Best Credit Cards in India 2022

Axis Bank Ace Credit Card is the best credit card in India for cashback as it comes with the highest universal cashback rate of 2%. If you are not sure about the categories where you spend the most, a cashback credit card would be the right choice for you. Here are the top features of Axis Ace Credit Card.

Joining Fee: Rs. 499 (Reversed on spending Rs. 10,000 in the first 45 days)
Renewal Fee: Rs. 499 (Reversed on spending Rs. 2 Lakh or more in the preceding year)
Minimum Income: Communicated at the time of sourcing

• 5% cashback on bill payments and mobile recharges through Google Pay
• 4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola
• 2% cashback on all other spends
• No maximum limit on the cashback earned
• 4 complimentary lounge visits every calendar year
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver for transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 4,000; maximum waiver of Rs. 500 in a month

Possibly one of the best premium credit cards, 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. Some benefits of this top credit card for 2022 are as follows:

Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999 + GST
Renewal Fee: Rs. 4,999 + GST
Minimum Income Required: Rs. 60,000 per month

• Welcome e-gift voucher worth Rs. 5,000 from Yatra, Bata/Hush Puppies, Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop and Marks & Spencer
• Free movie tickets worth Rs. 6,000 in a year in the form of Rs. 250 voucher per month
• 10,000 bonus reward points on reaching annual spends of Rs. 3 Lakh and 4 Lakh
• 2 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent on all categories except fuel
• 5X reward points when using the credit card for grocery, dining and departmental store purchases
• Access to over 1,000 airport lounges across the globe with a complimentary Priority Pass Membership
• 6 complimentary international airport lounge visits in a year and 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits
• Complimentary Club Vistara Membership

If you are looking for a credit card that offers something for every category, HDFC Regalia should be your first choice. Offering wide-range of benefits on dining, travel and shopping, this is possibly the best HDFC credit card, especially if you are looking for all-round benefits. Let us find out more about HDFC Regalia credit card:

Joining Fee: Rs. 2,500 + GST
Renewal Fee: Rs.  2,500 + GST (waived-off on spending Rs. 3 Lakh in the previous calendar year)
Minimum Income Required: Rs. 1 lakh per month

• 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge access every calendar year
• Up to 6 international lounge access every year for self and add-on members under Priority Pass Membership
• 24×7 travel concierge service for booking, travel, late-night deliveries, etc.
• Priority dining facility under Good Food Trail dining program at top restaurants across the country
• 4 Reward Points on every Rs. 150 spent on all retail spends including utility bills, insurance, education, rent, etc.
• 10,000 Reward Points on spending Rs. 5 Lakh on the card and additional 5,000 points on reaching the milestone spends of Rs. 8 Lakh
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5,000 at all petrol pumps in the country
• Rewards redemption on flight and hotel booking, vouchers, gifts and products, etc.
• Air accidental death cover of Rs. 1 crore
• Emergency overseas hospitalization cover up to Rs. 15 Lakh

Flipkart Axis Bank credit card is probably one of the best credit cards for shopping online. Apart from 5% cashback on Flipkart and Myntra, cardholders can also get 4% cashback on Swiggy, Uber, PVR and Cure.fit. The card also provides unlimited cashback of 1.5% on all other spends. If you shop often on the brands mentioned above, this card can be very beneficial for you. Other benefits of this card are mentioned below:

Annual Fee: Rs. 500
Renewal Fee: Rs. 500 (waived off on spending Rs. 2 lakh in the preceding year)
Minimum Income Requirement: Rs. 15,000 p.m. for salaried and Rs. 30,000 p.m. for self-employed

• Unlimited 5% cashback on Flipkart and Myntra
• Unlimited 4% cashback on preferred merchants such as Swiggy, Uber, Cult.fit, PVR, Tata Sky, Cleartrip, 1mg, etc.
• Unlimited 1.5% cashback on all other online and offline spends
• Activation and joining benefits worth Rs. 1,000
• 4 complimentary lounge access in India every year
• Up to 20% off on partner restaurants under Dining Delights program
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all petrol pumps across India

This card is not available on Paisabazaar Platform

When it comes to co-branded benefits, Amazon Pay ICICI Card is one of the best co-branded credit cards in India. If you shop at Amazon frequently, you can save big on all your Amazon spends in the form of cashback. Apart from Amazon purchases, you get cashback on other spends as well. The best thing about this credit card is that you get all these benefits free of cost as there is no joining fee or renewal fee on this card. Below-mentioned are the details of this credit card:

Annual Fee: Nil
Renewal Fee: Nil
Minimum Salary Requirement: Communicated at the time of sourcing

• 5% cashback on all purchases at Amazon for Amazon Prime customers in addition to existing offers
• 3% cashback on all purchases for non-prime customers
• 2% cashback on purchases at Amazon partners and gift card purchases
• 2% cashback on recharges, bill payments, etc.
• 1% cashback on all other purchases
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all petrol pumps across India
• No cost EMI on all purchases above Rs. 3,000 for 3 or 6 months

This card is not available on Paisabazaar Platform

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 which is one of the top travel credit cards in India.

Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000 + GST
Renewal Fee: Rs. 3,000 + GST
Minimum Income Required: Rs. 25,000 per month

• 10,000 Bonus Miles on spending Rs. 1,000 or more within 60 days of card issuance
• Additional 3,000 Miles on card renewal
• 10 Miles for every Rs. 100 on transactions made with any airline in the world
• 4 Miles for every Rs. 100 spent across all categories
• Accumulated air miles never expire
• 8 complimentary access to airport lounges in India
• Transfer Miles to the Frequent Flyer Programs of different airline partners in 2:1 ratio

HDFC Millennia is a cashback credit card that offers cashback to cardholders on almost all transactions. This card has been designed keeping the spending pattern of millennials in mind who like to shop online often. Apart from cashback, cardholders can also avail the facility of complimentary lounge access. Features and benefits of this card are mentioned below:

Joining Fee: Rs. 1,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 1,000 (waived off on spending Rs. 1 Lakh in the preceding year)
Minimum Income Requirement: Rs. 35,000 for salaried and Rs. 6 Lakh for self-employed

• 5% Cashback on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, Tata CliQ, Sony LIV, BookMyShow, Cult.fit and Uber
• 1% cashback on all other spends (except fuel)
• Rs. 1,000 gift voucher on spending Rs. 1 lakh in a quarter
• 8 complimentary lounge accesses every year limited to 2 visits every quarter
• Welcome benefit of 1000 cashpoints on payment of the joining fee
• 1 Cashpoint is equivalent to Rupee 1
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India

If you are looking for a credit card that provides good offers on online shopping, grocery, travel and dining, then Standard Chartered Digismart credit card can be your top pick. It is more beneficial for those who make purchases on Myntra, Ola, Grofers, Yatra, Zomato and Inox. Let us have an insight on the features and benefits of this credit card below:

Joining Fee: Rs. 49 p.m.
Renewal Fee: Rs. 49 p.m. (waived off on spending Rs. 5,000 in the preceding month)
Minimum Income Requirement: Rs. 50,000 p.m.

• 20% off at Myntra once every month with no minimum spends up to Rs. 700
• 10% off on Grofers five times every month up to Rs. 1,000
• 10% discount up to Rs. 150 on every transaction on Zomato five times every month
• 20% off on domestic flights up to Rs. 750 at Yatra once every quarter
• 10% off on International flights up to Rs. 10,000 at Yatra once every quarter
• 10% off on hotel bookings up to R. 4,000 at Yatra once quarterly
• 15% cashback every month up to Rs. 600 on Ola cabs
• Free movie ticket at INOX movies

If you are a frequent shopper and like to make purchases every now and then, you should get a shopping credit card that provides you generous cashback. HSBC Cashback card is one such credit card that offers cashback on all your purchases. Let us have a look at some of the features of this credit card:

Joining Fee:  Nil
Renewal Fee: Rs. 750 + GST (Waived off on spending Rs. 1 Lakh in the previous year)
Minimum Income Required: Rs. 4,00,000 per annum

• 3 domestic or international airport lounge access or 3 airport meal vouchers each, Amazon voucher of Rs. 500 and 50% discount up to Rs. 100 on the first transaction at Google Pay as welcome benefits
• 5% discount up to Rs. 250 every month on spending Rs. 1,000 and above
• 1.5% cashback on all online spends except wallet transactions
• 1% cashback on all other spends
• Zero joining fee
• Cashback is also applicable on EMIs (Equated Monthly Instalments)
• Up to 15% discount on dining at partner restaurants
• Option to pay credit card dues in EMIs on balance transfer, Cash-on-EMI, Loan-on-phone, etc.
• Partner offers from time to time on Big Basket, Amazon Pantry, MakeMyTrip, etc.

This card is not available on Paisabazaar Platform

HDFC Diners Club Privilege credit card is one of the best all-rounder credit cards that provide benefits across shopping, travel, rewards, golf and premium lifestyle. In addition to these privileges, cardholders are also entitled to various subscriptions along with monthly milestone benefits. Cardholders get special privileges like spa, salons, gyms and concierge services along with various insurance benefits with this card. Below mentioned are the features and benefits of this card:

Joining Fee: Rs. 2,500
Annual Fee: Rs. 2,500 (waived off on spending Rs. 3 Lakh in the preceding year)
Minimum Income Requirement: Rs. 70,000 per month

• Amazon Prime, Zomato Pro, MMT Black, Times Prime Smart and Big Basket Star membership on spending Rs. 75,000 within 90 days of card issuance
• 12 airport lounge access at 1000+ lounges worldwide
• 4 Reward Points for every Rs. 150 spent except fuel
• Reward Points redemption for AirMiles across various airlines (1 Reward Point = 0.5 Airmile)
• Exclusive discounts at various salons, gyms, spas, etc.
• 2 complimentary golf games per quarter (both domestic and international)
• Rs. 1 Crore Air accidental death cover
• Emergency overseas hospitalization cover of Rs. 25 Lakh
• Credit Liability Cover of up to Rs. 9 Lakh
• Travel Insurance Cover of up to Rs. 50,000 on baggage delay
• Low foreign currency conversion fee of 1.99%
• Complimentary renewal of annual membership benefits on spending Rs. 5 Lakh in a year
• 1% fuel convenience fee waiver at all petrol pumps in India

This card is not available on Paisabazaar Platform

When you start your search for the best credit card in India, you will come across multiple credit cards offering various features and you will end up getting confused which card to pick for yourself.

You should always look for a credit card that matches your spending habits. Broadly, there are 5 steps to choosing the best credit card for you, that include:

• Know the purpose of getting a credit card

You must identify the need for you to get a credit card. Majorly, there are three reasons why people would need a credit card- to build credit from scratch, to get a higher credit limit to be able to make bigger purchases and to avail offers across various spending categories. The best credit card for you would be the one that matches your need.

• Understand your eligibility for credit cards

Once you clearly know why you want a credit card, you should then understand your own credit profile and which credit cards you may be eligible for. For example, you may want a credit card that offers exciting travel benefits but your income may be low for the card. So, you must ensure that the card you apply for has good chances of approval. At Paisabazaar, you get credit card suggestions based on your credit profile and income. Click here to start the search for the right credit card.

• Shortlist Credit Cards

Based on your eligibility, you can shortlist a few credit cards. This will narrow down your search for the right card. To shortlist the cards, you can ask yourself some basic questions like whether you can afford its annual fee or whether it matches your core needs.

• Pick one that offers the best value

From the shortlisted credit cards, pick one that offers you the highest value overall. Take a futuristic approach here. Ask yourself whether you would like to use this card 5 years down the line. See if the bank offers an option to upgrade to another card later.

• Choose how to apply

You can either directly apply through the bank’s website or through a third-party website. With the latter, you get the option of comparing the cards from different banks to find the best credit card for you.

Also Read: Which is the easiest credit card to get in India?

Which bank credit card is the best in India?

Some of the most popular banks offering credit cards in India are HDFC, SBI Card, ICICI, Amex, Axis, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. However, the best credit card for you would be the one that matches your needs. To make your search easier for you, we have listed some of the best and most popular cards in India above. Jump to credit card list.

Which credit card is best for online shopping in India?

Some of the best credit cards for online shopping in India are Axis Bank Ace, SBI SimplyClick, HDFC Moneyback, Flipkart Axis Bank and ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card.

Do all best credit cards in India charge high annual fee?

No. There are some credit cards with best offers in India that are either free for lifetime or charge a minimal annual fee. A few examples of best low annual fee credit cards include HDFC Moneyback, HSBC Platinum, ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card and Citi Cashback Credit Card.

Which credit card in India has the best rewards program?

Almost all credit cards in India offer reward points with every purchase. But some credit cards offer higher reward points with certain purchases and they have multiple redemption options. Click to read about the best rewards credit cards in India.

Which credit card in India is best for travel?

A lot of banks offer travel credit cards in India with benefits like complimentary airport lounge access, air tickets, extra rewards, air miles and more. Some top travel credit cards for 2022 are HDFC Regalia Credit Card, Axis Bank Vistara Credit Card, Citi PremierMiles Credit Card and American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card.

Image Sources: Respective Banks/Providers