SBI Card is trimming the travel value of the SBI Elite Credit Card by reducing Priority Pass lounge visits from 6 per quarter to 2 per quarter starting June 2026. The Trident Privilege membership benefit is also being discontinued. However, the annual fee stays unchanged at ₹4,999, and the milestone benefit of ₹5,000 on ₹10 lakh annual spending remains intact. This makes the change a mixed bag: one major perk is being cut, but the card’s spending milestone reward survives.
The numerical impact is clear. Cardholders lose 4 lounge visits per quarter, or 16 visits per year if they previously used the full allowance. That is a substantial cut for frequent travelers. The discontinued Trident Privilege membership removes another hospitality-linked benefit, narrowing the premium appeal of the card. On the other hand, the ₹5,000 milestone benefit at ₹10 lakh annual spend still offers a predictable return for heavy spenders. Because the fee does not change, the value proposition becomes more dependent on whether the user can actually monetize the milestone reward.
Compared with HDFC Infinia, Axis Magnus, and Amex Platinum Card, SBI Elite is now weaker for lounge-heavy users and hotel-loyalty enthusiasts. It remains usable for cardholders who are focused on the ₹10 lakh milestone and do not rely on frequent lounge access. For existing cardholders, the change is negative overall unless they rarely use lounge visits. For new applicants, the card looks less compelling than before, especially if travel perks were the main reason to apply. The price stays the same, but the premium bundle gets thinner.
The new lounge cap takes effect in June 2026, and there is no opt-in path to preserve the old 6-per-quarter limit. Cardholders should plan travel around the reduced quota and track their usage carefully to avoid wasting visits. The milestone benefit does not require any special enrollment, but users should make sure their annual spend reaches ₹10 lakh to unlock the ₹5,000 reward. Anyone considering SBI Elite should review the updated benefits before applying, because the post-June 2026 version is clearly less generous on lounge access than the earlier structure.