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Credit Card Basic : Which card is best for you (2023).

  • JMaurya
  • Jun 4, 2023
  • 5 min read

Updated: Jun 9, 2023

In India currently, we have more than 200 plus credit cards from different banks and some of them are having unique features which no other card is giving. But as a consumer or credit card users, we should use only those credit cards that give us the maximum reward/cashback and benefits which suites our lifestyle. This means if somebody is interested in shopping & he is a movie holic person then he should not look for cards that give benefits in the category of travel. Also if somebody is interested in clubbing, and golf then he should look for a card that gives maximum free golf games and a discount on dining.

My point is every user has a different pattern of spending and they live different lifestyles, so they should review their spending pattern and decide which card can suit them and give them maximum benefits without overspending to retrieve that benefit. In this blog, I am trying to help you to identify which spending category you may be in and which card combination can give you the best rewards. I have divided the category on the bases of the amount spent in the month and what benefit you may be looking for from the card.


Category 1: Spend around 20k every month & looking for maximum cashback & instant discounts.

If somebody is spending around 20k then he thinks an entry-level card is enough for him to meet his requirement and a reward of around 1% to 2% is the maximum he can get.

Also, he doesn't want to pay any annual fee as his spending is less. But the truth is, in the market we have some really good cards which can give you around 4 to 6% rewards for your 20k spent in a month and that also not on specific categories like shopping on Amazon or Flipkart only. Use for any shopping online or offline and when you calculate your reward for that month it will be more then 4% plus.

You can use these combinations of cards, where you can plan your spending so that no need to pay any annual fee and get max rewards.

  • Amex MRCC card + ICICI Amazon pay card

  • HDFC Millennia + OneCard

  • SBI Cashback + OneCard

  • Axis Airtel card + OneCard + ICICI Amazon pay card

Category 2: Spend around 20k to 40K every month and want good rewards in terms of Airmiles & instant discounts.

In this category, if you have the right combination of entry-level cards plus mid-range cards, they may be more rewarding than only mid-range cards.

In this range of spending people may be expecting some non-spend rewards like movies, airport lounges, restaurant discounts and travel benefits. Some cards provide them and some not but still you can use their reward multiplier program and get the best benefit through it.

You can use the below combinations of cards where you can target to reach milestones to avoid annual fees as well achieve target bonuses. I have designed them in such a way that you will not face usage issues as well is no need to pay annual fees.

  • Amex MRCC card + SBI Cashback

  • Amex Platinium Travel card + SBI Cashback

  • Axis ace card + Amex MRCC card

  • Axis Airtel card + HDFC Millennia

Category 3: Spend around 40k to 60K every month and look for rewards in terms of Airmiles & hotel stays or Cashback

This is one of the tricky categories where you need to plan your spending in detail so that you can get the best rewards from some entry-level cards like MRCC and for remaining expenditures, you can move to mid-range cards so that you can achieve milestones very easily. Also, remember this thump rule in credit card usage once you have achieved the milestone then stop using that card for the current year as the reward percentage on that card will start dropping down if you use it further. You can use another card if you have or look for another card in the market.


Cards: You can use these combinations of cards in this category which will give you rewards that can be transferred to airline & hotel transfer partners.

  • Amex MRCC card + Amex Platinium Travel card +HDFC Millennia

  • Amex Platinium Travel card + HDFC Infinia / HDFC DCB Black

  • Axis Atlas + Amex MRCC card

Category 4: Spend around 1 lakh + every month and want to utilize their rewards in the form of travel.

A person who falls in this category doesn't care much which card they are using for their spending but people who want to get the best value for their spending can focus on the below card combination and try to plan and collect more rewards that can be used for their future travels. Mostly if your spendings are more than 1 lakh per month then the bank will be offering you their premium cards very easily. You can go ahead with them but remember to check if the card you are getting has joining & renewal benefits and whether they are offering elite membership of some premium hotel & airline program. This will help you to get the best value for your reward points when you transfer them to their loyalty program.


Cards: You can use these combinations of mid-range + premium cards if you are looking to get the best value for your spending.

  • Amex MRCC card + Axis Magnus + Amex Platinium Travel Card

  • HDFC Infinia / HDFC DCB + Amex Platinium Travel card

  • Axis Magnus + Axis Atlas

  • Axis Magnus + Axis Reserve


Why these cards :

  • OneCard - Give instant discounts for many online & offline shopping, food ordering etc.

  • ICICI Amazon pay - If you are in the Amazon ecosystem then this card is best for you.

  • SBI Cashback Card - It gives 5% cashback for all online transactions done on different online sites.

  • Amex MRCC card - 4 transactions of Rs1500 & a total of 20k in one month can be more rewarding. Refer - https://www.travelonrewards.com/post/entry-level-card-amex-mrcc-card

  • Amex Platinium Travel card - Make all your transaction with this card till you reach the milestone of 4 lakhs. Refer - https://www.travelonrewards.com/post/best-usage-of-amex-platinum-travel-card

  • HDFC Millennia - This gives 5% cashback points on major online brands like Amazon,Flipkart, Uber , Swiggy, tata cliq, zomato etc.

What combination do I use:

  • Amex MRCC card + Axis Magnus/HDFC DCB + Amex Platinium Travel Card

  • I plan my spending at the start of the month for 15 mins and check if my spending reaches 1 lakh for that month, then I use only Axis Magnus to collect 25K edge points.

  • If it crosses more than 1Lakhs then first I use MRCC for 4 transactions of 1500 each and then move to Magnus, once Magnus Miletsone is reached then move to the Amex travel card for all spends.

  • If the spend is less than 1 lakhs then use MRCC + DCB + Amex travel. I don't touch Magnus for that month so that I can reach the renewal target for DCB and MRCC cards.

Conclusion :

You need to review your spending in detail for one month at least and that will help you to understand which category you fall in and what combination of cards you need to reach better reward rates.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you are interested in any of the below activities then you can use my referral links. This way you can support this blogging site and encourage me to add more blogs like this.


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