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Credit cards compared

Fees, reward rates, caps, lounge access and forex markup for 18 popular cards from SBI Card, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, all checked on the banks' own websites in October 2026. Pick the kind of card you want, or read how to choose one first.

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Compare cards by what you spend on

Cashback cards

Cashback credited to your bill, with the caps and exclusions that decide what you really get.

6 cards compared →

Online shopping cards

Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Tata brands and Swiggy: the card that pays most where you shop.

6 cards compared →

Fuel cards

IndianOil, BPCL and HPCL cards: 4% to 6.25% back at the pump, and the monthly caps.

5 cards compared →

Travel and lounge cards

Lounge visits, miles and forex markup, from zero-forex free cards to premium travel cards.

6 cards compared →

Lifetime free cards

No joining or annual fee, ever, and what each still pays back.

5 cards compared →

Cards for beginners

First cards, including FD-backed cards that need no income proof or credit history.

5 cards compared →

Fees: what you pay and how to avoid it

Cards charge a joining fee and an annual fee from the second year, both plus 18% GST. Most fee-paying cards waive the next year's fee once you spend a set amount in a year: ₹50,000 on IndianOil HDFC, ₹1 lakh on HDFC Millennia and BPCL SBI, ₹2 lakh on Cashback SBI Card, ₹4 lakh on Regalia Gold. A fee is worth paying only if the extra rewards beat it; otherwise a lifetime free card leaves you better off.

Working out what a card really pays

Convert everything to rupees. Points are worth what the bank pays for them: HDFC's Millennia points are ₹1 each against the bill, IDFC FIRST points ₹0.25, BPCL SBI points ₹0.25 of fuel (4 points = ₹1). Then apply the caps. Take Cashback SBI Card with ₹8,000 online and ₹7,000 offline in a month: 5% and 1% give ₹470, or ₹5,640 a year. ₹1.8 lakh a year does not reach the ₹2 lakh waiver, so the ₹999 fee plus GST comes off, leaving ₹4,461.

The fuel surcharge waiver

Petrol pumps add about 1% when you pay by card. Most cards refund it on transactions in a band such as ₹400 to ₹4,000, up to a monthly limit (₹250 a statement on HDFC Millennia, ₹100 a month on the BPCL SBI cards). Fuel cards add rewards of 4% to 6.25% on top at their partner company's pumps. See the fuel card comparison and today's petrol price.

Airport lounge access

Lounge visits used to come free with many cards. Now most banks unlock them by spending: Regalia Gold gives 3 domestic visits a quarter after ₹60,000 of spends in the previous quarter, Tata Neu Infinity 2 a quarter on ₹50,000, and ICICI's HPCL Super Saver 1 a quarter on ₹75,000. Check the condition before you count on a lounge.

Forex markup on foreign spends

Spending in a foreign currency usually costs a 3.5% markup plus 18% GST on it. Regalia Gold charges 2%, Amazon Pay ICICI 1.99%, and IDFC FIRST cards nothing. Spending abroad on an international credit card is not a remittance under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, so no TCS is collected on it. Compare the rate you were charged with the day's reference rate.

Your rights under RBI's card rules

  • A bank must close your card within seven working days of your request, once dues are paid, or pay you ₹500 a day for the delay.
  • You can change your card's billing cycle at least once.
  • No card can be issued or upgraded without your explicit consent; a bank that bills you for an unsolicited card must reverse the charges and pay a penalty of twice their value.
  • A card unused for more than a year can be closed by the bank after it tells you.

How we compared these cards

Every fee, reward rate and cap here was read on the issuing bank's own website on 6 October 2026; each card links to the page we checked. Where a figure could not be confirmed on the bank's site, the card is left out. Points are converted to rupees at the value the bank itself states, and the "value a month" and "net a year" columns apply each card's caps to the spending described above the table. Surcharge waivers, welcome vouchers and milestone gifts are left out of those columns.

SmartFigure earns nothing from these cards. There are no affiliate links and no paid placements, and the order comes only from the arithmetic. This is not a recommendation: banks revise card terms often, so read the current terms on the bank's site before you apply.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right credit card?

Start from where you spend most: one store, one fuel company, travel or a spread of everything. Then check the caps on that category, whether your yearly spending clears the fee waiver, and the forex markup if you travel. The best card on paper is worthless if its partner merchants are not the ones you use.

How many credit cards should I have?

One or two is enough for most people: a no-fee card for everyday use and, if your spending justifies it, a second card for your biggest category. More cards mean more due dates to track.

What is a good reward rate on a credit card?

On everyday spends, 1% back in cash or cash-equivalent value is typical of the cards we compare; 5% or more is usually limited to partner merchants and capped. Always convert points to rupees at the value you will actually redeem them for.

Does the annual fee include GST?

No. Fees are quoted before 18% GST, so a ₹500 fee costs ₹590 and a ₹2,500 fee costs ₹2,950.

How long does a bank take to close my credit card?

RBI’s card directions require a bank to close a card within seven working days of your request, once all dues are paid. If it does not, it must pay you ₹500 for every day of delay.

Does SmartFigure earn money from these cards?

No. We have no affiliate links or paid placements, and every figure comes from the issuing bank’s own website, with the date we checked it.

Sources

Last checked on 6 October 2026. Not a recommendation. Card terms change often; read the current terms on the bank's website before applying. SmartFigure earns nothing from any card.