Best Entry-Level Credit Cards in India

There is no doubt that credit cards are loaded with numerous benefits like rewards, cashback, lounge access, exclusive discount and more. Most of the cards that offer decent benefits come with a high joining fee and are offered to people who have a good credit score. However, some cards are designed for people who have just started their credit journey.

If you are looking for a card that offers good value at a reasonable fee, you can apply for an entry-level credit card. These cards are best suited for beginners who have just started their professional journey and would like to build a good credit score and avail benefits at the same time. The minimum income requirement on these cards usually ranges from 25,000 to 35,000 per month. Here we have listed the top credit cards for beginners in India offering varied benefits to the users.

Best Entry Level Credit Cards in India December 2023

*GST Extra.

Axis Ace Credit Card: Great Value Back on All Spends; Low on Travel Benefits

Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Minimum Income: Communicated at the time of application

Axis Ace is one of the best entry-level credit cards in the market offering the highest cashback rate of 2% on all* transactions. Its 5% uncapped cashback on all utility bill payments on Google Pay is also a generous offer. So, if you pay electricity bill of Rs. 5,000, you get a cashback of Rs. 250. Most of us pay huge amounts in utility bills and getting such a generous cashback on these essential payments is truly a good deal. The two main reasons why it is on top of our list is its generous rate and a simple cashback model. Comparing with other cashback cards like HDFC Millennia and HSBC Cashback, the earnings are much higher with Axis Ace Credit Card.

Key Features of Axis Ace Credit Card:

• 5% cashback on utility bill payments like electricity, gas and internet on Google Pay
• 4% cashback on Zomato, Swiggy and Ola
• 2% cashback on all other spends
• 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000 (max. 500 waiver in a month)

*Fuel transactions, e-wallet loading, EMI transactions and cash advances are not eligible for the cashback benefit.

Check Eligibility For Similar Credit Cards|Read More about Axis Ace Credit Card

SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card: Good for Online Shoppers; Extra Rewards with Partner Websites

Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Minimum Income: 20,000 p.m.

The rewards programme of SBI SimplyCLICK is 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 to count it as one of the best shopping credit cards in India. With exclusive partners including Amazon / BookMyShow / Cleartrip / Lenskart / Netmeds, you will get 10% rewards.

Key Features of SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card:

• Amazon gift card worth Rs. 500 as joining benefits
• E-voucher worth Rs. 2,000 each on reaching annual spends of Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 2 Lakh
• 1 reward point for every Rs. 100 spent on the card
• Accelerate your rewards 5-times when shopping online
• 10-times more rewards when shopping online with partners like BookMyShow, Amazon, UrbanClap and Lenskart

Apply for this Credit Card | Read more about SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card: Good Cashback on Shopping & Travel (Only at Flipkart and its Partner Merchants)

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Minimum Income: Communicated at the time of application

One of the key highlights of this Axis Bank credit card is its cashback rate of 1.5%, which happens to be the second-highest in the market. This means that even on an offline purchase of Rs. 3,000, you will get Rs. 45 as cashback.

Moreover, the card substantially rewards you for your shopping and travel expenses offering 5% cashback on Flipkart and 4% cashback on preferred merchants (Cure.fit, Swiggy, PVR and Uber). Though limited to certain platforms, this is a substantial cashback rate for an entry-level card, not common among cards in this fee range. Also, since Flipkart does not have a wallet system like Amazon, the cashback is directly credited to your card account, making the cashback model simpler.

Key Features of Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card:

• Welcome benefit worth Rs. 1,100 in the form of coupons
• 5% cashback on Flipkart
• 4% cashback on preferred merchants (Cure.fit, Swiggy, PVR and Uber)
• 1.5% unlimited cashback on Myntra and flight & hotel payments on Flipkart
• 1.5% cashback across all other categories
• 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000 (Max. Rs. 400 waiver in a month)

Apply for this Credit Card | Read more about Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

HSBC Cashback Credit Card: Cashback on all transactions; Zero joining fee

Annual Fee: Rs. 750
Minimum Income: Rs 4,00,000 annually

HSBC Cashback Credit Card is one of the best entry level credit cards that offer decent cashback on your transactions. The card enables contactless payments and cashback on all payments, at a Nil joining fee. Besides basic benefits, the additional offers on brands like Amazon, Myntra, BookMyShow and more, makes this card a great option to shop and save.

Key Features of  HSBC Cashback Credit Card:

• Welcome benefits: Amazon voucher worth Rs. 500; 3 airport lounge access at domestic and international lounges or 3 meal-vouchers to be used at airport restaurants in India; 50% discount (up to Rs. 100) on the first Google Pay transaction if you make a single transaction of a minimum of Rs. 1,000 within 30 days of issuance of the card
• 1.5% cashback on all online spends, excluding online transfer to wallets and 1% on all other spends
• 5% discount when you spend Rs. 1,000 or above on Amazon, subject to a maximum discount of Rs. 250 per card per month
• Up to 15% discount on select products at Tata Cliq
• Book one and get one free ticket at BookMyShow on Saturdays (ticket price up to Rs. 250)

Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards | Read more about HSBC Cashback Credit Card

Cashback SBI Card: Good cashback across all online spends

Annual Fee: Rs. 999
Minimum Income: Communicated at the time of sourcing

Cashback SBI Card is another credit card to opt for if you are looking for great cashback options on your credit card transactions. The card does not require higher-income eligibility yet provides good cashback features such as 5% cashback on online spends. Apart from that, you can earn 1% cashback on other expenses. The cashback earned on this card is auto-credited to your SBI Card account.

Key Features of Cashback SBI Card:

• 5% cashback on all online spends
• 1% flat cashback on all offline transactions
• 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits in a year, capped at 1 visit per quarter
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps in India on transactions between Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000
• Annual fee reversal on spending Rs. 2 lakh in a year

Check Eligibility for Similar Cards | Read more about Cashback SBI Card

Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card: Good for Amazon Loyalists, Low Default Cashback Rate

Annual Fee: Nil
Minimum Income for ICICI Bank Customers: 25,000 p.m.
Minimum Income for Others: 35,000 p.m.

Amazon Pay ICICI card was among the first cards launched with a major e-commerce brand. Though the card’s universal cashback rate is comparatively low at just 1%, it still offers good value back for Amazon Loyalists, especially PRIME Customers. Since Amazon Pay has 100+ merchants listed on it, the 2% cashback is also quite a decent deal. However, the cashback is not credited to your Amazon Pay Balance and not to your card account restricting the usage only through the platform.

Key Features of Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card:

• 5% cashback on Amazon purchases for PRIME customers
• 3% cashback on Amazon purchases for Non-PRIME customers
• 2% cashback on 100+ partner merchants when using Amazon Pay as payment method and using this card
• 1% cashback on all other expenses
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations

Apply for Similar Credit Cards |Read more about Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card

HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card: High Reward Points

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Minimum Income: Rs. 25,000 per month for salaried
Rs. 6 lakh per annum for self-employed

HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card is a go-to card if you are keen on saving more with rewards. The card comes with a benefit of 500 cash points, as a welcome benefit. The Card prompts easy contactless payments, secure and convenient payments for outlets. Further, you get extra reward points for making online purchases.

Key Features of HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card:

• 2 reward points on every Rs. 150 spent and
• 4 reward points on every Rs. 150 spent online
• Gift voucher worth Rs. 500 on spending Rs. 50,000 and above in each quarter
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India
• First year membership fee is waived off on spending Rs. 20,000 and above in the first 90 days
  Note: The reward points on HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card are valid for redemption for two years from the date of accumulation. (1 reward point= Re. 0.20)

Apply for this Credit Card | Read more about HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card

YES Prosperity Rewards Plus: High Reward Rate; Good for Groceries

Annual Fee: Rs. 499
Minimum Income: Rs. 25,000 p.m.

When it comes to reward points, this YES Bank credit card is a great option for those earning Rs. 25,000 or more in a month. The card offers extra rewards on groceries and supermarket spends which are among the most common spends for a larger segment. All other categories get 4 points for every Rs. 200 spent which is also quite generous for this fee range. Though reward points can be converted into Air Miles, the conversion ratio stands too low at 8:1.

Key Highlights of YES Prosperity Rewards Plus Card:

• 6 reward points per Rs. 200 on groceries and supermarket spends
• 4 reward points per Rs. 200 on all other spends
• Redeem rewards against items from rewards catalogue and Air Miles (Intermiles or Club Vistara)
• 12,000 bonus reward points on spending Rs. 3.6 Lakh in a year
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all fuel stations

Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards | Read more about YES Prosperity Rewards Plus

Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards: High Reward Rate on fuel and dining 

Annual Fee: Rs. 250
Minimum Income: Not specific but stable source of income

Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Credit Card has a good reward rate across dining and fuel spends. The card comes with a welcome benefit worth Rs. 500 as you get an Amazon Pay gift card worth this price. You can make contactless and secure payments with 3D secure OTP verification. You can also extend the benefits of this card to your family members by getting lifetime free supplementary credit cards.

Key Highlights of Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Card:

• 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent on hotels, restaurants and fuel
• 1 reward point, for every Rs.150 spent on all other categories
• When you spend Rs. 60,000 or above in a year, the annual fee is waived off
• Within the first 90 days, get 100% cashback up to Rs. 500 on restaurants

Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards | Read more about Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards

RBL Monthly Treats Credit Card: Cashback on multiple categories

Annual Fee: Rs. 600
Minimum Income: Specified by the bank at the time of application

RBL Monthly Treats Credit Card is a good credit card to earn rewards, cashback and get offers on groceries and bill payments. The card offers various milestone benefits as monthly treats to help you save more as you spend more.

Key Highlights of RBL Monthly Treats Credit Card:

• 1 reward point on spending Rs. 100 on offline purchases other than fuel
• 2 reward points on spending Rs. 100 on online purchases
• Monthly fee waiver on spending Rs. 3,000 each month, along with 10% cashback
  
• On spending additional Rs. 2,000 in a month, 10% cashback on BookMyShow, Swiggy & Utility bill payments
  
• Fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India for transactions ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 4,000

Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards | Read more about RBL Monthly Treats Credit Card

More Cards to Consider for Income above Rs. 25,000 p.m.

In addition to the  10 best credit cards shown above, you can also consider the following cards that match your income requirement.

Also Read: Which is the Best Credit Card for People Earning below Rs. 25,000?