In-depth review
IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card
An FD-backed RuPay card that pays real online cashback — 3% up to ₹10,000 a cycle and 5% on incremental online spend — to people the unsecured market usually turns away. Because it is secured against a deposit from ₹10,000, approval skips the income and CIBIL check, and the FD keeps earning interest. The ₹1,000 fee and tight caps keep it an online-cashback specialist.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
4% cashback at named travel merchants
About 4% total on hotels and flights booked via the IDFC FIRST app (3% base online rate + 1% bonus; 6% total on the incremental tier above ₹10,000 of online spend); counts toward the shared ₹1,500/cycle total cashback cap
3% on Online Shopping
3% cashback on online spends up to ₹10,000/statement cycle, 5% on incremental online spend above ₹10,000; online cashback capped at ₹1,000 a cycle, within the shared ₹1,500/cycle total cashback cap
Zero Forex Markup
Use abroad without extra charge — swipe internationally like you do domestically.
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹1,000 + 18% GST (₹1,180 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹2,00,000/year
UPI Linked
Pay UPI QR codes from your credit line. What UPI payments earn can depend on the app you pay through, so check the rewards details.
Insurance Cover
Personal accident cover of ₹2,00,000 and lost-card liability of ₹25,000 (both require one transaction in the previous 30 days), credit shield of ₹50,000, purchase protection of ₹25,000, plus roadside assistance worth ₹1,399 up to four times a year
💰 CASHBACK STRUCTURE
How much you earn back on each type of spend — no points math required.
4.0%
travel cashback
1.0%
Base rate (all other spends)
₹1,500
Monthly cap (accelerated)
- 4.0% cashback on travel
- 1.0% on all other spends — no restrictions
- Accelerated cashback capped at ₹1,500/month
For anyone who wants genuine online cashback but cannot qualify for an unsecured card — new-to-credit users, the self-employed, or credit rebuilders — who can park ₹10,000+ in an FD and spends meaningfully online each month to clear the ₹1,000 fee.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 11 Oct 2026.
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelonly at Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app | cashback | 4% | ₹1,500one cap shared with Other, Utility Bills |
| Online Shopping | cashback | 3% | ₹1,000 |
| Other | cashback | 1% | ₹1,500one cap shared with Travel, Utility Bills |
| Utility Bills | cashback | 1% | ₹1,500one cap shared with Travel, Other |
Travel: About 4% total on hotels and flights booked via the IDFC FIRST app (3% base online rate + 1% bonus; 6% total on the incremental tier above ₹10,000 of online spend); counts toward the shared ₹1,500/cycle total cashback cap · Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app
Online Shopping: 3% cashback on online spends up to ₹10,000/statement cycle, 5% on incremental online spend above ₹10,000; online cashback capped at ₹1,000 a cycle, within the shared ₹1,500/cycle total cashback cap
Other: 1% cashback on UPI (via IDFC FIRST app) and on offline card swipes; total cashback across all categories shares one ₹1,500 cap per statement cycle
Utility Bills: 1% cashback on essentials — utility, rent, insurance, education, wallet load, FASTag, railway, government services, jewellery and gift cards; counts toward the shared ₹1,500/cycle total cashback cap
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Cash Advances · EMI Conversions · UPI spends via third-party apps
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 11 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,180 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,180 |
| Forex markup | 0% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹1,800/yr in total.
1% fuel-surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹200 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹100 per statement cycle (fuel itself earns no cashback)
Personal accident cover of ₹2,00,000 and lost-card liability of ₹25,000 (both require one transaction in the previous 30 days), credit shield of ₹50,000, purchase protection of ₹25,000, plus roadside assistance worth ₹1,399 up to four times a year
Should you get it?
- Best for: New-to-credit or credit-rebuilding users who spend online, Self-employed applicants without easy income proof, Heavy online shoppers who can use the ₹1,000/cycle online cap
- Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on Online Shopping (3% back; 4% only at Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app).
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Up to 5% cashback on online spends — high for a secured card
- FD-backed, so no income proof or credit history needed
- The collateral fixed deposit keeps earning interest
- 1% on UPI (via app), offline swipes and a wide essentials list
✕ Cons
- Real ₹1,000 fee — low online spenders can pay more than they earn back
- Cashback tightly capped (₹1,000 online, ₹1,500 total per statement cycle)
- No lounge access or travel perks — not a travel card, even with no forex markup since September 2026
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / address proof
- 📄Fixed deposit of ₹10,000 or more (no income proof required)
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Cashback is auto-credited to the card statement each cycle
What your Cashback are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Direct cash adjustment — no conversion
The ₹1,000 fee and tight caps (₹1,000 online, ₹1,500 total per cycle) mean low online spenders can end up paying more in fees than they earn back; the 1% base rate is ordinary.
Frequently asked questions
How much cashback does the Hello Cashback card give?
Is the Hello Cashback card FD-backed?
What is the fee?
What does not earn cashback?
How has the IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card changed over time?
When did the IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card change in 2026?
The bottom line
Hello Cashback does something rare: it hands real 3-5% online cashback to people the unsecured market usually turns away, and lets the collateral FD keep earning. If you spend enough online to beat the ₹1,000 fee and use the caps, it is one of the better secured cards in India. Just know the 1% base means it is an online-cashback specialist, not an everyday all-rounder.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 4 earn rules, 4 of them capped, 1 paid only at named merchants, the spends listed as earning nothing and 2 recorded perks. The renewal fee is conditional — it is waived on a published spend target, so the fee you pay depends on what you spend.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback Credit Card are taken from IDFC FIRST Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for IDFC FIRST Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2026 · last change Sept 2026
2026
- ▲ FeeEffective 9 Sept 2026
Forex markup removed
1% to 3.5%, depending on the card→0% (nil)
IDFC FIRST Bank stopped charging a markup on foreign-currency spends on all its credit cards from 9 September 2026, the effective date its letter to cardmembers gives. Its Key Fact Statement dated 15 September 2026 lists the markup on foreign-currency and currency-conversion transactions as nil, with no card-by-card exception, where the January 2026 edition charged 3.5% on most cards and less on a few (1.99% on the FIRST Select, 1.5% on the FIRST Wealth, 1.49% on the IndiGo card and 1% on the Ashva). The same letter says international spends stop earning reward points from 26 October 2026 on most IDFC FIRST cards; that is recorded as its own change.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▲ FeeEffective Apr 2026
Zero-joining-fee introductory offer extended to 31 August 2026
₹0 intro offer, originally slated to end 31 March 2026→₹0 intro offer extended — now valid till 31 August 2026 (standing fee ₹1,000)
IDFC FIRST kept the Hello Cashback's introductory ₹0 joining fee running past its original 31 March 2026 end date; the card's page now states the offer is valid till 31 August 2026. The card's standing schedule remains ₹1,000 joining / ₹1,000 annual, with a 50% annual-fee reversal at ₹1–2 lakh of spend and a full reversal at ₹2 lakh.
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: Reconstructed
- ◆ LaunchEffective 16 Feb 2026
IDFC FIRST Hello Cashback launched
IDFC FIRST Bank launched the Hello Cashback as an FD-backed secured RuPay card aimed at online-first, UPI-led spenders aged 18+, available against a fixed deposit from ₹10,000 with no income proof or credit score required. Launch terms: 5% cashback on online spends above ₹10,000 a cycle, 3% on online spends up to ₹10,000 (online cashback capped at ₹1,000 a cycle), 1% on in-store, contactless and UPI spends and on essentials including utilities, education and insurance, a bonus 1% on in-app travel bookings, and a ₹1,500 total cashback cap a cycle. Fee ₹1,000 + GST joining and annual, with the joining fee waived as an introductory offer until 31 March 2026 and the annual fee 100% reversed on ₹2 lakh of annual spend (50% between ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh).
Verification: IDFC FIRST Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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