Best Credit Card Under ₹500 Annual Fee India 2026 — Free + Near-Free Cards With Actual Benefits
Last verified May 2026. Best credit cards in India 2026 with annual fee under ₹500 — including lifetime-free options that deliver real value.
The 6 best credit cards under ₹500 annual fee in 2026
1 Amazon Pay ICICI
The benchmark sub-₹500 card. Zero fee, no annual cap, instant cashback to Amazon wallet. Best for Amazon Prime households. Full review: Amazon Pay ICICI review.
2 Scapia Federal Bank
Only sub-₹500 card with zero forex markup. Best for occasional international travellers who want lifetime free. Full review: Scapia Federal Bank review.
3 IDFC FIRST WOW
Best for credit-history newcomers. ₹5,000 FD secures the card with no fee. Full review: IDFC FIRST WOW review.
4 Tata Neu Plus HDFC RuPay
Best lifetime-free RuPay card. UPI cashback + Tata brands ecosystem. Full review: Tata Neu Plus HDFC RuPay review.
5 Axis Bank ACE
Highest-value under-₹500 card if you cross ₹2L annual spend. Otherwise still recovers fee at ₹15K monthly via GPay 5%. Full review: Axis Bank ACE review.
6 SBI SimplyCLICK
Lower waiver threshold than ACE. Best for occasional online shoppers. Full review: SBI SimplyCLICK review.
Head-to-head comparison
| Card | Fee | Headline Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Pay ICICI | Nil (lifetime free) | 5% Amazon (Prime), 2% non-Prime |
| Scapia Federal Bank | Nil (lifetime free) | 0% forex + 10% Scapia bookings |
| IDFC FIRST WOW | Nil (FD-backed) | 0% forex + 3X RP |
| Tata Neu Plus HDFC RuPay | Nil (lifetime free) | 1.5% NeuCoins on Tata + UPI |
| Axis Bank ACE | ₹499 (waived ₹2L) | 5% utilities via GPay, 4% Swiggy |
| SBI SimplyCLICK | ₹499 (waived ₹1L) | 10X on Amazon/BookMyShow/Cleartrip |
Sources & references
All fees and reward rates verified against issuer official T&C pages as of May 2026. Reward programmes change frequently — confirm with the issuer before applying.
