30+ Best Credit Cards in India for 2020 (with Reviews)

By | February 3, 2021

New list is up for 2021: Check out the latest list: Best Credit Cards in India for 2021

Looking for the best credit cards in India for 2020 to suit your needs? You’re at the right place. Whether you want cashback, lounge access, free flights, free hotel stays or free business class tickets, you can find everything here.

But remember, there is no single card that fits all, because where we spend, how much we spend and how much joining fee we’re willing to pay varies from person to person.

Best Credit Cards in India 2020
List of Best Credit Cards in India (2020)

So I’ve analysed 100+ credit cards across various banks and compiled a list of 30+ best credit cards in India based on various user segments.

With about 12 active credit cards in my wallet, the below list covers most of the cards that I personally use and even more. Let’s begin!

Best Entry-Level Credit Cards

Entry-Level credit cards which can also be called as credit cards for beginners are those cards that are targeted at beginners. 2019 saw a huge inflow of these credit cards that I need to list them separately 😀

Note that most of these cards are co-branded cards of popular brands and are usually issued in closed loop, which means you can apply only from respective brands.

Major USP of these cards are that the rewards are usually in terms of direct cashback or equivalent to it, meaning you don’t need to scratch your head to redeem the reward points.

  • Suggested income: 3 Lakhs+
  • Suggested spend: 1 Lakhs+

1. ICICI Amazon Pay Card

  • Reward Rate: 1% – 5% (as Amazon Pay Balance)
  • Joining/Renewal Fee: Nil
  • More Details

If you want to step into the credit card rewards game with no annual fee, this is the card for you. ICICI Amazon Pay credit card is known for its amazing integration with ICICI Bank to deliver the card in under 72 hrs, especially to the one who’s already banking with them.

That aside, it does deliver a great value for Amazon Prime users and they have other offers too from time to time. Truly valuable as its a no-fee card.

2. Axis Flipkart Card

  • Reward Rate: 1.5% – 5% (as cashback to card)
  • Joining/Renewal Fee: Rs.500+GST
  • More Details

Axis Bank Flipkart credit card is one of the highly rewarding credit card in this segment and given that you get flat 1.5% cashback to statement on almost all type of spends, this stands out to be one of the best credit card for beginners.

Further, it also comes with domestic lounge access benefit, which takes care of your occasional domestic air travel needs well. That’s definitely a lot for a card of this range.

3. OLA Money SBI Card

  • Reward Rate: 1% – 20% (as ola money)
  • Joining/Renewal Fee: Rs.500+GST
  • More Details

If you’re a regular OLA user, this card gives you sweet 7% return on OLA cab spends and they also run temporary offers wherein you get 15% on OLA spends which is definitely a generous return.

That aside, even premium credit card users can extract a great value out of this card as it gives amazing 20% return on ClearTrip hotel spends.

Tip: If you’re new to credit cards and wondering which of these entry-level credit cards to take among others, do check out this article for comparison: Flipkart Credit Card Vs Amazon Pay Card Vs Paytm First card Vs Ola Money Card

Best Lifestyle Credit Cards

Lifestyle cards are nothing but the cards that suits almost everyone for any kinds of spends, be it dining, online shopping, etc. Hence, these are all-rounder cards used by vast majority of users and it is easy to get approved as well. 

  • Suggested income: 6 Lakhs+
  • Suggested spend: 3 Lakhs+

4. SBI Prime

SBI Prime Card

SBICard Prime is one of the best credit card in India for many cardholders since 2017. From milestone benefits to lounge access, SBI Prime has everything you need under single roof and that too with a renewal fee waiver on 3 Lakh spend.

Even-though it got devalued a bit in 2019 by revoking select eligible spends on accelerated rewards, it is still a very good card for the benefits it comes with.

5. Amex MRCC

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card (MRCC) is the best way to get into the world of Amex. If you use this card just to get the 1000 MR points monthly by spending Rs.1000*4 times, you can easily get a return of more than 10%.

Apart from that, you will also get access to the amazing Amex merchant offers & spend based offers which are very lucrative most of the time.

6. Regalia First

HDFC Regalia First Credit Card (Visa)

Unlike SBI Prime which is a paid card, HDFC Regalia First mostly comes at free of cost, at-least for 1st year, which fits well for those who are not comfortable in paying joining fees. The best part of HDFC cards are its merchant offers, and very often you get 5X/10X promos which will increase the reward rate of this card to the roof.

I suggest you have at-least one HDFC credit card in your wallet and this one is good to start with.

7. SBI Simply Click

If your spends are mostly online and is less than 3 Lakhs a year, you could prefer Simplyclick. With SimplyClick card you get accelerated rewards on few merchants as well. It also comes with sweet milestone benefit (Cleartrip vouchers) that makes this low annual fee card really Click!

Best Premium Credit Cards

Premium credit cards comes into picture when your lifestyle has pinch of luxury factor to it, and these cards are kind of upgraded versions of the lifestyle cards that we’ve seen above.

It comes with more travel benefits like domestic and international lounge access, better reward rate on high spends, etc. 

  • Suggested income range: 12 Lakhs+
  • Suggested spend range: 6 Lakhs+

8. HDFC Regalia

HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card

It’s HDFC’s flagship credit card and has its name and fame for many years in the industry. Consider it as an upgraded version of Regalia First which we saw above.

Low foreign currency markup fees on international transactions, 5X/10X rewards with selected merchants are some of its benefits. Newly added milestone benefits increases the overall reward rate to 2% upto 8L spend.

9. Amex Gold Charge

American Express Gold Charge Card (India)
  • Reward Rate: 1%-10%
  • Joining Fee: Rs.1000+GST
  • Apply Now

If you’re into premium lifestyle, you MUST have at-least one of the Amex cards in your pocket. While Amex MRCC serves that purpose as we saw earlier, Amex Gold Charge Card makes sense if you need more buying power and it’s way to the Amex Platinum.

Check out 5 Reasons Why You Should Have an American Express Credit Card. Remember, its a “Charge Card” and not a “Credit card”, hence no EMI options.

10. SBI Elite

SBI Elite is one of the best premium credit card with the ability to get 2 bookmyshow tickets (not buy1 get 1) worth Rs.500 every month which is one of the best Bookmyshow offer around. It suits well for movie buffs and high spenders, as the renewal fee gets waived off on 10L spend.

11. HDFC Diners ClubMiles

HDFC Diners ClubMiles Credit Card

If you’re more of a traveler and online shopper, HDFC Diners ClubMiles Credit card will help you save quite a lot with its 10X Reward Points and complimentary lounge access.

Excluding 10X, its as good as Regalia and the only downside of this credit card is that its not a Visa or Mastercard but Diners Club itself and the Diners Club acceptance is not 100%. Hence you always need one backup card to be on safer side.

12. HDFC Diners Privilege

  • Reward Rate: 1.3% – 13%
  • Joining Fee: Rs.2500+GST (Usually First Year Free)

HDFC Bank recently launched a slightly better version of Diners ClubMiles credit card and named it HDFC Diners Privilege. The Privilege card is a combination of Diners Clubmiles & Diners Black and comes with monthly rewards, membership benefits & more.

Getting this card means you’re getting one step closer to the legendary Diners Black. Yet it lacks the 1:1 transfer ratio benefit for Airmiles which is the case with Diners Clubmiles.

12. Indusind Iconia (Amex)

Do you spend a lot on weekends? Consider getting Iconia Amex Credit card. While the unlimited domestic lounge access on this card has been revoked, its still good for the reward rate, Amex Offers & other spend based offers.

This is for credit card enthusiasts and I would not really suggest for beginners as Indusind credit card systems are not so great at the moment.

13. Indusind Pinnacle

  • Reward Rate: ~2.5%
  • Joining Fee: Rs.10,000+GST no voucher (or) Rs.25,000+GST with equivalent gift voucher

Do you spend a lot Online apart from Amazon & Flipkart (as its covered by HDFC cards)? Consider getting Indusind Pinnacle Credit card just for that reason as you get amazing return on online spends which is cash equivalent.

Best Travel Credit Cards

When your life has good amount of travel, that’s when you need to have these exclusive Travel credit cards. Travel credit cards are designed in such a way that you get travel vouchers/points instead of cashback.

Also remember, most Premium & Super Premium Credit Cards also serve as a travel card in many ways.

14. Amex Plat Travel

American Express Platinum Travel card is the best travel credit card in the country, hands down! Its designed for high spenders as you get ~Rs.30,000 worth of travel vouchers on 4L spend, that includes domestic travel vouchers + Taj Stay vouchers.

I personally enjoy using this card as it helps me to stay at one unique Taj property every year by using the complimentary Taj Voucher.

15. Axis Magnus

  • Reward Rate: 1.2%-2.4%
  • Joining/Renewal Fee: Rs.10,000+GST
  • More Details

Axis Bank’s newest offering in premium travel segment may not sound amazing just by looking at the reward rate. But it gives you new experiences, like breezing through airport queues with their complimentary airpot concierge services which is highly useful at airports in metro cities.

16. Citi Premier Miles

Citi Premier Miles (New Design)

First of all, Citibank PremierMiles is NOT an Airmiles card or a travel card as such and is more like HDFC Regalia which is a rewards card. But you can also convert your points to major airlines & hotel loyalty programs which makes it to this list.

While this card in itself is not a great card, its the way to get Citi Prestige, which you’ll see later below. Ideally fits well only for the Citi Priority/Gold account holders as they don’t easily waive off the renewal fee. So get it only if its free.

17. Axis Privilege

If you’re an Axis Bank Priority customer, you can get this card for free. That being said, this card comes with decent benefit for travellers in terms of Yatra voucher redemption options. If you want a best non-airline travel card from Axis, it would be this.

19. SBI IRCTC Platinum

With SBI IRCTC credit card, you have a chance to save upto 10% on your train tickets and redeem them back for train journeys. If you travel by Indian railways very often (40+ trips annually), consider going for this card.

SBI also launched a new premium IRCTC card called SBI IRCTC Premier recently but you need high IRCTC spends like >50K a year for “self” to maximize the value. So for most, the Platinum variant is sufficient.

Best Airline Credit Cards

If you’re a frequent traveller, you might also need to get one or more of the best Airline Credit cards. Airmiles/Airlines credit cards makes sense if you fly frequently with the specific airline. Here are some of the best, after Jet Airways shutdown.

20. Axis Vistara Infinite

The newest airline in India has one of the best rewarding credit card in the Industry. Apart from the welcome voucher, this card gives upto 4 Business Class vouchers based on your spends and the reward rate is as unbelievable as ~10%.

This card needs 7.5L or more spend to maximize the benefit. If your spends are bit low, you may also go for the Vistara Signature variant.

21. Club Vistara SBI Card Prime

If you feel Axis Vistara Infinite is beyond your reach due to high joining fee, you’ve an option to go for the Club Vistara Prime that gives you complimentary Premium Economy tickets on Vistara.

While Axis Bank too have Vistara signature for this same purpose, SBI variant gives a bit more reward rate comparatively.

22. SBI Air India Signature

No one is actually interested in flying Air India isn’t it? Well, this card gets you access to Star Alliance Airline partners as well, like Thai Airways which makes it worth giving a try.

Fortunately, even Air India has decent product as I flew on one of their Dreamliner to Singapore. Check out my first flight on: Air India 787 Dreamliner Business Class. It holds good for domestic redemptions too, but their product is not good.

23. Etihad Guest SBI Premier

If you’re flying Etihad often, it makes a sense to hold this card as it gives you the Gold tier which comes with a lot of benefits. But if you’re not into Etihad, its not the card for you.

Best Super Premium Credit Cards

Super premium credit cards are those that comes with higher reward rate, higher credit limits, unlimited lounge access, better card linked benefits & much more perks.

  • Suggested income range: 25 Lakhs+
  • Suggested spend range: 10 Lakhs+

24. HDFC Infinia

HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card
  • Reward Rate: 3.3% – 33%
  • Joining Fee: Rs.10,000+GST (First Year Free usually)
  • Full Review: HDFC Infinia Review

India’s most Prestigious Infinia Credit Card comes with amazing reward rate and premium customer support. HDFC’s most popular 2X/5X/10X rewards promos with select merchants makes it one of the highest rewarding credit cards in the country.

That aside, HDFC also started sending spend based offers very often from 2019 so you may get accelerated return on your spends.

25. HDFC Diners Black

HDFC Diners Black Credit Card

With its lucrative 10X reward points program (Diners + Smartbuy) & monthly rewards, its undoubtedly the best Credit card in India, especially for travellers. Even without the 10X points, it comes with a great reward rate by default, as good as HDFC Infinia.

Only downside though is lower acceptance of Diners cards in India compared to Visa/MasterCard, which means, you have to keep a backup card handy.

26. Standard Chartered Ultimate

Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card

Just like HDFC Infinia/Diners Black, Stan. C Ultimate card too comes with 3.3% reward rate. The USP of this card is that you get reward points on almost any spend like insurance, fuel, etc. But it lacks good redemption options and the unlimited lounge access benefit.

27. Citi Prestige

Citi Prestige (New Design)
  • Reward Rate: 2% – 10%
  • Annual fee: Rs 20,000+GST (Free for Citigold Private Clients)
  • Full Review: Citi Prestige Review

Citi Prestige is a bit different card compared to the regular rewards cards. Despite being an expensive card, you get maximum benefit IF & ONLY IF you know to play the airmiles game. Holding Citi Gold/private account will further help you get accelerated rewards.

Further, they removed the airport & golf benefits recently, hence making it useful only to those who spend heavy to be able to play the miles game.

28. Amex Platinum (Metal)

American Express Platinum Charge Card

This card is entirely different from any other card that you see here. That is because, with any card we usually calculate the returns based on rewards on spends, but here you need to calculate the returns based on the benefits you get by holding the card, like: hotel privileges, discounts on travel, first class upgrades, concierge, etc.

It’s an amazing card for someone who loves luxury travel & premium support. The welcome bonus of 100K MR Points is great for the first year without a doubt. For renewal, you need to decide based on how much value you could extract from it.

29. ICICI Emeralde (Amex)

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card (Amex)

This card comes with a very low reward rate on spends but if you put a value to the benefits like Spa/Bookmyshow/Wifi benefits among others like Rs.7.5K dining voucher on birthday, you’ll find the overall return to be reasonably good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best credit card in India?

There is no single best credit card per se, as it highly depends on your needs & spends. Though, above list gives a fair idea for every credit card seeker.

How many Credit Cards can I have?

As much as you need. Start with 2 cards if you’re new to the system and increase the counts gradually based on your spends.

Which is the best credit card for Fuel?

Forget about fuel cards, use wallets like Paytm instead (not with HDFC Cards though) which is lot more practical.

Which Bank Credit card is best in India?

HDFC Bank is the market leader and has very good merchant offers as well. So start with HDFC and add others as per your requirement. Consider Amex for premium customer service.

Bottomline

As you see, every year the list is growing bigger & bigger 😀

But I couldn’t help, as all these cards are quite important to be on the list.

Thumb rule is to get maximum returns via: welcome vouchers, merchant offers, spend based offers, card linked benefits & regular spends.

And not to forget, credit card industry in India is rapidly changing and hence you need to be aware of the changes happening in the space to make the most out of your credit cards. 

Hence, consider updating your strategy at-least every ~6 months to stay in the trend. You may also like us on Facebook to get instant updates on latest happenings in the industry.

Author: Siddharth

Helping Indians to choose right credit cards, pick right offers and enjoy luxury vacations for less. Day & night exploring the spiritual reality of our human existence.

284 thoughts on “30+ Best Credit Cards in India for 2020 (with Reviews)

  1. Jasond

    U hold 5 plus hdfc credit cards, how come, does hdfc allow more than 1 credit card to an individual? Except icici, which bank allows more than 2,3 credit card at a time to an individual?

    Reply
    1. Anoop E S

      2nd question, from my experience

      Axis – 3 (*shared limit)
      ICICI – 4 (shared limit, including a dual variant card. so technically 3 card variants)
      SC – 2 (shared limit)
      SBI – 2 (separate limit)
      Amex – 2 credit cards and 1 charge card

      Reply
      1. ManojP

        Not true for all customers.
        I have 3 Axis cards with different limits.
        Axis SELET 2,25,000
        Axis Privilege 2,50,000
        Axis Flipkart 1,50,000

        Reply
  2. Pavan

    I already have Diners black with 9.5lakh credit limit. So I requested for Infinia but they declined saying I can’t hold both diners black and Infinia at the same time!

    I’m trying to get rid of my Stanchart ultimate due to the poor redemption options and get an Infinia instead. In
    Stanchart I have more than 50k reward points in my account unable to redeem it for anything good.

    Reply
    1. Amit

      I hold both Diners and Infinia card. Infinia has limit of 14lac and Diners 9 lac.

      Reply
      1. Abhi

        Earlier they were allowing that. Now they imply refuse especially for DCB holders. I guess if you are an Infinia holder you may still be able to get DCB due to its higher MDR and HDFC trying to push DC.

        Reply
    2. Santosh

      Hi Sid,

      DCB holder here with 6L limit. Need a back up card for where ever diners is not accepted. Recently couldn’t use it in Ritz Carlton.

      What would you suggest, SCB ultimate comes to mind but no redemption options?

      You think the bank would agree to issue me a regalia card?

      Reply
        1. santosh

          I stay in Bengaluru, Vistara doesn’t have many flights here to the places I travel. Any other suggestions jambui?

          Reply
          1. KD

            SCB Ultimate does have the advantage to be used for Wallets where HDFC gives no points. As far as redemption option goes, I use it almost entirely on BIG BAZAAR vouchers which give me a good advantage to procure anything available under the sun in Big Bazaar from groceries to electronics to clothes.

    3. ROHIT

      I have both Infinia (10 Lakh limit) and DCB (7 Lakh Limit)
      Infinia I got in 2018
      DCB I got in 2019

      Reply
  3. Prashant Gupta

    Thanks for the update. This will definitely help all to choose a card with so many to choose now especially with so may new cards that came up recently and general devaluations.

    Reply
  4. Amit Solanki

    Great review Sid. Any reason for not having a cashback card category which includes cashback cards like SC Manhatten?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      They would overlap the cards on list. May do a separate list shortly.

      Reply
      1. Udit Satija

        I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION WHICH HDFC BANK WILL NEVER CLEARLY ANSWER

        On buying Croma Gift Voucher in a calendar month from HDFC Bank SmartBuy worth 22500 ( i.e. 2 ×10000 Voucher +1 × 2000 + 1 x500 ) will be getting 7400 reward points.

        Now, since HDFC has a capping on the maximum benefit that could be earned per Dinner Black Credit Card of 7500 reward points per calendar month, does that mean if I buy additional vouchers of Croma or any other instant vouchers or do any transaction, in general, won’t be getting any regular or bonus reward points?.

        Reply
  5. ANISH

    error: Citi prestige is not free for Citigold only Citigold private client. regular gold get premier miles free

    Reply
  6. KUMAR SHAH

    What is really the difference between HDFC Infinia and Diners Black? Don’t both have same Smartbuy access or am I missing something.

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Different platforms, different redemption options, different SmartBuy RP earning limit, different Fx rates, different acceptability across the world, different lifestyle product offerings.

      Reply
      1. Tejas Ghongadi

        Different Platforms – Yes
        Different Redemption Options – No
        Different Smartbuy RP Earning Limits – Yes
        Different Fx Rates – No
        Different Acceptability – Yes
        Different Lifestyle Product Offerings – Yes

        Infinia offers Priority Pass for International Lounge access. DCB provides that on the credit card itself.

        Reply
        1. Shivi

          @ Tejas:

          1. Different Redemption Options – No – Check the difference of Infinia redemption brochure vis-a-vis Diners Black which comes with the cards. Also , AFAIK, you can’t redeem Diners Points against DTH recharge which you can do with Infinia.

          2. Different Fx Rates – No – It’s different Fx rates. Diners conversion i is always more or less 1% higher than Visa/Mastercard (regardless of card variant). Thereafter giving 2% markup on Fx charges is same but underlying equation changes altogether. Check relevant blog articles on both cards for confirmation.

          Reply
    2. Udit Satija

      INFINIA maximum reward point in the calendar month equates to 15000 points you may achieve this by spending as high as 450000( i.e., 15000 x 150/5) or as low as 45000 (i.e., 7500×150/10), while in the Diners Black maximum reward point in the calendar month equates to 7500 points you may achieve this by spending as high as 225000( i.e., 7500 x 150/5) or as low as 22500 (i.e., 7500×150/10).

      Please note: This information is limited to my knowledge freshly gained through reading since I got the Diners Black CC and it doesn’t consider occasional schemes or offers on amazon/ Flipkart buying when directed by the Smartbuy application

      Reply
  7. Hitesh Sharma

    Awesome compilation Siddharth.
    Great summary of everything CC.
    Keep up the good work

    Reply
  8. Lakshya Chaudhary

    Thank you for this post Sidhdharth , been following this website since past 3 months learning about cards since I began my job . Hopefully today I’ll apply for the Flipkart Axis as my first card. Thank you for the awesome guides and please keep up the awesome work.

    Reply
  9. Harmanveer Kaur

    I am new to the credit card game. Could anyone suggest me a Best Credit card to start, with an annual salary in the range of 3-5 LPA, and major spends on Online, Petrol and Groceries. I have an existing account with HDFC.

    Reply
    1. Jambui

      @kaur go for clubmiles as u got hdfc relationship. Later citibank indian oil card just to start relationship with citi. Amex mr card be ur third card n icici amazon pay be ur fourth(ltf). Keep 6 month gap in between each application.

      Reply
  10. Anand

    Hey Sid, So in the first pic, Are all credit card yours?
    If YES!
    1) Do you have 4 AMEX Cards? How did get it?
    2) Which one of these 4 AMEX cards are supplementary cards of Amex?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Not all are mine. Amex usually gives only 2 CC & 1 charge card (they used to give more then 2 CC earlier, but its now strict)

      Reply
      1. Anand

        So If i have Amex Travel plat, Could i go for 1) AMEX Plat Reserve, 2) Amex MRCC & 3) Amex Platinum
        As 2 CC and 1 Charge card?

        And Btw OYO now joins HDFC smart buy

        Reply
  11. RK

    Hi Anna,
    Excellent compilation and Thanks for entry level beginner card section.
    I have Regalia First card with excellent credit score, timely payments, ITR 8L and 2.24L limit.

    I applied for amazonpay icici card on october and the card is still in process with the bank. Its almost 4 months. They collected the documentation and some executive called me and scheduled to collect document again and i got another email to send my documents over email (I have verified the email id with the customer care).
    After painstaking wait , I lost hope in ICICI archaic banking system and I applied for flipkart axis credit card. Its been two weeks and I dint get any sms or email communication from axis as well.
    I am currently stuck with my Regalia First with 0.8% offline reward.

    I dont have any relationship with icici and axis. HDFC is my first bank and my only CC provider.

    The reason I shared my experience is, getting amazonpay or flipkart credit card for benign credit worthy individual with zero relationship is a royal pain and Its not really easy like you have shared in your review above. I just want to let our world know this .

    Belated birthday wishes anna .

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      I understand, it happens. That’s why escalation matrix exist. Do try writing to them if not already.

      Reply
  12. kartheek

    Normally you give the list in Mid of May of any Year. Jan is a bit too early to miss out any new cards that come in 2020 and could have the potential to make to this list

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Will do necessary updates whenever required, this time faster 🙂

      Reply
  13. Rohit

    Sid, What is the best downgrade option for SBI Prime holders: SimplyClick or Ola card? Will SBI allow easy downgrade to both these cards considering one is co-branded card? Diners Black anyway takes care of any shopping but keeping an SBI card is good for random offers on websites.

    Reply
      1. Raghu

        Yep. Same question here! Though milestone-based offers are good on SBI Prime, I would prefer a consistently rewarding card (as for ex., Pizza hut vouchers on 50k spend are not of much use for me). Infinia covers most of my spends but looking for an SBI card to avail of some periodical offers.

        Reply
      2. Sunil P

        Hi Guys,
        To downgrade SBI card , just drop them an email. They will take care of the rest. Was also an elite card holder but downgraded due to poor value.

        Reply
    1. Anish Gupta

      Ola SBI is a Co-Branded card and you can hold it along with another SBI card.
      With a current offer of 1st yr free, and a cashback on OLA rides at 15% against the original 7%, the OLA SBI I feel is the best in the business.
      I see that a lot of my online spends are on amazon, etc which have a 10x or 5x points on which can be covered using HDFC Regalia I have downgraded my Elite to SimplySave. It gives me 10 points/100 INR for offline transactions at my Groceries.

      Reply
  14. Praveen Katiyar

    @Sid
    Thanks for the new list.. this time in Jan itself. Surely Jan is bringing a lot of pleasant surprise for cardexpert followers..

    Reply
  15. Anish Gupta

    Can you please prepare a comparison for the SBI cards at 500/- rate
    SimplySav, SimplyClick, IRCTC and OLA SBI

    Reply
  16. Nihar

    Hugely surprised to see the Best Credit card of 2020 review in Jan this year ! Usually a Q2 think !! Good work Sid

    Reply
    1. Harshil

      How do you meet yearly spends waivers if any ? How are you able to recover annual fees of so many cards ?

      Reply
  17. Neo

    Great article Sid!
    The one card missing in the center – Prestige!!. Would pair very well with the Amex Plat travel so you can stay at Taj properties for free 😛
    Btw, Infinia & DCB stacked together is too good.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Not really free as you pay part of the fee for Taj voucher 🙂

      Reply
  18. Vikash Kumar

    HDFC Bank has fraudly deducted more than 25000 points and they are not giving any explanation. I hold a diners black card and never expected such unethical treatment from a reputed bank like Hdfc

    Reply
    1. Shoman

      Validity of reward points in 2 years. That could be the reason.

      Reply
  19. Samir

    Axis Flipkart card provides flat 5% cashback on flipkart,Myntra and flat 4% on partner apps like uber,mmt etc and 1.5% on all others. you have wrongly mentioned only 1.5%

    Reply
  20. Basant Choudhary

    Please create a category for cards with spend based benefits like Amex Platinum Travel, Axis Vistara, SBI Vistara Prime, SBI Prime etc. Very helpful when you have fixed spend that you want to take benefit of. e.g. Redgiraffee.

    Reply
  21. Amann

    Hi Sid

    You may want to mention if these give points on wallet loading / spends like Paytm. If HDFC doesn’t then Infinia or DCB holders take a hit in the rewards they provide.

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Not everybody uses PayTm! haven’t felt the need to use it at all for a start.

      Reply
  22. Aneesh T

    Diners club black seems to be slightly better than infinia with respect to the following.
    1. Welcome benefits and milestone benefits
    2. Partner 10x (first cry, swiggy, book my show, ola, zoom cars) additional 25000 points.
    3. Tie up with rupay network – accepted almost anywhere now in India.

    Reply
    1. Abhi

      Infinia gives 10K on 10K for welcome/renewal and free Mariott club if you really want to count it for anything. DCB for 10k you get some dingy memberships which is good to get free at most. (not comparing waivers for both)
      Partner 10x & monthly milestone is good for those who can achieve it every month.
      Tie up with rupay… I am not sure what kind of tie up it is. I was very excited about it a year ago. But now I am seeing more and more rejections even where RuPay is accepted. Not sure how this partnership holds with DCB mdr highest & Rupay at lowest.

      Reply
  23. Preeti gupta

    Hello Sid,
    Great Article…..I am following this site since one year.
    Before Applying to any card i refer cardexpert.
    From this Article i am having 12 primary card and 2 add on.

    Reply
    1. Abhi

      Baba re…. I was worried that I have too many at just 6 primaries (+3 debit). Guess I can still get a few more without worrying to be in any spotlights 😀

      Reply
      1. Nikhil

        I have 15 credit cards along with 4 debit cards. My CIBIl is 800+, No of credit cards is not an issue.

        Reply
        1. Abhi

          Which all ? 15 is a lot ?? Mostly needs to be free for holding so many ?

          Reply
          1. Nikhil

            Except 1, rest of them are LTF. Juts hold them for some periodical offers & spend based offers which I always get due to low usage, It also help me to maintain top 1% cibil score

        2. creditBaba

          some people having max no of cards to show off is of no use . its for your own show :). i used to have 19 cards years back ,but then it forces you to unnneccsary shpping just to redeem the offers and to use each of the cards. it will give you a regret after some time belive me ;). only one card from visa ,MC,amex is fine .also it shows in cibil and confuses banks credit officers when you go for a loan.

          worst part is to pay the bill in time . many time it will happen that for a small charge you did in a cc to use that silly offer, will cost you double if bill not paid in time .

          Reply
          1. Nikhil

            I beg to differ here. it’s totally upto you to maintain financial discipline. Spending behavior is upon you. I have never done unwanted spending just because of offers. In addition to 15 credit cards, I also have secured as well as unsecured loans from banks, So it never caused any issue to me. If you are aware enough, why you will miss any bill payments. I fact one of bank’s executive applauded me for able to maintain so many accounts with prudent discipline. This also improved your score as credit utilization is lowest possible

          2. Praveen Katiyar

            words of wisdom @creditBaba, let the Bachhas like me learn the hard way..
            Its nice to know that you have been there, done that.. 😉

            Now, I know that when you reach the height of 19 cards, u may be prudent & smart.

  24. Mohit Jain

    Great Article Sid, Very Informative.
    Although I don’t agree with your answer to Q2 in FAQ section. From a personal finance point of view along with mainiting your CIBIL score , the ideal number of credit cards one should hold is 2. This could be stretched to 4 Max. Anything more, the CIBIL sees you as credit hungry and your score dips. Also, chasing benefits on so many cards can result in uncontrolled spending and getting in debt trap.

    My ideal Set of 2 cards is HDFC Infinia and AMEX Black Card. This should cover almost anything under the sun. I have one of the two already. Hoping I get the coveted centurion card within 5 years.
    Hoping for a hands on centurion review from you soon.

    Keep it up!!

    Reply
    1. Tejas Ghongadi

      I have been keeping an eye on my Credit Score via Paisa Bazaar. Till July 2017, I held on Two Credit Cards with a combined CL of Approx. 7 Lacs. Within 1 year, this changed to 7 Cards with a combined limit of over 25 Lacs. Yet, the impact on the credit score has been negligible. My credit score has stayed above 800 at all times. I have a home loan active too. So the Credit exposure increased and doubled quite quickly and yet no impact on the Credit Score.

      Similarly, Three Months back I closed a Credit Card with a CL of almost 5 Lacs. This months credit report shows the status of that Credit Card as CLOSED. However, there is no impact (Positive or Negative) on the credit score.

      Reply
      1. varun

        Experian score are higher than CIBIL score. Most of credit card enquirers are on the CIBIL report. You can get free CIBIL report if you have hdfc account.

        Reply
        1. Shubham Pratap Singh

          How can I get a free CIBIL report? I have a preferred salary account with HDFC,1 active home loan and 1 credit card (Regalia First)

          Reply
      2. Shivi

        Your home loan is negating all the side or probable bad effects of having higher number of credit cards or closing the cards and reducing the available credit limit. Keep the home loan going and it will offset any imbalance in your credit report.

        Reply
        1. ManojP

          How home loan helps in balancing credit cards???
          Can you please explain ??

          Reply
    2. Kiran

      Hi Mohit Jain,

      Not necessarily, I have 12 cards and all primary ones and my credit score is 800+

      Its all about how much your spending on each card and your timely repayment is what matters.

      Cheers,
      Kiran

      Reply
      1. Shivi

        Having higher number of credit cards definitely matters. It doesn’t matter only if your income level is able to support your need for open credit or if you have a high limit secured loan going.

        Reply
    3. Prashant Gupta

      It doesnt matter as such. In fact having more cards will help in lowering credit utilisation which will boost your score. all the regulars here have many cards.

      Reply
  25. Sree

    Superb list as always Sid! I started reading cardexpert since Feb 2019 back when i was holding only a HDFC moneyback card which i have since 2007. Now i have HDFC Regalia,SC Ultimate,Citi PM,Amex plat travel and HSBC Visa platinum. I am continuously benefiting with every article you’ve written and i hope you continue this good work for many more years to come 😀

    Reply
  26. Anil

    Hi Sid

    Heard that surrendering a credit impacts CIBIL negatively. If I am not satisfied with a card or the bank’s service, should I surrender the card or keep it active in case CIBIL is impacted negatively?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Depends on the profile. If your overall credit exposure is 5L and this card has 4L limit and if you close it, it affects. But if it has only 1L, it doesn’t.

      Reply
      1. Anil

        What is the ideal credit utilization one should be targeting? I have ~30-35% credit utilization monthly on my DCB.

        Reply
          1. Anil

            @Sid, Rahul A follow on query to the above

            How is credit utilization calculated? Is it based on the statement generated or highest credit utilized during the billing period?
            Basically, If I pay up before the statement generation date would it count against my credit utilisation or not?

      2. Shivi

        And how do you calculate credit utilization when the credit limit of your cards is not reported to any credit bureau?!

        Reply
  27. Shivi

    I was wondering what happens when banks don’t report credit limit to Credit Institutions. Neither HDFC Bank, nor IndusInd credit limits show up in the report ~ then how do banks figure out credit utilisation ?!

    Reply
    1. Harshil Lodhi

      +1 to this question. Also if you manually lower your credit limit on ICICI amazon card, the lower limit is sent to cibil. I got to know this seeing my latest report which showed my credit limit as 20k.

      Reply
      1. Shivi

        Yeah that happened with me too. Also, if you manually reduce the limit for a period of 6-12 months or more then ICICI makes 10k your new (highest) credit limit! Happened with my BiL

        Reply
  28. Sandeep

    Please add the best cards for Fuel purchases and include RBL Value Plus SuperCard, would like to get one card solely for fuel purchases.

    Reply
  29. Pranab

    Found a fuel transaction hack on ICICI Amazon Pay!
    For every transaction at fuel stations, flat Rs.10/- cashback (as ‘Reversal of Fuel Surcharge’).
    Tried and tested with as low as Rs.30/- transaction. Amount charged: Rs. 30.35 (1.18% extra), cashback: Rs. 10, net profit Rs.9.65 (32%).
    *The cashback is flat Rs.10 (be it Rs.30 or 3000 transaction).
    *Applicable on all fuel stations and all POS terminal.

    Reply
  30. Tejas

    Thanks Sid.

    I have Diners black and was searching for good backup for this. I applied for Yes Exclusive but got preffered LTF and am planning to upgrading to exclusive LTF (for 1.5%) I have Amex MRCC too. I was planning to get SC Ultimate but not seeing good redemption options. Can you make an article on analysis of backup cards for diners? It would be great.

    Reply
    1. Sagar Agarwal

      I would suggest you go for Axis Flipkart card instead of Yes Exclusive (same reward rate but Axis gives you direct cashback in card statement – no waiting to redeem them). It would serve as a great backup card.

      You can choose any of the below cards as backup for Diners Black:
      1. Axis Flipkart
      2. Citi Premier Miles
      3. Axis Vistara Infinite (note: high annual fees)

      Thanks

      Reply
    2. Ravi arya

      I would also request you to please suggest backup of DCB. Now a days HDFC is not giving 2 cards else even Regalia was a nice option alongside DCB.

      Reply
  31. Sagar Agarwal

    Hey Guys!

    Apologies, re-posting my query in this thread as I got no response in the original thread! 🙂

    I am planning to take Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card as I have a single big expense of 10 lakhs coming up (home furniture booking – can be split in 2-3 payments)

    I had the below query:
    Can someone please tell me if the complimentary business class tickets & vouchers can be used on flights between destinations with no direct flight?

    For e.g. Vistara does not have a direct flight between Mumbai to Varanasi. Most of their flights is via Delhi.
    So if I choose a BOM-DEL-VNS flight (no change of flights, just 1 stop) – would it require 2 biz class tickets/vouchers or 1 single ticket/voucher?

    Any direction in this regard would be helpful. Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Tejas Ghongadi

      The answer is NO.

      For connecting flights, you need to as many upgrade and / or business class vouchers as the number of flights.

      Reply
    2. kunal

      Also Vistara doesn’t offer business class seats for redemption.You might stuck up with these vouchers or end up using them in lower classes.

      Reply
      1. Rajeev

        Can you explain ? Why vistara doesn’t offer business class seats for redemption ?

        Reply
        1. Neo

          of course it does. They are exorbitantly priced using points , thats all.

          Reply
        2. Praveen Katiyar

          In my case, I called Vistara guys for the redemption of Premium Economy Voucher for Feb 22-23 long weekend. I gave them a lot of choices of destination (as my vouchers were about to expire), they either did not have Premium Eco. seats (or even Economy, as I was willing to downgrade to Economy) or no redemption seats for those dates on 2-3 routes. This was a week before the travel date.
          Then ‘Lockdown’ happened and all travel plans are shelved.
          Then I realized, this may happen again for Vouchers that are still not nearing expiry. My card is due for renewal in July. I will request them to give me more validity on the vouchers, if it is no happening, I will cancel the card.

          Reply
  32. Rudresh

    After holding SBI PRIME for 2 years, its not a good card any more.

    Reasons being
    1. No more Lounge access after 2 years
    2. Stubborn Customer Support

    There is no point to pay 3K + Tax for this cards renewal when spend is less than 3L and just has moderate return.

    Reply
    1. Biswas

      I’m surprised that you were not allowed lounge access via SBI PRIME. I’m using it from 2012 & used it for lounge access in Calcutta Domestic Airport in Nov, 2019. That was the first time I used it for lounge access.

      Reply
  33. PK

    Great work Sid on the blog . I am an ardent miles, hotel loyalty points reaper myself and keep creating my spend strategies. Its so addictive!
    I have been reading the blog for 6 months and got my 7 cards( including upgrade/downgrade)
    Citi Prestige, DCB , Yes First Exclusive, SC Ultimate, Axis Vistara Infinite, Amex Plat Travel ,downgraded SBI Elite to Simply click. Got 7 free Priority passes ( 🙂 ) distributed among family ( what a gift! for everyone) by playing permutations.

    Looking forward in 2020 for below :

    1. Disappointed with Citi Prestige with their devalutions on benefits. Hope they bring it upto speed. I had Citi PM and upgraded it play with miles benefit. Lets see if it helps!

    2. I got DCB and priority pass benefit via other cards – was initially thinking of getting Infinia but now seems HDFC Wont give it easily and would only miss out on the 25k smartbuy ( which am not sure will last how long)

    3. Hope AMex Plat Charge get the Marriott bonus offer again soon . Planning to apply then, dont see much value personally until then.

    Reply
    1. Harshil

      Just wanted to know, do you spend enough to cover annual charges for these cards ? or do you have them LTF ?

      Reply
      1. Shivi

        Can’t speak for anybody else Harshil but in the normal course of spends on household expenses, I am rewarded with around 15% which makes 2 to 4 of my International return trips or an international round trip with accommodation for a week free every year. That also makes the 10k+18% GST fee on the card pay for itself.

        Reply
  34. Naitik Mehta

    Cred has stopped making payments thru debit cards completely…i have DCB debit card which gives 1.6% cashback..what are other options to use this debit card to make payments of credit cards bill?

    Reply
  35. Praveen Katiyar

    @Sid and cardexpert followers
    I am holding SC Landmark & SC Titanium cards with combined limit close to 4.5L. Few weeks earlier I called customer care and they confirmed that Iam eligible for SC Ultimate. I didn’t upgraded cos of very few redemption options and do not foresee to use MMT upto 10K cashback in coming 90days.

    Today received an email saying as SC is ending relationship with Landmark, my Landmark card will be replaced with ‘Digi Smart’ card post Feb 2020. I didnt like the Digi Smart card but not sure I should commit to SC Ultimate fee with limited redemption option.

    Kindly guide. Thanks.

    Reply
  36. Pavan

    Can you please tell how to get both Diners club and Infinia?
    Does it require me to maintain a salary account or home loan?

    Reply
  37. MS

    Hi Sid,

    Really a good job from your side. At present I am having below active cards:
    HDFC Regalia
    Yes First Exclusive
    AMEX Platinum Travel
    AMEX Gold Card
    AMEX MRCC
    SCB Manhattan Card
    CITI Rewards Card
    HSBC Visa Platinum

    Recently I have noticed my CIBIL score is dropped. My experian score is 845 while my CRIF score is 796. I have active home loan also. Is this reduced due to number of cards? Should i close any card to update my
    score? Please suggest which card should i close? All my cards are LTF. Also which premium card I may get based on my score. My Annual income is 16 LPA. Suggestions welcome.

    Thanks in advance.

    MS

    Reply
      1. MS

        Yes AMEX travel is also LTF. Got it as corporate offer.Never paid any amount for it.

        Reply
    1. Anish Gupta

      Dude/Sid

      How do you get Amex Gold as LTF card?
      My MRCC is attached to my Amex Gold.

      Anish

      Reply
      1. MS

        My AMEX Gold was issued 4 yrs back as part of corporate offer. AMEX had camp in my company.
        You may get it through corporate tie up.

        Reply
  38. Arun

    Hi,

    What if my city doesn’t have AMEX support? I wonder Why there is no SC or Axis cards in here

    Reply
  39. Lakshya Chaudhary

    Update : Just got “Congratulations, welcome to Axis Bank Credit Cards! Your Application for Axis Bank Credit Card is approved. The card details will follow shortly” 2 mins ago, Feeling so overjoyed for my First card 😀 , Will try for MRCC also after 6 months just as you advised by you 🙂

    Reply
  40. Anish Gupta

    Re-posting for an answer or an acknowledgement 😅

    Can you please prepare a comparison for the SBI cards at 500/- rate
    SimplySave, SimplyClick, IRCTC and OLA SBI. Others as well if you want to added.

    Happy Republic Day all 🇮🇳🇮🇳

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      SimplySave for Departmental store shopping @ 5% return.
      SimplyClick for online shopping 1.25% return, specifically on Amazon site 2.5% return.
      Having said that neither of these 2 cards hold ground now with different options from other banks giving higher returns.

      IRCTC & OLA are co-branded cards for specific purpose:
      IRCTC card exclusively for tickets booked through irctc site with return of upto 10%.
      Ola card for Ola users- base return of 7% & goes up to 15% sometimes on Cleartrip use.

      Reply
  41. Abhinav

    Thank you, Siddharth for sharing the list. I have 6 credit cards from the image you shared above. I am very happy with my Amex MRCC.
    I have been thinking of additionally getting Amex travel Plat. I feel Amex Platinum is for a premium luxurious lifestyle and not in sync with my needs. Given the amazing reward rate, I try to put most of my spends on HDFC Diners Black. Not sure if there are any added benefits of having both Travel Plat and MRCC.
    Anyway, thanks for sharing this wonderful list.

    Reply
  42. Vivek

    Hi Sid,
    Thanks for the compilation, was very informative.

    Based on your guidance I took DCB and now find my remaining cards becoming redundant unless there is a special offer on them. As backup I am maintaining a YBL Preffered LTF. Am closing remaining cards rather than use them for lower rewards rate. I will only try to get a better LTF card going forward rather than manage too many cards.
    You have mentioned benefits of AMEX, but considering that DCB also doubles as a good travel card does it make any sense to take AMEX?

    Reply
  43. Sam

    Don’t ever buy HDFC credit cards. I wanted the topmost credit card and went for the HDFC Diners club credit card. I was given a limit of Rs 4 lakh and paid an initial fee of Rs. 10,000. I am a frequent traveller to US and hence missed making payments in time on both occasions. Except that I was prompt in all other payments. The next year, they collected my renewal fee and reduced my limit to Rs. 1.05 lakh. I wrote to them explaining that this cannot be accepted because I have paid so much fees to enjoy a higher limit. Failure to make payments in time on 2 occasions cannot be a ground for reducing the limit.
    They replied stating that “it was as per their policy” and did not restore my limit. My argument was simple. I can get a free credit card for a limit of Rs.1.05 lakh. If they are reducing the limit to such low amount, then they must not collect the renewal fee. Even after my best argument not a single person in the entire hierarchy of HDFC seemed to possess a thinking brain. All were plainly wired robots who just went by “their policy”.
    So, if you want to deal with such idiots, you may go ahead and purchase this card. IF such is the mentality of the HDFC people, it must be the same with all credit cards. Their mindset is so fixed and not even the chairman thinks to take a decision. I even wrote to Diners about this and how bad their reputation is going. But no use. That day I decided not to pay a single rupee to any of HDFC or its subsidiaries. I hope many of you readers will have such experience. Please write more so that no one takes any of HDFC credit cards.

    Reply
    1. Arnab Chaudhuri

      I share your sentiments to the fullest. HDFC is one of the worst bank out there. Any other bank for a card upgrade just takes request over phone. But nada…HDFC needs special treatment. We have to send our income dox to a chennai address and then…..after a long silent gap…only hope for the best. In app store as well as playstore..many users complain for lack of only credit card support or their shitty mobile interface. Even with the requisite income dox of 19lakhs ITR, I have been denied a limit enhancement or a card upgrade neither to DCB or the new DCP. Reason:- I don’t have a bank account with HDFC. Even after escalation and repeated attempts from the nodal officer to principal nodal officer, and after hearing the broken tape record of ‘INTERNAL POLICY’ crap again n again, I have given up. I was ready to open an account post upgradation, but they were so arrogant that even after being a 4 year+ customer and flawless payment trackrecord, annual spend of 2lakh+, those jokers refused to even help me to the slightest. Before your post, I have decided to at least keep the diners clubmiles LTF with me, but after reading how you were treated, I have already applied for INDUSIND LEGEND SIGNATURE CARD and it will positively get approved, then I have decided to pay the bill for this month, and cut the card into pieces which I have already done and mail those pieces to their chennai address so that they can stick their policy right up their nose. I have no other relationship with HDFC and in this lifetime, I will never have. This bank has a crappy vintage looking credit card website and no mobile app for credit card users. And the sad part is that after many many people complaining about it, they just don’t care a bit. Hope this post help people know about the pathetic conduct and infrastructure of HDFC

      Reply
      1. Shivi

        Do you guys even read the TnC & CA before applying or the updated ones after applying?!

        Reply
      2. Prashant Gupta

        But how can you expect DCB with annual spends of only Rs.2L. Most of us have spends much much more than that before trying for upgrade, and also what is you club miles card limit. It has to be minimum Rs5L for consideration of upgrade.

        Reply
        1. Arnab Chaudhuri

          FIrst, I need to have a limit to spend beyond 2L. They wont even increase my limit with 19L ITR. 4 years…zero defaults in payments….always Total Amount Due…never MAD….8L+ INSTA JUMBO LOANS….Even after that, if they cant increase my limit beyond 3L after 4years, I have nothing else to say…N yea I read their Tnc. It says…Have an account else your’e screwed. CIBIL as of today is 781.
          Not a single spot on CIBIL, experian, crif etc. Just go n read the comments in their playstore n appstore apps. You will understand. Leave DCB…They straight away told me I can’t even get Diners privilege. Already mailed the pieces today to their chennai address today for their dinner.

          Reply
          1. Shivi

            So you were willing to do all of those things that cost you mental peace & irritation & time & still refrain from opening a HDFC bank account?

          2. Shivi

            “N yea I read their Tnc. It says…Have an account else your’e screwed.” Oh, come along now. No idea what you keep reading!

      3. Ykr

        @Arnab Chauduri
        Seems you had a horrible experience with HDFC. But in my case it’s different.. they offered me a pre approved credit card based on my savings account transactions(AMB of 25k).. As expected it’s a low limit card. After 5 month’s I sent my payslips and bank statement to their Chennai adress, with in 5days my limit has been increased by 3 times..

        Reply
        1. Arnab Chaudhuri

          I’m much happy with my emeralde and new indusind legend signature. I get auto limit enhancements from ICICI like 50k every 6 months. Granted payback is a bit less, but I will choose a bank which respects customers a eon times before the banks who will call you thousand times for business loans, home loans and car loans or current account..also jumbo loans…but if you request them something in return, they will shove the policy booklet right down in your throat.

          Reply
          1. Shivi

            Just a friendly suggestion – Read the TnC of IndusInd credit cards 🙂 I closed my LTF Legend credit card within 3 months of opening it.

            On a side note, I never got an auto CL enhancement from ICICI bank.

            To each his own!

          2. Prashant Gupta

            Its ur bad luck. I have been regularly getting limit upgrade offers sometimes in less than 6 months on wifes card. I have 2 DCB and 1 is LTF. All upgraded from lower level cards. Once the customer care said that i am not eligible for limit upgrade but can try by sending upgrade forms to chennai with salary slips and tada limit was upgraded. My wifes card progression has been really fast from moneyback to diners in 6-8 months that includes limit upgrades from Rs2l to Rs10L and upgrade from money back to reaglia to dcb. You must be doing something wrong. I know HDFC is pathetic in terms of customer service sometimes then you have to find a work around and get your work done. So even if you write dont go for DCB no body will listen as its the best card in India even with all the other minor shortfalls. You are missing a lot. The rate at which the points get accumulated is tremendous. 1 free family foreign vacation free.

        2. Anoop E S

          me too. I never had any bad experience with HDFC for the last almost 9 years. Started with Platinum Plus card in 2011 with a limit of 75K. Then got upgraded to Signature and then to Regalia. In Apr 2017, when I was holding Regalia with a limit of 6 lakhs, I had sent physical forms to Chennai address (after getting inspiration from this blog) and Got upgraded to Diners Black. After this only, I opened a normal savings account with HDFC. Till that time, I didn’t had any other relationship with HDFC other than Credit card.

          From my experience, upgrade and limit enhancement purely depends on the business you give them. All these years, my major purchases were done using HDFC.

          I’m happily using DCB for the last 3 years. Now the limit is 10 lakhs. Yesterday, I sent forms to chennai address for upgrading to Infinia. I’m happy even if they don’t upgrade. Will be thrilled, if they can split credit limit and issue me Infinia allowing me to retain DCB.

          Reply
          1. Rahul

            where do it get Form and to which address should ship It??

    2. Abhay Uppal

      Maybe if you follow a financially disciplined routine you wouldn’t have to cry over the card fees especially for someone who boasts of visiting US regularly.

      Reply
      1. NY

        Banks are not in lending business.., they are in risk managing business. HDFC bank is known for stringent risk profiling, so their NPAs are below industry norms while other banks are suffering to keep afloat. When you missed two payments in last year, it’s obviously risk for them to offer high credit limit. So, they’re reducing their risk by reducing limit. Keep check on due dates and pay regularly.., soon they’ll revert..!!
        I’m saying this from my experience.

        Reply
    3. Anonymous

      Eh, you never “buy” a credit card; you apply for the same. And the rules of admission aka acceptance of documents are to be to be in line with the card issuer’s policy. As simple as that.

      Reply
      1. Arnab Chaudhuri

        If you guys want, I can share the screenshot ok. They categorically told me autodebit must be active else they cant enhance my limit. I agree i m not buying the card but renting it with annual fee. If the bank cant offer basic services like app support etc. then its better to move on

        Reply
  44. Abhi

    @Sid, I don’t agree with one point.
    You put SBI Air India Signature card return as 4-10%. In reality (?? Wait, I mean in my opinion 🙂 ) it should be 2-4.5 %
    Not sure why you put 1 AI mile = 1 Rs. Best value of AI mile you could get is 0.5 Rs. Also, you included bonus in calculation which you don’t do for other cards usually. Looks like you are mesmerized by AI mils or SBI 🙂

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      10% is a stretch yes, but its possible as you see my redemptions. However >4% is easy in most cases. Maybe this is because I’m looking only at Biz class redemptions!

      Reply
    2. Shivi

      Domestic and S-E Asia travel does give you 10% redemption options. Even at the base 30 miles per 100 bucks spent @ .40 ps/mile it works out to be 12% return on domestic circuit & 15% @ 0.50ps/mile. Having the same RP redeemed for cash or Amazon vouchers @ .25ps/RP is still a cool return of 7.5% without any strings attached!

      Reply
      1. Abhi

        Sirjee, I was actually talking about SBI signature Air India card. It gives base or 4 RP/100 Rs spent. 30 Miles/100 Rs is a GREAT offering. Which one is that ? It would make DCB redundant as base would be around 30% in redeemed on Biz Class/long haul as Sid said it 1 RP = 1 Rs for Biz/long.

        Reply
        1. Vishu

          It is only on spends on Air India booking.
          30 Reward Points for every Rs. 100/- spent is applicable on Air India tickets booked by Primary Cardholder for self through airindia.in, Air India mobile app
          10 Reward Points for every Rs. 100/- spent is applicable on Air India tickets booked by Primary Cardholder for others through airindia.in, Air India mobile app
          10 Reward Points for every Rs.100/- spent is applicable for Air India tickets booked through Air India booking offices, call centers; tickets booked by add on cardholders; any super saver ticket purchases.
          For all other spends, it is:
          Get 4 Reward points for every Rs. 100 spent.
          Get up to 1,00,000 bonus Reward points annually
          Convert your Reward points into Air India miles. 1 Reward point is equal to 1 Air India Air mile.

          Reply
        2. Shivi

          @ Abhi – Yeah i know u asked about SBI signature AI card and I replied about the same. I had it for 2 years. It gives u 30 miles per 100 bucks spent as explained in the following post by Vishu but the same is mentioned in the information booklet you receive with the card. Didn’t u read it? And no, it won’t make DCB redundant. Not by a long shot!

          Reply
          1. Abhi

            😀 I don’t have it…. just querying around. Anyhow, I don’t think I’ll be traveling so much as to spend only on AirIndia (also I travel budget airlines only.)

  45. Shailesh Lokare

    Hi
    i have to pay around 12000 utility bills each month and recent change in citi credit card which do not give any reward points making me rethink my card choices.

    i currently have citi primier miles and HDFC regalia first.
    which credit card should i opt to increse my reward points earnings.?
    sbi prime gives 20 points for 100 rupees on utility bills. or should i opt of sbi vistara prime card(not sure about reward points on utility bill pay).
    we are more interested in earning air miles which resulted in choosing citi premier miles card.

    i really appreciate u helping out readers and ur insightful articals which are key to building community of credit card holders .

    Thank You
    Shailesh

    Reply
  46. Saurav Das

    Which is the best HDFC card that can be availed as Lifetime free?

    Reply
    1. Sree

      Most HDFC cards now come as FYF and next year onwards fee reversal based on spends. Depends on your eligibility. If your ITR and relation with HDFC is good then go for Infinia. Or else go for Regalia. DCB is equally good as infinia but depends on acceptability of the same and your usage

      Reply
  47. Sanjay

    Siddharth and American Express Platinum Travel card holders, can you please tell me that 5000 voucher (after 1.9 lacs) and 8000 voucher (after 4 lacs). Can these voucher be split into multiple vouchers (say for 5000, can they give you 2×2500)? Or is it just one voucher of 5000 and one for 8000?
    Siddharth, great site, btw. Very informative!

    Reply
    1. Gaurav Gupta

      Yes, any denomination can be requested to customer care.

      Reply
  48. Shubham

    Regarding Axis Vistara Infinite card following conditions are mentioned :

    4. No CV Points are credited for fuel transactions on Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card.
    5. No CV Points are credited for transaction through wallet load.
    6. The following MCCs have been excluded from CV Points eligibility: 6012, 6051, 5944, 6011,
    6540

    Can you elaborate what does 6012, 6051, 6011,6540 exactly mean from below?

    as per MCC codes :

    6012- Member Financial Institution–Merchandise And Services
    6051 – Quasi Cash–Merchant
    5944 – Clock, Jewelry, Watch and Silverware Stores
    6011 – Member Financial Institution–Automated Cash Disbursements
    6540 – POI (Point of Interaction)

    Reply
  49. Anil

    Regarding HDFC DCB: Do we get reward points for making utility payments such as electricty, water, rent etc. using the Billpay service in HDFC Netbanking?

    Reply
  50. Smruti Panda

    Yes Bank Exclusive gets a lot of unwarranted hate in this site. There is 3% returns on certain spends (food, airlines, etc). You also have 5x spends on online sites like Amazon, Flipkart and Tata Cliq. Besides, it is lifetime free and gives us unlimited access to lounges. You can also redeem points to get a variety of options including flight bookings and taj vouchers.

    Reply
  51. Rex

    Yes bank exclusive does not have lounge access on supplementary card. Maybe it was available earlier, but not anymore.

    Reply
    1. Praveen Katiyar

      @Rex
      As on 12 Feb 2020, yes bank website shows that there is unlimited complimentary visits for primary & add on card members through Priority Pass.
      Unlimited domestic lounge visits as well.

      Reply
    2. Mouli

      Rex,

      I used my YFE add on card for domestic lounge access on Feb 10 2020 and it worked
      On what basis you to say that add on card is not eligible for Lounge access ?

      Reply
  52. Rishabh Mangal

    Yes First Exclusive card allows Unlimited Lounge Access to both Primary and Add-on using Priority Pass at both “International” & “Domestic” lounges. Received Add on card yesterday and Priority pass terms mentioned about free access to Domestic Lounges as well.

    Reply
  53. HVS

    Hi!

    I am currently holding ICICI Jet Airways Sapphiro (now InterMiles) card (Amex and Visa), HDFC Corporate Platinum and SBI Corporate card (don’t use much). I am looking for another card with good rewards and international acceptability . Do let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

    Reply
  54. Sam

    HDFC Regalia vs HDFC Millennia Credit Card.

    Which one would you choose / recommend and why ?
    (Assume that Airport Lounge access is not a priority, while you suggest)

    Reply
    1. Sam

      Also, is it possible to get both the Cards ?
      HDFC Regalia and HDFC Millennia Credit Card ? If so how ?

      Thanks for your posts.

      Reply
      1. Ankit

        Regalia, just for the better reward points. international lounge access is a plus.

        Reply
  55. Anonymous

    Which one would you choose / recommend and why ? – Regalia any day! Read the relevant blog articles on Reglai n compare it with Millennia on HDFC Site n see for yourself.

    Is it possible to get both the Cards? If so how ? – Call up HDFC customer care & ask! it’s different in different cities, branches, customer’s NRV, RM or branch manager capabilities etc

    Reply
  56. Anuj JHAVERI

    Which is the best credit card for utility bill payments and lic premium payments with good reward points??

    Reply
  57. Shubham

    Anyone upgraded from HDFC DCB to New DCB? My DCB is LTF, and my RM called me three times last week to upgrade it to New DCB which is paid, so I declined. Now they are saying that upgrade to Infinia will be only after upgrade to New DCB. Is this correct? What exactly is the advantage of New DCB? With DCB I already received all the memberships that come with New DCB.

    Reply
    1. Praveen Perumalla

      With good market penetration and enough people holding DCB, it is time to convert the LTF card holders to a paid version. So, the memberships are a bait to convert them to a paid version. Apart from the memberships, there is no other additional gain with the new DCB from the old.

      Their statement that upgrade to Infinia will only be after upgrade to New DCB could also be another bait for those who have their eyes on Infinia. It may or may not be true since with HDFC ‘trust’ is completed off their books.

      Reply
    1. Shivi

      Coz Yes Private ain’t worth the cost/benefit! The benefits on this one are more on the lines of what HDFC Infinia or AmEx Plat Charge, & more recently Axis Magnus & Burgundy, give. Just Mastercard World Elite platform doesn’t make Yes Private exclusive.

      And it’s not within everybody’s reach with 5cr NRV needed to have it! In that league I would only look at Citi Ultima Infinite or AmEx Black/ Centurion although these cards you can only get on basis of spends and not on basis of NRV!

      Reply
  58. Praveen Katiyar

    @Sid
    At sl. No. 30. Yes First Exclusive, Annual Fee should be 10,000+GST (LTF usually). Kindly check.

    Reply
  59. Arnab Chaudhuri

    Alright got a bit of good news. I got an unexpected call from HDFC nodal officer or senior management desk today. It was after I wrote a letter via speed post to the maharashtra & goa nodal desk about how bad experience I had. They assured me that they will look into the matter and told me it will be reviewed with priority.. Well what happened next was unimaginable. I never thought priority literally means minutes.

    Within 60mins or less in the credit card only netbanking, there is a space which shows ‘Transferred/Hotlisted’. It showed Transferred. After their usual server refresh time of 11:30pm to 2:30am…Under the ‘Transferred Card Registration’ tab, my old card showed and after registration finally I could see the name ‘DINERS CLUB PRIVILEGE INTL’ in the main login screen. Well got a limit enhancement too to 4,86,000 from 3,00,000. Now this was completely unexpected sort of thing for me,

    Nevertheless thanks a ton to the nodal officer whoever it was who took the effort for helping me out. Now waiting for the card arrival with joy.

    Reply
  60. Tavinder singh

    Please tell me which card shd i have mainly for hotels n travel
    Already having dcb
    Amex and citi not serviceable in my city
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Ankur

      Axis and Sbi travel cards are good but is it domestic travel or international travel ?

      Reply
    2. Arnab Chaudhuri

      If you hold DCB, I don’t think you would get a better(best) card than this one.

      Reply
    3. Shivi

      DCB is terrible for international travel and hotel spends. Its acceptance in domestic sector too has gone down in the past few months so consider what type of hotel and travel experience you are going in for before finalising card.

      Reply
  61. Aditya Bansal

    Hi All, I have an Amex Platinum Charge Card that i got in 2019 itself. With its renewal coming up, I am confused whether it makes to pay the huge fee of 60k + GST. My spends are mostly on travel, utilities and food. I had a spending of approx 8 lakhs on the card in the past year. In the first year, the bonus points sort of paid for itself through Marriot transfer and Taj vouchers but I am not so sure about second year. I also hold a Platinum Travel card along with this. In case i shouldn’t renew it, could you also suggest which alternate card i should go for.

    Reply
    1. manjunath udayakumar

      Hi Aditya, for go Amex Platinum card, go ahead for Platinum reserve if credit card is your option or move on to Amex Gold charge card, if charge card is what you desire. Rewards are pretty much good as a mid sized card. You will not regret on 18K & 24K Reward redemption catalogues.

      Reply
  62. Arnab Chaudhuri

    I got a entry on my HDFC Diners privilege ‘Apr May Fuel CB’ and 42.00CR. Does any one know about this fuel cashback offer of HDFC or what it is ?

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Fuel cash back for current financial year’s first quarter spends

      Reply
  63. NILESH SRIVASTAVA

    Does it make sense to keep on holding SC Manhattan Card since most of the departmental stores transactions are not giving the 5% cashback and 3 times rewards are way too low

    Reply
    1. manjunath udayakumar

      Hi Nilesh, try Tata Titanium Star bazaar card, you get 3.5% value back on spends at STAR Outlets& Up to 5% value back on spends on select TATA Outlets. 3 reward points on all grocery & department stores. This card offers Rs 1000 gift voucher of Star bazaar after realization of annual fee of Rs 500 for first year & spend based reversal of Rs 1 lac. Each reward point has value of Rs 1 for redemption against westside, Tanishq & Tata outlets.

      Reply
  64. Mohit Garg

    Hi Siddharth,
    I really like reviews posted by you on CardExpert.in for most of the known credit cards available in India.

    I have a question related to HDFC’s Diners Club Black and HDFC’s Infinia Credit card. I have option to pick any of the above credit card. Which one you will suggest to pick here?

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Depends on where you intend using them & whether they’ll your primary cards or not.

      Reply
    2. Ankur

      If choice between them. Choose Infinia.

      Diners series is going downhill with higher mdr leading to non acceptance and outside India acceptance was already low. Also no worthy 10x diners partners to give leg up with visa/mastercard series.

      Reply
  65. Rohit Garg

    Anyone can share thoughts on any credit card which has maximum milestone based rewards.

    I have spending of more than 20 lakh annual

    Reply
    1. Gautam

      Pick any one or all

      1. HDFC DCB/ Infinia – The best cards in India
      2. SCB Ultimate MasterCard/ Visa infinite – 3.3% non-airline based rewards on every dime spent + joining rewards
      3. Axis Vistara Infinite – milestone based airline benefits for spends up to Rs. 12 lacs

      Reply
    2. Shivi

      Spread your spends over Axis Vistara Infinite, AmEx Paltimum Travel and Amex Platinum reserve.

      Reply
  66. Ashish Nikhare

    IRCTC on Smartbuy not going through when done with Diners Pivilege credit card. After entering cvv, then OTP for final payment – transaction is getting stuck and no further processing going on. If we click refresh – after 1 min showing “Timeout”. Lucky, that amount is not getting deducted. Any solutions !

    Reply
    1. Gautam

      Possibly cuz conditions specified by you are not being met (pertaining to berth, coach and all that) or maybe you have exceeded the max cap of bookings per month (10 -> set by IRCTC).

      Good luck
      Thx
      Gautam

      Reply
      1. Ashish Nikhare

        I made my first ever trasaction on Smartbuy IRCTC.
        With the same conditions and preferences i was able to book on IRCTC website.
        And, my IRCTC id also is not blocked.

        Reply
  67. Karna

    If we get a card for the joining benefits and then cancel it after 6 months, what will be the consequences?
    Are there any rules around this?

    Reply
    1. Ankur

      joining benefits are once a lifetime. So if you cancel but reapply you will not get it again.

      Reply
    2. Raghu

      It is said to be better to hold a credit card for atleast an year before closing it.. for cibil score purposes..
      Otherwise, they won’t take back your joining benefits.. which you may have got bcos of the joining fee in the first place

      Reply
  68. AR

    Hi has anyone had any experience with OneCard ( yet to be launched full fledged) I understand that this is from IDFC first

    Reply
    1. Abhi Goyal

      It is a metal card I believe….benefits + suave looks of metal will make it a great propositions.
      Anyone else thinks metal cards in India will become a rage?

      Reply
  69. Utkarsh

    I have applied for HDFC credit card and received a text that my card is approved in principle subject to internal checks, a long time ago. I checked my CIBIL and there is no enquiry. Can someone tell how much time it took for card dispatch after receiving this message from HDFC and was any further credit check done after it?

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Up to 20 working days for delivery of card ~ works out to be approximately 1 month. CIBIL status will show up after 45 – 90 days of account opening depending on the date on which the same is reported to the bureau by the bank.

      Reply
  70. H.M.W

    My HDFC sanctioned credit limit is blank on all of my credit reports, CIBIL, CRIF, Equifax and Experian, neither of them show my sanctioned limit in the credit report, all my other credit cards’ credit limit appears accurately. I emailed equifax regarding they said HDFC doesn’t share credit limit, will this be affecting my credit score? My Equifax score is 689, while my other credit bureau scores are 779, 785 and 883. Is it normal?

    Reply
    1. Nikhil

      FYI, HDFC AMEX, Indusind & yes bank doesn’t report credit limits to either credit agencies.

      Reply
  71. Shaishav Shah

    Hi Sid,
    I have HDFC DIners Black Card, Standard chartered Manhattan, AMEX MRC, CITI Indian OIL and RBL Fun plus card. I want to apply for KOTAK Essentia card. Please suggest.

    Reply
  72. Rohit roy

    Whether Yes bank is still issuing credit cards ? I have read somewhere that their point redemption page is down.

    Reply
  73. Gagandeep Singh

    Hi, I hold cards of almost all Private banks and except for 1 or 2, they are LTF. I use them for occasional promotional discounts e.g. 10 % off offer on FLipkart? DO you think its right strategy. Also, would you suggest to go for SC ultimate card considering high reward rate?

    Reply
    1. Gautam

      Go for SCB Ultimate. It’s the best card to earn non-airline rewards at a handsome rate. I hope the reward catalog improves in the times to come.

      Reply
    2. Sree

      I use SCB ultimate for all petty transactions. It gives 1 point for every 30 rs spent. So even a transaction of 60 rupees would earn points. Redemption isnt all that bad. I usually go for big bazaar or lifestyle vouchers.

      Reply
  74. Prathamesh

    Sir, Please Review Bank Of Baroda Credit Cards, nowadays they are giving some good offers.

    Reply
      1. MrMorningStar

        I remember they were in bank offers of bigbasket and grofers (on friday).
        Also, some item specific promotion on flipkart.

        Reply
    1. Nitesh

      He is biased towards bank of baroda credit cards. He may delete your comment. Because, earlier he has deleted my comment on Bob cards. And, how is he sir. If you have idea about Bob cards, go and use that.

      Reply
  75. VIVEK CHAUHAN

    Hi All
    Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I would love to hear your comments and appreciate suggestions on my credit cards. I hold the following credit cards HDFC regalia, AMEX MRCC and Yes Premia.
    1. I have been holding HDFC Regalia Card for more than 4 years. It is LTF. Also I have been operating a Savings account with HDFC since 2009. Despite such a long association, I have not been offered any upgrade on my card. Credit limit increase have not been so great too. It is 4.55 currently. So please how can I upgrade to DCB as LTF.
    2. I have completed my 1 year with AMEX. I got an upgrade offer to Platinum Travel card but it was paid. How can I get Platinum travel card as LTF or change my existing MRCC to LTF.
    3. Same is the case with YES Premia. 1 year completed. Would love to upgrade to YES FIRST.
    Thnaks

    Reply
    1. Abhi

      HDFC is usually reluctant in upgrading LTFs to super premium (though many ppl get it, but I think they avoid it for stable/old time customers.) which makes perfect business sense as well. When I pushed my preferred RM, she offered upgraded to DCB paid (that too as a big favor)
      For AMEX MRCC, LTF MRCC is a great thing, don’t let it go away. Plat Travel is usually difficult to get LTF but can easily get First yr free (look for the article and there maybe Sid’s referral link could get you FYF. Or sometime in lounges you get it FYF. Also, many time you can get annual waiver by letting away 10k points.

      Reply
      1. Vivek Chauhan

        Hi Abhi
        Thanks for the insight.
        I asked my Imperia RM once but he said that cannot help in this regard citing some xyz reason. My AMEX MRCC is not LTF. How can I convert it to LTF (if that’s possible)? I refused the paid offer to upgrade to Plat Travel as most of the milestone spends are rewarded in terms of travel vouchers which are not of much utility to me given the fact that my elder brother is an Indigo employee and I am entitled to staff leisure travel across their network. Moreover, they don’t have any provision to offer other brand vouchers in lieu of travel vouchers otherwise would have upgraded. Also does Yes bank offer credit card upgrade (I currently have Yes Premia LTF)?

        Reply
  76. Ab

    Guys just an off-topic question. Is it possible to get unsecured credit cards for non-residents. By my salary (>20 lac pa) I am eligible for most premium cards but don’t have an Indian Payslip/ITR to show. I am not very keen on blocking money in FDs in the current scenario, with the interest rates hitting rock bottom.

    I was eyeing DCB/Regalia as have NRE account with HDFC for 8 years but came to know that HDFC requires minimum 4 lakhs FD for issuing cards to non-residents.
    Amex also specifically states that it requires applicants to be residents.
    Axis Vistara series is also only for residents.
    Other than that I like SCB Ultimate and SBI Vistara…Customer Care is not of any help so mailed them to ask but no reply yet..
    I had applied for a Citi Card last year but the CC team was not sure of how to handle NRI cases and after following up for some time, I gave up.

    Has anybody with NRI status taken an unsecured card ? And if secured also, then what is the minimum amount banks need as FDs ? Any reply will be much appreciated

    Reply
    1. Rakesh

      Ab,
      As you know cc itself is unsecured credit line, for an NRI..banks can go ‘nowhere’ for recovery, so they demand some security i.e, FD ! so, I wonder any NRIs would get unsecured cc ! Its only possible if they got the cc on ITR or paystubs basis before becoming NRI !

      Reply
  77. AG

    Which bank is the most generous when applying for a credit card on card to card basis?

    8.5 lakh limit on one card.

    4.5 lakh on other card.

    Cheers.

    Reply
      1. AG

        I do not believe Yes bank would be generous with their limits. And SCB does not entertain Self Employed applicants.

        Have things changed recently?

        Reply
        1. santosh

          Yes, Yes bank didn’t give me a good limit on the card on card basis but if you have good limits on the existing cards you will get the yes first preferred card though.

          Reply
          1. MrNightStar

            What was the limit of card you applied using? How old was it? CL of YFP? Did you apply after March 20?

    1. MrNightStar

      Used to be YES Bank.
      Now, I’m interested too.

      also, which banks provide card on card except yes and stanc?.

      Reply
      1. Santosh Kumar

        For some reason unable to reply to your latest comment.

        I had 6L Limit, that’s why they gave me YFP. But if you have a card with existing Limit more than 9/10L they are giving YFE for LTF. Limit I got was 50K only funnily enough.

        Reply
  78. Akshay

    Hi Sid,
    A big fan of your page. been following you since a year or so. after reading your blog i got the HDFC diners black and Infinia(Add on card).
    i currently hold the american express platinum reserve(LTF have it since ’12) Amex Mrcc LTF, HDFC DCB, HDFC Infinia(Add on) , ICICI Amazon Pay(use it for all utility payments and insurance payments on amazon) and Citi indian oil (for fuel transactions). i just wanted your opinion on which card to add to my portfolio and which card to remove from my portfolio. your suggestions would be highly appreciated.
    thanks in advance.

    Reply
  79. MJ

    Hi Sid,

    It would be really helpful if you can make a list on limitations of credit cards? Or to be precise which bank credit cards are providing reward points for utility, insurance, wallet reload, fuel etc.
    There is little confusion and sometime we use such card and unable to get rewards.

    Reply
  80. Abhijeet

    Hi Siddharth,

    Currently I am holding the following credit cards:
    1. Indusind Aura Edge – lifetime free
    2. ICICI Platinum
    3. ICICI Amazon
    4. Yesbank prosperity rewards plus – lifetime free
    5. HDFC Regelia first – lifetime free

    I have earnings of around 8 lakhs per annum. I am being offered ugradation of Indusind card to Iconia as lifetime free card with one time payment of around 2k. I wanted to know if it is worth it?

    Also I am planning to ask for upgradation of ICICI platinum to ICICI Coral Amex as a lifetime free card, else I might close it. I am anyways getting 1% returns on ICICI amazon card.

    I am planning to close Yesbank credit card and planning for Amex MRCC card.

    What are your views on my future action?

    Reply
    1. Santosh Kumar

      Hey Abhijeet.

      Here are my views on this.
      1. don’t close any LTF credit cards. (mainly if they are reporting full credit limit in civil report. ICICI doest this) your cibil score will get affected because of this.
      2. What are your annual spends towards credit cards like? have you considered upgrading to DCB?
      3. Do not close ICICI platinum because amazon pay card cannot be upgraded to other ICIC cards. And, in case in future you want any other ICICI cards, you will have to keep applying again.
      4. Indus iconia-are you planning to take this card only as this has higher % cashback? if yes maybe you can try taking SCB ultimate.

      Reply
      1. Abhijeet Narayan

        1. My credit card spends are around 2 -3 lakhs per annum. What I am asking for is to upgrade my icici platinum to coral amex, if possible.
        2. DCB doesn’t look too attractive with my spends, but if you can suggest a method to get better rewards, I am all ears
        3. Indusind customer care is asking if they can upgrade my LTF indusind aura edge to indusind Iconia as a LTF for a one time fee of around 2k. I may use it instead of ICICI Amazon card, which I use for almost all purchases except when I get great discount or 10x on Amazon.

        Reply
  81. Manish Jha

    Hi Siddharth,
    I am recent follower of your website. Excellent articles and really appreciate the knowledge it has provided.
    Most of the experienced visitors of this website have very high rewarding cards already but my proposition has been different and looking for advice.
    Although my ITR has not been very high to get DCB or Infinia but my annual spends are well over 15 lacs annually due to my travelling needs.
    I hold Jet Amex platinum since 3 yrs as i was Jet Airways platinum (Still an InterMiles platinum member), Diner Club Miles since last June (HDFC has not offered any upgrade/limit enhancement even after 12 Lacs plus spend in last one year), LTF ICICI Rubyx and 8 yrs old SC Manhattan Platinum.
    I was aiming for DCB after DC Miles spending but HDFC does not seem to agree and rejected my upgrade request even to DC Privilege applied in January. I do not hold any saving account with HDFC as of now.
    Please guide if there are any chances for me to hold DCB or I should look for alternative. My CIBIL is well over 800 .

    Reply
  82. Nikhil

    I’ve had this thought for a while now.
    For someone who holds the Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige cards, and with annual spends in the range of 25-30L normally (~30% in foreign currency), what value proposition would any of the other super premium cards like say HDFC Infina/DCB or Yes First Exclusive hold if I were to go for them?

    Most of my hotel stays are at Marriott, Hilton properties or boutique hotels which Amex (FHR etc.) helps with and for the miles game on international airlines I use the Citi Prestige. As for domestic travel I don’t usually transfer miles, but I do have the Axis Vistara Infinite which I put some of my spends on to reach the milestone benefits and since I prefer sticking to Vistara for domestic travel, unless there isn’t an option, the Gold also helps.

    Is there any other major perk or reward benefit I would be missing out on if I don’t go for these other cards? I know there’s SmartBuy but with Amex now offering Reward Multiplier that too doesn’t seem like a major opportunity being missed. Would love to hear from others!

    Reply
  83. Johnson M

    Hi,

    I am being completely honest about myself when I say that I am a super loyal credit card (CC) user and don’t use any other form of payments as much as I can. Even if I forget to carry cash, but never my CCs.
    My average monthly CC bill before lockdown was around 60k. Now it’s reduced to around 30k.
    I desperately seek your kind assistance as I’m unable to make up my mind.

    I currently own the following CCs:
    – HDFC JetPrivilege (MC) — Annual Fee Waived on Spends above 3L | Credit Limit = above 10L
    – SBI fbb (Visa Platinum) — No Annual Fee | Credit Limit = 1.5L
    – citi First Citizen (MC) — No Annual Fee | Credit Limit = 9.5L
    – American Express Rewards — No Annual Fee | Credit Limit = 3.35L

    Currently not using SBI and citi. Using it very Occasionally.
    Amex is currently only for certain bill payments.
    HDFC for all transactions.

    HDFC CC is due for renewal in Sept’20.
    They are converting it to Visa Signature.
    Earlier the pull was using miles to book tickets on JetAirways.
    Now, I have been converting my points to amazon vouchers on InterMiles website.

    Will not be traveling in the near future or at least till a vaccine is found for Covid-19.
    Confused between converting points to vouchers or using points to pay off the CC bills.

    I need a card, to use it for all my transactions. Used to use my citi regularly before HDFC.
    SBI is an add-on card from my spouse. Amex, not sure on their spread of POS terminals.
    Please advise the best card to gather points and getting value for it during redemption.
    I look forward to your kind response.

    Reply
      1. Johnson M

        Dear Abhijeet,

        I had applied during an offer period in which they offered to waive off the annual fees for life.
        This I suppose was in the year 2018.

        Reply
  84. Santosh Kumar

    I was going through credit card statistics in RBI website which shows statistics on usage and number of cards.
    Surprisingly bank of America was listed under credit cards. Is anyone aware of these cards. Just out of curiosity. 🙂

    Search for “BANKWISE ATM/POS/CARD STATISTICS” in google and the first rbi result is the source.

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      BoA has presence in India only for Institutional Banking, not retail banking

      Reply
  85. Utkarsh Agarwal

    Did anyone tried Paisabazaar Pre-approved Credit Cards, are they really pre-approved? What is the process if you apply and what documents are needed as it mentions no Income documents required? PS: I got Stanc Ultimate credit card as pre approved at Paisabazaar but according to StanC my ITR doesn’t meet their eligibility if I apply directly with them?

    Reply
  86. Pratik

    Can you also do an article on best credit cards for golfers in India.
    It would be of great help.

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Most Super premium cards offer you complimentary green fee waiver on golf lessons.

      Infinia has 20 playing facilities and 15 coaching facilities( domestic) and 141 playing facilities internationally.

      Reply
  87. Aditya

    Hi Siddharth,
    I am a recent graduate with salary well over 60k per month. I have moderate spends and my major spends will include rent pay, online shopping, dineouts and parties, bill payments. Can you suggest a good card for me ?

    Reply
  88. Marry walker

    Nice Collection of all cards with all categories. I was finding the best card for travelling and after getting your blog i got all information regarding all credit cards. Thanks for sharing this amazing article !

    Reply
  89. MrNightStar

    Sid, please do articles on:
    Golf benefit of credit card and how to utilise it.
    Credit cards that give points for wallet loading.
    Credit card that give cashback.
    Also, update article on fuel cards?

    Reply
  90. Saurabh Jain

    Standard Chartered Digi Smart Credit Card is also good entry level or lifestyle card in my opinion. It’s sad that they are not offering it to existing card holders.

    Reply
  91. S J

    Hi Siddharth,

    This was a good read. I frequent here as and when applying for cards.

    I am looking to pick the next card but unable to come to a decision. Primarily because a few months back I got rejected for HDFC Millennia card and hence don’t want anymore rejections on my CIBIL.

    Currently, since staying home, I do not need a new card as I am not spending a lot.

    I have below cards at the moment:
    Axis Bank Neo – 40k Credit Limit – Issed on November 2017 – Active (LTF)
    ICICI Coral – 35k Credit Limit – Issued on March 2019 – Closed
    ICICI Platinum – shared with Coral – Issued on April 2019 – Closed (Complimentary card with Salary Account)
    ICICI Amazon Pay – 35k Credit Limit – Issued on August 2019- Active
    Citi Indian Oil – 52k Credit Limit – Issued on May 2018 – Active (LTF)

    I am using Citibank and ICICI Amazon Pay and rarely using Axis Bank Neo but keeping it active since it’s the oldest that I have.

    I recently made a career switch and have increased my Salary 7.5 LPA.

    I am more than a little inclined towards LTF credit cards as not having to worry about annual spends gives me one less thing to stress on.

    Do you have any recommendation for me considering the above points?

    Reply
  92. Raj Kumar

    Hi, in SBI Cards dash board you can check Cibil score now. It is showing up as beta and it is not working for me but I think it should be live within a few weeks.

    Reply
  93. V.D. George

    These days PAY TM is charging 2 % for loading their wallet using credit Card. This will be a problem to achieve Rs.1.50 Lacs renewal charges waive due to their ow acceptancy levels. Any solutions??

    Reply
  94. Rishabh Singh

    Siddharth would you let me know,which bank offers credit card easily to older people with decent credit score? I do have icici and HDFC Bank card ,want other bank credit cards for my parents..the banks that gives maximum online/offline offers would be my priority? Do you have any encounter of apply credit card for older people as I think it hard for older people to get a credit card..Thank you

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      Most issuers have age limit of 60 years. HDFC continues till 70 yrs. ICICI takes it up to 75 in some cases.

      Reply
  95. Satpal

    Sir i ve hdfc world jet privilege lifetime free card with 9l limit,want to upgrade coz due to jetairways stoppage reward points not useful but hdfc guys told me that only if any pop up offer for update on my card then i cn upgrade otherwise not pl tell me how to upgrade to a top end lifetime free card(pl suggest best card)

    Reply
  96. Akshit Garg

    I think the newly launched axis ace card should be added to this list. A lot of people must missing the same.

    Reply
  97. Nirankar

    Hi Sid, Below is the list of credit card I have currently. Would love to get your feedback on which all I should continue and which all I should close immediately.

    Lifetime Free CC
    1. Yes First Exclusive
    2. HDFC Regalia
    3. Amex MRCC
    4. Indusind Pinnacle
    5. ICICI Amazon Pay
    6. Kotak Mahindra Royale
    7. Citi Rewards
    8. SCB Super Value Titanium
    9. HSBC Visa Platinum
    10. Axis Bank MyZone
    11. One Card

    First Year Free CC
    12. BOB Select
    13. SBI OLA
    14. RBL Titanium Delight

    Reply
  98. jay

    Dear All Friends.
    I need some information.
    I completed my Flipkart Debit card EMI now where can i get NOC for Closed of Debit card loan.
    I ask in bank they tell me they not give Noc for Debitcard EMI.
    Any help regarding this situation .

    Reply
  99. Suneel

    Nicely written article.
    I have one simple query, how any Axis Bank Credit Card can be LTF. I have Regalia with good limits. However, since sometimes the Axis has good offers so wd like to keep it. Presently having Neo Card from Axis. Pl suggest. Thanks

    Reply
    1. MrNightStar

      Try to contact customer care, i guess. They offered MyZone LTF to someone in family.

      Reply
  100. Pujaa

    My question to the author, how do you spend on all these cards or ended up paying the fee? with no benefit. Please share your thoughts or you can write the new article/Blog.

    Reply
  101. Nisarg

    Hey guys! Needed some advice on my next credit card. I currently have an ICICI Coral CC with 50k limit, and it was enough so far since I was studying. However, I’ve started a new job with annual income >20L and will most likely be based abroad. I was looking for advice on what my next credit card should be. Preferably focused on good reward rates (atleast +ve) after I take into account FX fees, and good redemptions options. Any advice would be appreciated.

    PS. I might just be able to snag a HDFC DCB LTF card so pushing for that.

    Reply
  102. Nisarg

    Hey guys! I had another query. Over the next year or so, I expect to lose residential status in India as I transition abroad for my job. Are there any potential complications with NRIs using HDFC DCB cards? I would have an add-on DCB card active in India as well. If there are chances of complications with the bank, which cards are best suited for NRIs?

    Regards!

    Reply
  103. Rahul Shrivastav

    As usual, great write-up Sid. A bit surprised that none of the Yes Bank cards made the cut.

    Reply
  104. GIRISH GUPTA

    Apart from American Express, which credit card issuer would rate best for customer support & assistance in case of any resolution/ disputes.

    Regards,
    Girish

    Reply
  105. Mohit Joshi

    Hey Sid,

    Eagerly awaiting for the 2021 best credit cards review!

    Regards,
    Mohit

    Reply
  106. Vinod Agrawal

    I would like to review SBI Elite Credit card for which company charges 4999+GST, but services are not upto the mark.
    The main feature of card is 2 tickets upto Rs 500/month free for elite card users, but during lockdown where multiplexes & theaters were not functional & thus bookmyshow was also not functional, SBI card should have waived off the renewal charges during this period of almost 9 months or at least should have extended the usage period. But even after writing to Nodal Office they are really adamant & not ready to offer any solution/s.

    Don’t recommend this card to anyone.

    Reply
  107. Rupesh S

    Hello Sid,

    When is the new list of Top Credit Cards for 2021 coming??

    Regards,
    Rupesh S

    Reply
  108. Salman Khan

    Hey Sid, When are you planning to publish this article for 2021? Thanks!

    Reply
  109. Akshay

    Hi Siddharth,

    Awaiting a refresh of this article for 2021. Have closed down some of my cards, and hence, have to apply for some new ones. Will base those applications on your article. Thanks!

    Reply
  110. Sudheep

    Sid

    Would be very helpful if u can write an article on Income tax Implications on CC usage. , which include

    i )10L spends every year is reported by CC companies. Is the spends considered are from April 1st to March 31st? or cumulative of last 12 bills like a sliding window?? or 12 calendar months?..

    ii) taxability of reward points- when redeemed as statement balance/vouchers/tickets/hotel stay..

    am currently at 9.5L spends for my DCB having anniversary date of 19th march.. spends are genuine, but don’t want to get in to tax radar.

    Reply
  111. Amrish

    Hi, this is a really informative piece. I wanted to take your suggestion for my card usage.
    I currently use DCB as the primary card and have AI-SBI signature as the backup. Have ICICI Sapphiro also as LTF but that’s useless. My usage till now has been about 12-13 lacs in a year which means I manage to get the 8 lac milestone benefits on DCB and the 5 lacs milestone on AI-SBI. Now with rent pay coming in, my usage can go upto 20-21 lacs, so thought there’s place for another card in the wallet. I’m thinking of replacing the AI-SBI also since they never waive the fees and I’m not sure about AI’s future as an airline. My spends are mostly online with some amount of travel. The redemptions around travel or Amazon would be most preferred
    I was thinking of keeping the DCB and getting an amex plat travel and an SBI prime vistara. Do you think that’s a good combo or is there something better available. I definitely needs at least 1 visa/ master because acceptance of both diners and amex is questionable, specially overseas

    Reply

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