Top 10 best credit cards in India

 A credit card is a financial instrument supplied by banks with a pre-set credit limit that allows you to conduct cashless transactions.

1.Axis Ace Credit Card

In conjunction with Google Pay, Axis Bank has launched the Axis ACE Credit Card, a new entry-level credit card that operates on the Visa (Signature) network.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Five per cent cashback on bill payments (including electricity, internet, and gas), DTH, and mobile recharge made with Google Pay.
• Cashback of 4% on Swiggy, Ola, and Zomato.
• Lounge Access: Each year, four complimentary lounge visits are provided.
• The 5% category with no maximum cap is quite generous, and the 2% cashback on all other purchases is incredible for an entry-level credit card.
• Regarding lounge access, keep in mind that entry-level cards provide access to a limited number of lounges. Still, premium/super-premium cards provide access to nearly all lounges in the country.
• What are the joining and renewal fees?
• Time Is Running Out Offer: There is no joining fee for applications received before December 31, 2020.
• A straightforward credit card offers 2% cash back on all normal purchases. Regarding the reward rate, this HOT choice of 2021 outperforms several premium cards and maintains its position in 2022.

2.Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Only a few months after Amazon partnered with ICICI Bank to introduce the Amazon Pay credit card, Flipkart and Axis Bank launched their co-branded card, the Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card, in July 2019.

However, Axis Bank issued the card as a Visa variant following the RBI prohibition. The Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card has a lot of welcome incentives, and you can use them to pay down the card's annual fee in the first year. Except for a few nice perks, it doesn't differ much from the Axis Bank ACE Card.

 Joining Fee: 500 plus GST of 18%

Annual Fee: 500 plus GST of 18% (There is no yearly fee for spending INR 200,000)

 Welcome benefits:

20% off at Phy Life up to INR 500.

At Plum Goodness, you can save up to Rs. 500.

3.HDFC Millennia Credit Card 

 On October 1, 2021, the HDFC Millennia Credit Card was relaunched. New functions have been included to simplify use and give the card a new look. The upgraded features we discussed in our assessment will be on the cards issued afterwards. The bank has collaborated with some of the most well-known businesses on the market to offer 5% cash back on every transaction.

Fee for Joining: INR 1,000 plus taxes

INR 1,000 plus taxes per year

Upon paying the annual fee, the cardholder will receive 1000 Cashpoints as a welcome benefit.

The 1000 Cashpoint welcome bonus is worthless if no annual fee is paid. It may occur if the user makes INR 1 lakh purchases in the card's first year of use.  If you're new to credit cards, there's no reason to pass up the HDFC Millennia credit card. That applies regardless of which another card you receive. Following the recent upgrade, you can now access HDFC merchant offers, decent rewards, and fewer confusing terms and conditions. It is beneficial to establish a relationship with the bank to have access to premium and super-premium HDFC Credit cards eventually.

4. Bank of Baroda Eterna Credit Card:

 As a welcome present, it includes a free FitPass Pro membership and 10,000 additional reward points. The bank's top-tier product, the Eterna card, comes with a slew of perks, including unlimited complimentary domestic lounge access, complimentary golf sessions/lessons, air accident insurance coverage of Rs. 1 lakh, and a slew of other premium features.

All online purchases, as well as all travel, eating, and movie purchases, earn you 15 reward points / Rs. 100.

details:

The foreign currency markup cost of 2% is also lower than that of most other cards.

Within 60 days after card issuance, spend Rs. 50,000 and earn 10,000 reward points.

Spend Rs. 5,00,000 in a year and get 20,000 bonus reward points.

Every Rs. One hundred spent on online shopping, dining, movie tickets, and travel, earn you 15 reward points.

All other categories earn 3 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent.

The BOB's reward redemption platform can redeem rewards points for cash back or other spending categories.

The joining charge is eliminated if you spend Rs. 25,000 within the first 60 days.

The following year's membership fee is waived if you spend Rs. 2.5 lakh the previous year.

5.ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card:

The ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card is the bank's most premium offering and competes directly with HDFC's Infinia credit card. ICICI's card is aimed toward HNIs (High Net-Worth Individuals) who frequently travel for work and do not want to sacrifice their lifestyle.

The ICICI Bank Emerald Credit Card provides exclusive benefits such as a 24-hour concierge service (which assists with hotel/restaurant reservations, car rentals, and flight bookings), and personal air accident insurance coverage of Rs. 3 crore, and so on.

The ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card has a unique feature in that it allows you to choose between two membership plans: the monthly plan, which requires a monthly charge of Rs. 1,000, and the annual plan requires an annual fee of Rs. 12,000.

Details:

On your birthday, you will receive an Rs. 5,000 Tata CliQ coupons good for purchases at www.tatacliq.com (applicable for AmEx variant only)

Free golf round/lesson with every Rs. 50,000 spend on the card in the preceding month (up to a maximum of four rounds/lessons per month).

There is a nominal foreign currency markup of 1.5 per cent on cash withdrawals and a reduced interest rate of 1.99 per cent.

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card Eligibility: 

Because this is a premium credit card, there are tight eligibility requirements. In addition, the applicant should have a very solid credit history with no history of payment problems. 

6.SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card:

SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card is SBI Card's entry-level shopping credit card. It is a popular SBI credit card in the entry-level market, particularly among first-time cardholders. The card is ideal for online shopping because it offers a high reward rate of 2.5 per cent at some of the most prominent online shopping/travel websites, such as Apollo24x7, Amazon, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Netmeds, Dineout, and Lenskart. Other online and offline spending earns a nice reward rate of 1.25 per cent on other online spending and 0.25 per cent on all offline spending.

Simply click SBI Card, an entry-level option with an annual membership cost of just Rs. 499, which does not include any value-added travel/dining/movie features that most lifestyle and premium credit cards do. However, you can receive gift cards worth up to Rs by meeting the needed purchase threshold. 4,000 every year. Continue reading to learn more about the SBI Simply CLICK Credit Card.

Details:

As a welcome bonus, you will receive an Rs. 500 Amazon gift voucher.

ClearTrip e-voucher worth Rs 2,000 on annual purchases of Rs 1,000,000 and Rs 2,000,000, respectively.

10X Reward Points on online purchases at partner merchants such as Amazon, BookMyShow, Apollo24x7, and others.

1 Reward Point for Rs. One hundred spent offline, except gasoline.

7.American Express SmartEarn Credit Card:

The American Express SmartEarn credit card earns Reward Points. With this card, you earn 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 spent on all retail purchases (with a few exceptions), as well as accelerated Membership Rewards Points on Amazon, Uber (10X rate) and many other online merchants such as Paytm, Swiggy, and others (5X rate). It is a good card for novices, at least in terms of American Express cards. Suppose you spend more than Rs. Forty thousand in a year will waive the annual membership cost.

Details:

Cashback of made Ten thousand qualified purchases within 90 days of card issuance.

10X Membership Rewards Points acceleration on Amazon, Flipkart, and Uber.

Every Rs. Fifty on Swiggy, PVR Cinemas, BookMyShow, Paytm Wallet, Myntra, Big Bazaar, Grofers, and many other partner retailers earn you 5 Membership Rewards Points.

 transactions of up to Rs. 5,000, the fuel price is removed at HPCL stations. A 1% fuel surcharge is applied to transactions over Rs. 5,000.

8.HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card:

The HDFC Bank Regalia credit card offers a variety of travel and luxury benefits. This card welcomes you with 2,500 bonus Reward Points for an annual fee of Rs 2,500. To uphold its promise of luxury and travel privileges, the HDFC Regalia Card offers Complimentary Airport Lounge Access within India and abroad. Every Rs. 150 spent with the card earns you 4 Reward Points, which may redeem against various categories with a value of up to Rs. 0.5 per point.

Furthermore, the card has a very low foreign currency markup, making it an excellent alternative for international transactions. The card has excellent dining privileges, concierge services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and much more.

Details:

• A welcome bonus of 2,500 Reward Points is available.
• Every Rs. 150 spent earns you 4 Reward Points.
• Spend Rs. 8 lakh in an anniversary year to earn 15,000 additional Reward Points.
• Dineout Passport membership is free.
• Priority Pass membership is free.
• Outside of India, there are six complimentary airport lounge access points and twelve within India.
• International transaction fees are as little as 2%.
• Renewal charge waived if spending more than 3 lakhs in the preceding year.
• Travel insurance benefits in the event of an air accident valued up to Rs. 1 crore.

9. Induslnd Bank Pinnacle World Credit Card

The IndusInd Bank Pinnacle World Credit Card is a premium card that offers many exclusive benefits in various categories. With a registration fee of Rs. 13,000, the card welcomes you with the option of selecting a gift voucher from some renowned brands, such as Oberoi hotels, BATA, Vero Moda, Luxe gift card, and so on. You can earn up to 2.5 Reward Points for every Rs. 100 spent with the card, which translates to a 2.5 per cent savings on your purchases. When you order your movie tickets via BookMyShow, you can take advantage of the 'Buy 1 Get 1 Free' promotion and receive up to three complimentary tickets per month. Regarding travel privileges, you get free access to domestic and international airport lounges and a free Priority Pass membership.

Details:

• As a welcome present, receive amazing gift vouchers from recognised brands.
• Every Rs. One hundred spent earns you up to 2.5 Reward Points.
• BookMyShow is now running a Buy 1 Get 1 Free promotion on movie tickets.
• Priority Pass membership is free.
• Access to local and international airport lounges is complimentary.
• Every year, you will receive four complimentary rounds of golf.
• A 25-lakh-rupee air accident insurance policy.
• Waiver of the 1% fuel surcharge

Card Eligibility Criteria:

The following are the eligibility criteria that applicants must meet to be authorised for the IndusInd Pinnacle World Credit Card:

• The applicant's age should be between 18 and 65 years old.
• Applicants must earn a minimum of Rs. 10 lakh per year.
• Applicants should have a good credit score.

10. Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card:

In September 2017, Standard Chartered released the Ultimate credit card. It is the bank's most expensive offering. It should be the card of choice for High-Net-Worth Individuals who desire to live an excellent lifestyle without sacrificing their extravagant wants. Previously, the card was available in the Visa Infinite variation and the MasterCard World variant; however, the former has since been discontinued. Because it is a premium card, Standard Chartered provides its users with several exclusive privileges such as 24-hour concierge service, Dream folks membership, golf services and so on.

Standard Chartered has also fixed the foreign currency exchange rate at 2% (rather than the typical 3.5%) and offers 5% cashback on duty-free purchases at airports to meet the international travel needs of its premium customers. Because it is a Reward Points-based credit card, you will receive 5 Reward Points for every Rs. 150 spent, which can redeem for shopping vouchers or charity donations through the Standard Chartered 360° rewards programme.

Details:

• Six thousand reward points as a welcome bonus.
• Every Rs. 150 spent with the card earns you 5 reward points.
• A 2% foreign currency markup is applied.
• Duty-free purchases at airports earn a 5% reward.
• When the card membership is renewed each year, you will receive 5,000 reward points.
• HDFC EGRO General Insurance provides Rs. 1 crore in air accident insurance.
• Golflan Technology Solutions Pvt. Lt, provides golf benefits.

Benefits of credit cards:

They are accepted as a payment form at any establishment providing goods or services. Credit cards can be used to purchase food, clothing and accessories, movie tickets, internet shopping, home appliances, pay utility and mobile bills, and many other things.

Credit cards provide numerous advantages, some of which are listed here.

1. Purchase on credit:

The credit limit granted to the customer makes a credit card appealing. You can buy everything you want within that limit and pay later. Even if you buy expensive products on credit, your monthly budget will not be affected.

2. The most commonly used mode of payment:

With this card, you can travel anywhere without carrying much cash. You can use a credit card to pay for anything because it is the most widely recognized means of payment.

3. Cash withdrawals with no interest:

A few credit cards allow you to withdraw money up to a particular amount in an emergency, with no interest paid for 45 to 50 days. It is useful in times of financial hardship.

4. Reward points are unlimited:

When you use these cards, you will earn reward points

5. Insurance protection:

One of the key perks of credit cards that makes them appealing is that you get personal accident coverage and complete travel insurance coverage.

6. Make travel simple:

Credit cards play a significant role in travel. Regarding IDFC FIRST Bank credit cards, they provide a one-of-a-kind experience by providing complimentary lounge access at Indian airports and train stations and priority check-in.

7. Provides security:

You don't need to carry much cash if you have a credit card.

8. Keep a record of your expenses:

Netbanking statements allow you to keep track of your expenses and organise your repayments without delay. There are still additional advantages to using credit cards.