Everything people ask us, answered plainly
Thirty-two questions across ten topics — including the awkward ones about who pays us, what happens to your data and what we are legally not allowed to do. If your question is not here, ask us and we will add it.
Ten topics, every answer open to read
Nothing on this page is hidden behind a form. Pick a topic, or use your browser's find-in-page — every question and answer is present in the page text.
Comparing & applying
What the platform does, what it costs you, and what happens after you press submit.
No. Comparisons, calculators and consultation calls are free to you, always, and there is no premium tier. We are paid a flat referral fee by a partner institution only if an application we route is disbursed. That fee is identical across every partner on a given product, so nothing on this site is ranked by what it pays us.
We do not. YouBankingBuddy is a comparison and lead-generation platform. We are not a bank, an NBFC, a broker, a SEBI-registered investment adviser or an IRDAI-licensed insurance intermediary. We hold no lending licence, we never take custody of your money, and we cannot approve, reject, price or disburse any application. Every credit decision rests entirely with the bank or NBFC you choose to apply to.
By cost to you, and by nothing else. Comparison tables default to the lowest indicative rate first and every column is sortable, so you can re-rank by processing fee, tenure or minimum income in one click. Where we mark an editor's pick we explain the reasoning in the same block. We have never sold placement, and if a lender offers to buy it we decline and say so publicly.
Your enquiry is recorded on our own server and a buddy from the research desk calls you back within one working day, Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST. On that call we talk through the shortlist and the trade-offs. Nothing is shared with any lender until you tell us which one you want to proceed with, and you are free to apply directly to the lender yourself instead. Submitting the form is an enquiry, not an application, and it creates no obligation on you or on any lender.
Loans & eligibility
How lenders size a loan, what moves your rate, and the promises nobody may honestly make.
It depends on your net monthly income, your existing EMIs, the rate on offer, the tenure and the FOIR the lender applies — typically 50%, stretching to 60 to 65% for higher incomes. Our eligibility checker runs exactly that arithmetic in your browser and gives an indicative figure in seconds. It is an estimate, not an offer or a pre-approval, and the lender will also weigh your credit score, employment stability, property value and its own policy on the day.
FOIR is the fixed-obligation-to-income ratio: the share of your net monthly income a lender will allow to go towards all EMIs put together. If you earn ₹80,000 a month, already pay ₹12,000 in EMIs and the lender applies a 50% FOIR, your headroom for a new EMI is ₹28,000. The loan amount is then whatever that EMI supports at the quoted rate and tenure. Raise the tenure and the eligible amount rises; clear an existing loan and it rises further.
Sometimes, and the honest test is arithmetic rather than enthusiasm. Compare the interest saved over the remaining tenure against the new lender's processing fee, legal and valuation charges, stamp duty on the fresh documentation and any insurance bundled into the disbursal. As a rule of thumb, a gap of 40 basis points or more with at least ten years left usually repays the cost within two years — but run your own numbers in the EMI calculator first, and remember rates shown here are indicative.
No, and you should distrust anyone who says otherwise. No comparison platform, agent or intermediary in India can guarantee approval, a rate or a disbursal timeline, because the credit decision belongs to the lender alone. What we can do is show you which lenders your profile is likely to suit, so that you apply once rather than five times and avoid a cluster of hard enquiries on your credit report.
Credit cards
How we value rewards, and the cost of the habit that wipes them all out.
We model a realistic ₹1,00,000 monthly spend split across groceries, fuel, dining, travel and utilities, apply each card's own earn rates and caps, value the points at the issuer's worst reasonable redemption route rather than its best, then subtract the annual fee. Only cards that stay positive on that test appear in our featured list. The assumptions are published beside the answer, so you can disagree with them.
Yes, usually. Each formal application triggers a hard enquiry with a credit bureau, and several enquiries inside a fortnight reads to a lender as financial distress. It typically costs a handful of points and can sit on your report for two years. Compare first, shortlist one card, and apply once. Checking your own score, or using anything on this site, does not create a hard enquiry.
Between 36% and 48% per annum on Indian cards, charged from the transaction date once you stop paying in full, plus the loss of the interest-free period on every new purchase until the balance is cleared. That comfortably exceeds every reward, cashback and lounge benefit any card offers. If you carry a balance, a personal loan from around 10.49% per annum is usually the cheaper way to clear it — and clearing it is the point.
Savings & fixed deposits
Tax, insurance cover and the charges that arrive without an announcement.
Interest on bank deposits is taxable as income at your slab rate, in the year it accrues. Tax is deducted at source once interest crosses ₹40,000 in a financial year with one bank, or ₹50,000 for senior citizens. TDS is not your final liability — if your total income is below the taxable threshold you may submit Form 15G, or Form 15H if you are a senior citizen, and if your slab is higher you pay the balance when you file. Every maturity figure shown on this site is pre-tax and indicative.
Deposits with banks in India are covered by DICGC insurance up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank, counting principal and interest together and adding up savings, current, fixed and recurring balances held in the same capacity. The cover is per bank, not per account, which is one practical reason to spread a large corpus across institutions rather than chase the last few basis points at one.
It is the average of your daily closing balances across a calendar quarter, not a floor you must hold every day — so one strong month can offset a thin one. Fall below the requirement and the bank levies a non-maintenance charge, usually silently, and often with tax on top. Zero-balance and salary variants avoid the charge entirely; our banking products comparison lists the requirement for every account we track.
Investments & insurance
The boundary of what we are permitted to say, and why we hold it firmly.
We cannot, and we will not. YouBankingBuddy is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser, and nothing on this site is investment advice or a recommendation to buy any scheme. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk — read all scheme-related documents carefully. What we do is explain how SIPs, expense ratios, direct versus regular plans and fund categories work, so that the conversation you then have with a registered adviser is a better one.
No. The SIP calculator projects a corpus at a rate of return you choose, held constant — which markets never deliver. It is an illustration of compounding, not a forecast and not a promise. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk; read all scheme-related documents carefully. Past performance does not indicate future returns, and no return anywhere on this site is guaranteed.
No. We are not an IRDAI-licensed insurance intermediary and we neither sell nor underwrite cover. We explain how term, health and motor policies are priced and where the exclusions sit. Policy terms, waiting periods, sub-limits and every claim decision are set entirely by the insurer and governed by the wording issued to you, and we cannot influence any of them. Premiums quoted on this site are indicative as on 21 Jul 2026 and subject to underwriting.
Credit score
What we touch, what we do not, and what a band is worth in rupees.
Not at all. Our eligibility checker is pure arithmetic running in your browser — we do not contact any credit bureau, so there is no hard enquiry and no footprint on your report. Nothing on this site pulls your credit file. A hard enquiry occurs only later, when you formally apply with a lender and consent to it there.
Most lenders reserve their published floor rate for applicants at 750 and above, and the genuine room to negotiate a lower spread opens between 800 and 900. Between 670 and 739 banks will usually lend but rarely at the headline rate. The gap matters: on a ₹50,00,000 home loan over twenty years, the difference between a 690 and a 780 profile is roughly ₹9.4 lakh in extra interest.
It means you and the lender agreed a reduced final payment, so the account was closed without being paid in full. To a credit officer that is a materially worse entry than "closed", and it usually stays on your report for several years. Where you can afford it, paying the remaining balance and obtaining a no-dues certificate, then asking the lender to update the status with the bureau, is worth the effort.
Calculators
The formulae we use, where the maths runs, and what the output is not.
No. Every calculator output on this site is an estimate, never an offer, a sanction or a pre-approval. Results exclude processing fees, insurance and statutory charges unless stated, and the final rate is set by the lender after credit assessment. Each result plate carries that warning in writing, which is why we put it there.
The standard ones, unmodified. EMI uses P × i × (1+i)^n ÷ ((1+i)^n − 1), with i the monthly rate and n the tenure in months. SIP uses the annuity-due form of the future value of a series. Compound interest uses P × (1 + r/f)^(f×t) with the compounding frequency you select, and simple interest uses P × r × t. Eligibility works the EMI formula backwards from your FOIR headroom. Nothing is rounded in a way that flatters an outcome.
They do not. Every calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type into a slider or a number field is uploaded, logged or stored, there is no sign-up wall, and the tools keep working if you lose connectivity after the page has loaded. The only data that ever reaches our server is what you deliberately type into an enquiry form and submit.
Data privacy & security
What we collect, who sees it, and how to make us delete it.
Only what you type into an enquiry or newsletter form: your name, mobile number, email address, city, the product you are exploring, the amount you have in mind and your message. We collect it for the single purpose you consented to — comparing products for you and, if you ask us to, introducing you to a lender. We do not ask for your PAN, Aadhaar, bank statements or documents, and you should not send them to us.
Never. We do not sell, rent or trade contact lists to anyone, at any price, and we do not run advertising trackers on this site. Your details are shared only with the specific lender you choose to proceed with, and only after you have told us to. That is a commitment, not a marketing line.
Write to info@catalystwebtrendz.com from the email address you used, or call +91-9953590779 during working hours, and say what you want withdrawn or erased. Consent given under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 may be withdrawn at any time, as easily as it was given. We action erasure requests within one working day and confirm in writing. Full detail sits in our Privacy Policy.
How we make money
The referral-fee disclosure, in full rather than in a footnote.
Partner banks and NBFCs pay us a flat referral fee when an application we route is actually disbursed — never when it is merely submitted, and never by you. The fee is agreed per product family, not per lender, so every partner offering a home loan pays us the same amount. If a product is not disbursed we are paid nothing. We list 42 banks and NBFCs, and we also publish institutions we have no commercial relationship with at all.
It cannot, because the fee is identical across every partner on a given product — there is no commercial reason for us to prefer one over another, and the ranking is generated from the rate and fee data itself. Non-partner institutions appear in our tables on exactly the same terms. If a lender offers to pay for a higher position, we decline, and we will keep saying so publicly.
No. Nothing on the blog is sponsored, no partner has ever seen an article before publication, and we do not run affiliate-led "best of" lists. Our writers are named on every piece and a second member of the research desk checks the arithmetic before it goes live. When we get a figure wrong we correct it in place and add a dated note rather than quietly deleting the piece.
Complaints & grievance redressal
Where to send a complaint, and what happens to it once it arrives.
Email info@catalystwebtrendz.com with "Grievance" in the subject line, or write to the Grievance Officer, Catalyst Web Trendz Pvt. Ltd., D 29, 2nd Floor, Greater Kailash Enclave 2, Greater Kailash, New Delhi – 110048. Tell us what happened, when, and what you would like done. You may also select "Grievance or complaint" on our contact form, which routes straight to the same desk. Jurisdiction for any dispute is New Delhi.
Raise it first with that institution's own grievance officer, whose details are published on its website and in your sanction or policy document. If it is unresolved after thirty days, or you are dissatisfied with the reply, the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme covers banks and NBFCs, the SEBI SCORES portal covers market intermediaries and the IRDAI Bima Bharosa portal covers insurers. We are happy to help you assemble the paperwork, but we have no authority over any regulated entity and cannot escalate on your behalf.
An enquiry submitted through the site is acknowledged the same working day and answered by a buddy within one working day. WhatsApp messages are answered within two working hours during office hours. A formal grievance is acknowledged within one working day and resolved within seven working days, or we write to you explaining why it is taking longer. Our desk works Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST.
What we are, and what we are not
Published here in full, not only in the footer, because a reader deserves to know who pays for a comparison before they trust it.
Not a bank or NBFC
We hold no banking or lending licence. We never take custody of your money and we cannot sanction, approve or reject any application.
Not an investment adviser
Nothing here is investment advice or a recommendation to buy any scheme. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk. Speak to a SEBI-registered adviser before investing.
Flat referral fees only
A partner pays us a flat fee only when an application we route is disbursed. It is identical across every partner on a product, so ranking is never for sale.
Your data stays yours
Calculators store nothing. Enquiry details go only to the lender you choose, we never sell a contact list, and you may withdraw consent at any time.
Still need help? Ask a person instead.
If your question is not answered above, a buddy from the research desk will take it. Twenty minutes, no charge, no script, and no obligation to proceed with anyone. Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM IST.
Call +91-9953590779 · Email info@catalystwebtrendz.com · We are not a lender and earn nothing unless you choose to proceed