Beginning September 1, 2025, SBI Card will roll one of its largest reward-point redesigns in recent years. The select premium SBI cardholders will cease to bank points on some spends. The modifications are based on the attempt of the issuer to simplify its loyalty program and concentrate the rewards on retail segments. With the SBI Credit Card that you possess, it is important to determine the impact of the update on your earning capacity and habit of payment.
End of Reward Points on Digital Gaming
SBI Cardholders will no longer receive reward points to any transaction with digital gaming platforms or merchants effective September 1. Buys of in-game credits, online subscription to gaming services, and virtual-currency top-ups will cease to add to your loyalty balance. This is in all the variants of the cards assigned to the Lifestyle Home Centre brand. Regular players will need to budget to cash in on any unused points and change their payment system to alternative cards or wallets that still will reward spending on digital-gaming.
No Points for Government-Related Transactions
In addition to the digital-gaming expenditures, the new rule eliminates points accrual on the transactions made through government portals. These expenses will generate no reward points on all SBI cards with regard to taxes, settlement of utility fees on websites run by the government. In case you use your credit card to pay your GST, property tax, or a passport-fee, you should transfer those transactions to a different rewards card or use net banking to maximize your cashbacks.
Affected Cards and Customer Impact
The modification affects three SBI card variants which are flagships:
- Lifestyle Home Centre SBI Card
- Lifestyle Home Centre SBI Card SELECT
- Lifestyle Home Centre SBI Card PRIME
Both of these cards will have an absolute freeze on digital-gaming and governmental related spending points. Although spending items such as groceries, fashion, and travel are completely rewarded, cardholders are advised to perform an audit on their future expenditures in order to prevent the loss of points by default. Look at your monthly statements after September 1 to make sure that all non-eligible transactions have stopped earning rewards.
Next Steps: Redeem Points and Explore Alternatives
Find the number of unredeemed points in your SBI card online portal or app before September 1. Redem them or turn them into gift vouchers, statement credits or partner-brand coupons. After update, consider the other credit cards that SBI has available, including cashback or dining-specific, which can still pay back gaming or government-portal expenses. Lastly, re-examine your wallet mix: splitting cards based on various spend types can also allow you to get the most out of benefits, without having to leave certain categories unexploited.
Also Read/ Ration Card Update 2025:Big Changes, New Benefits, and What You Need to Know!