Top 10 credit cards of 2025: Best picks for rewards, cashback and more

Credit cards are a great way to save on your expenses and become a smart spender. In today’s times, credit cards are no longer just an add on to your luxury but have become a necessity. The flexibility and convenience of paying through credit cards makes it a popular choice amongst users.

With credit cards you do not have to worry about spending money immediately from your pocket as the lender pays on your behalf and you do not have to worry about it until the next bill repayment date.

Top 10 credit cards for 2025

If you are planning to apply for a credit card in the new year, you can check out these best credit cards for 2025. Although you must note that the annual fee and features may change as per the updated policies of the bank. Hence, it is advisable to visit the bank’s website for the latest updates.

Source: Paisabazaar

1. American Express Platinum Card

Key benefits:

• Get benefits of ₹44,300 at premium hotels/resorts worldwide including the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz-Carlton, etc.
• Access to top tier hotel loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Hilton Honors Gold, Taj Reimagined Epicure, Radisson Rewards Gold, etc.
• VIP only events, pre-sale tickets, VIP tickets, best seats Fashion Week, Grammy Award, Wimbledon and more.
• Eazy Diner Prime, with up to 50% off at premium restaurants in India.
• Vouchers from Taj Hotels, Reliance Brands Ltd., Postcard Hotels worth ₹35,000 on annual spends of ₹20 Lakh.
• Taj, Postcard Hotels or Reliance vouchers of up to ₹60,000 on spending ₹50,000 in the first 2 months.
• Unlimited complimentary lounge access.

2. Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card

Key benefits:

• Up to 30 EDGE reward points for each ₹200 spent.
• BookMyShow tickets offer on B1G1 offer with up to 5 offer tickets per month
• Accorplus, Club Marriott & EazyDiner Prime memberships & offers on Postcard & Oberoi hotels.
• 50 free golf rounds per year at some of the top golf courses in India
• Priority Pass unlimited domestic & international lounge visits
• Forex mark-up fee of just 1.5% with 2X reward points on international spends

3. HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card

Key benefits:

• Earn up to 10X reward points on SmartBuy purchases and 2X points on weekend dining, with redemption ratios of up to 1:1.
• On joining you get to enjoy annual memberships to Club Marriott, Forbes, Amazon, Swiggy One (3 months), and MMT BLACK.
• Get a low forex markup fee of 2%, and complimentary membership renewals on ₹8 lakh spent annually.
• If you spend ₹80,000 per month, you will get two ₹500 vouchers from Ola Cabs, Cult.fit Live, BookMyShow, or TataCliQ.
• Get 6 free golf games per calendar quarter.
• Get unlimited access to airport lounges (primary and add on).
• Get a high base rewards rate of 3.33%; 5 reward points for every ₹150 spent.

4. Axis Atlas Credit Card

Key benefits:

• Welcome benefit of 2,500 bonus EDGE Miles.
• 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 travel spent.
• For redemption, 1 EDGE Mile = 2 Partner Points.
• Up to 5,000 EDGE Miles as milestone benefits.
• 18 complimentary domestic lounge visits in one calendar year.
• 2.5X EDGE Miles on Travel spends.
• 12 international lounge access per year.

5. Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card

Key benefits:

• Earn 10 EDGE reward points on ₹200 spent.
• Get ₹500 off per month on BigBasket on minimum spend of ₹3,000.
• Get ₹200 off on Swiggy, twice a month, for a minimum spend of ₹1,000.
• 12 complimentary international lounge visits a year & 2 domestic visits a quarter.
• 12 free golf rounds in a year.
• Reward points 2X across all retail transactions.
• Welcome benefit of 10,000 EDGE reward points worth ₹2,000.

6. HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card

Key benefits:

• 5X reward points on Nykaa, Myntra, Marks & Spencer, Reliance Digital.
• 4 reward points per ₹150 on all retail spends.
• Swiggy One & MMT Black Elite Memberships free of cost.
• On payment of joining fee, enjoy a gift voucher worth ₹2,500.
• 6 complimentary international lounge visits and 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per year.
• Marks & Spencer, Reliance Digital, Myntra or Marriott vouchers worth ₹1,500 on ₹1 Lakh quarterly spends.
• Annual spends of ₹5 Lakh get you ₹5,000 flight vouchers.

7. IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card

Key benefits:

• Get 7.5% as 15 Fuel Points per ₹100 of your IOCL fuel spend.
• Fuel spends of ₹500 to ₹4,000 subject to 1% fuel surcharge waiver.
• 3 Fuel Points per ₹100 spent on other categories; 1 Fuel Point = ₹0.50 per purchase of IOCL fuel expense.
• Welcome benefit of 3,000 Fuel Points on making 1st card spend of min. ₹500 in the 1st 30 days.
• Annual Fee waived of ₹2.75 lakh annual spends.
• Savings of up to 8.5% on IOCL fuel spends.
• Reach ₹75,000 quarterly spends to receive 1,000 fuel points.

8. Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Credit Card

Key benefits:

• The first spend within 30 days of card issuance is 1,499 NeuCoins.
• 1.5% NeuCoins on UPI, non Tata brand and merchant EMI spends at 5% NeuCoins.
• Enjoy an additional 5% NeuCoins on select spends at Tata Neu app/website.
• Low forex markup fee of 2%.
• 5% NeuCoins on Tata Neu and its partner brands on all non-EMI spends.
• 8 international and 4 domestic lounge access per year through Priority Pass.

9. Cashback SBI Card

Key benefits:

• No merchant restriction, 5% cashback on all online spends.
• Cashback of 1% on all offline spends.
• Get up to ₹5,000 cashback per month.
• On spending at least ₹2 lakh in a year, renewal fee reversed.
• Up to ₹100 fuel surcharge waiver of 1% per month.

10. YES Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave Credit Card

Key benefits:

• 3% Cashback points on e-commerce spends up to 5,000 points/month
• Cashback points on all other spends, including UPI, at unlimited 1.5%
• Cashback points can be redeemed as statement credit at a 1:1 ratio with no redemption fees.
• up to 5% cashback on online spends after reaching the monthly capping.
• Waiver of renewal fee on annual spends of ₹1.2 lakh or more.
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on fuel spends between ₹500 to ₹3,000, up to ₹250 per month.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 499

In conclusion, credit cards can be a great way to save on your daily expenses. However, you need to be conscious of your spending as unplanned use of credit cards can make you form a habit of spontaneous spending which can lead to a hefty bill in the next month. This way you may end up having a liability which you may not be able to afford. Hence, always keep a track of your spending habits and use your credit card efficiently in order to avoid any debt traps.

(Note: The list is indicative, and not exhaustive. Check the bank websites for the latest updates on these cards)