Best credit cards for international travel & forex (2026)
Cards ranked by international value: forex markup, air-mile earn rate, international lounge access (Priority Pass / DreamFolks), and included travel insurance.
- 1SBI CardSBI Air India Signature Credit Card7.5% on International travel₹1,770/yr incl. GSTUp to 30 Reward Points per Rs 100 spent on Air India tickets booked through airindia.com41
- 2Axis BankAxis Reserve Credit Card7.5% on International travel₹59,000/yr incl. GST2X points on international card spending22
- 3HDFC BankSwiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card5% on International travel₹590/yr incl. GST2% travel (estimated)88
- 4HDFC BankHDFC 6E Rewards XL Indigo Credit Card5% on International travel₹1,770/yr incl. GST58
- 5Axis BankFlipkart Axis Bank Credit Card5% on International travel₹590/yr incl. GST2% travel (estimated)58
- 6ICICI BankICICI Adani One Signature Credit Card5% on International travel₹5,900/yr incl. GST37
- 7Federal BankFederal Bank Scapia Credit Card4% on International travelLifetime free20 Scapia Coins per ₹100 on travel bookings via the Scapia app; effective value ~4% at ₹0.20 per coin.53
- 8Kotak Mahindra BankWhite Reserve Credit Card4% on International travel₹11,800/yr incl. GST42
How we rank
We compute an effective % back for each card's International travel reward rule as rate × point value, cap-aware, and rank by that number. Ties are broken by the CardAgent overall score, which weighs reward value (70%), fee efficiency (12%), redemption flexibility (9%), and perks (9%). All fees are shown inclusive of 18% GST. See methodology and full catalog.
FAQ
What is the lowest forex markup card?
IDFC First Wealth (1.5%), Scapia Federal (0%), and Niyo Global (0%) offer the lowest forex markup in India. Premium travel cards like Axis Atlas (2%) trade slightly higher forex for miles.