State Bank of India Card (SBI Card) has made major changes in the reward points program for its customers. These rules, which came into effect from September 1, 2025, will have a direct impact on millions of cardholders. Earlier, where points were available on every expenditure, now some special categories have been excluded from the scope of rewards.
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On which expenses will you not get points
According to the new guidelines, no reward points will now be added to payments made on digital gaming platforms and government services. This means that if you buy credit for online games or pay fees on any government portal, then there will be no benefit from these transactions.
Which cardholders will be affected?
This change will especially apply to customers holding Lifestyle Home Center SBI Card, Lifestyle Home Center SBI Select, and Lifestyle Home Center SBI Prime Card. Gaming or government payments made with these cards will no longer earn any kind of reward points.
Changes were made earlier, too
This is not the first time that SBI Card has banned reward points. In December 2024, the company had stopped the points received on digital gaming expenses on some cards. Apart from this, in June 2025, HDFC Bank also stopped reward points for skill-based gaming transactions on all its cards.
New rules related to reward redemption
The new changes are not limited to categories only, but important amendments have also been made in terms of redemption. Now every time the points are redeemed, a fee of Rs 99 plus taxes will have to be paid. No separate registration will be required, and the redeemed products will be sent only to the address of the cardholder. Points can be used to pay outstanding payments, but this will be possible only in multiples of 2,000 points. Also, points from different cards can neither be combined nor transferred.
Impact on customers
These new rules will especially affect those customers who regularly use online gaming and government services. This change before the festive season will limit their additional savings and the benefits of rewards. Now, customers will have to change their spending strategy.