All cards / Kotak Mahindra Bank
Kotak NRI Royale Signature Credit Card
A Fixed-Deposit-secured card built for Non-Resident Indians without an Indian credit history — no joining fee, quarterly domestic lounge access, and double the international spend rewards versus domestic spend.
Annual fee
₹1,000
Joining fee
₹0
Reward type
points
Base reward rate
0.5%
Card network
Visa
Card tier
Mid
Who this card fits
Best suited to applicants who clear the standard eligibility bar whose spend is concentrated in travel. It's worth the annual fee mainly if your points value clears it.
Rewards & benefits
- Rewards rate: 0.5% base rate
- Domestic lounge access: 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter
Benefits by category
- ✈️ Travel
1% reward rate · 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter
- ⛽ Fuel
Fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹3,500/year, plus railway surcharge waiver
- 🌍 Forex / international spend
3.5% forex markup on international transactions
Eligibility
- Employment: salaried, self-employed
- Age: 21–65
Fees & charges
- Foreign currency markup: 3.5%
- Interest rate: 42% p.a.
- Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹400–₹4,000, capped at ₹3,500/year
- Cash advance charges: 2.5% of the amount withdrawn, subject to a minimum of ₹500 per transaction, against a cash advance limit up to 90% of the linked FD
Benefits
- 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits per quarter
- Fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹3,500/year, plus railway surcharge waiver
- Secured against a Fixed Deposit, with cash advance limit up to 90% of the FD (vs. ~40% typical)
Pros
- + No joining fee, and no Indian credit history required
- + Quarterly domestic lounge access
- + High cash-advance limit against the FD
Cons
- − Requires locking funds in a Fixed Deposit
- − Reward rate is weak relative to unsecured premium cards
- − Only relevant to NRI applicants