Yes First Exclusive is a super premium credit card offering from Yes Bank. This card provides some of the unparalleled benefits which sets it apart from other super premium credit cards in the market. Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access to both primary and add-on card members, reward points that never expire, low foreign currency markup of 1.75% are to name a few.
Eligibility Criteria
Given that this is a super premium credit card, the eligibility criteria is more suited towards HNI. Below are the eligibility criteria for this card:
- Age: Minimum 21 years to maximum 60 years
- Salaried: Net salary > Rs. 3 Lakhs per month
- Self Employed: Income Tax Return > Rs. 40 Lakhs
Fees
Following fees are applicable for this card:
- Joining fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
- Renewal fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
If you have an existing credit card with limit > 8 Lakhs for 1 year with no late charges, you can get this card life time free. However in this case, you won’t get welcome benefits.
Features
Yes First Exclusive comes with all bells and whistles a super premium credit card is supposed to have.
Welcome & Renewal benefits
- 50,000 welcome reward points equivalent to Rs. 12,500
- 40,000 renewal reward points equivalent to Rs. 10,000
- Complimentary TAJ InnerCircle Epicure Membership for first year
Reward Points
- 1 reward point = Rs. 0.25 for travel redemption
- 1 reward point = Rs. 0.15 for other redemptions
- 24 reward points per Rs. 200 spent on Travel Agencies & Tour Operators, Domestic Airlines and Dining
- 12 Reward Points per Rs. 200 spent on all other categories
- 25,000 bonus reward points on spending Rs. 20 Lakhs in a year
- 10X reward points on shopping at Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, TataCLIQ, Cleartrip, Yatra and Unimoni
The reward rate for Yes First Exclusive Credit Cards, not only depends on spend category, but also on redemption category. Below table outlines the reward rate for various combinations:
| Credit Card | Spends Category | Redemption Category | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights / Hotels | Others | ||
| Yes First Exclusive | Travel & Dining | 3% | 1.8% |
| Others | 1.5% | 0.9% | |
As evident from the table above, you get the maximum reward rate by spending and redeeming the reward points on the travel category.
Reward points can be redeemed on their dedicated reward portal Yes Rewardz. Earlier there was an option to redeem the reward points for Amazon vouchers, which they have disabled now. This was the best redemption option that was available in my opinion. However there are still some good options available like Central, Big Bazaar, Reliance Digital, Croma, Lifestyle, Pentaloons, Cleartrip etc.
MasterCard World Golf Programme
- Waiver of 4 Green Fee at select golf courses in India every year
- One complimentary Golf Lesson every calendar month at select golf courses in India
Airport Lounge Access
- Unlimited Priority Pass international lounge access for primary and add-on card members
- Unlimited domestic lounge access for Primary and add-on cardmembers across 25+ Lounges in India using MasterCard Lounge Program
This is the best feature of this card in my opinion and if you are a frequent traveller, you can save a lot by utilizing this benefit. If you’re thinking for a world tour with your family, this card has you covered for lounge access everywhere for all members of your family. Isn’t it exciting?
Insurance Coverage
- Life Insurance Cover of Rs. 3 Crore for death due to Flight Accidents
- Medical Insurance cover of Rs 50 Lakhs for emergency hospitalization when traveling overseas
- Credit Shield cover for outstanding Credit Card dues in case of accidental death of Primary Cardmember
Dedicated Concierge Services
YES ASSIST, a dedicated concierge Service for following requests:
- Car Rental & Limousine Referral and Reservation Assistance
- Hotel/ Travel/ Special Events & Performance/ Restaurant Referral and Reservation Assistance
- Movie tickets assistance in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai
- Flower & Gift Delivery
- Emergency Towing and Roadside Repair Assistance
Low finance charges
- 1.75% of foreign currency markup charges
- 1.99% per month interest rate on Revolving Credit, Cash Advances and Overdue Amount
Other benefits
- 25% discount on movie tickets at BookMyShow
- Fuel surcharge waiver for transaction between Rs. 400 to Rs. 5,000
Drawbacks
Though this card comes with bunch of features, there are some drawbacks too which are outlined below:
- Low reward rate: Earlier this card used to have a reward rate of 2.5% on all spends, but after devaluations in March 2019 and July 2020, the reward rate has reduced significantly. It would be awesome if Yes Bank reinstates the earlier reward rate.
- Less redemption options in reward catalog: Their reward catalog is very limited with very few options to redeem from. If they can re-introduce Amazon/ Flipkart vouchers, it would be great.
Verdict
Unlimited international and domestic lounge access for primary and add-on card members, never expiring reward points and low foreign currency markup of 1.75% are some of the notable features of this card which keeps it relevant in the current scenario. However the continuous devaluations have rendered Yes First Exclusive Credit Card not as attractive as before. I would suggest to go for this card only if it’s offered for life time free. It doesn’t make any sense to pay such a high annual fee for so little reward rate.
If you’re looking for a super premium credit card, I would suggest to explore HDFC Diners Club Black or HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card.
What do you think of Yes First Exclusive Credit Card? Let me know your experience with this card in comments below.
