In-depth review
RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card
A genuinely lifetime-free grocery card that earns 5X reward points on supermarket spend. The catch is the maths: 5X at RBL's ~₹0.25 per point is about 1.25% in value, not 5% cashback, the grocery reward caps at 1,000 points a month, and a long list of categories earns nothing. As free upside it works; as a primary card it is thin.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
1.25% on Groceries
5X reward points on groceries (5 points per ₹100, point ≈ ₹0.25 ≈ 1.25% value), capped 1,000 points/month
0.25% on Other
1 reward point per ₹100 base (~0.25%); many categories excluded; ₹99 redemption fee applies
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
Movie Ticket Benefit
10% instant discount on BookMyShow, up to ₹100 per month
🎬 ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
Movies, OTT subscriptions and entertainment perks.
- 10% instant discount on BookMyShow, up to ₹100 per month
For first-time card users and low-to-moderate grocery shoppers who want a no-fee card that quietly earns on supermarket spend without any renewal cost to justify.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 28 Aug 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | reward points | 1.25%5 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹250 |
| Other | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
Groceries: 5X reward points on groceries (5 points per ₹100, point ≈ ₹0.25 ≈ 1.25% value), capped 1,000 points/month
Other: 1 reward point per ₹100 base (~0.25%); many categories excluded; ₹99 redemption fee applies
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Utility Bills · Insurance · Education · Government & Tax · Rent · Wallet Loads · EMI Conversions
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 28 Aug 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.99% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹1,200/yr in total.
10% instant discount on BookMyShow, up to ₹100 per month
Should you get it?
- Best for: First-time card users wanting a no-fee card, Low-to-moderate grocery shoppers
- Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on Groceries (1.25% back).
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Genuinely lifetime-free — no joining or annual fee ever
- 5X reward points on grocery spends
- 10% off Zomato and BookMyShow (₹100/month each)
- Free monthly credit-advisory report via BankBazaar
✕ Cons
- 5X grocery is ~1.25% in real value, not 5% cashback
- Grocery reward capped at 1,000 points/month
- Fuel, utilities, insurance, education and government payments earn no rewards
- ₹99 + GST reward-redemption fee per redemption day
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
- 🎁Statement credit against reward points
What your RBL Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Standard redemption
Brand & e-gift vouchers
The 5X grocery rate is only about 1.25% in real value (RBL points ≈ ₹0.25), the grocery reward is capped at 1,000 points/month, and a long list of categories — fuel, utilities, insurance, education, government — earn no rewards at all.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SaveMax card really lifetime-free?
Which network is the SaveMax issued on?
How much is the 5X grocery reward really worth?
Is there a cap on grocery rewards?
Which spends earn no rewards?
Does redeeming points cost anything?
How has the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card changed over time?
Has the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card been devalued recently?
When did the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card change in 2024?
The bottom line
SaveMax is easy to hold precisely because it is lifetime-free: 5X reward points on groceries (capped at 1,000 points/month) plus small Zomato and BookMyShow discounts, at zero cost. Just read the 5X correctly — it is roughly 1.25% in value, not 5% cashback — and note that fuel, utilities, insurance and several other categories earn nothing. As a free secondary grocery card it earns its keep; as a primary card it is thin.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 2 earn rules, 1 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 1 recorded perk.
Last updated 28 Aug 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card are taken from RBL Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 28 Aug 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 RBL 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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Guides and reviews related to this card.
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 2022 · last change Jan 2026
2026
- ▼ FeeObserved Jan 2026 · Effective 7 Jan 2026
New 1% fee on large FASTag top-ups and toll payments
No FASTag or toll transaction fee→1% fee on any FASTag-loading or toll-payment transaction above ₹10,000
From 7 January 2026 RBL Bank charges a 1% fee on any single FASTag-loading or toll-payment transaction above ₹10,000, measured per transaction per card, across merchant category codes 4784, 4111 and 4131. Because the threshold is per transaction rather than a monthly aggregate, it bites on one-off large FASTag top-ups rather than on regular commuting; splitting a top-up below ₹10,000 avoids it. The fee sits alongside RBL's existing 1% charges on rent, on utility spends above ₹50,000 a month, on fuel transactions above ₹10,000, and on education payments routed through third-party apps. It is a fee on the transaction, not a change to reward earning — these categories already earn no reward points on most RBL cards.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2024
- ▼ FeeEffective 15 Oct 2024
New 1% fees on large fuel, utility & education payments
No 1% category transaction fees→1% on large fuel, utility & third-party education spends
From 15 Oct 2024 RBL added a 1% fee on any single fuel transaction above ₹10,000 (capped ₹3,000), a 1% fee on utility spends exceeding ₹50,000 in a month, and a 1% fee on third-party-app education payments (Cred, PhonePe, Paytm and similar). These apply portfolio-wide and reach the SaveMax as a cost even though the card earns no rewards on those categories.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardEffective 15 Oct 2024
Reward points removed on education & government payments
Education & government spends earned base points→Education, government & similar earn zero points
Effective 15 Oct 2024 RBL widened its earn-exclusions further, ending base reward points on Education, Government Services, Contracted Services, Cash, Bills2Pay and similar categories. On the SaveMax this compounds the Oct-2023 cull, leaving groceries and general retail as the only meaningful earning spends.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023
- ▼ RewardEffective 9 Oct 2023
Reward points removed on fuel, utilities, insurance, rent & wallet spends
Most non-grocery spends earned 1 RP/₹100→Fuel, utilities, insurance, rent, wallet & similar earn nothing
From 09 Oct 2023 RBL stopped awarding reward points on Insurance, Wallet loads, Fuel, Utility, Rental, Railways and Miscellaneous transactions across its reward-point line-up, which the SaveMax (in market since early 2022) inherited. It narrows the card's already-thin base earn to little beyond groceries and general retail.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2022
- ◆ LaunchEffective Jan 2022
BankBazaar SaveMax launched as a lifetime-free grocery card
RBL Bank and BankBazaar announced the co-branded SaveMax Credit Card in late January 2022: a genuinely lifetime-free card earning 5X reward points on groceries (capped 1,000 points/month) and 1 reward point per ₹100 on other eligible spends, plus a 10% instant discount on Zomato and BookMyShow (₹100/month each). At RBL's ~₹0.25 per point the 5X grocery rate is worth about 1.25%. Announcement date taken from the BankBazaar launch post; exact card-live date undocumented.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: Reconstructed
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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