The best credit cards in India for cashback, travel, fuel, and lifetime-free benefits. Compare fees, rewards, and pick the right card.
Best Cashback Credit Cards in India
Among the best cashback Best Credit Cards, we will first two specific cards: the Axis Bank Cashback Credit Card and the State Bank of India (SBI) Cashback Credit Card.
Table of Contents
SBI Cashback Credit Card – Features, Fees & Cashback Structure
Best Credit Cards, Regarding the SBI Cashback Credit Card, understand that its features have been devalued a few times; in fact, they have been significantly devalued. Yet, I would still say it remains the best credit card in the cashback category.
SBI Cashback Card Fees Explained (Including GST)
What does this card offer? It has a joining fee of ₹999 and an annual fee of ₹999.
Best Credit Cards, While the joining fee is payable immediately upon receiving the card, there is no annual fee for the first year; it applies starting from the second year. Also, as we discuss various credit cards, please note that for any fee I mention, you should add an extra 18% GST yourself.
best credit cards If I were to include the GST calculation for every single card, the video would become unnecessarily long. For instance, the SBI Cashback Credit Card fee is ₹999 (effectively ₹1,000). Adding 18% GST (₹180) brings the total cost to ₹1,180. So, while I am listing the fee as ₹999 here, please factor in the GST for each card yourself.
SBI Cashback Card Cashback Rates & Monthly Caps
So the fee is ₹999. What do you get in return? This card offers 5% cashback on any online spending. For any offline spending, you will get 1% cashback.
As for online spending, whether on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, or anywhere else, you get 5% cashback, but there is a monthly cap of ₹2,000. Essentially, you could say that spending ₹40,000 in a month allows you to avail the maximum cashback.
Why? Because 5% of ₹40,000 is ₹2,000. Do you get the point? Best Credit Cards, Similarly, for offline spending, you get 1% cashback, capped at ₹2,000 per month. These are the key features of the SBI Cashback Credit Card.
Axis Bank Cashback Credit Card – Is the 7% Cashback Claim True?
The Axis Bank Cashback Credit Card. Many people made videos claiming that a new card, the Axis Bank Cashback Credit Card, had arrived to surpass the SBI Cashback card in the cashback category. best credit cards Why? Because the SBI Cashback Credit Card offers 5%, right? So, they started advertising 7% for this one.
Axis Cashback Card Fees & Annual Charges
The fees are similar, Best Credit Cards, too while the SBI card costs ₹999, this one costs ₹1,000; both the joining fee and the annual fee are ₹1,000. Also, the annual fee applies right from the first year.
Axis Cashback Tiered Cashback Structure Explained
It actually offer 7% cashback? No. Its features are quite similar to the SBI Cashback card, but it doesn’t offer a flat 7%. Instead, the structure is based on your monthly spending: for the first ₹5,000 spent online during the month, you get 2% cashback.
For any spending beyond that, specifically between ₹5,000 and ₹40,000, you get 5% cashback. You will receive 7% cashback on any spending above ₹400. With the SBI Cashback Credit Card, the maximum monthly cashback was ₹2,000, whereas the Axis Cashback Credit Card offers a maximum monthly cashback of ₹4,000.
SBI vs Axis Cashback Credit Card – Which One Should You Choose?
If your monthly spending is less than ₹400, you should go for the SBI Cashback Credit Card without a second thought. However, if you have high online spending where your expenses frequently exceed ₹400, then you can confidently opt for the Axis Cashback Credit Card. Best Credit Cards, That is essentially the distinction between these two cards.
HDFC Swiggy Black Credit Card – Best Card for Swiggy Users
The card in the cashback category is the HDFC SWGI Black Credit Card. Speaking of HDFC SWGI credit cards, the range includes both the Orange Credit Card and the HDFC SWGI Black Credit Card.
Swiggy Black Card Cashback Benefits & Limits
This card has a joining fee of ₹1,000 and an annual fee of ₹1,000. But how does it differ from the SBI Cashback and Axis Cashback credit cards?
This card offers 10% cashback on any spending within the Swiggy app, whether you order food, use Swiggy Dineout, or use the Swiggy Instamart option. Best Credit Cards, You get 10% cashback on absolutely everything spent on Swiggy.
Additionally, it offers 5% cashback on online spending, with a monthly cap of ₹1,500. It also provides 1% cashback on offline spending, capped at ₹1,000 per month.
So, in terms of cashback categories, it is quite similar to the SBI and Axis Cashback cards; the key difference is the tie-up with Swiggy, Best Credit Cards, which allows you to earn that 10% cashback on Swiggy-related expenses.
HDFC Tata Neu Infinity Credit Card – Best RuPay Cashback Card
Next up is the HDFC Tata Neu Infinity credit card. You could consider this ‘Infinity’ card one of the best in the cashback category, as well as one of the best among RuPay credit cards.
Tata Neu App Cashback & UPI Rewards
What does it offer? Well, this card states that its fees are slightly higher; it doesn’t charge just ₹1,000; instead, both the joining fee and the annual fee are ₹1,499. In return, this credit card offers a benefit: if you make any purchases via the Tata Neu app, you get 10% cashback.
Essentially, the Tata Neu app already provides 5% cashback to every user, and you receive an additional 5% by using this credit card, bringing the total cashback to 10%. Whether you order clothes, shoes, or groceries like lentils, flour, and rice, covering all Tata products as well as items from other brands (making the app similar to Amazon or Flipkart), you earn 10% cashback on any expenditure.
Furthermore, the app allows you to link this credit card and use the “Scan and Pay” feature directly within the Tata Neu platform. Best Credit Cards, It offers 1.5% cashback on every UPI transaction made by scanning and paying with this credit card. You can earn a maximum of ₹500 in cashback per month. Additionally, you get 10% cashback on the Tata Neu app and 1.5% cashback on every UPI transaction.
Airport Lounge Access & Premium Benefits
Apart from this, it provides access to domestic airport lounges eight times a year and international airport lounges four times a year. This credit card is named the HDFC Tata Neu Infinity Credit Card.
SBI PhonePe Select Black Credit Card – Benefits After Devaluation
SBI PhonePe Select Black Credit Card, which is a result of a partnership between SBI and PhonePe. It has a joining fee of ₹1,499 and an annual fee of ₹1,499.
PhonePe Cashback Structure & Monthly Caps
What features does it offer in return? If you use this credit card to make any expenditure on the PhonePe app, whether it’s a mobile recharge, bill payment, insurance premium, or anything else, you get an immediate 10% cashback.
As the card gained popularity, Best Credit Cards, people started using it heavily to pay insurance premiums, thinking, “If we pay the premium, we’ll get 10% cashback.
SBI PhonePe Card Devaluation Explained (Effective July 1)
Best Credit Cards, However, the benefits were subsequently devalued. SBI has announced changes effective July 1, 2026. Previously, the feature offered 10% cashback on any spending via PhonePe, subject to a monthly cap of ₹2,000. So, you would get 10% cashback on PhonePe transactions, up to a maximum of ₹2,000 per month.
Starting July 1, 2026, the condition is that the maximum cashback for insurance payments will be ₹500, while the maximum cashback for other PhonePe features will be ₹1,500. You still get a total of ₹2,000 in cashback on PhonePe; it has simply been bifurcated.
Another feature was that if you made any online purchases using this credit card, you would receive 5% cashback. Previously, the maximum monthly cashback for this was ₹2,000, but it has now been reduced to ₹1,000. See? Best Credit Cards, So, this represents a devaluation effective from July 1, 2026. Best Credit Cards, Additionally, it offers four domestic airport lounge access visits per year and two international airport lounge access visits per year.
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card – Why It Is No Longer Recommended
The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card. You could say this used to be an excellent card in the cashback category. Why? It offered 25% cashback on mobile, broadband, and Wi-Fi recharges made through the Airtel Thanks app, 10% on utility bill payments, and 1% on other spends.
However, they have now imposed such harsh conditions that I won’t go into the details here, but in my opinion, the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card has essentially become useless. Best Credit Cards, That is why we aren’t including it here.
This applies if these conditions implemented by Axis Bank starting April 12, 2026, had not been in place. However, had that restriction not been in place, this would have been one of the best credit cards for recharges or utility bill payments. But we won’t be discussing this credit card further.
Best Fuel Credit Cards in India
There are two outstanding options in this category: the RBL Xtra IndianOil Credit Card and the SBI BPCL Octane Credit Card. The fee for the RBL card is ₹1,100, while the SBI BPCL Octane card has a fee of ₹1,499.
RBL Xtra IndianOil Credit Card – Highest Fuel Cashback
So, what does the RBL Xtra IndianOil Credit Card offer?
Fuel Cashback Rate & Monthly Limit
If you use this card for fuel expenses such as petrol or diesel at IndianOil petrol pumps, you get 7.5% cashback on every transaction. For instance, if you spend ₹100 on fuel, you get ₹7.50 back; if you spend ₹1,000, you get ₹75 back.
No other credit card offers 7.5% cashback like this. Best Credit Cards, However, there is a condition: the maximum cashback you can earn in a month is ₹1,000. Best Credit Cards, This means that by spending ₹13,333 in a month, you can avail the maximum benefit of ₹1,000 based on the 7.5% rate.
SBI BPCL Octane Credit Card – Fuel + Everyday Savings
The SBI BPCL Octane Credit Card offers ₹6.25 cashback for every ₹100 spent on fuel at BPCL (Bharat Petroleum) petrol pumps. In other words, you earn 6.25% cashback with this card.
With the RBL Extra Indian Oil card, you get 7.5% cashback (effectively 6.25%). The condition is that you can earn a maximum of ₹625 in cashback per month. Best Credit Cards, While the RBL Extra card allowed you to earn up to ₹1,000, here the cap is ₹625. However, the
Fuel Cashback & Bharat Gas Benefits
SBI BPCL Octane credit card offers other benefits alongside fuel savings. The RBL Extra Indian Oil credit card is essentially focused solely on fuel; that is its primary feature. Do you see? Its main selling point is that 7.5% cashback, capped at ₹1,000 per month.
The SBI BPCL Octane card, on the other hand, certainly offers that 6.25% cashback at BP Petroleum outlets, allowing us to save ₹625 monthly, but it also has another feature involving their ‘Bharat Gas’ application. Install this app. Best Credit Cards, You’ll find various products here, such as lubricants, and you can even get a Bharat Gas connection or place orders for it.
The main take away is that you can book your Bharat Gas cylinder through this app. Right? You also get 6.25% cashback on any spending done via this application, though there is a monthly cap of ₹125 on this cashback. Best Credit Cards, So, essentially, if you simply book your Bharat Gas cylinder here, you save ₹125 every month. That adds up to… well, ₹750 in savings right there.
Dining, Grocery & Movie Cashback Explained
Additionally, it offers 2.5% cashback on dining, departmental store purchases, movies, and groceries. We all have monthly expenses at departmental stores, don’t we? We also watch movies occasionally, and spending on groceries and dining happens every month.
Let’s assume these are basic expenses; even if you spend ₹10,000 a month on them, you get ₹250 back in cash. So, add that ₹250 to the total. That means you can easily save a total of ₹1,000 here. Do you see the point?
RBL vs SBI Fuel Card – Which One Is Better for You?
So, if your sole priority is saving on fuel without caring about departmental stores or anything else, then go for the RBL Xtra-save Indian Oil card.
However, if your vehicle usage is sporadic, meaning there might be months where you don’t refuel at all, then you can still save money by spending on departmental stores, dining, and movies, or by booking your Bharat Gas cylinder (saving ₹125 monthly). Best Credit Cards, In that scenario, you should opt for the SBI BPCL Octane credit card.
Best Travel Credit Cards in India
HSBC Travel One Credit Card – Premium Travel Rewards
The first card in this category is the HSBC Travel One Credit Card. It is currently one of the best credit cards available for travel. The joining fee for this card is ₹4,999, and the annual fee is also ₹4,999.
Flight & Hotel Cashback Explained
In terms of features, it offers 19% cashback if you book flight tickets using platforms like Yatra, EaseMyTrip, Paytm Flights, or Cleartrip. To put that 19% figure into perspective: if you book a flight ticket worth ₹10,000, you would receive ₹100 as cashback. But let’s set that aside for a moment.
Additionally, it suggests using the HSBC portal to book hotels; doing so earns you 24% cashback. This cashback is awarded in the form of points. Best Credit Cards, For instance, if you book a hotel for ₹10,000, you would receive 2,400 points based on the 24% rate.
You can then convert these points into Accor hotel points, where one point equals one Accor point; thus, your 2,400 points would become 4,800 Accor points.
Since Accor hotels are luxury properties, booking a ₹10,000 hotel effectively nets you Accor points worth ₹4,800. If you book another Accor hotel for ₹10,000 later, Best Credit Cards, you can use these 4,800 points, meaning you only have to pay ₹5,200. Essentially, you get roughly 48% cashback on hotel bookings, 19% for flights, and 48% for hotels.
Airport Lounge Access & Travel Privileges
It also offers airport lounge access: four international and six domestic visits per year, making it a top-tier credit card in the travel category.
HDFC Infinia Metal Credit Card – Ultimate Luxury Travel Card
The HDFC Infinia Metal Credit Card. This is also an excellent travel credit card. It comes with higher fees, a joining fee of ₹12,500 and an annual fee of ₹12,500, but offers a one-year Club Marriott membership and benefits at certain ITC hotels in return.
Regarding airport lounge access, it provides unlimited free access globally, covering both domestic and international lounges. You get unlimited international airport lounge access. Best Credit Cards, Golf lessons are also free and unlimited throughout the year.
So, while the fee is on the higher side, ₹12,500, you can easily recover the cost. You get a Club Marriott membership and certain benefits at ITC hotels (though I won’t go into the details of those here). Best Credit Cards, Apart from that, there is unlimited airport lounge access and unlimited golf lessons.
SmartBuy Cashback on Flights, Hotels & Shopping
Regarding cashback, HDFC Bank has a platform called ‘SmartBuy.’ If you book hotels, flights, buses, or trains through this SmartBuy platform, you get an instant 33.33% cashback.
Additionally, if you use the SmartBuy platform to shop on Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Myntra, Tata CLiQ, or Blinkit, you receive 16.5% cashback. Best Credit Cards, So, these two credit cards, the HSBC Travel One and the HDFC Infinia Metal Credit Card, are the best options.
Best Lifetime-Free Credit Cards in India
The lifetime-free credit cards.
Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card – Best Lifetime-Free Cashback Card
The ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card has remained the best in this category. It is a lifetime-free card with no joining or annual fees. In return, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you get 5% cashback; if you aren’t a Prime member, you get 3% cashback on any online spending.
Additionally, if you spend using the Amazon Pay feature, you get 2% cashback, and for offline spending, you get 1% cashback.
Given that it is a lifetime-free credit card offering such excellent features, no other card in this category can compete with it. You get the point? Best Credit Cards, Amazon Pay is one of the best lifetime-free credit cards available.
Amazon Pay Cashback Rules & Hidden Benefits
It’s actually a great feature. Look, it offers 2% cashback on Amazon Pay transactions, right? You can book flights and hotels directly through the Amazon Pay app.
So, since the booking happens on the app and it offers 2% cashback there, you might expect 2% on flight and hotel bookings too.
However, there is an exception here: instead of the standard 2%, you get 5% cashback if you are an Amazon Prime member (or 3% if you aren’t). That is an extra benefit for booking flights and hotels.
BoB Eterna Credit Card – Lifetime-Free Travel Card
Next up is the BoB Eterna credit card. Although its standard joining and annual fees are ₹2,499, it has been available as a lifetime-free card for quite some time. It is an excellent card for travel. Best Credit Cards, If you can get it for free and fly occasionally for leisure, the Eterna card is a great choice.
Why? Because it’s currently lifetime-free and offers great features. Best Credit Cards, It doesn’t offer the high cashback rates seen on cards like the HDFC Infinia (which offers around 33% value back), but that’s fair after all, it is lifetime-free, whereas the HDFC Infinia charges an annual fee of ₹12,500. So, this is a lifetime free credit card.
It offers benefits on online shopping, travel-related expenses such as hotel and flight bookings, and dining (like restaurant reservations). It also covers forex payments (though let’s skip the complex details of that for now).
Travel, Dining & Forex Cashback Benefits
Essentially, if you spend online or book travel, flights, hotels, or dining, you get 3.75% cashback, which is excellent. There is a monthly cashback cap of ₹1,250.
Additionally, it offers a one-year FitPro membership, giving you access to numerous gyms across India. Normally, Best Credit Cards, this membership costs ₹48,000 a year, but with this card, you can work out at any of the affiliated gyms nationwide, making it a fantastic card.
Regarding the 3.75% cashback on forex transactions: when you make a payment in dollars or another foreign currency while in India, a forex markup fee applies.
While some cards charge 2% or 2.5%, this one charges 2% but offers 3.75% cashback on forex spends. Best Credit Cards, So, the net benefit is 1.75% cashback after accounting for the 2% forex markup fee.
Federal Bank Scapia Credit Card – Best LTF Travel Card
There is the Federal Bank’s KPI credit card; it is lifetime-free and an excellent card, especially in the travel category, arguably the best among lifetime-free options.
It offers 2% cashback on all spending, whether online or offline. The second one offers 4% cashback on hotel, flight, bus, and train bookings made via the Scapia app. Best Credit Cards, Additionally, you get unlimited access to domestic airport lounges.
The condition is that you must have spent ₹20,000 using this credit card in the previous month; it also comes with 0% forex markup fees, making it a great option to consider if you are looking for a lifetime-free credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Which is the best credit card in India for cashback?
The Best Credit Cards depends on your spending pattern. SBI Cashback is ideal for regular online spends, while Axis Cashback suits higher monthly spending.
2. Which credit card is best for travel rewards and lounge access?
For frequent travelers, cards like HSBC Travel One and HDFC Infinia Metal offer high reward value, airport lounge access, and premium travel benefits Best Credit Cards.
3. What is the best lifetime-free credit card in India?
The Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card is considered the best lifetime-free option, offering strong cashback on Amazon, online spends, and zero annual fees.
4. Which credit card gives the highest savings on fuel?
The RBL Xtra IndianOil Credit Card offers one of the highest fuel savings, while SBI BPCL Octane provides balanced fuel and everyday spending benefits.
5. How do I choose the right credit card for my needs?
Choose a Best Credit Cards based on where you spend the most online shopping, travel, fuel, or utilities and compare fees, cashback limits, and reward caps.
TATA Neu Credit Card Benefits & Charges
TATA Neu credit card offers 10% cashback on Tata brands, lounge access, UPI rewards & ₹1,499 bonus. Is it worth applying?
Is Axis Select Credit Card Worth It?
Thinking of Axis Select Credit Card? Check benefits, welcome bonus, lounge access, rewards, movie offers, charges, and fee waiver.