SBI Cards is reducing a key travel perk on the SBI Elite Credit Card: Priority Pass lounge visits will drop from 6 to 2 per quarter starting June 2026. At the same time, the Trident Privilege membership benefit is being discontinued. The annual fee stays unchanged at ₹4,999, and the milestone benefit of ₹5,000 on annual spending of ₹10 lakh remains intact. This is a clear devaluation for cardholders who primarily value lounge access and hotel privileges.
The old structure gave SBI Elite cardholders 6 Priority Pass lounge visits per quarter, which meant up to 24 visits a year if fully utilized. Under the new rule, that falls to 2 per quarter, or 8 visits annually. The Trident Privilege benefit, which had added hotel value for frequent travelers, is also being removed entirely. Importantly, SBI has kept the ₹4,999 annual fee unchanged, so the card’s cost remains the same even as two benefits are pared back. The ₹5,000 milestone benefit at ₹10 lakh annual spend is still in place, but it does not fully offset the lounge and hotel loss for heavy users.
The impact is most negative for existing SBI Elite cardholders who used the card for international travel and hotel-linked perks. Against cards like Axis Magnus, HDFC Infinia, and ICICI Sapphiro, SBI Elite becomes less compelling if lounge access is the primary reason for holding it. The change is a net negative, although occasional travelers who rarely used the full lounge quota may feel less affected. For households that were using the Trident Privilege tie-up, the discontinuation removes a tangible hotel benefit that was easy to value.
The new lounge cap starts in June 2026, so cardholders should monitor statement cycles and the Priority Pass portal to understand when the reduced quota begins applying. There is no opt-in or enrollment step because the change is automatic. Existing cardholders should check whether their lounge visits are counted quarterly or by calendar year and should plan travel accordingly before the new limit kicks in. New applicants evaluating SBI Elite should factor in the lower lounge allowance and the discontinued Trident Privilege benefit before applying through the official SBI Card page.