20 Best Credit Cards in India (2024)

In today’s digital world, credit cards have become an inseparable part of our financial toolkit. From effortless online shopping to swanky restaurant meals, they offer a world of convenience and, if used wisely, some fantastic rewards! But with a plethora of credit cards vying for your attention in India, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

This blog explores the best credit cards in India for 2024, categorized based on your spending habits:

Cashback Champions: Maximize your savings with cards that reward you with real cash on every purchase.
Travel Trove: Earn air miles, lounge access, and travel insurance for the jetsetter in you.
Foodie Fanatic: Indulge your inner gourmand with cards offering exclusive dining discounts and rewards.
Rewarding Rewards: Get rewarded for everything you buy – groceries, fuel, and utility bills – with these all-rounder cards.
Student Starter Kits: Build your credit score the smart way with student-friendly credit cards.

But before we dive in, here are some key factors to consider when choosing a credit card:

Annual Fees: Some cards offer premium benefits but come with annual fees. Evaluate if the rewards outweigh the cost.
Interest Rates: Credit cards accrue interest on unpaid balances. Choose a card with a competitive APR (Annual Percentage Rate) if you plan to carry a balance.
Reward Structure: Understand how rewards are earned and redeemed. Cashback might be simpler, while miles or points might offer travel enthusiasts greater flexibility.
Credit Score: Different cards have varying eligibility criteria based on your credit score. Check your credit score for FREE and check the score eligibility requirements before applying.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff – the best credit cards in India (2024)!

Cashback Champions:

illustrative image of credit cards that withdraw coins with 'Cashback' text written over it

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card: 5% Unlimited Cashback on Flipkart, Flat 4% Cashback on Uber, Swiggy, PVR, Curefit, Tata Play, and more. 15% cashback up to Rs. 500 on your first transaction on Myntra. 4 times Complimentary access to the lounges of domestic airports. Get Rs. 1100 welcome benefits.
SBI Cashback Credit Card: 5% Cashback on online spends. 1% Cashback on offline spends. Four free domestic airport lounge visits annually. 1% fuel surcharge waiver at petrol pumps. Accepted in 24 million+ global outlets. Easy Bill Pay’ for convenient utility bill payments.
HDFC Bank Millennia Card: 5% Cashback on Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato. 1% cashback on all other spends (except Fuel) including EMI & Wallet transactions. Rs 1000 worth gift vouchers on spends of Rs 1,00,000 and above in each calendar quarter. Upto 20% discount on partner restaurants via Swiggy Dineout
Axis Bank Ace Credit Card: 5% Cashback on utility bill payments and recharge through Google Pay + 4% Cashback on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola (Capped Upto Rs 500 Per Statement). 1.5% Cashback* on all other spends. 1% Fuel surcharge waiver*. 4 complimentary airport lounge access*. Up to 15% off at partner restaurants.
Citi Cashback Credit Card: 5% Cash back^ on telephone & utility bill payments, and movie ticket purchases. 0.5% Cash back^ on all other spends. Cashback is auto credited to statement in multiples of Rs. 500. Your unredeemed cashback is
evergreen, and never expires. Get benefits worth Rs. 3,600 in first year.
HSBC Cashback Credit Card: 10% cashback on all dining, food delivery and grocery + 1.5% cashback on other spends (Capped Upto Rs 1000 Per Statement). 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits per year (1 per quarter). Apply for a credit card online and verify yourself by video to get an Amazon e-gift voucher worth INR250. Make transactions of at least INR10,000 within the first 30 days of card issuance to get Amazon vouchers (worth INR1,000).
American Express SmartEarn Credit Card: Enjoy a complimentary Zomato Gold 3-month membership. Get rewarded for your spends with 10X and 5X Membership Rewards® Points respectively at select merchant partners. Get a cashback of Rs. 500 on eligible spends of Rs. 10,000 in the first 90 days of Card membership. Earn Amazon vouchers worth Rs. 1,500. Get vouchers of Rs. 500 each upon reaching the spend milestones of Rs. 1.20 lacs, Rs. 1.80 lacs, and Rs. 2.40 lacs respectively in a Cardmembership year.

Travel Trove:

illustrative image of travel credit cards where flight and bus is shown along with the sea and tree view

HDFC IRCTC Credit Card: Earn 5 Reward Points for every INR 100 spent on IRCTC ticketing booking. Earn 1 Reward Point for every INR 100 spent on all other spends*. Get Additional 5% cashback on train ticket bookings via HDFC Bank SmartBuy. 8 complimentary access to select IRCTC Executive Lounge every year [2 per quarter]. Get Rs.500/- Worth of gift voucher on quarterly spends of RS.30,000/-
IRCTC SBI Platinum Card: Get 350 activation bonus Reward Points. Buy tickets through irctc.co.in & IRCTC Mobile App for AC Coach and earn up to 10% Value Back as Reward Points. Get 1 Reward point for every Rs. 125 spent on non-fuel retail purchases. Save 1% transaction charges on railway ticket booking. Book your airline tickets with IRCTC at unbeatable prices. Enjoy 4 complimentary railway lounge access in a year to participating lounges in India (Max 1 per quarter). Enjoy freedom from paying the 1% fuel surcharge across all petrol pumps in India, on transactions of Rs. 500 – Rs. 3,000, exclusive of GST and other charges.
Club Vistara IDFC First Credit Card: Club Vistara Silver Membership, 1 complimentary Premium, Economy Ticket Voucher, 1 One Class Upgrade Voucher, 3 months complimentary, EazyDiner Prime membership. Earn up to 6 CV Points on all purchases. Earn up to 6 CV Points on all purchases. Get trip cancellation cover up to ₹ 10,000 on flight and hotel booking (2 claims annually).

Foodie Fanatic:

Illustrative image of credit cards related to food. A food tray behind the credit card is shown.

IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card: Enjoy 12 months EazyDiner Prime membership worth INR 2,495. Enjoy GUARANTEED 25% up to 50% OFF at over 2000+ premium restaurants & bars. Unlock more Prime-exclusive benefits like 3X EazyPoints and redeem them for FREE luxury hotel stays & FREE meals. 2000 welcome bonus EazyPoints. The Postcard Hotel stay voucher worth INR 5,000. 2 complimentary domestic visits every calendar quarter at airport lounges in India. Get 2 complimentary movie tickets worth INR 200 each every month on bookmyshow.com. Enjoy 1% fuel surcharge waiver* across all fuel stations in India
HDFC Swiggy Credit Card: 10% Cashback on Swiggy application (Food ordering, Instamart, Dineout & Genie). 5% Cashback on online spends across online MCCs. 1% Cashback on other categories. Complimentary Swiggy One Membership for 3 months on card activation. Cardholder is eligible for welcome benefit on card activation.

Rewarding Rewards:

image with rupee coins along with the credit card image hints about rewards

Axis Bank Neo Credit Card: Get 40% off on food delivery at Zomato. Use code “AXISNEO” to avail instant discount. Get 10%* off on movies, groceries and online shopping at exclusive partners. Minimum 15% off on dining at partner restaurants. 5% Off on Utility Bill payments via Amazon pay.- once per month.
Other Amazing Offers –
Get 1 Edge reward point on every Rs 200 spent ( 1 RP = Rs 0.20)
Upto 15% Off at partner restaurants under Dinning Delights program via EazyDiner
Get zero lost card liability waivers on fraudulent transactions and Credit Card loss, upon prompt reporting
Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Card: Get 5x reward points for every INR 150 spent at fine-dining outlets. Get 5x reward points for every INR 150 spent on fuel. Get 1x reward points for every INR 150 spent on other categories.
UNI Card: Earn 1% assured cashback on your spends. Get 5X more value than cashback at the Uni Store. Enjoy round the clock Whatsapp support. And it’s lifetime free; no joining fee, no annual charges.
Standard Chartered Rewards Card: Earn 4X rewards on all retail spends* +additional 4X rewards*on monthly retail spends* above INR 20,000. Enjoy No Joining Fee*. Get complimentaryLounge access*1 per calendar quarter.
Tata Neu HDFC Credit Card: 2% back as NeuCoins on Non-EMI Spends on Tata Neu and partner Tata Brands. 1% back as NeuCoins on Non-Tata Brand Spends and any Merchant EMI Spends. 1% back as NeuCoins on UPI spends (including spends on partner Tata Brands) – maximum of 500 NeuCoins per calendar month. Earn additional 5% back as NeuCoins on selected categories on Tata Neu App/Website, post downloading Tata Neu App and registering for Tata NeuPass. 4 Complimentary Domestic Lounge Access per calendar year (1 in a quarter). Rs 2 (VISA / RuPay) will be charged to the Credit Card for the Lounge Access. 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India (on minimum transaction of Rs 400 & maximum transaction of Rs 5,000. Maximum waiver of Rs 250 per statement cycle)

Student Starter Kits:

Cartoon image of a boy and a girl holding books and other side a glimpse of demo credit card.

HDFC Bank ISIC Student ForexPlus Card: A Complimentary globally recognised ISIC Identity Card. The HDFC Bank ISIC Student forex card is not only a forex card but also an internationally recognised Student identity card. The ISIC card has been endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1968. The card is recognised by universities, academic institutions, student unions, national governments, financial institutions and ministries of education around the world. ISIC cardholders gains preferential and discounted access to over 150,000 products, services and experiences in over 130 countries relevant to all aspects of student life. There are a multitude of offers available to ISIC cardholders, from educational courses, software licenses, digital communications, public transport and magazine subscriptions, to music streaming, cafés and eateries, music festivals, theme parks, sporting events, world heritage sites and more!
IDFC First Wow Student Credit Card: You don’t require any income proof or credit history. And the minimum age criteria to apply for this credit card is 18 years. With features like No Forex conversion fee , 4X Reward Points on spends and ATM cash withdrawal limit of 100% of the FD value, it’s a must-have credit card for getting a headstart in your credit journey which will be very helpful for your future financial well-being.

Remember, the “best” credit card is subjective and depends on your individual needs and spending habits. Carefully consider your spending patterns and prioritize the features that matter most to you.

Bonus Tip 1: Always make sure to apply the credit cards from RealCash.in or their Apps. They provide Extra Cashback for applying the credit cards from their portals.

Bonus Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to leverage online credit card comparison tools to find the card that perfectly matches your financial goals!