Best Credit Card For Beginners 2024

Best Credit Card for Beginners: Having a credit card makes you feel like a grown-up in a way. You must have seen your parents use credit cards, and you must have wished you had one too. Now that you have a job, you can finally get the best credit card in India, which has been your long-time goal.

Many of you may have questions about credit cards, such as which one is the best, how to apply for a credit card, and how to improve your credit score. There are so many credit cards available in India, and all credit cards are the best credit cards in their own right.

How do you find the one that really works for you and meets your needs as a new credit card holder? For this, you have to read this article till the end. You will definitely get answers to all your questions.

Best Credit Card For Beginners

If you are starting your career and want to build a good credit history and score, a credit card can help you do that. This is possible if you use it wisely and make sure to pay your bills on time.

In India, there are several entry-level credit cards with qualifying requirements that most people with entry-level jobs can meet, regardless of the business they work in.

Before you apply for a card, you should compare the various features and fees so that you can make the most of it.

Once you figure out which category of credit card will suit your needs, you need to filter out the best credit card in the category you are looking for. We have made this task easy for you. You can find a list of the best and most affordable credit cards currently available here.

Best Credit Cards for Beginners in India

SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card

The SBI SimplyCLICK rewards program is built around online shopping, and you get additional benefits when you shop with their partner brands.

Even though its basic reward rate of 1% is lower than moneyback cards, the fact that it gives 5% rewards on all online purchases makes it a better deal and one of the best shopping credit cards in India. You will also get 10% back from exclusive partners like Amazon, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Lenskart, and Netmeds.

Features of SBI SimplyCLICK Credit Card

You will get Rs. 500 as a joining bonus. Amazon gift cards. E-vouchers worth Rs 2,000 each if you spend Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh in a year. 1 reward point for every Rs 100 spent on the card. Five times more rewards on online purchases. You can earn 10 times more rewards when you shop online with partners like BookMyShow, Amazon, UrbanClap, FoodPanda, and Lenskart. 1% fuel surcharge waiver for transactions between Rs 500 and Rs 3,000 You can get the annual fee back if you spend Rs 1 lakh in a year.

Rewards

• 1 reward point for every Rs 100 paid offline with the card (0.25% reward rate).
• 10X reward points (10 points per Rs 100) on online purchases from partner stores like Cleartrip, BookMyShow, Dineout, Lenskart, Apollo24x7, and Netmeds. The 10X Rewards Points bonus cannot be used to purchase gift cards, pay bills, or recharge on Amazon.
• All other online purchases made with the card earn 5X Rewards Points (a reward rate of 1.25%).
• When using the card online, you can earn bonus Rewards Points at a rate of 5X or 10X up to a maximum of 10,000 points per month.

Rewards Redemption

You can redeem Rewards Points earned with your SimplyCLICK SBI Credit Card by visiting sbicard.com and logging in. At a rate of 1 Rewards Point = Rs. 0.25, you can use your earned points to purchase a wide range of goods and gift vouchers from SBI Card’s Rewards catalogue. You can also use your Rewards Points to pay amounts on your card.

Citi CashBack Credit Card

The Citi Cash Back Credit Card is another great option if you want to earn cash back on purchases made with your credit card, You don’t need a high income to get the card but it has good cash-back features, like giving you 5% cash back on phone bills, utility bills and movie tickets. Apart from this, you get 0.5% cashback on all other purchases.

With this card, the cashback you earn is added to your statement in multiples of Rs 500. The best part is that if you never use any cash back, it doesn’t go anywhere; you can use it anytime. This card comes with a lot of features and benefits.

Features of Citi Cash Back Credit Card

• When you use Citi BillPay to buy movie tickets or pay for any utility, you will get 5% cash back.Get 0.5% cash back on everything you buy.
• Cashback is automatically added to the account in increments of Rs 500.Your cashback that you have not used does not go anywhere until you use it.
• If you pay your phone bill with Citi Cash Back Credit Card, you will get 5% cash back, up to Rs 100 per month.
• Any payment for utility bill will get 5% cash back, up to a maximum of Rs 100 per month.
• All other types of purchases will get you 0.5% cashback.

Rewards Point

• When you use the card to buy movie tickets, you can get 5% cashback, up to a maximum of Rs 100 per month.
• When you pay your energy bills through Citibank’s bill payment service or online, you can get 5% cashback.
• When you use the Citibank Cash Back Credit Card to pay your phone bill, you will get 5% cashback.
• If you pay your phone bill online through Citibank or use Citibank’s online bill payment service, it is similar to paying your energy bill.
• With the Citibank Cash Back Credit Card, you get 0.5% cashback on all other purchases.

Reward Redemption

Every month, the Citibank Cash Back Credit Card instantly deducts the cash back earned from the card’s balance amount.
The cashback can only be applied to the credit card’s statement balance of 500×. This means you need to receive at least Rs 500 in cashback for it to be applied to your credit card’s statement balance.

HDFC Regalia Credit Card

There are many travel and luxury rewards that come with the HDFC Regalia Credit Card. This card costs Rs 2,500 per year, and it comes with 2,500 bonus reward points. This is one of the most popular credit cards from HDFC.

When you use the card to spend Rs 150, you get 4 reward points. Each point is worth up to Rs 0.5, and you can use them to pay for a wide variety of things.

Plus, the card has a very low markup for foreign currency, making it a good option for transactions in other countries. The card has great dining benefits, concierge services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and much more.

Features of HDFC Regalia Credit Card

• Free access to 12 airport lounges in India and 6 lounges outside India.
• Spend Rs 5 lakh and get an additional 10,000 reward points.
• Spend Rs 8 lakh and get an additional 5,000 Reward Points.Spend Rs 150 and get 4 Reward Points.
• If you lose your HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card, you should immediately call HDFC Bank’s 24-hour call center.
• If you do so, you will not be responsible for any fraudulent charges levied on your credit card.2% on all money you spend abroad.
• With your HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card, you can get revolving credit at a low interest rate.

Reward Points

• You can earn 4 Reward Points on every Rs 150 of retail spending.
• If you spend Rs 5 lakh every year, you can earn 10,000 Reward Points.
• If you spend Rs 8 lakh every year, you can earn an additional 8000 Reward Points.

Reward Redemption

• You can redeem your Rewards Points through Smartbuy or Netbanking.
• 1 RP = Rs. 0.5 on booking flights and hotels through Smartbuy.
• converted1 RP = Rs. 0.5 airmiles conversion through Netbanking.
• 1 RP = Rs. 0.35 on buying Products and Vouchers through NetBanking or SmartBuy
• Cashback on value of 1 RP = Rs. 0.20.

Axis Ace Credit Card

Axis Ace is one of the best credit cards for those who are just starting out as it has the highest cashback rate of 2% on all* purchases. It also gives 5% cashback on all utility bill payments made through Google Pay, with no limit on how much you can get back. So, if you pay your electricity bill of Rs 5,000, you will get Rs 250 back.

Most of us pay a lot for our utility bills, so getting such a huge cashback on something is a big deal. Compared to other cashback cards like HDFC Millennia and HSBC Cashback, Axis Ace credit card gives you a lot more money.

Features of Axis Ace Credit Card

• 5% cashback on electricity, gas and internet bills paid through Google Pay
• 4% cashback on Ola, Zomato and Swiggy
• 2% cash back on everything else
• 4 free visits to a domestic lounge per year
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs 400 and Rs 4,000 (maximum Rs 500 waiver in a month)

Rewards Points

• Get 5% cashback on bills and mobile recharges through GPay.
• 4% cashback on Swiggy, Ola, Zomato.
• 2% cashback elsewhere at other merchants.

Reward Redemption
The cashback you earn will be automatically credited to your account.

HDFC Millennia Credit Card

The HDFC Millennia credit card is best for millennials who shop a lot online and want to get a lot of value back on everything they buy. This is one of the best cashback credit cards in India, and you can get up to 5% cashback on online shopping and 1% cashback on everything else.

Features of HDFC Millennia Credit Card

• 5% cashback on Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato.
• 1% cashback on all other purchases (excluding fuel) including EMI and wallet transactions.
• When you spend at least ₹1 lakh in a calendar quarter, you get a gift certificate of ₹1,000.
• Dineout offers up to 20% discount at partner restaurants.
• 1% fuel surcharge waived at all gas stations in India as long as you spend at least ₹400 and not more than ₹5,000.
• Good Food Trail is a program that lets you dine at high-quality restaurants in top cities.

Rewards Point / Cashback Redemption
HDFC Millennia Credit Card cashback is added to the card account in the form of cashpoints at the end of each briefing session. You can use the CashPoints you earn in a number of ways, such as getting cashback, booking flights or hotels through SmartBuy, purchasing goods from the bank’s catalogue, or earning airmiles.

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

One of the best things about this Axis Bank credit card is that it has the second-highest cash-back rate in the market at 1.5%. This means that even if you buy something for Rs 100 in person, you will get Rs 45 back.

The card also gives you a lot of cash back on your shopping and travel costs. For example, you can get 5% cashback on Flipkart, Myntra, and 2GUD and 4% cashback on preferred merchants. Even though it only works on a few platforms, this is a good cash-back rate for an entry-level card, which is not typical for cards with fees in this range.

Also, unlike Amazon, Flipkart doesn’t have a wallet system, so the cashback goes directly to your card account. This makes the cashback model easier.

Features of Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

• With the Axis Bank Flipkart Credit Card, you can get a welcome offer of Rs 3,300 and an activation offer.
• Get a Rs 500 coupon from Flipkart when you make your first purchase.
• With your credit card, you can get a free 6-month subscription of Gaana.com.
• GoIbibo will give you a Rs 500 discount if you book a domestic hotel for at least Rs 2,000 with your credit card.
• MakeMyTrip will give you a Rs 500 discount if you book a hotel within the country for Rs 2,000.
• With this credit card, you can get 15% cashback up to Rs 500 on your first purchase on Myntra.
• When you use your credit card on Urban Clap for the first time, you can get a 20% discount up to Rs 400.
• Flipkart, Myntra, and 2GUD all offer 5% cashback.From all your favorite stores
• Get 4% cash back. 1.5% cash back on everything else.

Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card

The Amazon Pay ICICI card was one of the first cards that a major e-commerce company made available. Even though the card’s universal cashback rate is only 1%, it still gives back a lot of value to Amazon loyalists, especially PRIME customers.

Since there are over 100 stores on Amazon Pay, even 2% cashback is a good deal. But the cashback is not added to your Amazon Pay balance or your card account, so you can only use it on the platform.

Features of Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card

• Prime members get 5% cashback on purchases from Amazon Non-PRIME customers can get 3% cashback on Amazon purchases.
• 2% cashback at over 100 partner stores when paying with Amazon Pay and this card.
• 1% cashback on everything elseAll gas stations will not have to charge 1% fuel surcharge
• Rewards Point
• Prime members get 5% cashback on all sales made on Amazon India (amazon.in), except for a few things.
• People who are not Prime members will get 3% cashback instead of 5%, with the same terms as Prime members.
• It is important to remember that this 5% or 3% cashback on Amazon only works for sales made on Amazon India (amazon.in).
• When you use the credit card with Amazon Pay, you also get 2% cashback on purchases from over 100 partner stores.
• If you use Amazon Pay on partner merchant websites, you will get 2% cashback.
• Except for payments made at petrol stations, you can get 1% cashback on all other purchases made with the card.

Reward Redemption

At the end of each billing cycle, the reward points you earn on your Amazon Pay Bank ICICI credit card are instantly added to the Amazon account > Amazon Pay balance linked to the card.

When you buy something from Amazon or any other store that accepts Amazon Pay as a payment method, 1 RP = Rs 1.

You can use your Amazon Pay amount to buy things on Amazon or any partner store that accepts Amazon Pay as a payment method.

HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card

If you want to save more money with rewards, HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card is a good option. As a welcome bonus, you get 500 cash points when you get the card.

The card makes it easier for stores to accept secure and easy-to-use contactless payments. You also get more reward points when you buy things online.

Features of HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card

• Get 2 reward points for every Rs 150 spent in person, and 4 reward points for every Rs 150 spent online.
• When you spend Rs 50,000 or more in a quarter, you get a gift voucher worth Rs 500. You can get a maximum of Rs 2,000 worth of gift vouchers in a year.
• You have 50 days to pay without interest from the date of purchase (subject to the date of crediting the fee by the merchant)
• Not all gas stations in India will have to charge 1% fuel surcharge. (This requires a minimum purchase of Rs 400, and you can only get a maximum cashback of Rs 250 per statement cycle.)
• If you spend Rs 20,000 or more in the first 90 days, you don’t have to pay a subscription fee for the first year.

Rewards

• For every ₹150/- you spend, you get 2 Rewards Points.
• If you spend ₹150/- online, you get 4 Rewards Points. Using this category, you can earn up to 500 Rewards Points on your credit card.

Reward Redemption
You can redeem the Rewards Points you earn from your HDFC MoneyBack Credit Card. You can use these points to pay your bills, as 1 Rewards Point is worth Rs 0.20.

On the SmartBuy Rewards portal, you can use your reward points to avail travel benefits while booking flights or hotels.

SBI Cashback Card

This is the new hot pick for those who have just got their first credit card. 5% cashback is a good deal, and the maximum limit of Rs 10,000 per month, which is the same as spending Rs 2 lakh in a month, is great. But keep in mind that utility bills, rent, and wallet load do not count in the 5% cash-back category.

Features of SBI Cashback Card

• Symbol 5% cashback on online purchases, no matter where you shop from.
• 1% cashback on all offline purchases and payments for utility bills.
• Cashback is not available on rent payments, wallet load, merchant EMIs, cash advance, balance transfer, Encash, and FlexiPay.
• Renewal fee refund for annual spends of Rs 2 lakh.1% of fuel surcharge will be waived across all gas stations in India.

Reward Redemption

The cashback earned from SBI Card gets auto-credited within 2 days of the next statement of the card.

Bank Of Baroda – BOB Eterna

Bank of Baroda has just launched a new premium credit card called Eterna. This card is run by BOB Financial Solutions Limited, formerly called Bobcards Limited.

It is unique in its own way as it has a higher rate of rewards for fast-track categories like online spends and others.

Features of BOB Eterna

• Earn 10,000 bonus reward points on spending ₹50,000 in the first 60 days and 20,000 bonus reward points on spending ₹5,00,000 in a year.
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India on transactions between Rs 400 and Rs 5,000 (maximum ₹250 per cycle).
• Note – No reward points are earned on fuel transactions.
• 3 reward points for every ₹100 spent on other categories. 1.5 reward points for every ₹100 spent on MCC*. Redeem reward points for cashback.

Rewards Point

• Get One Paytm Movies lets you buy one movie ticket. Four golf lessons in a year (one per quarter)Domestic airport lounge access is free and unlimited. 1% discount on fuel surcharge across all gas stations in India.
• 15 reward points (5X rate)/ Rs 100 on spending on online shopping, travel, dining and movies. You can earn a maximum of 5,000 reward points/month at this rate.
• 3 reward points/ Rs 100 for spending on all other categories.

Reward Redemption

On BOB’s reward redemption site for things like hotel/flight/movie tickets, mobile phone recharge, shopping etc.
1 RP = Rs 0.25.

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How to Apply for a Credit Card

Applying for a credit card is easy, but you’ll need to meet some basic requirements:

• Age: You need to be at least 18 years old.
• Income: Most banks require that you have a steady income. They’ll ask for proof, like your salary slip or bank statement.
• Documents: You’ll need to provide identification (like your Aadhaar card), proof of address, and proof of income.

You can apply for a credit card online through the bank’s website or visit a branch in person. After you apply, the bank will review your application and let you know if you’ve been approved.

Tips for Using Your Credit Card Wisely

• Pay Your Bill On Time: This is the most important thing to remember. Late payments can hurt your credit score and cost you in late fees.
• Don’t Spend More Than You Can Afford: It’s easy to swipe your card and forget about it, but you’ll have to pay that money back.
• Check Your Statements: Make sure there are no errors or unauthorized charges.

Conclusion

Choosing your first credit card can be exciting and a bit overwhelming, but if you pick the right one and use it responsibly, it can be a great tool for building your financial future. Compare your options, consider what’s important to you, and take the leap when you’re ready. With the right card in your wallet, you’re on your way to making smart financial decisions.