Best Credit Cards for Low Income Earners

Last Updated : Sept. 21, 2024, 2:01 p.m.

Banks provide a variety of credit cards for their low-salaried customers across various categories including travel, rewards, online shopping, lifestyle spends, cashback, etc. Individuals should opt for the card that best aligns with their income, lifestyle, and spending preferences. They can then use these credit cards judiciously to settle their bills, buy groceries, and make significant purchases. Let us now read about some of the top credit cards in India for low income earners in 2024, their features, eligibility criteria, etc.

Best Credit Cards for the Low Salaried in India 2024

Features and Benefits of Top Credit Cards for the Low Salaried

Yes Bank Ace Credit Card

This card is an awesome pick for avid shoppers. Apply for this credit card and enjoy an enhanced shopping experience by earning big rewards.

Reward points

• Earn 2 Yes reward points on every INR 200 spent for select categories.
• Earn 4 Yes reward points on every INR 200 spent for offline shopping excluding select categories.
• 10 Yes reward points can be converted to 1 interMile or 1 Club Vistara point.
• Reward points will not be awarded for UPI transactions on RuPay credit card, fuel transactions, withdrawal of cash, transactions convertible to EMI.
• The upper cap on reward points is 5000.
• Reward points can be redeemed with Yes Rewardz.

Entertainment

• Enjoy premium privileges across travel, dining, shopping, wellness, and more in specific cities.

Insurance

• Insurance protection cover of up to INR 50,000 against accidental damage for 6 months for mobile and electronic purchases done online.
• Get credit shield cover of 1 lakh.
• Get a lost card liability cover of 1.3 lakhs.

Fuel surcharge waiver

• A fuel surcharge waiver of 1% for transactions between INR 400 to INR 5,000

Forex mark up

• You are eligible for a foreign currency markup of 2.75% only.

Eligibility for Ace Credit Card

SBI Tata Titanium Credit Card

This card comes with special features and offers, the best feature being the 5% valueback customers will get on all purchases.

Welcome offers

• Get 500 Empower Points on reaching milestone spends of Rs.2000 within 60 days of receiving the card.

Value back benefits

• Earn a value back of 1.5% on spends at Croma and cromaretail.com
• Get up to 5% value back on spends at Tata outlets.

Reward or Empower Points

• Earn 3x points for spending on grocery and departmental stores.
• Earn 1 point per Rs. 100 spent at other retail outlets.
• Empower points or reward points can be redeemed at the rate of 1 Empower Point = Re 1

Annual fee reversal

• Get an annual fee waiver on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 1,00,000 or more in a year.

Fuel surcharge waiver

• Get a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on transactions in the range of Rs. 500 to Rs. 3000 at all petrol stations across India.
• Get a maximum fuel surcharge waiver of Rs. 100 per statement cycle.

Global usage

• You can use this card at more than 24 million outlets worldwide, also including 3,25,000 outlets in India.

Extended credit facility

• Tata Titanium card users can avail of extended credit facility using which they can plan the payment of their outstanding due amount.

Add on cards

• Apply for add on cards for your spouse, parents, children, or siblings over 18 years of age.

Wide usage

• The card can be utilized in more than a million Mastercard and Visa ATMs all over the world. This includes 18,000 ATMs within India.
• Besides this, Tata Titanium card holders can also access over 10,000 ATMs affiliated to SBI in 100 cities across India.

Railway ticket booking online

• Railway tickets can be booked easily online through the IRCTC website.

Utility bill payment

• You can pay utility bills such as electricity, insurance, or telephone online.

Robust customer support

• 24/7 customer helpline service. For BSN/MTNL connections, call 1800 180 8282. For others, call 39 02 34 56

Eligibility for SBI Tata Titanium Credit Card

SimplyCLICK SBI Card

This card offers unlimited privileges in the form of vouchers from popular brands, annual fee reversal, fuel surcharge waiver, etc. Enjoy a world of benefits with this amazing card.

Welcome gift

• Get an Amazon gift card worth Rs. 500 on paying the annual fee of Rs. 499 plus taxes.

Reward points

• Earn 10x rewards on online spends with partners - Apollo 24/7, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Dominos, Myntra, Netmeds, Swiggy, Yatra.
• Earn 5x reward points on all other online spends.

Milestone benefits

• Get e-vouchers of value Rs. 2000 from Cleartrip or Yatra on reaching annual online spends of Rs. 1 lakh and 2 lakhs.
• Annual fee reversal of Rs. 499 on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 1,00,000.

Fuel surcharge waiver

• Get a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% for transactions between Rs. 500 and Rs. 3000.

Eligibility

SimplySAVE SBI Card

Buy this credit card and make the most out of your savings in the form of rewards on groceries, dining, departmental stores, and movies.

Welcome offer

• Get 2000 reward points on spending Rs. 2000 and more within the first 60 days of card issuance.

Reward points

• Enjoy 10x reward points for each Rs. 150 spent on movies, dining, grocery spends, and departmental stores.
• Earn 1 reward point per Rs. 150 spent on all your other spends.
• Reward points can be redeemed at the rate of 4 reward points = Rs 1

Fuel surcharge waiver

• Enjoy a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on all transactions in the range of Rs. 500 to Rs. 3000 at all petrol pumps across India.

Annual fee waiver

• Get an annual fee reversal from the second year on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 1,00,000.

Eligibility Criteria

HDFC Bank Pixel Go Credit Card

This card offers seamless digital solutions. Onboarding and card management can be done completely online in a smooth and quick manner. Also, enjoy the privilege of receiving an instant digital credit card upon onboarding.

Credit score improvement

• The card helps you build a good credit score on daily purchases.

Easy use and management

• Flawless management of your Pixel Go credit card digitally through the PayZapp. You will have access to cutting edge features such as rewards, statements, EMI dashboard, card controls, repayments, disputes, help center, hotlisting, notifications, and more.
• This card helps you make e-commerce transactions effortlessly with just a Swipe without an OTP.

Cashback

• Unlimited cashback of 1% on all eligible transactions.
• Enjoy a cashback of 5% on the Smartbuy app.

Buy now pay later facility

• This card provides a buy now pay later facility. You can pay for your purchases through flexible low cost EMIs.

Interest free credit period

• Interest free credit period till 50 days from the date of purchase.

Discount

• Experience up to 25% discount on restaurant partners via Swiggy Dine Out

Easy EMI conversion

• Convert the balance on your Pixel Go Credit Card to EMIs instantly with just a click. You can manage all your existing EMI repayments from the EMI dashboard with ease on the Payzapp. No documentation, email, or calling is required for the same.

Zero liability on lost credit card

• If reported immediately to the 24 hour HDFC call center, you will have zero liability on your lost credit card.

Revolving credit

• Revolving credit is available at an affordable interest rate

Dining perks

• Access to dining benefits with the Good food trail program. Get a 25% discount on all your restaurant bill payments across 20k plus restaurants via the Swiggy Dine Out app.
• The offer can be availed only on payments made through the Swiggy app.

Fuel surcharge

• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India on transactions in the range of Rs. 400 to Rs.5,000.

Milestone benefit

• Enjoy a joining fee waiver on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 10,000 within 90 days of issuance.
• Obtain a renewal fee waiver on spending Rs. 50,000 or more in the previous 12 months.

Eligibility

For the Salaried

For Self-Employed

Kotak Indigo 6E Rewards Credit Card

You can turn your spends into rewards with the 6E rewards credit card. Get travel vouchers, complimentary meals, priority check-ins, and more with this credit card. The card comes in two variants - Signature and Platinum.

Welcome offer

Redemption of tickets for base fare

• You can redeem the spends on your base fare for tickets after doing 3 transactions monthly for the first 3 consecutive months.
• Only the tickets that are booked on the IndiGo website or mobile app in INR can be redeemed.
• The complimentary ticket will be credited to the customer’s IndiGo membership account within 45 days of eligibility.

Welcome offer On the Signature Variant

• Earn a welcome ticket voucher worth Rs. 3000.
• Get 6E Prime Add ons worth Rs. 899. This includes complimentary meals, quick baggage access, and seat selection.
• 8 complimentary Lounge access during the year (Up to a maximum of 2 per quarter)

Welcome offer On the Platinum Variant

• Earn a welcome ticket voucher worth Rs. 1,500
• Get 6E Prime Add ons worth Rs. 899. This includes complimentary meals, seat selection, and quick baggage access.

Note: Welcome benefits will be issued on paying the joining fee and will not be if there is a waiver in the fee.

Flight Benefits

• Book flight tickets redeeming the reward points earned by just doing the transaction on the IndiGo credit card.

Reward Benefits

On the Signature Variant

• Earn 6% on Indigo transactions, 3% on entertainment, dining, and grocery spends, and 2% on all other transactions excluding rent, education and government spends, and wallet.

On the Platinum Variant

• Earn 3% on Indigo transactions, 2% on entertainment, dining, and grocery spends, and 1% on all other transactions excluding rent, wallet, education and government spends.

Eligibility Criteria

HDFC Bharat Cashback Card

This card is the right pick for those who aim to save more, since it offers you cashback on your day to day spends. With this card, the more you spend, the more you end up saving.

Cashback

Category A

• 5% cashback
  • On booking tickets through IRCTC
  • Monthly on fuel expenses
  • On groceries
  • Monthly on bill payments and mobile recharge.

Category B: Get a 5% cashback monthly on PayZapp, EasyEMI, or SmartBUY apps given by the bank.

• Maximum cashback per month on travel, fuel, groceries and bill payments put together is Rs. 150.
• Maximum cashback on monthly spends on PayZapp/EasyEMI/SmartBUY is Rs. 150
• You will not get a 5% cashback on recharges done along with mobile phone purchase or recharge done at merchant outlets dealing in mobile sales and accessories.
• Wallet loading is not eligible for cashback.
• If spends overlap between Categories A and B, the customer will get cashback only under one category. For example: mobile recharge through EasyEMI.

Reward Points

• Cashback is retained as reward points and can be redeemed as cashback on the customer’s request.
• Rent payments and government related transactions will not earn reward points.
• The accrual of reward points on transactions is subject to the recognition of the merchant category code captured by partner networks.

Fuel surcharge waiver

• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on making a transaction for minimum Rs. 400

Interest free credit period

• Interest free credit period till 50 days from the date of purchase.

Annual Savings

• Save up to 3,600 annually by using this credit card.

Eligibility Criteria

For the Salaried Employee

For the Self-Employed

Note: HDFC Bank is not accepting new applications for Bharat Credit Card. However, existing card holders can continue to enjoy the benefits offered by this card.

HDFC Freedom Card

This card is one of the best suited cards for first time users. It is a great card for rewards with bonus points on groceries, movies, food orders, and more. You can also redeem your reward points against your statement cycle.

Cashpoints

• Welcome benefit of 500 cash points on paying the joining fees.
• Get a welcome benefit of 500 cash points on paying your annual fee.
• Earn 10X CashPoints on popular merchant websites such as Big Basket, BookMyShow, Swiggy, Uber, and OYO, Subject to a maximum of 2,500 cash points in a month.
• Enjoy 5X reward points on movies, dining, grocery spends, taxis, and railway spends.
• 25X reward points on your birthday expenses made with the card.
• Get 2.5x cashpoints on EMI spends at merchant locations, subject to a maximum of 2,500 cash points in a month.
• Earn 1 cash point per Rs. 150 on other spends except fuel, prepaid card loads, voucher or wallet purchases.

Reward points

• Redeem cash points at the rate of 1 cashpoint = Rs. 0.15.
• You can redeem cashpoints against flight and hotel bookings, rewards catalogue on the SmartBuy rewards portal.

Lower interest rate

• Get an affordable interest rate of 0.99% on non EMI spends for the first 90 days from the date of card issuance. This does not hold good on products like insta loan, SmartEMI, EasyEMI, balance transfer, Insta Jumbo Loan, or cash transactions.

Dining

• Get up to 15% off at 2000 plus premium restaurants in select cities.
• Get an interest rate of just 0.99% on retail or non EMI spends for the first 90 days from card issuance.
• Get a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on fuel transactions done in the range of Rs. 400 to Rs. 5,000.

Zero lost card liability

Interest free credit period

• Avail an interest free credit period of up to 50 days.

Annual and Renewal perks

• Get a waiver on the renewal membership fee on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 50,000 and above in a year.
• Get a gift voucher of Rs. 1000 on spending Rs. 90,000 in a year.

Pay in Easy EMIs

• You can convert the purchases made on this credit card into easy EMIs

Eligibility Criteria

For the Salaried Employee

For the Self-Employed

HDFC Diners Club Rewardz Credit Card

This card is most suitable for those who travel often. It provides reward points on booking air tickets or hotels, air miles across leading airlines, concierge services, and rewards on every purchase.

Welcome Benefits

• Get a welcome benefit of 1000 points.
• Get a renewal benefit of 1000 points.

Reward points

Note: The maximum reward points that can be earned in a statement cycle for Diners Club Rewardz credit card is 15,000

• Get 3 reward points per Rs. 150 you spend.
• Earn up to 5% cashback for spends via SmartBuy
• Redeem reward points for exclusive gifts from the rewards catalog.
• Diners Club Rewardz credit card holders can redeem up to a maximum of 70% of the booking value on flights and hotel bookings through reward points.

T he rates are which reward points can be redeemed across various categories are given in the table below:

Travel benefits

• Reward points can be redeemed at the rate of 1 reward point = 0.30 AirMiles for booking air tickets or hotels across 150 plus partner airlines and hotels (Domestic and international).
• Reward points are redeemable at AirMiles across partner airlines like Jet Airways (JPMiles), Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer Miles), and Air India. 1 reward point = 0.30 Air Miles.
• 24/7 concierge services for travel needs.
• Call 1800 209 4006 (Toll Free) for concierge service

Forex markup

• This card provides the lowest markup on foreign currency transactions which is equal to just 3%.

Eligibility Criteria

For the Salaried

For the Self-Employed

Note: HDFC Bank is not accepting new applications for the Diners Club Rewardz Credit Card. However, existing card holders can continue to enjoy the benefits offered by this card.

HDFC Regalia First Credit Card

This card comes with exciting offers on shopping, travel, and lifestyle. It is most suited for individuals who wish to earn accelerated reward points on their credit cards and save on travel expenses.

Rewards program and milestone benefits

• Earn 3 reward points on Rs. 150 on all retail spends.
• Benefits on annual spends
  • Get 5,000 reward points on reaching milestone annual spends of 3,00,000 or more.
  • Earn bonus reward points of 2,500 on spends of Rs. 6,00,000 or more every year.
• The maximum reward points that can be earned for Regalia First is Rs. 25,000.

Exclusive Portal for travel

• You can choose to redeem your reward points instantly against airline ticket booking and hotel booking.
• Each reward point is worth up to 30 paise when redeemed on the Smart Buy portal.

Accelerated reward points

• Earn a cashback of up to 5% on your travel and shopping spends on SmartBuy
• Enjoy a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% at all fuel stations across India on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5000.
• No reward points are earned on fuel transactions.

The rates at which reward points can be redeemed across various categories are given in the table below:

• Regalia First credit card holders can redeem up to a maximum of 70% of the booking value on flight and hotel bookings through reward points.

Insurance Protection

• Get comprehensive accidental air death cover worth Rs. 50 lakhs
• Overseas hospitalization cover of up to Rs. 10 lakhs in case of an emergency.
• Lost card liability cover of up to Rs. 5 lakhs.

Dining Experience

• Enjoy the benefits from the good food trail dining program at premium restaurants across top cities.
• Get up to 20% off on restaurant bill payments across 20k plus participating restaurants through Swiggy Dine Out. Offer available only on payments made through the Swiggy App.

Note: HDFC Bank is not accepting new applications for the HDFC Regalia First Credit Card. However, existing card holders can continue to enjoy the benefits offered by this card.

Eligibility Criteria

For the Salaried

For the Self-Employed

ICICI Platinum Chip Credit Card

This card is a lifetime free credit card that offers dining discounts and solid rewards against insurance, utilities, movies, travel vouchers, lifestyle products, and other merchandise. Enjoy great facilities with this zero joining fee and renewal fee credit card.

Contactless technology

• The card has a built in contactless technology to make quick and secure payments at retail outlets.

Enhanced security features

• High protection against the risk of fraud due to a chip card

Rewards program

• Get up to 2 reward points on eligible transactions
  • 1 reward point per Rs. 100 spent on insurance and utilities, including government transactions.
  • 2 reward points per Rs. 100 spent on retail purchases (Excluding fuel).
• No reward points will be accrued for rent pay and e-wallet loading transactions.

Redemption of reward points

• Exciting options to redeem your rewards against movies, travel vouchers, lifestyle products, and other merchandise

Dining Discounts

• Get a discount of 15% on dining bills at more than 2,500 premium restaurants across the country

Fuel surcharge waiver

• Get a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on Hindustan Petroleum fuel pumps on transactions up to Rs. 4,000.

Eligibility Criteria

HDFC Moneyback Plus Credit Card

This card is an entry level card that comes with an easy income eligibility. It is one of the most rewarding as it offers reward points on everyday spends across some of the most practical categories. This card is also a great choice for those looking to make high value purchases on EMIs as it offers accelerated rewards on EMI transactions.

Cashpoints

• Earn 10x cash points on purchases made through Amazon, BigBasket, Flipkart, Reliance Smart SuperStore, and Swiggy.
• Earn 2 cash points on other spends excluding EMI, fuel, prepaid card loads, wallet loads, and voucher purchases.

Milestone spend benefits

• Get a gift voucher of Rs. 500 on spending Rs. 50,000 quarterly.

Dining benefits

• Get a discount of up to 20% on partner restaurants via the Swiggy Dine Out app.
• Enjoy amazing dining benefits with the Good Food Trail program - Get a discount of 20% (Inclusive of the Swiggy and restaurant discount) on all your restaurant bill payments across 20,000 plus premium restaurants via the Swiggy Dine out app.

Fuel surcharge waiver

• Get a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% on all fuel transactions between Rs. 400 to Rs. 5000

Welcome or renewal privilege

• Receive 500 cash points on paying the membership fee

Milestone spends

• Get a gift voucher worth Rs. 500 every quarter on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 50,000 and above.
• Renewal membership fee waiver on reaching milestone spends of Rs. 50,000 and above in a year.

Annual gift voucher

• Earn gift vouchers worth up to Rs. 2,000 in a year.

Reward point or cashback redemption and validity

Note: The upper limit on reward points for CashBack redemption is capped at 50,000 per month.

• Cardholders can redeem cash points against the statement balance at the rate of 1 cashpoint = Rs. 0.25.
• Cashpoints can be redeemed up to a maximum of 50% on flight and hotel bookings at the rate of 1 CashPoint = Rs. 0.25
• Cardholders can redeem cash points up to 50% of the purchase value on the rewards Catalogue at the SmartBuy Rewards Portal. 1 CashPoint = Rs. 0.25
• Cardholders can redeem up to 70% of the value on select products or vouchers through reward points.
• Cardholders can redeem against statement balance on the condition that the minimum cash points is Rs. 500.
• CashPoints are valid only for 2 years from the transaction date.
• Reward points across various categories are redeemed at the rates specified in the table given below.

EMI Conversion

• Your big spends can be converted into EMIs

Contactless technology

• You can make contactless payments, which can be made quickly, securely, and conveniently at retail outlets. Credit card PIN is required for transactions above Rs. 5000

Eligibility Criteria

Salaried

Self-employed

HSBC Smart Value Credit Card

Apply for this card and get valuable rewards on your daily spends. Enjoy a reduction in interest rate as well on good credit behavior.

Lifetime free credit card

Get credit card without paying any joining or annual.

Reward points

• Earn 1 reward point per INR 100 spent
• Get 3x reward points for money spent on dining, online, and telecom, subject to a maximum of 1000 incremental reward points per month.

Savings due to fuel surcharge waiver

• Make savings of up to INR 3,000 with fuel surcharge waiver

Interest rate

• Interest rates start at 3.49% per month and go down to 1.99% per month depending on the credit history and repayment behavior.

Other features

• Exclusive discounts with select partners
• Balance conversion facility
• Convert your purchases into easy EMIs via the HSBC India Mobile Banking app.
• Transfer the outstanding balance to the HSBC Smart Value credit card and pay at lower interest rates.

Eligibility

Advantages of Low Income Credit Cards

• Low spending requirements: These cards do not require you to spend a lot to earn a welcome bonus or enjoy other card perks.
  
• Affordable or Nil annual fees: Most of the cards have a very low joining and annual fees. Some cards are lifetime free. Therefore, the cost of renewing and maintaining the card is very meager.
  
• Can be delivered within a short period of time: Low income cards can be delivered within a short duration of time.
  
• No credit score or credit history required: These cards can be given without checking the previous credit history or credit score.
  
• Interest: The interest levied on this card may be lower as compared to other cards.
  
• No restricted income criteria for the applicant of this card: There is no specific income criteria for the person who has applied for this card.

Disadvantages of Low Income Credit Cards

• Restricted credit limits: There is a cap on credit limits, and it may be low.
  
• Non usability in developing the users: These cards may not be useful in building the credibility of users .
  
• There may be a risk of debt: Although you do not have to spend a lot to get this credit card or to avail its benefits, you may still be at risk of accruing debt. This may be detrimental to your financial health.
  
• There may not be any significant perks: Although perks can be enjoyed without spending much, you may not get the same quality of perks as you get with a premium travel credit card.
  
• No business tie ups with common brands: These credit card issuers may not have tie ups with most popular brands.

How to Apply for a Credit Card for Low Income at Wishfin?

Here is the step by step process to apply for a credit card at Wishfin

Step 1: Go to the Wishfin website or download the Wishfin app on your smartphone

Step 2: Navigate to the credit card section and select the respective bank of the credit card

Step 3: Give Apply Now and fill the details asked for in the application form.

Step 4: Submit the application once completed.

Conclusion

The credit cards listed above for low income earners are easily affordable and quick to get also. They have great features and privileges which the user can enjoy. Apply for some of these credit cards here at wishfin.com. We offer a quick and seamless way to apply.