Shaurya SBI Card Review 2026: ₹250 Fee, 5X on CSD, ₹2 Lakh Accident Cover, Fees & FAQs

At ₹250 a year, the Shaurya SBI Card is the cheapest card in SBI's range, and it is built for one group: serving and retired personnel of the Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary services. Its accelerated band is led by CSD — the Canteen Stores Department, the services' own retail network — and its welcome gift returns the fee exactly. The renewal fee is waived at ₹50,000 of annual spend, the lowest threshold on any SBI card.

Shaurya SBI Card Quick Overview

Eligibility Criteria

The card is offered to serving and retired personnel of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary services. SBI Card publishes no age or income threshold on its product pages; approval rests on the bank's own assessment. Indian residency and a valid PAN are required. Add-on cards are free and may be issued to parents, a spouse, children or siblings aged 18 and above.

This Is a RuPay Card, and Two Benefits Depend on That

Worth stating up front, because it cuts both ways.

The ₹2 lakh personal accident cover is offered by RuPay, not by SBI Card, and SBI states it is "applicable only on RuPay network cards". RuPay's own terms condition the cover on the card having been used within a qualifying period before the incident — an inactive card may not be covered. Confirm the current usage requirement with RuPay or SBI Card rather than assuming the cover is unconditional.

The fuel surcharge reversal does NOT apply to UPI transactions. This is an unusual carve-out, and it matters precisely because RuPay credit cards are the ones that can be linked to UPI at all. Pay for fuel by scanning a UPI QR code with this card and you lose the 1% reversal. Swipe or tap the physical card and you keep it.

Reward Structure

Reward Points are worth ₹0.25 each — 4 points redeem against ₹1 of your outstanding bill. Every rate below is stated after that conversion, because "5X" means nothing until you know what a point is worth.

The 5X band is capped at 5,000 Reward Points per month, after which standard Reward Points continue to accrue. At 5 points per ₹100 that binds at ₹1,00,000 of qualifying spend a month — high enough that most holders will never reach it. SBI's product page does not mention the cap; it is in the card's T&C booklet.

A word on CSD. The Canteen Stores Department is the card's most relevant category and also the least documented. SBI names "CSD" without publishing a merchant category code, and CSD outlets do not code uniformly across acquirers. If your local canteen bills under a code the programme does not recognise, the 5X may not fire. It is worth checking your first CSD statement entry to confirm the rate applied before assuming it.

For everything else, the rate follows the merchant's MCC, assigned by the card network rather than by what the shop sells.

Welcome Benefit

1,000 Reward Points, worth ₹250, credited within 15 working days of the first-year annual fee being paid.

The symmetry is neat: ₹250 of points against a ₹250 fee. The card is effectively free in year one, and from year two the fee is waived entirely at ₹50,000 of annual spend — about ₹4,200 a month. That is the lowest waiver threshold of any SBI card and easily cleared by anyone using the card regularly.

Insurance

₹2 lakh of personal accident and permanent disability cover, provided by RuPay. It covers death and permanent disability arising from an accident. As noted above, it applies only on the RuPay network and is subject to RuPay's usage conditions.

Worked Example

Illustrative, at ₹18,000 a month:

Annualised: ₹2,100 in Reward Points on ₹2.16 lakh of spend, plus ₹250 of welcome points in year one, against a ₹250 fee that is waived from year two. On a card this cheap, that is a return of roughly eight times the fee — and the fee disappears entirely once you clear ₹50,000.

Where You Won't Earn

The fuel surcharge waiver is the whole fuel benefit: 1% reversed on transactions between ₹500 and ₹3,000, capped at ₹100 per statement cycle, and not applicable on UPI transactions. Some comparison sites quote ₹250 for this card — that is the Shaurya Select's cap, not this one's. The card's own terms and conditions say ₹100.

SBI's range-wide transaction fees apply: ₹199 per rent payment, 1% on wallet loads above ₹1,000, 1% on utility payments once the cycle total passes ₹50,000, and 1% on education payments through third-party apps.

Fees and Charges

That ₹99 redemption fee deserves a note on a card this small. If you redeem 1,000 points for a physical product, the ₹99 fee eats 40% of the ₹250 you are redeeming. Paying down the card outstanding is the cleaner route, and redeeming in larger blocks dilutes the fee.

Shaurya vs Shaurya Select

The Select is not a trim level — it doubles both rates, multiplies the accident cover fivefold and adds ₹9,000 a year of milestone vouchers. If your annual card spend is above roughly ₹2 lakh, the Select repays its higher fee several times over. Below ₹1 lakh, the Shaurya's ₹250 fee and ₹50,000 waiver make it the sensible choice.

Is the Shaurya SBI Card Worth It?

Yes, for almost any serving or retired defence person. At ₹250, waived from ₹50,000 of spend, with ₹250 of welcome points and ₹2 lakh of accident cover, the card costs essentially nothing and returns something. There is very little downside.

Yes, if CSD is a meaningful part of your spending. That is the category this card exists for, and 1.25% on it beats earning nothing.

Consider the Select instead if you spend more than ₹15,000–₹20,000 a month on the card. The doubled rates, larger accident cover, lounge access and milestone vouchers more than justify the step up.

No, if you are not defence-affiliated — the card is not offered outside the services. SBI's SimplySAVE at ₹499 is the nearest equivalent for civilians, at 1.67% on dining, movies, grocery and departmental stores.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the annual fee of the Shaurya SBI Card? ₹250 plus GST, on joining and renewal. The renewal fee is waived if annual spend in the previous year reached ₹50,000 — the lowest waiver threshold of any SBI card.

Who can apply for the Shaurya SBI Card? Serving and retired personnel of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary services.

What is CSD and does it really earn 5X? CSD is the Canteen Stores Department, the armed forces' own retail network. SBI lists it first among the 5X categories. Note that SBI does not publish the merchant category code for CSD outlets and they do not code uniformly, so it is worth confirming on your first statement that the accelerated rate applied.

How much is the personal accident cover? ₹2 lakh, provided by RuPay rather than by SBI Card, and applicable only on RuPay network cards. RuPay's terms condition the cover on recent card usage, so check the current requirement.

What is the fuel surcharge waiver? 1% reversed on fuel transactions between ₹500 and ₹3,000, capped at ₹100 per statement cycle. It does not apply to UPI transactions made with the card. Fuel earns no Reward Points.

Does the card offer lounge access? No. The standard Shaurya has no lounge programme. The Shaurya Select includes four complimentary domestic visits a year.

What are Reward Points worth? ₹0.25 each — 4 points redeem against ₹1 of outstanding. A ₹99 redemption fee applies to physical products, statement credit and physically-sent vouchers, so redeem in larger blocks on a card this size.