10 Best Credit Cards (With 5% Cashback) for Beginners in India 2025

I have compiled a list of the best credit cards for salaried people in India who want to spend between 1 lakh to 2 lakh per year on a credit card. 

I have picked only those credit cards where you get a minimum of 5% cashback on specific transactions and a minimum of 1% cashback on all other expenses.  

You can apply for 2 different credit cards to combine two unique special offerings to get the best value. 

For example,

You can apply for an SBI cashback credit card for online spending and an Axis Ace credit card for utility bill payments to earn 5% cashback on both categories. 

Best Credit Card For Beginners With a Salary of 3 Lakh (And Below)

You can apply for the following credit cards if your salary is between Rs. 2.4 Lakhs to Rs. 3.0 Lakhs.

Pro Tip: The chances of approval are high if you have a salary account or an existing banking relationship with the same bank.

#1. SBI Cashback Credit Card

SBI Cashback Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

5% cashback on all online spends

Best Credit Card for Online Expenses
SBI Cashback Credit Card

SBI Cashback is one of the best credit cards for online spending. You get 5% cash back on all your online purchases without any specific website restriction. 

If you have an SBI cashback credit card you wouldn’t need ICICI Amazon pay, and Axis Flipkart card. 

You get 1% cashback on all offline spending. 

#2. Axis Ace Credit Card 

Axis Bank Ace Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

5% cashback on Gpay

Best Credit Card For Utility Payment
Axis Ace Credit Card

You will get 5% cashback on all utility bills payment using Ace card on Gpay.  

4% cashback when you spend on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola App.

You get 1.5% cashback on all other transactions without any limit which is the best among the beginner-level credit cards. 

Keep Axis Ace credit card along with an SBI cashback credit card to make best combo of 5% cashback on Online Shopping and Utility Payments.

#3. HDFC Millennia Credit Card

HDFC Millennia Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

5% cashback on Amazon and other top Brands

For Online Shopping
HDFC Millennia Credit Card

HDFC Millennia credit card provides 5% cashback on selected merchants like Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato. 

You get 1% cashback on all other spends equivalent to SBI cashback. 

You get Rs. 1000 worth of Dreamfolks domestic airport lounge access voucher per quarter (on spend of Rs. 1 Lakh in the previous quarter) which is not available in the SBI cashback credit card. 

#4. ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card

ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

5% cashback on Amazon

Lifetime Free
ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card

Amazon Pay ICICI credit card provides 5% cashback to Prime members and 3% to non-prime members on Amazon shopping. 

You will get 1% on all other online and offline spending. 

#5. Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

5% cashback on Flipkart and Cleartrip

Best For Flipkart Shopping
Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Axis Flipkart credit card gives you 5% cash back on all your Flipkart spending except for hotel & flight bookings. For flight bookings there is 5% cashback on Cleartrip spends.

You get 1% cash back on all your other eligible transactions. 

Best Credit Card For Beginners With a Salary of 3 Lakh and Above

#6. Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card

Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

10% cashback on Swiggy App

Best For Food Odering & Dineout
Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card

Swiggy HDFC Bank credit card gives you 10% cash back when you order food on Swiggy App. Cashback is also when you use Swiggy App for spending on – Instamart, Dineout and Genie. 

The card also offers 5% cashback on specific category codes for online transactions across categories like apparels, electronics, home decor, pharmacies and others.

You get 1% cash back on other categories. 

#7. Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card

Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

25% cashback on recharge done on Airtel Thanks App

Best For Mobile, Internet & DTH Recharge
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card

Airtel Axis Bank credit card gives you the maximum cashback in percentage terms. You get 25% cash back on Airtel mobile, broadband, Wifi and DTH payments using Airtel Thanks App.

10% cashback on utility bill payments done on Airtel Thanks App.

NOTE: You can have the maximum Cashback if you can get SBI Cashback and Airtel Axis Bank credit card.

#8. IDFC First Power Credit Card

IDFC First Power Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

Up to 5% savings on Fuel expenses

Best For Fuel and Car Rentals
IDFC First Power Credit Card

IDFC First Power is a dedicated card for on road travel. The card gives you 5% savings on fuel expenses on HPCL outlet.

2.5% savings as rewards on IDFC First FASTag recharge.  

2.5% savings as rewards on Grocery & Utility.

 

#9. HSBC Live+ Credit Card

HSBC Live+ Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

10% cashback on Dining, Food delivery and Groceries

Best For Dining & Grocery
HSBC Live+ Credit Card

HSBC Live+ credit card offers 10% cash back (upto Rs. 1,000 per month) on dining, food delivery and grocery spends. 

You also get 1.5% cash back on all your transactions which is the second best after the Axis Ace credit card from this list.

#10. Myntra Kotak Credit Card

Myntra Kotak Credit Card
Biggest Benefit

7.5% cashback on Myntra

Best For Myntra shopping
Myntra Kotak Credit Card

Myntra Kotak credit card gives you 7.5% instant discount all your Myntra spending done through app or Myntra website. Max discount of Rs. 750 per transaction. 

5% cashback when you pay through Swiggy, Swiggy- Instamart, PVR, Cleartrip and Urban company.

Conclusion

You can apply for any card based on your current spending habits, salary, and banking relationships.

Having 2 cashback cards is the best to enjoy maximum cashback. You can get it with an SBI Cashback and Airtel Axis credit card.

If you want to avoid the annual fee, you can read our article – best free credit cards in India.

If you have a salary of more than 6 lakh then you can check – best premium credit card that provides free airport lounge access.

FAQs

Which credit card is the best for first timers?

This will depend on certain things like:

  • Your spending habits like online shopping, dining, movies, road travel
  • Your current salary – less or more than Rs. 3 Lakhs
  • Existing salary account or past banking relationships

You can apply for credit cards based on the above.

Is 5% cashback worth it?

If you are spending Rs. 1 Lakh collectively on food, grocery, apparel, dining, and online shopping then yearly you can save Rs. 5,000.

Which credit card in India has the best rewards (cashback)?

The maximum cashback of 25% (in pure percentage terms) is offered by Airtel Axis Bank credit card.

How many credit cards should I have?

There is no restriction on the number of credit cards that you can have. You can have 2 or more credit cards matching your spending habits.

Can I withdraw cashback from a credit card?

Cashback earned on a credit card can’t be withdrawn as cash or transferred.

Generally, cashback is credited to your credit card account. This reduces the outstanding balance of your card account.

About Pardeep Goyal

I love to talk about money saving hacks (Credit Cards, Travel, Shopping, Taxes). I share transparently how I am making passive income and where I spend my money.

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