Cashback SBI Card
One of India's most loved flat-cashback cards. You get 5% back on most online spends and 1% offline, with a list of excluded categories and a cap each statement cycle. No points to track, no redemption games, just automatic cashback credited to your statement.
Why it ranks
- 5% online cashback is not tied to a list of merchants
- Cashback is automatic, no redemption needed
- Fee easily waived with moderate spending
- Simple, transparent rewards structure
What holds it back
- Cashback capped at ₹4,000 a cycle (₹2,000 online, ₹2,000 offline)
- No lounge access or travel perks
- Excludes utilities, insurance, fuel, rent, wallets, education, jewellery, railways and EMI, plus gaming, tolls and government payments from 1 April 2026
Advertiser disclosure: we may be paid if you apply through our links. Ratings are editorial. Confirm today's terms on the issuer's site — offers change.
Why the Cashback SBI Card ranks where it does
The Cashback SBI Card is still the most flexible online cashback card in India, but it earns less than it did. It pays 5% on online spends with no merchant list and 1% offline, credited automatically. From 1 April 2026 SBI caps online cashback at ₹2,000 and offline at ₹2,000 per statement, ₹4,000 in total, so the 5% rate covers the first ₹40,000 of online spending each cycle.
For most households that cap is generous. The narrower problem is the exclusion list, which keeps growing: utilities, insurance, fuel, rent, wallets, education, jewellery and railways were already out, and digital gaming, tolls and government payments were added in 2026. Paying school fees or electricity online therefore earns nothing, even though the payment is online.
The fee is ₹999 plus taxes, reversed when the previous year's spend reaches ₹2 lakh. At 5%, ₹20,000 of online spend covers the fee on its own, so almost anyone who shops online regularly comes out ahead. There is no lounge access or travel cover, so treat it as a domestic shopping card and keep another card for trips.
Good fit if
- Online shoppers who spread purchases across many sites
- People who want cashback without points or redemption steps
- Households spending ₹2 lakh or more a year on one card
Skip it if
- Anyone whose main online payments are utilities, school fees or insurance
- Travellers looking for lounge access or travel benefits
Assume ₹30,000 of eligible online spend and ₹10,000 of offline spend each month. Online earns 5%, or ₹1,500, inside the ₹2,000 cap; offline earns 1%, or ₹100. That is ₹1,600 a statement, ₹19,200 a year. Annual spend of ₹4.8 lakh is above the ₹2 lakh needed to reverse the ₹999 renewal fee. Cashback is credited to the card account, so no point valuation is involved; any online spend above ₹40,000 in a cycle would earn nothing extra.
How it stacks up
The Amazon Pay ICICI card has no fee at all and pays 5% on Amazon for Prime members, but only 1% on other online sites. The Axis ACE covers what SBI excludes, paying 5% on utility bills through Google Pay, though its bonus categories share a ₹500 cap per statement. Many readers hold two of these three cards and split spending between them.
One of India's most loved flat-cashback cards. You get 5% back on most online spends and 1% offline, with a list of excluded categories and a cap each statement cycle. No points to track, no redemption games, just automatic cashback credited to your statement.
Cashback SBI Card at a glance
| Issuer | SBI Card |
| Card network | Visa |
| Annual fee | ₹999 |
| Welcome bonus | No fixed welcome bonus; annual fee waived on Rs.2 lakh spend |
| Rewards rate | 5% online (up to ₹2,000 a cycle), 1% offline (up to ₹2,000 a cycle), from 1 April 2026 |
| Intro APR | N/A |
| Regular APR | 3.75% a month (45% a year), per SBI Card's key fact statement |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3.5% markup on foreign currency transactions |
| Credit needed | Good |
| Best for | Online shoppers who want simple, automatic cashback |
| Airport lounge access | No |
Rewards & benefits
- 5% cashback on online spends across most merchants
- 1% cashback on offline spends
- Cashback auto-credited to your statement within two days of billing
- Cashback capped at ₹2,000 a cycle online and ₹2,000 a cycle offline, ₹4,000 in total (from 1 April 2026)
- Annual fee reversed on Rs.2 lakh annual spend
Eligibility & who it suits
- Indian resident, salaried or self-employed
- CIBIL score of 750 or above recommended
- Steady income meeting SBI Card's criteria
- Valid PAN and KYC documents
How to apply
Check current rates on SBI Card’s official site →
This opens the issuer’s official application page in a new tab. We may earn a commission if you are approved — it never changes the terms you receive.
Rates, fees, welcome offers and benefits are provided for general information, can change at any time, and may not reflect current terms. Always confirm the latest details on the issuer’s official site before applying. This is not financial advice.
How it ranks against similar India cards
| Rank | Card | Annual fee | Rewards | Welcome offer | Foreign fee | Who qualifies | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SSBI CardCashback SBI₹999/yr · IN Cashback SBI CardOnline shoppers who want simple, automatic cashback |
₹999/yr | 5% online (up to ₹2,000 a cycle), 1% offline (up to ₹2,000 a cycle), from 1 Apri… | No fixed welcome bonus; annual fee waived on Rs.2 lakh spend | 3.5% markup on foreign cur… | Good | |
| 2 | IICICI BankAmazon PayNo annual fee · IN Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit CardAmazon regulars who want a free everyday cashback card |
None | 5% Amazon (Prime), 3% (non-Prime), 1% elsewhere | Amazon Pay balance offer on activation (varies) | 1.99% markup on foreign cu… | Invite-only; ICICI lists age 21+… | |
| 3 | AAxis BankACE₹499/yr · IN Axis Bank ACE Credit CardAnyone who wants high cashback on bills and everyday spends |
₹499/yr | 5% on bills via Google Pay, 4% on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola (₹500 shared cap per st… | No fixed welcome bonus; value comes from ongoing cashback | 3.5% markup on foreign cur… | Good | |
| 4 | AAxis BankFlipkart₹500/yr · IN Flipkart Axis Bank Credit CardFlipkart and Myntra loyalists who want simple cashback |
₹500/yr | 7.5% Myntra, 5% Flipkart and Cleartrip (each capped at ₹4,000 a statement quarte… | ₹250 Flipkart voucher (cards issued after 20 June 2025) | 3.5% markup on foreign cur… | Good |
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