Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card is a premium credit card from Yes Bank. Earlier, its name was Yes Bank First Exclusive. However, it changed the name of many of its credit cards last year to make its way into the credit card Industry. Not just the name, there were changes to many other things. And I have been hearing a lot of Yes Bank Reserve Credit cards these days. Let’s find out how where it stands.
Overview: Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card
Here is an overview of the Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card:
| Type | Rewards |
| Joining Fees/Annual Fees | INR 1999 Plus Taxes |
| Welcome Benefits | NA |
| Renewal Fees | INR 1999 Plus Taxes |
| Renewal Benefits | 8000 Reward Points |
| Reversal of Annual Fees | INR 3 Lacs Spending |
| Forex Markup Charges | 1.75% Plus Taxes |
| Lounge Access | Domestic-3/Qtr INTL-6/Year |
| Default Reward Rate | 1.50%-3% |
| Maximize Reward Earn By | Online Spending Subscription Plan |
| Redemption Maximization | Travel Booking [Hotel & Flights] |
| Stand Out Feature | Purchase Protection |
Yes Bank Reserv Card Eligibility
To be eligible for Yes Reserv:
- You should be a Minimum of 21 Years old,
- Earning a Net Monthly Income of INR 2 Lac or Income Tax Return of 18 Lac Per Annum
Annual Fees
Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card has annual fees of INR 1999 plus taxes. However, getting this card for the first year free is possible.
Welcome Benefits
There are no welcome benefits on Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card. However, from 2nd year onwards, you will get 8000 Reward points if fees are charged.
Fee wavier on Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card
In the first year, fees are waived on the spending of INR 40K within 30 days of card set-up. From 2nd year onwards, the fee is waived on spending of INR 3 Lacs in the card anniversary year. The fee waiver spending requirement is very low for a premium credit card like this.
Yes Bank Reserv Card Reward Earning
Your reward point earned on the Yes Bank Reserv credit card varies based on where you spend.
| Category | Earning | Reward Rate |
| Online Spends | [12+12=24] Pts/200 | 3.00 % |
| Offline Spends | 12 Pts/200 | 1.50% |
| Select Categories | 6 Pts/200 | 0.75% |
Boost Points Earning with a Subscription Plan
Yes Bank Rewards Subscription Plan is a great way to boost your points earning on Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card. You can choose from two plans. One is a 3x plan, and the other is a 5x plan. With a 3x plan, your regular points will be boosted three times; with 5x, they will be boosted five times. However, the 5x plan is only valid for Travel, Dining, Fashion & Healthcare. A 3x plan costs INR 3500, and a 5x plan costs INR 5000 plus taxes. In a statement cycle, you can earn a maximum of 75K additional points in both plans.
| Category | 3x Categories | 3x Plan Reward Rate | 5x Earnings | 5x Plan Reward Rate |
| Online Spends | 48 Pts/200 | 6.00% | 72 Pts/200 | 9.00% |
| Offline Spends | 36 Pts/200 | 4.50% | 60 Pts/200 | 7.50% |
| Select Categories | 18 Pts/200 | 2.25% | NA | NA |
Bonus Points Offers
Yes Bank sends several bonus points-earning offers. They are running a registration-based bonus points offer on Insurance spending. I often receive emails for bonus points on International spending as well. So, make sure to check your email for these offers.
Select Categories
Yes Bank has categorised specific spending under “Select Categories”, which will only earn 6 points on every INR 200 spending.
These are the select categories:
- Transportation—Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger, including Ferries
- Limousines and Taxicabs
- Bridge and Road Fees
- Tolls
- Bus Lines
- Miscellaneous Food Stores
- Convenience Stores
- Markets & Specialty Stores
- Grocery Stores
- Supermarkets
- Court Costs
- Fines
- Payments
- Utility Bill Payments
- Insurance
- Education
- Government payments
Capping of Points
Since Online spending earns more points than offline spending, there is a capping of 36K points. This limit will be exhausted when you spend INR 3 Lac monthly, which is a big limit.
However, you will continue to earn 12 reward points on every INR 200 spent once you reach the limit of 36K points.
| Earning on | Statement Cycle Points Capping |
| Online Spends | 36000 |
| Subscription Plan | 75000 |
| Utilities | 25000 [w.e.f. 7th Mar’24] |
Exclusions
There are two exclusions: one is general exclusions, and the other is subscription plan exclusion.
You will not earn any points on the following:
- Rental Including Real Estate Management, Maintenance, etc. [w.e.f. 7th Mar’24]
- Wallet [w.e.f. 7th Mar’24]
- Cash Withdrawals
- Fuel Transactions
- EMI Converted Transactions
You also have to bear 1% charges on rental and wallet transactions. So, using Yes Reserv for rental and wallet recharge transactions doesn’t make sense.
You don’t have any bonus points under the subscription plan on the below spending; only base points are given:
- Pawn Shops
- Video Game Arcades/Establishments
- Dating/Escort Services
- Gambling Transactions Betting (Sportsbook, fantasy, social gaming)
- Gambling-Horse, Dog Racing, State Lottery
- Digital Goods – Games
Redemption of Rewards Points
There are multiple ways to redeem Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card Points:
- Any Flight: INR 0.25/Pt
- Any Hotel: INR 0.25/ Pt
- Vouchers: INR 0.10/Pt
- Bill Payment [Number of Options]: INR 0.10/Pt
- Points Transfer to Vistara: 10:1
- Transfer to Intermiles: 10:1
- Transfer Credit Card Points to another member.
- Redeem at Merchants: INR 0.10/Pt
It will make sense for most Yes Bank Reserv Points redemption on flights and hotels, as you can book any flight and hotel available on the redemption portal. And prices are not jacked up like on HDFC SmartBuy.
How much benefit can you get from Reserv Credit Card?
For online spending, Yes Bank Reserv is a great card. You get a 3% reward rate. Plus, the fee waiver is at 3 Lacs, which is also achievable. So, you effectively don’t have to pay anything to earn a 3% reward rate.
Combine this card with a Subscription Plan, and this reward rate shoots up to 6%, which is exceptional; however, you will have to shell out INR 4K. Still, if your majority of spending is online, where you don’t earn any accelerated points, this card surely works.
And, if your spending is more than 50% on Travel, Dining, Fashion, & Healthcare, then a 5x plan will give a 9% reward rate with a cost of INR 6K. An advantage of the Yes Bank Reserv credit card is that you can book a flight and hotel for a point value of INR 0.25.
Lounge Access Benefit
You get both Domestic & International Lounge Access with a Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card. The Domestic Lounge Access Benefit is available to both Primary and Add-on cardholders, whereas for international lounges, it is only for primary cardholders.
| Lounges | Limit |
| Domestic | 3/QTR |
| International | 6/YR |
From 1st April 2024, the lounge access benefit will only be available if you spent INR 10K in the previous quarter. I find the spending requirement low; however, why do banks want people to track their spending every quarter?
Quarter means 21st Dec-20th Mar, 21st Mar-20th Jun, 21st Jun-20th Sept and 21st Sep-20th Dec for Yes Bank Credit Card.
Purchase Protection
Yes Bank added a Purchase Protection feature to the Reserv Credit Card from 18th December 2023. It is a good feature for a credit card with low or waived annual fees.
This is basically insurance coverage against accidental damage or burglary. [Complete Official Details]
| Particulars | Conditions |
| Eligible Purchase | From any domestic e-commerce website |
| Payment Mode | Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card |
| Minimum Item Value | INR 5K |
| Maximum Cover | INR 50K |
| Eligible Customers | Spending of INR 1 in the last 60 days |
| Purchase Date | After 18th Dec 2023 |
| Validity | Six months from the date of purchase |
| Contact | 18001036000 or [email protected] [email protected] |
Other Benefits
You also enjoy these benefits on your Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card:
- Forex Markup of 1.75% plus taxes
- 25% Off up to INR 250 monthly on Movie tickets at BookMyShow.
- Four green fee waivers per year
- One Golf lesson per year in India.
- Credit Shield cover of 15 Lac [Applicable on Death due to Accident Only]
- Lost Card liability 15 Lac to 30 Lac
Bottomline
Yes Bank Reserv Credit Card is a good card for online shopping due to accelerated earning. It also has benefits, usually on Super Premium credit cards, like low forex markup, lounge access and purchase protection. That, too, with a low wavier spending threshold, effectively making it free. If you are eligible for this card, try it out.
