It’s a Saturday morning in Pune. You’re balancing a cappuccino in one hand and a freshly tapped smartwatch in the other, wondering whether that tiny beep at the POS terminal just earned you five per cent back, a free lounge visit, or absolutely nothing. 2025 may be India’s golden age of digital payments, but picking the right credit card still feels like blindfolded gully cricket. Swipe wrong, and you lose money you didn’t even know was on the table; swipe right, and that Goa weekend or MacBook upgrade more or less pays for itself.
I spent the last two months pretending to be everyone from a gig‑economy coder in Bengaluru to a frequent‑flier consultant in Mumbai, running ₹12 lakh of simulated transactions through more than thirty Indian credit cards. The point wasn’t academic. I wanted the same thing you do: one—or maybe two—cards that maximise rewards with the least brain‑fog. Seven stood out. Let’s dive in.
1. Cashback SBI Card — Five‑per‑cent without the fine print
Why it wins
Flat 5 % cashback on every online purchase, with no rotating categories or brand exclusions, and 1 % on everything else. The annual fee is ₹999, waived if you spent ₹2 lakh the previous year. Right now SBI has a “zero joining fee till 30 September 2025” offer, making the first year virtually risk‑free.
Real‑life maths
Order groceries on Blinkit, buy a guitar on Amazon, recharge Jio Fiber—every ₹1 lakh of online spend nets ₹5,000 back. I funnelled my home EMI’s life‑insurance premium through Amazon Pay and earned ₹900 in one shot. Even after the fee, I was ₹4,000 ahead by month nine.
Watch out for
No cashback on rent‑payment apps anymore, and lounge visits are capped at four a year.
2. Axis Ace Credit Card — Utility bills finally pay you back
Why it wins
Axis partnered with Google Pay, so your boring electricity, water, gas, DTH, and mobile recharges earn 5 % cashback when you pay through the GPay app. Food deliveries on Swiggy, Zomato, and rides on Ola clock 4 %, while everything else pulls a dependable 1.5 %. Four domestic lounge visits per year sweeten the pot, all for a ₹499 fee (waived after ₹2 lakh annual spend).
Pro move
Put every monthly bill and Google Play subscription on Ace, auto‑pay them, and treat the cashback as a “hidden discount” on your internet cost. I saved ₹3,600 last year doing nothing fancy.
Watch out for
The 5 % + 4 % categories together are capped at ₹500 cashback per statement cycle—fine for most households, not for someone trying to pay a ₹1 lakh BESCOM deposit.
3. Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card — Lifetime‑free, friction‑free
Why it wins
Zero joining fee, zero annual fee forever, and no expiry on the cashback balance. Amazon Prime members get 5 % back on Amazon purchases; non‑Prime still pocket 3 %. Amazon Pay spends at 100+ partner merchants fetch 2 %, and everything else yields 1 %. Rewards convert rupee‑for‑rupee at checkout—no mental arithmetic required.
Pro move
Use it as your backup card: keep Prime subscriptions, Kindle ebooks, and Uber auto‑recharges on autopilot. It won’t beat Ace or SBI on utility or broad online spend, but the “forever free” tag protects your credit history with no carrying cost.
Watch out for
No lounge access, no fuel waiver, and—oddly—the card still ships on a Visa Signature platform, so fewer premium tie‑ups than Mastercard World.
4. HDFC Millennia Credit Card — The all‑rounder for salary‑day warriors
Why it wins
One per cent base cashback on everything, but 5X reward points (effectively 5 % value) on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, and Uber—exactly where urban 20‑somethings splurge anyway. Joining fee is ₹1,000 and is waived if you spend ₹1 lakh in a year; renewal fee waived at ₹1 lakh too.
Lifestyle fit
If you draw a ₹60–75 k salary and aren’t yet flying enough to justify a premium lounge card, Millennia’s mix of e‑com rewards and contactless convenience is hard to beat. Plus, HDFC’s SmartBuy portal still sneaks in 10 % flash cashbacks every few months.
Watch out for
The reward rate drops to 1 % on non‑partner spend, so bigger offline purchases might be better on Ace or IDFC.
5. IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit Card — Low‑forex darling with lifetime‑free luxe
Why it wins
Lifetime‑free (yes, even in year two), a skim‑low 1.5 % forex markup, unlimited 1× airport lounge visits when you clock ₹5,000 on the card in the previous month, and 3X reward points on UPI spends—rare in a world where most banks still block credit cards on UPI rails.
Real‑life win
A week in Bangkok meant ₹1.2 lakh on hotels and dining; had I used a 3.5 % markup card I’d have bled ₹4,200 in charges. Wealth saved me ₹2,400 immediately and tossed in two complimentary Thai‑lounge visits.
Watch out for
The points catalogue is decent (Amazon vouchers, statement credit) but not as rich as HDFC’s. And the bank’s customer‑service app still feels beta compared with SBI Card’s polished interface.
6. Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card — Still the best way into business class
Why it wins
Pay the ₹10,000 fee once and you get a complimentary Vistara business‑class ticket and automatic Club Vistara Gold status. Earn six CV Points per ₹200 spent and unlock more business‑class vouchers at milestones. Lounge, golf, and dining perks round it out.
2025 watch‑outs
The Air India‑Vistara merger means benefits are shifting after 18 April 2025. Existing cardholders keep lounge and golf benefits, but upgrade vouchers may disappear. Read the revised T&Cs before you splash the fee.
Who should apply
Anyone whose employer reimburses the fee, freelancers billing ₹10 lakh+ a year, or couples who value a flat‑bed flight to Europe instead of a cramped economy hop.
7. AU Zenith+ Credit Card — Domestic luxury without HNI paperwork
Why it wins
AU Small Finance Bank shook up premium cards with eight domestic lounge visits a quarter, a low 1.99 % forex markup, and quarterly Taj Experiences vouchers—all at a ₹4,999 fee (waived above ₹8 lakh spend). It fills the gap between mid‑tier and ultra‑premium without asking for ₹60 lakh income proof.
Neat perk
“Every third weekend” hotel flash sale: 40 % off on Trident properties when you book via the AU app. Saved me ₹6,800 on a Jaipur staycation.
Watch out for
AU’s branch network is still small, so walk‑in support is limited outside metros.
How to choose your best card in 2025
- Map spending, not aspiration. If 70 % of your life is Swiggy, Myntra, and rent, a travel‑miles card is wasted mojo.
- Count total cost of ownership. A ₹4,999 fee sounds steep—until the card throws ₹15 k in vouchers your way.
- Mind RBI’s new TDS rule (Sec 194‑BA). If your cashback crosses ₹20,000 in a year and you haven’t filed returns, 10 % gets withheld. File that ITR on time.
- Keep utilisation under 30 %. Your credit score thanks you, and approvals for that second premium card shoot up.
- Auto‑pay the full amount. Interest rates hover near 42 % on most cards. One missed payment can wipe out a year of rewards.
Picking the “best credit card” isn’t about which piece of plastic graces glossy magazine covers; it’s about finding the one that mirrors your daily life. For most Indians in 2025, a Cashback SBI Card + Axis Ace two‑card combo covers 90 % of interactions—online binge‑shopping, utility bills, food delivery, and fuel. Add a premium flavour like IDFC FIRST Wealth for overseas trips or Axis Vistara Infinite for business‑class dreams, and you’re done.
Remember: a credit card is a tool, not free money. Treat the statement as an interest‑free 45‑day loan, pay in full, and let the bank fund your next flight, gadget, or guilt‑free biryani. Happy swiping—and may your cashback notifications always feel like confetti.
How many credit cards is “too many”?
Two to three diversified cards strike a nice balance between reward coverage and mental bandwidth. More than five, and you risk juggling due dates or forgetting a fee hike.
Which is the best card for students or first‑jobbers?
Start with Amazon Pay ICICI (no fee, low entry bar) or the secured variant of HDFC MoneyBack. Build six months of clean history, then graduate to Millennia or Ace.
Can I pay rent by credit card in 2025?
Yes, but most issuers stopped rewarding rent due to misuse. You’ll pay a 1–2 % processing fee and earn zero points on Cashback SBI, Ace, and Millennia. Check individual T&Cs each quarter.
Do reward points expire?
SBI and HDFC points lapse after 24 months of inactivity; Axis and IDFC last longer. Set a calendar reminder every six months to burn them on vouchers or statement credit.
