SBI card Pulse is great for Healthy lifestyle including a FITPASS PRO gym membership as well Netmeds First Membership. The card provides 2.5% savings on pharmacy spends. The Gym membership itself values at > Rs 10k per annum considering you actually reach the Gym. You should pick this card.
Else if you are satisfied with your present gym or haven’t seen the inside of the gym in the last decade (like me), just give it a miss.
Fees
Annual Fee: Rs. 1499 + Taxes = Rs 1769.
Renewal Fee is reversed if annual spends for last year >= Rs 2 lacs.
Welcome Offer
Get a Noise ColorFit Pulse Smart Watch worth Rs. 4,999 on payment of joining fee.
However, the actual price is just Rs 2499 as shown on the website (inclusive of 50% discount). Still it’s a good deal considering you just paid Rs 1769.
The Watch can detect Blood oxygen level as well as heart rate among other things. Quite handy, in these times of corona.
Health Benefits
1) FITPASS PRO Membership as long as you hold this card
FITPASS Membership: This is an interesting and new concept wherein instead of taking gym membership of just one particular location you get access to multitudes of gyms under their umbrella. I just checked my city has more than 80 locations!
Do note that the access is not unlimited. Allowing no more than 12 sessions per month (limited to no more than 3 sessions per week and 1 session per day). Would have hoped that atleast 5 sessions per week should be allowed.
FITCOACH & FITFEAST Membership - access personalized fitness coaching routines and smart diet plans on the FITPASS mobile application
All in all, if you make use of these three memberships, the value you save by holding this card is easily above Rs 10000.
2) Netmeds First Membership as long as you hold this card
This allows you to get medicines delivered to you at 20% discount as well as 20%* cashback. This is a good deal too. Considering that people have recurring daily requirement of medicines of diabetes, Blood Pressure etc this membership would make even more sense to hold.
*the 20% comes a supercash which can only be used for upto 25% value of next bill.
Lounge Access
Provides complimentary 8 Domestic Lounge visits (Restricted to 2 per quarter).
It provides a Priority Pass for the 1st two years of card membership, but no complimentary International Lounge Access making it useless.
Rewards Programme
1 Reward Point = Rs. 0.25
Enjoy 10 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on Chemist, Pharmacy, Dining and Movies spends. This gives savings of 2.5%. Also most of your medicine spends would be via Netmeds, and you should be able to double dip but this needs to be confirmed.
Earn 2 Reward Points per Rs.100 spent on all your other spend. This is SBI’s default rate of just 0.5% savings. This is a con of holding this card. SBI needs to give a higher default rate as the industry standard of entry level credit cards is 1%.
Milestone Rewards
Get Rs.1500 E-Gift Voucher (EGV) from NETMEDS on achieving annual spends of Rs. 4 Lakhs
Reward Points redemption
The max value of 1 Reward Point = Rs 0.25.
The best option is to always go for statement credit. You will need to call the SBI call center (given on the back of the card) to go for the statement credit option. You will be charged Rs. 99 + 18 (taxes) for each redemption request. You can only redeem them in multiple of Rs. 500 or 2000 reward points. So wait till the end of 2 years for maximum accrual of reward points before they start expiring.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% fuel surcharge waiver for each transaction between Rs 500 & Rs 3000 upto Rs 250 per month
Savings Calculator for SBI Pulse Credit Card
While using the calculator, you may choose “yes” for the memberships which will add Rs 10000 as value or you may choose “no” and the memberships will add Rs 0 value.
Conclusion And Rating
This is a great card based on the idea of complimentary memberships as long as you hold this card. If the memberships are useful, take the card. If not miss this card.
4/5
This card is the superior cousin to SBI Simply save credit card.
Similar or Better cards
This is a unique card and no similar cards are in the market right now.