6 best reward credit cards in India

believe it or not - you can plan an entire vacation using your credit card miles and points. when you use the right credit cards and spend wisely, you can collect enough rewards to enjoy free flight tickets and hotel stays.
not just that, some credit cards give you benefits in the form of cashback and other useful discounts. the key is to find the best credit cards as per your lifestyle and expenses. for instance, if you travel a significant distance using your vehicle, you can benefit from a fuel credit card. these cards offer benefits for every rupee that you spend on fuel.
but don't stress if you don't know where to start. here's a comprehensive list of the best reward credit cards in India, just for you.

1. SBI SimplyCLICK credit card

are you an online shopper who has parcels coming in regularly? if yes, the SBI SimplyCLICK credit card can give you 10X reward points for the money that you spend on online sites such as Amazon, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Lenskart and Netmeds. for all other online spends, the card gives you 5X reward points.

features:

• Cleartrip voucher worth ₹2,000 on annual online spends of ₹1 Lakh and ₹2 Lakh.
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver for each transaction that you make between ₹500 and ₹3,000.
• earn a maximum of 10,000 reward points in a calendar month.

annual fee: ₹499 + GST. the fee gets waived off if your annual spend is ₹1 Lakh.

2. American Express membership rewards credit card

the American Express membership rewards credit card is a coveted card that is ideal for people who use credit cards extensively for their payments. this card has a high renewal fee. thus, it is advisable to consider the card only when your expenses are high enough for you to reap the benefits.

features:

• earn ₹1 membership rewards point for every ₹50 that you spend except for expenses on fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions and EMI conversion at the point of sale.
• a welcome bonus of 4,000 membership reward points
• receive 1,000 bonus membership rewards points by using your card four times for transactions worth ₹1,000 and above every month.
• receive 5,000 membership rewards points when you renew your card after the first year.
• after accumulating 18,000 reward points, you can choose one of these - Taj hotel vouchers worth ₹9,000 or American Express domestic travel e-voucher worth ₹7,000 or Amazon e-voucher worth ₹7,000 or statement credit worth ₹6,000.
• after accumulating 24,000 reward points, you can select one of these credit card benefits - Taj voucher worth ₹14,000 or Tanishq voucher worth ₹10,000 or statement credit worth ₹9,000.

annual fee: ₹1,000 in the first year and ₹4,500 from the next year onwards. the renewal fee gets waived off for an annual spend of ₹1,50,000.

3. Standard Chartered Manhattan platinum credit card

the Standard Chartered Manhattan platinum credit card gives instant cashback for your grocery purchases in supermarkets and is ideal for families. the card is loaded with other benefits that make it one of the most competitive cards in the market.

features:

• earn 5% cashback for your expenditure supermarkets.
• receive 3X reward points for all other purchases.
• enjoy multiple other offers and discounts as you shop, travel, and dine out.
• redeem the reward points for exciting gifts for yourself and your family.

annual fee: ₹999 which gets waived off on annual spends of ₹1,20,000

4. Standard Chartered Emirates World credit card

the Standard Chartered Emirates World credit card is recommended if you are a frequent overseas flier. this travel card offers more than satisfactory returns on the amount you spend on flights.

features:

• a welcome bonus of 4,000 miles when you get the card.
• receive a free ticket to Dubai by accumulating 27,500 skyward miles.
• you can earn 6 skyward miles on every ₹150 that you spend on Emirates transactions. for all the other transactions, you can earn 3 skywards miles for every ₹150.
• for your duty-free shopping, you can get 5% cashback of a maximum of ₹1,000 per month.
• the card also gives you airport accesses and golf privileges.

annual fee: ₹3,000 in the first year and ₹3,000 from the next year onwards.

5. MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature credit card

the MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature credit card is a card for travellers who are perpetually planning their next business trip or vacation.  

features:

• get ₹1,500 my cash and a Lemon Tree Hotels voucher worth ₹2,500 on joining.
• receive a validity of 1.5 years on joining benefit my cash.
• enjoy benefits worth up to ₹70,000
• get exclusive MMT cabs benefit and a complimentary Airtel international roaming pack.
• get two complimentary airport lounge access per quarter by spending ₹5,000 in a calendar quarter on your card.
• get a complimentary Dreamfolks card, which is the first all-in-one digital airport platform. with this, you get access to 450 airports lounges in 115 countries.
• enjoy one complimentary railway lounge access in a quarter to participating lounges in India.
• every 6th ride on OLA in a month becomes free.

annual fee: the joining fee is ₹2,500, and there is no renewal fee.

6. HDFC Bank diners club black card

the HDFC Bank diners club black card is ideal for individuals who spend heavily on air travels and hotel stays. it offers lifestyle and travel rewards to make your vacations even more luxurious.

features:

• earn 4 reward points for a spend of every ₹150. one reward point gets converted into one mile.
• you can redeem reward points for miles with leading international and domestic airlines and hotels.
• book air tickets and hotels across more than 150 airlines and choice of hotels.
• activate your credit card for overseas spends and increase your international daily limit through net banking.
• receive up to six complimentary accesses to 1000+ lounges across the world in a calendar year.
• enjoy concierge services for your travel needs.
• relish your meals at the finest restaurants with 15% discount.

annual fee: ₹10,000 per year. this fee gets waived off for the subsequent year on spends of ₹5,00,000 in one year.

in closing

this list of the best reward credit cards in India can help you enjoy a better lifestyle as you accumulate more benefits. be sure to pick a card that mirrors your lifestyle and needs, and you'll have some amazing perks coming your way. make your credit card payment through CRED to earn CRED reward points and other deals & discounts.