🚨 Air India x Standard Chartered: Fast-Track Maharaja Gold / Silver statuses for "affluent clients" in UAE & Singapore! If you've banking relationship in SG & UAE, this announcement definitely worth checking out. airindia.com/in/en/newsroom/… Meanwhile, ccgeeks waiting for AirIndia Card..

✈️ Amex → Accor ALL: 4:1 👀 🏨 Amex → ITC 2:1 (Coming Soon!)

I get info about new card releases, bonuses, and a lot more before public. I’ve even worked w 3 brands building out card products and know card releases 6m before they even launch. I’m just not allowed to disclose :p

LOL, people were selling lounge access, and in response, BoB downgraded Eterna to Premier. 😂 H/T: Reddit

While people shit on the ICICI 1838 Reserve, I think we’ve tunnel-visioned so hard into reward rates that we’ve forgotten to step back and see what this card actually offers. I won’t lie, when I first saw the benefits, I thought charging ₹2 lakh as an annual fee was a joke. But after diving deeper, I realised that for the audience they’re going after, this card actually makes a lot of sense. And it’s not about the villa stay or the free haircuts at Truefitt & Hill. It’s mainly three things. 1. Full-access Quorum Club membership with your spouse. This membership alone costs ₹4–6 lakh, and you also get access to their network of 280+ private clubs worldwide. I’ve spoken to several luxury lifestyle concierge brands, and the demand among HNIs for these exclusive private clubs is only increasing. Places to work out of, network, host people, attend events, dine, etc. 2. A full-fledged lifestyle manager through Crib Life. Essentially, a dedicated concierge who can help you get things done, arrange experiences, and manage lifestyle requests. I’ve used Crib Life through my Times Black card, and they’ve actually been excellent. 3. The Visa Infinite Privilege business-class benefit. 50% off your second business-class ticket, up to ₹50,000, every quarter. For someone who regularly travels business class with their partner, using this benefit even twice a year across separate quarters could mean ₹1 lakh in savings. I genuinely think there was a gap in the UHNI market for a card that offers access to closed doors and a proper lifestyle concierge. So, will I be getting it? Firstly, I’m not a UHNI. But if I lived in or around Worli or Lower Parel, close to The Quorum in Mumbai, I would have definitely gotten this card for at least one year. Just for the networking, enjoying the club, and exploring the private club access around the world. My verdict? If you’re wealthy and live close to a Quorum, I genuinely think this card is a no-brainer. But if you don’t value the Quorum membership, it becomes really, really hard to justify the annual fee. P.S. This is NOT an ad. I just think most people have tunnel-visioned into treating credit cards solely as reward point-generating machines. But if you actually look into what something like The Quorum Club offers, you’ll understand why exclusivity can sometimes be worth it.