Your First Credit Card Story - How did you get your first credit card?

[TechnoFino]

Hello every,
The first credit card is special for everyone. We all remember the experience of getting our first card 😃
Let's share our first credit card experience...
My experience-
My first credit card was ICICI HPCL Coral, which I received in 2015. My home address at that time did not fall within any bank's serviceable area, so they asked me to apply for credit card against FD. But I needed an unsecured credit card, so I talked to my branch manager and I told him I needed an unsecured card.
He told me that... we can give you an unsecured card but for that you have to purchase an ICICI Prudential Ulip policy of Rs. 2 lakhs (minimum).
At that time I desperately needed a credit card because my business was in USA and I needed a credit card for its payment. I was unemployed that time with zero CIBIL score, No bank was offering me a credit card so I had purchased a policy of two lakh rupees at that time and got my first ever credit card ICICI HPCL coral credit card (chargeable), later icici converted that card to a lifetime free hpcl coral credit card and I'm still holding that one 😄

 

[JhonWixx]

Slice card will show as Personal loan so close it if you dont want a Personal Loan in your Cibil

Slice me give some good spark offers through the month, like on zepto, McD, recharge etc. That's why I using it till now. Does it going to affect my cibil??

 

[Bugs Bunny]

How did you get IndusInd with 5L limit I got Legend with 60k

I don't know sir maybe because I had good limits of previous cards

 

[tushu5121]

I was really fascinited for credit cards.. whenever i was see people showing and talking about cc..
I tried to apply for many cards but because no cibil till 2019 all aplication was rejected then i had bnpl of amazon 5000rs and i started using that as also i was amazon seller from 2018 and do reguler shopping for home and other busimess requirements.
TIll 2020 end i had no cards i tried multiple tumes mutiple banks. Searched on net how to get this card that card.
Then on feb 2021 i saw amazon icici bank cc on amazon page and i applied for this.
After few days i went for temple of our kuldevta with my wife.
And while returning home i got a msg that my amazon pay icici card is approved And limit is 2.9L
I Littraly ignore that msg thinking its fake..
But some times later i recieved a call from icici bank telling the same about information and how to use card safely etc.
I still not get believed until the card received.
WHen i saw the limit..
Man... i was in shock for the while that card approved On no income documents..
That was memorable for me..

 

[federer.reddevil]

Slice me give some good spark offers through the month, like on zepto, McD, recharge etc. That's why I using it till now. Does it going to affect my cibil??

Actually it does I closed Slice Cibil increased by around 20 points

I don't know sir maybe because I had good limits of previous cards

No need to call me sir maybe thats the reason

 

[Bugs Bunny]

No need to call me sir maybe thats the reason

actually I'm a student and everyone here is working so you all are elder than me so respecting each one of you. Imo calling you sir has no relation whatsoever with my card limits sir

 

[federer.reddevil]

actually I'm a student and everyone here is working so you all are elder than me so respecting each one of you. Imo calling you sir has no relation whatsoever with my card limits sir

Its not that I am working in IT so in IT we always say dont call anyone sir whatever your designation or seniority

 

[vsharad]

The First Card i got was Onecard Fd based card, actually my freind wanted to order a product on emi ,so we both contributed for the fd and i got onecard in my name!
I used it for 3-4 months and then i randomly applied for flipkart axis card in the end of march ( even though my address was unserviceable) and it got approved the next day! Although the limit is very less ( 15k ) as you know it's Axis Bank!
& After using flipkart card for 1 month i.e, on 03 may 2023, i called customer care and then applied myzone which they converted into LTF and also the next day i applied for axis indian oil card ( paid ), now the three axis cards share the same limit!
Hoping to get limit increase offer in one of the card, so that i can apply other banks card using C2C or upgrade one of the axis card!
I'm still 20 in my AADHAR, so in the month of october i will become eligible to apply for more cards!

 

[moneyMaker]

HDFC Millenia - got because my dad had good history with the bank.

 

[maheshspanicker]

My first credit card was the ICICI Platinum card, issued LTF in 2018. I initially kept away from credit card because people said you could end up over-spending, and as I happen to be blind and had such a huge struggle getting my debit card issued from PNB, for my salary account with top college in the country. After my marriage, we wanted to buy a fridge, Bajaj finance executive present at Vijay Sales told me I could get a no-cost EMI if I opt for the card. But on realizing I was blind, he said I can't be issued a card. This is despite strict instructions of non-discrimination from RBI and IBA regarding disabled people, and urged on by my wife as well, I decided to fight. Applied with SBI through Federal Bank, was denied as I didn't have a credit score. Converted a DC transaction to EMI, waited for the credit score to be generated, applied with ICICI, faced initial resistance, fought all the way to the CEO desk, and eventually got the card issued. Got an SBI SimplySave (later flipped to SimplyClick) issued on the basis of the ICICI card, then got the Amazon card from ICICI. Started taking a keen interest in CCs since 2020, and now have 11 cards from 10 different banks. Faced initial issues with most, found things to be smooth with Amex and IDFC First.

 

[Anshul Gupta]

Got HDFC Regalia with a credit limit of 1.8L in 2020 but with a twist.

I started my first job in the same year and opened my HDFC bank account (the first private bank account in my family; still remember how I used to consider a 10k minimum balance account as a big deal just 2 years before graduating 🤣). Then I started reading about credit cards and got to know about INFINIA. It was the fantasy of owning this credit card down the line that made me apply for a credit card.

Finally applied for Regalia on a salary basis through the branch. The twist, however, is I instead got an HDFC Millenia. However, I thought Regalia is more premium than Millenia and would be easier to finally upgrade to Infinia in the future xD, so I requested my RM to get it changed to Regalia. She quickly got it sorted and I finally got Regalia delivered within the next 3-4 days. Later converted it to LTF via smartpay txns.

It might be debatable though as to which one should I consider as my first credit card 😅

 

[AllSeeker]

Got HDFC Regalia with a credit limit of 1.8L in 2020 but with a twist.

I started my first job in the same year and opened my HDFC bank account (the first private bank account in my family; still remember how I used to consider a 10k minimum balance account as a big deal just 2 years before graduating 🤣). Then I started reading about credit cards and got to know about INFINIA. It was the fantasy of owning this credit card down the line that made me apply for a credit card.

Finally applied for Regalia on a salary basis through the branch. The twist, however, is I instead got an HDFC Millenia. However, I thought Regalia is more premium than Millenia and would be easier to finally upgrade to Infinia in the future xD, so I requested my RM to get it changed to Regalia. She quickly got it sorted and I finally got Regalia delivered within the next 3-4 days. Later converted it to LTF via smartpay txns.

It might be debatable though as to which one should I consider as my first credit card 😅

Millennia of course, as its also best HDFC credit card

 

[Tarun239]

@TechnoFino, u r a genius, coz of this group, i have been able to get so many cards, which otherwise would have been bit difficult, keep doing the good work and thanks.

 

[abhishek0882]

Long long back when I joined my first job post my MBA, opened a new salary account and had no clue about credit cards. Started receiving calls from telecallers for credit cards, and it was persistent and non-stop. I avoided for quite some time but this one agent from Citibank was persistent - and I succumbed and agreed to apply for the card just to get her off my back. I do not even remember the name of the card variant now, but in those days Citi used to have this card whose reward points would be donated to charity, and that was the variant I got! I was ok with it since I knew no better. Later I realised that there was something I was missing out on, and asked them to change the variant - and they gave me the Citibank Indian Oil card. That, when I didn't even own a car My parents had a car but I worked in a different city 1500 kms away! A few years later, when I started understanding a bit more about credit cards and getting hold of a couple of other cards from other banks, I asked Citi to upgrade me to Premiermiles, the card I hold till date. That's one card I have used and abused the most over the years, and yet it has received the least limit enhancements and to date is my card with the lowest limit. After initially redeeming the miles on the card for random trips, I started saving up on miles for a major trip, but recently redeemed all of 2L accumulated miles on a a couple of trips to Goa and Varkala with my wife, not wanting to run the risk of losing any value post acquisition by Axis.

That was the story of my first credit card. Looks like it will not remain with me for long.

 

[Anshul Gupta]

Millennia of course, as its also best HDFC credit card

Also, in hindsight, I should have stuck with Millennia only

 

[AnungUnRama]

I had absolutely no idea about credit cards up until 2019, although I got a govt job and started working in that same year. Then, one day, I saw a banner of APay card in Amazon app and it appealed to me because it was LTF and gave straight cashback. But since I didn't have any credit score till then and had never used any loan products, that application was declined, and it was declined again 6months later. Then, during covid, I started watching videos on credit cards on YouTube, that's where I came across Technofino YouTube channel and have been following it since...
Anyways, in order to build my credit score, I got a secured cc- Kotak dream different, since then I've added 9 more cards from almost all the major banks....

 

[Greencheese]

Long long ago, after I started my first job, SBI reached out to me with an offer for a credit card, a LTF Gold&More with a then princely limit of 10k. Acting against my (financially) conservative parents' advice, I took it, and, well, here I am today.

 

[suhasa010]

My first CC was Kotak Urbane Gold.

When I newly joined my first company (circa 2016) I had to open a salary account in Kotak Mahindra Bank.
And being in Financial Services domain, I naturally developed an interest towards credit cards and major catalyst was my then boss who was a cc enthusiast who kept track of best cards for particular category with best reward rates and all that.
So for someone who has no credit history, the obvious choice was to get a credit card from my own bank. And then I applied for Kotak Urbane card whose limit was a meagre 30 or 40K (now it's in the high 6-digits). After I built a good foundation for an year or so I applied for an HDFC Card and so on.

 

[srikant]

Hello every,
The first credit card is special for everyone. We all remember the experience of getting our first card 😃
Let's share our first credit card experience...
My experience-
My first credit card was ICICI HPCL Coral, which I received in 2015. My home address at that time did not fall within any bank's serviceable area, so they asked me to apply for credit card against FD. But I needed an unsecured credit card, so I talked to my branch manager and I told him I needed an unsecured card.
He told me that... we can give you an unsecured card but for that you have to purchase an ICICI Prudential Ulip policy of Rs. 2 lakhs (minimum).
At that time I desperately needed a credit card because my business was in USA and I needed a credit card for its payment. I was unemployed that time with zero CIBIL score, No bank was offering me a credit card so I had purchased a policy of two lakh rupees at that time and got my first ever credit card ICICI HPCL coral credit card (chargeable), later icici converted that card to a lifetime free hpcl coral credit card and I'm still holding that one 😄

Wow, I have a longer credit history than you!

I kinda leaned to taking some PSU card to start with -- since I kinda didn't like SBI much and SBICard was a bit too independent from SBI (where I had salary account initially) I got an account with Bank of Baroda and made it my main salary account. I think one other motivator was that BoB online banking wouldn't charge extra for IRCTC booking those days. And some time later, applied for a credit card. So my BoBCard was issued sometime Dec 2013 / Jan 2014. My first credit card.

I wasn't much informed about secured credit cards -- this one was an unsecured card with INR 50K limit they gave based on my income proof and stuff. It was called "ELITE" in those days. They gave an "EASY" card when they shuffled up their variants.

 

[onlyhg]

Mine was Amazon icici card. It was 5percent benefit that.. Got me there..

 

[D3V1L]

My first CC was Kotak Urbane Gold.

When I newly joined my first company (circa 2016) I had to open a salary account in Kotak Mahindra Bank.
And being in Financial Services domain, I naturally developed an interest towards credit cards and major catalyst was my then boss who was a cc enthusiast who kept track of best cards for particular category with best reward rates and all that.
So for someone who has no credit history, the obvious choice was to get a credit card from my own bank. And then I applied for Kotak Urbane card whose limit was a meagre 30 or 40K (now it's in the high 6-digits). After I built a good foundation for a year or so I applied for an HDFC Card and so on.

Even my first credit card was Kotak urbane credit card, which I got after my first job in 2016. It was a thrilling experience that time seeing the beautiful gold color cc. Then when my salary account changed to HDFC in next company I got a hdfc freedom credit card.