Best Cashback Credit Cards in India [2025]

Cashback credit cards have gained significant traction among Indian credit card users, especially at the entry level, looking for direct monetary benefits from their spending. The Indian credit card market is dynamic, with frequent updates, new product launches, and evolving reward structures. Identifying the “best” cashback credit card is not straightforward, as it depends on individual spending habits and financial priorities.

However, several credit cards emerge as strong contenders in the cashback category. These include options offering high flat cashback rates, cards tailored for specific spending categories like online shopping or groceries, and those providing value through co-branded partnerships. The evaluation criteria for determining the top cards encompass cashback rates, the breadth of applicability across various spending categories, associated fees, and additional benefits such as lounge access or fuel surcharge waivers. Here, I will provide a detailed analysis of India’s leading cashback credit cards for 2025, offering insights and recommendations to help you select the most suitable card to maximise your cashback rewards.

SBI Cashback Credit Card

The SBI Cashback Credit Card is one of the most prominent players in the Indian cashback market, particularly recognised for its robust benefits for online shoppers. A key feature of this card is the 5% cashback it offers on most online purchases, without any restrictions on the merchant or platform. This broad applicability makes it a versatile option for individuals who frequently transact online across various e-commerce websites and applications. The card provides 1% cashback for offline spending, excluding specific categories such as education, fuel, jewellery, insurance, rent, utilities, and wallet reloads. The card also offers a 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps in India for transactions between INR 500 and INR 3,000, with a maximum waiver of INR 100 per statement cycle.

The SBI Cashback Credit Card comes with a joining/annual fee of INR 999 ++. However, this annual fee is waived if the cardholder achieves a yearly spending of INR 2 lakh or more in the preceding year.

While the cashback benefits are attractive, the total cashback earned in a single statement cycle is limited to INR 5,000. The earned cashback is automatically credited to the cardholder’s SBI Card account, typically within two working days of statement generation, providing a hassle-free redemption process. Notably, the card does not offer airport lounge access.

Apply for the SBICard Cashback Card here.

HSBC Live+ Credit Card

The HSBC Live+ Credit Card is notable for its strong cashback offerings in essential spending categories such as groceries, dining, and food delivery. Cardholders can earn 10% cashback on these spends, up to a maximum of INR 1,000 per month. Additionally, the card provides an unlimited 1.5% cashback on all other eligible spends. The HSBC Live+ Credit Card has a joining and annual fee of INR 999++, which is waived if the cardholder spends INR 2 lakhs or more annually.

This card also offers four complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per year. Cardholders can also enjoy a Buy One Get One Free offer on movie tickets booked through BookMyShow. There are specific exclusions for the 1.5% cashback category, including spending on utilities, fuel, rent, and insurance.

The HSBC Live+ Credit Card deserves recognition as one of the best cashback cards, primarily due to its high cashback rate on everyday essential spending like groceries and dining. This makes it particularly valuable for individuals who frequently spend in these categories and can maximise the monthly cashback limit.

Furthermore, HSBC has introduced a summer foreign exchange refund offer for its credit cardholders, including those with the Live+ card.

Apply for the HSBC Live+ Credit Card here.

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card

The Axis Bank ACE Credit Card is notable for its cashback benefits on utility payments and offline spending. It offers a 5% cashback on bill payments made through Google Pay for categories like electricity, gas, internet, and mobile/DTH recharges, with a combined cap of INR 500 per month for this and the food delivery/cab cashback.

Cardholders also receive 4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola spending within the same INR 500 monthly cap. For all other offline purchases, the card initially offered 2% cashback, which has been revised to 1.5% unlimited cashback. The Axis Bank Ace Credit Card has a joining and annual fee of INR 499++, which is waived upon annual spending exceeding INR 2 lakh.

Cardholders benefit from 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits annually, dining discounts at partner restaurants and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. However, it’s important to note that the card does not offer cashback on specific spending categories, including fuel, insurance, rent, and wallet reloads.

The Axis Bank ACE Credit Card is among the best cashback cards due to its specific strengths in rewarding utility bill payments made via Google Pay and its decent cashback rate for other offline spending.

Apply for the Axis Bank ACE Credit Card here (Zero Joining Fee on Select Channels)

HDFC Millennia Credit Card

The HDFC Millennia Credit Card is designed to cater to a wide range of users, particularly those who frequently shop online. It offers 5% cashback on purchases made through the SmartBuy platform (specifically on Flipkart and Amazon) and on select online merchants, including BookMyShow and Cult.fit, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber, and Zomato. This 5% cashback is capped at INR 1,000 per month. The card provides 1% cashback for other spends, also capped at INR 1,000 per month. The HDFC Millennia Credit Card has a joining and annual fee of INR 1000++, which is waived if the cardholder spends INR 1 lakh or more annually.

Cardholders receive four domestic airport lounge visits per year, which are now integrated into a quarterly spending milestone program. The card also offers a quarterly milestone benefit of INR 1,000 gift vouchers on achieving spends of INR 1 lakh in a calendar quarter. The cashback earned is in the form of CashPoints, where 1 CashPoint is equivalent to INR 1 for redemption against the statement balance. These CashPoints have a validity of two years. Specific spending categories are excluded from earning cashback, including fuel, wallet loads, EMI transactions, government transactions, and rent payments.

Apply for the HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card

Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card

The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card is a lifetime free offering, with no joining or annual fees, making it an extremely attractive option, especially for frequent Amazon shoppers.

The card offers a significant 5% cashback on all purchases made on Amazon.in for Prime members. Non-Prime members also benefit from receiving 3% cashback on their Amazon purchases. For all other purchases made using the card (except for fuel), a flat 1% cashback is provided. Furthermore, the card offers 2% cashback on payments made to over 100 Amazon Pay partner merchants, expanding the reward benefits beyond just Amazon.in.

The rewards earned on this card are automatically credited to the cardholder’s Amazon Pay balance, providing a seamless and convenient way to utilise the cashback. While the card generally does not offer airport lounge access, a limited-time, spend-based offer in 2025 provides one-time domestic lounge access.

The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card deserves its place on the best cashback cards list, primarily due to its exceptional value for frequent Amazon shoppers. The high cashback rates for both Prime and non-Prime members, coupled with the card’s lifetime free nature, make it a compelling choice for a vast segment of online consumers in India.

Apply for an ICICI Bank Credit Card

Other Prominent Cashback Credit Cards

The Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card is tailored for food enthusiasts and online shoppers. It offers a high cashback rate of 10% on the Swiggy app for food delivery, Instamart and Dineout, and a 5% Cashback rate on a wide range of online merchants, including Flipkart, Amazon, Nykaa, and others. Additionally, 8 Domestic Lounge Accesses are available annually, with a quarterly limit of two. The card is currently being offered for life free to some folks, so try your luck.

The Tata Neu Infinity Credit Card rewards spending within the Tata Group’s extensive ecosystem, offering NeuCoins (equivalent to ₹1) on purchases made across various Tata brands like BigBasket, Croma, and Tata CLiQ. It provides a tiered reward structure with higher rewards for Tata NeuPass members.

The Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card operates similarly to the Amazon Pay ICICI card, offering significant cashback for purchases made on Flipkart and with its partner brands like Myntra. It provides a higher cashback rate for spending within the Flipkart ecosystem, making it a prime choice for frequent Flipkart users.

The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is another co-branded card that offers attractive cashback on Airtel services, including mobile, broadband, and DTH bill payments and utility bills paid via the Airtel Thanks App. This card particularly benefits Airtel users looking to maximise savings on telecom and utility bills.

Bottomline

In conclusion, the Indian credit card market offers diverse cashback credit cards, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. The “best” card ultimately depends on an individual’s spending patterns and financial priorities.

The SBI Cashback Credit Card stands out for frequent online shoppers with its high flat cashback rate on online spending across all merchants. For individuals who spend significantly on groceries and dining, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card offers a compelling 10% cashback on these essential categories. The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card is an excellent choice for those who primarily shop on Amazon. It offers significant cashback as an Amazon Pay balance and the benefit of being a lifetime free card.

The Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card is also a strong contender, particularly for those who use the Swiggy platform heavily. It offers high cashback on food delivery and other online spending.

So, what is your best Indian Cashback Credit Card pick?

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