Synopsis: You can now get zero annual fee credit cards from leading Indian banks that offer cashback, rewards, and travel perks without any yearly charges. This article lists all the banks and their cards that offer these perks.
The Indian credit card market is increasingly getting more competitive each year. Some of the major banks are providing a range of 0 annual fee or also called a “lifetime free” credit card to attract new customers.
These cards reward the cardholder on each spending through cashback, reward points, and travel perks without the burden of recurring annual charges. Read on to find the details of the top banks and their best lifetime free credit card offerings.
Axis Bank
Fibe Axis Bank Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Must be an existing Fibe user
- Aged between 18 to 70 years
- Resident of India or a Non-Resident Indian
- Proof of income, PAN Card, & Residence proof
Benefits:
- 3% cashback on favorite spend categories: entertainment, online food delivery from apps like Zomato/Swiggy, and local transport via apps like Ola/Uber.
- 1 complimentary domestic lounge visits to selected airport on ₹50,000 quarterly spend
- Dining discounts via the Axis Bank Dining Delights program.
ICICI Bank
Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Applicants should be min. 21 years old
- Invitation through the Amazon app for existing ICICI Bank customers
- General applicants with a ₹20,000 monthly income or self employed with a ₹3,60,000 annual income
Benefits:
- 5% cashback on Amazon India spending for Prime members, 3% for non-Prime members
- 2% cashback when spending at 100+ Amazon Pay partner merchants
- 1% cashback on all other spends
- Cashback is credited directly as Amazon Pay balance.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver
ICICI Bank Platinum Chip Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Indian citizen over 21 years of age
- Salaried/self employed with monthly income of at least ₹20,000
- Identity, address, and income proof
Benefits:
- Reward points on every ₹100 spend
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver across HPCL pumps for a spend of ₹400 – ₹4,000
- Easy EMI Conversion with pay later feature
IDFC FIRST Bank
IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- The applicant should be at least 21 years and more
- An annual income ₹3 lakhs or more
Benefits:
- Earn up to 10X reward points on incremental spends above ₹20,000 per statement cycle and transaction done on your birthday
- Reward points never expire and can be redeemed online instantly.
- Offers on 300 and more merchants
IDFC FIRST WOW! Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Age of 18 years and above
- Indian citizen with a permanent address
- A minimum FD amount of ₹20,000 required during application process
Benefits:
- 0 forex markup fee on international spends.
- Helps build a credit history (reported to credit bureaus).
- 6.25% p.a. Interest on the FD
- Up to 4X Reward Points on Every Transaction
Federal Bank
Federal Bank Scapia Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Primarily managed through the Scapia app
- 21 to 65 age cap for salaried
- 25 to 65 age cap for self-employed
- Resident of India
Benefits:
- 0 forex markup fee on international transactions
- Earn 10% Scapia Coins (2% value back) on all online & offline spends
- Earn 20% Scapia Coins (4% value back) on travel bookings via the Scapia app
- Unlimited complimentary domestic lounge access on a spending of ₹10,000 (Visa) or ₹15,000 (Rupay) in the previous month
- Instant redemption of rewards (5 Scapia coins = ₹1) for travel bookings on the Scapia app.
Also Read: Best 5 Credit Cards to Grab New Year Sales: See Which Cards Provides Maximum Benefits
HSBC
HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card
Joining Fees: 0
Eligibility:
- Aged between 18 years to 65 years
- ₹6,00,000 annual income and more (Salaried)
- Residents of select cities in India
Benefits:
- 2 reward points per ₹150 spent.
- 2,000 reward points upon downloading and logging on to the HSBC India Mobile Banking app and spending at least ₹5,000 in the first 30 days receiving the card
How to choose 0 annual fee credit cards?
A zero annual fee or “Lifetime Free” (LTF) credit card is a wise choice for all your financial needs as it allows the cardholders to earn good rewards without any hassle of an annual fee. LTF is becoming a popular choice in the market and it is important to follow these three steps to get the maximum out of your expenses.
Match Rewards to Spends: Choose a card based on where you spend the most. Oftentimes the cards are designed for specific spend, so if a cardholder spends most in shopping then they should opt for max value return shopping credit card with 0 annual fee.
Verify “Lifetime Free” Status: While applying for the credit card confirm that the card is unconditionally free and not under the cap of fee waiver. The information would be better found in terms and conditions in more elaborated details.
Simple Rewards: This is the most important point, especially for beginners. Selecting cards that offer straightforward cashback or points would be simpler than redeeming rewards through various loops of websites and merchants.
Written by Kenbi Riba
