AU NOMO
AU Small Finance Bank
2 reward points per ₹100 on eligible retail purchases
Annual fee: No annual fee
Best first credit cards in India
CardIQ’s sourced shortlist of 12 first credit card credit cards in India, with fees, benefits and important trade-offs to verify.
How to choose
Compare straightforward fees, secured alternatives and documented benefits without treating a shortlist as an approval promise.
This is an editorial shortlist, not a personalised recommendation or approval ranking. Eligible cards are ordered by the completeness of their maintained sources and decision-critical details—not from best to worst. No issuer can pay to improve its position.
SBI Card Unnati
SBI Card
1 point per ₹100 on eligible purchases
Annual fee: No fee for first four years; ₹499 + GST from year five
Axis Bank MY ZONE EASY
Axis Bank
4 EDGE REWARD points per ₹200 on eligible domestic purchases
Annual fee: ₹500 + GST
Axis Bank Privilege Easy
Axis Bank
10 EDGE REWARD points per ₹200 on eligible purchases
Annual fee: ₹1,500 + GST (waived on ₹5 lakh qualifying annual spend)
IDFC FIRST EA₹N
IDFC FIRST Bank
1% cashback on eligible UPI payments through the bank app
Annual fee: ₹499 + GST
IDFC FIRST WOW!
IDFC FIRST Bank
Up to 4 points per ₹200 on eligible purchases
Annual fee: No annual fee
IDFC FIRST WOW! Black
IDFC FIRST Bank
4 points per ₹150 on eligible online, offline and international purchases
Annual fee: ₹750 + GST (waived on ₹1.5 lakh eligible annual spend)
BOBCARD PRIME
BOBCARD
Reward points on eligible purchases against a fixed deposit
Annual fee: No fee
IDBI Bank Imperium Platinum
IDBI Bank
Delight Points on eligible purchases against a fixed deposit
Annual fee: ₹499 + GST (waived on ₹75,000 eligible annual spend)
IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback
IDFC FIRST Bank
3% on eligible online spends up to ₹10,000 per cycle; 5% on incremental online spend above ₹10,000
Annual fee: ₹1,000 + GST (waived on ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend)
IDFC FIRST Quantum+
IDFC FIRST Bank
1% on eligible online spend up to ₹10,000 per cycle; 2% on incremental online spend above ₹10,000
Annual fee: No fee
Kotak 811 Dream Different Credit Card
Kotak Mahindra Bank
2 reward points per ₹100 online and 1 per ₹100 on other eligible purchases
Annual fee: No annual fee
Check before applying
- Confirm the current fee, waiver threshold and applicable GST.
- Check reward caps, excluded transactions and redemption value.
- Open the card page to review dated issuer sources and CardIQ’s trade-offs.