Best Entry-Level Credit Cards in India 2026

1. YES BANK PaisaSave Credit Card

Joining Fee: Nil (Limited Period Offer)
Annual Fee: Nil (Limited Period Offer)

Key Features and Benefits

• 6% cashback on dining & travel spends
• 1% cashback on other categories, including UPI spends
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps, up to Rs. 250 per month
• Annual fee waiver on spending Rs. 1.2 Lakh in a year

With zero joining fee and relaxed eligibility criteria, this card is a suitable choice for beginners who prefer to earn cashback primarily on dining and travel categories. The card also offers unlimited 1% cashback on other spends and UPI transactions, making it a good option for day-to-day expenses as well. Though the accelerated cashback is capped at Rs. 3,000 per month, cardholders can still save significantly on their travel and dining spends. Overall, consumers who are planning to start their credit journey and are looking for an entry-level card with decent cashback benefits can consider YES BANK PaisaSave Credit Card.

2. Cashback SBI Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 999 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 999 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 5% cashback on all online spends
• 1% flat cashback on all offline transactions
• 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

Cashback SBI Card is a good option if you have a low income, but want to save more with a credit card. It is a perfect combination of cashback and online shopping credit cards. The good thing is that there are no merchant restrictions. The cashback rate offered on this credit card is one of the highest among other cashback credit cards. This can be a great addition to your wallet if you frequently shop online and are looking for an option to save on your online transactions.

3. Axis Bank ACE Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 499 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 499 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 5% cashback on utility bill payments like electricity, gas and internet on Google Pay
• 4% cashback on Zomato, Swiggy and Ola
• 1.5% cashback on all other spends
• 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year on spending Rs. 50,000 in the previous 3 months
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000 (max. 500 waiver in a month)

You must consider Axis Ace, especially if you are looking for good value back across all your spends instead of focusing on a particular category like travel, shopping or fuel. Moreover, the card has a simple cashback system and the amount is automatically credited to your card account in each billing cycle. A lot of people look for simple benefits like these instead of a reward-earning and redemption model and this is an additional advantage with Axis Ace Card.

4. Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Joining Fee: Nil (First Year Free Offer Valid Till 31st July 2026)
Annual Fee: Rs. 500 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 7.5% cashback on Myntra, capped at Rs. 4,000 per quarter
• 5% cashback on Flipkart and Cleartrip
• 4% cashback on preferred merchants (Cult.fit, Swiggy, PVR and Uber)
• 1% cashback across all other categories
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000 (Max. Rs. 400 waiver in a month)

Flipkart Axis Bank Card will be the best choice for someone who shops a lot on Flipkart and other partner merchants. Unlike Axis ACE card that offers no additional benefits on travel, the Flipkart card takes care of your travel needs as well. In addition to this, the 1% cashback across all other spends is a decent deal if you can make the most of the other benefits on this card. However, if you are not sure whether you would be able to avail the benefits on Flipkart, Cleartrip, Swiggy, Myntra, etc., Axis ACE card could be a better choice for you owing to its higher default cashback rate.

5. HDFC Millennia Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 1,000 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 1,000 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 5% cashback on popular everyday brands, like Amazon, BookMyShow, and Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato
• 1% cashback on all other spends
• 1,000 CashPoints on payment of the joining and annual fees
• Up to 10% additional savings on dining bill through Swiggy Dineout

HDFC Millennia Credit Card offers 5% cashback on eligible purchases at select partner brands across online shopping, food delivery, entertainment, and more, including Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, and BookMyShow. Cashback is applicable only when the minimum transaction requirement is met and is subject to a maximum monthly cashback limit per billing cycle. This card is an excellent choice for frequent online shoppers and high-spenders looking to maximize savings on their everyday digital purchases.

6. SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 499 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 499 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 10X reward points on online partners like BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Apollo24x7, Swiggy, Dominos, Netmeds, Myntra and Yatra
• 5X reward points on all online shopping
• 1 reward point for every Rs. 100 spent on the card
• E-voucher worth Rs. 2,000 each on reaching annual spends of Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 2 Lakh

SBI SimplyCLICK is one of the best credit cards for beginners, especially if you are a frequent online shopper. You get generous rewards on all online spends which is provided with very few credit cards. The annual fee of this card is only Rs. 499 but the waiver condition is at Rs. 1 Lakh per annum. For this fee range, this spending milestone is achievable. You can also consider SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card if your focus is on earning extra rewards mainly on offline expenses.

7. Airtel Axis Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 500 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 500 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 25% cashback on Airtel Mobile, broadband, WiFi and DTH bill payments through the Airtel Thanks app
• 10% cashback on utility bill payments made through the Airtel Thanks app
• 10% cashback on transactions at Swiggy, Zomato and BigBasket
• 1% cashback on all other spends
• Amazon e-voucher worth Rs. 500 on the first spend made within 30 days of card issuance

Airtel Axis Credit Card offers benefits to Airtel customers through cashback, discount, and vouchers. The plus point is that despite being a co-branded credit card, the card not only offers benefits on Airtel spends but also across other popular brands like Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket, covering two major categories: groceries and dining. Since most cards put utility bills in the excluded categories, offering accelerated cashback on utility bill payments makes this card a reasonable choice for those looking to save on this category of spends. Airtel Axis Card is a suitable choice for users who are already in the Airtel ecosystem or planning to come onboard.

8. Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 350 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 350 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 20% discount on domestic & international hotel bookings at EaseMyTrip
• 10% discount on domestic & international flight bookings at EaseMyTrip
• 10 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent at standalone airline/hotel websites, mobile apps or outlets, except any travel aggregators
• 2 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on other categories
• 2 complimentary international lounge visits per year

Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip is a co-branded credit card that offers instant discounts and cashback, along with complimentary lounge access. If you frequently travel and book a couple of tickets every month, this credit card can lead to significant savings. Besides rewards and cashback, the credit card also offers domestic lounge access, enhancing the overall value for frequent travellers. However, the only restriction is that users can avail one discount per month per card per category. For instance, if you have used the card to avail discount on international flight bookings, you cannot avail same benefit again in the same month. Additionally, international travel benefits on the card are limited.

9. IndianOil Axis Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 500 + Taxes
Annual Fee: Rs. 500 + Taxes

Key Features and Benefits:

• 4% back as 20 EDGE reward points per Rs. 100 spent on fuel purchases of Rs. 400 to Rs. 4,000 at IOCL outlets in India
• 1% back as 5 EDGE reward points per Rs. 100 spent on online shopping worth Rs. 100 to Rs. 5,000
• 1 EDGE reward point per Rs. 100 on other spends
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver, up to Rs. 50 per month, on fuel spends of Rs. 400 to Rs. 4,000
• 15% off up to Rs. 500 on dining bills at select restaurants via EazyDiner
• 10% discount on booking movie tickets through BookMyShow app or website

IndianOil Axis Credit Card is designed for users looking to save on fuel expenses. The card offers value back through reward points for fuel spends at IndianOil outlets. Cardholders can get up to 4% value back on their fuel spends, along with accelerated reward points on online shopping. Also, other benefits, like discount on movie tickets and dining, enhance the overall value of this card. Overall, this is a decent option for people who commute daily and are looking for an option to save on their fuel expenses, along with basic benefits across other categories.

Roarbank RuPay Credit Card

Joining Fee: Nil
Annual Fee: Nil

Key Features and Benefits:

• 20% cashback on any two categories of your choice. Select your preferred categories on the 1st of every month from options like grocery, fuel, dining, movies, and clothing
• Cardholders can earn a maximum cashback of Rs. 2,500 per month
• Lifetime free credit card
• Credit limit of up to Rs. 3 Lakh
• Up to 7% interest per annum on savings accounts

Roarbank RuPay Credit Card by UNITY Small Finance Bank is an entry-level card for first-time consumers. It offers up to 20% cashback on two selected spending categories each month and lets cardholders change these categories monthly. The card also combines your savings account balance with your credit limit for added spending flexibility, making it a suitable choice for everyday purchases and cashback rewards.