CreditSmart reviews Indian credit cards by reading each card’s fees, reward rate, caps, exclusions and lounge rules from the issuer’s own terms, then working out what the card actually returns on a normal month’s spending. Filter below by bank or fee tier, or use the six-question card finder for a personal shortlist.
🆕 Newly Launched (2026)
The latest credit cards to hit the Indian market in 2026 — freshly reviewed. From FD-backed credit builders to premium travel cards and India’s first LED-enabled card.
Mid-Tier Cards (₹1,500–₹4,000 fee)
The sweet spot for most professionals — strong reward rates and lounge access without the super-premium fee.
Cashback & Lifetime-Free Cards
Zero or low annual fee with strong cashback or universal rewards. Ideal as a primary card for everyday spend or as a no-risk first card.
Travel & Lounge-Focused Cards
Cards built around airline miles, lounge access, hotel partnerships, or zero-forex markup. Best for users with significant travel spend.
Fuel Cards
Co-branded fuel cards with accelerated rewards at specific oil-marketing companies. Best for car owners with regular fuel spend at a particular brand.
Bank card guides: jump to our full guide for each issuer — best cards, how to choose, fees and eligibility.
All Card Reviews
Every credit card we've reviewed — organised by issuer and by tier. All data is sourced directly from each bank’s official page and refreshed as issuers update their terms.
HDFC Bank
33 cards reviewed
ICICI Bank
20 cards reviewed
SBI Card
25 cards reviewed
Axis Bank
29 cards reviewed
IndusInd Bank
10 cards reviewed
Kotak Mahindra Bank
16 cards reviewed
Yes Bank
10 cards reviewed
IDFC FIRST Bank
15 cards reviewed
American Express
7 cards reviewed
Standard Chartered
5 cards reviewed
RBL Bank
10 cards reviewed
Federal Bank
5 cards reviewed
AU Small Finance Bank
7 cards reviewed
Bank of Baroda
9 cards reviewed
HSBC
4 cards reviewed
Punjab National Bank
2 cards reviewed
Fintech
7 cards reviewed
How to read our card reviews
Effective reward rate beats the headline rate. A card advertising "10X points" can return less than a flat 1.5% card once you value the points at their real redemption rate and apply monthly caps. Each review converts rewards into rupees so you can compare like with like.
Check the exclusions. Rent, fuel, wallet loads, government payments, insurance and education often earn reduced or no rewards, and many issuers now charge about 1% + GST on rent payments. If a big share of your spending falls into these categories, the card's headline rate matters less than its exclusion list.
Lounge access is now spend-linked at many banks. Several issuers unlock complimentary lounge visits only after a minimum spend in the previous month or quarter, so a card's lounge benefit is only "free" if you hit that threshold anyway.
Discontinued cards stay listed. When a bank stops issuing a card we keep the review for existing cardholders, marked clearly, so you can still check fees, renewal terms and upgrade options.
Start with a shortlist
- Best credit cards in India 2026 — our overall picks
- Best cashback cards
- Best travel cards
- Best lifetime-free cards
- Best first credit card
- Best premium cards
- Best fuel cards
- Best shopping cards
- Best dining cards
- Best zero-forex cards
- Best RuPay cards for UPI
Browse by bank
HDFC Bank · Axis Bank · ICICI Bank · SBI Card · Kotak · IDFC FIRST · AU Bank · RBL Bank · IndusInd · YES Bank
Before you apply
- What CIBIL score you need
- Annual fee break-even — when a paid card beats a free one
- Reward devaluation tracker
- Latest credit card rule changes
- Head-to-head comparisons