Amex vs Bank of Baroda: Premium Charge Cards Against a Public-Sector Price List
3 November 2026 · BestCard Editorial Team
This is a lopsided pair on price. BOBCARD's most expensive mainstream card costs ₹2,499 a year, while Amex runs from about ₹500 to a ₹66,000 charge card and a ₹275,000 annual fee at the Centurion. The narrow case where BOBCARD can match Amex is lounge access; elsewhere the two sell different things.
Lounge access for the fee
The BOB Eterna costs ₹2,499, waived at ₹2.5 lakh, with unlimited domestic lounge access, 2% forex and 5X points on travel, dining and online spend. Income needed is ₹100,000 a month. The Tiara is a RuPay card at ₹2,499 with unlimited domestic access on ₹75,000 quarterly spend. Amex Platinum Travel costs ₹5,000 and includes Priority Pass and up to 8 spend-gated domestic visits a year, per the Platinum Travel review. On domestic lounges, BOB wins by a wide margin.
Forex
Amex charges 3.5% on Membership Rewards, Platinum Travel, Platinum Reserve and Charge, with Centurion at 2%. BOB's Eterna charges 2%, Etihad Guest Premium 0%, and the lifetime-free Scapia and Uni GoldX also 0%. BOB is clearly cheaper abroad.
Entry cards and cashback
Amex SmartEarn costs ₹495, waived at ₹40,000, and gives 10X on selected apps with a 500-point monthly cap on each. BOBCARD Cashback costs ₹499 and pays 5% on online shopping up to ₹1,500 a month, 1% elsewhere, straight to the statement. From 1 September 2026 BOB's Select and Easy cost ₹750 and ₹500 after a free first year. Both banks are close on price; BOB has a plainer cashback card, Amex a points one.
Points currency
Amex's Membership Rewards earns 1 point per ₹50, points do not expire, and transfers go to airline and hotel partners. BOB's rewards mostly come as plain points or cashback, and the airline link is Etihad Guest on two co-brands. See the Amex Membership Rewards review. Anyone who wants flexible transfers should look at Amex.
Fuel
BOB's HPCL ENERGIE costs ₹499 and pays 6.5% on fuel with a ₹4,000 monthly cap. Amex offers a fuel waiver at HPCL only on some cards. BOB wins here, too.
The charge-card tier
BOBCARD has nothing equivalent to Platinum Charge (₹66,000) or Centurion. If you want the service model of a charge card, Amex is the only bank of the two. If what you want is airport lounges and miles on a budget, the premium is hard to justify against Eterna and Etihad Guest Premium (₹5,000, 8 international and 12 domestic visits a year, 0% forex).
Verdict by reader
Frequent domestic flyer: BOB Eterna. Overseas spender on a budget: BOB Scapia or Etihad Guest Premium. Points optimiser: Amex Membership Rewards. Someone who wants a charge card and the status that comes with it: Amex.
Further guides
Read the Amex credit cards guide and the Bank of Baroda credit cards guide. For a related decision on fees, see credit card joining fee vs annual fee.
Related reading
- ICICI vs Bank of Baroda (BOBCARD) Credit Cards: Free for Life Ends at BOBCARD
From 1 September 2026 BOBCARD's Select and Easy are no longer lifetime free. We compare them with ICICI's fee structure, fuel cards and travel cards.
- IndusInd vs Bank of Baroda: Pay Once at IndusInd, Earn Back the Fee at BOBCARD
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- Union Bank of India vs Bank of Baroda Credit Cards: Two 6.5% HPCL Fuel Cards With Very Different Caps
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