Looking for the best credit card in India which can give you maximum benefits in 2021? Or just evaluating your current credit card portfolio and trying to optimize it? Look no further as you have landed upon the correct article.
I have extensively analyzed 100+ credit cards available in India as of today and compiled the list of 15 best credit cards for 2021. While you review this list, keep in mind that there is no one perfect card suitable for all needs. The spending pattern, income range, willingness to pay annual fees etc. varies from person to person and play a vital role in the selection of a credit card. Now without any further delay, let’s look at the credit cards which made it to the list for 2021.
- Best Lifestyle Credit Cards
- Best Premium Credit Cards
- Best Super Premium Credit Cards
- FAQs
- Bottomline
Best Lifestyle Credit Cards
Lifestyle cards are general purpose cards suitable for almost all types of spends e.g. dining, shopping, bill payments etc. These cards are approved easily and have low income range criteria.
1. Axis Bank ACE Credit Card
5% cashback on bill payments
5% cashback on BigBasket & Grofers
4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato & Ola
2% cashbak on others
4 annual complimentary domestic airport lounge access
Not lifetime free
No joining or renewal benefits
Axis Bank ACE Credit Card was launched by Axis Bank in association with Google Pay in October 2020. This credit card surprised us not only by providing an accelerated reward rate on bill payments, but also by a higher default reward rate with no capping.
Axis Bank ACE Credit Card provides 5% cashback on bill payments using Google Pay and 2% cashback on all other spends. The cashback automatically gets credited directly to the card statement saving the card members from the hassle of redeeming them. This credit card also provides 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge access annually which is cherry on the top.
- Joining fee: Rs. 499 + GST, reversed upon spending Rs. 10,000 within 45 days of card setup
- Renewal fee: Rs. 499 + GST, waived off on annual spends greater than Rs. 2 Lakhs
- Reward Rate:
- 5% cashback on bill payments via Google Pay
- 4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola
- 2% cashback on all other merchants
- 4 complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge access per year at Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad & Kolkata
2. Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card
Rs. 500 Flipkart voucher as welcome benefit
5% cashback on Flipkart, Myntra & 2GUD
4% cashback on Preferred Partners (MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Uber, PVR, Curefit and UrbanClap)
1.5% cashbak on others
4 annual complimentary domestic airport lounge access
Not lifetime free
Clunky application process
Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card is a lifestyle co-branded credit card which provides accelerated cashback on Flipkart, Myntra and preferred partners. The main highlight of this card is the default cashback rate of 1.5% with no capping which directly gets credited to the card account in the next billing cycle. Another notable feature is complimentary domestic airport lounge access which is uncommon in this category.
- Joining fee: Rs. 500 + GST, Flipkart voucher worth Rs. 500 provided
- Renewal fee: Rs. 500 + GST, waived off on annual spends greater than Rs. 2 Lakhs
- Reward Rate:
- 5% cashback on Flipkart, Myntra and 2GUD
- 4% cashback on Preferred Partners (MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Uber, PVR and Curefit)
- 1.5% cashback on all other merchants
- 4 complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge access per year using Mastercard India Lounge Program
3. American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card
Welcome and renewal benefits
Bonus monthly reward points
Reward rate as high as 12%
Attractive merchant offers
Best in class customer support
No airport lounge access
Acceptance is not good
American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card is an entry level card from Amex with low joining and renewal fees unlike other cards. Though acceptance of Amex is increasing day by day in India, it’s still not as good as Visa/MasterCard. The best thing about Amex is their world class customer service and when you talk to them, they make you feel really special. 18 Karat and 24 Karat Gold collection and monthly bonus rewards pushes the overall reward rate to 12% which is quite awesome. Also Amex recently restructured rewards on this card which enables card members to earn even more bonus reward points.
- Joining Fee: Nil if applied via referral link, Rs. 1,000 + GST otherwise
- Renewal Fee: Amex generally waives off the charges if your spend on the card is substantial.
- Via referral: Nil if total spends greater than Rs. 1,50,000, Rs. 750 + GST if total spends greater than Rs. 90,000, Rs. 1,500 otherwise
- Regular: Nil if total spends greater than Rs. 1,50,000, Rs. 2,250 + GST if total spends greater than Rs. 90,000, Rs. 4,500 otherwise
- Reward Rate:
- 0.5% if points are converted to statement credit
- 1,000 bonus points for using Card 4 times on transactions of Rs. 1,500 and above every month
- 1,000 bonus points on spending more than Rs. 20,000 in a month
- 18 Karat Gold Collection: 18,000 points can be redeemed for statement credit worth Rs. 6,000, Amazon Gift Card worth Rs. 7,000, Amex Domestic Travel Voucher worth Rs. 7,000 or Taj Voucher worth Rs. 9,000.
- 24 Karat Gold Collection: 24,000 points can be redeemed for statement credit worth Rs. 9,000, Tanishq voucher worth Rs. 10,000 or Taj Voucher worth Rs. 14,000
- Apply here
4. IDFC First Bank Millennia Credit Card
Lifetime free card
1.5% reward rate on online spends
2.5% reward rate on spends above Rs. 20,000 in a month
4 complimentary Railway lounge visits every quarter
Low APR of 9%
Invite only as of now
No rewards on fuel, EMI & insurance premium payments
IDFC First Bank has entered the credit card market recently with four variants and IDFC First Bank Millennia Credit Card is first among them. The best thing about this card is that it’s life time free. This card provides a 1.5% reward rate on online spends and 0.75% reward rate on offline spends. Also all spends above Rs. 20,000 in a month earn a reward rate of 2.5% which is quite impressive. However this card is invitation only for existing customers of IDFC First Bank. It’s anticipated that IDFC First Bank will open the application process for everyone after the first quarter of this year.
- Joining Fee: Nil
- Renewal Fee: Nil
- Reward Rate: 0.75% (normal spends) - 2.5% (on spends above Rs. 20,000 in a month)
- No capping on reward points and non-expiring reward points
- Railway Lounge Access: 4 complimentary railway lounge access per quarter
- Low APR of 9%
5. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card
No joining/annual fee
5% cashback on Amazon for Prime members
3% cashback on Amazon for Non Prime members
2% cashback on paying through Amazon Pay
1% cashbak on others
No airport lounge access
Amazon Prime Membership required for maximum benefit
Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card gives 5% cashback on Amazon if you’re a prime member which is a sweet deal if you spend a lot on Amazon. Recently Amazon has extended invitation for this credit card to majority of Amazon India customers.
- Joining Fee: Nil
- Renewal Fee: Life time free
- Reward Rate:
- 5% for Amazon Prime customers and 3% for others on Amazon
- 2% on paying through Amazon Pay
- 1% on other spends
- Rewards are credited as Amazon Pay cashback each month after statement generation
Best Premium Credit Cards
Premium cards are one notch above lifestyle cards. These cards not only have a higher reward rate, but they provide additional benefits like concierge services, dedicated support line, domestic and international lounge access etc.
1. HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card
Annual Memberships of Zomato Pro, Amazon Prime, MMT DoubleBlack, Times Prime & BB Star
1.3% default reward rate
5% reward rate using HDFC SmartBuy portal
10X rewards using Diners Club 10X program
Domestic and International airport lounge access for primary and add-on card members
Golf privileges, Insurance & 24/7 Concierge Services
No renewal benefits
Acceptance is not that great, especially international
HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card packs multiple benefits which makes it best premium credit card. This card introduces the benefit of annual memberships of Zomato Pro, Amazon Prime, MMT DoubleBlack, Times Prime & BB Star. This card also provides monthly benefit of vouchers worth Rs. 500 on meeting the spend target of Rs. 40,000 which pushes the overall reward rate to 2.55%.
- Joining fee: Rs. 2,500 + GST
- Renewal fee: Rs. 2,500 + GST, waived off if spend in previous year is more than Rs. 3 Lakhs.
- Annual Memberships of Zomato Pro, Amazon Prime, MMT DoubleBlack, Times Prime & BB Star on spending Rs. 5 Lakhs in previous year
- Reward Rate:
- 4 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.3% reward rate
- 2X rewards on weekend dining capped to 500 RP per day, 2.6% reward rate
- 10X rewards on Lakme Salon, cure.fit, Dermalogica, Ola & NNNOW.com capped to 10,000 RP per month, 13% reward rate
- Cashback on Smartbuy portal capped to Rs. 2,000 per month
- 5% on Flights, Hotels, Bus, Instant Vouchers, Amazon and Rail
- 1% on Flipkart and Compare & Shop
- Monthly Benefits: Ola Select membership or cure.fit Live or BookMyShow or TataCLIQ voucher worth Rs. 500 on achieving a monthly spend of Rs. 40,000
- Lounge Access: 12 complimentary airport lounge access to 1000+ Lounges in India and worldwide for primary and add-on card members
- 2 complimentary Golf games (Green fee waiver) per quarter around 18 golf courses in India and 144 golf courses around the world
- Lower foreign currency markup of 1.99%
2. HDFC Regalia Credit Card
1.3% default reward rate
5% reward rate using HDFC SmartBuy portal
Complimentary Dineout Passport Membership
Milestone benefits
Domestic and International airport lounge access for primary and add-on card members
Insurance and 24/7 Concierge Services
Restriction on reward point redemption for flights & hotels
HDFC Regalia is the most popular credit card from HDFC Bank. It comes with a host of benefits like lower foreign currency markup, Priority Pass membership etc. The milestone benefits on this card are added perks which pushes the reward rate even higher. You need to have a monthly income more than Rs. 70,000 to get this card.
- Joining Fee: Rs 2,500 + GST, generally free
- Renewal Fee: Rs 2,500 + GST, usually waived off
- Reward Rate: 4 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.3% reward rate
- Cashback on Smartbuy portal
- 5% on Flights, Hotels, Bus, Instant Vouchers, Amazon and Rail
- 1% on Flipkart and Compare & Shop
- Lounge Access:
- International: 6 international airport lounge access per year using Priority Pass (including add-on card member)
- Domestic: 12 domestic airport lounge access per year using Visa/MasterCard Lounge program
- Milestone Benefits:
- 10,000 Reward Points on annual spends of Rs. 5 Lakhs
- Additional 5,000 Reward Points on achieving annual spends of Rs. 8 Lakhs
- Lower foreign currency markup of 2%
- Other benefits: Dineout Passport Membership, Travel concierge, insurance cover etc.
3. Indusind Iconia Credit Card (Amex)
No renewal fees
2X rewards on weekends
Complimentary domestic lounge access
Rewards can be redeemed for statement cash
Golf privileges
Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow
Attractive merchant offers from Amex
High joining fees
If you spend a lot on weekends, this is the card for you. It provides accelerated rewards during weekends which you can redeem for statement credit. This card also gives you access to access to domestic airport lounges. Even after reduction in reward rate on insurance and utility bill payments, Indusind Iconia Credit Card (Amex) emerges as a strong contender in its segment mainly due to ability of redeeming reward points as statement credit.
- Joining Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST, welcome vouchers of equivalent amount provided
- Renewal Fee: Nil
- Reward Rate:
- 1.5% on weekdays
- 2% on weekends
- 0.7% on Utility Bill Payments, Insurance Premium Payments, Government Services/Charges/Payments & Education Institute Fees
- Lounge Access: 2 domestic airport lounge access per quarter using American Express Lounge Program
- Other benefits: Golf, Travel Concierge, Automobile Assistance, Insurance Cover, Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow etc.
4. American Express Platinum Travel Card
Welcome benefit of 10,000 rewards points worth Rs. 3,000
15,000 reward points worth Rs. 4,500 on annual spend of Rs. 1.90 Lakhs
25,000 reward points worth Rs. 7,500 on annual spend of Rs. 4 Lakhs
Taj Experiences Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 on annual spend of Rs. 4 Lakhs
4 complimentary domestic airport lounge access in a year
Acceptance is not that great
High joining and renewal fees
American Express Platinum Travel Card is one of the best travel credit cards at the moment and is suitable for frequent travelers. The handsome reward rate coupled with awesome customer support makes this card really desirable. However acceptance of Amex cards in India is still not great and many merchants don’t accept it due to relatively higher MDR charges.
- Joining Fee: Nil if applied via referral link, Rs. 3,500 + GST otherwise
- Welcome benefit of 10,000 rewards points worth Rs. 3,000
- Renewal Fee: Rs 5,000 + GST
- Reward Rate: 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 spent, 0.50% reward rate if points are converted to statement credit
- Milestone Benefits:
- 15,000 reward points worth Rs. 4,500 on annual spend of Rs. 1.90 Lakhs
- 25,000 reward points worth Rs. 7,500 on annual spend of Rs. 4 Lakhs
- Taj Experiences Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 on annual spend of Rs. 4 Lakhs
- Lounge Access: 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge access in a year
- Apply here
5. Bank of Baroda Eterna Credit Card
3.75% reward rate on travel, dining & online shopping
0.75% default reward rate
Milestone benefits: 10,000 RP on Rs. 50,000, 20,000 RP on Rs. 5 Lakhs
Unlimited domestic airport lounge access for primary card members
But 1 Get 1 movie ticket on Paytm
No international airport lounge access
Customer care is not that great
Bank of Baroda launched Eterna Credit Card recently targeting the premium credit card segment. Bank of Baroda Eterna Credit Card features a reward rate of 3.75% on travel, dining & online shopping which is amazing. Unlimited domestic airport lounge access and golf privileges are some other notable features of this card. Though the card looks really attractive on paper, the only caveat is customer care. Previously I used to hold Bank of Baroda Premier Credit Card and I had very bad experience with their customer and hence I closed the card. If you can deal with a sub-par customer care, this card is worth giving a consideration.
- Joining fee: Rs. 2,499 + GST, waived off on spending Rs. 25,000 within 60 days of card issuance
- Renewal fee: Rs. 2,499 + GST, waived off if spend in previous year is more than Rs. 2.5 Lakhs.
- Reward Rate:
- 3.75% on travel, dining & online shopping, up to 5,000 reward points per month
- 0.75% on all other spends
- Unlimited domestic airport lounge access for primary card members
- But 1 Get 1 movie ticket on Paytm
- Golf Privileges using Mastercard World Card India Golf Program
- Lower forex markup of 2%
Best Super Premium Credit Cards
Super Premium cards are not only hard to get but also require really high relationship value with issuing banks along with flawless credit history. These cards come with higher credit limits, best reward rate, unlimited lounge access, golf privileges, exclusive memberships, insurance cover and some other unique perks.
1. HDFC Infinia Credit Card
Up to 33% reward rate
2X rewards on dining, 6.6% reward rate
Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access
Lower foreign currency markup of 2%
Golf privileges, Concierge Services, Insurance coverage
Priority Customer Service
No annual memberships
No monthly milestone benefits
HDFC Infinia Credit Card is for the elitist and is an invite only card. This card comes with a unique No Pre-set spending limit feature and best reward rate of 3.3% on all spends. This card has claimed #1 position this year from HDFC Diners Black Credit Card due to higher cap on monthly rewards using HDFC Smartbuy 10X program.
- Joining Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST, reward points of equivalent value are credited
- Renewal Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST, waived off on spending Rs. 8,00,000 in a year
- Reward Rate:
- 3.3% (normal spends) - 33% (using HDFC SmartBuy 10X program, capped to 15,000 reward points per month)
- 2X reward points on dining, 6.6% reward rate
- Lounge Access:
- International: Unlimited international lounge access using Priority Pass (add-on card members can avail by producing their Priority Pass)
- Domestic: Unlimited domestic access via Priority Pass, 4 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter through Infinia Visa/Mastercard Card Lounge program
- Lower foreign currency markup of 2%
- Other benefits: Personal concierge service, Golf Programme, Club Marriott Membership, Priority Customer Service etc.
2. HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card
Up to 33% reward rate
Complimentary annual memberships
Monthly milestone benefits: vouchers worth Rs. 1,000
Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access
Lower foreign currency markup of 1.99%
Golf privileges, Concierge Services, Insurance coverage
No renewal benefits
Acceptance is not that great
HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card with it’s 10X reward points is certainly one of the best credit cards in India at this point of time. Even without 10X reward points, it has a reward rate of 3.3% on all spends which is quite good. The additional benefits to this card makes it even more desirable. The monthly milestone benefits pushes the reward rate to 4.55% on monthly spends of Rs. 80,000 which is quite awesome.
- Joining Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST
- Renewal Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST, waived off on spending Rs. 5 Lakhs in a year
- Reward Rate:
- 3.3% (normal spends) - 33% (using HDFC SmartBuy 10X program, capped to 7,500 reward points per month)
- 2X reward points on weekend dining capped to 1,000 reward points, 6.6% reward rate
- Complimentary annual memberships: Club Marriott, Forbes Digital subscription, Zomato Pro, Amazon Prime, MakeMyTrip Double Black, Times Prime on spending Rs. 8 Lakhs in previous year
- Monthly Benefits: Vouchers worth Rs. 1,000 on achieving a monthly spend of Rs. 80,000
- Lounge Access: Unlimited airport lounge access to 1000+ lounges in India and worldwide for primary as well as add-on card members
- Lower foreign currency markup of 1.99%
- Other benefits: Exclusive 24/7 Concierge Services, Golf Program, Insurance Cover etc.
3. Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card
3.3% of default reward rate
Domestic and International airport lounge access
Golf privileges
1.5% cashbak on international transactions
Concierge services, Travel & Air Accident insurance cover
No unlimited airport lounge access
Limited reward redemption options
Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card is the elitist offering from Standard Chartered. Though the default reward rate of 3.3% is certainly attractive, lately the reward redemption options have become limited. Amazon vouchers keep on disappearing from their reward catalog and other options are not so great. To get this card, you should have an annual income of more than Rs. 24 Lakhs or if you have an existing SC credit card then the limit should be more than Rs. 5 Lakhs. Additionally you can get this card on the basis of your existing card if the free limit on the existing card is more than Rs. 4.5 Lakhs.
- Joining Fee: Rs. 5,000 + GST
- Renewal Fee: Rs. 5,000 + GST
- Welcome Bonus: 6,000 reward points, worth ~ Rs. 6,000
- Renewal Benefit: 5,000 reward points, worth ~ Rs. 5,000
- Reward Rate: 3.3%, can be redeemed for gift vouchers of Amazon, Flipkart, Lifestyle, Big Bazaar, MakeMyTrip, BookMyShow etc. (depending upon availability on their reward redemption website)
- Lounge Access:
- International: 1 free per month using Priority Pass if card spend in the last month exceeds Rs. 20,000
- Domestic: 4 per quarter through Visa/Mastercard Card Lounge program
- Cashback of 5% at duty free store limited to Rs. 1,000 per month
- Other benefits: Golf, Concierge services, Travel & Air Accident insurance cover etc.
4. Citi Prestige Credit Card
4th night complimentary at participating hotels, twice per annum
2X rewards on international transactions
Unlimited domestic & international airport lounge access for primary & add-on members
Golf privileges
Taj Epicure Plus Plan & InnerCircle Silver membership
Overseas Medical and Air Accident Insurance Cover etc.
High annual fees
Citi Prestige Credit Card is best for those who travel a lot. This card entitles you for airport lounge access, extra hotel nights and accelerated air miles program. However Citi has reduced the benefits on this card recently and has limited the free hotel nights to twice in a year. Also meet and greet services and free airport transfers have been withdrawn. To get this card, you need to have a very good relationship with Citi Bank and holding a Citigold/Citigold Private account will go a long way.
- Joining Fee & Renewal Fee: Rs 20,000 + GST (Free for Citigold & Citigold Private Clients), Air miles and Taj/ITC vouchers of equivalent amount are provided
- Reward Rate:
- 1% on domestic, 2% on international if redeemed for statement credit
- 4% on domestic, 8% on international if redeemed for Air Miles
- Lounge Access: Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access for both primary and add-on card members
- Stay 4 consecutive nights and get 4th night complimentary at participating hotels, twice in a year
- Other benefits: Golf Program, Taj Epicure Plus Plan & InnerCircle Silver membership, Overseas Medical and Air Accident Insurance Cover etc.
5. Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card
8 complimentary VIP Assistance Services
8 complimentary international airport lounge access (card member + guest)
Unlimited domestic lounge access
2X reward points on MakeMyTrip, Yatra & Goibibo
Buy 1 Get 1 at BookMyShow
Complimentary Dineout Plus membership
Reduced foreign currency markup of 2%
Low default reward rate
No unlimited international airport lounge access
Though the default reward rate on Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card is low, other benefits make it worthwhile. Complimentary VIP assistance services and airport lounge access to guests are some of the unique features of this card. Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMySow 5 times monthly and complimentary Dineout Plus membership is certainly a delight for movie buffs and foodies.
- Joining fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST, complimentary flight ticket up to Rs. 10,000 is provided
- Renewal fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
- Reward Points:
- 12 Axis eDGE reward points per Rs. 200 spent, 1.2% reward rate
- 2X Axis eDGE reward points on MakeMyTrip, Yatra & Goibibo, 2.4% reward rate
- 8 complimentary VIP Assistance Services
- Lounge Access:
- 8 complimentary international airport lounge access (card member + guest), 4 more on spending Rs. 7 Lakh or more using Priority Pass
- Unlimited domestic lounge access using Mastercard lounge program
- Buy 1 Get 1 up to Rs. 500 on movie, activities, events etc. at BookMyShow, limited to 5 times in a month
- Complimentary Dineout Plus membership
- Reduced foreign currency markup of 2%
FAQs
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Bottomline
It was a tough year for the credit card industry last year. Travel and outdoor dining being banned mostly due to COVID lockdowns, the spends on credit cards reduced significantly. Due to this, we not only witnessed the devaluation of some credit cards, but also reduction in launches of new credit cards. However as the situation normalizes and spends on credit cards picks up, we can expect some exciting credit card launches this year.
To reap maximum benefits, you may get multiple credit cards. However make sure you have a strategy in place to reap the maximum benefits out of them. Also don’t apply for multiple credit cards in short span of time, it may hamper your credit (CIBIL) score as lenders will see you credit hungry. Spread out the applications over a period of time to lower the impact and one application per 6 months is a good place to start.
How many credit cards from this list do you own? Do you feel any other credit card should be part of this list which I missed? Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.
