Apollo SBI Card Select offers huge savings on medical expenses: Should you take it?
Do you or someone in the family require regular medical support? It may be in the form of doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, medicines, etc. If yes, you can save money on these medical expenses with the Apollo SBI Card Select. The savings can go up to a whopping 25%. In this article, we will look at the features and benefits of this card and whether you should take it.
The Apollo SBI Card Select is a co-branded credit card launched by Apollo 24|7 in partnership with SBI Card. It offers healthcare and wellness benefits across the Apollo ecosystem. It also gives rewards on non-healthcare spends like dining, entertainment, and travel, along with complimentary domestic airport lounge access.
The features and benefits of the Apollo SBI Card Select include the following.
The cardholder gets a welcome benefit of Rs. 1,500 Apollo 24|7 e-gift voucher on payment of joining fee. The voucher can be redeemed offline at Apollo Pharmacy stores and online through the Apollo 24|7 platform. It can be redeemed against medicines, Apollo private label products, FMCG and other healthcare products.
The cardholder gets complimentary in-built Apollo Circle benefits in the form of value back and savings. The benefits apply when transacting using the Apollo SBI Card Select at Apollo Pharmacy stores and on the Apollo 24|7 website/App. Some of these benefits include:
The value back is credited as Health Credits to the Apollo 24|7 wallet. The value of each Health Credit is Rs. 1.
You get to enjoy a 1-year complimentary Fitpass Pro membership on payment of the joining fee and doing one retail transaction. The membership gives access to a network of gyms and other fitness centres.
On spending Rs. 50,000 within 90 days of card membership, you get a complimentary comprehensive health check-up. The complimentary health check-up can be availed every year on spending Rs. 50,000 within 90 days of card renewal.
The reward points awarded on the card are as follows:
Reward points must be converted into Health Credits on the SBI Card website and App. The value of 1 reward point equals 1 Health Credit. The converted Health Credits will reflect in the Apollo 24|7 wallet. The value of each Health Credit is Rs. 1.
Health Credits can be used within the Apollo ecosystem, including Apollo 24|7, Apollo Diagnostics, Apollo Medical Centres, and Apollo Pharmacy. Health Credits can be used to pay for doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, medicine orders, etc. The Health Credits wallet balance will be auto-applied at checkout for eligible transactions.
When you purchase medicines from an Apollo Pharmacy or the Apollo 24|7 platform, you get two benefits.
- As part of Apollo Circle benefits, you get up to 15% value back as Health Credits in your Apollo 24|7 wallet.
Clubbing the two benefits: Reward points (10% value back) on the card and Health Credits (up to 15% value back) on the Apollo Circle membership. When you combine the two benefits, you can get total benefits of up to 25% value back. That is an excellent value back on medicine purchases.
Similarly, clubbing the two benefits on doctor consultations gives up to 20% value back and on diagnostic tests gives up to 30% value back. All these benefits will result in a lot of savings on medical expenses.
As the Apollo SBI Card Select is a co-branded card issued in partnership with Apollo 24|7, it limits the cardholder to the Apollo ecosystem. The only way to redeem the reward points is to convert them into Health Credits by transferring them to the Apollo 24|7 wallet.
The reward rate falls sharply when you use the card outside the Apollo ecosystem. Members who are already a part of the Apollo ecosystem will find a lot of value in this credit card. Others will have to move to the Apollo ecosystem to get good value out of this card.
The joining fee for the card is Rs. 1,499 + Taxes. The renewal fee is Rs. 1,499 + Taxes. The renewal fee is waived on spending Rs. 3 lakhs in the previous year.
If you or someone in your family needs regular medical support, you may consider the Apollo SBI Card Select. It gives benefits like healthcare discounts and value back within the Apollo ecosystem, a complimentary Fitpass Pro membership, a health check-up, etc. It also offers other benefits like complimentary domestic airport lounge access, complimentary Noise Smartwatch on annual milestone spend, reversal of renewal fee based on spends in the previous year, etc. Overall, it is a good credit card packed with powerful features and benefits.
Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.
