10 Best Credit Cards in India for Bill Payments

This Article was fact checked and last updated for accuracy on November 17, 2024 by Mani Karthik

So, you’re looking for a credit card in India to pay your bills? Good decision. I’m a big fan of credit cards and believe that choosing the right one gives you all the benefits and freedom. And I’m glad you’re looking for one specifically for bill payments. That’s good. There are many offers from banks and credit card companies in India that are specifically catered to monthly bill payments. Let’s take a look at which are the best credit cards in India for utility and bill payments.

Things to ask when choosing a credit card for bill payment

• Are there annual fees or other charges?
• Are there reward points, vouchers, or special offers? How are they counted?
• How many vendor or merchandise tie ups do they have?
• Which utility services do the card support?
• Are there penalty charges?

Should you use credit cards for bill payment?

You might very well be paying bills with cash or PayTM right? Why credit cards? Well, here are the pros and cons of paying bills with a credit card.

Here are some of the best credit cards in India.

With these in mind, here are my recommendations for the best credit cards in India for bill payments.

1. Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum Credit Card

Standard Chartered has come out with an attractive option to track and get the maximum benefit from your purchases. This bank has popular among the masses and its credit cards often opt. The Platinum Card gives you the option to shop at all popular stores like Reliance, Easy Day, More, Spenser’s, or Big Bazaar and gives you a cashback of 5% on each purchase.

Features

• Rewards – 5% Cashback on shopping and bill payment
• Bonus offers -Rs.500 as cashback every month and Rs.150 for each transaction
• APR Rate – 37.20%
• Joining  Fee – Rs.499
• Annual Fee – Rs.999
• Cash withdrawal – 3% of cash withdrawal amount subject to a minimum of Rs 300
• Interest-free credit period – 18-48 days.

Eligibility

• Age criteria for applying is 25-65years
• Annual salary of 6 lakh and above
• Available in metropolitan cities.

Benefits

• Earn 5% cash back on your departmental shopping bills.
• 5 reward points for Rs 150 spent on all other purchases.
• On registering for online banking you get 500 additional points.
• 5% cash back on all your purchases.(minimum amount of 1000 per transaction)
• Get 20% cash back with a maximum cap of 600 per month on Uber ride facility.
• Welcome gift of e voucher of Rs 5000 from any popular brands like Yatra, Hush Puppies / Bata, Marks & Spencer, Westside, Shoppers Stop.
• Convenient options to make bill payments like ECS, BillDesk, NEFT, IBFT, VISA Money Transfer, Internet Banking.
• Redeem your points for exciting gifts.
• If you spend Rs 30000in a year you get a rebate on the joining fee and if the spend is Rs60000 the fee is waived off.

Drawbacks

• The card can only be availed by people with an annual salary of 6 lakh as such making it not applicable for many people.
• This card is also only available in branches located metropolitan cities
• The joining fee is 499 but the annual fee is 999 which is a small hike but again this can waived off if your annual expenses on the card goes above 60000.

Summary 

This is an excellent card for bill payments and regular use.

Rating

The platinum card is a good card to go shopping with and the cash back certainly makes it a good deal. Even the interest rate is pretty low at 37.2% which is even lower when compared to SBI Simply Save which is 40.2%. If you are not looking for much travel benefits and just for utility expenses then this would be an ideal card to go for.

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2. Citibank Cash Back Credit Card

Citibank Cash back credit card gives you a good chance to get cash rebates and multiple options for cash savings. They have hassle free redemption process which enables customers to get cashback automatically. So here you can pay your bills and still make savings from it.

Features

• Rewards – 5% Cash back on utility bill payments.
• Bonus – Cash back redemption can be done in multiples of Rs 500.
• APR – 37.20% and 42.00% per annum depending on your credit limit.
• Annual fee – Rs 500.
• Joining fee – Rs 500.
• Withdrawal fee – Depending on credit limit.
• Interest free credit period – 17-23 days.

Eligibility

• Good credit history
• Income proof, ID proof and address proof

Benefits

• 5% Cash back on utility bill payments made via Citibank Online Bill Pay with a cap of Rs 100 per month on the utility bill cashbacks.
• You get a cash back of 5% on telephone bill.
• For the rest of transactions you get 0.5%cashback on purchases with the card
• 5% cash back on movie tickets.
• Redemption for the cashback can be done in multiples of 500.The amount gets credited automatically once it reaches 500.
• You can avail 20%discount from 2000 restaurants in India.

Drawbacks

• You get a cashback on utility bill payments but the limit is 100 per month which is very negligible.
• The annual fee cannot be waived off. Standard Chartered Manhattan Card and SBI Signature Card all offer this benefit wherein if purchases reach a certain amount the fee can be waived off.
• The card highlights mostly on cash back and nothing more. So it’s basically for meeting your expenses and can be used in addition to other cards you hold.
• The card has no offers or vouchers on lifestyle benefits. If you’re looking for a startup card you can also go for ICICI Platinum Visa Card which has a nominal fee of 199 for joining and 99 on renewal.

Summary

The annual charge of 500 is negligible and as such can be afforded by all. The cash back feature on utility bills, grocery purchases can boost the customer’s option to use the card more often. Cash back redemption is helpful for customers to pay off the annual charges on the card too.

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3. Axis Bank Neo Credit Card

Axis Bank has a complete package with cash back benefits, welcome offers and entertainment benefits. It’s high on cash back and it would be an ideal card for meeting your utility expenses. Detailed review here.

Features

• Rewards – 2 point on every Rs 200 you spent.
• Bonus – Joining fee is waived of if   Rs 2500 is spent within 45 days of receipt.
• APR – 46.78% per annum.
• Annual fee – Rs 250.
• Joining fee – Rs 250.
• Withdrawal fee – 2 .5% (Min. Rs 250) of the Cash Amount Rs 100.
• Interest free credit period – 20-40 days.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be a resident Indian or Nonresident Indian
• They should be between the ages of 18-70 years.

Benefits

• Earn 2 points for every Rs 200 spent using the card.
• 10% cash back on selected spends
• 10% off on booking your bus tickets through redbus.
• 10% cashback on mobile recharge through Freecharge mobile app, monthly benefits up to 30.
• 10% off on booking tickets through bookmyshow.com.
• 10% cashback every time you shop at Jabong.com with a maximum cap of 1000 per month.
• Zero card liability will protect you in case your card is lost or stolen provided you report it at the moment it’s lost.
• The joining fee is waived off if Rs 2500 is spent with this card within 45 days of receipt

Drawbacks

• You earn 2 points for Rs 200 spent which is quite low as compared to ICICI Platinum Card which gives 2 points on every Rs 100.
• The APR is 46.78% per annum which is higher than 40.8% of HDFC Diners Club Rewards.

Summary

Axis Bank Neo Credit Card is exclusively a good card on rewards. You can maximize your benefit if you genuinely use the card on all your purchases. The points can be redeemed for attractive gifts given in the catalogue.

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4. American Express Gold Card

Now here’s a charge card which has some very good rewards. Even though many may say that its annual fee is slightly over charged but its advantages make it worth the fee. It is available to all resident Indians and allows you to accelerate your points as you spend.

Features

• Rewards – 1 point on every Rs Rs 50 you spent.
• Bonus – 4000 points on swiping the card 3 times within 60 days of receiving the card.
• APR – Nil.
• Annual fee – Rs 1,000.
• Joining fee – Rs 4,500.
• Cash withdrawal – Up to Rs 10,000 for every fortnight
• Interest free credit period – Nil.

Eligibility

• The person must be 18 years and above
• Income proof, ID proof and address proof needed.
• Good credit score and no big default in payments.
• In case of self-employed persons they must have been in business for a minimum of one year.

Benefits

• Earn 1 point for every Rs 50 spent on the Fuel, Insurance, Utilities and Cash Transactions.
• Avail 3% cash back at fuel stations.
• Earn 5000 points on first year card renewal.
• On using your AMEX card more than four times in a month provided each transaction is above Rs 1000 you will get 1000 reward points in that month.
• Redeem your points for the purchase of18 carat and 24 carat Gold Collection.
• Again avail 4000 points on swiping the card 3 times within 60 days of getting the card.
• Special travel benefits when you book with makemytrip.com

Drawbacks

• The annual fee can be a huge amount to be paid off but you can redeem these points if your carefully monitor your points.
• If you make Rs 1000 transactions worth of transactions four times a month you get an addition of 1000 points. Provided you get 1000 points monthly, you will get 12000 points plus the additional points on your other purchase. This would at least be sufficient to pay off at least 70% of the annual fee.
• This is a charge card so you don’t benefit the credit period as you have to settle the bills each month. No outstanding balance will be kept for this card.

Summary

The welcome gift and the luxurious membership offers make it a good card to possess. Apart from going cashless the credit card gives you option to make bill payments on time through ECS, NEFT. Easy Bill Payment facility ensures prompt payment of the bills. The cash back benefit is a good feature of a credit card and allows the customer to get back a certain of amount on the expenses met.

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5. HSBC Visa Platinum Card

HSBC headquartered in London offers some premier banking facilities to its customers. Here is a card which has zero annual charge and still offers some good cash back benefits. It’s a good fit for bill payments. Detailed review.

Features

• Rewards – 2 reward points for every 150 spent.
• Bonus – 10% cashback on all spends within 90 days of receipt.
• APR – 39.6% per annum.
• Annual fee – Nil.
• Joining fee – Nil.
• Cash withdrawal – 2.5% on the amount withdrawn, subject to a minimum of Rs.300.
• Interest free credit period – 20 – 50 Days.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be 21 years of age.
• Annual income must be 4 lakh and above.

Benefits

• 2 reward points for Rs 150 spent at departmental and other purchases.
• 10% cashback on all spends within 90 days of receipt of the card.
• The cardholder must at least make 3 transactions with card in a month otherwise he/she will not be qualified for eligible spends.
• Get 5 times rewards (5X rewards) on spends over 400,000 in a year for up to maximum spends of 1,000,000 in a year
• You can avail fuel surcharge waiver of 2.5% or Rs. 250, every month.
• On spending Rs 50000 a month you receive a movie ticket worth Rs 500.

Drawbacks

• HSBC Visa Platinum Card is available to only applicants with an annual salary of 4 lakhs. As such it becomes difficult for everyone to access the card.
• The interest rate is 39.6% which is reasonable but Standard Chartered Manhattan Card is offering 37.20%.
• You avail 2 reward points for Rs 150 whereas ICICI Platinum is offering 2 point on every Rs 100 you spent

Summary

This card has ample cash back benefits and is really good for the customer. The joining fee and annual charges are nil making it easy to manage. It’s easy to earn reward points by making all purchases with the card. These can be later redeemed for gifts or vouchers.

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6. HDFC Diners Club Rewards Credit Card

This card gives you the privilege of spending and even getting access to travel benefits. You can also book your tickets, hotel rooms as well movies very easily.

Features

• Rewards – 2 reward points for every 150 spent.
• Bonus – Double your rewards on groceries, dining and at supermarket.
• APR – 40.8% per annum.
• Annual fee – Rs. 1,000.
• Joining fee – Rs. 1,000.
• Cash withdrawal – 2.5% on the amount withdrawn, subject to a minimum of Rs.300.
• Interest free credit period – 20 – 50 Days.

Eligibility

• KYC-PAN, Address proof and ID Proof
• One photograph, Salary slip/Form 16

Benefits

• Expenses for flight tickets or bill payments.
• Earn 2 reward points for every 150 spent.
• Double your reward points when you spend on groceries, dining and at supermarket.
• Spend on HDFC Bank Diners Club website and get 6 reward points for every Rs.150 charged.
• Get 1000 reward points on joining and every renewal of card.
• If bill more than 10000 in a statement cycle then you will get double the rewards.
• Spend 15000 within 3 months of receiving card and fee would be waived off in the first year.
• Get access to leading lounges all across the globe.
• Option to redeem points to airline miles.
• Get 3 add on cards for your family members.

Drawbacks

• The main drawback is that it is more of travel card and gives you more privilege on that.
• You get reward points but the more focus is on travel. So if you don’t spend much on travel the card can be of no use to you. It would be better to opt for cards like Citibank Cash back credit card that covers a good deal on your monthly purchase like groceries.
• The joining fee is also pretty high for 1000 and the interest rate is high at 40.8%.The Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum Credit Card offers at 37.2%.

Summary

HDFC Diners Club Rewards is good card with utility bill payment and travel deals. The annual fee can be redeemed if Rs.15,000 is spent within 3 months of receiving card. You can redeem your airline miles and even access to lounges across the globe. HDFC bank is a popular bank and you can access all leading outlets with your card.

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7. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

Now here’s a credit card which has some very good rewards. Even though many may say that its annual fee is slightly over charged but its advantages make it worth the fee. It is available to all resident Indians and allows you to accelerate your points as you spend. Although a travel card, you can make use of the rewards points paying bills.

Features

• Rewards – 1 point on every Rs Rs 50 you spent.
• Bonus – On spending of 1.9 lakhs in a year you get travel voucher worth Rs.7,700.
• APR – 40.2% per annum.
• Annual fee – Nil.
• Joining fee – Rs. 5,000.
• Cash withdrawal – Up to Rs.10,000 for every fortnight.
• Interest free credit period – 20 – 50 Days.

Eligibility

• The person must be 18 years and above.
• Income proof, ID proof and address proof needed.
• Good credit score and no big default in payments.
• In case of self-employed persons they must have been in business for a minimum of one year.

Benefits

• Earn 1 point for every Rs 50 spent on the Fuel, Insurance, Utilities and Cash Transactions.
• Avail 3% cash back at fuel stations.
• 4 complimentary visits to airport lounges across in major 10 cities in India.
• Avail special benefits from booking tickets from Makemytrip.com.
• On spending an amount of 1.9 lakhs you get vouchers from Indigo worth Rs 7700.
• On spending 4 lakhs and above you get vouchers worth Rs.11,800.

Drawbacks

• It is not easy to avail this card. You need an annual salary of 6 lakh salary and a good credit history.
• The American Express Platinum travel card fee’s is not waived off which is a drawback. Standard Chartered Manhattan Card and SBI Signature Card all offer this benefit wherein if purchases reach a certain amount the fee can be waived off.

Summary

Customers who travel often and do heavy shopping can benefit from this card. This is more or less a prestige card with some exclusive offers. If you have an annual spend of 3 lakhs and above it can pretty handy as you can benefit from the rewards.

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8. SBI Simply Save Credit Card

SBI is the best banker in India and have some of the best benefits for its customers. Simply save is a card exclusively for your regular expenditure and bill payments. Enjoy the freedom of spending anywhere across the globe without any hassles. Their reward scheme focuses on helping customers to shop and make rewards simultaneously. The card comes with travel benefits that will be beneficial for frequent travelers either for business or for even family vacation. You can also avail add on cards for your spouse, parents or children above the age of 18. Detailed review.

Features

• Rewards – 1 point on every Rs.100 you spent.
• Bonus – 2000 extra points if you spend Rs.2000 within two months of receiving the card.
• APR – 40.2% per annum.
• Annual fee – Rs.499.
• Joining fee – Rs. 499.
• Cash withdrawal – Up to 80% of credit limit, with a maximum of Rs. 12,000 per day.
• Interest free credit period – 20 – 50 Days.

Eligibility

• Income proof, ID proof and address proof.
• Age above 21 and less than 60.

Benefits

• Earn 10X rewards on all your Dining, Movies, Grocery and Departmental Store spends.
• Avail Rs 100 cash back on the first ATM withdrawal within 30 days of receiving the card.
• Earn 1 point on every 100 you spent.
• This is an international credit card accepted in over 2 million visa outlets across the globe.
• Book your railway tickets online and get it delivered at your home.
• You can use your credit card points to make your payments for your outstanding credit card bills or opt for gifts.
• If you spend over 75000 annually the annual will be waived off.
• Avail 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver on every transaction between 500 & 3000.
• Get 2000 extra points on spending Rs 200 with 60 days of receipt of card.

Drawbacks

• You get 1 point for every 100 spent which is quite a small score. ICICI Platinum card offers 2 points for every 100 spent.
  Credit period is just 20-50 days provided that previous month bill has been settled completely.
• You can redeem your points for paying bills but there is redemption charge of Rs 99 which cancels the benefit you get.

Summary

The SBI Save Card is an international credit card which has worldwide acceptance. The card promises to best for paying your utility bill, telephone expenses and groceries. The 10x rewards on dining, grocery and departmental stores is a good advantage if you rely on the card for all payments. 1 point for every Rs 100 spent is low but considering the monthly total you earn a high points. The annual fee of 499 is very nominal and the fee would be waived off if the annual spend is above 75000 which is not so high.

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9. HDFC Money back Card

HDFC is offering this card exclusively for utility bill payments and grocery expenses. The cash back rewards on this card is pretty good.

Features

• Rewards – 2 reward points on Rs 150.
• Bonus – 5X Reward Points (RP) during the first 3 months of the receipt of the card.
• APR – 40.8% per annum.
• Annual fee – Rs.500.
• Joining fee – Rs. 500.
• Cash withdrawal – 2 .5% (Min. Rs 250) of the Cash Amount Rs 300.
• Interest free credit period – 20 – 50 Days.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be resident Indian.
• Should be between the ages of 21-65.

Benefits

• 2 reward points on Rs 150 spent on all purchases.
• 3 X Reward Points on Online Purchases.
• 2.5 % Fuel surcharge waived off on all fuel spends.
• 5X Reward Points (RP) during the first 3 months of the receipt of the card.
• The reward redemption is 100 reward points in Rs 40.
• Avail Rs.250 cashback subject to first transaction of Rs.1000 in first 45 days of receipt of card.

Drawbacks

• 2 reward points on Rs 150 is good but ICICI Platinum card offers 2 points for every 100 spent.
• The APR is high at 40.8% per annum but the Standard Chartered Manhattan Card is offering 37.20%.

Summary

This is a cash back card which can be benefitted with its easy redemption process. You can use the card for all your purchases and add up all the reward points. Once accumulated you can get up Rs 40 for 100 reward points which is a good offer. The annual charges can also be easily made up using the reward points.

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10. ICICI Platinum Chip VISA Card

You can easily avail this card if you have a savings account with the bank or against a fixed deposit. This card comes with an additional security feature in the form of EMV chip which ensures security. This chip is capable of generating a unique code which cannot be reused within a framework of time.

Features

• Rewards – 2 point on every Rs 100 you spent.
• Bonus – Annual fee is waived of if 50000 or more is spend in a year.
• APR – 40.8% per annum.
• Annual fee – Rs.99.
• Joining fee – Rs. 199.
• Cash withdrawal – Rs.100.
• Interest free credit period – 48 Days.

Eligibility

• The applicant must provide address proof, income proof and identity proof.
• He should be an Indian resident of a minimum age of 23 years of age.

Benefits

• For every Rs100 spent you get a payback point of 2.
• 2.5% fuel surcharge waive off for not exceeding Rs.4000 at HPCL pumps.
• Annual fee is waived off if spending is above 50000 annually.
• 15% discount on dining with the participating restaurants.
• They also have tie ups with luxury hotels, discounts at lifestyle stores and spas

Drawbacks

• ICICI Bank platinum is offering a payback point of 2 which is good but ICICI Coral is giving 4 points on every purchase of Rs 100.
• There is no cash back benefit on your purchase that could be a disadvantage for this card.
• The fuel surcharge is not very high. For people who travel a lot may require more discount on fuel

Summary

The ICICI Platinum Card comes with numerous benefits and it is a good card for your monthly expenses. The yearly fee would be highlighted and would not be much of a burden to pay off. Again on spending 50000 or more in a year the fee would be waived. It can be useful especially when you are juggling with several cards and you run out of credit limit on your other cards.

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