Finding the Perfect Secured Credit Card for CIBIL Building and Rewards! (OneCard is Out, Let's Discuss!)

[VibhavBilgoji]

Hey everyone! I'm on the mission to build a solid CIBIL score and figured a secured credit card could be my key. I was initially eyeing the OneCard, but the lack of conversion to unsecured later down the line made me reconsider.​

After browsing through the forum, I learned add-on cards don't contribute to CIBIL, which was insightful! However, my main question remains unanswered: What secured credit card offers a sweet balance of CIBIL building potential and decent reward rates?
Here's what I'm looking for:

• Strong CIBIL reporting: I want a card that consistently reports my responsible credit behavior to CIBIL.
• Decent reward rate: Earning some rewards while building credit would be a bonus! Cashback, points, travel miles - anything works!
• Reasonable fees: I understand secured cards come with fees, but I'd prefer them to be manageable.
• Conversion to unsecured (optional): If possible, having the option to convert the card to unsecured in the future would be ideal.

I've read about various options like IDFC First WOW, Gild and Fi Simplifi, but I'd love to hear your real-world experiences and recommendations!
What secured credit card do you think ticks all the boxes? Bonus points if you have experience with one that eventually converted to unsecured!
Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!
P.S. If I missed any crucial details, please let me know! The more informed I am, the better I can choose the right card.
P.P.S. Anyone else here skipped OneCard for the same reason? Let's discuss!

 

[D₹V]

Strong CIBIL reporting: I want a card that consistently reports my responsible credit behavior to CIBIL.

Any credit card issuing bank do that

Decent reward rate: Earning some rewards while building credit would be a bonus! Cashback, points, travel miles - anything works!

Yes, you should expect atleast 1% cashback/valueback on any card

Reasonable fees: I understand secured cards come with fees, but I'd prefer them to be manageable.

Yes, paying basic fees should not be an issue for a rewarding card.

Conversion to unsecured (optional): If possible, having the option to convert the card to unsecured in the future would be ideal.

Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

Hope it answers your query, you can mark my answer as solution by clicking best answer ☑️ button below my reply.

 

[VibhavBilgoji]

Any credit card issuing bank do that

Yes, you should expect atleast 1% cashback/valueback on any card

Yes, paying basic fees should not be an issue for a rewarding card.

Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

Hope it answers your query, you can mark my answer as solution by clicking best answer ☑️ button below my reply.

But on amazon, now it shows that ICICI Amazon Pay credit card is an invite only card, where do we get the option to use our existing ICICI credit card?

 

[D₹V]

now it shows that ICICI Amazon Pay credit card is an invite only card, where do we get the option to use our existing ICICI credit card?

Keep using Amazon for your payments.

You'll get option soon.

 

[techt]

Any credit card issuing bank do that

Yes, you should expect atleast 1% cashback/valueback on any card

Yes, paying basic fees should not be an issue for a rewarding card.

Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

Hope it answers your query, you can mark my answer as solution by clicking best answer ☑️ button below my reply.

janhit mein jaari (For the sake of public who doesn't have kitty vision) :
Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

 

[VibhavBilgoji]

Keep using Amazon for your payments.

You'll get option soon.

Do you have a screenshot of how to use that option?
I occasionally get the option to apply for the card when I am on some product page or choosing the payment method for the product. But whenever I click apply, it shows that the card is invite only. If it is so why do they keep showing me these messages😭😭😭

 

[D₹V]

Do you have a screenshot of how to use that option?
I occasionally get the option to apply for the card when I am on some product page or choosing the payment method for the product. But whenever I click apply, it shows that the card is invite only. If it is so why do they keep showing me these messages😭😭😭

Use Amazon for UPI, utility payment etc, they'll make you eligible for it.

 

[sidp]

Here's what I'm looking for:

• Strong CIBIL reporting:
• Decent reward rate:
• Reasonable fees:
• Conversion to unsecured (optional):

everything depends on your fd amount. If you do 30L fd you can get magnus Burgundy/ infinnia ltf.
Some people don't realize but pt4 is very important. Will this be your 1st card? In future if you want to close fd but can't convert the cc to unsecured, you have to close your oldest card which can -vely impact credit score.

my advice would be do a fd of decent amount (at least 1L) in icici. You'll get platinum which is ltf. Use that for 1-2 months ,especially in amazon. Also use amazon for upi/recharge even if there is offer on other site. By 3rd month You'll get apay offer( ltf) with shared limit. Now you can close the fd and platinum cc if you want. If fd amount is 1L or more, most likely You'll also get ltf rupay coral around 1st bill generation of apay and you can use it for upi.

You can then use these for c2c( except at hDFc). Better wait for 6months to get LE. Then use c2c. As icici is most liberal with le. And in this way you can get higher rewards card of other issuers faster.

 

[VibhavBilgoji]

everything depends on your fd amount. If you do 30L fd you can get magnus Burgundy/ infinnia ltf.
Some people don't realize but pt4 is very important. Will this is going to be your 1st card? In future you want to close fd but can't convert the cc to unsecured, you have to close your oldest card which can -vely impact credit score.

my advice would be do a fd of decent amount (at least 1L) in icici. You'll get platinum which is ltf. Use that for 1-2 months ,especially in amazon. Also use amazon for upi/recharge even if there is offer on other site. By 3rd month You'll get apay offer( ltf) with shared limit. Now you can close the fd and platinum cc if you want. If fd amount is 1L or more, most likely You'll also get ltf rupay coral around 1st bill generation of apay and you can use it for upi.

You can then use these for c2c( except at hDFc). Better wait for 6months to get LE. Then use c2c. As icici is most liberal with le. And in this way you can get higher rewards card of other issuers faster.

yeah seems like the way to go.
however, i have also heard that if we maintain some balance in a HDFC savings account, we can get preapproved offers very soon. if that true?

 

[NShah]

janhit mein jaari (For the sake of public who doesn't have kitty vision) :
Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

@D₹V ye kahi dekhela lagta hai 😂
Same to same

 

[sidp]

yeah seems like the way to go.
however, i have also heard that if we maintain some balance in a HDFC savings account, we can get preapproved offers very soon. if that true?

Yeah Hdfc and axis do give pre-approved offer but with icici fd and then c2c process You'll get better card option with higher cl.

I was maintaining more than 2L in axis and got a 45K limit. After 6-7 months I got le of 15k. Many people even axis employees themselves are stuck at low cl.

But with same amount fd I would have gotten a 2L cl in icici and in 6-7 months most likely le of 60-70*k , may be even 1L. With that limit I would be eligible for much better card on c2c basis.

With icici another good thing is when you upgrade card, old card stays active and ltf conversion is also easier. Let's say with same 2L fd you ll get a millenia ltf. If later you upgrade to Regalia gold, millenia gets deactivated. At the time of renewal either you pay the fee or close the card and lose your oldest the account.

 

[sidp]

yeah seems like the way to go.
however, i have also heard that if we maintain some balance in a HDFC savings account, we can get preapproved offers very soon. if that true?

Also against fd you would get better better cl than with preapproved route for sa balance in hdfc/axis. High cl means low utilization which would lead to better score (which is your goal).
But you have to sacrifice some rewards in earlier months as except apay and hpcl supersaver rest icici cards have bad rewards rate.

 

[Vasuki]

Hey everyone! I'm on the mission to build a solid CIBIL score and figured a secured credit card could be my key. I was initially eyeing the OneCard, but the lack of conversion to unsecured later down the line made me reconsider.​

After browsing through the forum, I learned add-on cards don't contribute to CIBIL, which was insightful! However, my main question remains unanswered: What secured credit card offers a sweet balance of CIBIL building potential and decent reward rates?
Here's what I'm looking for:

• Strong CIBIL reporting: I want a card that consistently reports my responsible credit behavior to CIBIL.
• Decent reward rate: Earning some rewards while building credit would be a bonus! Cashback, points, travel miles - anything works!
• Reasonable fees: I understand secured cards come with fees, but I'd prefer them to be manageable.
• Conversion to unsecured (optional): If possible, having the option to convert the card to unsecured in the future would be ideal.

I've read about various options like IDFC First WOW, Gild and Fi Simplifi, but I'd love to hear your real-world experiences and recommendations!
What secured credit card do you think ticks all the boxes? Bonus points if you have experience with one that eventually converted to unsecured!
Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!
P.S. If I missed any crucial details, please let me know! The more informed I am, the better I can choose the right card.
P.P.S. Anyone else here skipped OneCard for the same reason? Let's discuss!

Tell us your age & we can narrow whats the best -
& What @D₹V said is all true now it depends on your budget of fd to get into conclusions

 

[D₹V]

@D₹V ye kahi dekhela lagta hai 😂
Same to same

He did fun post.

He keeps reposting my post because he can't see text properly in white mode 💀🗿.

 

[techt]

He did fun post.

He keeps reposting my post because he can't see text properly in white mode 💀🗿.

That's not fun post. That's a helpful post. It is really hard to read.

 

[D₹V]

That's not fun post. That's a helpful post. It is really hard to read.

Well, it's not if you're using dark mode.

 

[Vasuki]

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

FORGET ABOUT HIM ,I DID THE FD THIS .. NOW WILL SIT DOWN FOR 2-3 MONTH FOR amazon pay ( icici seems very random in giving pre approved offer) .
I have 98 days exact to reapply for apay seems reasonable

 

[Lobogris]

Go

janhit mein jaari (For the sake of public who doesn't have kitty vision) :
Only Kotak banks switches it to unsecured. You can get this or,

Additionally, there's another trick for ICICI cards.
Apply ICICI Platinum card using FD (min. 1L advisable for good limit). This is a lifetime free card, use it for 2-3 months, do not expect any reward.
Now apply Amazon ICICI credit card (Lifetime Free) on Amazon, it'll ask your platinum card number (4 digits) since you're existing customer and your Amazon ICICI credit will be approved instantly on shared basis of existing limit. Amazon ICICI offers 1% cashback on any transaction including education & wallet load, and 5% on Amazon purchases.
Now you can close the secured Platinum credit card & enjoy unsecured Amazon ICICI credit card with awesome rewards & close the FD too if you wish.
Also, you can get unsecured platinum credit card again on shared basis of Amazon card.

Good point regarding Kotak. However, ICICI DOES NOT issue Apay card based on a secured card. You need an unsecured core card first.

 

[Vasuki]

Go

Good point regarding Kotak. However, ICICI DOES NOT issue Apay card based on a secured card. You need an unsecured core card first.

Someone already confirmed secured fd card to apay !

Why u saying u need unsecured card first

 

[techt]

Go

Good point regarding Kotak. However, ICICI DOES NOT issue Apay card based on a secured card. You need an unsecured core card first.

cc : @D₹V