Suggestion for Low-Fee Credit Card Offering Rewards on Government Transactions

[ansh_SmartSpender360]

Hi All,

I currently hold the SC Ultimate Credit Card, which has an annual fee of ₹5,000. I’m not very satisfied with it — although it offers a 3.3% reward rate, the redemption options are quite limited, and it’s not integrated with CRED, which makes monthly payments inconvenient.


I’ve recently received the HDFC Infinia Metal Card and plan to discontinue the SC Ultimate. One advantage of the Ultimate card, however, is the 2% reward rate on tax and NPS payments. I usually pay around ₹2.5 lakh in taxes and ₹1 lakh toward NPS.


Could you suggest any other credit card that offers good rewards on government transactions but comes with a lower annual fee? I was considering the SC Smart Card. I have the below CC:

Axis Indian Oil LTF
Axis rewards Waiver at 2L, otherwise 1K fee
HDFC Tata neu Infinity card LTF
ICICI Amazon Pay LTF
IDFC First Select Power+ Card Waiver at 1.5L
Indusind legend LTF
SC Ultimate 5000/-
HDFC Infinia 12500/-

Thanks in advance!!

 

[arjungoyal12]

Thanks, useful details! I have some thoughts for big govt/NPS/tax payments look for cards that reward online or bill payments (gateway fees can eat into value, so check that), and prefer cards with easier redemption if you don’t like complicated reward funnels. You might want to try a low-fee card like Axis Ace or an SBI cashback/online-focused card for a test payment.

They’re often mentioned as decent options for large online/government spends. Before you switch, double-check the bank’s T&Cs for “govt-related” exclusions and whether the gateway charges make the net benefit negligible. Maybe try one small payment on each card and compare what posts to your account.