Pickkard
Get early access

PICKKARD RESEARCH · NOVEMBER 2026 · 1,400 RATES CHECKED

What 50 credit cards really earn in India’s top 28 apps

We asked about 400 credit card users how they pay, then checked every one of 50 popular Indian credit cards in 28 shopping, food, travel and bill apps: 1,400 rates, 91% straight from the bank’s own terms. Here’s what we found.

What card users told us

50%pay with UPI by default, even when they hold a credit card
95%weren’t aware their cards could earn rewards on Uber and many other apps
80%hadn’t realised how much value they were losing

From Pickkard’s conversations with about 400 credit card users in India; a separate survey of 1,000 people pointed the same way.

What that means in rupees: for a regular shopper the best single card earns about ₹17,100 a year more than a typical card, and 246 card-and-app rates earn less, or nothing, through UPI. See the UPI answers by app.

Key findings from 1,400 rates

  1. The best card earns far more than a typical one. On Swiggy the best cards give 10% back; the typical (median) card gives 1.58%.
  2. For someone spending about ₹41,000 a month across ten everyday apps, the best single card (Cashback SBI) earns about ₹17,100 a year more than a typical card, after its monthly limits.
  3. One card wins most often: HSBC Live+ is the top pick on 12 of the 28 apps.
  4. Ties are common in big marketplaces: 10 cards share the top rate of 5% on Flipkart.
  5. Your app’s own co-brand card isn’t always the best there: on Amazon (without Prime), MakeMyTrip and Reliance Digital, a non-co-brand card earns more.
  6. The fine print matters: 42% of the 1,400 card-and-app rates have a monthly limit, 29% need a minimum order, and 246 come with a UPI exception.

Best card vs a typical card, app by app

Airtel Thanks25%AJIO10%BigBasket10%Blinkit10%BookMyShow10%District10%Domino's10%JioMart10%Meesho10%Nykaa10%Reliance Digital10%Swiggy10%Swiggy Instamart10%Tata CLiQ10%Tata Neu10%Zepto10%Zomato10%Myntra7.5%Cleartrip6%Goibibo6%MakeMyTrip6%Amazon5%Apollo 24|75%Flipkart5%ixigo5%PVR INOX5%Uber5%IRCTC Rail Connect3.82%
Best card Typical card (median of 50)
AppBest cardBestTypicalCards at 5%+
Airtel ThanksAirtel Axis25%0.25%2
AJIOHSBC Live+10%1%9
BigBasketHSBC Live+10%1%6
BlinkitAirtel Axis + 2 more10%1.1%9
BookMyShowAxis Neo + 1 more10%1%9
DistrictAirtel Axis + 1 more10%1%5
Domino'sHSBC Live+10%1%5
JioMartHSBC Live+10%1%6
MeeshoHSBC Live+10%1%6
NykaaHSBC Live+10%1%8
Reliance DigitalHSBC Live+10%1%6
SwiggyHSBC Live+ + 2 more10%1.58%10
Swiggy InstamartHSBC Live+ + 2 more10%1%7
Tata CLiQHSBC Live+10%1%5
Tata NeuHSBC Live+10%1%4
ZeptoHSBC Live+10%1%5
ZomatoAirtel Axis + 2 more10%1.25%10
MyntraFlipkart Axis + 1 more7.5%1%11
CleartripPaisaSave YES6%1%8
GoibiboPaisaSave YES6%1%5
MakeMyTripPaisaSave YES6%1%3
AmazonCashback SBI + 6 more5%1%7
Apollo 24|7Cashback SBI + 2 more5%1%3
FlipkartCashback SBI + 9 more5%1%10
ixigoPhonePe SBI Black + 2 more5%0.9%3
PVR INOXCashback SBI + 3 more5%1%4
UberCashback SBI + 8 more5%1%9
IRCTC Rail ConnectPhonePe SBI Black + 1 more3.82%0%0

Cards that win the most apps

How we did it

For every card and app we recorded the reward rate, minimum order and monthly limit, valued the way the bank shows first, and checked it against the bank’s own terms (or, where only other sources support it, marked it as cardholder reports). “Typical” is the median of all 50 cards in that app. The yearly gap assumes the order sizes and frequencies used on our app pages. 5 of the cards no longer take new applications; they’re included because people still hold them. Data as of 28 October 2026. Full method.

Use this data

The full table is free to use with credit and a link to Pickkard: Download the 1,400 rates (CSV). Please cite as: Pickkard (2026). What 50 credit cards really earn in India’s top 28 apps. November 2026. https://pickkard.in/research/credit-card-rewards-india/