I am a credit card freak. I often do research on credit cards and 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.
Most Important Point First: Always apply for a credit card directly from the bank website. Don’t apply from the online market place (XYZ-Bazaar) or telecaller, they will keep calling you to sell their other products.
Your financial information and documents are not safe with them.
I will help you choose the right card for your needs. You can ask your questions in the comments.
Honest Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are obtained in partnership with banking networks. You will be redirected to the bank’s website. I may earn a small referral income if your credit card gets approved (at no extra cost to you).
My purpose is to provide you with genuine information so that you can get fast approval of the best credit card.
I interact with a lot of people, who ask me for advice on applying for a credit card.
- The first category is first time applicants, who need an all-rounder credit card because either they have just started a new job or are working in a government organization.
- The second category of people who want to apply for a second credit card, to avail benefits on shopping, fuel and travel.
- The third and last category of people want to apply for premium credit cards even if that means annual fees of 5000 rupees or more.
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
For fuel benefits, go with SC Super Value Titanium (5% cashback)
Now..
Continue reading the article until the end.
Best Lifetime Free Credit Card in India 2022
Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access.
#1. Standard Chartered Platinum Card
HDFC Diners Black is my favorite credit card by HDFC bank because the card offers unlimited free domestic and international airport lounge access.
You would get 5 reward points worth Rs. 5 on spending Rs. 150, direct saving of 3.3% on all your spends.
New Offer – Get the complimentary one-year membership for Club Marriott, Forbes Digital subscription, Zomato Gold, Amazon Prime, MakeMyTrip Double Black, and Times Prime with HDFC Dinners Black credit card.
Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access.
#2. Standard Chartered Manhattan Credit Card
HDFC Diners Black is my favorite credit card by HDFC bank because the card offers unlimited free domestic and international airport lounge access.
You would get 5 reward points worth Rs. 5 on spending Rs. 150, direct saving of 3.3% on all your spends.
New Offer – Get the complimentary one-year membership for Club Marriott, Forbes Digital subscription, Zomato Gold, Amazon Prime, MakeMyTrip Double Black, and Times Prime with HDFC Dinners Black credit card.
#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.
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.)
Click here to apply for Amex Travel Card
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.
Good page! Was looking for one just now – you’ve covered everything. I’ve made up my mind. I need lounge access and planning to travel this year. Amex travel or citibank travel is best. Amex, since I have lotsa corporate discounts. Thanks! Nice page.
I am also trying to get the upgrade of my Amex Gold card to Amex Travel Platinum.. fingers crossed.
You can hold both the credit cards. Amex allows upto 3 cards.
Bank give credit card to salaried person and current account holder only. I tried many times but look like they are interested only in salaried person
There are many reasons of card rejection. Banks need to see if you have a regular source of income or not.. or you can get a card based on fixed deposit.
I am happy with my HDFC Regalia which i am using more-than a year, i like it because of great reward’s and lowest cross currency markup (2%) charges.
I also love Regalia card for 2% forex charges.
WHat is the difference between HDFC Regalia First & Regalia Card?
which one is benificial?
Regalia First has less rewards and less number of free visits with priority pass. Both versions have 2% forex charges. Regalia first is easy to get approved.
Hi Pardeep,
I have been using HDFC Money Back Credit Card for a few years. the only reason why i use it is because i got it along with my HDFC Salary account. the HDFC rewards systems is also awful. I am thinking of dropping the HDFC Money Back credit card and going for the ones that you have mentioned above. I am salaried professional with a good 75+k on hand per month. I spend around 15k-20k every month both online & offline using cards. Please let me know what you think about the HDFC Money back card.
Hi..,very very good information you shared,it’s really helpful for beginners.Thank you.
Hi Pradeep,
Nice coverage of best credit cards. Let me introduce you to HDFC DINERSCLUB Premium. Rewards amounting to 2% on all spends and 20 % on partners that include Flipkart, goibibo, redbus and others. Buy one get one movie ticket offer. I am loving this card from 2 months of usage.
Let me know what you think about it. I do have SC super value for fuel and utility, sbi simplyclick for Amazon, Amex rewards credit card for annual rewards.
WHat is the difference between HDFC Regalia First & Regalia Card?
which one is benificial?
What about STandard charters Platinum Rewards Card?
dont get a platinum rewards card i got it used it for sometime and later found out that the only card which is best in standard chartered is the manhattan platinum card
Hi Pradeep,
Which is the best credit card if am looking at Miles&More offers. Also wanted to check if annual fee can be waived off. Pls let me know.
Hi i was thinking to buy Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Card.
Is there any thing like if i purchase fuel for 1000rs then 2.5% surcharge will be waived off ?? Like in ICICI bank if we purchase fuel for 700 rs then surcharge is waived off.
And how to redeem rewards points ? Like in ICICI bank i have attached my rewards points to payback and from there i convert 4 point to 1rs and use those to bills.
Regards ,
Nikhil
dont get platinum rewards card i had it and believe me there are no benefits in that card its only beneficial ifn u spend most of ur money on dining and luxury hotels the only card worth getting from standard chartered is manhattan platinum card if u have an annual income above 6lakhs go for this card its the best
Hi pradeep.
which card is best and secure for international transactions for indian?
online shopping, paying fees abroad and business transaction etc.
For foreign transactions hdfc regalia, for online shopping sbi simply click, for general expenses sc Manhattan
Thanks for your article,Pardeep.I have been using Amex Travel Platinum since past many years & extremely happy with their service & the benefits the card offers.
For a second Visa/Master card,which is a necessity as Amex is not accepted offline at a lot of places,an unable to find something equally good.HDFC lured me with the Regalia card option on opening some accounts with them but later backed out-very unprofessional,I think!!!From your article,the SBI Signature card elite looks like a good option.What do you feel?
Look at my comments on HDFC below. They themselves have created a bad reputation.
Rather than sbi elite, apply for sc Manhattan for grocery and generic expense. Run high transaction values on amex.
Thanks!Any views on the ICICI Rubyx card-that’s the one they are offering me with an option of Sapphiro.
Wow, it’s really helpful.
Hi,
I have an annual spend of over 7L and ranges till 10L. Currently I am using ICICI Banks Rubx Master Card + ICICI Amex Rubx Card. 40% of my spend is offline, 40% online and rest 20% on online flight tickets
I feel maybe the ICICI is not the best option in case of earning points+cashback.
Also I dont use my card for groceries shopping since we me and my wife are working and we get enough sodexo coupons.
So kindly suggest me some card. Also I am open to surrender the ICICI current card and take1-3 other cards eventually.
Br, NM
Thanks LK for your detailed review on Diners Club Cards
Hi Pardeep,
I just bumped into your article while i was googling for Regalia benefits. Excellent article i must say.
Now, let me come to my case.
I have been using multiple credit cards for while (including Manhattan, AMEX , SBI Gold n more, Citi bank cards). But, thanks to my little callous nature, decided to resort to one credit card for easy of maintaining it 2 years back.
For last year and half have been using Citibank rewards card.
My average credit card bill is INR 60K, with some spikes over a lakh once or twice a year.
My expense spread is somewhere like this- mobile/utility bills (15%), groceries (20%), train/bus/flight tickets (5-10%), Fuel (20-25%), movie (5%) , online shopping (15-20%), restaurants (10%).
I’d prefer to maintain 1 or max 2 cards. What would be your suggestion?
I was unsure, if i should upgrade to Citi cashback or get Regalia.
After reading yours, i see you recommending Manhattan in general.
Appreciate your thoughts
Jith, You have to use 2 or 3 cards to get maximum benefits.
For online shopping you should upgrade to Citibank Simply Click (10x rewards on major shopping sites)
For groceries and general stuff – Manhattan card
and get more card for travel if you wish (SBI IRCTC Railway, Citi Premier Miles or Amex Travel)
Thanks Pardeep,
But i dont see Citibank Simply Click card- did you mean SBI simply click or some other citibank card?
It’s SBI Simply Click Credit Card.
Thanks!
Amex Platinum Travel card is good if you spend 4 Lacs annually. Have been getting all Indigo vouchers and Taj vouchers for last 4 years.
Recently they’ve also tied up with HPCL for cashback of 5.5% (2.5% surcharge waiver and 3% cashback), which is amongst the best in the industry.
Their helpline is the best and cards are most secure.
Another plus – Amex easyclick makes life very simple.
Drawbacks: most small merchants don’t use it, so you will need another card (I use a SBI Visa Gold card which works everywhere). For almost 70% of my payments, I use Amex Platinum travel card.
Also, in case you miss your payment, the interest is highest (late payment charges can be reversed if your spend is high)
Very True. Amex Platinum is a great card for frequent travellers.
Most of online websites accept Amex.
Use some other card for offline transactions 🙂
Hi, I spend 3 to 4 lacs per year on online shopping at international websites and pay in usd and euro.
Please suggest me a credit card that will benefit me with low conversion rate or cashback or points, etc.
try yes bank credit card..it has only 1.2% currency markup charges
Which yesbank card offers 1.2% currency conversion? Anyways, yesbank credit cards are not matured yet.
I Use Yes First Prefered Credit card.Its the best out of all my 14 cards..flat 2% as reward points on all transactions.
Thank You Nitin and Pardeep
My salary is 32k pm and i am applying for a credit card for the first time will i be approved if i apply for a SC supervalue titanium card .??
Super Value Titanium approval would be difficult with less than 50K monthly salary.
You can apply for some easy to get card first.
Kindly update if you got approved for the card 🙂 Best of luck.
i applied for an super value titanium card with 32k salary and they said its approved and after 2 days i got a call from bangalore for verification and for my suprise i got the card in another 2 days so totally it just took exactly 5days to recieve my credit card which is unbelievable Standard Chartered is a very fast bank rest all banks take 15 days to 30days to issue the card this bank gavd the card just in 5 days but the sad part is they didnt gave me the titanium card they sent me the platinum rewards card instead as my salary was not meeting thier criteria i will use this card for a year and later ask for a upgrade
I am sure they will upgrade your credit card after observing your usage. No doubt, Standard Chartered Credit Card service is the best in the country.
Hi Pradeep,
I have applied for Citi rewards credit card. Basically my expenses are towards insurance preof 6k per month, fuel around 1k, shopping around 3k n grocery 5k. 15k per month. What is ur suggestion for the card I should possess.
Thanks
Don’t apply for too many cards. If you already applied for Citi then keep it if approved.
Otherwise apply for generic card like Manhattan that gives you 1% worth of rewards and 5% cashback on grocery. On your 5K grocery per month, you will earn 250 rupees. No other card can match that.
Hi Pardeep,
Please suggest me which Stranded chartered credit card should i prefer.
My expenses are like:
Dmart: 4000
Fuel: 2000
Phone (Vodafone/Idea/BSNL): 2500
LIC premium 3000
And mostly use Paytm/Amazon for shopping.
If you are spending 4000 on Dmart, then definitely go with Manhattan Card. Make the bills between 1000 to 3000 rupees only to get max benefit of the card.
Hi Pardeep,
Please suggest me which Stranded chartered credit card should i prefer.
My expenses are like:
Dmart: 4000
Fuel: 2000
Phone (Vodafone/Idea/BSNL): 2500
LIC premium 3000
And mostly use Paytm/Amazon for shopping.
As you said earlier grocery shopping from Dmart is not covered under manhattan card right ?
My main expense is Dmart and Bills (phone,electricity), kindly suggest me still i go with Manhattan or any other SC credit card like super value titanium or Platinum reward ?
Please suggest.
well pradeep, if groceries and supermarkets 5%, is something that draws you to manhatten, checkout Kotak essentia
Kotak Essentia is good card for groceries but Kotak is not a good bank for credit cards.
The real reason, I am with Standard Chartered is their awesome customer service and 1% cashback worth points that can be easily redeemed for Amazon shopping.
Their points are not like other banks which give you options to buy the stuff that you don’t really need.
I have State Bank Signature , HDFC All Miles , Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards & Kotak Mahindra League Card. My usage is mostly Online Purchasing on Amazon, Flipcart etc. Also paying bills for Mobile, Gas, Electricity etc. Also using at dining, merchants shopping & on Petrol pump.
Request you to suggest benificiary card for me. HDFC All miles has no annual fees.
Plz suggest.
I suggest you to get the upgrade of StanC platinum to Manhattan and HDFC All miles to Regalia.
Pay all your bills through Freecharge/PayTm to grab deals and use StanC Card to load money into wallets (1% cashback).
No point of paying annual fees to SBI signature card if you are not using it much. Get a downgrade to SBI simply click for online shopping.
THanks..
SBI Signature I am planning to use for only one year.
Can u tell me, where should I use HDFC All Miles for getting more benefits.
Also if I will surrender SBI Signature, so instead of that which SBI card should i borrow for online shopping which hav no annual fees & including more benifits?
plz suggest.
Thanks in advance.
I got my hdfc miles card upgraded to regalia. You can also consider the same.
Ask for sbi simply click if they allow.
landed on this page while looking for good credit cards with Axis bank and comparing it to others
Currently on Axis bank visa infinite card. This one comes with good benefits like priority pass, 25% discount on movie tickets, membership to eEdge rewards etc.
Feel like your list has major void –
1. There is no Jet Airways co-branded card – If you are flying a lot.
2. None of the cards have any elite benefits
– Say American Express Platinum Charge Card or similar cards to it.
Can you share –
Which card is best for Fuel Cash Back – Anyone offering more than 5%?
Which is best dining card? Anyone offering more than 3x returns?
Best Airline card has to be – HDFC Jet Airways Diners
I used to have Manhattan but gave up on it long time ago due to bad customer service. They would randomly add my credit limit and remove it. I had absolutely zero clue. Once they made it just Rs 12,000 per month. For a guy who is spending over Rs 50,000 on cc that was like a joke.
I want a credit card that offers best value for the money
Taking your feedback. Working on articles exclusive for travel credit cards and shopping.
Hearing negative feedback for StanC customer service first time. They pick up phone without keeping me in line for hours and I never had issues with anything on Standard Chartered Card. Anyways that card is not for luxury spend if that’s what you are looking for.
I will work on publishing some more articles. Thanks for your suggestion.
Can I get standard chartered bank credit card against fixed deposit or policy?
No. You have to apply online or offline without FD.
But they can approve your card based on your existing credit cards.
Hi Pardeep,
My Annual expenses payment by card is approximately 3-4L per Year. My majority spending is done on Hotel stays and Dining. An average of 10000 on utilities and groceries p.m. Please suggest a suitable Credit Card
There is no exclusive card for hotel bookings but you can get a credit card for travel.
For groceries and regular expenses – go for Manhattan Card
For hotels & dining – go for HDFC Regalia
Great article. I also want to get a credit card but cibil score scares me. This is because I have heard that non payment in credit cards due to any reason also lowers down your cibil score. Is that true?
Hi, Can you please suggest a credit card that works best for fuel expenses ? I spend 8-10k/ month on fuel and looking for a card with maximum benefits for this + fuel surcharge waiver. I currently use a visa signature card from HDFC for online, utility & grocery payments and pay for fuel by cash.
Super Value Titanium card from Standard Chartered is best for fuel & utility bills.
Thanks. is the fuel surcharge waiver applicable for all bank POS or do we need to use it at SCB machines only to get the waiver ?
Hi Pradeep
I am using Citi Premier Miles card for many years. Would you recommend that i should also add SC Manhattan Card and use Citi Premier for airlines tickets only.
Yes, Citi Miles card is best for travel. You should consider any other card for benefits on shopping. Manhattan gives you 5% cashback on groceries.
Hi Pradeep,
Hope you are doing well. I want to apply for a credit card for my Father who’s a Govt. Servant and a first time user. Would like to apprise you that his primary expenses are Fuel, Railway Tickets and other expenses such as grocery, shopping etc are ancillary.
Can you please suggest a good credit card with Max. Fuel benefits.
Warm Regards,
Mayank
If your primary need is fuel then SC Titanium card will be good for you. Ideally you should apply for separate cards for travel, shopping and fuel/bills.
For first time applicants, I think standard chartered offers best cards.
honestly for travellers regalia is the best one.
they have local lounges free and 10 priority pass free.
Also, no annual fees.
who wants card for groceries and points?
Citibank Miles and Amex Travel Platinum is much better than Regalia if you want to get benefits for travel.
Regalia is not a free card, HDFC offer this card as free to selected customers only.
People need cards for grocery, fuel, and shopping because that’s their primary expenses every month.
Hello,
Below are my monthly expenses:
1) MTNL Landline & internet charges: rs800
2) TATA Power electricity: rs 1800
3) Dmart/Big Bazaar Groceries : Rs 4000
4) Optional Dining rs. 2000
5) Optional Movie: rs 300
6) Unaccounted expense: rs2500
7) Elss: 10000
Please tell me which card would be better ? I am confused with manhattan / citi cashback card/ hdfc moneyback card ?
Actually you would need two cards to get maximum benefits.
Manhattan card would give straight 5% on groceries (so it’s best).
For utility bills you can get another card, else Manhattan will give you rewards worth 1% cashback on rest of categories.
You can not pay ELSS with any credit cards.
Pardeep,
Regrading “Standard Chartered Manhattan Credit Card”;
May i know how much Rs is equal to 1 reward point?
Also reward points allocated only when we spent at least Rs.1000 or more? Not given when we spent less than Rs.1000?
Can we use this card in all fuel stations (especially Shell)? Do we need to still pay any surcharge?
Appreciate your answer & suggestion above.
You will get reward points for any amount above Rs. 35. (5 points for 150 spend).
Each point is equivalent to 30 paisa value while redeeming the amazon vouchers (I use that only).
I do not use Manhattan card for fuels.
My name is Ayan Chakraborty. I work with Samsung research and development, India, Bangalore. My salary account is with Citibank. So, I decided to go ahead and try for the credit card that Citibank was offering. They sent an almost illiterate person to collect my PAN card photocopy and my passport size photo. Unluckily, their application form had nearly 7 to 8 signatures that I had to do. Next day, a person calls up and asks for my account number saying that it is mandatory to be verified. Over the next 4 to 5 days, at least 7 persons speak to me over the phone and nobody has a clue who the other person is. At the end, I call up Citibank and come to know that credit cards are handled by some anonymous bodies and they have no control over the proceedings. They had no clue where my application was. Therefore, they have my PAN card photocopy, passport size photo, my signatures, my bank account number……..after which they admit that they have no clue who has taken these documents. This is some kind of scary business they are carrying on. Hope that they are not using these for con activities because Citibank has no clue about these proceedings carried on in credit card department. This message is going to go viral
Ayan, These kind of incidents are not new in India. It happens when we apply through calling agents or respond to emails offering credit cards.
Did you apply through Citibank’s official website? In that case they can not deny the responsibility of your documents.
I applied for Amex card online and they handled my application with a lot of responsibility.
Hi Pradeep, I am a customer of Citibank for years. Citibank credit card department informed that they had my documents lying on their table. Then, they understood their mistake and blamed this entire process on third parties. I am an ex TIMES OF INDIA employee and has dealt with a number of cases dealing with these issues. Unluckily, major banks like Citibank has little coordination between their individual departments and they as casual about it. The reason for this behavior is the reluctance of customers like us who lets things go easy.
Most of my relatives are bankers. I have people working in high designations in Citibank and I know that my problem will get solved because of my contacts. Unluckily, every other Citibank customer does not possess these contacts. When it comes to online services, we tend to get worked up and self accuse ourselves for all the mistakes that happen in the process.
That’s totally a new information for me.
Let’s see how many people face similar issues, then I can bring an article by consolidating everyone’s experience.
You are right, customers in India also take things easily and are casual accepting as if nothing can be done. I am happy you are aware about the rights and acted. However just wanted to bring to your notice the company you are working for is worse than any other for me personally, as one issue that I have with their most premium device and its more than 4 months, no resolutions. The worse part is even the head office acknowledges the fact that its their fault in terms of products and services but just apologised and said thats what they can do. I was stunned with this kind of response. So I am going legal, you have worked for times of india, would you like to help me to bring this issue to limelight so that companies are aware that they cant take customers in India lightly??
i have a manhattan card but i dont think its that great? how do u get the annual fee waived off?
also i love my SBI air india card i spend all my money through it and get air miles and travel for free! but it also has an annual fee of rs 1500
I use Manhattan card for Grocery (5% cashback) and regular expenses (1% cashback).
I don’t think that SBI Air India card can beat the other travel cards in industry (Citi Miles, Amex Platinum Travel, HDFC Regalia are best).
How much do you spend on SBI Air India card to get a ticket free?
i get miles on usage and primarily air india i dunno how many miles on how much cash but i get around 10000 miles and my limit is 144000 as of today so in about 3 months i have 30000 miles. i will try for a emirates card from standard chartered now. i also have infinity card from stand char which gives me a priority pass at hotels and golf clubs
at airport lounges i meant and 10000 miles pm
You get just 2 miles for every 100 rupees spent (10 miles when you buy ticket from Air India), and you get one/third of value when you try to redeem the air miles against the tickets.
For example, when you spend 1L rupees, you get 2000 miles (10,000 miles only if you buy Air India tickets worth 1L).
When you redeem, your 2000 miles are worth less than 1000 rupees. (You have to give away 15,000 miles for booking a ticket from Delhi to Bangalore).
Effectively, not even 1% of cashback.
It’s a good card only for people who travel on Air India (I always try to avoid Air India and prefer Indigo)
Go with Amex gold card, if you use 1000 INR 4 times in a month you will get 1000 Points
means if you spend 72K you will get 18000 Points that you can redeem for 7500 INR . if your payments are on track your yearly charges can be waived off too. during the year there will be some promotions too like free movie vouchers , cashback, discounts etc
apart from that Amex platinum, you can think about it or HDFC regalia too
Also do not spend all your expanses in one card that will create a problem to your CBIL score ..
make sure you expanses are with in 25-30% of your card limits. you can have multiple card not too many that also create a problem to your CBIL score
This is applicable for US Credit Cards,,, India is still evolving, not much effect of applying for multiple cards and limits within 30%.
You should pay the due amount before last date. Never default on payments. That is sufficient to keep credit history in a good shape.
Hi, I just got HDFC Diners Club International. I don’t know how can use this & get maximum benefit out of this Credit card. Please help me on this. My major spends is on Grocery from Malls, Online Shopping, travel by Bus, Utility Bills etc… If I cannot use this card much then I will think of cancelling this card.
Use your Diners card and share your experience with me 🙂
If you found any difficulty then upgrade to Regalia rather than cancelling this card.
Thanks Pardeep. But I want to get maximum benefit out of 1 or 2 Credit Cards which I want to maintain as I cannot manage more than 2 Cards. I wanted Diners Black & or SC Manhattan. My Salary is gross 65+ Per Month & working for top IT firm in Bangalore. I am eligible for either of these cards. I had applied for SC Manhattan on their website by rejected.
Here is my review on the Diners Black card.
Recently, I changed my Regalia to Diners Black(as per HDFC, it’s not an upgrade. So they cancelled my Regalia and gave Diners). But one thing I can confirm. It’s a bad move; very very bad move !!
Here is why.
1. Diners cards are not widely accepted in India.
2. Their website hdfcbankdinersclub.in is a shitty one. It does not work 90% of the time.
3. You can only redeem your points via this website or via hdfc redemption website. Redemption site has crappy items which you will mostly never buy. You should be able to convert to Airmiles for AirIndia and Jet. It’s not a very easy process.
4. The card works only on POS machines. I was able to swipe it for a few dining expenses.
5. I tried paying my Airtel bills via their dedicated site. It did not work. I tried paying the same bill directly in airtel website. It did not work.
6. I tried to pay my Act broadband bill, it did not work.
7. I tried to purchase a few items online. It did not work.
8. Don’t use this card to load money to your online wallets to pay for anything. You will not get any points.
9. I lost 25k points from my Regalia when I got this card. Out of 43k points, I got ~17k points. Huge devaluation although it is mentioned by HDFC that you will get only 40% of the points converted. My relationship manager had confirmed I will be given 100% before “upgrade”. So I might get it.
10. Their merchant partners for 10x programs have too many conditions. They don’t tell that to you. For ex: The current 10x program in Goibibo is only for flight + hotel. So if you want to book only a flight, you might not get the 10x points (I have not tested it though).
11. When compared to other travel websites,the price rates in hdfcbankdinersclub is way high for any flight I looked at. For ex: A flight from BLR to Madrid, you will get for Rs.36k from the airline websites. The price rate in hdfcbankdinersclub is Rs.50k. There are no cheaper flights available in the site. So you don’t get much out of reward points you earn anyways.
All in all, it was a bad deal for me so far.
I think I will cancel this card after redeeming all the points and then try for some other card (Citi PremierMiles or Amex travel)
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Update on Point 9 above: Got duped by HDFC royally. Allocated only 40% points and lost 25000 points (equivalent to Rs.8000) after upgrade. Kept complaining and it went upto Principal Nodal Officer level, even dropped a detailed mail to Mr.Parag Rao (HDFC India Country Head), but no response and relationship managers (Mr.Anupkumar Mishra and Mr.Mahidhar Reddy) denied any commitments. Bunch of liars. Be careful while upgrading HDFC card. Make sure you use all points in the existing card, before upgrading..
Update : hdfcbankdinersclub.in seems to be working fine now.
A few points I missed.
Point 12: Welcome benefits
HDFC advertise this card with welcome Benefit of 10,000 Reward Points and renewal benefit of 5000 Reward Points. But it is applicable only after membership fee is realized.
First Year Membership Fee is Rs. 10,000/- + Applicable Taxes and if you spend Rs. 100000 within first 90 days from card set up date you will get waiver of 1st year membership fee.
Renewal Membership Fee – Rs. 5,000/- + Applicable Taxes and if you spend Rs. 5L in 12 Months and get Renewal Fee waived for next renewal year.
What it means: If the membership fee is waived off you won’t get any welcome\renewal points.
See the catch ? If they charge you Rs.10000\5000, they will give you 10000\5000 reward points, else nothing.
Point 13 : 10x Reward points availability with 10 partners.
Suppose your credit card bill gets generated on 11th of every month. You purchase an item from Flipkart today (14.01.2017) for Rs.1500, you will get 1500/150*5 = 50 reward points. It will be available to you only on 11.02.2017. And remaining 9x (450) points you will get only on 11.03.2017. And for lifestyle purchases, you will get 9x points on 11.04.2017.
See another catch ?
Point 14: Their 1 + 1 movie offer is really good, if you watch movies in PVRs. Offer is unlimited; if you there are seats you will get the offer.
Amex gold or HDFC Diners, which one good for all type of purchase..
Neither is good for all type of purchases. You should apply for Visa or Mastercard for all purpose use. Amex & Diner are not accepted everywhere in India.
So if i take ICICI Instant Platinum Credit card against FD of 2.50 lakhs and build good CIBIL score over a year… will i be able to close FD after 1 year and keep the credit card for lifetime??
Currently i own an ICICI platinum credit card for almost 3 years. Now plan to close this ICICI card and apply for some other better credit card. My major spending are utility bills, medicals, hospitals, online purchase, grocery, KSRTC/TNSTC/IRCTC bookings and occasionally in petrol pumps. May i know which one should be best suited for these purposes? TIA
Hi
Is there any credit card for which i can apply. My monthly salary is 24000/-
Please suggest
You can apply for Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards or ICICI bank credit card.
Dear sir, out these two suggestions which have more offers for online shopping and more reward points,
Thanks in advance
Hi,
I had HDFC credit card 7-9 yrs back and was a defaulter in that but i setteled the amount with the agent who promised that it will not affect my rating (but lets consider my rating are hurt)
Now after 8-9 years i need credit card for doing some “international internet based transactions” on regular basis
How should i proceed also my salary is 20k per month.. So i think lots of hurdles. Kindly guide !
Oopss… The safest way is to apply credit card against Fixed Deposit.
Hi,
I asked them they gave me three options from HDFC. (As i took the hdfc card previously so no other company were suggested). I tried varioud channels like bank bazaar, policy bazar and direct bank. Policy bazar says u will get Life time free MONEYBACK (money saver maybe) of HDFC. Bank bazar & HDFC itself gave 3 options to me. Snapdeal,times,moneysaver of HDFC. I am going with HDFC operative itself because they are asking a little less document of my work (in my case the salary is not on time and account changes frequently employers fault.). They are asking for ONLY Offer letter from the company, Bank bazaar says to give 3 month salary slip. Other thing common they are asking is one light bill or some bill to get the first year free benefit. photo,pancard,passport that’s it. They will collect.
Now i want to ask you which one should i take ? Snapdeal, Times or money saver/moneyback. My usage will be MOSTLY online shopping only MAJOR thing i am looking for is shoppping on USA website (so forex would be a concern) so i want your suggest on which one should i pick and what exactly should i look for ?
Any any update on my post ? any comment from ur site ?
Hai,
very good article. I am a salaried person having a net earning of Rs.40000/-, working in a PSU. I wish to apply for my first credit card. I selected HDFC and City . Please give your view about which card is suitable for me. Normally my usage is for purchase and paying bills.
Anil
For regular expenses, I personally use StanC Manhattan Card. HDFC & Citi also offer good cards, but I love to save 5% on monthly grocery bills 🙂
i have an earning of rs 19000 pm, and i mostly spend my money on shopping online. Also, i dont posses any card at present. which one i should apply for
Vikas, I am afraid that no card will be approved with 19K monthly income.
I suggest you to open a credit card against Fixed Deposit. (ICICI, HDFC or SBI)
hi , is there any card for frequent hotel users? as my flights mostly booked by company only so…..
thanks in advance
Not any particular card for hotel users, but that’s a good idea. Banks should launch such a card.
thanks,, or any card that gives good discount or better deals on hotels if it get book from its partner sites
thnx
The deals keep on changing. I can make a list of websites and discounts on credit cards, if you tell me where you shop frequently.
In most of the cases, Standard Chartered Cards give you decent rewards/cashback, for online shopping you can apply SBI SimplyClick.
Simple and easy guide to choose credit card in india..I already picked my one..Great article..
Thanks Nitin, Glad you liked the post.
Hey Pardeep, Nicely article describing the various Cards in Brief. Keep it up.
Can u suggest among the following Cards, which ones to keep and which one to ditch depending upon the rewards/cashbacks/features/annual-renewal rates.
-HDFC Regalia Visa (Lifetime)
-SBI Elite Visa (4999+Tax)
-Standard Chartered Emirates (Skywards) Platinum World Master (3000+Tax)
-Amex Platinum Travel (1st Year Free & then 5000+Tax)
-Citi Premier Miles (3000+Tax)
Right now having first 4 out of 5.
Cheers.
Pradeep.
I think you can get rid of Emiartes card (if you are not frequent flyer of emirates).
You don;t have to apply for Citi Premier Miles if you have Amex Travel Card.
Also, I don’t see much benefits of SBI Elite card if you already have HDFC Regalia.
#. Use Regalia for regular expenses
#. Use Amex Platinum for travel.
You are done. Let me know if you have any specific need of cards that I am suggesting to close.
Hi Pardeep,
Please advise a best credit card, as i would like to purchase few appliances within a year through EMI and dispose without any hassle after clearing.
Which credit cards you own at present?