Cashback SBI Credit Card
By WhichWise Editorial Team · Verified ·
A ₹999/year cashback card. We break down whether the 1% return rate justifies the ₹999 annual fee.
SBI Card
By WhichWise Editorial Team · Verified ·
A ₹999/year cashback card. We break down whether the 1% return rate justifies the ₹999 annual fee.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver Details
Monthly cashback cap reduced from Rs.5,000 to Rs.4,000; per-channel subcaps introduced; new exclusions added See Recent Changes for details.
12 spending categories earn zero rewards (including fuel, rent).
The Cashback SBI Credit Card is SBI Card's ₹999-a-year cashback credit card with about 1% base rewards on everyday spend. Best for online-heavy spenders and ₹2-4l annual spenders.
Quick Decision
Reward earnings only, at the everyday spend mix: milestone vouchers and lounge value are tracked separately in the sections below. 12 categories (fuel, rent, wallet load, etc., see Excluded list) earn 0% and are NOT in this range.
Casual users hit the lower end; engaged users hit the upper end.
See full analysisPros & Cons
A balanced look at what this card does well and where it falls short.
- Fee waived on ₹2.0L annual spend
- 5% on online transactions
- Fuel transactions excluded from rewards
- Rent payments excluded from rewards
- 12 spending categories excluded
- High forex markup: 3.5%
- No lounge access
Our editorial take on this card
What works
Flat 5% on all online transactions, no merchant lock-in: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, OTT subscriptions, and online apparel all earn the same 5% (subject to category exclusions like utilities, insurance, and education). Unlike reward point cards, cashback is credited automatically within 2 working days of your statement, so there's no redemption hassle or point devaluation risk. The Rs.999 annual fee is waived at Rs.2,00,000 annual spend, which most online-heavy spenders hit naturally. Break-even is fast: just Rs.20,000 in online spend recovers the full fee. Add-on cards are free (up to 3, rewards pooled).
Start with the April 2026 devaluation: the cap dropped from ₹5,000 to ₹4,000 per statement cycle, and online cashback is now capped at ₹2,000 separately. This means you max out 5% cashback at ₹40,000 monthly online spend; anything above earns nothing extra. The exclusion list is brutal: fuel, rent, wallets, insurance, utilities, education, railways, gaming, tolls, and government payments all earn zero cashback. The 3.5% forex markup makes this useless for international purchases. And there's no lounge access, no welcome bonus, and no insurance. It's cashback and nothing else.
Bottom line
The Cashback SBI Card remains one of India's simplest and most effective cashback cards for online spending. The April 2026 cap reduction stings, but if your online spends stay under ₹40K/month, you're still getting a clean 5% back with zero effort. It's not a lifestyle card: no lounges, no perks, no frills. It's a money-back machine for online shopping, and it does that one job well.
Independent analysis from public card terms, no paid placements or ratings.
So what does this card actually earn?
Tiered Rewards
Different reward rates by category
Cap: Monthly: ₹2,000
Cap: Monthly: ₹2,000
Monthly cashback cap reduced from Rs.5,000 to Rs.4,000; per-channel subcaps introduced; new exclusions added
- Total monthly cashback cap reduced from Rs.5,000 to Rs.4,000 per statement cycle
- Online cashback (5%) now capped at Rs.2,000/month (was Rs.2,500)
- Offline cashback (1%) now capped at Rs.2,000/month (was Rs.2,500)
- New spend exclusions added: gaming transactions, tolls/FASTag, government payments
- Source: Business Standard (Mar 18, 2026), TechnoFino community, CardInsider blog — confirmed effective April 1, 2026
WhichWise monitors changes to card terms so you're never caught off guard by a devaluation. See all tracked changes →
Monthly Reward Cap
Maximum rewards you can earn per month
Monthly Cap
₹4,000
Annual Cap
₹48,000
Takeaway: the 5% sub-cap bites at ₹40,000/month See per-tier detail below.
At 5% (Online spends): sub-cap of ₹2,000 bites at ₹40,000/month.
At 1% (Offline spends (POS)): sub-cap of ₹2,000 bites at ₹2,00,000/month.
Excluded Categories
12 categories earn no rewards on this card
⚠ Do not use for Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG, Rent Payments, Wallet / Prepaid Instrument Loading and 9 more. You earn 0 rewards on these spends. Use a different card or pay direct.
This card works best for online spends and online retail. Spends in those categories still earn at the headline rate.
Who Is This Card For?
Online shoppers spending Rs.15,000-Rs.40,000/month on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, and Blinkit. Salaried individuals earning Rs.30K+ who want simple, automatic cashback without tracking points or worrying about redemption. Particularly good as a secondary card dedicated to online purchases if you already have a travel or rewards card for offline and international spends.
Heavy spenders above ₹40K/month online (the cap kills your effective rate). Anyone who spends primarily on fuel, rent, utilities, or education (all excluded). International travellers (3.5% forex markup). If you want lounge access or travel perks, look at HDFC Millennia or SBI Elite instead. If you spend more offline than online, the Axis Bank ACE (1.5% flat on everything with no overall cap, plus 5% on Google Pay) or IDFC FIRST Classic (flat rewards) are better.
How It Compares
Side-by-side with similar cards in our database.
| Feature | This card | Airtel Axis Bank | Axis Bank ACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹999 | ₹500 | ₹499 |
| Reward ratecash-equivalent · accelerated | 1.00%no accelerator | 1.00%no accelerator | 1.50%no accelerator |
| Network | Visa | Visa | Visa |
| Acceptance | Universal | Universal | Universal |
| Eligibility | Applicable | Applicable | Applicable |
Methodology: reward rates shown at cash-equivalent redemption (statement credit / direct cashback): the most conservative tier every cardholder can realize. Travel-transfer or partner-merchant routing can be materially higher; see each card's full review for upside scenarios.
Fees & Charges
Complete breakdown of all fees associated with this card.
Value Verdict
Eligible spend · no routingEstimated annual value at ₹50,000/month spend with base earn on eligible retail (after assumed 25% in excluded categories) on a 50/50 online/offline channel mix.
+ up to ₹1,200/yr fuel surcharge savings (regularly transact ₹500–₹3,000 per fill, not included above).This waives the 1% surcharge petrol pumps add. Fuel spend itself still earns 0% cashback on this card.
✓ Fee waived above ₹16,667/month, so all ₹13,500 is net value
Year 1 also carries a one-time ₹999 + 18% GST joining fee (~₹1,179), charged upfront on issuance and not waivable by spend. The net above reflects the renewal-year fee (which your spend waives); subtract the joining fee from year-1 value.
Assumptions used in this estimate▸
- • Reward earnings shown at the conservative redemption tier.
- • Monthly reward cap of ₹4,000 applies to the card; spend above this earns nothing extra.
- • Assumes 25% of your spend lands in 12 excluded categories (fuel, rent, etc.) that earn ₹0: eligible spend used in the math above is ₹37,500/month.
Eligibility
Requirements you need to meet to apply for this card.
Data verified against SBI Card official website · Last verified: 2026-05-05 · Terms & Conditions (MITC)
WhichWise does not accept payment for card placement or ratings. Fees, rates, and benefits may change. Always confirm with the issuer before applying.
Verified from the source
Key facts below are quoted verbatim from SBI Card's own pages and documents, not paraphrased.
- Joining fee
“Rs.999”
Verified quote from sbicard.com · fetched 2026-05-02 - Annual fee waiver
“Rs.2 Lakh”
Verified quote from sbicard.com · fetched 2026-05-02 - Reward type
“CASHBACK SBI Card”
Verified quote from sbicard.com (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Monthly rewards cap
“cashback in a single statement cycle exceed `4,000”
Verified quote from sbicard.com (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Forex markup
“Foreign Currency Transaction Fee: 3.5% (For all cards Except AURUM, Elite Prime NRI Secured, Tata Neu Infinity SBI Credit Card, SBI Card Miles Elite/Miles Prime/Miles)”
Verified quote from sbicard.com (MITC document) · fetched 2026-05-09 - Fuel surcharge waiver
“1% Fuel Surcharge waiver for each transaction between 500 and 3”
Verified quote from sbicard.com (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Card network
“Card Networks (VISA, Rupay. Etc.)”
Verified quote from sbicard.com (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19
Interested in Cashback SBI?
Check the official page for the latest terms before applying.