Best Secured Credit Cards Against Fixed Deposit
If you are new to the world of credit cards, you must have had a tough time understanding the multiple credit score requirement criteria. Most of the credit cards in India require the applicant to have a healthy credit score that displays their creditworthiness. However, if you don’t have one and wish to get a credit card for yourself, some of these best secured credit cards come to your rescue.
Various banks offer secured credit cards against a fixed deposit, and they are considered the best instruments if you want to develop and build a credit score. We have created a list of the best secured credit cards you can apply for against a fixed deposit in India.
List Of 10 Best Secured Credit Cards in India For 2022
1. ICICI Rubyx Credit Card
Points to Consider
- ICICI Rubyx allows its users to earn upto six PAYBACK points for every Rs 100 spent across categories.
- You can earn rewards in the form of these PAYBACK points which can further be redeemed for gift vouchers, products, or cash.
Joining fees:0
Annual fees: 0
Interest rate: 2.49% per month (29.88% per annum)
pros
- Complimentary rounds of Golf at leading golf courses in India.
- 2X rewards on domestic spends and upto 4X rewards on all international spending.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver across fuel stations in India.
- Complimentary access to VISA and Railway lounges.
Cons
- No complimentary international airport lounge access
- Movie discounts are not guaranteed as it is limited to first-come-first-serve.
Why We Picked This Card?
Lifetime free credit card with premium features. You can never go wrong with that.
2. RBL Platinum Maxima Credit Card
Points to Consider
- RBL Platinum Maxima credit card offers accelerated rewards in various categories.
- Customers get milestone-based rewards whenever they cross the threshold limit
- 5X rewards on dining, entertainment, utility bill payments, and international purchases
Joining fees:Rs 2,000
Annual fees: Rs 2,000
Interest rate: Up to 3.99% per month (47.88% per annum)
pros
- 5X rewards earned on dining, utility bill payments and international spending.
- Milestone-based rewards such as 10,000 reward points for spending more than Rs. 2.5 Lakh in a year.
- 10,000 additional points on the spending of Rs 4.5 Lakh and above.
- Welcome rewards worth 8,000 reward points.
- All in all, more than 63,000 reward points can be earned yearly, if used optimally.
Cons
- No premium features whatsover.
- Domestic airport lounge access capped at 2 per quarter.
Why We Picked This Card?
Opportunity to earn high number of points on big transactions.
3. Axis Select Credit Card
Points to Consider
- This extra rewarding card from Axis Bank has a mix of premium as well as cashback-oriented customers.
- Offers complimentary Club Marriott membership and year-round discounts on BigBasket and Swiggy.
Joining fees:Rs 3,000 (0 for Burgundy customers)
Annual fees: Rs 3,000 (0 for Burgundy customers)
Interest rate: 3.6% per month (52.86% per annum)
pros
- Welcome benefits and vouchers worth Rs 2000
- 5000 Axis edge points are earned on activation
- Air accident insurance worth Rs 2.5 Crores
- Upto 20% off on BigBasket and 40% off on Swiggy
- Complimentary Membership of Priority Pass program worth USD 99
- Three rounds of Golf per calendar year
Cons
- Annual fees is waived off only on minimum spends of Rs 6 Lakhs
- Joining/renewal fee waiver is only for Axis Burgundy account holders.
Why We Picked This Card?
A mix of rewarding and premium features makes this a super desirable card, especially for Axis Burgundy customers.
4. HDFC Infinia Credit Card
Points to Consider
- A super-premium and rewarding credit card that caters to all aspects of a power-packed lifestyle.
- A best-in-class reward system where your reward points can be exchanged into vouchers of Tanishq and Apple of equivalent value.
- 1 reward point is also equivalent to Re 1 when converted into Smartbuy travel vouchers.
Joining fees:Rs 12,500 + GST
Annual fees: Rs 12,500 + GST (waived off on spends of over Rs 10 lakhs)
Interest rate: 1.99% per month (23.88% per annum)
pros
- Complimentary Club Marriott membership and access to select ITC hotels for dining.
- Unlimited domestic and international airport lounge access at 1000+ partners across the globe.
- Comes with Accidental Air Insurance worth 3 Crores
- 10X reward points earned on travel and shopping via Smartbuy
Cons
- Based on HDFC Bank’s terms and conditions, this card is solely invite-only. No eligibility criteria is publicly mentioned.
5. Citi Rewards Credit Card
Points to Consider
- The perfect credit card for the shopper in you.
- Citi Rewards credit card offers amazing instant discounts and rewards on various categories like shopping, entertainment, dining, and grocery.
- If used optimally, customers can save more than Rs 4,800 in terms of cashback and rewards.
Joining fees:Communicated at the time of approval
Annual fees: Communicated at the time of approval
Interest rate: 3.75% per month (45% per annum)
pros
- Welcome rewards offered worth Rs 2500
- Zero annual and joining fees
- Accelerated rewards on departmental and apparel stores
- Three hundred bonus reward points on the spending of Rs Thirty thousand or more in a calendar month
- Earned reward points never expire
Cons
- Limited service network of the bank as branches are majorly present in metropolitan cities.
Why We Picked This Card?
Get entry into the exclusive Citi club with the Rewards, which is farily straightforward to get approved.
6. SBI Elite Credit Card
Points to Consider
- A cashback and rewards-centric credit card that offers rewards in all categories: dining, entertainment, shopping, travel, and lifestyle.
- The rewards rate is as high as 2.5% on certain transactions
- Pampers the user with welcome gift vouchers worth Rs 5,0000 from various lifestyle brands.
Joining fees:Rs 4,999 + GST (Get Rs 5,000 gift voucher on joining)
Annual fees: Rs 4,999 + GST
Interest rate: 3.50% per month (42% per annum)
pros
- Complimentary Club Vistara and Priority Pass membership.
- Offers milestone-based rewards like 10000 points for spending 3 Lakhs in a year, 15000 for spending five lakhs and so on
- 2 Complimentary International and Domestic Airport lounge access
- Lowest currency markup fee of 1.99% for international currency
Cons
- Only 2 Complimentary International and Domestic Airport lounge access are provided per quarter.
Why We Picked This Card?
A credit card from SBI, that too a super premium one, is a good way to build a strong credit score.
7. Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards
Points to Consider
- Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards credit card is the only card in this category with no upper limit on earned rewards.
- This means users can earn unlimited rewards in the categories of fuel, dining, and entertainment with this credit card. This means users can earn unlimited rewards and save on categories of fuel via this credit card, alongside dining and entertainment.
Joining fees:Rs 250
Annual fees: Rs 250
Interest rate: 3.75% per month (45% per annum)
pros
- 5X rewards on fuel and dining categories
- 1X reward points on all other categories
- Earned rewards can be used to claim merchandise or settle the outstanding payment
- High rewards on select categories
Cons
- Low rewards on categories other than fuel, dining, and entertainment.
Why We Picked This Card?
The Platinum Rewards helps you build your score while earning unlimited rewards on your spends.
8. SBI SimplySAVE Card
Points to Consider
- An all-rounder credit card that offers accelerated rewards on most categories like Dining, Movies, Departmental Stores, and Grocery.
- Great card if you spend majorly at offline stores
Joining fees:Rs 499
Annual fees: Rs 499 (one-time)
Interest rate: 3.5% per month (42% per annum)
pros
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all fuel stations in India
- 10X reward points on Dining, Movies, Departmental Stores, and Grocery Spends
- On all other categories, users earn 1 Reward point per Rs 100 spent
- Affordable joining and annual fees
Cons
- No complimentary Domestic Airport or Railway lounge access
Why We Picked This Card?
Solid card for offline spends. Comes with the backing of SBI, obviously. This also made it to our list of the best entry level credit cards.
9. SBI IRCTC Rupay Card
Points to Consider
- SBI IRCTC Rupay card is an internationally accepted credit card based on the Rupay platform.
- Offers amazing rewards to customers frequently traveling via train in India.
- Also gets you decent rewards on spends in all categories except fuel.
Joining fees:Rs 3,000+GST
Annual fees: Rs 3,000+GST
Interest rate: 3.75% per month (45% per annum)
pros
- 10% reward points on train bookings using the IRCTC website and app
- One reward point for every Rs. 125 spent elsewhere
- Option of converting purchases into EMI using Flexipay
- 4 Complimentary Railway Lounge access in a year
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver
Cons
- No reward points on fuel spends
- Absence of complimentary Airport lounge access
Why We Picked This Card?
Good travel card for lounge visits, especially when you have a low or non existent credit score.
10. YES Prosperity Rewards Plus Card
Points to Consider
- This YES Bank credit card with reward points has loads of features for customers spending on shopping and travel.
- Offers various features like conversion of reward points into Club Vistara points.
- The reward rate and redemption rate are also decent as compared to the annual fees charged.
Joining fees:Rs 399 + GST (Waived on spends of Rs 10,000 within 90 days)
Annual fees: Rs 399 + GST (Waived on spends of Rs 50,000 in the billing year)
Interest rate: 3.5% per month (42% per annum)
pros
- Earn 4 Reward points on every ₹200 spent on limited categories
- Reward points never expire
- Accelerated rewards points by using YES CART
- Fuel Surcharge waiver can be availed on all fuel stations in India
- Lost card liability of upto 3 Lakhs
Cons
- Complimentary airport lounge access is not offered
Why We Picked This Card?
Another good well-rounded and low expense credit card to build your credit score.
Compare Best Secured Credit Cards
Credit Cards | Joining Fees | Income eligibility |
ICICI Rubyx | 0 | Rs 15,000 per month |
RBL Platinum Maxima | Rs 2,000 | N/A |
Axis Select | Rs 3,000 | Rs 50,000 per month |
HDFC Infinia | Rs 12,500 | N/A |
Citi Rewards | N/A | Rs 20,000 per month |
Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards | Rs 250 | Rs 32,500-46,000 per month |
SBI SimplySAVE | Rs 499 | Rs 20,000 per month |
SBI IRCTC RuPay | Rs 3,000 | N/A |
YES Prosperity Rewards Plus | Rs 399 | Rs 25,000 per month |
What to look for in a good secured credit card?
1. Fixed Deposit amount
A secured card is usually taken against a fixed deposit that you open with the issuer bank. To make sure your assets are not disrupted by a lot, make sure the card you pick has the least minimum requirement of FD possible.
2. Low income eligibility
Income and credit score eligibility are top criteria for getting approved for a credit card. In case you want a secured card, chances are your thresholds are on the lower side. So, choose one which matches your eligibility.
3. Good reward mechanism
Apart from being a solid credit card, you should also look out for the rewards on offer. Most good cards today come with a rewarding mechanism that gives you points or cashback for your transactions. Make sure you take good advantage of that. You can also explore some of the best credit card offers here.
FAQs
Does getting a secured credit card help your credit?
Yes, a secured credit card helps you build your credit score in case it is low or non-existent. Provided you make timely repayments and use the limit sparingly.
How much should I put on a secured credit card?
As a general rule of thumb, do not utilise more than 30% of your monthly limit on a secured, or regular, credit card.
Can you be denied for a secured card?
You will not be denied a secured card if you meet the minimum fixed deposit and income required, in most cases.
What's the difference between secured and regular credit cards?
Secured credit cards are backed by a fixed deposit to protect the issuing bank, while regular credit cards usually aren’t.
How much do I have to deposit for a secured credit card?
The amount of deposit depends on the card type, category, and issuing bank.