Two of India's most-applied-for entry-level credit cards target the same shopper but reward them very differently. The SBI SimplyCLICK stacks 10X reward points across a partner panel; the Amazon Pay ICICI hands you flat cashback on Amazon plus a smaller rate elsewhere. The right choice depends entirely on where your online spend actually lands.
The numbers, head to head
| Attribute | SBI SimplyCLICK | Amazon Pay ICICI |
|---|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹499 | ₹0 (lifetime free) |
| Annual fee | ₹499 (waived ₹1L spend) | ₹0 |
| Reward on Amazon | 5X points (~1.25%) | 5% (Prime), 3% (non-Prime) |
| Partner brands | 10X (Amazon, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Lenskart, Apollo24/7, Ola) | 2% on all Amazon Pay merchants |
| Other online | 5X (~1.25%) | 1% |
| Offline spend | 1X (~0.25%) | 1% |
| Forex markup | 3.50% | 3.50% |
| Welcome bonus | ₹500 Amazon voucher | None |
| Milestone | ₹2,000 Cleartrip voucher on ₹1L spend | None |
The Amazon Pay ICICI advantage — flat, no-thinking-required
If 60%+ of your online spending is on Amazon, the ICICI card is a no-brainer. 5% cashback as Prime member with no monthly cap, no points to redeem, no expiry — the cashback lands as Amazon Pay balance and you spend it on the next order. Lifetime free. Add the convenience of one card for everything (fuel surcharge waiver, contactless), and total cost of ownership is zero.
The SimplyCLICK advantage — partner concentration
If your online spend is split across BookMyShow (movies), Cleartrip (travel), Lenskart (eyewear), Ola (cabs) and Apollo24/7 (medicines), SimplyCLICK's 10X rate trumps Amazon Pay's 1-2% on those merchants. The ₹2,000 Cleartrip milestone alone covers the annual fee 4× over for anyone hitting ₹1L of qualifying spend.
The earn-rate math, on real basket sizes
Take a typical young-professional online basket: ₹4,000/month Amazon, ₹2,000 BookMyShow, ₹1,500 Swiggy/Zomato, ₹1,500 Cleartrip = ₹9,000/month, ₹1.08L/year.
- Amazon Pay ICICI: ₹4,000 × 5% + ₹5,000 × 1% = ₹2,400 + ₹600 = ₹3,000/year.
- SBI SimplyCLICK: Amazon ₹4,000 × 1.25% + BookMyShow ₹2,000 × 2.5% + Cleartrip ₹1,500 × 2.5% + Swiggy ₹1,500 × 1.25% + ₹2,000 milestone = ₹50 + ₹50 + ₹37.50 + ₹18.75 + ₹2,000 = ₹2,156 + ₹500 welcome = ₹2,656/year.
Amazon Pay ICICI wins by ~₹350 — and remember, it's lifetime free vs ₹499 fee for SimplyCLICK if you don't hit the waiver.
Verdict
For 8 out of 10 shoppers, the Amazon Pay ICICI is the better card — zero fee, simpler math, predictable returns. SimplyCLICK is the right pick if your online spend is genuinely diversified across SBI's partner panel AND you reliably hit the ₹1L milestone for the Cleartrip voucher. For most readers, take Amazon Pay ICICI as the primary and look at our best cashback cards round-up for a complementary card.
Still unsure? Run our Card Finder with your monthly spend categories — it surfaces a personalised top 3 in 30 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Amazon Prime membership for the 5% rate?
Yes. Non-Prime members earn 3% on Amazon. Prime is ₹1,499/year — works out positive if your monthly Amazon spend is above ₹2,500.
Does SBI SimplyCLICK earn anything on Flipkart?
Flipkart isn't in the 10X partner panel — you earn the standard 5X (~1.25%) on it. For Flipkart specifically, the Flipkart Axis Bank co-brand earns 5% unlimited.
Can I hold both cards?
Absolutely — many users do. Use Amazon Pay ICICI for Amazon, SimplyCLICK for the partner brands, and a flat-rate card for offline spend.
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Credit Cards Editor, OnePaisa Editorial
Sandhya writes on credit cards for OnePaisa — reward programmes, fees and charges, lounge and travel benefits, and head-to-head card comparisons. Every fee, earn rate and benefit in her guides is checked against the issuer's MITC document and official product page, and against OnePaisa's verified product data, before it is published. Where an issuer does not disclose a number, the guide says so instead of estimating it.
Work published under this byline follows OnePaisa’s editorial standards — how our guides are researched, fact-checked against primary sources, and corrected.