Which card is
right for you?
Honest, data-driven credit card research for India. No affiliate commissions. No sponsored rankings.
What are you trying
to figure out?
Getting my first card
Which card should you start with — and what to watch out for.
Travelling abroad soon
Zero-forex cards, lounge rules, and travel insurance that works.
Is my card still worth it?
Banks change benefits quietly. Check if yours is still competitive.
I want lounge access
Which cards still give free lounges — and what spend they require.
Maximise what I earn
Turn everyday spending into points, miles, and cashback worth redeeming.
Why this matters
Things your bank
won't tell you
of every rupee you spend abroad goes to your bank as forex markup.
Most Indian cards charge 1.5%–3.5% markup plus 18% GST on international transactions. That's ₹3,500+ per ₹1 lakh spent abroad. Zero-forex cards eliminate this entirely.
See zero-forex cardsquarterly spend — the hidden rule for lounge access your bank quietly added.
HDFC, ICICI, and Axis introduced spend thresholds in 2024. If you don't hit them, your "free" lounge visit costs ₹800+ at the door.
Check your card's rulesreward value cut overnight — HDFC Regalia, 2024.
Banks can slash reward point value without notice. Your stated "1% earn rate" might already be 0.4%. We track every change so you know before it costs you.
Track benefit changesCardTrail Score
Three cards. Three reasons.
Scored 1–10 across four dimensions using public data. See how.
HDFC Diners Club Black
HDFC · ₹10,000/yr
Unlimited lounge access
HDFC Diners Club Metal Edition
HDFC · ₹10,000/yr
Annual fee ₹10,000 (waiver: Spend ₹5L/year)
Axis Atlas
Axis · ₹5,000/yr
8 lounge visits per quarter with no annual spend gate. No strings attached.