While these features may not be as extensive as for regular cards and the welcome benefits may be less, approval for a free card is easier because revenue And CIBIL Score The requirements are not very high. Such cards are best for first-time users or those looking to complement their primary Credit Card, go through Distinguished Award And the discounts they offer and choose the one that matches your spending style. Apart from these free cards, there are some very good cards with low joining fees (
), others that waive the annual fee if you exceed a certain spending limit (), those that are by invitation only (), or those that are free for a limited period (the bank). We haven’t included these in our list, but you can consider them if they suit your needs.
first money
IDFC First offers four free cards, but we have selected the top two, Best Offers, Reward Points for Lifestyle Spending, Travel Benefits and Insurance,
Rate of interest
0.75-3.5% per month
Insurance
- Air accident cover of Rs 1 crore.
- Personal accident cover of Rs 10 lakh and lost card liability cover of Rs 50,000.
- Comprehensive travel insurance cover of $1,200.
welcome benefit
- 500 welcome voucher for spending Rs 15,000 or more within 90 days of card generation.
- 5% cashback (up to Rs.1,000) on the transaction value of the first EMI within 90 days of card generation.
prize points
- 1 reward point per Rs.100 spent / 1 reward point = Rs.0.25
- Incremental spend of over Rs 30,000 per month plus 10X reward points on your birthday.
- 6X and 3X reward points on online and offline spend up to Rs.30,000 per month.
other features
Buy one, get an offer of up to Rs.250 on movie tickets on the mobile app (twice per month).
- 300+ merchant offers.
- Up to 20% off at 1,500+ restaurants.
- Up to 15% off at 3,000+ health & wellness outlets.
- 4 complimentary domestic and international airport lounges, spa per quarter.
- 2 complimentary golf rounds per month.
- Complimentary roadside assistance worth Rs 1,399.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver up to Rs.400/month at all fuel stations across India.
IDFC 1st Selection
Like the Wealth, the Select Card is also packed with features, which are similar to the former, but less so. It still offers great value for money.
Rate of interest
0.75-3.5% per month
welcome benefit
- 500 welcome voucher for spending Rs 15,000 or more within 90 days of card generation.
- 5% cashback (up to Rs.1,000) on the transaction value of the first EMI within 90 days of card generation.
Reward Points Other Features
- 1 reward point per Rs.100 spent / 1 reward point = Rs.0.25
- Incremental spends above Rs 25,000 per month plus 10X reward points on spends made on your birthday.
- 6X and 3X reward points on online and offline purchases, respectively, on spending up to Rs 25,000 per month.
other features
Buy one, get one on movie tickets up to Rs.250 off at Paytm.
- Up to 20% off at 1,500+ restaurants
- Upto 15% Off On 3,000+ Health & Wellness Outlets
- 4 Complimentary domestic airport and railway lounge visits a quarter.
- Complimentary roadside assistance worth Rs 1,399
- 1% off on fuel surcharge up to Rs.300/month at all fuel stations.
Insurance
- Air accident cover of Rs 1 crore.
- Personal accident cover of Rs 5 lakh and lost card liability cover of Rs 50,000.
- Comprehensive travel insurance of Rs 22,500.
HSBC Visa Platinum
The card offers great discounts on spending, has good reward benefits and travel features.
Rate of interest
3.3% per month
Insurance
- Zero liability for lost card.
- Rs 3 lakh cover for misuse of the card up to 24 hours prior to reporting.
welcome benefit
- Amazon and Swiggy Vouchers.
- 3 airport lounge access or 3 meal-vouchers in domestic and international lounges (airport restaurants in India).
- 10% cashback up to Rs 2,000 on spending of Rs 10,000 within 60 days of card issuance.
prize points
- 2 reward points on Rs.150 spent.
- 5X rewards after spending Rs 4 lakh in an anniversary year with a maximum of 15,000 accelerated reward points.
other features
- Air miles conversion on InterMiles, British Airways and Singapore Airlines.
- Fuel surcharge savings of up to Rs.3,000.
- The lost card can be canceled and an emergency card can be issued in 3 days.
- Emergency Cash at over 22,000 outlets worldwide.
- 15% off on select products.
- Buy free one-on-one movie tickets up to Rs.250 off.
Kotak 811
It has a good rewards program and joining benefits apart from rail surcharge waiver and card liability cover.
Rate of interest
3.5% per month
Insurance
- The DreamDifferent Shield card offers a cover of Rs 50,000 against fraudulent use up to 7 days prior to reporting the theft.
welcome benefit
- 500 bonus reward points for spending Rs.5,000 in the first 45 days.
prize points
- 2 reward points for every Rs 100 spent online.
- 1 reward point for every Rs.100 spent on other expenses.
other features
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on expenditure of Rs.500-3,000 across all petrol pumps.
- Surcharge waiver of 1.8% for transactions at .co.in and 2.5% for Indian Railway booking counters up to a maximum of Rs 500 per annum.
- Cash withdrawal up to 90% of the total credit limit. No interest for 48 days on cash advance.
- Rs 750 cashback or 4 PVR tickets on annual spend of Rs 75,000.
amazon pay
This is a good card for online spending, especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member.
Rate of interest
3.5-3.8% per month
Insurance
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welcome benefit
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prize points
- 1 reward point = Rs.1
- The reward earnings can be used to buy over 100 million products on www.amazon.in and from over 100 Amazon Pay partner merchants.
other features
- 15% off at over 2,500 restaurants across India through its Culinary Treats program.
- 1% fuel surcharge waived off at all petrol pumps.
- 5% cashback on Amazon spends for Amazon Prime members.
- 3% cashback on Amazon for non-Prime members.
- 2% cashback at 100+ Amazon Pay partner merchants.
- 1% cashback on all other expenses.
ICICI Bank Platinum Chip
Though not packed with features like some of the other cards on this list, it still offers decent reward points and discounts.
Rate of interest
3.4% per month
welcome benefit
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Insurance
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welcome benefit
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prize points
- 2 reward points for every Rs.100 spent on all retail purchases except fuel.
- 1 reward point for every Rs 100 spent on utilities and insurance categories.
other features
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver at pumps (maximum Rs.4,000).
- 15% off 2,500 restaurants in 12 cities with its Culinary Treats program
Chieftain
You can get this card on a fixed deposit of Rs 15,000 or more without any income proof.
Rate of interest
3.25% per month
welcome benefit
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prize points
Earn 4 reward points (equivalent to 1 on redemption) for every Rs.100 spent.
Insurance
- Zero liability on any fraudulent transaction if the card is reported lost immediately.
- Free personal accidental death cover.
other features
- 1% cashback on all spends.
- 1% fuel surcharge waived for all fuel transactions between Rs 400-5,000 (maximum discount of Rs 250 per month).
- Purchases above Rs 2,500 can be converted into EMI of 6/36 months.
- 3 lifetime free add-on cards for spouse, parent, sibling or children (above 18 years).
- 50 days interest free credit from the date of any purchase.
Aspire Platinum
The card has some decent spending offers and discounts, and the interest rate is a bit low, but it doesn’t offer any insurance.
welcome benefit
- 500 Delight Points on first use within 30 days or 300 Delight Points on use between 31 and 90 days from the date of issue.
Rate of interest
2.9% per month
Reward Points Other Features
- 2 Delight Points for every Rs 150 spent on travel, shopping, food, movies etc.
other features
- Interest free credit up to 48 days.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on expenditure of Rs.400-4,000 at all fuel stations.
- Discounts on airport shopping, hotels, car rentals and more.
- Travel Concierge Services by Visa.
Insurance
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Choose (Burgundy)
To be eligible for this type, you must have a Burgundy savings account with a net monthly salary credit of ₹3 lakh. If you do this, you can get a lot of benefits for free.
welcome benefit
2,000 Amazon voucher on the first card transaction, which has to be done within 90 days of card issuance.
prize points
- 10 Axis Edge Reward Points on every spend of Rs.200.
- 2X Reward Points for every Rs 200 spent on retail purchases.
other features
- 20% off up to Rs.500 per month on minimum purchase of Rs.2,000 at BigBasket.
- Up to Rs.200 off up to 40% off on Swiggy.
- Rs.300 off on second ticket at BookMyShow.
- There are 6 international lounges a year with Priority Pass membership.
- 5,000 edge points on spending Rs 3 lakh in the anniversary year.
- 6 complimentary golf rounds a year.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on expenditure of Rs.400-4,000.
- 20% off at partner restaurants.
Insurance
- Air accident cover up to Rs 2.5 crore.
- Purchase protection up to Rs 1 lakh.
- $500 cover for lost documents, lost checked-in baggage, and delays.
Rate of interest
3.6% per month
platinum
While it doesn’t offer joining benefits or rewards program, the cashback and travel insurance offers are great.
Rate of interest
3% per month
Insurance
- Accidental death and PTD cover up to Rs 10 lakh.
- Purchase protection of Rs 10 lakh.
- Air accident insurance (death) of Rs 35 lakh.
- Loss of goods Rs. up to 25,000.
- $500 for loss of travel documents.
- Missing flight due to $300 transshipment.
- $300 for a delay of more than 12 hours in receipt of checked baggage (international).
- $250 for flight (international) delay of more than 12 hours.
welcome benefit
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prize points
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other features
- 5% cashback on supermarket and departmental store purchases.
- Offers on luxury goods, food, golf and travel.
- Online concierge facility.
- Global customer support for emergencies.