Card vs card

Two cards side by side, with a plain answer on who should pick which.

• Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card vs Flipkart Axis Bank Credit CardAmazon Pay ICICI is lifetime free and pays 5% on Amazon.in for Prime members (3% without Prime), 2% on bills and recharges paid through Amazon Pay and 1% on other spends, with no cap. Flipkart Axis costs ₹500 a year (waived at ₹3.5 lakh of yearly spend) and pays 5% on Flipkart and Cleartrip and 7.5% on Myntra, each capped at ₹4,000 a statement quarter, 4% at Axis's preferred merchants and 1% elsewhere, but nothing on utility bills. Pick the card for the store you use most; Amazon Pay ICICI is invite-only, so you can apply only once Amazon offers it to you.
• Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card vs Axis Bank Magnus Credit CardHorizon costs ₹3,000 a year with no spend-based waiver; Magnus costs ₹12,500, waived at ₹25 lakh of yearly spend. On the rupee values Axis publishes, Horizon returns more on most spends: 2 EDGE Miles per ₹100, each worth ₹1 on Axis's travel portal (about 2%), against Magnus's 12 points per ₹200 at ₹0.20 a point (about 1.2%) on the first ₹1.5 lakh a month. Magnus earns about 3.5% on spend above ₹1.5 lakh a month and 6% on the first ₹2 lakh a month of Travel EDGE bookings, and its points are worth more as airline miles, which we don't value in rupees. Magnus also gives unlimited lounge visits and charges 2% on forex against Horizon's 3.5%; pick Horizon unless your eligible spend passes about ₹2.3 lakh a month or you travel abroad often.
• Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card vs Axis Bank Select Credit CardBoth cost ₹3,000 a year and charge 3.5% on forex, but they suit different people. Horizon is a travel card: 2 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on most spends and 5 on flights booked directly with airlines or on Axis's Travel EDGE portal, worth about 2% and 5% at Axis's ₹1 a mile, plus 6 domestic and 2 international lounge visits a quarter with no spend condition. Select earns 10 points per ₹200, about 1% at the ₹0.20 a point Axis publishes, and 2% at grocery, department and clothing stores on the first ₹20,000 a month; its lounge visits depend on spend. Horizon's 2% matches Select's best rate on every spend, as long as you use the miles on Axis's travel portal. Select's real advantage is its fee waiver at ₹8 lakh of yearly spend; Horizon's fee is charged every year.
• Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card vs Axis Bank Magnus for Burgundy Credit CardMagnus for Burgundy earns exactly what Magnus earns: about 1.2% on the first ₹1.5 lakh of spend a month, 3.5% above that and 6% on the first ₹2 lakh a month of Travel EDGE bookings, at Axis's published ₹0.20 a point. Its extra value is in miles: points move to Axis's 20 airline and hotel partners at 5 to 4 instead of 5 to 2, which we don't value in rupees, and it adds 4 airport meet-and-assist services a year. For that it charges ₹30,000 a year (waived at ₹30 lakh of spend) against ₹12,500 (waived at ₹25 lakh), and it's only for Axis Burgundy banking customers who meet the relationship rules. Pick Burgundy only if you're a Burgundy customer who moves most points to airlines.
• Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card vs Axis Bank Select Credit CardMagnus costs ₹12,500 a year and asks for ₹24 lakh of yearly income; Select costs ₹3,000 and asks for ₹6 lakh. At the ₹0.20 a point Axis publishes, Magnus returns about 1.2% on the first ₹1.5 lakh of spend a month and 3.5% above it, and about 6% on the first ₹2 lakh a month booked on Travel EDGE; Select returns about 1%, or 2% at grocery, department and clothing stores on the first ₹20,000 a month. Magnus adds unlimited lounge visits abroad, a 2% forex markup against 3.5%, and points that move to 20 airline and hotel partners. Its fee pays off only for heavy spenders: below ₹1.5 lakh a month, Magnus earns just 0.2% more than Select, about ₹3,600 a year at that limit, which doesn't cover the ₹9,500 higher fee.
• Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card vs HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal EditionBoth cost ₹12,500 a year and charge 2% on forex, but Infinia is by invitation only: you can't apply, and HDFC Bank tells customers if they qualify. On the rupee values the banks publish, Infinia returns more on everyday spends: 5 points per ₹150, about 3.3% when used for flights and hotels on HDFC SmartBuy, against Magnus's 1.2% on the first ₹1.5 lakh a month and 3.5% above it at ₹0.20 a point. Magnus's points are worth more as airline miles, which we don't value in rupees, and its Travel EDGE bookings earn about 6% on the first ₹2 lakh a month. Infinia also has the easier fee waiver (₹10 lakh of spend against ₹25 lakh) and lounge access with no spend condition; pick Magnus if you can't get an Infinia invitation or you move points to airlines.
• Axis Bank MY ZONE Credit Card vs Axis Bank Neo Credit CardMY ZONE costs ₹500 a year against Neo's ₹250, and for the extra ₹250 it earns 4 EDGE points per ₹200 against Neo's 1, adds up to 4 domestic airport lounge visits a year (each unlocked by ₹50,000 of spend in the previous 3 months) and waives the fuel surcharge up to ₹400 a statement cycle. Neo has no published lounge access or fuel waiver; its value is in discounts on Zomato, Blinkit, BookMyShow, Paytm and Cleartrip, though from 1 November 2026 the BookMyShow discount needs ₹25,000 of spend in the previous 3 months. Pick MY ZONE if you spend ₹50,000 every 3 months and will use the lounges, and Neo if you mainly want those app discounts for the lowest fee.
• Axis Bank MY ZONE Credit Card vs Flipkart Axis Bank Credit CardFlipkart Axis pays more back on shopping: 7.5% on Myntra and 5% on Flipkart and Cleartrip (each capped at ₹4,000 a statement quarter), 4% at Axis's preferred merchants and 1% on other eligible spends, against MY ZONE's 0.4% in points. Both cost ₹500 a year, but only Flipkart Axis waives it, at ₹3.5 lakh of yearly spend. Pick Flipkart Axis for cashback on shopping, and MY ZONE if you want a RuPay card for UPI, up to 4 domestic lounge visits a year and its District movie and Swiggy offers; from 1 November 2026, the District offer needs ₹25,000 of spend in the previous 3 months.
• Axis Bank MY ZONE Credit Card vs IndianOil Axis Bank Credit CardIndianOil Axis is the fuel card: 4% back at IndianOil pumps on up to ₹5,000 of fuel a month (about ₹200), 1% on online spends up to ₹5,000 a month and 0.2% elsewhere, with its ₹500 fee waived above ₹3.5 lakh of yearly spend. MY ZONE costs the same ₹500 with no published waiver and earns nothing on fuel, but pays 0.4% on most other spends and adds up to 4 domestic lounge visits a year, buy-one-get-one District movie tickets (from 1 November 2026, only after ₹25,000 of spend in the previous 3 months) and ₹120 off Swiggy. Pick IndianOil Axis if you fill up at IndianOil every month, and MY ZONE if you drive little and want lounges, movies and food delivery offers.
• Axis Bank Select Credit Card vs HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit CardThey cost about the same (₹3,000 against ₹2,500 a year), but Regalia Gold has the easier fee waiver (₹4 lakh of spend against ₹8 lakh), the lower forex markup (2% against 3.5%) and the higher everyday return: about 1.25% when its points go to flights and hotels on HDFC SmartBuy, against Select's 1% at the ₹0.20 a point Axis publishes. Regalia Gold also earns on utility and telecom bills, where Select earns nothing. Select returns more at grocery, department and clothing stores (2% on the first ₹20,000 a month) and is far easier to get: it asks for ₹6 lakh of yearly income, while Regalia Gold asks for a monthly income above ₹1.5 lakh.
• Axis Bank SUPERMONEY RuPay Credit Card vs Kiwi RuPay Credit Card (PNB)Both are lifetime free RuPay cards built for UPI. Kiwi pays a flat 1.5% on UPI scan-and-pay and 0.5% online, with monthly rewards capped at 1% of your credit limit; SUPERMONEY pays 3% on scan-and-pay through the super.money app, but only up to the cashback you earn on other spends each cycle (at least ₹100), and 1% on all other UPI and card spends with no cap. Pick Kiwi for a simple 1.5% on UPI, and SUPERMONEY if you also use the card online and for other spends, where it pays twice Kiwi's online rate and lifts its own 3% limit.
• CASHBACK SBI Card vs Flipkart Axis Bank Credit CardCASHBACK SBI pays 5% on most online spends (capped at ₹2,000 a statement cycle) and 1% offline, for ₹999 a year, reversed at ₹2 lakh of yearly spend. Flipkart Axis pays more on three sites, 7.5% on Myntra and 5% on Flipkart and Cleartrip (each capped at ₹4,000 a statement quarter), then 4% at Axis's preferred merchants and 1% elsewhere, for ₹500 a year. If most of your online spending is on those three sites, Flipkart Axis earns more for a lower fee; on most other sites, CASHBACK SBI's 5% beats Flipkart Axis's 1%.
• CASHBACK SBI Card vs HDFC Bank Millennia Credit CardCASHBACK SBI pays 5% on most online spends, up to ₹2,000 a statement cycle (₹40,000 of spend), while HDFC Millennia pays 5% only at 10 named merchants, including Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy and Zomato, up to ₹1,000 a month, and 1% on other online spends. Millennia does pay 1% on utility bills, which CASHBACK SBI excludes, and its fee is easier to clear: ₹1,000 a year waived at ₹1 lakh of yearly spend, against ₹999 reversed at ₹2 lakh. Pick CASHBACK SBI if you shop online across many sites, and HDFC Millennia if your online spending sits with its 10 merchants or you want cashback on bills.
• CASHBACK SBI Card vs HSBC Live+ Credit CardCASHBACK SBI pays 5% on most online spends (up to ₹2,000 a statement cycle) and 1% in shops (up to ₹2,000), with nothing on utility bills. HSBC Live+ pays 10% on dining, food delivery, groceries, shopping and utility bills, up to ₹1,200 a month (₹12,000 of those spends), and 1.5% on most other spends with no cap, though Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra earn only 1.5%. Both charge ₹999 a year and waive it at about ₹2 lakh of yearly spend; pick CASHBACK SBI if most of your spending is on shopping sites, and Live+ if it's food, groceries and bills and you live in one of HSBC's 21 cities.
• CASHBACK SBI Card vs SimplyCLICK SBI CardCASHBACK SBI pays 5% on online spends as cash on your card account, capped at ₹2,000 a statement cycle, for ₹999 a year (reversed at ₹2 lakh of yearly spend). SimplyCLICK costs ₹499 (reversed at ₹1 lakh) and earns 10X points at partner sites such as Myntra, Cleartrip and BookMyShow and 5X on other online spends, plus ₹2,000 e-vouchers at ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh of online spend, but SBI doesn't publish what a SimplyCLICK point is worth. Pick CASHBACK SBI for a known cash rate; SimplyCLICK suits you if you spend under ₹1 lakh a year and mostly at its partner sites.
• HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Metal Edition Credit Card vs HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal EditionBoth earn 5 points per ₹150, about 3.3% when used for flights and hotels on HDFC SmartBuy, and both give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad to the primary and add-on cardholders with no spend condition. The difference is access: Infinia is by invitation only, while Diners Club Black Metal is open to apply with a net income above ₹2.5 lakh a month (or an IT return above ₹30 lakh a year if self-employed). Diners Black Metal costs ₹10,000 a year (waived at ₹8 lakh of spend) and adds 10,000 bonus points, worth ₹10,000 on SmartBuy, in each calendar quarter you spend ₹4 lakh. Infinia costs ₹12,500 (waived at ₹10 lakh), gives 12,500 points each time you pay the fee and waives the fuel surcharge; if you spend ₹4 lakh a quarter, Diners Black Metal earns more.
• HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege Credit Card vs HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit CardRegalia Gold costs ₹2,500 a year (waived at ₹4 lakh of spend) and needs a monthly income above ₹1.5 lakh; Diners Privilege costs ₹1,000 (waived at ₹3 lakh) and needs ₹35,000. Regalia Gold earns 5 points per ₹200, about 1.25% on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels, and gives 6 international lounge visits a year with no spend condition and a 2% forex markup. Diners Privilege earns 4 points per ₹200 and 5 times that on Swiggy and Zomato; we don't show a % for it yet because we haven't confirmed HDFC's point value for this card on its own page. It adds buy-one-get-one weekend movie tickets and a ₹1,500 voucher each quarter you spend ₹1.5 lakh, but its lounge visits all depend on spend. Pick Diners Privilege if you don't meet Regalia Gold's income bar or you order food a lot.
• HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal Edition vs HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit CardInfinia earns 5 points per ₹150 and Regalia Gold 5 per ₹200, and an Infinia point is worth twice as much on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels (₹1 against ₹0.50), so Infinia returns about 3.3% on most spends against Regalia Gold's 1.25%. Infinia also gives unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad with no spend condition, where Regalia Gold gives 6 international visits a year and 3 domestic visits a quarter after ₹60,000 of spend in the previous quarter. But Infinia is by invitation only and costs ₹12,500 a year (waived at ₹10 lakh of spend) against ₹2,500 (waived at ₹4 lakh). Regalia Gold is the one you can apply for, with a monthly income above ₹1.5 lakh.
• HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal Edition vs HSBC Premier Credit CardNeither is open to everyone. Infinia is by invitation only, and HSBC Premier is only for HSBC Premier banking customers: you need, for example, ₹50 lakh of balances with HSBC or a ₹3 lakh monthly salary paid into an HSBC salary account, and you must live in one of HSBC's 21 listed cities. Both give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad to primary and add-on cardholders with no spend condition. Infinia earns slightly more on most spends (about 3.3% at ₹1 a point on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels, against Premier's 3% at ₹1 a point on Apple products or HSBC's Travel with Points portal), but Premier charges far less on foreign spends (0.99% against 2%), earns on rent and bills up to ₹1 lakh a month, and its points never expire. Which one you can get depends on where you bank.
• HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal Edition vs ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit CardBoth are by invitation only, cost about ₹12,500 a year, give 12,500 points each time the fee is paid, and give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad to primary and add-on cardholders with no spend condition. Infinia earns slightly more: about 3.3% on most spends at ₹1 a point on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels, against Emeralde's 3% at ₹1 a point on flight, hotel or select brand vouchers. Emeralde returns more as statement credit (1.2% against at most 1%) and adds buy-one-get-one BookMyShow tickets and EaseMyTrip vouchers worth ₹6,000 at ₹8 lakh of yearly spend, while Infinia earns on more grocery spend each month. Which one you can get depends on which bank you have a relationship with.
• HDFC Bank INFINIA Credit Card Metal Edition vs Times Black ICICI Bank Credit CardBoth give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad to primary and add-on cardholders with no spend condition, but they differ on access. Infinia is by invitation only; Times Black is open to apply with an income of ₹2 lakh a month (or ₹24 lakh a year self-employed). Infinia returns more on most spends: about 3.3% at ₹1 a point on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels, against Times Black's 2% in India and 2.5% abroad at its best redemption value. Infinia also costs less: ₹12,500 a year, returned as 12,500 points and waived at ₹10 lakh of spend, against ₹20,000 waived only at ₹25 lakh. Times Black charges less on forex (1.49% against 2%) and adds welcome vouchers plus spend milestones worth up to ₹50,000 a year.
• HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card vs HSBC Live+ Credit CardHSBC Live+ pays 10% on dining, food delivery, groceries, shopping and utility bills, up to ₹1,200 a month (₹12,000 of those spends), and 1.5% on most other spends with no cap, but only 1.5% on Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra. HDFC Millennia pays 5% at 10 merchants including Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy and Zomato (up to ₹1,000 a month) and 1% elsewhere (also up to ₹1,000). Live+ needs ₹6 lakh a year in salary and an address in one of HSBC's 21 cities, against Millennia's ₹25,000 a month; pick Live+ if you qualify and spend most on food, groceries and bills, and Millennia for the big shopping sites.
• HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit CardSame name, different cards. HDFC Millennia is a cashback card that pays 5% at 10 merchants including Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy and Zomato (up to ₹1,000 a month) and 1% on most other spends, bills included (also up to ₹1,000), for ₹1,000 a year, waived at ₹1 lakh of yearly spend. IDFC FIRST Millennia is lifetime free with no forex markup and earns points: 1.25% on dining, travel, international and birthday spends and 0.375% on most others; pick it if you want no fee or spend abroad, and HDFC Millennia if you shop and order food on its partner apps.
• HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card vs Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit CardThese suit different travellers. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC earns Marriott Bonvoy points (8 per ₹150 at Marriott hotels, 4 on travel, dining and entertainment, 2 elsewhere), and HDFC doesn't give those points a rupee value, so it has no % return to compare. Its ₹3,000 fee is charged every year with no waiver, but each fee brings a Free Night Award at a Marriott hotel (worth up to 15,000 points), and it gives 12 lounge visits a year in India and 12 abroad with no spend condition. Regalia Gold costs ₹2,500 a year (waived at ₹4 lakh), earns about 1.25% on HDFC SmartBuy flights and hotels, charges 2% forex against 3.5%, but needs ₹60,000 of quarterly spend for its domestic lounge visits and a higher income.
• HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card vs SBI Card ELITERegalia Gold costs ₹2,500 a year (waived at ₹4 lakh of spend) against ELITE's ₹4,999 (waived at ₹10 lakh), and earns about 1.25% on most spends if you redeem points for flights and hotels on HDFC SmartBuy, or 0.375% as statement credit. ELITE earns about 2.5% on dining, groceries and department stores (up to ₹2,500 a month) but 0.5% elsewhere, and adds free movie tickets worth up to ₹6,000 a year. Both give 6 international Priority Pass visits a year and charge about 2% on forex; pick Regalia Gold for the lower fee and travel redemptions, and ELITE if you spend heavily on dining and groceries and will use the movie tickets.
• HSBC Premier Credit Card vs HSBC TravelOne Credit CardAnyone earning ₹6 lakh a year in HSBC's 21 listed cities can apply for TravelOne; the Premier card is only for HSBC Premier banking customers. If you qualify for Premier, it's the stronger card: unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad against TravelOne's 6 domestic and 4 international a year, a 0.99% forex markup against 3.5%, points on bills and rent up to ₹1 lakh a month, and no annual fee while you stay Premier. Both cards' points move 1:1 to the same 11 airline programmes. Premier earns 3 points per ₹100 on everything, and TravelOne 4 on airlines, travel sites and foreign-currency spends but 2 elsewhere. We show Premier at 3% and TravelOne without a %, because HSBC fixes a ₹1 point value (Apple products and its Travel with Points portal) only for Premier and Privé cardholders. For TravelOne, HSBC sets no rupee value.
• HSBC RuPay Platinum Credit Card vs HSBC Visa Platinum Credit CardThey're nearly the same card on different networks: both are lifetime free, earn 2 reward points per ₹150, give no lounge access, charge 3.5% on forex, and ask for the same income (₹6 lakh a year salaried, ₹12 lakh self-employed) in HSBC's 21 listed cities. HSBC doesn't publish a rupee value for either card's points, so their returns can't be compared in %. The RuPay card can be linked to UPI apps, and UPI payments to merchants earn its normal points; the Visa card can't be used on UPI. The RuPay card can't be used for international online purchases (it works abroad on the JCB network); HSBC lists no such limit for the Visa card. Pick RuPay if you pay by UPI; Visa if you shop on foreign websites.
• ICICI Bank Coral RuPay Credit Card vs ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit CardBoth earn 2 points per ₹100 on most spends and 1 on utilities and insurance, and ICICI doesn't publish what a point is worth on either, so compare them on fees and perks. Coral RuPay costs ₹500 to join and ₹500 a year (the annual fee refunded at ₹1.5 lakh of spend) and needs an income of ₹20,000 a month; Rubyx costs ₹3,000 to join and ₹2,000 a year (waived at ₹3 lakh) and needs ₹75,000 a month. Rubyx adds 4 points per ₹100 abroad, welcome vouchers ICICI values at over ₹15,000, a higher milestone bonus, twice the lounge visits and wider earning caps. On a typical first-card income, Coral RuPay is the sensible pick.
• ICICI Bank Coral RuPay Credit Card vs SimplySAVE SBI CardBoth cost about ₹500 a year: Coral's ₹500 annual fee is refunded from the second year at ₹1.5 lakh of spend, and SimplySAVE's ₹499 is reversed at ₹1 lakh. SimplySAVE has a known rate, about 1.67% on dining, movies, groceries and department stores (up to ₹1,250 a month) and 0.17% elsewhere; Coral earns 2 points per ₹100 on most spends including UPI, but ICICI doesn't publish what a point is worth. Coral is the RuPay card of the two, so it works on UPI, and it adds a domestic lounge visit each quarter after ₹75,000 of spend; pick it for UPI and lounges, and SimplySAVE for known value on food and groceries.
• ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card vs ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit CardThe main difference is access. Emeralde is open to apply, with an income of ₹1.5 lakh a month (or ₹18 lakh a year self-employed); Emeralde Private Metal is by invitation only, through your ICICI relationship manager. Both cost about ₹12,000 a year, waived at ₹10 lakh of spend from the second year, charge 2% on forex and give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad with no spend condition, though Emeralde covers only the primary cardholder. Emeralde earns more points (4 per ₹100 against 3), but ICICI doesn't publish what an Emeralde point is worth, so we can't put it in rupees; Private Metal's points are worth ₹1 on flight, hotel and select brand vouchers, about 3%, and its fee comes back as 12,500 points each year.
• ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card vs Times Black ICICI Bank Credit CardBoth give unlimited lounge visits in India and abroad for primary and add-on cardholders, with no spend condition. Emeralde Private Metal is by invitation only through an ICICI relationship manager; Times Black is open to apply with an income of ₹2 lakh a month (or ₹24 lakh a year self-employed). Private Metal returns more on most spends: about 3% at ₹1 a point on flight, hotel and select brand vouchers, or 1.2% as statement credit, against Times Black's 2% in India at its best redemption (0.8% as statement credit). It also costs less: ₹12,499 a year, returned as 12,500 points and waived at ₹10 lakh of spend, against ₹20,000 waived only at ₹25 lakh. Times Black charges less on forex (1.49% against 2%) and earns 2.5% abroad.
• ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit CardRubyx and Sapphiro earn points at the same rate (2 per ₹100 in India, 4 abroad, 1 on utilities and insurance), ask for the same income (₹75,000 a month, or ₹9 lakh a year self-employed) and both charge 3.5% on forex. ICICI doesn't publish what a point is worth on either card, so neither has a rupee return to compare. The difference is fees against perks: Rubyx costs ₹3,000 to join and ₹2,000 a year (waived at ₹3 lakh of spend), while Sapphiro costs ₹6,500 and ₹3,500 (waived at ₹6 lakh). Sapphiro adds 2 more domestic lounge visits a quarter, 2 international visits a year, buy-one-get-one movie tickets and a higher milestone bonus.
• IDFC FIRST Mayura Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit CardWealth is lifetime free but needs an income of ₹36 lakh a year; Mayura costs ₹5,999 a year with no waiver, and we couldn't find published income criteria for it. Both charge no forex markup, but from 26 Oct 2026 Wealth stops earning points on international spends, while Mayura keeps earning on them. At ₹0.25 a point (the value behind Wealth's rates), Mayura returns about 0.83% on the first ₹20,000 a month and 1.67% above it, against Wealth's 0.375% on most spends; Wealth's 1.25% on dining and travel beats Mayura on the first ₹20,000. Mayura's points are worth twice as much (₹0.50) on flights and hotels booked in IDFC FIRST's app. Mayura gives 4 times the lounge visits, but its fee pays off only if you spend well over ₹20,000 a month or travel abroad.
• IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL FIRST Power+ Credit CardPower+ is built for HPCL fuel and bills: 5% back on HPCL fuel up to ₹12,000 a statement cycle (₹600) and on up to ₹2,000 of groceries and utilities, 0.5% on other spends and UPI, and a domestic airport lounge visit each quarter, for ₹499 a year, reversed at ₹1.5 lakh of yearly spend. Millennia is lifetime free and pays more on dining, travel and international spends (1.25%), but 0.375% on most others, nothing on fuel and doesn't work on UPI. Both need ₹3 lakh a year in income; pick Power+ if you fill up at HPCL or want UPI, and Millennia if you drive little and spend more on eating out and travel.
• IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Select Credit CardBoth are lifetime free with zero forex markup and earn the same: 1.25% back on dining, travel, international and birthday spends, 0.375% on most other spends and 0.125% on utilities. Select needs ₹12 lakh a year in income against Millennia's ₹3 lakh, and adds a domestic airport lounge visit each quarter and Buy 1 Get 1 movie tickets each month, both unlocked by ₹20,000 of monthly spend. If you qualify for Select it costs nothing extra; if not, Millennia gives the same reward rates.
• IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST SWYP Credit CardMillennia is lifetime free and earns on every eligible spend: 1.25% back on dining, travel, international and birthday spends and 0.375% on most others. SWYP costs ₹499 a year with no waiver, pays monthly milestones instead (₹50 at ₹5,000 of spend in a statement cycle, rising to ₹1,000 at ₹60,000, with less between thresholds) and has no revolving credit: you pay in full or convert purchases to EMI for a flat monthly fee. SWYP pays more if you clear its upper thresholds every cycle; at low or uneven spends, Millennia earns more and costs nothing.
• IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit CardBoth are lifetime free with no forex markup and earn at the same rates: 1.25% back on dining, travel and international spends, 0.375% on most others and 0.125% on utilities, insurance, railways and FASTag (Millennia also pays 1.25% on birthday spends). The difference is income and lounges: Wealth needs ₹36 lakh a year against Millennia's ₹3 lakh, and adds 1 domestic and 1 international airport lounge visit a quarter, where Millennia has railway lounges only. If you qualify for Wealth it costs nothing extra; otherwise Millennia earns the same.
• IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL FIRST Power Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL FIRST Power+ Credit CardPower+ costs ₹499 a year against Power's ₹199, and needs ₹1.5 lakh of yearly spend to reverse the fee against ₹50,000. In return it pays 5% on HPCL fuel on up to ₹12,000 a cycle, against 3.5% on up to ₹5,000, 0.5% on UPI and other spends against 0.33%, and a domestic lounge visit each quarter. The extra 1.5% on fuel covers the ₹300 fee gap at about ₹1,700 of HPCL fuel a month, so if you fill up there more than that, Power+ earns more.
• IDFC FIRST WOW! Credit Card vs Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card (Visa + complimentary RuPay)Both are lifetime free with no forex markup, but they suit different people. WOW is a secured card against a fixed deposit of at least ₹20,000 with IDFC FIRST Bank, needs no income proof or credit history, and earns 0.5% back on online, offline and international spends, with no lounge access. Scapia pays 2% in Scapia Coins for travel booked in its app and adds a RuPay card for UPI and unlimited domestic lounge visits with ₹20,000 of monthly spend: pick it if Federal Bank approves you, and WOW if you're new to credit or can't show income.
• Kiwi RuPay Credit Card (PNB) vs Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit CardKiwi is free and pays more on UPI: 1.5% on scan-and-pay against Tata Neu Plus's up to 1%, though its monthly rewards stop at 1% of your credit limit (₹500 on a ₹50,000 limit). Tata Neu Plus costs ₹499 a year, waived at ₹1 lakh of yearly spend, but earns on more: 1% on most card spends and utility bills and 2% at Tata brands, where Kiwi pays 0.5% online and nothing on bills. Pick Kiwi if you mostly pay by scanning UPI codes, and Tata Neu Plus if you also use the card for online shopping, bills or Tata brands.
• SBI Card ELITE vs SBI Card PRIMEBoth earn 10 points per ₹100 (2.5% back) on dining, groceries and department stores, but ELITE costs ₹4,999 a year against PRIME's ₹2,999, and its fee is waived only at ₹10 lakh of yearly spend against ₹3 lakh. ELITE earns its extra ₹2,000 if you spend abroad (1.99% forex markup against 3.5%), use more international lounges (6 Priority Pass visits a year against 4) or spend heavily: its milestones add up to 50,000 points (₹12,500) at ₹8 lakh a year, where PRIME gives a ₹7,000 voucher at ₹5 lakh. Otherwise PRIME gives the same 2.5% for less, and it also counts movies.
• Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card (Visa + complimentary RuPay) vs Uni GoldX Credit Card (BOBCARD)Both are lifetime free, charge no forex markup and come with a RuPay card for UPI that pays 1%. On card spends Scapia pays 2% in Scapia Coins, which you use on travel booked in the Scapia app, against Uni GoldX's flat 1% in Uni Coins, and it adds unlimited domestic lounge visits with ₹20,000 of monthly spend. Pick Scapia if you travel and will book through its app; pick Uni GoldX if you make lots of small UPI payments or want a fuel surcharge waiver, which Scapia doesn't publish.
• SimplyCLICK SBI Card vs SimplySAVE SBI CardBoth cost ₹499 a year, reversed if you spent ₹1 lakh the year before, so the choice comes down to where you spend. SimplyCLICK earns 10X points at its partner sites and 5X on other online spends (5X capped at 10,000 points a month), plus ₹2,000 e-vouchers at ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh of online spend; SimplySAVE earns 10X on dining, movies, groceries and department stores, about 1.67% back, but only about 0.17% elsewhere. Pick SimplyCLICK if most of your card spending is online, and SimplySAVE if most of it is at restaurants, cinemas and grocery stores.
• SimplySAVE SBI Card vs Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit CardBoth cost ₹499 a year, waived from the second year at ₹1 lakh of spend in the year before. SimplySAVE pays more in its 10X categories, about 1.67% on dining, movies, groceries and department stores (up to ₹1,250 a month), but only about 0.17% elsewhere, while Tata Neu Plus pays 1% on most spends and bills, 2% at Tata brands and up to 1% on UPI, in NeuCoins worth ₹1 each on Tata Neu. Pick SimplySAVE if most of your card spending is on food, movies and groceries, and Tata Neu Plus for wider everyday spending, UPI or Tata brands.
• Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card vs Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit CardInfinity pays 5% at Tata brands, 1.5% on other spends and up to 1.5% on UPI; Plus pays 2%, 1% and up to 1%. Infinity costs ₹1,499 a year against ₹499, a ₹1,000 gap covered by about ₹33,000 a year at Tata brands or ₹2 lakh of other spends. Infinity also needs more income (over ₹1 lakh a month against ₹25,000 for salaried applicants), and adds international lounge visits and a 2% forex markup against 3.5%.