Given the plethora of credits cards in the market, it’s not easy to pick one that suits your needs, offers benefits and best value for money. The cards that do offer privileges charge high joining and annual fees.
However, every bank or card issuer typically offers some lifetime free cards that provide the best of both worlds: charge zero joining or annual fees, but dish out benefits. To ease your process of card selection, we have listed the top 10 lifetime free cards that offer good features.
Though these features may not be as extensive as those for regular cards and welcome benefits may be fewer, the approval for free cards is easier as the income and Cibil score requirements are not very high. Such cards are best for first time users or those looking to supplement their primary credit cards. Go through the specific rewards and discounts they offer and pick the one that matches your spending patterns.
Besides these free cards, there are also some very good cards that have a small joining fee (IndusInd Bank), others that waive the annual fee if you cross a certain spending threshold (HDFC Bank), those that are by invitation only (RBL Bank), or those that are free for a limited period (SBI Bank). We have not included these in our list, but you can consider these if they suit your needs.
IDFC FIRST WEALTH
IDFC First offers four free cards, but we have selected the top two, with best offers, reward points for lifestyle spending, travel benefits and insurance.
INTEREST RATE
0.75-3.5% a 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 BENEFITS
Welcome voucher worth Rs.500 on spending Rs.15,000 or more within 90 days of card generation.
5% cashback (up to Rs.1,000) on the transaction value of first EMI done within 90 days of card generation.
REWARD POINTS
1 reward point per Rs.100 spent / 1 reward point = Rs.0.25
10X reward points on incremental spends over Rs.30,000 a month, and on your birthday.
6X & 3X reward points on online & offline spends up to Rs.30,000 per month.
OTHER FEATURES
Buy one, get one offer on movie tickets up to Rs.250 on Paytm mobile app (twice per month).
300+ merchant offers.
Up to 20% discount at 1,500+ restaurants.
Up to 15% discount at 3,000+ health & wellness outlets.
4 complimentary domestic & international airport lounge, spa visits per quarter.
2 complimentary golf rounds per month.
Complimentary roadside assistance of Rs.1,399.
Fuel surcharge waiver of 1%, at all fuel stations across India, up to Rs.400/month.
IDFC FIRST SELECT
Much like Wealth, the Select card is also rich in features which are similar to, but fewer than, the former. It still offers very good value for money.
INTEREST RATE
0.75-3.5% a month
WELCOME BENEFITS
Welcome voucher worth Rs.500 on spending Rs.15,000 or more within 90 days of card generation.
5% cashback (up to Rs.1,000) on the transaction value of fi rst EMI done within 90 days of card generation.
REWARD POINTS OTHER FEATURES
1 reward point per Rs.100 spent / 1 reward point = Rs.0.25
10X reward points on incremental spends above Rs.25,000 per month and spends done on your birthday.
6X & 3X reward points on online & offl ine purchases, respectively, for spends up to Rs.25,000 per month.
OTHER FEATURES
Buy one, get one on movie tickets up to Rs.250 on Paytm.
Up to 20% discount at 1,500+ restaurants
Up to 15% discount at 3,000+ health & wellness outlets
4 complimentary domestic airport and railway lounge visits a quarter.
Complimentary roadside assistance worth Rs.1,399
Fuel surcharge waiver of 1%, at all fuel stations, up to Rs.300/month.
INSURANCE
Rs.1crore air accident cover.
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 good discounts on spending, has good reward benefi ts and travel features.
INTEREST RATE
3.3% a month
INSURANCE
Zero liability for lost cards.
Rs.3 lakh cover for misuse of card up to 24 hours before reporting.
WELCOME BENEFITS
Amazon & Swiggy vouchers.
3 airport lounge access at domestic & international lounges or 3 meal-vouchers (airport restaurants in India).
10% cashback up to Rs.2,000 on Rs.10,000 spend within 60 days of card issuance.
REWARD POINTS
2 reward points for Rs.150 spent.
5X rewards after Rs.4 lakh spends with a maximum 15,000 accelerated reward points in an anniversary year.
OTHER FEATURES
Air miles conversion on InterMiles, British Airways and Singapore Airlines.
Fuel surcharge savings of up to Rs.3,000.
Lost card can be cancelled and an emergency card issued in 3 days.
Emergency cash at over 22,000 outlets globally.
15% discount on select products.
Buy-one-get-one-free movie tickets up to Rs.250.
KOTAK 811 #DREAMDIFFERENT
It has a good rewards programme and joining benefit, besides the rail surcharge waiver and card liability cover.
INTEREST RATE
3.5% a month
INSURANCE
DreamDifferent Shield offers cover of Rs.50,000 against fraudulent usage up to 7 days before reporting if the card is stolen.
WELCOME BENEFITS
500 bonus reward points on Rs.5,000 spend in the first 45 days.
REWARD POINTS
2 reward points for every Rs.100 of online spends.
1 reward point for every Rs.100 of other spends.
OTHER FEATURES
1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps for Rs.500-3,000 spends.
1.8% surcharge waiver for transactions on irctc.co.in & 2.5% for Indian Railway booking counters up to a maximum of Rs.500 a year.
Cash withdrawal up to 90% of total credit limit. No interest up to 48 days on cash advance.
Rs.750 cashback or 4 PVR tickets on annual spends of Rs.75,000.
AMAZON PAY ICICI BANK
It’s a good card for online spends, especially if you are an Amazon Prime member.
INTEREST RATE
3.5-3.8% a month
INSURANCE
NA
WELCOME BENEFITS
NA
REWARD POINTS
1 reward point = Rs.1
Reward earnings can be used to purchase from over 10 crore products at www.amazon.in and at more than 100 Amazon Pay partner merchants.
OTHER FEATURES
15% discount at over 2,500 restaurants across India through its Culinary Treats Programme.
1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.
5% cashback on Amazon spends for Amazon Prime members.
3% cashback on Amazon for non-Prime members.
2% cashback on 100+ Amazon Pay partner merchants.
1% cashback across all other spends.
ICICI BANK PLATINUM CHIP
Though not as feature laden as some of the other cards in this list, it still offers good reward points and discounts.
INTEREST RATE
3.4% a month
WELCOME BENEFITS
NA
INSURANCE
NA
WELCOME BENEFITS
NA
REWARD POINTS
2 reward points on every Rs.100 spent for all retail purchases except fuel.
1 reward point on every Rs.100 spent on utilities and insurance categories.
OTHER FEATURES
1% fuel surcharge waiver (maximum Rs.4,000) at HPCL pumps.
15% discount at 2,500 restaurants in 12 cities with its Culinary Treats Programme
BANK OF BARODA PRIME
You can get this card against a fixed deposit of Rs.15,000 or more without any income proof.
INTEREST RATE
3.25% a month
WELCOME BENEFITS
NA
REWARD POINTS
Earn 4 reward points (equal to 1 on redemption) for every Rs.100 spent.
INSURANCE
Zero liability on any fraudulent transactions if loss of card reported 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 waiver of Rs.250 per month).
Purchase of over Rs.2,500 can be converted into EMIs of 6/36 months.
Up to 3 lifetime free add-on cards for spouse, parents, siblings or kids (above 18 years).
50 days of interest-free credit from the date of any purchase.
IDBI ASPIRE PLATINUM
The card is has some good spending offers and discounts, and the interest rate is slightly lower, but it offers no insurance.
WELCOME BENEFITS
500 Delight points on first usage within 30 days or 300 Delight points on usage between 31 and 90 days from the issuance date.
INTEREST RATE
2.9% a month
REWARD POINTS OTHER FEATURES
2 Delight points for every Rs.150 spent on travelling, shopping, dining, movies, etc.
OTHER FEATURES
Interest-free credit of up to 48 days.
1% fuel surcharge waiver across all fuel stations for Rs.400-4,000 spends.
Discounts on airport shopping, hotel, car rentals, etc.
Travel concierge services by Visa.
INSURANCE
NA
AXIS BANK SELECT (BURGUNDY)
To be eligible for this variant you need to have the Burgundy savings account with a net monthly salary credit of `3 lakh. If you do, you can bag a whole lot of benefits for free.
WELCOME BENEFITS
Amazon voucher worth Rs.2,000 on first card transaction, which has to be done within 90 days of card issuance.
REWARD POINTS
10 Axis EDGE reward points on every spend of Rs.200.
2X reward points for every Rs.200 spent on retail shopping.
OTHER FEATURES
20% discount of up to Rs.500 per month on a minimum purchase of Rs.2,000 on BigBasket.
40% off up to Rs.200 on Swiggy.
Rs.300 off on second ticket on BookMyShow.
Priority Pass membership with 6 international lounge visits a year.
5,000 Edge points on Rs.3 lakh spends in anniversary year.
6 complimentary golf rounds a year.
1% fuel surcharge waiver on Rs.400-4,000 spends.
20% off at partner restaurants.
INSURANCE
Air accident cover of up to Rs.2.5 crore.
Purchase protection up to Rs.1 lakh.
$500 cover for loss of documents, loss and delay of check-in baggage.
INTEREST RATE
3.6% a month
DHANLAXMI BANK PLATINUM
Though it does not offer joining benefits or a rewards programme, it’s cashback and travel insurance offers are very good.
INTEREST RATE
3% a month
INSURANCE
Up to Rs.10 lakh cover for accidental death and PTD.
Rs.10 lakh purchase protection.
Rs.35 lakh air accident insurance (death).
Up to Rs.25,000 for loss of baggage.
$500 for loss of travel documents.
$300 missing flight due to transhipment.
$300 for over 12 hours delay in receipt of checked baggage (international).
$250 for over 12 hours delay in flight (International).
WELCOME BENEFITS
NA
REWARD POINTS
NA
OTHER FEATURES
5% cashback on supermarkets and departmental store purchases.
Offers on luxury goods, dining, golf & travel.
Online concierge facility.
Global customer assistance for emergencies.
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