Best Credit Cards for People Earning Below Rs. 25,000

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Best Suited For: Online Shopping Rewards
Minimum Income: Rs. 13,500

This is one of the most common credit card for first-time users. The card comes with a basic reward rate of 1.33% but offers double rewards on online shopping. So, if you spend Rs. 7,500 on offline purchases, you will earn 100 points but for the same amount spent online, you will get 400 points. The points can not only be redeemed for items and vouchers from the HDFC Bank’s rewards catalogue but it can also be adjusted against your outstanding balance. However, the value of 1 reward point is only Rs. 0.20, so redeeming for a voucher/merchandise would be a better idea.

If you are just starting on your credit journey with a credit card, HDFC Moneyback would be a good choice for you. The annual fee is low and the waiver condition of Rs. 50,000 annually is quite reasonable. You must make sure to use the card online more often in order to make the most of its rewards programme.

Key Features:

• Earn 2 Reward Points on every Rs. 150 spent
• Earn 100% more reward points when you use your card online.
• Reward points are valid up to 2 years and can be redeemed against a variety of gift vouchers.
• Get benefit of Zero Lost Card liability post reporting of the loss of card.
• Spend Rs. 50,000 in a Quarter and get Rs. 500 e-Voucher.
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps for minimum transactions of Rs. 400.

Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Best Suited For: Online Shopping
Minimum Income: Rs. 20,000

Much like HDFC MoneyBack, the rewards programme of SBI SimplyCLICK is also designed around online purchases with extra benefits on shopping with their exclusive partner brands. Though its basic reward rate of 1% stands lower than the MoneyBack card, 5% rewards across all online shopping is clearly a better deal. With exclusive partners including Amazon / BookMyShow / Cleartrip / Lenskart / Netmeds, you will get 10% rewards. The annual fee of this card is same as MoneyBack but the waiver condition is just double at 1 Lakh per annum. For this fee range, this spending milestone is high.

SBI Card does not offer credit cards to those who are new to credit so you would not be able to start your credit journey with SimplyCLICK. However, if you already have a basic credit card, this one could be a good second card to have, especially if you are a frequent online shopper. You can also consider SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card if your focus is on earning extra rewards mainly on offline expenses.

Suggested Read: Best Credit Cards for Online Shopping

• Get Amazon gift card worth Rs. 500 as joining benefits
• Get e-voucher worth Rs. 2,000 each on reaching annual spends of Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 2 Lakh
• Earn 1 Reward Point for every Rs. 100 spent on the card
• Accelerate your rewards 5-times when shopping online
• Earn 10-times more rewards when shopping online with partners like BookMyShow, Amazon, UrbanClap, FoodPanda and Lenskart
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver for transactions worth Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000
• Spend Rs. 1 Lakh in a year and get the annual fee reversed

Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Best Suited For: Fuel
Minimum Income: Rs. 20,000

Not many fuel credit cards in India are designed for the beginners but BPCL SBI Card is unique in this perspective. The card has a very practical rewards programme wherein you get 13X rewards on fuel purchases with BPCL and 5X rewards on groceries, dining, departmental store spends and movies. So, for fuel purchases worth Rs. 5,000 at BPCL, you get 650 reward points and for grocery spends of Rs. 5,000, you will earn 250 points. Accumulated points can be directly redeemed for fuel at 1,200+ BPCL fuel stations and the conversion ratio is 4:1. This means that for 10,000 points, you will only get fuel worth Rs. 2,500, which is truly a good deal for an entry-level credit card.

Suggested Read: Best Fuel Credit Cards in India

You should consider getting this card if you have considerable fuel spends in a month and want to save money on it. The annual fee is also quite reasonable and the rewards program is simple, so this will be a good pick for you.

Key Features:

• 13x reward points equivalent to 3.25% valueback on fuel purchases
• 1% Fuel surcharge waiver on transaction up to Rs. 4,000 at any Bharat Petroleum fuel stations. The waiver is capped at Rs. 100 in a month
• 2,000 Activation Bonus Reward Points worth Rs. 500 on payment of joining fee
• 5X Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent at Groceries, Departmental stores, Movies & Dining
• Get 1 Reward Point for every Rs. 100 spent on non-fuel retail purchases

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Minimum Income: Rs. 10,000
Best Suited For: Online Shopping & EMIs

A rather new launch by HDFC Bank, this card is well-suited to the needs of those who wish to make big purchases and pay back in EMIs. While most of the cards offer EMI facility, this card automatically converts purchases above Rs. 10,000 into EMIs. It also gives you up to 5% cashback on different categories, subject to certain terms and conditions. You get 5% cashback on Flipkart and Amazon on purchases above Rs. 2,000. So, if you purchase a mobile phone worth Rs. 15,000, you get Rs. 750 as cashback.

Suggested Read: Best Cashback Credit Cards in India

However, an unnecessary step has been added by HDFC Bank on this card. The cashback will be earned in the form of cash points which you need to redeem against your statement balance. A straightforward cashback would have been better. Nevertheless, for an entry-level card available with such relaxed eligibility criteria, it is still a good pick.

Key Features:

• All transactions above Rs. 10,000 are automatically converted into EMIs
• 5% cashback on Amazon, Flipkart, Flight & Hotel bookings on PayZapp and SmartBuy (Minimum transaction size of Rs. 2,000)
• 2.5% cashback on all online spends (Minimum transaction size of Rs. 2,000)
• 1% cashback on all offline spends and wallet reloads (Minimum transaction size of Rs. 100)
• Cashback is earned in the form of cash points
• Joining fee reversal on spending Rs. 20,000 in the first 90 days
• Renewal fee waived off on spending Rs. 50,000 in the previous year

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Best Suited For: Movies
Minimum Income: Rs. 15,000

This is another popular entry-level card by HDFC Bank, mainly focused on movies and dining. You will get 25% off on booking movie tickets on BookMyShow which is a really good deal if you are a frequent movie watcher. Your dining expenses during weekdays earn 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent as opposed to the general reward rate of 2 points per Rs. 150. HDFC Times Titanium is quite a simple card with straightforward benefits.

You should consider getting this card if your focus is on movies and dining. Other expenses will also earn you 1.33% rewards, which is not a bad deal for cards in this fee range.

Also Read: Best Entertainment Credit Cards in India

Key Features:

• Welcome vouchers from shopping, apparel, dining, and other categories
• 25% off on movie ticket booking on BookMyShow
• Earn 2 Reward Points per Rs. 150 spent
• Earn 5 Reward Points per Rs. 150 spent on dining during weekdays
• Get annual fee waived off on spending Rs. 1.5 Lakh in the previous year

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Best Suited For: First-time User
Minimum Income: Rs. 20,000

This is one of the popular credit cards among beginners. Focused on movies and reward points, ICICI Coral Contactless can be a good choice in its fee range. Movie benefits are available with both BookMyShow and INOX so you will have a better chance at redeeming this feature. However, these tickets are on ‘first come first serve’ basis so a lot of people complain about not being able to avail the offer. Not many entry-level cards offer airport lounge access but ICICI Coral Contactless does. You get 1 free domestic airport lounge visit and 1 free railway lounge visit in a quarter. The basic reward rate (PAYBACK) is 2%, which is quite reasonable.

Most of the beginners who are looking for ICICI Credit Cards and fall in the below 25000 income bracket will have 2 options- ICICI Coral Contactless and ICICI Platinum Chip Card. The Coral Contactless Card is a better choice between the two.

Key Features:

• Get 2 complimentary movie tickets every month from BookMyShow
• Avail the ‘Buy One Get One’ offer at INOX Cinemas
• Enjoy 1 complimentary airport lounge visit and railway lounge visit in a quarter
• Get 1% fuel surcharge waiver only at HPCL petrol pumps
• Save at least 15% on your dining bills at partner restaurants under ICICI Bank Culinary Treats Program
• Earn up to 2 PAYBACK Points on every Rs. 100 spent on the card