Types of credit cards in India: RBI types, rewards, networks (2026)

India has no official count of credit card types. The Reserve Bank of India's 2025 credit card Directions, updated as on 1 October 2026, sort cards by who holds them and who is liable: personal and charge cards, add-on, co-branded, business and corporate cards, and cards linked to an overdraft or cash credit. Cashback, travel and fuel are marketing labels.

That is why two lists of 'types of credit cards' rarely match. This guide, the first in Spendzie's card knowledge series, gives you a four-way map: legal type, value type, network and collateral. Every card you hold sits on all four at once. Facts are as checked on regulator and issuer pages between 3 and 7 November 2026.

Key facts: credit card types in India (as of 6 November 2026)

• Rulebook: Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Credit Cards and Debit Cards: Issuance and Conduct) Directions, 2025, dated 28 November 2025, updated as on 1 October 2026 (RBI).
• Card types RBI defines: add-on card (para 5(1)), business card (para 5(4)), charge card (para 5(8)), co-branded card (para 5(9)), corporate card (para 5(11)). Section D, 'Types of credit cards' (paras 13 to 18), also allows personal cards, cards linked to an overdraft (para 14) and business cards linked to an OD/CC facility (para 15) (RBI).
• Not RBI categories: cashback, reward points, travel, fuel, lifetime-free and premium. These come from each bank's product terms.
• 'Commercial card' or 'purchase card': not defined in the Directions. ICICI and IndusInd use 'commercial cards' as a website menu label.
• Networks: Visa, Mastercard, RuPay, American Express and Diners Club. No paragraph of the Directions governs which network a card uses (RBI).
• Secured cards: issued against a fixed deposit. HDFC Bank's MITC says that since 1 October 2022 these carry the same interest rate as their card variant.

How many types of credit cards are there in India?

It depends on how you sort them, and there is no fixed number. The clearest way is four separate axes, because one card belongs to a category on each of them.

• Axis 1, legal type (set by RBI): personal, charge, add-on, co-branded, business, corporate, and cards linked to an overdraft (personal, para 14) or to a business overdraft or cash credit (OD/CC, para 15).
• Axis 2, value type (set by the bank's product terms): cashback, reward points, travel miles, and fee type such as lifetime-free, fee-waivable or premium.
• Axis 3, network: Visa, Mastercard, RuPay (which can be linked to UPI), American Express or Diners Club.
• Axis 4, collateral: unsecured, which is most cards, or secured against a fixed deposit.

So the popular question 'what are the 3 types of credit cards?' has no official answer. A Flipkart Axis Bank card, for example, is at once a personal card, a co-branded card, a cashback card and an unsecured card. What matters for your wallet is the value-type detail: the rate, the cap and the exclusion list.

What types of credit cards does RBI define?

RBI defines card types by who receives the card and who must pay the bill. The ordinary card that most people carry, issued to an individual for their own use, is the default. The Directions then define the special cases below; quotes are from the Directions, and where we summarise rather than quote, we say so.

• Add-on card, para 5(1): 'Add-on Credit Card means a supplementary credit card to the principal or primary credit card'. Under para 18, add-ons go only to people the principal cardholder names, and 'The liability for dues shall rest solely with the principal cardholder and not with the add-on cardholders'.
• Co-branded card, para 5(9): 'Co-branded Card is a card that is issued jointly by a card-issuer and a co-branding entity'. Amazon Pay ICICI, Flipkart Axis, Flipkart SBI, Tata Neu HDFC and Swiggy HDFC are co-branded shopping or food cards.
• Business card, para 5(4): 'Business Credit Cards are issued to business entities / individuals for the purpose of business expenses with specified terms and conditions and not for personal use.'
• Corporate card, para 5(11): 'Corporate Credit Card is a credit card that is issued to specific employee/s of a corporate employer'. The same definition says 'the liability could rest with the corporate entity or the employee or jointly on both, as per the product design features'.
• Charge card, para 5(8): 'a type of credit card where the user has to pay the billed amount in full on due date', with no rolling over of credit to the next billing cycle.
• Cards linked to an overdraft, paras 14 and 15: in summary, banks may issue a card to access a personal overdraft, on the overdraft's terms (para 14), and business cards may be issued as charge cards, corporate cards, or by linking a business overdraft or cash credit, on that facility's terms (para 15).

The Directions also cover form factors. Para 5(15) says 'Form Factor is the physical or virtual instrument that can be used in place of a card', and para 51 lets issuers offer form factors 'in place of / in addition to' a plastic card, with the customer's explicit consent. A virtual or wearable card is therefore a form factor, not a separate card type.

You may also see 'commercial cards' or 'purchase cards' on bank websites. The Directions do not define either term. ICICI Bank's and IndusInd Bank's websites use 'commercial cards' as a menu section, so read it as a bank label for company procurement cards, not a legal category.

What are cashback, reward, travel and fuel credit cards?

These are value types, defined by each bank's product terms rather than by RBI. The headline rate matters less than the cap and the exclusions. Live examples, as read on issuer pages between 3 and 6 November 2026, in the format type: card — fee — rewards — cap — exclusions:

• Cashback: SBI Cashback — fee not covered here — 5% online, 1% offline — from 1 April 2026, capped at ₹2,000 online plus ₹2,000 offline, so ₹4,000 per statement cycle — excludes fuel, jewellery, merchant EMI and FlexiPay, among others.
• Category cashback: Axis Ace — ₹499, waived on ₹2,00,000 annual spend — 5% on utilities via Google Pay, 4% on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola, 1.5% elsewhere — the 5% and 4% categories together capped at ₹500 per statement cycle — jewellery and gold excluded.
• Reward points: HDFC Millennia — ₹1,000, waived on ₹1,00,000 annual spend — 5% CashPoints at 10 merchants — maximum 1,000 CashPoints (the terms say 'per Cycle' in the table and 'calendar month' in the clause) — points become rupees only when you redeem, at a rate the bank sets.
• Travel and zero forex: Scapia Axis — zero fee — zero forex markup, on Mastercard and RuPay — launched 3 September 2026, as reported by Business Today.
• Co-branded food: Eternal SBI (Zomato, Blinkit, District) — SBI's terms say it is 'Available on RuPay and Mastercard' and 'Only 5,000 cards … in this phase'.
• Fuel: HDFC's MITC lists Indian Oil HDFC among its card variants. Fuel is also the category most often excluded elsewhere: Axis says of Flipkart Axis that 'No cashback is earned on fuel transactions', and SBI Cashback excludes fuel.
• Lifetime-free: Amazon Pay ICICI — ICICI lists the joining and annual fee as 'NIL'.
• Premium: HDFC Infinia Metal — ₹12,500, waived on ₹10 lakh annual spend; Diners Black Metal is waived on ₹8 lakh. Both carry 1.99% a month (23.88% a year) against 3.75% a month (45% a year) on HDFC's 'All other variants', with effect from 1 August 2024. ICICI's 1838 Reserve carries a ₹1.75 lakh fee (see our decoder).

What is the difference between Visa, Mastercard and RuPay credit cards?

The network is the payment rail; the bank is still your lender. RBI's 2025 Directions do not regulate which network a card runs on, and 'card payment network' appears only in para 73, on insurance cover. The differences you will notice come from product and offer rules:

• RuPay on UPI: RuPay credit cards can be linked to UPI. NPCI mandated reward parity for RuPay credit cards on UPI from 1 September 2024, as reported by DT Next. HDFC lists UPI RuPay cards, including a business variant called UPI RuPay Biz, at ₹99, waived on ₹25,000 annual spend.
• Offer exclusions: festive offers often leave out RuPay on UPI. SBI's Flipkart Big Bang Diwali offer says it is 'Not valid on RuPay credit card via UPI'.
• Same card, two networks: some cards come on more than one network. Scapia Axis is on Mastercard and RuPay, Eternal SBI on RuPay and Mastercard, and Axis Business Supreme has a Visa version with nil fees and a Mastercard version at ₹1,500.
• American Express and Diners Club: HDFC Bank issues Diners Club cards (Diners Black, Diners Privilege, Diners Club Rewardz and Miles appear in its MITC). American Express sells Gold, Green and Platinum corporate cards in India, as reported by Card Insider.

What is a secured or FD-backed credit card?

A secured card is issued against a fixed deposit, which the bank holds as security. Do not assume it is cheaper to carry a balance on. HDFC Bank's MITC (14 July 2025 version) says: 'For Cards issued against Fixed Deposit - 1.99% per month (23.88% annually)… (Effective 1st Oct'22, will carry the same revolving rate as per the card variant)'. In plain terms, since October 2022 an FD-backed HDFC card is charged the same interest as its card variant.

Student cards are often described as FD-backed or add-on cards, but we did not verify any current student-card page for this post, so we do not name products.

What are business and corporate credit cards?

A business card is for business spend 'and not for personal use' (para 5(4)), while a corporate card goes to named employees of a company (para 5(11)). Most retail business cards, such as HDFC's Biz range, Axis Business Supreme and ICICI Business Advantage, are issued to proprietors and professionals. RBI para 23(5) lets banks report a card to credit information companies as 'past due' only when it stays past due for more than three days, and HDFC's and Axis Bank's MITCs repeat that rule, so a late payment on a proprietor's card shows up on the applicant's record.

A newer variant draws on a business's overdraft or cash credit instead of a separate card limit: IndusInd Bank launched one on 11 September 2026, as reported by Card Insider and PSU Connect from the bank's press release. IndusInd's key facts statement says it is 'not a revolving credit card', lists the interest-free period as 'Not Applicable' and charges interest as per the linked OD/CC account. The next two posts in this series cover liability and a business-card checklist.

Credit card kitne prakar ke hote hain?

Seedha jawab: koi ek official ginti nahin hai. RBI ke 2025 niyam card ko is hisaab se baant-te hain ki card kisko mila aur bill kaun bharega: personal, charge, add-on, co-branded, business aur corporate card, aur overdraft ya OD/CC se jude card. Cashback, reward, travel ya fuel card bank ke apne product naam hain. Network (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay) alag cheez hai, aur FD ke against bhi card milta hai. Card chunte waqt rate ke saath cap aur exclusions zaroor dekhein.

How to use this map before you pick a card

• Start with the legal type: on a business or add-on card, find out in writing who pays if the bill is missed.
• Then the value type: write down the rate, the cap per cycle or quarter, and whether your big spends (fuel, rent, jewellery, government payments) are excluded.
• Then the network: if you want to pay by UPI with a credit card, you need a RuPay card, and some offers exclude that route.
• Last, the cost of borrowing: at 3.75% a month (45% a year, HDFC's own annualised figure) on most HDFC variants, carrying a balance wipes out any cashback. Our guide on how to choose a credit card walks through the rest.

Spendzie reads your bank and card SMS alerts to track spends, EMIs and card fees in one place, so you can see which card each purchase went on and how close you are to a cap. Spendzie does not give loans, does not give investment advice and is not a bank.

Publish notes and sources

• RBI (Commercial Banks – Credit Cards and Debit Cards: Issuance and Conduct) Directions, 2025, RBI/DOR/2025-26/155, dated 28 Nov 2025, updated as on 1 Oct 2026; definitions in para 5(1), 5(4), 5(8), 5(9), 5(11), 5(15) (quoted verbatim, some in part); Section D 'Types of credit cards' paras 13–18; para 14 (overdraft-linked cards) and 15 (business cards incl. OD/CC-linked), summarised; para 18 (add-on liability); para 23(5) (report as past due only after more than three days); para 51 (form factors); para 73 (only mention of card payment network); no definition of commercial or purchase card — RBI Master Direction, read in full 7 Nov 2026 — https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewMasDirections.aspx?id=13155
• 'Commercial cards' used as a menu path; IndusInd ODCC page — IndusInd Bank, accessed 6 Nov 2026 — https://www.indusind.bank.in/in/en/personal/cards/commercial-cards/odcc-linked-credit-card.html
• SBI Cashback: 5% online, 1% offline, cap ₹2,000 + ₹2,000 = ₹4,000 per statement cycle from 1 Apr 2026; fuel, jewellery, merchant EMI/FlexiPay excluded — SBI Card revision PDF, verified 3–5 Nov 2026 — https://www.sbicard.com/sbi-card-en/assets/docs/pdf/cashback-revised.pdf
• Axis Ace: 5% utilities via Google Pay, 4% Swiggy/Zomato/Ola, 1.5% others; 5% + 4% combined cap ₹500 per cycle; jewellery/gold excluded; fee ₹499 waived on ₹2,00,000 — Axis Bank product page and Ace T&C, verified 3–5 Nov 2026 — https://www.axisbank.com/retail/cards/credit-card/axis-bank-ace-credit-card and https://www.axisbank.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/axis-bank-ace-credit-card-tncs.pdf
• HDFC Millennia: 5% CashPoints on 10 merchants, max 1,000 CashPoints ('per Cycle' in table vs 'calendar month' in clause) — Millennia T&C, 20 Jul 2026 — https://www.hdfc.bank.in/content/dam/hdfcbankpws/in/en/personal-banking/discover-products/cards/credit-cards/millennia-credit-card/pdf/millennia-tnc-20th-jul26.pdf; fee ₹1,000 waived on ₹1,00,000 — HDFC product page — https://www.hdfc.bank.in/credit-cards/millennia-credit-card
• Scapia Axis: zero fee, zero forex, Mastercard and RuPay, launched 3 Sep 2026 (media report) — Business Today, 5 Sep 2026 — https://www.businesstoday.in/personal-finance/news/story/axis-bank-scapia-credit-card-goes-live-check-lounge-access-upi-rewards-forex-benefits-and-fees-553384-2026-09-05
• Eternal SBI: 'Available on RuPay and Mastercard'; 'Only 5,000 cards are available in this phase' — Eternal's co-brand card page, re-checked 7 Nov 2026 — https://www.eternal.com/credit-card/ (networks also confirmed in SBI Card's Eternal T&C booklet — https://www.sbicard.com/sbi-card-en/assets/docs/pdf/eternal-sbi-card/Eternal-SBI-Card-T-and-C-Booklet.pdf)
• Flipkart Axis: 'No cashback is earned on fuel transactions' — Axis Bank product page, verified 3–5 Nov 2026 — https://www.axisbank.com/retail/cards/credit-card/flipkart-axisbank-credit-card
• Amazon Pay ICICI joining and annual fee 'NIL' — ICICI Bank product page, verified 3–5 Nov 2026 — https://www.icicibank.com/personal-banking/cards/credit-card/amazon-pay-credit-card
• HDFC MITC (updated 14 Jul 2025, v2.5; newest version found on 7 Nov 2026): Indian Oil HDFC listed; Infinia Metal ₹12,500 waived at ₹10 lakh; Diners Black Metal waiver ₹8 lakh; 1.99% p.m. (23.88% p.a.) on Infinia, Infinia Metal, Diners Black, Diners Black Metal, BizBlack Metal and H.O.G Diners Club vs 3.75% p.m. (45% p.a., HDFC's annualisation of 3.75% × 12) on all other variants, w.e.f. 1 Aug 2024; FD-card clause effective 1 Oct 2022; Diners Club variants; UPI RuPay / UPI RuPay Biz / Mega Saver ₹99 waived on ₹25,000; business accounts past due more than 3 days reported to CICs — HDFC Bank MITC PDF — https://v.hdfc.bank.in/content/dam/hdfc-aem-microsites/biz-cards/mitc.pdf
• ICICI 1838 Reserve fee ₹1.75 lakh — Spendzie, 3 Nov 2026 — /blog/icici-1838-reserve-credit-card
• NPCI reward parity for RuPay credit cards on UPI from 1 Sep 2024 (media report) — DT Next — https://www.dtnext.in/technology/credit-card-spendings-via-upi-platform-touch-new-high-check-banks-live-with-this-facility-798478
• SBI Flipkart Big Bang Diwali offer 'Not valid on RuPay credit card via UPI' — SBI Card offer T&C, verified 3–5 Nov 2026 — https://www.sbicard.com/sbi-card-en/assets/docs/html/personal/offers/festive/festive-offers/pdf/national/TnCs/flipkart/TnC_Flipkart.pdf
• American Express Gold, Green, Platinum corporate cards in India (aggregator, as reported by Card Insider) — https://cardinsider.com/blog/american-express-gold-vs-green-corporate-credit-card/
• Axis Business Supreme: Visa joining and annual fee nil; Mastercard ₹1,500; accounts past due more than 3 days reported to CICs — Axis Bank business card MITC (Aug 2024, modified 5 Feb 2025) — https://www.axis.bank.in/docs/default-source/default-document-library/business-credit-card-mitc.pdf
• IndusInd ODCC-linked card launched 11 Sep 2026 (media report from press release) — Card Insider — https://cardinsider.com/blog/indusind-bank-launches-odcc-linked-credit-card/ and PSU Connect — https://www.psuconnect.in/bank-news/indusind-bank-launches-od-cc-linked-corporate-credit-card-for-businesses; 'not a revolving credit card', interest-free period 'Not Applicable', interest as per OD/CC account — IndusInd ODCC key facts statement, read 7 Nov 2026 — https://www.indusind.bank.in/content/dam/indusind-corporate/Other/odcc-linked-credit-card/ODCC-KFS.pdf
• Researched by the Spendzie editorial desk on 6 November 2026 and re-verified on 7 November 2026 (some issuer terms reused from checks on 3–5 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. Fees, rates, caps and rules change; always verify on the RBI website and the issuer's official page.