I am a credit card lover. I keep an eye on the best available credit cards in India.
Many people avoid credit cards because they feel that they will spend more if they start using one. But you will be amazed by the money saving potential and benefits that some credit cards offer.
I am sure after reading this article you would be convinced of the need to apply for atleast one of the mentioned credit cards.
I will help you choose the right card for your needs. You can ask your questions in the comments.
Then Apply for 3 Credit Cards
- Standard Chartered Manhattan for 5% cashback on grocery stores
- Amex Membership Reward for bonus points, loading money to Paytm and redeeming points for Amazon vouchers & hotel vouchers
- Amex Travel Platinum for Travel benefits
Now..
Continue reading the article until the end.
Best Lifetime Free Credit Card in India 2022
#1. Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Credit Card
(Note: Application link may say joining fees of Rs. 250 but that will be waived off when you use your credit card within first 90 days – Actually it’s ZERO Annual fees but they charge so that you use the card after approval)
Personally, my favourite credit card is Standard Chartered Manhattan Credit Card for monthly grocery shopping (Reviewed at #3) but Platinum is best if you are applying for the first time and looking for a No Annual Fees credit card for life.
If you already have your first credit card from any bank, then skip to the Review of Manhattan Credit Card.
You have a high chance of approval of Platinum card if you are a salaried employee. You can request for an upgrade to Manhattan card whenever you need in the future (approval based on your salary & credit card usage)
Best for
Salaried people who want to own all rounder credit card.
(Approval rate is good if you have a salary of Rs. 25,000 per month from Private or Government job)
Benefits
- Easy approval for salaried people
- Get an additional 1000 rewards points if you transact within 60 days
- Bonus 500 points for registering for online banking
- 20% cashback on Uber rides
- 5 points on spending 150 rupees on dining
- 5 points on spending 150 on fuel
- 1 reward points on spending 150 on any other category
- Additional discounts & offers from Ola, Uber, Grofers, Yatra, that keep on changing with time
…but there are some more choices for you.
Annual fees or joining fees
- 250 joining fees but waived off with the first transaction within 90 days
- Next year fees waived off when you spend Rs. 30,000 in the first year
Wait for the approval of your Platinum card and apply for your second credit card after 6 months.
Best Credit Card For Salaried Person in 2022
#2. Standard Chartered Manhattan Credit Card
As you can see, I got Standard Chartered Manhattan card approved in 2007.
It was my all time favourite card. I spent almost 90% of my expenses until I got approved for premium credit cards like Amex Platinum Travel and HDFC Regalia.
You can save a lot of money through cashback and reward points using Manhattan credit card.
This is the only card that offers 5% cash back on your grocery spends on supermarkets
Annual fee: Rs. 999 (but you can get it waived off with 1.2L annual spending)
Don’t worry about the annual fees, I get that waived off every year. It’s the Best credit card for Salaried people if can spend more than 1.2L per year.
Key benefits:
- 5% cash back on credit card expenditure at supermarkets & department stores
- 3x rewards when you use your credit card anywhere
- You can earn up to Rs. 500 as cashback every month and Rs. 150 per transaction.
You can easily earn 6000 rupees every year (3000 in cashback and 3000 after redeeming points).
Best Credit Card for Fuel and Utility Bills 2022
You can get fuel benefits on following credit cards
- Citi IOC Credit Card
- SC Titanium Card
- ICICI HPCL Coral Card
- HDFC Bharat CashBack
- SBI BPCL
- RBL Platinum Maxima
#3. Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium
I am picking SC Titanium because you would get 5% cashback on fuel and utility payments.
Suitable card, if you are a first-time credit card applicant and most of your monthly expenses are on fuel, phone and utility bills.
Annual Fees – 750 rupees (Waived off if you spend 60,000 in the first year)
First-year fees can also be waived off when you use the card within 90 days of approval.
You should apply for this credit card if your monthly expense is at least 5,000 rupees (12*5K = 60K per year).
Benefits of SVT Credit Card
- 5% cashback on fuels
- 5% cashback on phone bills
- 5% cashback on utility bills
#4. Citibank IOC Fuel Credit Card
Citibank has collaboration with Indian Oil Petrol pumps. You can earn Turbo points when you pay using IOC credit card on Indian Oil outlets.
Not at all useful if you refill the fuel tank from HP or Bharat petrol pumps.
Annual Fees – Rs. 1000 (Waived off when you spend 30,000 per year)
Benefits of Citibank IOC Card
- 4 Turbo Points on spending Rs. 150 on Indian Oil Pumps
- 2 Turbo points on spending in Supermarkets
- 1 Turbo points on spending 150 elsewhere
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver
- 1 Turbo Point = 1 Rs. Fuel
Best Credit Card For Online Shopping in 2022
Almost all credit cards and banks keep offering some discounts on online shopping. But this is the list of the credit cards which are designed to get big offers and discounts online.
- ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card
- SBI SimilyClick Credit Card
- SBI SimplySave Credit Card
- Amex Rewards Membership Card
- Standard Chartered Manhattan
- Standard Chartered Ultimate
- HDFC Diner Black
- HDFC Moneyback
#5. ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card
ICICI Amazon Pay credit card made the top of the list in our collection of online shopping credit cards. Amazon launched this credit card in 2018 to give extra benefits to Prime customers.
Application Process – The problem is that you can not apply directly for this credit card. You would see an invite inside your Amazon Mobile App and receive an email from Amazon.
Make sure you add your existing ICICI credit card into Amazon account to get the invite. If you don’t have ICICI credit card then apply for lifetime free Platinum Credit Card.
Annual Fees – NIL
Benefits of Amazon Pay Credit Card
- 5% cash back on Amazon.in for Amazon Prime customers
- 3% cash back on Amazon.in for non-prime customers
- 2% cash back when paying to merchants using this card on Amazon Pay as a payment method
- 1% cash back on all other payments
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver
#6. American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card
American Express is the only credit card that gives rewards on adding money to wallets like Paytm, Amazon Pay and Freecharge. I earn 1,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points every month by doing 4 transactions of 1000 rupees.
Amex degraded the benefits of their Gold charge card when they launched Membership Rewards Card in 2018. I dropped Amex Gold card from our recommendation list.
Annual fee: First Year Rs. 1000 (Second year onwards Rs. 4500)
Note: Annual fees is waived off when you apply using the below link, also earn 2000 bonus points.
Benefits:
- 2000 referral bonus points when you apply using the above link.
- 1000 Bonus points for using your Card 4 times every month.
- Earn 1 MR point on Rs.50 spent on all spends except for spending
Credit Card Expert Tip
- Load 4000 rupees into your Paytm, Freecharge and AmazonPay wallet to earn 1000 bonus points (worth Rs. 400)
- Pay using wallets wherever possible on the online shopping
- You would save the money twice if you find a deal with wallets.
Drawback:
- No rewards on Fuel, Insurance, Utilities and Cash Transactions.
I applied for this card and got approved in 2016. I am loving the benefits so far.
(Best, if you already have any other cashback credit card. Use it for earning 1000 bonus points worth 400 rupees every month)
#7. SBI Simply Click Credit Card
It’s hard to get the approval of SBI Credit cards. But If you get your salary in SBI bank account then approval becomes easy.
Simply click card gives you direct 10x rewards when shopping on Amazon, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Cleartrip and many more vendors.
Annual fee: 499 (waived off by spending 100,000 in one year)
Bonus: Rs 500 voucher from Amazon
Not for first-time applicants – You should have an excellent credit history for getting the approval of this card
Key benefits:
- 10X rewards on online spends – Amazon / BookMyShow / Cleartrip / Foodpanda / FabFurnish / Lenskart / OLA / Zoomcar
- Earn 5X rewards on all other online shopping
- A welcome e-gift voucher worth Rs 500 from Amazon
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver (on 500+ transaction amount)
Cleartrip e-voucher worth Rs.2,000 on annual online spends of Rs. 1 Lakh (one more 2000 e-voucher on another 1Lakh milestone)
#8. Citi Bank Cashback Credit Card
Best for you if you watch movies and pay your bills online.
Annual fee: Rs.500
I hate their application process because it’s very difficult to fill up details in the online form. I don’t know why don’t they make the application easy like other banks.
Key benefits
- 5% cash back on movie tickets
- 5% cash back on telephone bill payments
- 5% cash back on Utility Bill Payments
- 0.5% Cash Back on all other spends
Drawbacks
- You must have excellent Credit History before applying.
- 80% Citibank card applications decline because people do not have a credit history.
- The online form is complex and lengthy, be patient and fill the information.
#9. ICICI Instant Platinum Card
Apply for ICICI Platinum card in case you get denied for Standard Chartered Platinum.
It is not easy to get your first credit card in India. ICICI bank offers you instant credit card against fixed deposit if you have a saving account with ICICI bank. You can simply log on to ICICI online banking and apply for the card.
If you worry for your CIBIL score just because you want to apply for a credit card, you must try ICICI Instant Platinum Credit Card.
Annual fee: 199 rupees (waiver on spending Rs. 2000 within 60 days of approval)
Who should apply?
ICICI credit card is a good option for Students, Housewives and Non-Salary people if they want to apply for credit card against a Fixed Deposit.
Key benefits:
- 2 payback points for every Rs. 100 spent
- 1 payback point for every 100 rupees on insurance & utilities
- Get ₹ 100 off on movie tickets twice a month.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver can be availed on fuel transaction of maximum ₹ 4,000 at HPCL pumps.
ICICI bank will offer you a credit limit based on the amount you keep in the fixed deposit. You will earn regular interest on your fixed deposit. The bank just wants to secure itself against the risk of fraud by the first-time credit card user.
#10. HDFC Moneyback Credit Card
I am listing money back credit card from HDFC because it’s the basic credit card that you can apply as a first-time applicant.
Let me quickly tell you the benefits
- 4 reward points per Rs 150 for online shopping
- 2 reward points per Rs 150 for elsewhere
- 1% fuel surcharge waived off (above 400 rupees transaction)
The only reason for adding this credit card in the best credit list is the approval rate. You can get the card approved against the Fixed deposit or if you have a salary more than 25,000 per month.
#11. Axis Buzz Credit card
If you are existing customer of Axis bank then get this card for online shopping. Low annual fees and great benefits on Flipkart.
Annual Fees – 750 Rupees
Benefits
- 10% instant discount on Flipkart from 1 to 5th of every month
- 5% instant discount on Flipkart from 6 to 31st of every month
- 2 axis eDGE reward points on every Rs 200 spent
- 6 axis eDGE reward points on online shopping
- make 3 transactions and get Flipkart voucher worth Rs 1000 within first 45 days of card setup
#12. IndusInd Iconia
IndusInd has only one credit card worth keeping. You can check with the bank to reduce the fees based on your relationship.
Annual Fees – One time fees of Rs. 10,000 (you can negotiate)
Benefits
- 2 Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent on weekends
- 1.5 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on weekdays
- 1% Fuel surcharge waiver
- 2 complimentary lounge access per quarter
- 200 off on movie tickets per month on BookMyShow
#13. RBL Platinum Maxima Credit Card
RBL bank also offers good discounts on online shopping.
Annual Fees – Rs. 2000
Benefits
- 10 Reward Points for every Rs.100 (dining, entertainment, utility bill payments, fuel and international)
- 2 Reward Points for every Rs.100 spent elsewhere
- free movie ticket free up to Rs. 200 from BookMyShow
- 2 complimentary visits every calendar quarter at domestic lounges
Best Credit Card For Travel Benefits in India 2022
Now I am listing premium & super-premium credit cards which are not easy to get approved without having a great CIBIL score and credit history.
Note – You can jump to the end of the article if you are a first-time credit card applicant.Keep reading about premium credit cards if you want to apply for a second or third credit card.
#15. Citibank Premiermiles Card
There are two best credit cards for travel – Citibank PremierMiles and Amex Platinum Travel. You can not go wrong with either. Apply for both if you can afford the annual charges. You can redeem miles for any partner airline, means you don’t have to stick with a single airline.
Best for people who have 2-3L of annual spend on travel.
Annual fee: Rs.3,000
Benefits:
- Get 10000 Miles on activation.
- Earn 10 Miles for every 100 spent on airlines.
- Earn 10 Miles per Rs.100 spent with online partner merchants.
- Earn 4 Miles for every 100 of all other spends
Note: 100 Miles = Rs. 45 with preferred partners (4.5% worth benefits)
#16. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
American Express Platinum Travel Card offers great benefits for frequent travelers (like vouchers from Indigo and Taj)
Annual fee: First Year Rs. 3500 (Second year onwards 5,000 Rs.)
Benefits:
- Welcome gift of 5,000 Milestone Bonus Membership Rewards Points redeemable for Spicejet Vouchers worth Rs. 4000.
- Spend Rs. 1.90 lacs in a year and get Spicejet Vouchers worth more than Rs. 7,700.
- Spend Rs. 4 lacs in a year to get Spicejet Vouchers worth more than Rs. 11,800. Also, get a voucher worth Rs. 10,000 from the Taj Group.
- 1 complimentary visit to domestic lounges in India
Go for this credit card if your annual expenses are more than 2 lakh.
#17. ICICI JetAirways Saphiro Credit Card
ICICI has two variants of Saphiro Credit Card, you should get JetAirways Saphiro if you travel frequently by Jet Airways.
Annual Fees: Rs. 5000
Joining Gift
- 12,500 JP bonus miles
- Jet Airways Economy Class base fare waived off domestic air ticket
Benefits
- 0 JPMiles/₹100 spent on the card
- 5% discount on base fare when the ticket is booked directly from JetAirways
- dedicated check-in for select domestic flights of Jet Airways
- Complimentary Excess Baggage Allowance of 10 Kgs in Première and 5 Kgs in Economy
- 1% fuel surcharge waived off
- 4 complimentary rounds/ lessons of golf every month
- Buy one ticket and get up to Rs 500 off on the second ticket, twice every month, through BookMyShow
- 2 international airport lounge visits and 2 spa sessions at selected airports in India every year, through complimentary DragonPass membership
#18. Kotal Royal Signature Credit Card
Kotak came up with a premium card that has low annual fees yet powerful to be used for travel.
Annual Fees – Rs. 999 only
Benefits
- 4X reward points on every Rs. 150 spent on Hotels | Restaurants | Travel Agencies & Tour Operators | Package Tour Operators | Airlines and Air Carriers | International
- 2X rewards elsewhere
- 2 Complimentary access to Airport Lounges every quarter in India
- Fuel surcharge waiver on transactions above Rs. 500
- Railway surcharge waiver for transactions on www.irctc.co.in
Premium Credit Cards in India 2022
#19. HDFC Regalia Credit Card
Regalia was super premium credit card a few years back but HDFC approved Regalia for each & every customer. Last year they degraded the benefits of Regalia but it still falls under the premium credit card category.
Annual Fees – Rs. 2500
Benefits
- 4 Reward Points on every Rs. 150 spent
- 2% Foreign Currency Mark-up Fee
- 12 complimentary domestic lounge access per year
- 15 lakhs medical insurance for international travel
#20. SBI Prime Credit Card
Watch this video review.
Annual Fees – Rs. 2999
Benefits
- 20 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on standing instructions of Utility Bills payments
- 15 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on BigBasket
- 10 Reward Points per Rs.100 spent on Dining, Groceries, Departmental stores and Movies
- 2 Reward Points per Rs. 100 on all other retail spends
- 1% fuel surcharge at any petrol pump
- 4 complimentary visits per year to International Priority Pass Lounges
- 8 complimentary visits per year to Domestic VISA/Mastercard Lounges
- Get Pizza Hut e-Voucher worth Rs. 1,000 on achieving spends of Rs. 50,000 in a calendar quarter
- E-Gift Voucher worth Rs. 7,000 from Yatra.com/Pantaloons on achieving annual spends of Rs. 5 Lakhs
#21. Yesbank Preferred Credit Card
The reward ratio of yes bank preferred card is very good. The free lounge access (domestic and international) makes the annual fees worth for the credit card.
Annual Fees – Rs. 2500
Benefits
- 8 Reward Points on every INR 100 Retail Spends
- 1.75% Foreign Currency Markup
- 1% fuel surcharge at any petrol pump
- Domestic Lounge access (3 visits per quarter)
- 4 complimentary international lounge access through priority pass
Super Premium Credit Cards in India
#22. HDFC Diner Black Credit Card
This is the super premium credit card in India that you must have in your pocket. You would get a huge 33% cashback when you spend on their 10x partners.
For rest of the spending you would get 3.3% cashback worth of rewards.
Annual Fees – Rs. 10,000 (second year onwards Rs. 5000)
Additional Benefits
- 5 Reward Points for every Rs. 150
- 2% Foreign Currency Mark-up Fee
- Air Accident Cover of INR 1 Crore
- Emergency Medical Expenses Cover of up to INR 25 Lakh
- Travel Insurance Cover of up to INR 50,000 on baggage delay/loss
- Unlimited Airport lounge access to 700+ Lounges in India and worldwide
- 6 Complimentary Golf games (Green fee waiver) per quarter
#23. SBI Signature Credit Card (Elite)
SBI Signature Card comes with a bunch of offers from the online shopping portals with decent bonus reward points.
Annual fee: Rs. 4999 (+Welcome Gifts worth 4,999)
Key benefits:
- 10 points per Rs.100 spent on Dining, Departmental stores, Grocery & International Spends
- 2 points per Rs.100 spent on others.
- Earn 10,000 bonus Reward Points on achieving annual spends of Rs. 2 lakhs, 3 lakhs and 4 lakhs
- Earn 20,000 bonus Reward Points on crossing annual spends of Rs. 5 lakhs.
- 1 Reward Point = Rs. 0.25.
#24. Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card
I applied for this credit card the moment it was launched in 2018. Got the cashback of 10,000 after booking my tickets from MakeMyTrip, that covered the cost of annual fees for 2 years.
Annual Fees – Rs. 5000
Benefits
- 10,000 cashback on tickets booked through MakeMyTrip (One time benefit)
- 5 reward points on every INR 150 spent
- 5% cashback on duty free outlets, max 1000 per month
- 2% foreign currency markup
- 2 complimentary golf games per month
- 1 complimentary lounge access per month
#25. Yesbank Exclusive Preferred Credit Card
This is a high-end card from YesBank for their premium customers.
Annual Fees – Rs. 10,000
Benefits
- A welcome privilege of 50000 Reward Points
- 10 Reward Points on every INR 100 Retail Spends
- Complimentary TAJ InnerCircle Epicure Membership
- Unlimited Complimentary Lounge Visits through Priority Pass
- One complimentary Golf Lesson every month
- 1.75% forex markup
#26. ICICI Emerald Credit Card
ICICI launched their high-end super-premium credit card in Jan 2019.
Annual Fees – Rs. 12,000
Benefits
- 4 PAYBACK Points on every ₹100 spent
- Unlimited Lounge Access, Unlimited Spa Access at Airports
- Vouchers from Trident and Da Milano
- Zero Cancellation Charges for Travel
- 1.5% Forex Markup Fee
This qualifies for a must-to-have card for frequent travellers.
Who is the winner?
I trust and love Standard Chartered Manhattan card which is my favorite for last 8 years. I make more than 20,000 cashback and get annual fees waived off every year.
If you are first time applicant and looking for life time free card, then apply for Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card.
(No brainer that it’s best reward credit card without any fees. Good for shopping and regular expenses)
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
Hi , I wanted to know how good is the YES bank credit card as I will be applying for the first time for a credit card and my annual income is about rs3,00,000/-
Yes bank has some good credit cards like Yes bank preferred.
Hi i am pratik
I subscribe your video
I want to use first time credit card
I want to know which credit sholud i use
From these three
1.RBL titaium maxima
2.Citi bank IOC
3.Std charterd titanium
My monthly exp
9000 per month in diesel
1000 per month in movie
2000 per in dth and mobile recharge
4.i want airport lounge access
5. I want to pay electricity bill of Rs 100000 per month of my office
And at last should i apply credit in name of my firm or in my personal
Pratik… Go for HDFC Diner’s black because of your high usage every month.. You will enjoy the benefits..
Hi Pardeep, Thanks for all this info.
Actually I am flying to Canada for my Masters and I won’t be back for a few years. Since my credit scores are good and my credit profile is strong, I was thinking to get a premium card before I leave India. I am hoping to get the card in a week (my last day at the job is just around the corner) and do shopping of approx 50-60k. In this scenario do you think I should get a card leveraging my current salary slip (1.5 lakh+ per month) and if yes then which card should I get?
You can apply for SC Ultimate / HDFC Diners or Infinia
That will give you low forex charges and 3.3% cashback worth rewards.
YesBank exlusive can also be applied but you won’t get cashback like above however the forex is low on Yes Exclusive.
I am using 8 cards – 2 SBI CARDS (simply save and FBB Style up), 2 Citibank ( both rewards card), 1ICICI coral card, 1 HSBC platinum visa, 2 Standard chartered (landmark rewards and platinum visa). My spendings are on grocery, online shopping etc. I do not travel. Kindly suggest good card for replacement of all the cards.
You are not holding best cards and paying annual fees unnecessary on a card like ICICI Coral.
If your spending is on groceries then get SC Manhatten (upgrade your existing card)
Plus, get ICICI Amazon Pay for straight 5% off on Amazon shopping (Lifetime free card)
For other online shopping, needs take SBI SimplyClick (upgrade your existing SimplySave card)
Let me know how much did you save with new card combinations.
TOTAL AMOUNT:INR 7.96 L
and below is the %
BILLS 37.11%
FOOD & DRINKS 6.24%
FUEL 2.84%
GROCERIES 15.46%
HEALTH 0.49%
Hosipitilisation 8.34%
PERSONAL CARE 3.39%
SHOPPING 23.82%
TRAVEL 1.76%
Utility-Serv 0.55%
i have HDFC Moneyback CC , i am planning to close and choose one anf get better one to suit my spending
Could you Please suggest one
Akhil, go for a premium credit card like HDFC Infinia or Standard Chartered Ultimate.
My annual expenses are.
5 lacs – online Insurance policy
5000- fuel
50000- online shopping through grofers, amazon, Flipkart etc.
10000- utility bills
10000- offline purchase
Please suggest card as per above expenses. I’m currently using HDFC card
Which card you are using Dileep?
I would suggest you go for Standard chartered platinum – https://cashoverflow.in/best-credit-cards-india-2019/#24_Standard_Chartered_Ultimate_Credit_Card
My priority spending:
Dear sir,
Please suggest.
I’m used HDFC Cards since 3yr limit 2lac.
1. Groceries (5k/month approx )
2. Online Bill payments (mobile, insurance online payment approx.100000 lac/month
3. Drinks & Dining (approx 5k /annum) – I used Flipkart also
4. fuel payments (5k / month approx)
4. Movies
5. online payment of insurances etc
6. I use Google Pay 5k
What I would like to have:
1. Rewards either in cash backs or points or vouchers (any) – Over all maximum benefit in value.
3. Rewards benefits
Regards
Dileep Kumar
9811729946
Dileep,
You can apply for Standard chartered titanium card. Get the details here –
Hi,
I already indusind visa signtaure card & sbi airindia platinum signature card, but now i am looking for more premium card then this.
My annual spending is around 30lac by card , my international travel is almost 2-3 times a year, 1 domestic trip in year. Mostly i stay 4/5 star hotel while traveling.
Currently i m considering Amex platinum / citi prestige which one I go for or do you have any other good option?
Hey Priyank,
If your annual spend is so high, why must go for super-premium cards like HDFC Diners black or Standard Chartered Ultimate.
hello Pradeep, you write best credit card blogs, they provide a good insight. keep up the good work.
My name is Anuj, I’m self employed.
I’m looking forward to apply for yes first preferred credit card but i don’t have yes bank account right now.
I went through their website and notice they offer the card against 3L FD.
Can you help me out on following information.
1) do they check cibil, ITR even if you apply against FD, “i dont meet their 24L ITR”
2) Can i apply for life time free card using the link you have provided, Against FD?
If you need card agaist FD then you have to visit the branch (or fill up online application and ask them to visit your home when you get the call)
I opened Yes Preferred Saving account and applied for the preferred card along with. Based on my CIBIL score they approved preferred and this year upgraded to Exclusive credit card.
Try out that option.. if they did not approve then go with FD option.
In either case, your CIBIL & income proof would be checked.
Hi… My annual expenses are
3 lacs – online Insurance policy
60000- fuel
40000- online Flight, hotel & train booking
50000- online shopping through grofers, amazon
10000- utility bills
10000- offline purchase
Please suggest card as per above expenses. I’m currently using Citibank rewards card
Sachin, you should go for a premium credit card like HDFC Diners Black or Standard Chartered Ultimate.
I am a HDFC Regalia CC holder and I am frustrated by their customer service. Do you have a CC recommendation that has good customer service? I already hold an Amex and they have the best customer service. I am looking for a Visa card that has a similar customer service. Usage primarily would be monthly spends in offline stores, online utility payments
Raghu, Go for SC Manhattan card. it will have lots of cashback offers.
I think Flipkart Axis Bank credit card deserves a place in this list replacing Buzz card. Please review this card and share your views.
Thanks for feedback. I’ll add in my research list and update accordingly.
What are your views on HDFC Infinia? Is it a worthy card?
Yes brij.. It’s one of the best credit card with lots of benefits..
I’m having 17k salary. I’m I eligible to any of cards?
You can get credit card against Fixed deposit, talk to your bank which has a long relationship with you..
Hi Pardeeo,
I am currently holding a standard chartered ultimate and an Amex platinum card. My current spend is approx 1.5L/month. I was very happy with SC Ultimate but they have not been giving good redemption options such as Amazon or makemytrip for quite some time now. Can you suggest a super premium card for this. HDFc Infinia and Diners Black I have been unable to get an invite although have a salary account with them. My civil score is 833 so I don’t know the issue.
Is there another card with 3% + reward rate with good redemption options.
Regards,
Niket
Why don’t you try for Yes Bank Preferred Exclusive Credit Card.. It falls in the super-premium category..
Hi,
I was a regular user of HDFC Jetprivilige Diners club International card and it was extremely useful in collecting JP Miles (Even today I have close to 1 Lakh JP Miles). Thanks to Jet Airways going down, I have to use those JP miles now on other vouchers and stuff which is much lesser return (My bad luck). Looking to switch..
From my card, I am looking for
1. Travel – Lounge access and travel vouchers
2. Shopping friendly – good cashback/points redemption
Assume 50K expense every month
PS : I am a former Manhattan Platinum card user before the Jet privilige card
This article would help you – Click here
I have indusind Aura Platinum credit card, i want to upgrade my credit card
my exp. is on paytm, online utility site, PoS, Some time on shoping site like amaz.and flip
i used to pay annually for 48k LIC, 20K Health insurance, 60k grocery,, 12k for light and gas bill.
i reedmed my reward point through cash back on bill ex. if i have 4000 point than 2k Rs. discount on next bill
so which card i have to select, bank offer me Indusind AMEX Card, annually fees is 5k
please suggest me
Hitendrasinh, I would suggest you go with much better credit cards like SC Manhattan card. You would enjoy the benefits..
I have HDFC Regalia and I have been using the card past 8 years. Main thing is its without any charge for me. I mostly do online shopping, load on my wallets, pay premiums of LICs etc, shopping at malls, restaurants and spend around 2-3 lakhs yearly. Which card should I take now or shall I continue with HDFC regalia. My choice was CITI Rewards card. Please suggest..
Regalia is premium than Citi Rewards.. I would suggest you to go for SBI Prime or stick with Regalia..
Hi praddep ji,
i’ve been using HDFC money back platinum credit card but nothing seems to be benefit for me. As i travel more on my own vehicle could you suggest me the best credit card for FUEL & SHOPPING purposes.
in addition to the above info,
Aprrox: i’l spend 20K per year only on fuel. so suggest me credit card accordingly pradeep ji.
For fuel go to SC Super Value Titanium (5% cashback)
Either upgrade your current credit card to HDFC Regalia
Which is best credit card for Corporate salaried person..
which is most used :-
(1) To buy Movie ticket of ANY theater not restricted to PVR etc
(2) Online shopping flipkart, amazon
(3) Retail buying in Croma, Reliance Digital, D Mart etc
(4) Train/ flight ticket discounts
Hey kalpesh, its not clear from your comment that what is your monthly salary and how much you are going to spend through credit card.. So from the above information I can suggest you Standard Chartered Manhattan card.
I already have a HDFC diners platinum card dat too free….which card should I upgrade to?
You can go further for Hdfc Diner’s black.
Hi, need your suggestion for which credit card to consider given the following major expenses that I incur:
1- online shopping (very frequent) – Amazon, Myntra, Jabong, FK etc
2- annual international vacation travel
3- domestic travel almost once a quarter
4- monthly groceries upto Rs 5000 online (Amazon Pantry/Bigbasket/Grofers) and balance Rs 5000 approx thru offline stores
I already have a citibank premier miles credit card. Should I take HDFC Diners Club Black card in addition to this?
Or should I let go of the citibank card and instead use only HDFC Diners Club Black card ?
Pls suggest.
Thanks,
Anuja
You should keep both because Diners black has less acceptance in offline stores, so citibank premier miles will be handy.
I am a transport business owner and as well as a ESSAR petrol pump owner.
My monthly
fuel expenses is around 1 lac.
Groceries and online shopping approx 15000.
Movies and dinner approx 5000.
Which card suit me most.
As I can see your primary expense is on fuel. you can find a suitable credit card form here
which will offer discounts/Rewards on other expenses as well.
Hey, you provide information is very helpful…Great..
Thank you.
hey , Your post are very imfomative
Thanks.
hello
every month i will do online transactions (not from online shopping websites) mostly from payment platforms like paytm, phonepe, razorpay etc., about atleast 5000 and i had to make domestic air travel 10 times in a year which will cost around 30000
for these two purpose which credit card suits for me in terms of giving more rewards and travel benefits
Is upgrading to AMEX platinum charge card (60k +GST) from my gold charge card worth it?
All depends on your spending pattern.
The super premium credit cards are useful when you spend a lot through those cards.
What are the benefits?
Hello,
I was against credit cards from many years for obvious reasons of over spending. Now I believe I have the capability to control my spending :). Would you please recommend one/two card for me ?
I know only one card cannot have all the benefits but see what best can you suggest.
My priority spending:
1. Groceries (5k/month approx )
2. Online Bill payments (mobile, internet etc – 2k/month approx – I pay using paytm as well)
3. Drinks & Dining (approx 20k to 30k /annum) – I use Zomato Gold aswell
4. fuel payments (5k / month approx)
4. Movies
5. online payment of insurances etc (Not sure if that can be covered)
6. I use a lot of Paytm not other wallets may be i can explore Google Pay (TEZ) 4k to 8k & sometimes 10k/month when I use Paytm for fuel payments.
What I would like to have:
1. Rewards either in cash backs or points or vouchers (any) – Over all maximum benefit in value
2. Flight miles / Vouchers ( I thought ICICI Jet airways – now not sure since jet airways is not more operational)
3. Dining benefits
4. Hotel/lodging benefits
5. Airport Lounge benefits
6. Holidays (if any) not very particular
Apply for following
Standard Chartered Manhattan for 5% cashback on grocery stores
Amex Membership Reward for bonus points, loading money to Paytm and redeeming points for Amazon vouchers & hotel vouchers
Thank You so much Pradeep,
Although, I have a doubt. My groceries wouldn’t cost more than 5,000/Month which means I will get a Rs. 250/Month (i.e 3,000/annum)
Plus if I spend 1.5 Lakhs per annum – I get 4,000 Points, in value about Rs 1000
In total I am benefiting Rs, 4,000. which I believe is less. please comment.
Does, Amex Platium Travel Card accept Insurance payments and gives reward points ? is there any card that does that
Yes you can pay your insurance payment and get rewards using Amex platium trael.
If you want more benefits then go for super premium credit card.
Dear Pradeep,
Kindly suggest a credit card for me. This is my first time. I am employee of PSU Bank with 29000 in hand salary. I have been working in bank for 3 years now
I want card that gives good deals on online shopping (Flipkart, Paytm and Amazon)
Possibly some rewards for using card at local shops PoS machine.
Electricity bill payments.
Thank You
Start with SC Platinum.
Hi Pradeep
My Icici coral card is finishing its term and did not reap much benefits from it. I would like to upgrade to a better card. What do u suggest
Go with Amex Membership Rewards for online shopping and loading money to paytm wallet.
HI Pradeep,
I want you to recommend a good credit card with benefits for my expenses such as:
1. Fuel (I fill only Shell)
2. Restaurants (regular)
3. Shopping (Very rare)
Get SC Titanium for Fuel (5% cashback).
No fix card for restaurants. Use Zomato Gold & Dining Apps to grab the discounts. Use whichever card gives best.
Good to keep one card from HDFC/Citi/SBI in your pocket.
Hi Pradeep,
Thanks for writing this informative post. I am using HDFC moneyback and not happy with rewards. My monthly expenses are close to 30k and as such:
– spend 7000-8000 on online shopping
– 5000 on restaurant visits
-15000 on quarterly flight travels
– 5000 on in around/nearby city in cabs/cars using own/ola/uber
– 6000 monthly on grocery/mart shopping.
what do you suggest for choosing 2nd credit card?
-peeyush
Get Amex Membership Cards – Earn bonus points even when loading money to wallets.
Hi Pardeep,
Very nice article. I have a yes bank firt preferred credit card. This is the only card I have but I use it quite well as in 20K every month. My payments have all been done on time and I have been asking them to increase my limit from the current 1.69 lakhs but they simply are not doing the same. The eligibility for this card it self if you have 17 lpa . Since I did not have a creadit card when I applied they have provided me a very low limit. Now my question is inspite of healthy spending if the bank is not resposive should I go for another which one would you suggest?
Req- Casual spending, online shopping,Movies – Looking for max rewards
Yes, apply for another card. You can apply card to card basis.. or based on your salary.
Hi,
I also hold a SC manhattan platinum card since 8 years. Used to get very good points and cash back. Seems recently they have reduced a bit. My spends are generally shopping in malls, grocery in super markets, occasional dinning out and online retailer like Amazon.
My HDFC Bank guy(salaried account) is pushing me for the HDFC Regalia card with no fees and lifetime free offer as I satisfy some preferred category. I am resisting it since I see only airport lounge benefits and some insurance. No cash back is there and only 4 or 5 points per 150 spend and 5 points map to 1 Rs. Can you please suggest is it even worth for me to go for it. My average monthly spends are about 20-30k. You may also please suggest any better card for me than my current SC Manhattan platinum card.
Thanks
You should try getting ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card
Also compare that with SimplyClick. Here is the list of all CashBack credit cards in India
Hi
I am a first time applicant. I need a credit card that is beneficial for travel. My annual income is around 7 lacs. Although I don’t travel every month, I travel for couple of times in a year. I am looking for a credit card by which I can redeem points/miles during these travels.
Is Citi premier miles card good for this purpose?
Kindly suggest which is a good one.
Hi,
Very informative post , appreciate it. kindly aid me in selecting a suitable credit card.
This will be my first credit card.
My monthly expenses are around 25-30k. I need good offers in online apps (ola , swiggy etc). i currently use HDFC easyshop platinum and icici coral debit cards. HDFC has amazing reward points, hence it is my primary card.
Additional question:
Should i consider AMEX card ??
Kindly advice
Ola and Swiggy keep on changing their offers and partnerships with credit cards.
I would suggest you to get Amex card, load balance in your wallet and earn bonus points.
You can use wallet to pay for services like Ola and Swiggy.
Sir
I have HDFC Regalia First Card. I am not satisfied with the offers available with the card. No cash backs on movies, Reward points benefits are less (+ they charge 99/- + GST for redemption), No bonuses, No exciting items on redemption. My typical spends are high. Can you suggest me better card (with lounge access, insurance same as Regalia but better with offers on cash backs and items on redeemed points)
Get upgraded to HDFC Diner Black, that’s 10x more powerful than Regalia.
Hi… I’m using my credit cards frequently for all my transactions and have Citibank First citizen card, Diners premium, standard chartered titanium, Jet Airways Amex platinum and IndusInd Aura. I’m happy with all my cards except Indusind (got it 8 months back for lifetime free) But for a longtime I’m planning to apply for SBI Elite or prime or recently launched SBI Etihad. My yearly spends on Air tickets is around 5-7 Lacs. Could you please suggest a card from SBI ? Also I like to have FCY charges to be on lower side as for hotels and Ubers I usually pay by card and PayPal. Does frequent application and closing of credit cards have a negative effect on CIBIL ? Is it recommended to keep lifetime free cards also even if it’s not used or it’s better to close the credit card accounts which are not used.
Kabir, You can upgrade the Diners premium to Diner Black and run most of your online expenses through it.
SBI Prime offers better ROI than SBI Elite, go for Prime.
Don’t close your credit cards unless they are charging high annual fees and you are not able to recover through rewards. Keep lifetime free credit cards active to improve your overall credit history and score.
Hi I had a question to ask you… I had defaulted some loans and credit cards back in the year 2008 and settled them in 2014… currently I hold IndusInd Platinum Aura card, HDFC Diners club card and RBL super choice card when l tried applying for a Manhattan card my application was rejected by the bank what do you think the reason could be as I haven’t heard from the bank.
Second question while going thru the application form for platinum rewards card there is a question stating that (Have you held card/loans in the past) what do l answer coz I dont the application to be rejected this time.
It’s unlikely that Manhattan card got rejected when you are holding premium cards like HDFC Diner.
I would suggest you to contact with Standard Chartered to find out the reason. It could be related to your location, missing information in your form or mismatch of any data.
Nice comparison. Wonderful article as always.
However, it would be useful if you could add the value of points also, since all points are not created equal.
Thanks Pankaj
Dear Sir,
my salary is now 20000/-per month , how can i need my budget interest free card, i have need cash option in this card.
kindly advise which one is best to apply the credit card with my salary budget.
Thanks you.
You can pick one of the LifeTime Free credit card.
Decide between SC Platinum and ICICI Platinum.
My Wings Credit card” from Axis bank is avilable in 2019
Hi
There is a offer on HSBC credit card that if you spend minimum 3000rs across 3 categories(telecom, fuel, dining) then you get a amazon voucher of 500rs. Now it says in T&C “MCC(merchant category codes) specified by VISA will be used to identify these categories”.
Now my question is how do I know MCC of a particular merchant?
For example let’s say I paid my internet bill of hathway, airtel etc. but what if these merchants are not listed in the VISA MCC list and if they are, how do I make sure that these merchants are in fact listed under telecom category?
Same question from me, of someone can answer ?
How to find merchant category codes before doing any transaction with particular marchant (online or offline) ?
Hi pardeep,
Your posts are very informative and I appreciate you for writing. I’d like to share my experience with credit cards.
In the beginning of year 2014, I got my first credit card “My Wings Credit card” from Axis bank. I’m a salaried person & my monthly salary was credited in Axis bank and I got this credit card for free. Since then, I have used 15 credit cards from different banks. I found that Axis bank my wings credit card is the best because of the following features:
1. Two complimentary flight tickets worth 5000 each. (10000 benefit)
2. Airport Lounge access
3. 20 % cashback on base fare in Domestic flights.
4. 15% discount at Axis bank partner restaurants.
5. Rs 25 cashback on every Train ticket booked on irctc.
6. Rs 100 discount on bus bookings.
7. Plus Holiday , Hotel and Flight vouchers worth 10000.
Sounds interesting. We can include that in the list of our Best Credit Cards for Travel & Airport Lounges.
Thanks Umar for your comment.
One more thing you could explain like the benefits of paying the credit card bills through recently added cred app. It basically gives around 1% cash back for the payments and some other benefits which are not lucrative(encouraging to buy some other service). But the approx. 1% direct cash back is something which we can earn just for paying the credit card bills. Not sure how long this will continue, but getting this benefit since last 3 months.
I will publish a separate article on CRED app.
Hello !
I am salaried Person Which one will suit me?
Should I need to open saving account in those credit card Providers?
Thanks in advance.
No, saving account is not the requirement.
As a salaried person, you would get approval based on your City, Income and Credit Score. Try with the basic card and they find better cards in the future.
Reg: American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card
1. Annual fee: First Year Rs. 1000 (Second year onwards Rs. 4500): Annual fees is waived off when you apply using the below link, also earn 2000 bonus points.
Question: Can we get the Annual fees waived off for subsequent years as well? (2nd, 3rd .. )
2. American Express Acceptability ?
Generic question:
If you have any Credit card and use them to load your wallet say PayTM, are you eligible to earn points? Or you earn points only when you make a direct transaction via PoS or direct gateway online.
Thanks for the detailed post, really appreciate !
Rakesh, second year fees can be waived off when you spend 1.5L per year on the Amex MR credit card.
Amex acceptability is improving offline. I use mostly on the online transactions so never face the issue.
You would get bonus points when adding money to your paytm wallet.
Thanks for the reply Pardeep.
I am little confused with “You would get bonus points when adding money to your paytm wallet.” Is it only with Amex or any other credit card; say Citi Rewards or HDFC Regalia.
Currently I am using Citi Rewards but I do not see much benefit out of it and hence I am planning to take a new CC.
Amex provide that option at present and many other cards do not give you rewards on adding money to wallets (I have not tested all credit cards because Amex is working fine with me)
HDFC Infinia is also a great card. Its similar to Diners Black in terms of rewards but the advantage for infinia is that you get mastercard/visa variant.
You get 10x rewards for flight, hotel bookings and also on Amazon Flipkart.
They also give 5x rewards on Bigbasket, snapdeal & swiggy.
That’s a massive 16 – 33% Cashback as points.
Yes, you are right. Maybe I can write a separate post on HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Black.
If you are a self-proclaimed credit card freak, how come you missed this very signifcant point? This will make us wonder whether your advice is really of expert class.
Hey!! thanks a lot, I was going through a list of banks and their credit card advantages your post helped me a lot. Thank you once again!!
Re: HDFC Diner Club
Is it same as Diner Club Black?
If my spend is primarily online, supermarket, department store, and travel, and not a movie, hotel, restaurant or food order, and knowing Visa is accepted in 100% of cases, what is your estimate of the percent of spending Diner Club be accepted for? For example, to do fair reward comparison, I can assume that whole my spend will shift because Diners Club is not accepted everywhere. Is it accepted 50% places, or 80%, etc. that’s what I am looking for.
Ashish, Diner’s acceptability is increasing with merchants in India.
You can keep multiple cards in pocket, try diner first, if they don’t accept then use Visa/Mastercard.
The % depends on person to person and hard to generalise.
Except for a few websites (like irctc), I have rarely come across any merchant who does not accept Diners Club cards (I have both Premium and Black). For shopping online, the black gives me 33% return which is unprecedented for any credit card.
For backup, I have an SBI ELite. But lounge entry on the SBI card is very limited. No lounge has denied either of my Diners club cards yet.