COLLECTION
Fintech & App-Based Credit Cards
The app-first cards — Kiwi, Jupiter, slice, OneCard and more. Instant virtual cards, UPI-native spending, zero or near-zero fees and everyday rewards, issued by RBI-regulated lenders through fintech apps. Grouped here because they share a product model, not a bank.
A few years ago, getting a credit card meant a branch visit, a salary slip, and a week of waiting. A wave of app-first cards tore that up. Download an app, finish KYC in minutes, and a virtual card appears on your phone — usually a RuPay card you spend on UPI by scanning a QR code. These are the cards people mean when they say "something like Kiwi or Jupiter," and they've become the default first card for a whole generation of spenders. This page groups them in one place — because what unites them isn't a bank, it's a way of working.
Why these cards sit together
In our catalogue, an app-based card lives under its real issuer — and those issuers are all over the map: Kiwi runs on YES Bank, AU Small Finance Bank or PNB, CRED and Tiger on IndusInd, Jupiter on CSB Bank, Scapia on Federal Bank, BOBCARD or Axis Bank, Uni on BOBCARD or YES Bank, slice on its own Small Finance Bank, super.money on Axis Bank or Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, SalarySe on City Union Bank or RBL Bank, and OneCard on whichever of six partner banks you pick when you apply. Browse by bank and you'd never see them as a group. But to a person choosing one, the issuer is almost beside the point — they're picking an app. So we've grouped them by the thing that actually matters to the decision.
What they have in common
- App-first, instantly. Sign-up, KYC, limits, rewards and support all live in the app, and you get a virtual card to spend with before any plastic arrives.
- UPI-native. Most are RuPay cards that work on UPI, so you pay from your credit line by scanning a QR — the single biggest reason the segment exploded. Several pay UPI rewards only on payments made through their own app, so it pays to scan with the card's app.
- Zero or near-zero fees. Lifetime-free is the norm here, not a perk.
- Everyday rewards. Usually cashback or the app's own coins on the spends you make most often, rather than airline and hotel points. Each card's page puts a rupee value on what you earn. For how these compare across the market — including the bank-issued RuPay cards they compete with — see the ranked guide.
- More accessible. Easier approval, and several accept applicants with little or no credit history — a genuine first card.
Who really issues them (and are they safe?)
Every card here is issued by an RBI-regulated lender — a bank, or in BOBCARD's case Bank of Baroda's card-issuing subsidiary — and the fintech is the front-end partner, not the lender. Your credit line, your statement, your dispute rights and every RBI protection come from that lender; the app is the interface layered on top. Several of the newer issuers are Small Finance Banks (SFBs) — fully licensed banks, just newer and more digital than the big incumbents. So "app-based" is about the experience, not a compromise on regulation.
Where they win — and where they don't
| Fintech / app-based cards | Traditional bank cards | |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Minutes, in-app | Slower, often branch/doc-heavy |
| Fees | Usually lifetime-free | Mixed, often waiver-conditioned |
| Everyday UPI value | Excellent (scan-and-pay cashback) | Limited (RuPay variants only) |
| Reward ceiling | Modest, capped | High on premium cards |
| Travel: miles, transfers, lounges | Rare (Scapia is the exception) | Where premium cards shine |
| App & controls | Best-in-class | Improving, varies |
The honest read: these are outstanding everyday cards and superb first cards. They are not built to replace a premium travel card — the reward ceilings are lower, and with a couple of exceptions there's no airline/hotel transfer ecosystem or unlimited lounge access. The common-sense move is to hold both: an app-based card for daily UPI spends, and a rewards or travel card for big-ticket and trips.
Who these cards suit
If you want a low-effort, no-fee card that pays you back on everyday UPI spends — and you'd rather manage it from a clean app than a clunky net-banking portal — this is your shelf. They're the strongest picks for first-time cardholders, students and new earners (many need no credit history), and anyone who lives on UPI. If your priority is airline miles, hotel points or lounge access, start with our best travel cards instead, then add one of these for daily spends. Not sure? The personalised recommender will match one to how you actually spend.
The full list
Below is every app-based / fintech card we currently track, ordered by how widely useful they are. Tap any card for its full page — fees, reward rates, the issuing bank and eligibility.
All fintech & app-based credit cards
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% cashback on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
Kiwi is a UPI-first fintech credit card, a lifetime-free RuPay card issued through a partner bank and managed entirely in the Kiwi app. You do not choose the bank: Kiwi assigns it from your credit profile, income and employment. New cards come from YES Bank (which sells it as the Klick Credit Card), AU Small Finance Bank or PNB, and earlier cards were issued by Axis Bank as the Axis Bank Kwik card. The rates on this page are YES Bank's. The point is paying by UPI from a credit line and earning cashback as "Kiwis" on QR-code spends, including the small daily payments most cards ignore, and Kiwis are paid only on payments made through the Kiwi app. On the free tier that is 1.5% on scan-and-pay (6 Kiwis per ₹100 at ₹0.25) and 0.5% on other online payments, roughly 1% blended, with monthly Kiwis capped at 1% of your credit limit. Fuel, utility bills, rent, insurance, education fees, government payments, tolls, gift cards and wallet loads earn nothing. The headline "up to 5%" (20 Kiwis per ₹100) needs Kiwi Neon, a paid tier (₹999 plus GST a year) that Kiwi currently offers only to select YES and AU cardholders, plus spend milestones, so price it as a ~1.5%-on-UPI free card.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay card for paying UPI QR codes in the Kiwi app, with 1.5% back as "Kiwis" on scan-and-pay and up to ~5% on the paid Neon tier Kiwi offers to select users
Best suited for UPI-first users who will pay through the Kiwi app and want a free card that earns on everyday QR-code spends. A practical secondary card for daily UPI; if Kiwi offers you the Neon tier, it pays for itself only at high UPI volume.
No annual fee
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
The Jupiter Edge answers a real question — why should UPI payments earn nothing? — with a workable RuPay card (issued on CSB Bank) that rewards QR-code payments made through the Jupiter app. CSB's terms pay Jewels only on UPI payments made in the Jupiter app, so linking the card to another UPI app earns nothing. It is app-native and genuinely useful for the UPI-first spender, with no annual fee and, on Jupiter's current limited-period offer, no joining fee either — though the regular ₹999 joining fee can return, so it is not lifetime-free. Successive 2026 devaluations trimmed both the earn rate (travel cut from 10% to 7%, then from 1 June 2026 to Jupiter Flights only at ~5% — 25 Jewels/₹100, capped 5,000 Jewels a cycle — with the MMT/Yatra/EMT/ClearTrip aggregators dropped to the base rate) and the rewards currency (Jewel value ~30% lower for statement credit, though vouchers, Jupiter Flights, the Jupiter Store and digital gold keep the full ₹0.20). Shopping is capped at ₹2,000 a cycle, ₹600/merchant and ₹200/transaction, while everyday UPI is now uncapped at 5 Jewels/₹100. Since 5 October 2026 (CSB's date; Jupiter's own terms say 10 October) the 10% shopping rate is conditional too, with only 5 of its 50 Jewels per ₹100 paid on every purchase and the other 45 paid only in a statement cycle with more than ₹15,000 of qualifying spend, so a lighter cycle earns 1% at the named brands. Fuel, rent, utility bills, insurance, government payments, wallet loads, tolls, EMIs and gaming earn no Jewels. The card you would sign up for now is leaner than early reviews praised, so redeem via vouchers, not statement credit.
Why it stands out Rewards on RuPay UPI QR payments made in the Jupiter app, with ~5% on Jupiter Flights and an uncapped 1% on everyday UPI
Best suited for For UPI-first users who pay through the Jupiter app, want rewards on QR-code payments and will redeem Jewels via vouchers or Jupiter Flights (not statement credit). Free to take today; note the 2026 caps, that the 10% shopping rate now needs more than ₹15,000 of spend in the statement cycle, and that the ₹999 joining fee can return.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% cashback on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
slice is a UPI-first credit card issued by slice Small Finance Bank (formed from slice's merger with North East Small Finance Bank), built around paying by UPI and building credit history. It is open only to customers who have first opened slice's digital savings account, which is also where your cashback is paid. It is lifetime-free, links to any UPI app, and earns cashback as "Monies" on QR-code spends — even very small ones, which suits real Indian spending. The realistic earn is about 1%: slice advertises "up to 3%," but that top rate requires very large balances (around ₹5 lakh in unredeemed Monies and ₹5 lakh average balance), so most people should treat it as a ~1% free UPI card. Two genuine standouts: zero forex markup on international spends (which save the markup but earn no Monies), and "slice in 3," which splits a purchase of ₹2,000 or more into two or three interest-free instalments (a sliced purchase earns no Monies). Post-merger it reports as a proper unsecured credit card to CIBIL, making it one of the better first cards for building a score.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card for everyday scans — ~1% base cashback, zero forex on international online spends, and a built-in pay-in-3 instalment option
Best suited for First-time and UPI-first users who want a free card for everyday QR-code spends, occasional international online shopping (zero forex), and credit-building, and who are happy to open a slice savings account first. Not a high-cashback or premium-rewards card.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 2% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Scapia is genuinely disruptive — it took zero-forex markup and unlimited lounge access, once locked behind ₹3,000–₹50,000 fees and income bars, and gave them away free in a slick app. It earns 4% on travel booked through the Scapia app (20 coins per ₹100, 5 coins = ₹1) and 2% on other spends. It is issued by Federal Bank, BOBCARD (Bank of Baroda) and, since September 2026, Axis Bank — the app, the rewards and the headline terms are the same whichever bank issues it, though each bank sets its own repayment fine print. The two network rails are not identical either. The figures here are the Visa card's, and the RuPay (UPI-linked) rail earns half the rate on everyday spends — 5% coins against Visa's 10% — with a ₹500 minimum transaction rather than ₹20. For young international travellers it is the easiest "yes" in the market. February 2026 brought its first real devaluation, gating the lounge access behind ₹20,000/month of spend and removing rewards on insurance and utilities (rent and fuel are also excluded). The core magic survives — zero forex, free, app-native — but the "no catch" era is over.
Why it stands out Free, zero-forex, with (now spend-gated) unlimited lounges and 4% travel via the app
Best suited for For young international travellers who want free zero-forex spending and lounge access and will clear ₹20,000/month to keep the lounges live. The RuPay variant adds UPI-linked everyday use.
OneCard Credit Card
Issued by BOBCARD (Bank of Baroda) + 5 more banks · VISA
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% reward points on Online Shopping
Annual fee
Joining fee
Top reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
OneCard is India's most design-forward metal credit card, run entirely from an app and built on a ₹0 annual fee structure: the virtual card is ready to use at once, while the metal card arrives. It awards 5X reward points on your top two spend categories each month, provided you spend at least ₹750 in each of three or more categories (a condition added in 2025). In education and insurance the extra 5X points stop once rewards there reach 25,000 points, and since 29 August 2026 bills and utilities earn no points at all.
Why it stands out Smart 5X rewards on your qualifying spend categories
Best suited for For tech-savvy professionals who want a metal card with a smart rewards engine. The dynamic 5X on qualifying categories means you never have to think about which card to use — OneCard figures it out. Best if you spend ₹30,000+/month and your top categories are not in the 5% zone of any other card.
₹499/yr
annual fee · ≈ ₹589 incl. GST
● BEST FOR: 5% reward points on Online Shopping
Annual fee
Joining fee
Top reward
Forex markup
The CRED IndusInd Bank RuPay Credit Card is CRED's mass-market co-brand (not the invite-only 18-karat CRED Sovereign) — a genuinely useful everyday earner if you live inside the CRED app. It pays 5 CRED Points per ₹100 (an effective ~5% when points redeem at ₹1) on e-commerce, CRED Pay, CRED Store, CRED Travel and CRED UPI payments at online checkouts, plus 1 point per ₹100 on international spends. Read the UPI line carefully: IndusInd pays 5% on CRED UPI online payments but 1% on CRED UPI Scan & Pay, the QR code at a shop counter. Since 11 August 2026 that 1% has no cap (it used to stop at 500 CRED Points a statement cycle), and UPI paid through other apps falls under the 1% IndusInd pays on all other transactions. The other catch is the 5,000-point monthly cap across all accelerated categories, so the 5% rate is really worth up to ~₹1 lakh of qualifying spend a statement cycle; beyond that, and on ordinary offline spends, earning drops to a token base rate. The first year is free; a ₹499 + GST fee applies from the second year. CRED Points expire two years after issue, and the redemption value is ₹1 only for CRED flights, hotels and select merchants — where no more than 70% of your points balance can be used in a single transaction — while bill payments redeem at ₹0.50 with no such ceiling.
Why it stands out A RuPay card built around the CRED app — 5 CRED Points per ₹100 (a ~5% rate) on e-commerce, CRED Pay/Store/Travel and CRED UPI online payments, capped at 5,000 points a statement cycle, first year free then ₹499
Best suited for For heavy CRED users who route e-commerce, CRED Pay and online CRED UPI payments through the app and can stay within the 5,000-point monthly cap. Casual users who spend mostly offline will see little from it.
Not disclosed
annual fee
Annual fee
Joining fee
CRED Sovereign is an ultra-exclusive, invite-only card that CRED announced in September 2025 as the flagship of its members-only "Sovereign" circle. Only banks can issue credit cards in India, and the launch announcement, widely reported, named IndusInd Bank as the issuer on the premium RuPay (Ekaa) network; no IndusInd document names the card yet. Each card was announced as a custom-crafted 18-karat gold, guilloché-engraved piece etched with the member's name, and founder Kunal Shah said at launch that most people will probably not see one. CRED has not disclosed the joining fee, annual fee, reward structure or eligibility thresholds, so this page marks those figures as not disclosed rather than guessing them, and this listing exists for awareness, not for application.
Why it stands out An invite-only, name-etched 18-karat gold card from CRED, issued on RuPay via IndusInd Bank — fees, rewards and eligibility are not publicly disclosed
Best suited for For high-standing CRED members at the very top of the credit and net-worth spectrum who are invited into the Sovereign circle. There is no public application and no disclosed criteria — it is not a card you can plan to obtain.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% cashback on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
The Axis SUPERMONEY is a lifetime-free RuPay card built by Axis Bank with the super.money app for one job — earning cashback on UPI. Scan a QR code to pay through the super.money app and you earn 3% cashback; everything else, including UPI through other apps, earns a 1% base. Effective 1 January 2026 the old flat ₹500-per-statement-cycle total cashback cap was removed: the 1% base is now uncapped, and the accelerated 3% is instead capped at the cashback you earn from all your other spends that cycle, with a ₹100 floor if those come to less than ₹100. Transactions under ₹100 do not earn. There is no joining or annual fee, a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on ₹400–₹4,000 fuel transactions (max ₹400/cycle), and the usual RuPay convenience of paying from any UPI app without carrying the card. For a free card that pays you to scan QR codes, it is among the most useful RuPay/UPI cashback cards going.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card — 3% cashback on QR scan-and-pay through the super.money app and 1% on everything else, with the 1% base now uncapped (since Jan 2026)
Best suited for UPI-first spenders who want cashback on PhonePe/GPay-style QR payments at zero cost, and are happy to scan those QR codes through the super.money app for the 3% rate. Best as a secondary everyday-UPI card alongside a primary rewards card — but check you can actually get it first, because Axis states that for existing Axis Bank customers this card is available only to Axis Bank Flipkart Credit Card holders.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 0.4% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
The IndusInd Tiger is one of the more interesting lifetime-free travel cards in India, but its rewards work nothing like the flat "6X on everything" it is usually sold as. The Magnificent Rewards programme is an incremental annual-spend ladder — the first ₹1 lakh of spend in a card year earns 1 reward point per ₹100, spends beyond that earn 2X, spends above ₹2.5 lakh earn 4X and spends above ₹5 lakh earn 6X. At IndusInd's own ₹0.40 a point that works out to 0.40% on the first ₹1 lakh, rising to a 2.40% marginal ceiling, and the bank's published illustration of ₹6 lakh of spend produces 20,000 points, or ₹8,000. What makes the card unusual is everything around the earn — 8 domestic and 2 international lounge visits a year, a 1.5% forex markup, a golf round a quarter, an uncapped fuel-surcharge waiver and a half-yearly BookMyShow ticket — all for a fee of exactly zero.
Why it stands out A lifetime-free Visa travel card — lounge access, 1.5% forex and a rewards ladder that climbs with annual spend, all at ₹0
Best suited for For anyone who wants a genuinely strong free travel card — lounge access and low forex — without an income-gated premium fee. Especially good as a no-cost travel addition to any wallet, provided you read the rewards ladder rather than the 6X headline.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 2.5% reward points on Online Shopping
Annual fee
Joining fee
Top reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
Min income
The CheQ AU is a co-brand between the fintech CheQ and AU Small Finance Bank, and India's first LED card, with an embedded light that glows on every NFC tap. Beyond the gimmick, the rewards are real but quoted at face value. It earns 24 CheQ points per ₹200 (a "12%" rate) at partner brands (Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, BigBasket and Apple products sold by Unicorn) and on CheQ Travel and utility bills paid in the CheQ app; 10 points per ₹200 ("5%") on online shopping, dining, grocery and travel across 10,000+ brands; 5 points per ₹200 on other UPI payments through the CheQ app (UPI outside the app earns nothing); and 2 points per ₹200 on everything else. The partner-brand and 5% rates need the Visa card or CheQ UPI, because the RuPay card used at a terminal or online earns the 2-point base on those spends. The catch is the point value: 2 points = ₹1 on flights, hotels and gift cards, but 4 points = ₹1 (₹0.25) when you use them to pay a credit-card or utility bill through CheQ. So the real return is roughly half the headline (about 6% on app utilities and 2.5% on the 5% categories), and best when you redeem on travel or vouchers. Points are valid for two years from the day they are credited. The card is lifetime free, with no joining or annual fee. Every approval issues two cards, a Visa and a RuPay variant; the optional LED, which lives on the Visa card, carries a one-time ₹999 + GST.
Why it stands out India's first LED card: 24 CheQ pts/₹200 at partner brands and on CheQ Travel and utility bills paid in the CheQ app — a 12% face rate that redeems at roughly 6%
Best suited for App-native users who will pay utilities through the CheQ app, put partner-brand, dining, grocery and travel spend on the Visa card or CheQ UPI, and redeem points on flights, hotels or gift cards rather than bills, to capture the full ₹0.50 a point.
BOBCARD Uni GoldX Credit Card
Issued by BOBCARD (Bank of Baroda) or YES Bank · VISA
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
The BOBCARD Uni GoldX is a lifetime-free credit card from the Uni app that pays 1% back as Uni Coins, kept as 24K digital gold, with zero forex markup. It is issued by BOBCARD Ltd, Bank of Baroda's credit-card subsidiary. The card you carry is a Visa, and BOBCARD adds a free virtual RuPay card on the same credit limit, which is the one you link to PhonePe, Google Pay or Paytm for scan-and-pay. Eligible spends earn 1 Uni Coin per ₹1, each coin worth one paisa, and the coins can be kept as gold in the Uni app or redeemed as cashback to the card account. UPI payments under ₹100 may earn nothing. BOBCARD adds 5% on vouchers bought in the in-app Uni Store, and Uni currently advertises 7% back on flights booked there. Coins have no fixed expiry, but a year without a card transaction forfeits them. International spends carry no markup but earn no coins, and there is a 1% fuel-surcharge waiver (up to ₹500 a statement cycle on transactions up to ₹7,500). Since 19 September 2026 tolls earn no coins, and public-transport and insurance spends earn only on the first ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 of spend a month. It is the relaunch of the Uni card after its earlier NX Wave product. Uni also offers a card issued by YES Bank, on YES's own terms; this page covers BOBCARD's GoldX.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free Visa card from the Uni app with a free virtual RuPay card for UPI on the same limit, paying 1% back on eligible spends as Uni Coins you can hold as 24K digital gold, and zero forex markup
Best suited for UPI-first users who like the idea of small, automatic gold savings on everyday spends and want a free card with zero forex — not a high-rate cashback or premium-rewards card.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
Annual fee
Joining fee
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
Min income
Zagg (formerly Rio) is an app-first, lifetime-free RuPay credit card built for UPI scan-and-pay. Read its headline carefully: Zagg's own rewards policy says "3% of the transaction amount will be credited as Zagg Coins" — that is a coin count, not a rupee value, and **a Zagg Coin is ₹0.25** (4 coins make ₹1). So ₹100 through Zagg UPI earns 3 coins worth ₹0.75, an effective **0.75%**. Coins come only from UPI payments made with this card through the Zagg app, at larger merchants and on transactions of ₹50 or more. Bharat QR and mandate payments do not count, and card swipes, contactless taps, online card payments and UPI through other apps earn nothing. Each cycle you can earn no more than coins equal to 1.5% of your credit limit, and you redeem them straight to your bank account. Fuel, utilities, insurance, education, rent and government spends earn nothing. The card also carries domestic airport lounge access, but it is conditional: 2 visits a quarter for the primary cardholder, unlocked by ₹50,000 of spend in the previous calendar quarter, which is ₹2 lakh a year to keep it running. Existing YES Bank credit cardholders cannot apply. Zagg also issues cards through AU Small Finance Bank and PNB; those are separate products with their own rates, and this entry is the YES Bank Zagg.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card from the Zagg app (formerly Rio) whose headline "3%" is 3 Zagg Coins per ₹100 on Zagg-app UPI payments, about 0.75% in money, plus 2 domestic lounge visits a quarter once you spend ₹50,000 in the previous quarter
Best suited for A UPI-first user who pays through the Zagg app, already puts ₹50,000 or more a quarter on one card and flies domestically, and wants a free card that turns that spend into 2 lounge visits a quarter. The coins are a small bonus, not the reason to carry it.
₹399/yr
annual fee · ≈ ₹471 incl. GST
● BEST FOR: 1% reward points on Online Shopping
Annual fee
Joining fee
Top reward
Welcome bonus
Fee waiver
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
Min income
The YES Bank POP-CLUB is an app-first RuPay credit card from the POP (POPclub) app, built around POPcoins. The headline numbers look enormous — 10 POPcoins per ₹100 online, 2 per ₹100 offline, 2% in POPcoins on POP UPI — because POP markets a POPcoin as being worth ₹1. It is not a rupee. POP's own terms state POPcoins "cannot be converted to cash or any material or anything of monetary value" and cannot on their own pay for a purchase; they are a discount applied inside POPshop, in amounts POP sets and changes, on a catalogue whose prices POP also sets. POP may also let you put POPcoins towards some recharges and bill payments, at its discretion and at no published rate. We value a POPcoin at about ₹0.10, which makes the 10-per-₹100 online rate about 1% and everything else about 0.2%. Coins also expire 365 days after they are credited. There is no joining fee; the ₹399 annual fee is waived at ₹1.5 lakh annual spend, and crossing that bar adds 1,500 POPcoins (≈₹150). Existing YES Bank credit cardholders cannot apply.
Why it stands out App-first RuPay/UPI card earning POPcoins — 10 per ₹100 online — but a POPcoin is a closed-loop in-app currency, not a rupee, so the return works out near 1% online and 0.2% everywhere else
Best suited for Someone already living inside the POP app who reliably buys, at POPshop's prices, from the brands POPcoins discount. If you want rewards you can bank, this is not that card.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 0% cashback on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Roarbank is an app-first, lifetime-free RuPay credit card from Unity Small Finance Bank that bundles a credit card, UPI and a savings account into one app. Its standout is a rotating, category-choice cashback: each month you pick two categories (grocery, fuel, dining, movies and the like) and earn an accelerated rate — advertised up to 20% — on those, subject to a monthly cashback cap. The cashback is real cash, not points. Being a RuPay card it links to any UPI app for scan-and-pay, it offers an interest-free period of up to 62 days (including a 3-day grace period), and it needs no prior credit history, with an instantly-issued virtual card. As with any headline "up to" rate, the everyday value depends on the categories you pick and the monthly cap, so treat the 20% as a best-case, capped figure rather than a flat rate.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card from Unity Small Finance Bank with up to 20% cashback each month on two self-chosen categories (monthly cap applies) and an interest-free period of up to 62 days
Best suited for UPI-first users who want a free card and will actively pick their two cashback categories each month to work the cap — and credit-builders (no history needed). Not a flat-rate or premium card.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 1% cashback on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
The super.money superCard is an app-first, lifetime-free RuPay credit card from super.money (a Flipkart company), issued by Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. It is a secured card backed by a fixed deposit: Utkarsh states a minimum deposit of ₹100, while reserving the right to change it, and its MITC sets the credit limit at currently at least 90% of the deposit. The app-based card is free. A physical card is free with a deposit of ₹10,000 or more, ₹99 plus taxes with ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 and ₹249 plus taxes below that, and a further ₹249 (₹150 on the middle tier) plus taxes applies if the deposit drops below its tier, or you close the account, within 12 months of the physical card being issued. The deposit removes most of the dependence on a strong credit score, making it a clean credit-builder for anyone new to credit. It earns 1% cashback on UPI and non-UPI spends of ₹100 or more, capped at ₹500 a statement month on UPI and ₹10,000 on non-UPI, and UPI cashback is paid only on payments made through the super.money app, so scanning with another UPI app earns nothing. The FD keeps earning interest while you build credit. This is the Utkarsh superCard specifically; super.money also offers the Axis Bank SUPERMONEY card, which it calls superCard Pro, and a Kotak811 card.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free, FD-backed RuPay/UPI card from the super.money app — 1% cashback on everyday spends, with UPI cashback paid only on payments made through the super.money app
Best suited for First-time and thin-file users who want a free, easy-approval UPI card to build credit against a small FD, and who will pay through the super.money app — not a high-limit or premium-rewards card.
Unity Bank BharatPe Credit Card
Issued by Unity Small Finance Bank · RUPAY
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 2% reward points on EMI Conversions
Annual fee
Joining fee
Top reward
Forex markup
Min income
The Unity Bank BharatPe Credit Card is a lifetime-free RuPay card from Unity Small Finance Bank and BharatPe that turns each bill of ₹1,000+ into an EMI. BharatPe sells it as an EMI-driven card, and that is literal: on each bill date the card converts the month's purchases into EMIs whenever they add up to ₹1,000 or more, at 24% a year (2% a month on the reducing balance), over a tenure of up to 12 months that you pick in the BharatPe app. Paying the whole statement on the due date does not undo the conversion, because the 15-to-48-day interest-free period does not apply to EMI-converted spends. The only way to skip it is to prepay all unbilled spends at least a day before the bill is generated. Rewards follow the same rule: 2% as Zillion Coins on the billed spend, paid out as each EMI is repaid and forfeited on anything you foreclose, with no cap or category exclusions. Prepaid spend earns nothing, while a bill under ₹1,000 is billed in full and earns 2%. On Unity's own example, a ₹9,000 bill over three EMIs carries about ₹362 of interest plus GST against ₹180 in coins, and since the first month's interest alone is 2% of the bill, the coins never cover the cost of earning them. The reasons to hold it are the extras: 8 domestic (2 a quarter) and 2 international RuPay lounge visits a year (not the RuPay Exclusive Lounge at Delhi T3), and one annual health check-up. Being RuPay, it links to any UPI app. Zillion Coins are worth ₹0.25 each (4 = ₹1); they redeem with Zillion's partner brands or against the card bill in the BharatPe app, up to ₹5,000 worth a billing cycle, and stay valid for three years from the transaction.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card from BharatPe (issued by Unity SFB) that turns every bill of ₹1,000 or more into a 24%-a-year EMI and pays 2% back on it in Zillion Coins, with 8 domestic and 2 international lounge visits a year
Best suited for Borrowers who would buy on EMI anyway and want 2% back on it, or disciplined users willing to prepay every cycle before the bill generates to keep a free RuPay card with 8 domestic and 2 international lounge visits a year. It is the wrong card for anyone who wants rewards on spending they simply pay off.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
Annual fee
Joining fee
Forex markup
The SBM ZET Credit Card is an app-first, lifetime-free RuPay credit card from the ZET app, issued by SBM Bank India. It is a secured card backed by a fixed deposit from as little as ₹2,000 (the FD is DICGC-insured up to ₹5 lakh and earns up to 7% interest), so it needs no prior credit history and is built specifically to help thin-file users build a 750+ credit score. Being a RuPay card it links to any UPI app for scan-and-pay. Payments through ZET UPI earn 2% cashback if you pay for ZET Plus, a subscription ZET prices at ₹3 a day plus GST (roughly ₹1,300 a year with tax), so the 2% on its own covers the subscription only above about ₹5,400 a month of ZET UPI spend. The card also carries a strong stack of brand offers: up to 20% off on Swiggy, Zomato, Instamart and BookMyShow, 5% on Amazon Pay and Flipkart vouchers, and up to 15% on 80+ brand vouchers. There is no joining or annual fee, but closing the card within two years of activation costs ₹499 + GST, and since 15 July 2026 rent and education payments carry a 1% fee. The FD keeps earning interest while the card builds your score.
Why it stands out Lifetime-free, FD-backed RuPay/UPI card from the ZET app (issued by SBM Bank) — build a 750+ credit score from a ₹2,000 deposit, 2% cashback on ZET UPI with the ZET Plus subscription (₹3 a day + GST), and rich brand-voucher offers
Best suited for Thin-file and credit-building users who want a free, easy-approval UPI card against a small FD, will keep it open past the early-closure window, and will use the ZET UPI/voucher offers — not a high-limit or premium-rewards card.
Lifetime Free
annual fee
● BEST FOR: 0.2% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Forex markup
Fuel waiver
The CUB SalarySe Level Up is an app-first RuPay credit card from the SalarySe app, issued by City Union Bank for salaried users. Rewards are paid in SalarySe SCoins, and the number that governs everything is CUB's own: 5 SCoins = ₹1. Every rate the marketing quotes is a SCoins-per-₹100 figure, so read it at a fifth of face value. Base earning is 1 SCoin per ₹100, or 0.2%, and covers UPI through any other app, any payment under ₹2,000 at a small offline merchant, even through SalarySe UPI (CUB does not define a small merchant), and CUB's base categories: rent, railways, insurance, education, telecom, government, bill payments and tolls. Route other spend through SalarySe UPI (or pay online with the card) and it becomes 5 SCoins per ₹100 (1%), rising to 10 per ₹100 (2%) on the portion of monthly spend above ₹20,000. All of that is capped each month at 10% of your credit limit, counted in SCoins: a ₹1 lakh limit caps at 10,000 SCoins, about ₹2,000. The hook is the salary-day bonus on the 1st and last of each month: 25 SCoins per ₹100 on the free virtual card (about 5%) or 37.5 on the paid physical one (7.5%), paid on SalarySe UPI outside the base categories and on top of the monthly cap. It only unlocks after ₹5,000 of ordinary spend that cycle, and counts only the first ₹15,000 of salary-day spend, capping it near ₹750 a month. SCoins are redeemed in the SalarySe app, for gift vouchers from 200+ brands or for cash, and expire after 18 months.
Why it stands out App-first RuPay/UPI card for salaried users (City Union Bank + SalarySe) — 1% on SalarySe-UPI spends, 2% above ₹20,000 a month, and a salary-day burst worth about 5% on the two pay days
Best suited for Salaried users who will route everyday spends through SalarySe UPI and time larger purchases to the 1st and last of the month. UPI through any other app, SalarySe-UPI payments under ₹2,000 at small shops and CUB's base categories earn 0.2%, so casual use earns almost nothing.
₹499/yr
annual fee · ≈ ₹589 incl. GST
● BEST FOR: 0.2% reward points on all spends
Annual fee
Joining fee
Base reward
Welcome bonus
Fee waiver
Forex markup
The RBL SalarySe UP Credit Card is a fully virtual RuPay card designed for UPI-first spenders, issued in partnership with the SalarySe app. It earns 1 reward point per ₹100 on eligible spends and 5X (5 points per ₹100) on UPI spends made through the SalarySe platform, capped at 1,000 points a month. A further 10X tier applies only to incremental UPI spends beyond ₹20,000 in a month, capped at 8,000 points. UPI through other apps, such as Google Pay or PhonePe, earns the 1-point base, and RBL pays nothing on offline UPI payments under ₹2,000 at small merchants (turnover up to ₹20 lakh a year). RBL states points redeem on the SalarySe app at ₹0.20 each with no redemption fee, so the 5X rate is roughly 1.00% and the 10X tier about 2.00%. There is no physical card — you scan and pay via UPI. The published fee is ₹499 joining and annual (waived at ₹2 lakh of annual spend); the SalarySe app has at times promoted it fee-free, but RBL's own schedule of charges lists the ₹499.
Why it stands out A 100% virtual RuPay-on-UPI card earning 5X reward points on UPI spends through the SalarySe app
Best suited for For UPI-heavy spenders comfortable with a virtual-only card who will route payments through the SalarySe app to earn the 5X and 10X point tiers, and who can clear ₹2 lakh a year to waive the fee.
Not sure which app-based card fits your spending?
Find my perfect card — free →