CardTrail

🚂

Best Credit Card for IRCTC in India (2026)

Quick answer:

SBI IRCTC Premier Credit Card gives you up to 10% back on Indian Railways train ticket bookings — the highest of any card we track. Scapia Federal Credit Card is the best free alternative.

Updated April 2026·10 cards compared·No affiliate commissions

Top 10 Cards for IRCTC

1

SBI IRCTC Premier Credit Card

SBI

Up to 10% — directly optimised for railways

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹1,499
Score8.3/10
Co-branded / Direct
2

IRCTC RuPay SBI Card

SBI

Up to 10% — directly optimised for railways

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹500
Score7.9/10
Co-branded / Direct
3

IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card

HDFC

Up to 5% — directly optimised for railways

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹500
Score8.2/10
Co-branded / Direct
4

SBI IRCTC Credit Card

SBI

Up to 5% — directly optimised for railways

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹500
Score7.5/10
Co-branded / Direct
5

IRCTC RBL Bank Credit Card

RBL

Up to 2.5% — directly optimised for irctc

Reward rateUp to 2.5%
Annual fee₹500
Score6/10
Co-branded / Direct
6

HDFC Diners Club Black

HDFC

Up to 33% on travel category

Reward rateUp to 33%
Annual fee₹10,000
Score9.1/10
7

HDFC Diners Club Metal Edition

HDFC

Up to 33% on travel category

Reward rateUp to 33%
Annual fee₹10,000
Score8.9/10
8

HDFC Regalia

HDFC

Up to 13% on travel category

Reward rateUp to 13%
Annual fee₹2,500
Score8.3/10
9

IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card

IDFC FIRST

Up to 10% on travel category

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹3,000
Score9/10
10

HDFC Infinia

HDFC

Up to 10% on travel category

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹12,500
Score8.9/10

How We Ranked These

We ranked all 239 credit cards in our database against IRCTC using three tiers of relevance:

  1. Direct match — cards specifically designed for or partnered with IRCTC (co-branded cards, direct accelerated rewards)
  2. Category match — cards that earn accelerated rewards on the spending category that IRCTC falls under
  3. Broad match — cards that earn elevated rewards on related or overlapping categories

Within each tier, cards are sorted by effective reward rate (highest first), then by CardTrail Score as a tiebreaker. Every number on this page comes from our database — nothing is fabricated.

Tips to Maximise Rewards on IRCTC

→

IRCTC SBI co-branded cards earn bonus rewards on train bookings

→

IRCTC transactions code under 'Railway' or 'Government Services' MCC

→

Tatkal booking convenience fees are included in the reward-eligible amount on most cards

Free vs Paid: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

Best Free Card

Scapia Federal Credit Card

Federal Bank · ₹0 annual fee

Up to 10% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

Score: 8.7/10

Best Overall

SBI IRCTC Premier Credit Card

SBI · ₹1,499 annual fee

Up to 10% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

Score: 8.3/10

Cards to Avoid for IRCTC

These are popular, well-rated cards that earn only their base reward rate on Indian Railways train ticket bookings. If you carry one of these, use a different card for IRCTC purchases.

IndusInd Tiger Credit Card

IndusInd · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.2% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

HDFC Millennia

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 0.75% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.6/10 — but only 1% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings

These are great cards for other spending categories — just not for Indian Railways train ticket bookings. Use the top-ranked card above instead.

Related: Best Cards for Similar Spending

Best for ixigo Best for redBus Best for MakeMyTrip

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the highest cashback on IRCTC?
SBI IRCTC Premier Credit Card from SBI gives up to 10% back on Indian Railways train ticket bookings. It has a CardTrail Score of 8.3/10 with an annual fee of ₹1,499.
Is there a no-annual-fee credit card good for IRCTC?
Yes — Scapia Federal Credit Card is a free card (₹0 annual fee) that earns up to 10% on Indian Railways train ticket bookings. CardTrail Score: 8.7/10.
How do credit card rewards work on IRCTC?
Credit cards earn rewards based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the transaction. IRCTC transactions are assigned an MCC by the payment network, and cards with accelerated rewards on that MCC earn higher cashback or points.
Which popular credit cards should I avoid using for IRCTC?
Cards like IndusInd Tiger Credit Card, HDFC Millennia, HDFC Swiggy Credit Card have high overall scores but earn only their base rate (1.2% or less) on Indian Railways train ticket bookings. Use a category-matched card instead.

Found this useful?

Get notified when card rules change, benefits get devalued, or new cards launch. One email, only when it matters.

Explore more

All Best CardsCard DirectoryCompare CardsCalculators