Finding the best credit card in India can be difficult as almost all major banks offer a number of credit cards that come with varied features and benefits. Some cards are made for shopping and hence they come with an excellent rewards program while there are other cards that are loaded with travel privileges. For a user, it may be difficult to pick the right credit card from a plethora of options available. So, to make the selection easier, here we have listed the best credit cards in India that might be useful for you.
Best Credit Cards in India
Best Credit Cards in India
- The American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card
- IndianOil Citibank® Platinum Credit Card
- HSBC Platinum Credit Card
- Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum Credit Card
- HDFC Regalia First Credit Card
- ICICI Bank Platinum Chip Credit Card
- SimplyCLICK SBI Card
- American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card
- Citi PremierMiles Credit Card
- SBI Card Elite
Let us learn about the features and benefits of these best credit cards in detail.
1. The American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card
Coming from the house of American Express, the Membership Rewards® credit card (MRCC) is ideal for those who want their every spend to be rewarded with redeemable points generously. Undoubtedly, MRCC is one of the best credit cards in India that makes spending rewarding for its users.
Annual Fee: Rs 1,000 plus GST
Renewal Fee:Rs 4,500 plus GST
- Get 4,000 bonus Membership Reward Points as welcome gift
- Earn 1,000 bonus Membership Reward Points on making 4 transactions of Rs 1,000 or more every month
- On payment of annual membership fee in the second year, earn 5,000 bonus MR Points
- Earn 1 MR point for every Rs 50 spent on the card across all categories except fuel, utilities, insurance and cash advance
- Redeem your rewards from the 18 Karat and 24 Karat Gold Collection program of Amex
- Avail up to 20% discount at select restaurants in India
- Enjoy other benefits like zero lost card liability, emergency card replacement and two add-on cards at no additional cost
2. IndianOil Citibank® Platinum Credit Card
If you are concerned about the rising fuel costs and are on a active lookout for ways to save some bucks on it, then IndianOil Citibank Platinum Credit Card is what you should consider. The card comes with the host of other benefits as well that you can find out below.
Annual Fee: Rs 1,000
Renewal Fee: Rs 1,000
- Get up to 71 litres of free fuel every year in the form of fuel surcharge waiver and turbo points
- Earn 4 Turbo Points on every Rs 150 spent on authorized IndianOil Retail Outlets across the country
- Get 2 Turbo Points per Rs 150 on grocery and supermarket spends and 1 Turbo Point on all other spends
- Accumulated Turbo Points never expire
- Avail the exclusive concierge service by Citi Bank through which you can get various types of assistance on a call
- Make payments by waving the card in front of a POS as this is a contactless card
- Enjoy up to 15% off on dining spends at partner restaurants of Citi Bank
The zero annual fee HSBC Platinum Credit Card is one of the best credit cards in its league that comes packed with features and benefits that make every spend rewarding for its users.
Annual Fee: Nil
Renewal Fee:Nil
- On making the first transaction, get Rs 2,000 voucher from Cleartrip
- Within 90 days of card issuance, get 10% cashback up to Rs 2,500
- Earn 3X Rewards on hotel, telecom and dining expenses for the first 12 months
- Get 5-times accelerated rewards on every purchase made after reaching total spending limit of Rs 4 Lakh subject to a maximum limit of Rs 10 Lakh
- For all other purchases, get 2 Reward Points per Rs 150
- Get an entertainment ticket voucher worth Rs 500 on reaching total spending of Rs 50,000 in a month subject to a maximum value of Rs 3,000 in a year
- Avail fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps in India for fuel transactions valued between Rs 400 and Rs 4,000 subject to a maximum waiver of Rs 250 in a month
4. Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum Credit Card
Whether you love shopping or dine-out frequently, the Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum Credit Card is all you need to save some money in the form of reward points or discounts on every swipe you make.
Annual Fee: Rs 999
Renewal Fee:Rs 999
- On making your first transaction within 90 days of card issuance, you get BookMyShow vouchers worth Rs 2,000
- Get 3X Reward Points for all your expenses
- Get 5% cashback when you use the credit card at supermarkets
- Enjoy multiple offers and discounts across shopping, travel and dining categories
- Under the Good Life Programme, avail exciting discounts on several purchases
- Get add-on cards for your family members
- Just wave your card at the POS terminal and make contactless payment
5. HDFC Regalia First Credit Card
Whenever it comes to best credit cards in India, HDFC Regalia First Credit Card takes the top spot with its premium features and benefits that are difficult to find in any other premium credit card at such a minimal price.
Annual Fee: Rs 999
Renewal Fee:Rs 999
- Get complimentary Priority Pass Membership and access over 1,000 airport lounges across the world
- Under the Visa/Mastercard Lounge access program, avail 8 complimentary access to domestic lounges in a year
- On reaching a spending milestone of Rs 6 Lakh, get 7,500 bonus reward points
- Enjoy exclusive dining privileges that give up to 40% discount at select restaurants
- Earn 4 Reward Points for every Rs 150 spent on the card
- Convert your reward points into air miles of popular international and domestic airlines
- Avail 1% convenience fee waiver on all fuel transactions
- Enjoy the lowest foreign currency markup of 2% on all your foreign transactions
- Get air accidental death cover up to Rs 50 Lakh, emergency overseas hospitalization up to Rs 10 Lakh and credit liability cover up to Rs 5 Lakh
6. ICICI Bank Platinum Chip Credit Card
To make spending on credit cards rewarding for its customers, ICICI bank has introduced a Platinum Chip Credit Card that comes with a host of benefits that include reward points, fuel surcharge waiver, discount on dining and more, thus making it one of the best credit cards in India for your spending needs.
Annual Fee: Rs 199
Renewal Fee:Rs 99
- Make contactless payments by just waving the card in front of an NFC-enabled POS terminal
- Earn 1 PAYBACK point for every Rs 100 spent on the payment of insurance premium and utility bills
- Get 2 PAYBACK points for every Rs 100 spent on all categories except fuel
- Redeem the accumulated reward points to get exciting gift vouchers and merchandise
- Avail 1% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL pumps for maximum transaction of Rs 4,000
- Enjoy 15% discount at select restaurants under ICICI Bank’s Culinary Treats Program
- Avail Global Emergency Assistance Service provided by Visa to get your credit card replaced or get emergency cash advance
If you want to make maximum benefit out of your online spends then SimplyCLICK SBI Card is one of the best cards that you can opt for. It gives you upto 10X reward points along with discount offers on your online spends, which makes it most suitable for shopaholics.
Annual Fee: Rs 499
Renewal Fee:Rs 499
- Get a Rs 500 gift voucher as the welcome gift
- Earn 1 Reward Point on every Rs 100 spent on the card
- Get 5X Rewards on all online spends and 10X Rewards on making online spends with exclusive partners of SBI Card
- Enjoy 1% fuel surcharge waiver on fuel transactions worth Rs 500 to Rs 3,000 subject to a maximum waiver of Rs 100 per billing cycle
- Spend Rs 1 Lakh in a year and get the annual fee of Rs 499 reversed
- Take benefit of the contactless feature and make payment by just waving the card in front of a POS terminal
8. American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card
If travel is what remains in your mind all the time, then American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card is what you should be eyeing. You will get travel vouchers, airport lounge visits and exclusive MakeMyTrip offers with this exclusive travel credit card.
Annual Fee: Rs 3,500
Renewal Fee:Rs 5,000
- Get a welcome gift of 5,000 bonus Membership Reward Points that are redeemable for travel vouchers worth Rs 4,000
- Earn 1 MR point per Rs 50 for all expenses except utility bill payment, fuel, insurance and cash transactions
- On spending Rs 1.90 Lakh in a year, get travel vouchers worth Rs 7,700
- Reach a spending milestone of Rs 4 Lakh in a year and get additional vouchers worth Rs 11,800
- Enjoy complimentary airport lounge visits per year to 11 select airports in India
- Enjoy exclusive offers with MakeMyTrip
9. Citi PremierMiles Credit Card
Those who don’t mind shelling some money on their credit card fee in exchange for exclusive travel benefits like air miles on every spend, lounge access, discounts and other travel deals can apply for Citi PremierMiles Credit Card.
Annual Fee: Rs 3,000
Renewal Fee:Rs 3,000
- Spend Rs 1,000 or more within 60 days of card issuance and get 10,000 Bonus Miles
- Get additional 3,000 Miles on card renewal
- Earn 4 Miles for every Rs 100 spent across all categories
- Earn 10 Miles for every Rs 100 on transactions made with any airline in the world
- The accumulated air miles never expire
- Get complimentary access to airport lounges in India and across the globe
- Transfer Miles to the Frequent Flyer Programs of different airline partners in 2:1 ratio
10. SBI Card Elite
SBI Card Elite is a perfect companion to your elite lifestyle as it comes with exclusive shopping vouchers from some premium brands as welcome gift along with movie tickets benefit, accelerated reward points, complimentary lounge visits, club Vistara membership and more.
Annual Fee: Rs 4,999
Renewal Fee:Rs 4,999
- Get welcome e-gift voucher worth Rs 5,000 from Yatra, Bata/Hush Puppies, Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop and Marks & Spencer
- Get free movie ticket worth Rs 6,000 in a year in the form of Rs 250 vouchers in a month
- On reaching annual spends of Rs 3 Lakh and 4 Lakh, get 10,000 bonus reward points
- Earn 2 Reward Points per Rs 100 on all categories except fuel
- Accelerate your reward earnings 5 times when using the credit card for grocery, dining and departmental store purchases
- Get access to over 1,000 airport lounges across the globe with a complimentary Priority Pass Membership
- Get 6 complimentary international airport lounge visits in a year subject to maximum 2 visits per quarter and 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits
- Enjoy complimentary Club Vistara Membership
Though the suitability and the financial status of every individual varies, the above mentioned are just some of the best credit cards in India that can be considered for your day to day expenditures. So, you must take the right credit card that suits your financial life and in return is loaded with rewards and privileges.