How the Card Finder works
Most “best credit card” lists rank cards for an average person who doesn’t exist. The Card Finder starts from your situation instead. It looks at five things, in this order:
- Eligibility first. If a card’s published minimum income is above yours, or its annual fee is above your budget, it is dropped before anything else is compared. There is no point shortlisting a card you are unlikely to get.
- Where you spend. A card earns big points in the ranking when it rewards your top categories, such as online shopping, food delivery, travel or fuel.
- Your must-haves. Lounge access, low forex fees, plain cashback and UPI support each push matching cards up and the rest down.
- How much you spend. Premium cards only pay for themselves at higher monthly spends, so they are favoured for big spenders and held back for smaller budgets.
- Overall quality. Ties are broken by each card’s score out of 10 from our full reviews.
Every result shows the reasons it was picked, plus its annual fee and rewards, so you can sanity-check the match before you read the full review or apply.
Before you apply: five quick checks
- Check your credit score. Most regular cards look for 700 or above. If yours is lower or you have no history, an FD-backed card is the easiest way in.
- Apply for one card at a time. Several applications within a few weeks can lower your score and make banks cautious.
- Read the caps. “5% cashback” often stops at a monthly limit. Our reviews list the caps and the categories that earn nothing.
- Know the fee waiver. Many paid cards waive the annual fee if you spend a set amount a year. If you will hit it, the card is effectively free.
- Pay the full bill every month. Card interest in India is often 3–4% a month. No reward rate beats that.