Verification note
Reviewed on 29 October 2026 against Air India's official partnership announcement, Maharaja Club information and SBI Card customer notices. The product is still being developed. Launch timing, applications, fees, rewards, lounge access, insurance, eligibility and exclusions are unconfirmed and require manual verification before publication or application.
Air India and SBI Card announced on 28 October 2026 that they have entered a partnership to develop a new co-branded credit card programme powered by Visa.
The planned card will be aimed at members of Air India's Maharaja Club loyalty programme and is expected to include travel and lifestyle benefits. However, the announcement is a partnership update—not a complete product launch.
No application link, launch date, card variants, fees or reward rates were published. Customers should avoid treating predictions or legacy-card features as confirmed benefits of the new programme.
What is confirmed and what is not
| Topic | Current status | What to verify later |
|---|---|---|
| Partners | Air India, SBI Card and Visa | Final issuer and network terms |
| Loyalty programme | Designed for Maharaja Club members | Earning rate, transfer ratio, caps and expiry |
| Benefits | Travel and lifestyle benefits are planned | Lounge access, vouchers, milestones and insurance |
| Availability | Under development | Launch date, eligibility and application channel |
| Pricing | Not announced | Joining fee, annual fee and waiver threshold |
What the partnership announcement says
The programme will use the Visa network.
It is being developed for Air India's Maharaja Club members.
The partners intend to connect everyday spending with travel and lifestyle rewards.
Air India wants Maharaja Club to play a larger role in its loyalty ecosystem.
The announcement does not provide product-level fees, reward rates or application details.
Why Maharaja Club matters
Maharaja Club is Air India's frequent-flyer programme. Air India says members can earn and redeem Maharaja Points through eligible Air India, Air India Express and Star Alliance activity, subject to programme rules.
The airline's announcement says the programme added more than five million members after its 2024 redesign. It also refers to Air India and Air India Express serving 104 destinations and to earning or redemption opportunities across 25 other Star Alliance airlines.
These loyalty-programme facts are time-sensitive. They do not reveal how the forthcoming credit card will earn points. The card may use direct Maharaja Points, SBI Reward Points with conversion, or another structure; none of those possibilities should be assumed until official card terms are published.
How this differs from older Air India SBI cards
SBI Card previously issued Air India SBI Platinum and Air India SBI Signature cards. SBI Card's customer notices say new issuance of both variants was discontinued from 10 October 2024.
Existing references to those older cards remain on official pages, including fees, rewards and lounge benefits. Those legacy terms must not be copied into descriptions of the forthcoming programme.
The 2026 announcement does not say whether existing cardholders will be migrated, upgraded, invited to apply or left on their current products. It also does not confirm whether the new programme will have one card or multiple variants.
Manual confirmation required: Existing Air India SBI cardholders should follow account-specific SBI Card communication. Do not close or change a current card based only on the partnership announcement.
What prospective applicants should compare
When the product launches, compare the complete annual value rather than the headline welcome benefit. Begin with the joining and renewal fees, then calculate the value of rewards from your normal spending.
Check whether Air India purchases earn extra points and whether taxes, convenience fees, insurance, utilities, rent, fuel, education or government payments are excluded. Also verify monthly caps, milestone-spend definitions and the treatment of refunds and cancelled tickets.
For travel benefits, confirm domestic and international lounge limits, spending conditions, guest access, airport coverage and whether unused visits carry forward. Check voucher validity, blackout dates and minimum points required for redemption.
A travel card is most useful when the airline, routes and loyalty programme match your actual travel. Do not spend more merely to reach a milestone or recover an annual fee.
Confirmed facts and interpretation
Confirmed: Air India, SBI Card and Visa are developing a new co-branded programme for Maharaja Club members. The announcement describes planned travel and lifestyle benefits but does not disclose launch timing, fees, reward rates, lounge access or applications. SBI Card says new issuance of the older Platinum and Signature variants ended in October 2024.
Editorial interpretation: The partnership has strong potential because it connects a large airline loyalty programme with a major issuer and global network. Its actual value cannot be judged until the full pricing, earning, redemption and exclusion rules are published.
Key takeaways
- The Air India–SBI Card–Visa partnership is confirmed.
- The new programme is intended for Maharaja Club members.
- The card has not yet received complete product terms or an application date.
- Fees, rewards, lounge access and eligibility remain unconfirmed.
- Do not apply legacy Air India SBI card benefits to the new programme.
- Wait for the official product page, MITC and key fact statement before comparing value.
Frequently asked questions
Has the new Air India SBI credit card launched?
No launch or application date was announced in the 28 October 2026 partnership release. Air India and SBI Card said they are developing the new Visa-powered programme.
What will the joining and annual fees be?
The announcement did not disclose joining fees, annual fees, fee-waiver conditions or card variants. Wait for the official product page and key fact statement.
How many Maharaja Points will the card earn?
No card-specific reward rate, transfer ratio, cap or exclusion was published. Existing Maharaja Club flight-earning rules should not be treated as the new card's earning structure.
Will the card include airport lounge access?
The partnership announcement refers generally to travel and lifestyle benefits but does not confirm lounge access, visit limits, eligible airports or spending conditions.
What happens to existing Air India SBI cardholders?
The new announcement does not explain migration, replacement or benefit changes for existing Air India SBI Platinum or Signature cardholders. Existing customers should follow direct SBI Card communications.
Sources checked on 29 October 2026
Factual-review checklist
- Compared the title, slug, keyword, issuer, airline, network, source announcement and main facts with the current main branch and all 26 open pull requests; no duplicate or substantially overlapping article was found.
- Used Air India's official 28 October 2026 announcement as the primary source.
- Distinguished the forthcoming programme from the older Air India SBI Platinum and Signature cards.
- Did not invent a launch date, application link, fees, rewards, lounge access, eligibility or exclusions.
- Internal links point to published CreditCardRanker pages.
- Manual confirmation remains required for every product-level feature and the treatment of existing cardholders.