Best Credit Cards in India for Cashback & Rewards [2025 Updated Guide]

What are the finest credit cards to have in India? The fact is that no single credit card is best suited for everyone. Every credit card is unique and provides different types of perks. This site examines the best credit cards for your specific requirements.

Top Credit Cards in India

Here are some of the best credit cards in India:

Categories	Top Credit Cards
For Cashback & Shopping	1. Cashback SBI Card 2. HDFC Millennia Credit Card
For Rewards	1. Axis Bank Select Credit Card 2. HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card 3. SBI Prime Credit Card
For Fuel	1. ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card 2. BPCL SBI Card Octane 3. Indian Oil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card
For Travel	1. Axis Atlas Credit Card 2. HSBC Travel One Credit Card 3. American Express Platinum Card 4. HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card

 

Overview and Comparison 

The following are some of the best credit cards to retain in India. We’ve organized the material into numerous categories to assist you in deciding which credit card is best in India.

For Cashback & Shopping

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card

The Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card is designed to provide customers with optimum lifestyle perks, including food and grocery rewards and a variety of additional features.

The joining fee is ₹3,000

The annual fee is ₹3,000

Key Features:

• Receive an Amazon coupon of ₹2,000 for your first transaction within 90 days of issue.
• BigBasket and Swiggy offers will be immediately applied upon payment of the renewal cost.
• Renew your Priority Pass membership after spending ₹3 lakh in the previous year, and receive 10,000 EDGE reward points worth ₹2,000 on the first purchase within 30 days of issue.
• Get 20% off up to ₹500 every month on BigBasket purchases above ₹2,000 and 40% off Swiggy orders over ₹500 twice a month.
• BookMyShow offers up to ₹300 off the second ticket with the purchase of the first.
• Get 30% off, up to ₹150 per month, when you spend ₹200 or more on Swiggy.

HDFC Millennia Credit Card

The HDFC Millennia Credit Card is geared to meet the lifestyle needs of millennials, with plenty of rewards and benefits in store.

Joining Fees- ₹1,000

Annual Fee ₹1,000 (waived for spending ₹1 lakh in the preceding year)

Key Features:

• 5% cashback on spends with 10 online merchants- Amazon, Cult. fit, Sony LIV, Myntra, Flipkart, BookMyShow, Tata CLiQ, Swiggy, Zomato, and Uber
• 1% cashback for other spends
• Quarterly milestone benefit of ₹1,000 worth of gift vouchers for spends of ₹1 lakh and higher

For Rewards

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card

Joining Fee- ₹3,000

Annual Fee- ₹3,000

Key Features:

• 2X EDGE points for retail spends
• 10 EDGE points for every ₹200 on other eligible categories
• Discounts at Swiggy and BigBasket- ₹500 per month (on spends of ₹3,000) and flat ₹200 off, respectively
• 10,000 EDGE reward points worth ₹2,000 on the first transaction
• Access (complimentary) to 12 airport lounges
• 6 complimentary golf rounds per year

HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card

The HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card provides excellent reward points for everyday purchases, as well as airport lounge access and a variety of redemption incentives geared toward lifestyle and travel demands.

Joining Fee- ₹2,500 + taxes

Annual Fee- ₹2,500 + taxes

Key Features:

• 4 reward points for every ₹150 spent on retail transactions, including utilities, education, and insurance
• Bonus reward points/flight vouchers upon achieving spending milestones
• Complimentary lounge access in India and even abroad via Priority Pass membership
• Redeem rewards for travel bookings on the SmartBuy platform, i.e., hotels, flights, etc.
• Access to Club Vistara and MakeMyTrip Black memberships
• Dining benefits with Swiggy Dineout
• 5X rewards or 20 reward points for spends at select merchants like Marks & Spencer, Reliance Digital, Nykaa, Myntra, etc.
• 1 reward point may be redeemed for up to ₹0.65
• Reward redemption against the exclusive Gold Catalogue
• 24-7 concierge service and reward points on gold purchases

SBI Prime Credit Card

The SBI Prime Credit Card is designed to help customers earn the most rewards for various transactions each month, including grocery, movies, restaurants, department store purchases, and more.

Joining Fee- ₹2,999

Annual Fee- ₹2,999

Key Features: 

• 10 points reward for every ₹100 spent on categories like dining, movies, departmental stores, groceries, etc.
• Welcome gift voucher worth ₹3,000
• Fuel surcharge waiver
• Milestone benefits, i.e. Pizza Hut e-voucher worth ₹1,000 on spending ₹50,000 in a calendar quarter and waiver of renewal fee on annual spending of ₹3 lakh. There is also an e-gift voucher worth ₹7,000 from Yatra.com or Pantaloons on spending ₹5 lakh annually
• Complimentary lounge access
• 20 reward points per ₹100 spent on the user’s birthday

For Fuel

ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card

The SBI Prime Credit Card is designed to help customers earn the most rewards for various transactions each month, including grocery, movies, restaurants, department store purchases, and more.

Joining Fee- ₹500 + GST

Annual Fee- ₹500 + GST (waived for spends of ₹1,50,000 in the preceding year)

Key Features: 

• 5% cashback on fuel purchases made at HPCL pumps
• 2000 PAYBACK points as a joining benefit
• 24-7 roadside assistance, movie discounts, and lounge access
• 25% discount up to ₹100 on buying at least two tickets per transaction at BookMyShow (twice a month and individually on INOX movies)

BPCL SBI Card Octane

The BPCL SBI Card Octane is a value-added offering, with value back on fuel purchases made at BPCL petrol pumps nationwide. There are several added benefits available as well.

Joining Fee: ₹1,499 + GST

Annual Fee: ₹1,499 + GST (waived for spending ₹2,00,000 or more in the preceding year)

Key Features: 

• 7.25% value back for fuel purchases at BPCL petrol pumps, inclusive of a 1% fuel surcharge waiver up to ₹4,000 on all BPCL petrol pumps
• A maximum of 2,500 reward points in each billing cycle
• 25X reward points for every ₹100 that you spend at BPCL petrol pumps
• 25 reward points for every ₹100 spent on Bharat Gas (app or website), with a maximum of 500 reward points in every billing cycle

Indian Oil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card

The IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card offers several value propositions for holders, including higher fuel savings and many other additional benefits.

Joining Fee-₹1,500 + GST

Annual Fee- ₹1,500 + GST

Key Features: 

• 250 litres of free petrol as fuel points annually
• 8.5% value back at Indian Oil fuel stations
• 1 fuel point equates to ₹0.5
• 3,000 fuel points upon signing up
• 1,000 fuel points for crossing the quarterly spending milestone of ₹75,000

For Travel

Axis Atlas Credit Card

The Axis Atlas Credit Card offers several travel benefits, including accelerated reward points, airport lounge access, and much more.

Joining Fee- ₹5,000

Annual Fee- ₹5,000

Key Features: 

• Accelerated reward points (5 EDGE Miles for every ₹100 spent on travel and 2 EDGE Miles for other spends)
• Access to domestic and international airport lounges
• Flight and hotel booking through the Travel EDGE portal for earning accelerated EDGE Miles
• Discounts at partner restaurants through EazyDiner and additional EDGE Miles for meeting specific spending milestones
• 2,500 EDGE Miles welcome benefit upon card activation
• Tiered membership benefits and Miles Transfer Program
• Dedicated portal for Miles Transfer program and 25% discount on 10,000+ restaurants through EazyDiner

HSBC TravelOne Credit Card

The HSBC TravelOne Credit Card offers varied travel benefits, including accelerated reward points for travel spends, discounts for travel bookings, complimentary airport lounge access, and transfers of reward points to hotel and airline partners.

Joining Fee- ₹4,999

Annual Fee- ₹4,999

Key Features: 

• Spending ₹10,000 within the first 30 days of opening the credit card account will get you ₹1,000 in cashback, 3 months of EazyDiner Prime Membership, and a Postcard Hotel voucher of ₹3,000
• 3,000 bonus reward points are also given for spending ₹100,000 in the first 90 days
• Instant redemption with airline and hotel partners
• Complimentary airport lounge access with car hire, holiday, and lifestyle discounts
• 4 reward points for spending every ₹100 on flights, in foreign currency, and on travel aggregators
• 15% discounts on domestic and international travel holidays

American Express Platinum Card

This credit card is one of the best credit cards for frequent travellers. It is a good fit for salaried professionals and is suited to those with a fast-paced lifestyle.

Joining Fee- ₹77,880, inclusive of taxes and a welcome gift worth up to ₹60,000

Annual Fee- ₹77,880, inclusive of taxes and a welcome gift worth up to ₹60,000

Key Features: 

• ₹44,300 in benefits at premium resorts/hotels globally, including Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and more
• Top-tier hotel loyalty programs such as Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Taj Reimagined Epicure, and Radisson Rewards Gold, among others
• Pre-sale tickets, VIP tickets, VIP-only events, best seats for Fashion Week, Wimbledon, Grammy Award, etc.
• Vouchers from Reliance Brands Ltd, Taj Hotels, and Postcard Hotels worth ₹35,000 on an annual spending of ₹20 lakh
• Eazy Diner Prime with up to 50% off across premier restaurants in India
• Taj, Postcard Hotels, or Reliance vouchers of up to ₹60,000 on spending of ₹50,000 in the first two months

• Unlimited complimentary lounge access

HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card

Ideal for salaried professionals and those who are heavily into online shopping, the HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card is worth a look. It gives several reward points and other attractive offers to holders.

Joining Fee- ₹10,000

Annual Fee- ₹10,000 (waived if you spend ₹5 lakh or more in a year)

Key Features: 

• Up to 10x reward points on SmartBuy purchases and up to 2X points on weekend dining (1:1 redemption ratios)
• Annual membership for Club Marriott, Forbes, Swiggy (3 months), MMT Black, and Amazon
• Low Forex markup fee of 2% and complimentary membership renewals on ₹8 lakh spent annually
• Spends of ₹80,000 per month ensure two vouchers of ₹500 from Cult. Fit Live, Ola Cabs, Tata CliQ, and BookMyShow
• 6 free golf games every calendar quarter
• High base rewards rate of 3.33% and 5 reward points for every ₹150 that is spent
• Unlimited access to airport lounges (add-on and primary)

Factors To Consider Before Opting For A Credit Card

There are a few factors that you should keep in mind before you apply for a credit card –

Credit Score

The credit score requirements vary depending on the type of card you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a card specifically for travel and shopping, the higher, the better—but if you don’t have much of a history of using credit cards, it might be wise to start with the one that’s easier to qualify for.

Fees

Fees can quickly add up, especially if you tend to carry a balance from month to month (which is common with cards like this). A high interest rate can also make it more difficult to pay off your balance each month, so be sure to shop around when comparing rates. Be sure to check the fees associated with your chosen card.

Some cards offer cash-back rewards or other perks that come with annual fees or interest rates. Others charge an annual fee even if there are no other fees or interest rates attached to the account itself. You’ll need to figure out what works best for you before signing up!

Interest Rates

Interest rates are typically higher, so make sure that’s an important factor when choosing your card. Most cards offer an introductory period where there are no fees or interest charges for your first few months of use, but then this changes into a regular APR (annual percentage rate). These rates vary from 0% up to 27% depending on how long you’ve had the account and where you live.

How to Choose the Best Credit Card?

Choosing the best credit card is no easy task; it requires careful consideration of these aspects before you go ahead.

• Fees & Charges – You should keep an eye on the joining fees of your credit card, along with the associated membership charges. Some cards, while offering benefits, may have high joining fees that you need to be aware of.
• Credit Limit – You should know the credit limit offered by any particular card and see whether it suits you. You should be able to apply for credit swiftly and repay credit card EMIs conveniently across multiple tenures.
• Card Value – Analyze how much value you’ll get out of the credit card. The best credit card is one that will give you the reward points and bonuses that are suited to your specific lifestyle needs, while coming with lounge access, dining rewards, etc.
• Your Specific Needs – Of course, the biggest thing to evaluate before finalizing your decision is to list down your needs, i.e., online shopping, travel rewards, etc. Thereafter, find the card that meets most of these needs with easy criteria and reasonable fees/charges.

Risks of Opting For A Credit Card in India

There are several hazards associated with using a credit card in India. The greatest danger is credit card fraud, which is quite frequent in India. Hackers might compromise your card and use it to make fraudulent purchases or move funds to other accounts. This can happen if you use your card at a store that does not take cards or make online transactions, or if you don’t protect it with two-factor authentication.

Another concern is rising interest rates. If you do not pay off your debt on time each month, the interest rate may quickly accumulate and may result in a charge if you do not pay it off within a year.

Some cards provide benefits like as travel insurance or roadside assistance, but they are frequently not worth the expense of using them.

Conclusion

Having a superb credit card that meets your individual needs may be really advantageous. Before you choose a credit card, compare the best options. Credit cards are also a way to establish your credit history. Credit ratings indicate the chance of someone being able to repay their obligations. A solid credit history enhances your credit score, increasing your chances of future loan acceptance. As a result, selecting the correct credit card is critical for financial management. Compare and pick the finest credit cards in India to take advantage of their features, bonuses, and rewards!