Top Credit Cards in India

EDITORIAL PICKS - TOP CREDIT CARDS

Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium Credit Card has a joining fee of ₹750 and offers 5% cashback on fuel purchases, telephone, and utility bill payments. This card provides you a complimentary Priority Pass, allowing access to 1000+ airport lounges worldwide with one free usage per month. You can also convert your big spends above ₹5,000 to easy EMIs. Balance Transfer up to 5,00,000 from other banks.

SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card has a joining fee of ₹499 and the renewal fee is waived off if you spend more than ₹1,00,000 in the previous year.SBI SimplySAVE Credit Card gives 10 reward points on Dining, Movies, and Grocery 1 reward points on all others for every ₹100 you spend. Spend 2,000 or more in the first 60 days and get 2,000 bonus Reward Points. 4 Reward Points = ₹1. 1st Year Fee ₹499 waived on annual spends > 1 lakh in the previous year

SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card gives 10 reward points on online spending with exclusive partners and 5 reward points on all other online spendings for every ₹100 you spend. Get Amazon.in gift card worth Rs.500 on joining and Apply online and get BookMyShow voucher worth ₹250 Get freedom from paying the 1% fuel surcharge at any petrol pump

ICICI Coral Credit Card has a joining fee of ₹500. The renewal fee is waived off if you spend more than ₹1,50,000 in the previous year. gives 2 PAYBACK points on all(except fuel) 1 PAYBACK point on utilities and insurance categories for every ₹100 you spend.2 complimentary movie tickets every month under the Buy One Get One free offer; 15% savings on dining bills at over 2500+ restaurants. 10,000 PAYBACK Points from ICICI Bank Rewards every anniversary year. One complimentary domestic airport lounge visit per quarter.

HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card gives earn 50 reward points on selected partners and earns 5 reward points on all other spent for every ₹150 you spend. The annual Membership fee of ₹10,000 and spend Rs. 5L in 12 Months and get renewal fee waived for the next renewal year. Unlimited Airport lounge access to 1,000+ Lounges; 6 Complimentary Golf games per quarter; Air accident cover of INR 2 Crore; Emergency Medical Expenses Cover of up to INR 50 Lakh Complimentary Annual Memberships of Club Marriott, Forbes India, Zomato gold, Amazon Prime, MMT Double Black, Times Prime

CREDIT CARD SAFETY TIPS

• Report immediately to the issuer when you lost or stolen your card.
• Sign on the backside signature panel after receiving your new credit card.
• Protect your cards as if they are cash, don’t throw the cards in your car dashboard.
• Do not save your card details in your email or phone.
• Don’t post photos of your credit card
• Don't provide your card details over the phone unless you initiated the call.
• Don’t forget to take your card back after every purchase.
• Don’t lend your cards
• Choose a PIN that is easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. Don’t use the birth date, phone number, 0000, or 1111 etc. these are easy to guess for someone who finds your card.
• Never tell anyone your PIN and don’t write on paper and keep it in the wallet
• When typing in your pin, cover the keypad so others can’t see.
• If it looks like someone has tampered with the ATM equipment, don’t use it.
• Put your money and ATM card in your wallet before you leave the ATM.
• Always make sure that the amount matches on your credit card receipts before you sign them.
• Replacement cards do not come for free, so keep your cards away from magnets; these can erase the information stored on your card.
• If you receive a replacement card, destroy your old card.
• Destroy cards of your cancelled accounts.
• Shop with merchants you know and trust.
• Make sure internet purchases are secured with encryption to protect your account information. Look for “secure transaction” symbols.

HOW DOES THE CREDIT CARD APPLICATION PROCESS WORK?

When you submit a credit card application, the card issuer makes a decision based on your credit score by checking your creditworthiness and calculating risk involved in lending you money. The issuer doesn't know you personally, so the information you provide about your employment, income, assets and debts will be used to assess your profile and they will look at all information available from your credit report.

Credit Card application process works like this

You fill out an application for a card. The application typically consists of

Personal information: name, birthdate, address, phone number and email address.

Financial information: PAN, employment status and annual income. your other obligations, such as your rent or debt payments.

Issuers need this information to access your credit report. The issuer checks your credit and it contains a credit score, tradeline details, payment history, age of credit, People think the issuer is only interested in credit score. Even if you have a good score still, your application may be rejected because you've applied for many new cards in the recent time, or your DTI (Debt-to-income is a ratio on how much you owe to how much you earn each month debt/income) is high.

If you meet the issuer's requirements, your online application approvals take seconds. If your application is rejected, the issuer sends a written explanation by post, generally, it takes a week to 10 days.

Your new card comes in the post. This typically takes 10 business days.

You activate your card by calling the customer care centre or on the issuer website or logging into a mobile app. Once it's activated, you can use your card.