Platinum Choice Credit Card

RBL Platinum Choice, the short version

• RBL Platinum Choice costs ₹499 + GST a year, and RBL reverses next year's fee if you spend ₹50,000 in the year.
• It earns 2 points per ₹100 online and 1 point per ₹100 elsewhere. At ₹0.11 to ₹0.25 a point, that is well under 1%.
• The most common user story is a telecaller promising a free card and a fee turning up later.

A note on names: many Reddit threads about "Platinum Choice" are about the Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank Platinum Choice SuperCard, a co-branded cousin with its own terms. This page covers RBL's own Platinum Choice.

Told it was lifetime free on a call?

In the sentiment report for this card, 8 of 13 threads describe the same pattern. A sales agent says the card is lifetime free or comes with vouchers, and an annual fee posts later. Our records show the card as not lifetime free.

So before you activate it, ask RBL to confirm the fee by SMS or email. Check the first statement for a joining fee line. If a fee you were told about posts anyway, raise it straight away and keep the reference number. Users report that RBL sometimes reverses the fee but not the GST, so ask for both.

What 2 points per ₹100 online is really worth

Spend ₹5,000 a month online and you earn 100 points. That is ₹11 to ₹25, depending on what you redeem for. RBL's page says online points are capped at 1,000, but does not say whether that is per month or per year. Filling the cap takes ₹50,000 of online spend and is worth ₹110 to ₹250.

Then there is the redemption fee: ₹99 + GST, charged once on each day you redeem. On 1,000 points worth ₹250 at best, the fee takes about ₹117. Users in the report call this the reason the points feel worthless. Redeem rarely, in one go.

Fuel, rent, utilities, insurance, education, wallet loads, EMI, government payments and cash earn nothing.

The perks that actually pay

• BookMyShow: 10% off, up to ₹100 a month. Users who book a movie every month say this is the part they use.
• Fuel: surcharge waiver up to ₹100 a month on fills of ₹500 to ₹4,000.
• Welcome: 2,000 points if you pay the fee and spend ₹2,000 in 30 days. Not given on first-year-free cards.

Making the ₹50,000 reversal stick

Users say they had to call RBL most years to get the reversal applied. Track your eligible spend from the first statement, since excluded categories may not count. If the fee posts after you crossed ₹50,000, call and quote your total. Do not spend extra just to hit the mark; the reversal is only worth ₹499 + GST.

If you want a ₹499 RBL card that leans on movies instead, Platinum Advantage gives 20% off BookMyShow but has no stated fee waiver.

Who should keep Platinum Choice, and who should not

Keep it if you hold it free in writing, or if you will clear ₹50,000 a year anyway and use the movie discount most months. It works as a quiet backup card for RBL sale offers.

Skip it if you want real cashback. Users in the report keep pointing to the Amazon Pay ICICI card, which is lifetime free and has no redemption fee. Background on the issuer: RBL Bank guide.

Credit Card Information Compiled by: Abhijeet Kumar | Reviewed by: Anmol Ratan Sachdeva