in rupees from India. For card swipes abroad, the 3.5% markup cancels out much of the benefit, so pair it with a low-markup card.

SBI Card MILES ELITE

MILES ELITE costs ₹4,999 a year, and the fee is reversed if you spend ₹15 lakh in a membership year. Its 1.99% forex markup is marginally below the 2% of the premium HDFC and Axis cards.

• Lounges: 6 complimentary international lounge visits a year (maximum 2 a quarter) with Priority Pass, which SBI Card says is complimentary for the first 2 years. Beyond the free visits, SBI charges USD 27 plus taxes per visit. In India you get 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year (maximum 2 a quarter), plus 1 extra domestic visit for every ₹1 lakh you spend, capped at 15 extra visits a year.
• Rewards: 6 Travel Credits per ₹200 on travel spends and 2 per ₹200 on other spends. One Travel Credit converts to 1 airmile or hotel point with most partners (some convert at 2:1), or is worth ₹0.50 against travel bookings. There is a 20,000 Travel Credit bonus on ₹12 lakh of annual spend.
• Partners: SBI Card's partner list (updated August 2026) includes Air India, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas, Turkish Airlines and United, and hotel programmes including Accor and IHG. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is not on the current list.

Who it suits: people who want to earn transferable miles at a mid-range fee and need a handful of lounge visits abroad.

Scapia

Scapia is a travel card issued with Federal Bank, Axis Bank and BOBCARD, managed through the Scapia app. It has no joining fee, no annual fee and no forex markup. Axis Bank's MITC lists the Scapia Axis Bank card with nil fees and a nil foreign-currency transaction fee.

• Rewards: Scapia advertises 10% rewards, paid as Scapia coins. At 5 coins to ₹1, that is roughly 2% of spend, and coins are redeemed against travel bookings on the Scapia app. Scapia describes card rewards as earned at merchants in India, so do not count on coins for spending abroad; the saving there is the zero markup.
• Lounges: unlimited domestic lounge access in India, unlocked by a combined monthly spend of ₹20,000 across your Scapia cards. It does not list complimentary lounge access outside India.

Who it suits: anyone who wants a card for everyday spending on the trip. It complements rather than replaces a card with international lounge access.

A note on Niyo Global

Niyo Global is often listed alongside these cards, but it is a debit card on an SBM Bank India savings account, not a credit card. SBM Bank says it charges zero forex markup and applies only the Visa exchange rate. Because it is a debit card, spending abroad on it falls under LRS, and the TCS rules above apply once your LRS total for the year crosses ₹10 lakh.

Lounge access: what has changed

Lounge benefits now come with more conditions than they used to:

• Spend-linked access is common. Regalia Gold (₹60,000 a quarter) and Scapia (₹20,000 a month) both tie domestic lounge access to your recent spending.
• Priority Pass is increasingly for abroad only. From 28 August 2026, Axis Bank stopped accepting Priority Pass at domestic lounges on Magnus and several other premium cards; the credit card itself is used instead.
• Guests and extra visits usually cost money. HDFC charges USD 27 plus tax per guest visit on INFINIA, and SBI Card charges USD 27 plus taxes for Priority Pass visits beyond the complimentary ones on MILES ELITE. Magnus includes 4 guest visits a year, and Atlas counts guests within its tier allowance.
• Check the lounge programme, not just the count. DreamFolks, which ran lounge access for many Indian cards, told the stock exchanges in September 2025 that it had discontinued its lounge services in India, and banks have moved to other arrangements. Confirm which programme your card uses and which lounges are eligible before you reach the airport.

For airport-by-airport lounge details, see our airport lounge access guide.

How to choose

Start from how you travel, not from the headline reward rate:

1. Estimate your foreign-currency spend for a year. Multiply it by each card's markup. On ₹2 lakh, 2% is ₹4,000 and 3.5% is ₹7,000. If your rewards on that spend are worth less than the markup, use a zero-markup card abroad.
2. Count the lounge visits you will actually use outside India. One or two international trips a year are covered by Regalia Gold's or MILES ELITE's 6 visits. Unlimited access only pays off if you fly abroad often or travel with add-on cardholders.
3. Check whether you will clear the fee waiver. INFINIA needs ₹10 lakh, Magnus ₹25 lakh, MILES ELITE ₹15 lakh and Regalia Gold ₹4 lakh. If you will not reach it, count the full fee as a cost.
4. Value points at the rate you will redeem them. An INFINIA point is ₹1 on travel but up to ₹0.30 as cashback. A Regalia Gold point is ₹0.50 on travel. Scapia coins only work on Scapia bookings. If you mostly want cash back, the travel valuations do not apply to you.
5. Carry a backup from a different bank and network. Fraud checks sometimes block a card abroad. A second card from another issuer keeps you paying while you sort it out.

Before you fly: a short checklist

• Enable international transactions and alerts in your card's app.
• Pay in local currency whenever a terminal or ATM offers rupees.
• Read your card's cash advance charges and interest terms in its MITC before withdrawing cash on a credit card abroad.
• Check what travel insurance your card really includes. Our travel insurance guide for Indians covers what card cover usually leaves out.
• If you need a prepaid option, compare forex cards in our forex card guide, keeping the LRS and TCS rules in mind.

Planning where to go? Browse holidays to Singapore, Thailand and Dubai, and read our tips on booking cheaper international flights from India.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card has zero forex markup in India?

Among the cards in this guide, only Scapia (issued with Federal Bank, Axis Bank or BOBCARD) charges 0% forex markup, with no joining or annual fee. SBI Card MILES ELITE charges 1.99%, HDFC INFINIA, HDFC Regalia Gold and Axis Magnus charge 2%, and Axis Atlas charges 3.5%. Check the issuer's current terms before applying.

Is TCS charged on credit card spending abroad?

No. Use of international credit cards while overseas is not treated as a remittance under LRS until further notice, so TCS does not apply. Debit card and forex card spending abroad does count under LRS: TCS is nil up to ₹10 lakh a financial year and 20% above that for most purposes. Overseas tour packages attract a flat 2% TCS from 1 April 2026.

Which travel credit cards give unlimited lounge access abroad?

HDFC Bank INFINIA gives unlimited international lounge access via Priority Pass to primary and add-on cardholders, and Axis Bank Magnus gives unlimited international Priority Pass visits plus 4 guest visits a year. HDFC Regalia Gold and SBI Card MILES ELITE give 6 international visits a year, and Axis Atlas gives 4, 6 or 12 depending on tier.

Should I pay in rupees or local currency when abroad?

Pay in local currency. Paying in rupees triggers Dynamic Currency Conversion, where the merchant sets the rate and some banks add a separate fee; Axis Bank, for example, lists a 3.5% DCC mark-up on most of its retail cards and 2% on Magnus.

Is a credit card or a forex card better for international travel?

A zero-markup credit card avoids pre-loading money, and spending on it abroad does not count under LRS. A forex card lets you load at a known rate, but it falls under LRS. Many travellers use a zero-markup credit card for purchases and keep a backup card from another bank.