Which credit card should I buy?

[the_beginner]

Hey guys... I have never used a credit card before and I'm planning to buy one now. I will be using this card for all my day-to-day purchases and online too (I won't spend a lot... Max-20K per month). I checked out Slice, Uni card, One card, HDFC and ICICI (basic ones). I'm not sure about fintech cards as many say that they have hidden charges. So, should I go with conventional one/fintech one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[singenaadam]

ask your bank, they will offer you a free one. check it's features and decide if you really need to buy.

 

[zero_cool]

UNI is not a credit card. I suggest you pick one that you will use for a long time. Go for either HDFC, ICICI or Axis credit cards as they often have offers. Absolutely do not go for a SBI Credit Card, Kotak or CitiBank Credit card. Between VISA and MasterCard, I usually suggest the former there are a few extra offers on it apart from the bank offers. If you just want a credit card for the heck of it, get one by LIC (axis bank), Bank of Baroda, IDFC or IndusInd Bank as they are lifetime free.

 

[princeoo7]

Hey guys... I have never used a credit card before and I'm planning to buy one now. I will be using this card for all my day-to-day purchases and online too (I won't spend a lot... Max-20K per month). I checked out Slice, Uni card, One card, HDFC and ICICI (basic ones). I'm not sure about fintech cards as many say that they have hidden charges. So, should I go with conventional one/fintech one?

Thanks in advance.

you can go for icici amazon or hdfc. icici amazon is by default free for lifetime. hdfc one is I think 50k spending in first 3 months and then free lifetime if this is achieved. icici is great for amazon shopping. hdfc is great at reliance store, and amazon as may time amazon gives offer on it too.

 

[kalph09]

Break down your expenses (like fuel, Groceries, travel, etc) to understand which card has the most returns. Example: Getting a travel card for buying groceries may not add many points.

CardExpert would be a good starting point to find your best fit.

I would avoid those fintech cards. More than hidden charges, they are mostly collecting data on your spending.

 

[nitin_g3]

Absolutely do not go for a SBI Credit Card or CitiBank Credit card

Hey, can you tell me why not citibank credit card?

 

[zero_cool]

Hey, can you tell me why not citibank credit card?

No free credit cards, offers on low end goods are less. The Indian Oil card was the only good one it its stable but now, PayTM offers more value at IOC Petrol Pumps.

Also, in the cards to avoid list, absolutely do not consider any credit card by Kotak.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

UNI is not a credit card. I suggest you pick one that you will use for a long time. Go for either HDFC, ICICI or Axis credit cards as they often have offers. Absolutely do not go for a SBI Credit Card, Kotak or CitiBank Credit card. Between VISA and MasterCard, I usually suggest the former there are a few extra offers on it apart from the bank offers. If you just want a credit card for the heck of it, get one by LIC (axis bank), Bank of Baroda, IDFC or IndusInd Bank as they are lifetime free.

is Citibank still in business ? what i heard they are not allowed to issue anymore card in India.

@the_beginner , this is the absolute best advice.
all card more or less are same - It's even better to go with the one, if you have bank account with any of them ( out of suggest 3 only).
ICICI is little notorious in that list - they charged me annual fees multiple times in a FY, a little confrontation they revert back the money.
But offer wise they are good and every year i get some kitchen appliances absolutely free with accumulated points.

HDFC - you will get frequent good offer in amazon and reliance digital store with them. but they are not as tech savy as icici.

 

[princeoo7]

is Citibank still in business ? what i heard they are not allowed to issue anymore card in India.

@the_beginner , this is the absolute best advice.
all card more or less are same - It's even better to go with the one, if you have bank account with any of them ( out of suggest 3 only).
ICICI is little notorious in that list - they charged me annual fees multiple times in a FY, a little confrontation they revert back the money.
But offer wise they are good and every year i get some kitchen appliances absolutely free with accumulated points.

HDFC - you will get frequent good offer in amazon and reliance digital store with them. but they are not as tech savy as icici.

citi is still in business.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

citi is still in business.

Ohh my wording was incorrect, i remembers they said they will halt issuing new cards. -- if they still issuing may be they changed their instance.

Citi had declared to exit India almost year back and was searching new buyer since then.
As per my current knowledge Axis bank is about to close the deal and acquire their India business before this financial year ends.

 

[nitin_g3]

As per my current knowledge Axis bank is about to close the deal and acquire their India business before this financial year ends.

If that's the case then as a owner of citi credit card I won't apply for Axis, my cc should automatically convert to Axis.

 

[t3chg33k]

As a beginner, go for a card that gives you the most cashback for every transaction and is easy to obtain. I would suggest the Axis Ace card as I use it the most despite having multiple premium cards simply because of the 2% cashback on any transaction, 4% on food orders and 5% on Google Pay bill payments. Even though they charge 500 as annual fees until 2 lakh annual spend, it is easy to get more than that back in a single month. The best part is that it is credited in the next statement as against convoluted reward points redemption or Amazon Pay credits.

You also need to build a credit history for the future and cards like Uni, OneCard, Slice do not reflect in any credit report. However, you may choose to get them for the discounts that they offer across various online platforms for customer acquisition. That is how I am using them and their charges are indeed astronomical if you fail to make the full payment on time.

Ohh my wording was incorrect, i remembers they said they will halt issuing new cards. -- if they still issuing may be they changed their instance.

Citi had declared to exit India almost year back and was searching new buyer since then.
As per my current knowledge Axis bank is about to close the deal and acquire their India business before this financial year ends.

Yeah, Axis is close to closing the deal. Any Citi offers at present are purely to increase the customer base and Axis will likely sideline the card as the acquisition is mainly for the customer base and real estate assets.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

If that's the case then as a owner of citi credit card I won't apply for Axis, my cc should automatically convert to Axis.

yes, normally the m&a time could be anything between 6-18 months.
End user wont see any immediate changes, except re-issued card might have axis logo.

Any Citi offers at present are purely to increase the customer base and Axis will likely sideline the card as the acquisition is mainly for the customer base and real estate assets.

Totally, these were meant to inflate the user-base and negotiate higher selling price.
Money control said there might be a wave where Axis will re-align the credit limits. Citi were known to give inflated credit limit to its customer, and Axis is is totally opposite spectrum.

 

[the_beginner]

As a beginner, go for a card that gives you the most cashback for every transaction and is easy to obtain. I would suggest the Axis Ace card as I use it the most despite having multiple premium cards simply because of the 2% cashback on any transaction, 4% on food orders and 5% on Google Pay bill payments. Even though they charge 500 as annual fees until 2 lakh annual spend, it is easy to get more than that back in a single month. The best part is that it is credited in the next statement as against convoluted reward points redemption or Amazon Pay credits.

You also need to build a credit history for the future and cards like Uni, OneCard, Slice do not reflect in any credit report. However, you may choose to get them for the discounts that they offer across various online platforms for customer acquisition. That is how I am using them and their charges are indeed astronomical if you fail to make the full payment on time.

Yeah, Axis is close to closing the deal. Any Citi offers at present are purely to increase the customer base and Axis will likely sideline the card as the acquisition is mainly for the customer base and real estate assets.

Axis ace looks great... I don't have account in Axis bank and i guess i won't need one, I can directly apply for the card right? and Can i add credit card in Gpay?

 

[t3chg33k]

Axis ace looks great... I don't have account in Axis bank and i guess i won't need one, I can directly apply for the card right? and Can i add credit card in Gpay?

Yes, even I don't have an Axis bank account. As long as you clear their criteria, you should get the card. GPay supports credit cards on Android but not on iOS at present. Not sure if it is a more limited roll-out on Android.