Best Lifetime Free Credit Cards in India

A lifetime free credit card comes with zero joining or annual fee. These free credit cards are best suited for beginners or first-time card users, who have just begun their professional journey or have never taken any form of credit in the past. Lifetime free cards are also suited for those who do not want to pay any fee for the card. While most of the credit cards in this category provide only basic benefits and usually a low rewards rate, there are a few that offer good value.

Here, we have listed the best lifetime free credit cards in India. With each card, we have also mentioned who should get this card to help you decide and choose the best credit card that suits your needs.

Best Lifetime Free Credit Cards in India for 2023

Also read: Best Credit Cards in India 2023

1. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card

Best Lifetime Free Credit Card with Co-branded Cashback Benefits

Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card is possibly the best card in the lifetime free category. The card is especially helpful for Amazon Prime users as they get the highest cashback. Cashback is credited in the form of Amazon Pay Balance and can be utilized to make more purchases.

Key Highlights

• 5% cashback on Amazon spends for Prime customers
• 3% cashback for Non-prime customers on Amazon
• 2% cashback on 100+ Amazon Pay partner merchants
• 1% cashback across all other spends
• 15% discount and offers on select partner restaurants in India
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps in India

Read Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card Review | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card gives you good value back in the form of cashback. However, only Amazon Prime members can make the most out of this card because the highest cashback is offered only on purchases made by Amazon Prime members. Apart from this, Non-prime members will get a cashback of 3% on Amazon spends. This credit card is suitable if you frequently shop at Amazon and are looking for a card that offers decent cashback on your purchases. However, if you frequently shop at Flipkart or Myntra, then you can also apply for Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card.

2. IDFC First Select Credit Card

Best Lifetime Free Credit Card with Travel and Lifestyle Benefits

IDFC First Select Credit Card is a lifetime free card suitable for people who are looking for a high rewards rate. The more you spend, the more you earn with this card as it works on an incremental spend reward points model, wherein the earning increases once you reach a particular spending milestone.

Key Highlights

• 10X reward points on incremental purchases greater than Rs. 25,000 per billing cycle
• 6X reward points on all online purchases up to Rs. 25,000 per month
• 3X reward points on all offline purchases up to Rs. 25,000 per month
• Gift vouchers worth Rs. 500 on spending Rs. 15,000 within 90 days of card set-up
• 5% cashback on your first EMI transaction made within 90 days of card set-up
• Buy 1 get 1 offer on booking movie tickets (Up to Rs. 250 per ticket) via Paytm mobile app (twice per month)
• Complimentary domestic airport lounge access (4 per quarter)
• Complimentary railway lounge access (4 per quarter)
• Low foreign exchange mark-up fee of 1.99%

Read more about IDFC First Select Credit Card | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card is one of the best zero annual fee credit cards that offer decent rewards across all categories. However, you can earn better reward points if you frequently shop online as it offers 6X rewards on online shopping and 3X on offline purchases. You can apply for this credit card if you don’t put big expenses on your credit card and are more inclined towards rewards instead of cashback. However, if you are looking for a card that offers benefits on a specific category, then this might not be the ideal option for you.

3. HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card

Best Lifetime Free Credit Card for Movies and Cashback

HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card is best suited for people looking for shopping and travel benefits without having to pay any annual fee on the card. You get cashback and movie vouchers on reaching the set spending milestone. Reward earnings are also higher after reaching the Rs. 4 lakh milestone.

Key Highlights

• Amazon Vouchers (worth Rs. 500) and Swiggy Vouchers (worth Rs. 250) under the introductory offer
• 3 complimentary airport lounge access at domestic & international lounges or 3 AirDine vouchers as welcome benefit
• 10% cashback (Up to Rs. 2,000) when you make at least 5 eligible transactions totaling Rs. 10,000 or more in the first 90 days of card activation
• Reach total spending of Rs. 4 lakh in a year and get 5X rewards on all subsequent purchases
• Buy 1 get 1 free offer with BookMyShow for tickets booked on Saturday

Read More about HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card is one of the best no annual fee credit card that is suitable for you if you want to start your credit journey. This entry-level credit card is loaded with numerous benefits like free vouchers, complimentary memberships, rewards, cashback, discount on movie tickets and much more. The best part about this card is that it provides a sign-up bonus of over Rs. 2,000 without any joining fee, which is decent as compared to other lifetime free credit cards available in the market. Overall, you can apply for this card if you are looking for an entry-level credit card and don’t want to pay an annual fee.

4. IDFC First Millennia Credit Card

Best Lifetime Free Credit Card for Reward Points

IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card is best suited for people who spend a lot, this credit card from IDFC First Bank offers 6-times more rewards on online shopping up to a certain monthly milestone. The earned reward points never expire so you can accumulate rewards and redeem them for significant benefits.

Key Highlights

• 3X rewards on offline spends up to Rs. 20,000 per month
• 6X rewards on online spends up to Rs. 20,000 per month
• On spends after reaching Rs. 20,000 milestone, get 10-times more rewards across all categories
• Spend Rs. 50,000 within 90 days of card activation to get Rs. 500 welcome benefit
• 5% cashback on transaction value of EMI created within 90 days (Max. cashback Rs. 1,000)
• 25% discount on movie tickets booked via Paytm mobile app (Up to Rs. 100)

Read IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card Review | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card is a suitable option if you are looking for a zero annual fee credit card that comes with a good rewards rate. With this card, you can earn up to 10X reward points on select purchases. Also, you can earn better reward points if you frequently shop online. The overall rewards rate of this credit card is 3%, which is great as compared to other zero annual fee credit cards. Also, this credit card works on an incremental model, which basically means, the more you spend the more you earn. In general, you can apply for this credit card if you frequently shop online and are looking for a card that gives good value back in the form of rewards.

5. ICICI Platinum Chip Credit Card

Lifetime Free Credit Card with Basic Features

ICICI Platinum Chip Credit Card is suited to the needs of those who are new to credit and want a basic card only for building a good credit score. This is one of the best credit card with no annual fee.

Key Highlights

• 1 reward point per Rs. 100 spent on utilities and insurance
• 2 reward points per Rs. 100 across all other categories except fuel
• Redeem your rewards against vouchers or products from the ICICI Rewards Catalogue
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL pumps for transactions up to Rs. 4,000
• Up to 15% off on dining at 2,500 partner restaurants

Best Rewards Credit Cards in India | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

ICICI Platinum Chip Credit Card is a basic credit card that offers reward points on every transaction. However, it is more suitable for retail purchases as it offers better rewards on the said category. Apart from rewards, this credit card also offers some basic benefits, such as dining discount, fuel surcharge waiver, vouchers and more. This credit card does not have much to offer apart from rewards. There are other rewards credit cards available in the market that come with a better rewards rate. You can apply for this credit card if you want to start your credit journey and are looking for a basic credit.

6. Dhanlaxmi Bank Platinum Credit Card

Best Lifetime Free Credit Card for Supermarket Spends

Other than ICICI Amazon Pay Card, Dhanlaxmi Bank Platinum Credit Card is the only lifetime free credit card offering cashback benefit. It focuses on a very practical category, that is, supermarket and departmental store purchases which is a regular expenditure for most people.

Key Highlights

• 5% cashback on supermarket and departmental store purchases
• Platinum privileges across different categories
• Complimentary insurance cover
• Global assistance for emergencies

Best Cashback Credit Cards in India | Check Eligibility for Similar Credit Cards

Who should get this card?

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card is one of the best zero annual fee credit cards that offer decent rewards across all categories. However, you can earn better reward points if you frequently shop online as it offers 6X rewards on online shopping and 3X on offline purchases. You can apply for this credit card if you don’t put big expenses on your credit card and are more inclined towards rewards instead of cashback. However, if you are looking for a card that offers benefits on a specific category, then this might not be the ideal option for you.

FAQs

Q. Is a lifetime free credit card really free?

A. A lifetime free credit card does not charge any joining or annual fee ever. However, charges like late payment fee, cash advance fee, interest, etc. will be applicable depending on how you use the card.

Q. I was told that my card is free but why is the annual fee charged now?

A. It is important to get clarity on which charges are free. In this case, it seems the issuer has waived off the joining fee but second year onwards, annual/renewal charges will be applicable. Some cards also have the condition that use certain facility within a specified period, say the first 90 days, to make the card lifetime free. When you get a free credit card offer, read the terms and conditions in detail to ensure that the card carries no charges whatsoever.

Q. How can I waive my credit card annual fee?

A. Different credit cards come with different conditions for annual fee waiver. Usually, you have to reach a particular spending milestone within a specified time period, say 1 year, to get the annual fee reversed/waived off.

Q. What happens if I don’t pay the bill on my lifetime free credit card?

A. When you don’t pay the bill by the due date, you will have to incur late payment charges as well as finance charges (interest). The rate varies from card to card. Also, when you have an unpaid balance in your credit card account, the interest-free period also stands cancelled which means all new transactions will also attract finance charges from the first day.

Q. Why should I get a credit card with an annual fee when lifetime free credit cards are available?

A. Lifetime free credit cards mostly come with basic features and a low rewards rate. On the other hand, there are cards that charge annual fee but focus on one or more categories and have a better reward/cashback structure. It is important to weigh the annual fee with the overall value of the benefits offered to see whether the fee is justified. If the value of benefits surpasses the annual fee by a wide margin, it is worth applying for.