Easy approval for students and new-to-credit. Ranked by our editor score: reward rate, fee-to-value, perks you will actually use and ease of approval.
Your first credit card has one job: to build a clean credit history cheaply. Rewards matter much less than getting approved, paying on time and keeping the card for several years so your average account age grows.
Banks look at your credit bureau report (CIBIL, Experian, Equifax, CRIF). With no history you have no score, which is not the same as a bad score, but many banks still decline. Your best routes are: a card from the bank where your salary is credited, a card against a fixed deposit (secured card), or a fintech card with a lower income bar.
Kotak 811 #DreamDifferent, SBI Unnat, ICICI Instant Platinum and several others are issued against a fixed deposit of ₹5,000 to ₹25,000. The FD keeps earning interest, the limit is 80% to 90% of the deposit, and after 12 months of good use most banks will offer an unsecured card. This is the most reliable path for students, freelancers and new joiners.
Pay the full statement amount every month, not the minimum due; the minimum due keeps you in 42% interest. Keep utilisation under 30% of the limit. Do not apply for three cards in a month; each application is a hard enquiry. Set up autopay. Do not close the card when you upgrade later.
Lifetime free and easy to get: Amazon Pay ICICI, IDFC FIRST Classic, YES PaisaSave. Secured: Kotak 811. Low-fee with real rewards: SBI SimplyCLICK, HDFC MoneyBack+.
Written by the CardSparrow editorial team. Figures checked against each issuer's MITC; see our editorial policy.
9 cards found
Best for amazon prime members
Lifetime free card with 5% back for Prime members on Amazon, 2% on Amazon Pay partners and 1% everywhere else.
Best for first-time online shoppers
10X rewards on Amazon, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Myntra and partners, 5X on all other online spends.
Best for new-to-credit customers
Lifetime free card with 10X rewards on dining, travel and international spends and railway lounge access.
Best for metal card, app-first
Lifetime free metal card with 5X rewards on your top two spend categories every month and full control in the OneCard app.
Best for flat cashback starter
3% cashback on online spends, 1.5% unlimited on everything else and a lifetime-free offer on ₹10,000 spends in 30 days.
Best for beginners on hdfc
10X CashPoints on Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, Swiggy and Reliance Smart, 2 CashPoints per ₹150 elsewhere, ₹500 quarterly voucher.
Best for low interest on emi
2% cashback on online spends, 1% offline and the lowest interest rate on a mass card – 0.99% a month on transfers.
Best for secured / no income proof
Lifetime free secured card against a fixed deposit of ₹5,000+ – ideal for students and people building a credit score.
Best for upi on credit
RuPay card that links to UPI apps, 2 points per ₹100 on all spends including UPI, with quarterly lounge access on ₹35,000 spends.