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Privacy Policy Terms of Use DisclaimerA credit card is a payment instrument that becomes a very expensive loan the moment you carry a balance. This page compares joining and annual fees, reward rates, welcome benefits and forex markup across eight card categories — and then shows you, in rupees, what revolving costs.
The best card for a person filling ₹8,000 of fuel a month is a poor card for someone flying twice a quarter. Pick the category that matches your largest spending line, then compare within it.
Flat percentage back as a statement credit. No points, no portals, no devaluation risk.
Points that transfer to airline and hotel programmes, plus lounge access and lower forex markup.
Surcharge waiver at petrol pumps plus accelerated points on fuel and toll spending.
Accelerated rewards on e-commerce, groceries and department stores, often with partner vouchers.
No joining fee, no annual fee. The sensible default for a first card or a spare limit.
Concierge, golf, unlimited domestic lounge access and international lounge programmes.
Issued against a fixed deposit. The realistic route back for a thin or damaged credit file.
Higher limits, GST-compliant invoices, expense tagging and employee add-on cards.
Joining fee, annual fee, effective reward rate, welcome benefit and forex markup — the five lines that decide whether a card pays for itself. Reward rate is the rupee value returned per ₹100 spent on general categories, at the issuer's standard redemption value. All figures are indicative, as on 21 Jul 2026, and exclude GST at 18% on fees.
Click a column heading to sort.
| Card | Welcome benefit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HDFC Bank Regalia GoldTravel & premium · 12 domestic lounge visits | ₹2,500 | ₹2,500 (waived above ₹4L spend) | 1.33% | ₹2,500 gift voucher | 2.00% |
| Axis Bank Ace CashbackCashback · 5% on utility bill payments | ₹499 | ₹499 (waived above ₹2L spend) | 2.00% | Nil | 3.50% |
| SBI Card Elite SignaturePremium · 6 international lounge visits | ₹4,999 | ₹4,999 (waived above ₹10L spend) | 1.00% | ₹5,000 welcome voucher | 1.99% |
| IDFC FIRST Millennia LTFLifetime free · Points never expire | Nil | Nil | 1.00% | Nil | 3.50% |
| ICICI Bank Fuel AdvantageFuel · 1% surcharge waiver up to ₹400/mo | ₹500 | ₹500 (waived above ₹1.5L spend) | 1.50% | ₹500 fuel voucher | 3.50% |
| Kotak Shopper's EdgeShopping · 5X points on e-commerce | ₹999 | ₹999 (waived above ₹2L spend) | 1.75% | ₹1,000 partner voucher | 3.50% |
| IndusInd Voyage PlatinumTravel · Lowest forex markup on this list | ₹3,000 | ₹3,000 | 1.60% | 5,000 bonus points | 1.75% |
| AU Zenith CashbackLifetime free · 1.5% flat, no categories | Nil | Nil | 1.50% | Nil | 3.50% |
| Bank of Baroda SecuredSecured · Against an FD of ₹25,000 upwards | Nil | ₹500 | 0.75% | Nil · FD keeps earning interest | 3.50% |
| Bajaj Finserv Business PrimeBusiness · GST invoices, add-on cards | ₹1,499 | ₹1,499 (waived above ₹3L spend) | 1.25% | ₹1,500 fuel & travel voucher | 2.50% |
| Federal Everyday RewardsLifetime free · 3X points on groceries | Nil | Nil | 1.20% | 1,000 bonus points | 3.50% |
| PNB RuPay SelectPremium · UPI-linked, 8 domestic lounges | Nil | ₹750 (waived above ₹1L spend) | 1.00% | Personal accident cover of ₹10,00,000 | 3.00% |
Fees are exclusive of GST at 18%. Reward rate is the rupee value returned per ₹100 of general-category spending at the issuer's standard redemption value, and falls on accelerated categories once monthly caps are met. All figures are indicative, sourced from issuer-published schedules as on , and are subject to change without notice. YouBankingBuddy does not issue cards and cannot influence approval.
Net value is modelled on a realistic ₹1,00,000 monthly spend split across groceries, fuel, dining, travel and utilities, valued at the issuer's standard redemption rate, with the annual fee subtracted. It assumes the statement is settled in full every month.
Net value is an illustration on a modelled spending pattern, not a promise, and it assumes full and timely repayment every month. Revolving a balance costs roughly 36%–48% a year on a nominal basis and will wipe out every reward listed above. Card features, caps and redemption ratios are set by the issuer and change without notice.
A reward rate is simply the rupee value you get back divided by what you spent. Issuers advertise the point count because it sounds larger than the money. The number that matters is what a point is worth when you redeem it — and that number is set by the issuer and can be revised at any time.
Reward rate % = (points earned × redemption value per point) ÷ amount spent × 100
Earn rate of 4 points per ₹150 spent, redeemed at ₹0.50 per point on the issuer's travel portal.
| Line | Working | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Annual spend | ₹1,00,000 × 12 | ₹12,00,000 |
| Points earned | (₹12,00,000 ÷ 150) × 4 | 32,000 pts |
| Point value | 32,000 × ₹0.50 | ₹16,000 |
| Effective reward rate | ₹16,000 ÷ ₹12,00,000 | 1.33% |
| Milestone vouchers | At ₹4L and ₹8L annual spend | ₹4,000 |
| Lounge value used | 1 visit × ₹900 | ₹900 |
| Less annual fee | Waived above ₹4L spend, else | −₹2,500 |
| Net annual value | ₹16,000 + ₹4,000 + ₹900 − ₹2,500 | +₹18,400 |
Redeem the same 32,000 points as a statement credit at ₹0.25 instead and the reward value halves to ₹8,000, taking the effective rate to 0.67% and the net annual value to +₹10,400. Redemption ratios are set by the issuer and have been revised downwards before. Figures are illustrative and exclude GST at 18% on the fee.
A credit card is interest-free only while you pay the full statement balance by the due date. The moment you pay less than that, the card becomes one of the most expensive borrowings available in India — and the interest-free period on new purchases stops too.
| Charge | Typical level | When it applies | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail interest (finance charge) | 3.00% – 3.99% per month | From the transaction date on any balance carried past the due date | Pay the total amount due in full, every month |
| Cash withdrawal fee | 2.50% of the amount, minimum ₹500 | Every ATM cash advance, with interest from day one and no interest-free period | Never use a credit card at an ATM |
| Late payment fee | ₹100 – ₹1,300 by balance slab | Payment received after the due date, even by a day | Set an auto-debit for the total due, not the minimum |
| Foreign currency markup | 1.75% – 3.50% | Any transaction billed in a currency other than the rupee, including overseas websites | Use a low-markup travel card for international spending |
| Over-limit fee | 2.50% of the excess, minimum ₹500 | When a transaction takes the balance beyond the sanctioned limit | Switch the over-limit facility off in the app |
| EMI conversion charge | 13% – 16% p.a. plus processing | Converting a large purchase into instalments after the transaction | Compare against a personal loan from 10.49% p.a. |
| GST | 18% | On every fee, interest amount and charge above | Unavoidable — budget for it in the true cost |
You spend ₹50,000 in August and, when the bill arrives, you pay only the minimum amount due of 5%. The issuer charges 3.5% a month — 42% a year on a nominal basis, and about 51% once monthly compounding is counted — plus GST at 18% on that interest.
| Month | Opening balance | Minimum paid | Interest | GST | Closing balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹50,000 | ₹2,500 | ₹1,663 | ₹299 | ₹49,462 |
| 2 | ₹49,462 | ₹2,473 | ₹1,645 | ₹296 | ₹48,930 |
| 3 | ₹48,930 | ₹2,447 | ₹1,627 | ₹293 | ₹48,403 |
| 4 | ₹48,403 | ₹2,420 | ₹1,609 | ₹290 | ₹47,882 |
| 5 | ₹47,882 | ₹2,394 | ₹1,592 | ₹287 | ₹47,367 |
| 6 | ₹47,367 | ₹2,368 | ₹1,575 | ₹284 | ₹46,858 |
Each closing balance is the opening balance less the payment, plus interest and GST. Totals over six months: paid ₹14,602, interest ₹9,711, GST ₹1,749. Rounded to the nearest rupee each month. Illustrative only — your issuer's minimum-due formula, billing cycle and rate may differ, and are set out in your Most Important Terms and Conditions.
Issuers screen on three things in this order: bureau score, income stability and existing exposure. Meeting the published floor makes you eligible to be considered — it never makes approval certain.
| Card tier | Indicative score floor | Salaried income (net, monthly) | Self-employed (ITR, annual) | Typical starting limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secured (against FD) | No floor | Not assessed | Not assessed | 85% of the deposit |
| Entry & lifetime free | 700+ | ₹20,000 | ₹3,00,000 | ₹40,000 – ₹1,00,000 |
| Cashback & shopping | 730+ | ₹30,000 | ₹4,80,000 | ₹75,000 – ₹2,50,000 |
| Travel & miles | 750+ | ₹50,000 | ₹7,20,000 | ₹1,50,000 – ₹5,00,000 |
| Premium & lounge | 770+ | ₹1,00,000 | ₹15,00,000 | ₹3,00,000 – ₹10,00,000 |
| Business | 750+ personal, plus firm vintage | Not applicable | ₹12,00,000 turnover, 2 yr GST returns | ₹2,00,000 – ₹25,00,000 |
Approval is not a single test. An underwriter scores you across five inputs, and a weak line can be offset by a strong one — a 780 score with a 40% existing utilisation is often treated better than a 750 score with a clean report but a nine-month employment history.
Weightings are the research desk's illustration of how underwriters typically balance these inputs. They are not any single issuer's published model, and no combination of inputs guarantees approval.
Indian card applications are standardised. Have these ready as clear scans and most digital applications finish in under fifteen minutes. Your documents go to the issuer's own platform — never to us.
Compare the categories above against your largest spending line, and check the score and income floor for that tier. Nothing here touches a credit bureau.
About 10 minutesSubmit on the issuer's own platform, with PAN, KYC and income proof. Applying to several issuers at once creates several hard enquiries and reads as credit hunger.
15 minutesThe issuer pulls your bureau report, verifies income and completes video KYC. Expect a call to confirm your employer and address.
2–7 working daysIf approved, the issuer sets your limit and dispatches the card. Read the Most Important Terms and Conditions before the first swipe — that document, not the brochure, governs your card.
3–10 working daysEvery reward on this page is worth nothing to a household that carries a balance. These six habits are what separate a card that pays you from a card that quietly bills you.
Set an auto-debit for the total amount due on the due date. The minimum due exists to keep the debt alive, not to clear it.
On a ₹2,00,000 limit, keep the reported balance under ₹60,000. High utilisation drags a bureau score down even when every payment is on time.
A cash advance carries a 2.5% fee and interest from day one, with no interest-free period. It is the single most expensive way to use a card.
Leave three to six months between applications. Each formal application is a hard enquiry, and a cluster of them reads badly to every issuer.
The Most Important Terms and Conditions is the binding document. Caps, exclusions and reward expiry live there, and it is the version that governs disputes.
If a fee no longer earns its keep, ask for a lifetime-free variant instead of closing. You keep the limit and the account age, and lose only the fee.
Most issuers look for 750 or above for their reward and travel cards, and will usually consider 700 upwards for entry-level and lifetime-free cards. Below 700 the realistic route is a secured card issued against a fixed deposit, which reports to the bureaus exactly like any other card and rebuilds a score in about twelve months of clean repayment. Approval also depends on income, employment type, city and the issuer's internal policy — a score alone never guarantees approval.
The joining and annual fee are nil for as long as the issuer keeps the card in that category, and issuers do reserve the right to revise it with notice. Everything else still applies: interest of roughly 36% to 48% a year on any revolved balance, a forex markup of about 3.50% on international spending, cash-withdrawal fees, late-payment charges and GST at 18% on all of them. Free means no fee, not no cost.
Reward rate is the rupee value you get back divided by what you spent. Take a card giving 4 reward points per ₹150 spent, where a point redeems at ₹0.50 on the issuer's travel portal. Spending ₹1,00,000 a month is ₹12,00,000 a year, which earns 32,000 points, worth ₹16,000. That is an effective reward rate of 1.33%. Redeem the same points as a statement credit at ₹0.25 and the rate halves. Always check the redemption value, not the point count.
It is the most expensive money most households ever borrow. On a ₹50,000 balance revolved at 3.5% a month with a 5% minimum due, six months of minimum payments cost ₹14,602 in payments, of which ₹11,460 is interest and GST — and the balance is still ₹46,858. Paying the minimum also ends the interest-free period on every new purchase until the balance is cleared in full.
Yes. Each formal application triggers a hard enquiry with a credit bureau, and several enquiries in a short window read as credit hunger. Space applications at least three to six months apart, and use eligibility pages that run a soft check before you submit anything. Comparing cards on YouBankingBuddy involves no bureau contact at all and leaves no footprint on your report.
Usually not, if it carries no annual fee. Closing a card removes its limit from your total available credit, which pushes up your utilisation ratio, and it shortens your average account age — both weigh on a bureau score. If the card charges a fee you no longer earn back, ask the issuer to downgrade it to a lifetime-free variant before you close it, and always obtain a written no-dues confirmation.
No. YouBankingBuddy is an independent comparison and lead-generation platform operated by Catalyst Web Trendz Pvt. Ltd. We are not a bank, an NBFC, a broker or a card issuer. We cannot issue, approve, price or decline a card. Every application is assessed by the issuer under its own credit policy, and all fees and features shown here are indicative and subject to change without notice.
Send us your rough monthly split — fuel, groceries, travel, utilities, online — and a buddy from the research desk returns a written comparison within one working day, with the net value of each card on your actual pattern. Not a sales pitch, and frequently a recommendation to keep the card you already hold.
A revolved card balance at 42% a year is almost always the most expensive debt in a household. A twenty-minute call costs nothing and usually ends with a cheaper plan. Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM IST.
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