Best credit cards India — May 2026 edition: fees, caps, lounges & who should apply

Reward caps, partner lists, and annual fee waiver thresholds change when issuers refresh tariffs. A month label tells you when we last reconciled catalogue fields to public issuer pages — not that every MITC in India updated on 1 May.

If a fee or cap disagrees with your approval pack, trust the pack and ask the bank’s helpline — then ping us with a link to the updated MITC so we can correct the index.

These three sit on a lot of May shortlists for different reasons: miles + lounge story, straight cashback maths, and HDFC’s Regalia Gold positioning for users who want a Visa Signature footprint without jumping to metal invite tiers.

Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹5,000 / ₹5,000 + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹1,00,000/month income, 750+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 2 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated); 4 international visit(s) / year (Priority Pass)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 2 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on all retail spends
• 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on Axis Travel EDGE portal bookings
• 2,500 welcome EDGE Miles on first transaction within 30 days
• Milestone bonuses: 1,000 miles at ₹7.5L, 2,500 at ₹15L, 5,000 at ₹30L annual spend

CASHBACK SBI Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹999 / ₹999 — renewal waived on ₹2,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹25,000/month income, 700+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge: not a headline benefit on the published list.

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5% cashback on all online purchases (any merchant) — capped ₹5,000/month
• 1% cashback on all offline retail transactions
• Cashback auto-credited to statement every month
• Annual fee waived on ₹2 lakh annual spend

HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹2,500 / ₹2,500 — renewal waived on ₹4,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹1,00,000/month income, 750+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 3 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated); 6 international visit(s) / year (Priority Pass)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per calendar year via DreamFolks (≈3 per quarter)
• 6 complimentary international airport lounge visits per calendar year via Priority Pass
• 4 reward points per ₹150 on retail spends; up to 10x on SmartBuy (flights, hotels, select brands)
• 5x reward points on spends at Myntra, Nykaa, Reliance Digital and other partner brands (per SmartBuy T&Cs)

If Amazon.in and Flipkart are where your salary quietly evaporates, co-branded cards exist to pay you back on lanes you already use — still subject to category caps and merchant coding in the MITC.

Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹0 / ₹0 — lifetime free on the product page + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹25,000/month income, 750+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge: not a headline benefit on the published list.

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5% cashback on Amazon.in for Prime members (3% for non-Prime) — unlimited, no monthly cap
• 2% cashback on Amazon Pay partner merchant spends
• 1% cashback on all other retail transactions
• Cashback credited automatically to Amazon Pay balance monthly

Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹500 / ₹500 — renewal waived on ₹2,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹15,000/month income, 700+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 1 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5% cashback on Flipkart and Myntra
• 4% cashback on preferred partners including Swiggy, PVR, Uber
• 1.5% cashback on all other retail spends
• 1 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per quarter via DreamFolks

Catch: “Five percent” often shares a room with monthly ceilings and MCC exclusions. Read the fine print like you read Zomato reviews — boring, but cheaper than learning from a surprise statement.

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹499 / ₹499 — renewal waived on ₹2,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹15,000/month income, 750+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 1 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5% cashback on Google Pay utility bill payments and mobile recharges (up to ₹500/month)
• 4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato, BigBasket, Ola, Hotstar & Zee5
• 1.5% cashback on all other retail spends (no cap)
• 1 complimentary domestic airport lounge visit per quarter via DreamFolks

HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹1,000 / ₹1,000 — renewal waived on ₹1,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹35,000/month income, 720+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 2 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5% CashBack on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Sony LIV, Tata CLiQ
• 1% CashBack on all other eligible retail spends
• 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per quarter via DreamFolks
• Annual fee waived on ₹1 lakh annual spend

Also in this edition: CASHBACK SBI Card (covered above) remains the blunt-instrument favourite when you want simple online/offline cashback with a clear waiver story — compare it in Compare all twelve on CardCheck.

If May is your first serious look at credit after a CIBIL clean-up, optimise for fee you can ignore and rules you can follow every month — not for lounge Instagram.

ICICI Bank Platinum Chip Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹0 / ₹0 — lifetime free on the product page + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹15,000/month income, 650+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge: not a headline benefit on the published list.

What the issuer page highlights:

• Lifetime free — zero joining and annual fee
• 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 on retail spends
• EMV chip security for safe point-of-sale transactions
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver on ₹400–₹4,000 transactions

Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹500 / ₹500 — renewal waived on ₹2,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹25,000/month income, 700+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge: not a headline benefit on the published list.

What the issuer page highlights:

• 10% cashback on eligible Swiggy app spends (food delivery, Instamart, Genie, Dineout, and other Swiggy categories per issuer T&Cs) — up to ₹1,500 per billing cycle combined
• 5% cashback on online dining and movies (Food delivery platforms per issuer) — separate cap per billing cycle (typically up to ₹1,500, per T&Cs)
• 1% cashback on all other eligible retail spends — capped per billing cycle (typically up to ₹500, per T&Cs)
• Cashback auto-credited to Swiggy wallet monthly

This lane is for people who fly enough that lounge visits and miles transfers are line items, not vibes. HDFC Infinia Metal stays invite-only — we include it so you know what “done” looks like, not because everyone should apply.

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹12,500 / ₹12,500 — renewal waived on ₹10,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹3,00,000/month income, 800+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel: unlimited domestic and international access as listed on the product page (self + add-ons where stated).

What the issuer page highlights:

• 5 reward points per ₹150 on all eligible retail spends (1 RP = ₹1 via SmartBuy)
• 10x reward points on SmartBuy travel portal bookings — up to 6.67%
• Unlimited domestic airport lounge access via DreamFolks (self + all add-on members)
• Unlimited international airport lounge access via Priority Pass (self + add-on)

• How to get it: this product is invitation-only on the page — you cannot apply like a standard retail card.

Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹12,500 / ₹12,500 — renewal waived on ₹15,00,000 annual spend (per issuer page) + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹1,50,000/month income, 750+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge: 8 domestic / quarter, unlimited international Priority Pass (per published benefits).

What the issuer page highlights:

• 12 EDGE Miles per ₹200 on Axis Travel EDGE bookings
• 6 EDGE Miles per ₹200 on other online and international spends
• 1.5 Miles per ₹200 on other domestic offline spends
• 10,000 bonus EDGE Miles as joining benefit (redeemable for ₹5,000 in flights)

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

Joining / annual fee: ₹10,000 / ₹10,000 + taxes as applicable.

Published minimums: ₹1,50,000/month income, 760+ CIBIL (indicative; approval is always at the bank’s discretion).

Lounge / travel access: 3 domestic visit(s) / quarter (as stated); 2 international visit(s) / year (Priority Pass)

What the issuer page highlights:

• 3 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per quarter via DreamFolks (12/year)
• 2 complimentary international lounge visits per year via Priority Pass
• 1 Membership Reward Point per ₹50 on all eligible retail spends
• Welcome hotel night stays on joining and annual renewal

Use this as a planning grid: if you cannot hit the waiver spend without inventing fake expenses, treat the fee as real annual cost in your head before you click apply.

Lounges move when issuers renegotiate programmes or change visit counts. Treat the table as orientation, then read the card’s lounge annex in the MITC before you plan a trip around “free” sandwiches.

• Skip premium travel if you clear a lounge once a year and mostly spend on UPI — a RuPay or bank-app stack may matter more than Priority Pass.
• Skip heavy annual fees if you already revolve balances — interest wipes rewards faster than any cap ever could.
• Skip chasing Infinia Metal until you understand invite-only positioning; Axis Magnus and Amex Platinum Reserve are open-apply comparators in this set.

Regulatory anchor: RBI’s credit card directions push transparent charges and customer communication on issuers — your practical lever is still read the MITC and pay on time.

Shortlist two or three cards from the tables above, then open Compare all twelve on CardCheck with those IDs locked in. Paste your real grocery, online, travel, and bill numbers into CardCheck’s free Rewards calculator — that is how May’s “best” list becomes a personal pick without the comment-section drama.

CardCheck summarises issuer-published fields for comparison. We are not a bank; this article is not financial advice. APR, fees, and benefits in your sanction letter and MITC override any editorial snapshot.