34 Credit Cards with No Annual Fees in India & How to Avoid the Fees

Almost every credit card issuing company has an automated way to deduct annual fee which is a one-time fee charged mostly at the beginning of the year. While buying a card, individuals are not aware of this fee and only come to know about this after first year when their statement displays the same. Although not every card carries an annual fee but certain categories of cards such as reward card, premium travel cards, secured cards often carries an annual fee due to the benefits offered. But first time buyers should not reject the card because it is their first step in building a credit history. However there are few cards available in India having zero annual fees in the first year and then onwards a small fee is charged. So here’s the list of credit cards with no annual fee in the FIRST YEAR along with the fee charged from second year onwards:
Bank NameCredit Card NameAnnual Fee - Second Year Onwards (In INR)
Kotak BankBest Price Card
NIL
Kotak BankEasy DayNIL
ICICI BankInstant PlatinumNIL
ICICI BankPlatinum Chip99
ICICI BankHPCL Coral American Express199 + Service Tax
ICICI BankHPCL Coral199 + Service Tax
ICICI BankHPCL Platinum199 + Service Tax
ICICI BankJet Airways ICICI Bank Coral Credit Card1250
ICICI BankJet Airways ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card2500
ICICI BankJet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card5000
Axis BankMy Wings200
Axis BankMy Cards250
Axis BankMy Zone500
Axis BankMy Business499
Axis BankInsta EasyNIL
State Bank of IndiaSimplySAVE SBI CardNIL
Union Bank of IndiaVISA International - ClassicNIL
Union Bank of IndiaVISA International - SilverNIL
Union Bank of IndiaVISA International - GoldNIL
Ratnakar Bank LimitedGolf World CardNIL
CitibankRewards CardNIL
CitibankIndianOil Platinum CardNIL
Standard CharteredSuper Value Titanium750
Standard CharteredPlatinum RewardsNIL
Standard CharteredVisa InfiniteNIL
Standard CharteredYatra Platinum499
Standard CharteredManhattan Platinum999
Standard CharteredInner Circle PlatinumNIL
HDFC BankMoneyBack Credit CardNIL (Life Time Free, if applied through bank website)
HDFC BankAll Miles Credit CardNIL (Life Time Free, if applied through bank website)
HDFC BankRegalia Credit CardNIL (Life Time Free, if applied through bank website)
HDFC BankDiners Premium Credit CardNIL (Life Time Free, if applied through bank website)
HDFC BankDiners Rewardz Credit CardNIL (Life Time Free, if applied through bank website)
HSBCPlatinum CardNIL

How to avoid annual fee:

  1. Buy another card with the same bank if money is a concern. But you might lose benefits on your previous card.
  2. Many companies will waive off your annual fee if you spend certain amount in a year. So get this checked before choosing a card.
  3. Sometimes it is worth to buy a credit card having an annual fee because of the benefits offered. Most important being the security feature apart from discounts on dining, air travel etc.
  4. If the lender revises its fee then it is their duty to notify the customers in advance. If they don’t then you have full right to reject it.

Author Bio:

Hi, I am Nikesh Mehta owner and writer of this site.

Nikesh Mehta - ImageI’m an analytics professional and also love writing on finance and related industry. I’ve done online course in Financial Markets and Investment Strategy from Indian School of Business.

I can be reached at [email protected]. You may also visit my LinkedIn profile.

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