Best Citibank PremierMiles Credit Cards in India

Citibank, a prominent name in the global market, has gained huge popularity in the Indian banking sector, owing to its excellent customer service and a wide range of products to suit the need of every customer. Citibank offers a wide range of banking solutions to customers that include credit card facilities. Different types of credit cards are available for different utility such as travel, shopping, fuel as well as lifestyle. 

 Citibank Cards at a glance

 

In the shopping category, the Citibank Credit Cards available are Citibank Rewards Card, Citibank Rewards Domestic Credit Card, Citibank Cash Back Credit Card, First Citizen Citibank Titanium Credit Card and Citibank Platinum Credit Card.

The fuel cards are IndianOil Citibank Platinum Credit Card and IndianOil Citibank Titanium Credit Card; while under the lifestyle credit card category, the Citi Prestige Credit Card is included.

In the travel category, Citibank PremierMiles Card provides miles as all the expenditure on tickets can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays and car rentals. Miles can be redeemed or transferred across over 100 domestic, international flights and hotel bookings.

The benefits of the Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card are:

• Bonus miles where 10,000 miles is obtained on the first spend of Rs. 1000 within 60 days of card issuance and 300 miles on the card renewal
• Faster Miles – Here, the miles are earned per Rs. 100 spent on air ticket booking, car rentals and hotel booking at PremierMiles website and other airline partners such as yatra.com and goibibo.com
• Never expiring miles provide the freedom of evergreen miles that never expire and can be redeemed at any point of time
• Get double the miles – A real joy miles earned by booking through the frequent flyer program where miles are added both ways, miles through FFP and through the Citibank PremierMiles Card
• Fly when you want, where the card holder can fly anytime and redeem anytime without any blackout dates
• Simpler redemption process, in which you can transfer miles to airline partners
• The card holder can keep a record of the reward tracking by simply sending an SMS request.

The features of the Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card include flexibility, while managing a credit card account becomes simple and easy through online banking, phone banking, SMS banking and mobile banking. The payment methods are even simpler through online e-pay, NEFT/RTGS, ECS, ATMs or Drop box.

Citibank PremierMiles Privileges

The Citibank PremierMiles provides the following privileges like complimentary access to airport lounges where gourmet meals, unlimited beverage and Wi-Fi are available. Complimentary air accident insurance cover up to Rs 1 Crore and lost card liability cover of Rs. 2 Lakhs is also available. Other privileges include dining privileges, shopping privilege, travel privileges, Citibank world privilege, EMI privileges at consumer electronic & mobile phone outlets, leading retail and e-shopping, payment options and instant loan on the Citibank PremierMiles card.

Enjoy while travelling as Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card is the best option for frequent flyers and travel lovers where the benefits, features and the privileges are immense.

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Best Credit Cards for Balance Transfers in India 2014

If you have been using credit cards regularly, you may sometimes develop a tendency to over-spend. If over-spending has become your habit, you are certain to exceed your financial capabilities. This may strain your finances and so, you may look for ways to come out of this quagmire. One of the best options that can help you surmount this situation is balance transfer on your credit cards. Balance transfer is a convenient option also because you will get time for arranging funds. Further, the interest will also be much less than that on the original credit card.

 To explain the situation more elaborately, if you have a tendency to over-spend and if you are also in the habit of making only partial payments, you will be forced to pay a very high interest on the unpaid amounts of your credit card bills. Some of the banks may levy 30 per cent per annum or even more on the unpaid amounts. If there are delays in your payments, there will be penalties and interests on interests also. All these things may push your debts up and there are chances of you getting into an irretrievably awkward financial situation.

It is in this context you are advised to use the option of balance transfers so that the interest you pay may get reduced even to 0%. This will continue for a while, may be few months, before which you can arrange the required funds. Another benefit from the option of balance transfer is that almost all the banks that offer this facility levy only a nominal fee for processing your application.

You should opt for the balance transfer scheme only if you think that the cash crunch you are facing is temporary. In other words, you must be certain of arranging funds very soon so that you can rectify your financial situation. Another point is that if you have all along been reckless in your credit card spending, you should jettison that habit and try to be more organized and disciplined in your financial matters.

Financial experts are of the unanimous view that opting for a balance transfer scheme is a very wise decision if the tenure you choose is one year or less than that. This is because the savings you can make on the interests will be substantial. So, this makes this option much better than all other avenues.

To put it differently, balance transfers are nothing but refinancing loans that are extended for clearing credit card dues. In general, those who have two credit cards from two issuing banks are eligible to opt for the balance transfer scheme of either of the banks.

Balance transfer is certainly an excellent scheme but people should not opt for it just with an intention of delaying their credit card payments. The best way to avoid such awkward situations is to have a disciplined approach towards personal finances and avoid over-spending. 

Some of the Best Balance Transfer Schemes In India

SBI Balance Transfer Credit Cards

According to SBI, their scheme makes things easy for those who opt for it. They add that their schemes are the best among the schemes available in the market.

HSBC Balance Transfer Schemes

HSBC says that the interest rate on their balance transfer schemes is very low and so, those who opt for them will benefit immensely. 

Standard Chartered Bank Balance Transfers

Standard Chartered Bank, that is one of the oldest international banks operating in India offers attractive balance transfer schemes for those who want to save on their interest payments.

Kotak Mahindra Bank Schemes

Kotak Mahindra Bank, one of the renowned banks in the private sector, also offers these schemes for the benefit of credit card holders.

CitiBank Schemes

Card holders can opt for CitiBank schemes also for transferring their credit card loans so that they can save substantially on their interest payments.

HDFC Bank Credit Card Balance Transfers

HDFC Bank that has been a pioneer for several schemes is also offering balance transfer schemes to benefit card holders who want to save on their interest payments.

In addition to the above banks, there are several nationalized and private sector banks that offer these schemes. If you visit reputed sites like BankBazaar.com, you can have all the details. You can compare the features of various schemes and make the right choice. You can use the "Credit Card Apply online" feature of the bank you choose and submit your application. You can apply through sites like BankBazaar.com also.

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Best credit cards for shopping in India 2014

Credit cards can be used in a variety of areas, one of which is shopping. Using credit cards for shopping is extremely convenient, as there is no need to carry cash in huge amount. In addition to this, you get a credit period to make the payment. But the biggest benefit is that you can get cash back, discounts and reward points on certain expenses. We have put out a list of the best credit cards for shopping purposes:

Citibank Rewards Card: As the name suggests, this card focuses on rewards. Rewards are high at 10 points for every Rs. 125 spent at partner outlets and 1 point on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed instantly at 700 partner outlets. You also get 2500 points on card activation. You earn bonus points on special occasions, on crossing certain amount of expenses and on renewal. The points earned do not expire as well. Interest rate is 3.25% per month.

 ICICI Bank Platinum Chip Visa Card: Joining fee for this shopping card from ICICI Bank is Rs. 199, which is reversed if spend is more than Rs.2000 in the first 60 days. Annual fee is Rs. 99, which is waived if the card spent is Rs. 50,000 or more in the previous year. The user earns Rs. 2 for every Rs. 100 spent on all retail purchases other than fuel. There is minimum 15% savings on dining at participating restaurants. You also get 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL petrol pumps. Overdue interest rate is 3.4% per month.

American Express Payback Credit Card: With an annual fee of Rs. 750 in the first year and Rs. 1500 from second year onwards, this payback card from AMEX doesn’t come cheap. Nevertheless, you can earn 3 payback points for every Rs. 100 spent and multiple points from more than 40 payback partners. This increases the number of points you earn. You can get discount vouchers and bonus payback points when you enrol and spend over Rs. 15000 within the first 60 days respectively. Other than this, there are also offers on dining, movie ticket and travel spend.

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: This is an expensive card with joining fee of Rs. 6000 and annual fee of Rs. 3500 (waived if the spend is more than Rs. 5 lakhs). However, the card is great in terms of the benefits it offers across entertainment, wellness, dining and golf. You enjoy both American Express and MasterCard benefits, with payback points of upto 6 points for every Rs. 100 spent. There is a complimentary membership to priority pass programme. You can also enjoy concierge services, 15% savings on dining, 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver and a lot more benefits.

HDFC Bank Titanium Edge Credit Card: This shopping card entails reward points of 2 points for every Rs. 150 spent and 50% more on dining spends. Reward points can be redeemed as cash back. You can enjoy a fuel surcharge waiver across petrol pumps. Interest rate on revolving credit facility is 3.25% per month. Interest free credit facility of upto 50 days is available from the date of purchase.

Citibank Cash Back Card : The cash back card from Citibank gives you 5% cash back on movie ticket purchases, telephone bill payments and utility bill payments made online. For all other spends, you receive 0.5% cash back. The annual fee on the card is Rs. 500. Interest rate is comparatively nominal at 2.5% per month. You also get 20% savings on dining bills and shopping privileges at partner outlets.

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Check out the Best Credit Cards in India 2014

The world has been swept by the plastic money wave, and India is no different. Although the use of credit cards in India is much lower than other developed countries, there are several options to choose from various leading banks in the country. There are cards catering to specific needs like shopping, travel, entertainment, etc. and also catering to specific individuals like salaried class, women, doctors, etc. Here we list the best credit cards in India across different categories:

Citibank Rewards Card: A rewards-focused card, the rewards earned are high at 10 points for every Rs. 125 spent at partner outlets. Beyond this, you can earn 1 point on all other purchases. There is no joining fee, but annual fee is Rs. 1000. This can be waived if total annual spend exceeds Rs. 30000. You earn bonus points on special occasions, on crossing certain amount of expenses and on renewal. The points earned do not expire. Interest rate is 3.25% per month.

HDFC Bank Titanium Times Card: You can earn reward points of 2 points for every Rs. 150 spent. The joining fee and annual fee on this card is Rs. 500 each. There are welcome benefits in the form of gift vouchers across shopping, apparel and dining and discount offers on movie and dining and fuel surcharge waiver. Interest rate is at 3.15% per month. Interest free credit facility of upto 50 days is available from the date of purchase.

Corporation Bank CorpBank Gold Card: At an interest rate of 2.25% per month, this card scores well on account of the cost. There is no joining fee or renewal fee. You should however be a customer of the bank for atleast 3 months with a minimum net annual income of Rs. 2 lakhs. The free credit period is upto 50 days. The card gives you reward points of 1 point for every Rs. 150 spent.

SBI Platinum Card: SBI’s Platinum card is expensive with a joining fee of Rs. 2,999 and annual fee of Rs. 2,999. However, reward points earned are high at 10 points for every Rs.100 spent on dining, department stores and international spends and 2 points for every Rs. 100 spent on other transactions. There are a whole host of other benefits like welcome gift worth Rs. 3000, spend rewards worth Rs.3000, Rs. 3000 worth anniversary gift, airport lounge access, specialized concierge facilities for various services and fuel surcharge waiver. Interest rate is 3.35% per month.

American Express Payback Credit Card: This card is good for shopping purposes and focuses on rewarding payback points. You can get 3 payback points for every Rs. 100 spent on behalf of American Express plus multiple points from more than 40 payback partners, thus giving you extra earning benefit. You can also get welcome benefits in the form of discount vouchers and bonus payback points depending on your expenses in the initial 60 days. There are offers on dining, movie ticket and travel spend as well. However, the annual fee is Rs. 750 in the first year and Rs. 1500 from second year onwards.

ICICI Bank Instant Titanium Credit Card: This card is issued against your fixed deposit and can be got instantly. The card gives you Rs. 200 worth movie tickets every month. You also get minimum 15% discount on dining through the bank’s Culinary Treats program. You can earn 3 payback points for every Rs. 100 spent and also enjoy a fuel surcharge waiver in select HPCL petrol pumps. Interest rate is comparatively low at 2.49% per month.

For more information visit the given link hope that helps you -  http://www.bankbazaar.com/credit-card.html

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Citibank titanium cash back credit card offers

Citibank India is one of the most popular private sector banks operating in the country. Citibank offers a number of credit card options catering to the needs of wide sections of society. From Travel centric credit cards to fuel related card, lifestyle credit cards and shopping oriented credit cards, Citibank offers a credit card for just about each segment of the society.

Along with various rewards and offers, Citibank credit cards come with a host of added benefits like insurance benefits including smart cash and travel insurance benefits. Citibank titanium cash back credit card is one of the most popular credit cards from the house of Citibank offering various exclusive features along with the common features common with other variants of Citibank credit cards. Citibank titanium cash back credit card also offers various time centric special features making it one of the most highly sought out credit card scheme from Citibank.

Special Features of Citibank titanium cash back credit card:

Citibank titanium cash back credit card offers a host of special features for its subscribers. The interest rate offered by Citibank titanium cash back credit card is the lowest in its class at 2.5% per month. Citibank titanium cash back credit card has a specially drafted reward program allowing users to earn reward points of each and every purchase irrespective of the spending across all products and services. Weekend spending using the credit card offer for a 5 times cash reward point accumulation making the card ideal for families seeking to shop of weekends. Cash back redemption is also allowed on travel bookings. The annual fee charged for Citibank titanium cash back credit card is Rs. 500 while the card offers complimentary tickets for two persons for domestic travel.

Exclusive Features Offered by Citibank titanium cash back credit card:

Citibank titanium cash back credit card offers two multiple special features that make the card stand out amid other credit cards. It offers a wide range of cash rewards advantage allowing users to redeem rewards points for a wide range of goodies and gifts in cash and kind. Citibank titanium cash back credit card allows users the chance to earn 1 reward point for every purchase of Rs. 200 on weekdays.

The reward point for weekend purchase gets multiplied by 5 and the same quantum of money when spent over the weekends fetch 5 reward points. The reward points can be redeemed for cash back against the outstanding balance as per your credit card statement. The users have the options to choose other exciting gifts listed in the Citibank reward catalog with instant redemption and free home delivery of gifts. Furthermore Citibank titanium cash back credit card reward point redemption allows shopping discounts at various online websites including indiaplaza.com

Charges for Citibank titanium cash back credit card:

Citibank titanium cash back credit card comes with a joining fee and an annual fee to the tune of Rs. 500. The boarding interest rate charged by the card is 2.50% per month or 30% annual. The interest rate is changed periodically based on the spending, payback and individual credit card utilization pattern. Citibank titanium cash back credit card charges a cash advance fee of 2% subject to a minimum cash withdrawal of Rs 300 an US$ 7.5 in case of international ATMs. It also charges petrol transaction charges to the tune of 2.5% of the amount of the credit limit subject to a minimum of Rs. 500.

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Best Credit Card Offers in India 2014

In the present day world, credit cards, also referred to as plastic money, have become an indispensable part of everyday life, especially among the upper middle and high class of the society. Of late, people have stopped stashing their wallets with actual money, and prefer carrying a couple of credit cards instead, which, apart from making day-to-day transactions easy, also serve the purpose of a status symbol for the owners.

Despite the fact that credit card is, at present, one of the most sought after monetary instruments in India, a major chunk of the population apply for it without conducting much research and overlook the features and benefits offered by the service providers. There are several things that one must look into before selecting and applying for a credit card, including hidden charges, customer service, rewards and benefits, transaction charges and others. Based on such an analysis, here is a tally list of some of the best credit cards offered by several banks and financial institutions for salaried professionals in India.

1. Citibank Platinum Credit Card

Citibank platinum credit card is the talk of the day among several middle, upper middle and even upper class members of the society. With zero joining and annual fees, no person wouldn’t want to have such a credit card in their wallet. Subject to an interest rate of 3.25% per month on transactions not serviced with 55 days, this credit card offers 5x reward points at various restaurants, shopping outlets, travel, entertainment and other merchant partners, in addition to 1 point for every Rs. 125 spent anywhere.

2. HDFC Platinum Plus Credit Card

When talking about the best credit card in India, HDFC is the first name that pops up in mind. With an annual fee of Rs.299 (subject to full waiver if the annual retail spending crosses the Rs. 30000 mark) and an interest rate of 3.15% per month, this HDFC credit card offer scores of benefits to the users. Some of the prime highlights of the platinum plus credit card include 0% fuel surcharge, zero liability on lost card, free add-on cards, exclusive discounts and offers on shopping and dining, free credit period of up to 50 days and cash withdrawal limit of 40% of the credit limit.

3. SBI Gold and More Credit Card

Gold and More SBI Credit Card is yet another option worth considering for interested customers. As of now, this credit card is available at a joining fee of Rs.499 and is subject to an annual fee of Rs.499, which can be waived off if a user spends more than Rs. 75000 or more in the preceding year. As far as rewards and benefits are concerned, the bank is now offering 2.5% cash back at all grocery and departmental stores, 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver, 2000 bonus cash points on first purchase, Rs.100 cash back on first ATM withdrawal and lots of other benefits on merchant specific spending.

So, these are some of the best credit card options that are made available by various public and private sector banks this year. With the increasing demand of credit cards and amazing response towards the accompanying reward schemes, it is pretty evident that banks will come up with more attractive offers in the times to come. 

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Will a Balance Transfer on a Credit Card Help You Save Money ?

Since the credit card boom in India, shopping has been relatively easy for the middle class population. What people forget is the ‘buy now pay later’ option that a credit card provides, makes them pay it for a long time. They ignore the fact that credit card loans are probably the most expensive loan they can possibly incur (thanks to the spending power they get). It gets extremely difficult to make timely payments and coping up with the heavy interest.

The Vicious Circle of Credit Card Payments

Most people just pay the minimum due balance on the credit card along with the interest. What they don’t realize is paying the minimum due doesn’t help their credit situation at all. Rather, the outstanding amount stays as it is and if they still keep using your card for random purchases, the amount just keeps on getting intensified. One fine day they realize that they owe a huge sum to the credit card company and don’t have the means to pay it off.

Yes, the truth is credit card payments are a vicious circle, which entangles your finances in a bad way. Now if you see yourself in this position where the debt is going higher and the minimum payments are not helping in reducing the amount, what would be your first line of defense? Believe it or not, there are a lot many who take a personal loan or borrow money to pay off the credit card. What they are doing here is in fact incurring more debt.

The Role of Balance Transfer to pay Credit Card Bills

So how does one come out of this financial fiasco of credit card debt? Well the fact is there are some easy ways that can help in avoiding the high rate of interest and concentrating on knocking off the principle balance. But for that you need another credit card, with a balance transfer facility. Well of course it may sound a little lame when we say this, because superficially it looks like you are paying one credit card and still incurring debt on another. But the fact is balance transfer credit cards come with hordes of options that help you save money.

Here is how you can save some money for yourself in the bargain and manage your credit card fiasco.

• As long as the outstanding amount on your credit card is under 80% of the new card limit, you can do a balance transfer from one card to another.
• There may be a small processing fee in some case (usually 2% or less), while some other offer free balance transfers.
• Once you transfer your balance, your outstanding credit card gets paid off. Of course you have to pay the new card but most of these cards come with a 0% interest for three months. So whatever you pay on these cards will go purely towards the principle amount
• Some companies don’t offer a 0% for 3 months but a 1.5% for six months, which is a fair deal as opposed to paying the high APR on your other credit card.
• So now instead of struggling with interest + minimum due, you are purely paying the principle amount, which will be much easy to manage as opposed to the previous situation.

This option will work best for those who can pay lump-sums towards the new balance transfer card because only the first 3 months are at 0% interest (in some cases 1.5% for 6 months). The bottom line, you should be able to pay the entire outstanding amount on the new credit card within the stipulated period or you may get entangled again in the interest and credit debt web.

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