23 Best Credit Cards in India: 2022 Edition

Best Credit Cards in India

Confused by seeing so many credit card options across all the banks? Looking for a list of the best credit cards in India in 2022 to choose from and apply for? Here is a list of the best cards for reward points, cashback, miles, lounge access, free vacations, and more.

Most of us need around 3 to 4 credit cards to maximize the rewards and benefits offered by them. I have 18+ active credit cards right now but 90% of my spending is on 4 of these cards. I use the rest only in specific cases like for great spend offers. So, while we can hold as many cards as we want the focus should be on a select few to take complete advantage of them.

LTF IndusInd Bank Credit Cards

Best Entry-Level Credit Cards

This list is for someone starting off with credit cards and looking for something simple. Entry-level credit cards are best suited for spending less than Rs 2 lakhs. The cards in this segment will:

  • Be easy to get approved for
  • Have low or zero annual fee
  • Have lower salary requirements for eligibility
  • Provide rewards such as cashback/statement credit/vouchers

1. Axis Bank Ace

Axis Bank Ace Credit Card Review
Axis Bank Ace – Best Credit Cards – India 2022 – Entry-Level

Ace comes with a 2% to 5% unlimited cash back on transactions. The only point that we need to note is that Google Pay bill payments using this card are not available on iOS yet. So, iOS users lose out on 5% cashback. Getting this card will also help in taking advantage of the Axis Bank 10% instant discount offers on Amazon/Flipkart/Myntra and others. This card is invite-only from Google Pay for now.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 499
  • Cashback Rate: 2% to 5%
  • Rewards Redemption: Statement Credit
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 2 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
  • Full Review

2. SBI SimplyCLICK

SBI-SimplyCLICK-Credit-Card Review

SBI SimplyCLICK is one of the best cards in its ‘huge’ range and offers a good value for its fee. This card is more suited for online transactions. Just like Ace, getting this card will help you in taking advantage of the 10% instant discount sales on Flipkart/Myntra/Amazon. We also get Rs 2000 worth of Cleartrip vouchers on reaching spends of Rs 1 Lakh and 2 Lakhs.

LTF IDFC First Bank Credit Cards
  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 499
  • Rewards Rate: 0.25% to 4.5%
  • Rewards Redemption Option: Amazon and Cleartrip Gift Vouchers
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 1 Lakh spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Good milestone benefits
  • Full Review

3. Standard Chartered Smart

Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card Review

Standard Chartered Smart credit is the newest launch on this list. With the limited availability of Ace, this is a good entry-level cashback credit card. There are caps on the maximum cashback but it is high enough not to hit normal spending.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 499
  • Rewards Rate: 1% to 2%
  • Rewards Redemption Option: Statement Credit
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 1.2 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Full Review

4. Amex Membership Rewards Credit Card

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card (MRCC) Review

This is an entry-level credit card that can give rewards on par with some of the premium cards. We get 1000 bonus MR points on Rs 1500 X 4 transactions and Rs 20000 spend every month. With the Gold Collection redemption, the reward rate is between 5% to 8%.

  • Annual Fee: Rs 4500
  • Rewards Rate: 1% to 8%
  • Rewards Redemption Option: Gold Collection, Transfer to Marriott Bonvoy or Airline partners
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 1.5 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Full Review

5. HDFC Bank Millennia

HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card Review

Millennia is an attractive cashback credit card from HDFC Bank. We get 5% cashback on Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra spend. All other spendings including wallets get 1% cashback. Millennia is also eligible for Smartbuy cashback up to Rs 1000 per month.

AU Bank Xcite Ace
  • Annual Fee: Rs 1000 – Mostly issued LTF with first 90 days spend condition
  • Rewards Rate: 1% to 6%
  • Rewards Redemption Option: Statement Credit
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 1 Lakh spend in a membership year
  • Full Review

6. SBI Card Cashback

SBI Cashback Credit Card Review

The latest entrant in the market makes it onto our list. With 5% cash back on any online merchant spends, this is one of the best cards for cashback credit card lovers.

  • Annual Fee: Rs 999
  • Cashback: 1% to 5%
  • Cashback Redemption Option: Statement Credit
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 2 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Full Review

Best Premium Credit Cards

This list is for cards that offer reward points along with some lifestyle benefits. These offer more value than entry-level credit cards and are suitable if annual spending is more than 4 Lakhs. The cards in the segment will:

  • We will need a higher salary eligibility criteria (preferably > Rs 6 Lakhs per annum)
  • Have a higher fee that might not have waiver criteria
  • Provide lifestyle benefits with better rewards than entry-level credit cards

7. HDFC Bank Regalia

HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card - Best Credit Cards India 2022
HDFC Bank Regalia – Best Credit Cards India 2022 – Premium

Regalia is one of the oldest cards on this list. It still holds its own against many new entrants in this list. The card is offered LTF with spend conditions for the first 90 days. While the base reward rate might seem low, HDFC Bank has Smartbuy and other spend offers to boost the return.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: LTF with spend conditions / Rs 2500
  • Rewards Rate: 1.3% to 6%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: Smartbuy Flights/Hotels, Airmiles transfer
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 3 Lakhs spend for paid cards (not applicable for LTF)
  • Notable Features: Good milestone benefits, Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
  • Full Review

8. HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege

HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege - Best Credit Cards India 2022

Diners Club Privilege is on par with Regalia above in terms of base rewards. But, we get some extra features like monthly milestone benefits and select memberships.

Diners Club acceptance is an issue in offline stores. This is something to consider when getting this card.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: LTF with spend conditions / Rs 2500
  • Rewards Rate: 1.3% to 6%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Option: Smartbuy Flights/Hotels, Airmiles transfer
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Not required for LTF, Rs 3 Lakhs spend for paid cards
  • Notable Features: Good milestone benefits, Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
  • Full Review

9. Amex Gold Charge

Amex Gold Charge - Best Credit Cards India 2022

Amex Gold charge is an exception in this list. It is not a credit card but a charge card. But, it is worth getting this card once Amex India starts issuing cards again. Get this to experience the Amex customer support and rewards.

  • Joining Fee: Rs 1000
  • Annual Fee: Rs 4500
  • Rewards Rate: 1.5% to 2.5%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: 18/24 Karat Gold Collection, Marriott Bonvoy Points Transfer
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Varies every year with different offers
  • Notable Features: Airport Lounge Access, Multiple merchant benefits

10. Axis Bank Select

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card Review - Best Credit Cards India 2022

Axis Select offers decent rewards with some very good merchant benefits. It has great offers on Swiggy, BookMyShow, and BigBasket which add up to significant savings.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 3000
  • Rewards Rate: 1.5% to 5%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: EDGE Rewards Portal
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 6 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Swiggy and BookMyShow discounts, Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
  • Full Review

11. Standard Chartered Ultimate

Standard-Chartered-Ultimate-Credit-Card

Standard Chartered Ultimate comes with a nice 3.3% reward on all transactions. There is no cap on the rewards and no exclusions like wallet loads, insurance, etc. like other cards. The annual fee is also well compensated by an equal number of reward points. All this makes the Ultimate a good card for those who want consistent no-nonsense rewards. Consider the Ultimate, a higher version of Axis Ace (without the cashback).

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 5000
  • Rewards Rate: 3.3%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: Gift Vouchers and Other Products
  • Annual Fee Waiver: None
  • Notable Features: 3.3% rewards with no cap on all transactions
  • Full Review

Best Super Premium Credit Cards

These are the cards that everyone wants but few get thanks to the stringent criteria. The super-premium credit cards can offer you every benefit that you wanted and more. For the cards in this segment:

  • The salary should be high (preferably > Rs 15 Lakhs per annum)
  • Annual spending should be close to 10 Lakhs

12. HDFC Bank Infinia

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card
HDFC Bank Infinia -Best Credit Cards India 2022 – Super Premium

The HDFC Bank Infinia is in a league of its own when it comes to super-premium credit cards. 3.3% base rewards, up to 33% Smartbuy rewards, and many other offers ensure Infinia retains its crown. We also had the recent Metal Edition launch with some good extra features. Till the much-rumored Infinia Reserve/Galaxia are launched, Infinia will continue to be the great card it is.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 12500
  • Rewards Rate: 3.3% to 33%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: Smartbuy Flights/Hotels, Airmiles Transfer
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 10 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Unlimited Airport Lounge Access for Primary and Add-on cardmembers, 1RP=Rs 1 redemption for Tanishq GV/Apple Products
  • Full Review

13. HDFC Bank Diners Club Black

HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card - Best Credit Cards India 2022

Diners Club Black is the second card from HDFC Bank in the super-premium segment. The card is on par with Infinia with some minor differences in rewards and redemption. If offline store acceptance is a non-issue and spends are less than 10 Lakhs then DCB is the card to get.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 10000
  • Rewards Rate: 3.3% to 33%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: Smartbuy Flights/Hotels, Airmiles Transfer
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 5 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Unlimited Airport Lounge Access for Primary and Add-on cardmembers, 33% Rewards on Diners Club 10X partners
  • Full Review

14. Axis Bank Magnus

Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card Review

Axis Magnus has now become the #1 choice for points and miles enthusiasts. Axis Bank recently added the option to transfer EDGE Reward Points to partner airlines and hotel loyalty programs. We have multiple transfer partners and a great transfer ratio as well. With the milestone benefit, Magnus is better than Infinia/DCB for miles and points redemption.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 10000
  • Rewards Rate: 1.2% to 17.2%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: Transfer to airmiles and hotel loyalty programs
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 15 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Notable Features: Unlimited Airport Lounge Access for Primary card, Accelerated rewards on Grab Deals and Travel Edge
  • Full Review

Best Travel/Airline Credit Cards

All the cards we covered till now are all-purpose cards for both earning and redeeming points. The redemption value depends on the option we choose – travel, gift vouchers, or cashback.

We also have travel credit cards that offer better value if the rewards are used for flights/hotels. This list has travel and airline-focused credit cards.

15. Amex Platinum Travel

Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card Review
Amex Platinum Travel -Best Credit Cards India 2022 – Travel

Milestone benefits and Taj vouchers are the highlights of the Amex Plat Travel credit card. If Taj vouchers are not useful for you, then there are other options as well. We get at least 48000 MR points every year including regular and milestone MR points. These can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy or one of the airline travel partners as AirMiles.

  • Joining Fee: Rs 3500
  • Annual Fee: Rs 5000
  • Rewards Rate: Up to 8.5%
  • Best Rewards Redemption Options: Taj Vouchers
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Varies every year
  • Notable Features: Rs 34000 worth of Taj Vouchers as rewards for spending Rs 4 Lakhs in a year
  • Full Review

16. Kotak IndiGo Ka-Ching 6E Rewards XL

Kotak IndiGo Ka-Ching 6E Rewards XL Credit Card - Best Credit Cards India 2022

The recently launched 6E Rewards XL card makes the cut in the travel credit card segment. Many of us did not opt for the HDFC Ka-Ching credit cards we already hold another HDFC Bank credit card. The 6E Rewards XL is a decent credit card if you travel by IndiGo. But Kotak Bank does not have good customer support. So, that is a big drawback.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 1500
  • Rewards Rate: 2% to 6%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: IndiGo Flight Tickets
  • Annual Fee Waiver: None
  • Full Review

Best Fuel Credit Cards

Fuel credit cards are not a good fit for most. I used to load my Paytm wallet with Amex credit cards and use them for fuel. This is restricted now with the Paytm wallet changes. If your monthly expenses on fuel are close to Rs 10000 then have a look at the SBI BPCL Credit Card Octane. For all other cases, go with any of the above cards and skip this segment.

17. BPCL SBI Credit Card Octane

BPCL SBI Credit Card OCTANE
  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 1499
  • Rewards Rate: 2.5% to 7.25%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: Fuel
  • Annual Fee Waiver: Rs 2 Lakhs spend in a membership year
  • Full Review

Best Co-Branded Credit Cards

18. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank

Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card Review

Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card is a must-have even if you shop occasionally from Amazon India. The card is Lifetime Free and offers 5% off for Prime members on every buy.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Lifetime Free (LTF)
  • Rewards Rate: 1% to 5%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: Amazon Pay Gift Voucher
  • Full Review

19. Flipkart Axis Bank

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Flipkart Axis is the equivalent of Amazon Pay ICICI for Flipkart. The card is better than the Amazon Pay ICICI card in two ways – a minimum of 1.5% cashback and statement credit for rewards.

  • Joining/Annual Fee: Rs 500
  • Rewards Rate: 1.5% to 5%
  • Rewards Redemption Options: Statement Credit
  • Full Review

Worthy Mentions

20. IndusInd Bank Legend

IndusInd Bank Legend Credit Card

The card comes with only a joining fee of either Rs 5000 or Rs 10000. This is compensated by online/offline gift vouchers as per the running offers. It offers rewards between 1% to 2.5%. I have excluded this card from the list as we have better cards that can give us similar or better rewards. Plus, IndusInd has also reduced reward points on government/utility/rental spending.

21. Axis Vistara Infinite

Axis Vistara Infinia Credit Card

This is a good card if Vistara operates on the routes that you are planning to fly on. The fee is reasonable for the benefits it offers. Take this card if you want to experience business class on domestic routes.

22. Amex Platinum Charge

Amex Platinum Charge Card

Amex Platinum charge card is a part of the super-premium segment. The card offers many lifestyle benefits, higher hotel loyalty memberships, and access to exclusive lounges. So, it is suitable for someone who plans to travel to the partner hotels to take advantage of the status. If you can extract equal benefits for these fees or are good with paying the fees, opt for this card.

With taxes, the fees come close to 71000. The first-year benefits are good for the fees. It is from the second year onwards that we need to evaluate this card. I would not count the cashback offers given by Amex in the past year as they were an exception, not a rule.

23. Bank of Baroda Eterna

Bank of Baroda Eterna Credit Card

Bank of Baroda has started issuing the Eterna on the Visa platform now. It still offers great rewards and belongs to the premium segment. The reward rate is between 0.75% to 4.75% with the highest rate on travel, dining & online shopping spending. I have excluded this card because of the non-existent/always delayed customer support. It is frustrating to deal with them.

Final Thoughts

This is the list of cards that I think are worth checking out and applying for across all banks and credit cards. The decision to get a card depends on what you intend to use the rewards for and whether the card will help you do that. So, do check the redemption options to see if you are getting a good value out of your spending. The next thing to check would be the annual fee. The card should offer a good return on spending including the annual fee (if not waived).

Hope this list helps you in getting a card that gives you a rewarding experience. 🙂

Any other card you think should be a part of this list? Do comment and let me know!

Axis Bank My Zone Credit Card LTF
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7 thoughts on “23 Best Credit Cards in India: 2022 Edition”

  1. Can u suggest me a Good Credit card. I’m earning 9LPA and using Citi IOCL card and AMEX Rewards card with 4.2L limit. My monthly usage of credit card varies from 4-8L per month in various usages mainly international purchases. Both these cards have 3.5% of Markup charges. So which card i can go for with good rewards returns and markup charges. Thanks.

    1. Card Maven

      With that kind of spend, I would suggest getting the Magnus for domestic and Reserve for international purchases.

  2. SBI Signature Card definitely need to be on this list with 23500 Milestone benefits
    – 6000 worth BookMyShow
    – 12500 worth 50000 reward points (3L – 10k, 4L – 10K, 5L – 15K, 8L – 15K)
    – 5000 Annual Fee Waiver on 10L spend

  3. Hey Card Maven, crisp, concise and an absolutely great post. Keep up the wonderful work!

  4. Hey, Axis Ace is discontinued and RM’s have no idea if it will be back. (Confirmed from RM and other folks too.)
    Request you to update the article and replace the entry with any other card.

    1. Card Maven

      Yes, a few other readers have also reported the same. It is sad to see this good card being discontinued. I will check and update with a new card. Thanks again!

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