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Want to restructure my credit card portfolio
- Thread starter BK7
- Start date
- Replies 17
- Views 647
Axis Airtel
SBI cashback
Axis Atlas
HSBC Live Plus
SBI cashback
Axis Atlas
HSBC Live Plus
BK7
TF Buzz
Monthly expenses
- Amazon Pay: using monthly for mobile and electricity payments getting through Apay giftcards worth 6000 monthly, but yesterday got email that 0.75% connivence applicable for Amex cards.
- Amazon Shopping: 1000 rupees per month
- Swiggy / Zomato: 1500-2000 per month
- BigBasket / Blinkit: 5000
- Grocery / Supermarkets 3000
- Apparel / Departmental Stores 1000
- Dining -1000
- Fuel -2000
- Other Offline Spends - depends on need
- Insurance - yearly once around 60K for bike, health, car.
Any cards focused on Airmiles or Amex points (like LTF valid) ?
Thread 'Top 10 cards for 2025' https://www.technofino.in/community/threads/top-10-cards-for-2025.34831/
Amazon ICICI CC - Amazon Spends primarily but is a versatile CC
RBL/IDFC/SBI Fuel CC - Fuel Spends
Continue with Amex for buying Amazon voucher also try getting SBI CB for Amazon voucher and any other spend a no brainier Cashback king.
Apparel / Departmental store - Au Lit continue to use it.
Insurance - Use Amazon Pay Balance a no brainier solution
Get Airtel Axis for Utilities and Swiggy/Zomato/BigBasket etc
Offline : There are many possibilities how about exploring Atlas ?
BK7
TF Buzz
Atlas really worth for my transactions ? which is under 5LPA. Star health sadly can't pay through Amazon.
hardly had 3l spends, better use 2 or 3 cards for best reward rate than splitted to multiple cards with negligible rewards with annual fee.
either
sbi cashback
or
axis airtel
or
hsbc live+
reward rate: around 4.5% cumulatively if you use any single card.
don't optimize or split too much, you loose much than gain.
YOU NEED HDFC TRIFECTA IN MY OPINION
💳 HDFC Trifecta Credit Card Strategy (Efficient, Low-Footprint Setup)
✅ 1. Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card (LTF or Easy to Get LTF)
- Best for: Dining + Swiggy/Instamart
- Rewards:
- Up to ₹1,500 cashback/month on Swiggy, Instamart
- 10% cashback
- Use for:
- All food delivery, takeout, casual dining
- Effective: Covers dining/groceries from food platforms
✅ 2. Tata Neu HDFC Bank Credit Card
Choose: Tata Neu Infinity (Paid) or Tata Neu Plus (LTF)- Best for: Grocery, apparel, departmental stores via Tata Neu ecosystem (BigBasket, Croma, etc.)
- 10% cashback on Zomato
- Rewards:
- Up to 5–10% back as NeuCoins on Tata platforms
- NeuCoins are redeemable for future purchases
- Use for:
- Groceries (BigBasket), fashion (Westside), electronics (Croma), etc.
✅ 3. HDFC Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card (~₹3,000 + GST)
- Best for: Travel, hotels, airport lounges
- Annual Fee: ₹3,000 + GST
- Benefits:
- 12 Complimentary Lounge Access (Domestic + Intl)
- 2 Free Night Awards (15,000 pts/night) on ₹6L annual spend
- Bonus Offers: Earn additional 10,000 points on ₹2L and ₹4L spends
- Rewards:
- 8 pts / ₹150 on Marriott bookings
- 4 pts / ₹150 on travel, dining, entertainment
- 2 pts / ₹150 on all other spends
- Use for:
- Travel, hotel stays, airport lounge access
🧾 Sample Expense Allocation Plan
| Category | Card | Monthly Spend | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining / Food Delivery | Swiggy HDFC | ₹1,000–₹1,500 | ₹1,500 cashback cap per cycle; include Zomato if eligible |
| Grocery / Supermarkets | Tata Neu (Infinity/Plus) | ₹3,000 | Via BigBasket or Neu stores |
| Travel / Dining (Hotels) | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC | As per usage | 4–8 pts/₹150 for travel & Marriott bookings |
| Insurance (Yearly) | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC | ₹60,000 (annual) | Helps meet ₹6L threshold for Free Night Awards |
| Other Offline Spends | Marriott or Tata Neu | As needed | Default to card with best rewards |
🎁 Why This Setup Works
- ✅ LTF or Low-Fee Setup: 2 cards can be Life Time Free; only Marriott is paid (~₹3,000 + GST)
- ✅ High Rewards-to-Spend Ratio:
- Marriott Bonvoy offers 3 nights easily achievable with strategic spends (~₹6L annually)
- Tata Neu + Swiggy covers daily essentials + dining well
- ✅ Airport Lounges + Hotel Nights: Ideal for even 2–3 vacations/year
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BK7
TF Buzz
The eligibility for Bonvoy Card and Tata Neu Infinity is a salary of ₹1 lakh, right?
OP has overall 3L spends in a year and if we split to 3 cards, how it useful for Mariott card?
Re-adjust the prompt with given spends for better recommendation.
He mentioned above:
"Is Atlas really worth it for my transactions, which are under ₹5 LPA? Star Health sadly can't be paid through Amazon."
Assuming his annual spends are around ₹5 lakhs:
- With just the joining/renewal fee, he gets 1 FNA For the second FNA, he’ll need to spend and accumulate reward points.
- For offline spending, especially in specific categories like insurance, gold, etc., the reward rate is pretty solid. Last I checked, 1 FNA redeemed was worth around ₹8000 ~10,000.
So, on ₹3 lakhs spent (to earn the other FNA via points), that’s about a 3.3% effective return. - From base rewards alone, ₹3L of spend gives him over 4,000 points, excluding any promotional bonuses. Like it was few months back
- On top of that, he gets:
- 10% returns on spends via Swiggy, Zomato, Instamart, BigBasket
- 5% on Tata brands, if shopping there
- An additional 5% from tier-based benefits if he qualifies
If he eventually reaches ₹6L in annual spend, he’ll get another FNA. But he doesn't need to chase that aggressively.
One smart way to optimize is to help a friend or family member (like a brother) who wants to make a big purchase but doesn’t have a credit card—he can route that transaction through his card.
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"I wouldn’t necessarily recommend going the income proof route. Instead, I’d suggest applying for a card that offers a shared credit limit. I know people who’ve done that successfully without providing income documents. It’s a bit luck-based, but it can work. Also, since you already have a ₹7 lakh limit with ICICI, I don’t think ITR will be a major issue in your case "
OP has only 3L spends that too overall by including all spends: https://www.technofino.in/community...re-my-credit-card-portfolio.36006/post-891723
And hardly spent 2L without insurance, fuel: https://www.technofino.in/community...re-my-credit-card-portfolio.36006/post-894370
which meant according to OP is under 5L: https://www.technofino.in/community...re-my-credit-card-portfolio.36006/post-892057
not at all recommended to have airmiles card for 2L-3L spends, not able to redeem anything with those limited points.
1 Mariott point at best 0.50p (this is best and max rate which is hard to get when we want to redeem at that particular location, time and season, IMO)
They provide 15k points for 3540 fee.
------------------
Swiggy/Zomato: 2000 per month = 10% if done through swiggy or if done through tni for zomato or 1.3% (apprx.) if done through marriot.
Bigbasket/Blinkit: 5000 per month = 10% only if done through tni + tn app or 5% for blinkit
Rest all spends either 5% or 1.5% or 0.7% mostly.
One simple cashback card gives reward rate around 4.5% including fee waiver (if got as paid) when compare to non-usuable points obtained through limited spends on airmiles card.
Cashback cards also helps them not to stick particular app or brand to purchase at best rate.
Marriott maybe good card but not for OP and mentioned spends. Not at all useful and unnecessarily increasing spends to redeem those points, IMO.
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💳 Cashback Offer Details:
CASHBACK SBI Card 999+GST
- 5% Cashback on online spends*
(No merchant restrictions apply) - 1% Cashback on offline spends*
Cashback will not be applicable on:
- Merchant EMI & Flexipay EMI transactions
- Utility payments (e.g., electricity, water)
- Insurance
- Fuel
- Rent payments
- Wallet reloads (e.g., Paytm, PhonePe wallet top-ups)
- School & Educational services
- Jewelry
- Railway bookings
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card 500+GST
✅ Cashback Categories & Rates:
| Category | Cashback Rate | Monthly Cap | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Airtel Mobile, Broadband, WiFi, DTH | 25% | ₹250 | Only for active Airtel connections. No cashback for new/inactive connections or hardware/installation charges. |
| 2. Utility Bill Payments (Gas, Electricity, etc.) via Airtel Thanks App | 10% | ₹250 | Only if done via Airtel Thanks App using BBPS-enabled billers. |
| 3. Preferred Merchants (Apps) | 10% | ₹500 (combined) | Only for specific categories on Swiggy, Zomato, BigBasket (see notes below). |
| 4. All Other Spends | 1% | No specific cap mentioned | Cashback not available on excluded categories listed below. |
⚠️ Important Conditions for Cashback Eligibility:
Airtel Payments (25%)
- Only active Airtel number recharge or bill payments.
- Not valid for new connections, hardware, or advance payments.
Utility Bill Payments (10%)
- Must be through Airtel Thanks App.
- Only BBPS-supported billers are eligible.
- If done outside Airtel Thanks, no cashback.
Preferred Merchant Apps (10%)
- Swiggy: Only Food Delivery and Dineout eligible. No cashback on Instamart, Genie.
- Zomato: Only Delivery and Dining. No cashback on Zomaland, Zomato Money, District, Blinkit.
- BigBasket: Only BigBasket and BBNow eligible. No cashback on Beautystore, Fresho! Meats, etc.
❌ No Cashback on the Following:
- Fuel
- EMI transactions or post-purchase EMI conversions
- Wallet reloads (e.g., Paytm, PhonePe wallet top-ups)
- Jewelry purchases
- Cash withdrawals
- Card bill payments
- Card fees or charges
- Rent payments
- Government services
- Insurance
- Education
- Utility bills not paid via Airtel Thanks App (as of April 20, 2024)
🔎 Other Notes:
- Cashback is capped per billing cycle.
- Cashback break-up per transaction is not provided, only a summary at the bottom of the monthly statement.
- Cashback is tracked based on Merchant ID (MID) or UPI VPA ID, so ensure correct usage platform.
✅ Example Use Case:
- Pay Airtel broadband bill (active connection) = 25% cashback (up to ₹250)
- Pay electricity bill via Airtel Thanks App (BBPS) = 10% cashback (up to ₹250)
- Order food from Swiggy app (only food delivery) = 10% cashback (part of ₹500 total cap)
- All other general purchases = 1% cashback
HSBC Live+ Credit Card cashback 999+GST
Cashback Rates & Caps
- 10% cashback on:
- Dining (both dine-in and takeaway),
- Food delivery platforms (e.g., Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit),
- Grocery purchases (online and offline),
- Capped at ₹1,000 per statement cycle
- 1.5% cashback (base rate) on most other eligible spends, with no monthly limit.
| 10% Cashback | Dining, food delivery, grocery; capped at ₹1,000 per statement cycle |
| 1.5% Cashback (base rate) | Unlimited on eligible retail spends |
| Ineligible Categories | Fuel, bills, rent, insurance, payments to wholesalers/B2B, etc. |
| Fees | Joining: ₹999; Annual: ₹999 (waived if ₹2L spent/year) |
| Domestic lounge access | 4 visits per year |
| Dining discounts | Up to 15% extra via Live+ Dining Programme + combines with 10% cashback |
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