Big change for SBI credit card: If you use a State Bank of India (SBI) credit card, then this news is very important for you. Major changes in the rules are going to be implemented for the cardholders of the country’s largest bank from next month, i.e., September 1, 2025. These changes will have a direct impact on those customers who are used to accumulating reward points on their expenses. SBI Card has clarified in its official notice that customers will no longer get reward points on many types of transactions.
Which cardholders will be affected?
The biggest impact is going to be on Lifestyle Home Center SBI Card, Lifestyle Home Center SBI Card Select, and Lifestyle Home Center SBI Card Prime users. Till now, these cardholders used to get good reward points on shopping and different transactions, but these benefits will be cut from September 1. The company says that these changes in the rules are being made in view of future needs and customer usage patterns.
No rewards for online gaming and government services
According to the new guidelines of SBI Card, from September 1, 2025, if a customer uses their credit card on online gaming platforms, they will no longer get any reward points. Similarly, customers will not get any kind of reward on payments made for government services, tax payments, or other government transactions. Not only this, the facility of reward points will also be discontinued on some categories of merchant transactions.
This simply means that customers who have taken advantage of reward points on every small and big transaction till now will now have to plan their expenses wisely.
New system for CPP card customers, too
Not only reward points, but the new system is also being implemented from next month for the customers associated with the Card Protection Plan (CPP). From September 16, 2025, all CPP SBI card users will be automatically transferred to the new plan variant based on their renewal date. The bank has said that every customer will be informed about this change through SMS and email 24 hours before the due date.
This step is considered to be an important initiative for the company to increase transparency and inform customers in time.
Big changes have been made earlier also
SBI Card has continuously changed its rules in the last few months. Many big decisions were also implemented in July and August 2025. Especially the reduction in the facility related to air accident cover surprised the cardholders. Earlier, SBI Elite and SBI Prime cardholders used to get complimentary air accident cover ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. But this facility has now been discontinued.
It is clear from these changes that the bank is gradually preparing its credit card products according to the new business model and market strategy.
What does this mean for customers?
Now the big question is how these changes will affect the customers. Those who use their cards for online gaming or government services will be most affected, as they will no longer get any benefit on such transactions. On the other hand, customers who use the card only for shopping, lifestyle, or other expenses will now get the benefit of reward points in a limited range.
It has also been clearly stated in the notice given by the bank that the rules will continue to be reviewed from time to time. This means that cardholders may see more new changes in the coming months.
Why are these changes being made?
Banking sector experts believe that SBI Card is trying to balance its expenses and adapt itself to the constantly changing digital payment trend. Increasing transactions on online gaming and government services were creating heavy costs for the bank in terms of reward points. In such a situation, the company considered it appropriate to exclude them from the reward category.
These new rules, which will come into effect from September 1, will definitely affect SBI credit card users. If you are also a holder of any of these cards, then it would be better to change your spending strategy in time and know which type of transactions will no longer benefit you.
Even though the facility of reward points is being limited, the bank says that customers will still continue to get their other benefits and facilities. In such a situation, customers will have to be more aware and cautious than before in the coming days.