Business credit card checklist India: 9 checks, fees and caps compared

Before taking a business credit card in India, check who is liable, the fee and which spends count toward its waiver, reward caps and exclusions, interest-free days, the interest rate (3.60–3.75% a month on cards we checked), add-on controls, GST invoicing and documents. As of 6 November 2026, caps and exclusions differ most between cards.

This is the third post in Spendzie's card knowledge series. It turns RBI's rules and five issuers' published terms into a checklist, then lays the cards out in identical rows. Where a bank has not published a figure, or we could not read it reliably, we say 'not verified' rather than fill the gap from aggregator sites.

Key facts: business credit cards in India (as of 6 November 2026)

• New launch: Amazon Pay Kotak Business card, launched 9 September 2026 (as reported by Card Insider and LiveFromALounge); ₹499 annual fee per Amazon's announcement.
• New launch: IndusInd Bank's OD/CC-linked card, launched 11 September 2026 (as reported from the bank's press release); IndusInd's key facts statement says it draws on your overdraft or cash credit limit, has no interest-free period and charges interest as per the OD/CC account.
• Interest: 3.60% a month (43.20% a year) on Axis business cards; 3.75% a month on most HDFC Biz cards and on ICICI Business Advantage Black if only the minimum is paid.
• Interest-free days: 20–50 on Axis business cards, 25–55 on HDFC's BizBlack Metal, BizPower, BizGrow, BizFirst and GIGA Business, none on IndusInd's OD/CC-linked card.
• Caps: ICICI Business Advantage Black cashback capped at ₹2,000 a month; Amazon Pay Kotak Business top tier capped at 5% of the monthly credit limit.
• Rules: RBI's 2025 card Directions (updated as on 1 October 2026) define business cards as 'not for personal use' and require banks to monitor end use (para 5(4), para 16).

What should I check before taking a business credit card?

Check the nine points below, in this order. The first two decide your risk; the rest decide whether the card actually pays for itself.

• 1. Who is liable? For proprietors it is usually you. RBI para 18 says that for corporate cards the responsibilities and liabilities 'shall be clearly specified', so ask for the liability and any personal-guarantee clause in writing.
• 2. Does the fee waiver count your real spends? Axis Bank's business MITC says rent, wallet, utility, government, EMI, cash and fuel spends do not count toward the waiver. Business bills are often exactly these.
• 3. Which spends earn nothing? ICICI Business Advantage Black excludes fuel, utility, cash, insurance, government and tax, education, fees and interest from cashback. Paying GST or advance tax on that card earns nothing.
• 4. What is the cap? ₹2,000 a month on ICICI Business Advantage Black; 5% of the monthly credit limit on Amazon Pay Kotak Business's top tier. Work the cap out in rupees against your monthly spend.
• 5. What does revolving cost? 3.60–3.75% a month, or 43–45% a year, on the cards we checked. A business card is not working capital.
• 6. How many interest-free days? 20–50 on Axis, 25–55 on HDFC's Biz range, 'up to 48 days' on Amazon Pay Kotak Business per Amazon's announcement, and none on IndusInd's OD/CC-linked card per its key facts statement.
• 7. Do you need cards for staff? IndusInd's OD/CC-linked card page lists add-on cards for authorised employees with spend controls and merchant category restrictions, but add-on numbers, fees and per-card limits were not published on any page we read, so ask the bank. RBI para 16 requires banks to monitor end use, which is the basis for spend controls.
• 8. Will you get GST invoices? Input credit rests on the supplier's tax invoice with your GSTIN, not on the card statement (Spendzie's inference from CGST section 16 and Rule 36; see our business vs corporate post).
• 9. Which documents are needed? ICICI asks for a business registration or incorporation certificate, office address proof, and one of bank statements, audited financials or GST returns. Other banks' minimums were not published on the pages we read.

Business credit card comparison India: fees, rewards, caps (as of 6 November 2026)

Each row reads card — fee — rewards — cap — exclusions — interest-free days and interest — who it suits. 'Not verified' means the issuer's page or document we read did not give it. Fees are plus GST.

• Amazon Pay Kotak Business — nil joining fee; ₹499 annual, waived on ₹3 lakh annual spend outside Amazon — 5% (Prime) or 3% (non-Prime) on Amazon Business purchases, flights and hotels; 2% on bills and recharges via Amazon Pay; 1% elsewhere — the 5%/3% tier is capped at 5% of the monthly credit limit — exclusions not verified — up to 48 days interest-free; interest rate not verified — sole proprietors and small business owners registered on Amazon Business who buy mainly there.
• ICICI Business Advantage Black — ₹1,500 joining, credited back on ₹75,000 spend within 60 days; ₹1,000 annual, waived on ₹7,50,000 spend — up to 1% domestic and 1% international when monthly spend exceeds ₹75,000; up to 0.5% domestic and 1% international at ₹25,000–75,000; plus 0.20% of the total due if paid through ICICI Corporate Net Banking within 7 days of the statement — maximum ₹2,000 a month — fuel, utility, cash, insurance, government and tax, education, fees and interest — interest-free days not verified; 3.75% a month if only the minimum is paid — registered businesses or professional practices with steady monthly card spend.
• Axis Business Supreme (Visa or Mastercard) — Visa: nil joining and annual; Mastercard: ₹1,500 joining and ₹1,500 annual from year two — rewards not verified — cap not verified — rent, wallet, utility, government, EMI, cash and fuel spends do not count toward the waiver — 20–50 days interest-free, suspended if a previous balance is outstanding; 3.60% a month (43.20% a year) — eligibility not verified.
• HDFC Business Regalia — ₹2,500, waived on ₹3 lakh spend in a calendar year; forex markup 3.5% — rewards not verified — cap not verified — exclusions not verified — interest-free days not stated for this variant in the MITC we read; 3.75% a month — eligibility not verified.
• HDFC Business MoneyBack — ₹500, waived on ₹50,000 annual spend — rewards not verified — cap not verified — exclusions not verified — 3.75% a month — eligibility not verified.
• HDFC BizFirst, BizGrow, BizBlack Metal and GIGA Business — the MITC lists fee-waiver spends of ₹50,000 (BizFirst, GIGA Business), ₹1 lakh (BizGrow) and ₹7.5 lakh (BizBlack Metal); the fee amounts in the PDF table could not be read reliably, so we do not quote them — rewards not verified — cap not verified — lounge access within India listed for BizBlack Metal and BizPower — 25–55 days interest-free; 3.75% a month, or 1.99% on BizBlack Metal — eligibility not verified.
• HDFC UPI RuPay Biz — ₹99, waived on ₹25,000 annual spend — a RuPay business card usable on UPI; rewards not verified — eligibility not verified.
• IndusInd ODCC-linked card (RuPay, Visa or Mastercard per IndusInd's page) — the key facts statement's fee table appears to list joining and annual fees as 'Not Applicable'; confirm with the bank — rewards 'As Applicable', not quantified — no separate card limit; it uses your OD/CC limit — cash withdrawal not permitted; spend controls and merchant category restrictions — no interest-free period; interest and late charges as per the OD/CC account; no separate billing cycle; liability 'Corporate' — existing OD/CC customers, who apply through their relationship manager.

Two things the rows show. First, the cards with published reward terms both cap them, in very different ways: a flat ₹2,000 a month at ICICI, and a share of your credit limit at Kotak. Second, interest is close to identical across the standard cards, so the real cost difference is in what you do with the bill, not the card name.

Which business credit card works for GST payment?

On the published terms we read, none rewards tax payments. ICICI Business Advantage Black excludes government and tax payments from cashback, and Axis does not count government spends toward its fee waiver. Our sources did not cover the convenience fee for paying GST by card, so check the charge on the payment page before you pay. Paying by card does not change your input credit, which depends on supplier invoices.

Who is eligible for a business credit card in India?

Eligibility depends on the card and is only partly published. ICICI asks you to 'Own or manage a registered business or professional practice in India' with a 'stable financial track record'. Amazon says its Kotak card is 'designed for sole proprietors and small business owners' and is 'available to registered users of Amazon Business', with a fully digital application. IndusInd's page says to apply for its OD/CC-linked card through your relationship manager. Minimum business vintage, ITR or turnover were not stated on any page we read.

Business credit card vs overdraft: when does an OD/CC-linked card make sense?

When you need to spread payments over months, a card at 43–45% a year is the wrong tool. RBI para 15 allows business cards linked to a credit facility such as an overdraft or cash credit, subject to that facility's terms (in summary). IndusInd's ODCC card is built this way: its key facts statement says interest 'shall be levied only as per the applicable interest rate of the linked Overdraft/Cash Credit (OD/CC) account', with no interest-free period, because every card spend is debited to the OD/CC account in real time. Our notes do not include OD/CC interest rates, so compare your own sanctioned OD/CC rate with the card rate before you decide.

Spendzie reads your bank and card SMS alerts to track spends, EMIs and card fees, so you can see how close a business card is to its monthly cap or fee-waiver target. Spendzie does not give loans, does not give investment or tax advice and is not a bank.

Publish notes and sources

• Amazon Pay Kotak Business: 'designed for sole proprietors and small business owners', 'available to registered users of Amazon Business'; 5% Prime / 3% non-Prime on Amazon Business, flights, hotels, capped at 5% of monthly credit limit; 2% bills and recharges via Amazon Pay; 1% other; up to 48 days interest-free; nil joining; ₹499 annual waived on ₹3 lakh off-Amazon spend; 'GST-compliant invoicing' — About Amazon India newsroom (undated), re-read 7 Nov 2026; no Kotak product page or MITC found in a 7 Nov search, so network and interest rate remain unverified — https://www.aboutamazon.in/md/news/amazon-pay/amazon-pay-kotak-mahindra-small-business-credit-card
• Amazon Pay Kotak Business launched 9 Sep 2026 (aggregator/media report) — Card Insider — https://cardinsider.com/blog/amazon-pay-kotak-mahindra-bank-launch-amazon-pay-kotak-business-credit-card/; LiveFromALounge — https://livefromalounge.com/amazon-pay-kotak-credit-card-announced/
• ICICI Business Advantage Black: ₹1,500 joining credited back on ₹75,000 in 60 days; ₹1,000 annual waived on ₹7,50,000; tiers above ₹75,000 and ₹25,000–75,000 monthly; 0.20% early-pay; max ₹2,000/month; exclusions; 3.75% p.m.; eligibility and documents — ICICI Bank page, re-read 7 Nov 2026 (network not stated on the page) — https://www.icici.bank.in/business-banking/cards/business-credit-card/business-advantage-black-card
• Axis Business Supreme: Visa nil/nil; Mastercard ₹1,500 joining and ₹1,500 annual from year 2; waiver excludes rent, wallet, utility, government, EMI, cash, fuel; 3.60% p.m. / 43.20% p.a.; 20–50 days — Axis Bank business card MITC (19 Aug 2024, modified 5 Feb 2025) — https://www.axis.bank.in/docs/default-source/default-document-library/business-credit-card-mitc.pdf
• HDFC Business Regalia ₹2,500 + taxes waived on ₹3 lakh in a calendar year; forex 3.5% — HDFC Bank fees page — https://www.hdfc.bank.in/business-credit-cards/business-regalia-credit-card/fees-and-charges
• HDFC Business MoneyBack ₹500 + taxes waived on ₹50,000 — HDFC Bank fees page — https://www.hdfc.bank.in/commercial-credit-cards/business-money-back-credit-card/fees-and-charges
• HDFC MITC (14 Jul 2025, v2.5): waivers ₹50,000 BizFirst and GIGA Business, ₹1 lakh BizGrow, ₹7.5 lakh BizBlack Metal; lounge within India for BizBlack Metal and BizPower; 25–55 days for BizBlack Metal, BizPower, BizGrow, BizFirst, GIGA Business; 3.75% p.m. all except BizBlack Metal 1.99%; UPI RuPay Biz ₹99 waived on ₹25,000 (fee table garbled in extraction; fee amounts for Biz range not quoted) — HDFC Bank MITC PDF — https://v.hdfc.bank.in/content/dam/hdfc-aem-microsites/biz-cards/mitc.pdf
• IndusInd ODCC-linked card: launched 11 Sep 2026; uses OD/CC limit; transaction controls and centralised expense management (media report from press release) — Card Insider — https://cardinsider.com/blog/indusind-bank-launches-odcc-linked-credit-card/; PSU Connect — https://www.psuconnect.in/bank-news/indusind-bank-launches-od-cc-linked-corporate-credit-card-for-businesses
• IndusInd page: apply through Relationship Manager; RuPay / Visa / Mastercard; add-on cards for authorised employees; spend controls and merchant category restrictions — IndusInd Bank, re-read 7 Nov 2026 — https://www.indusind.bank.in/in/en/personal/cards/commercial-cards/odcc-linked-credit-card.html. Key facts statement: 'not a revolving credit card'; interest-free period 'Not Applicable'; interest and late charges as per OD/CC account; no separate billing cycle; cash withdrawal not permitted; liability 'Corporate'; rewards 'As Applicable'; fee table layout ambiguous (joining/annual appear 'Not Applicable') — https://www.indusind.bank.in/content/dam/indusind-corporate/Other/odcc-linked-credit-card/ODCC-KFS.pdf
• RBI 2025 Directions (updated as on 1 Oct 2026): para 5(4), 15 (summarised), 16, 18, 23(5) — RBI, read in full 7 Nov 2026 — https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewMasDirections.aspx?id=13155
• 43–45% a year = 3.60% and 3.75% a month × 12 — Spendzie arithmetic from issuer documents above
• Researched by the Spendzie editorial desk on 6 November 2026 and re-verified on 7 November 2026. RBI Directions page re-read in full (HTML) on 7 Nov 2026; paragraph quotes checked verbatim against it. Figures may change; we will update this post if they do.

Disclaimer

This article is general information only and is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Spendzie is not a bank, lender, SEBI-registered investment adviser or research analyst. Bank, card and brand names are used for identification only; this is not a recommendation to apply for or use any card. Business card terms change and some were not published; verify fees, caps, exclusions and liability with the issuer before you apply.