Credit Card Rewards Optimizer

How the optimizer ranks cards

The tool reads your monthly spend across six everyday categories — groceries, dining & food delivery, fuel, online shopping, travel and a generic "other" bucket — and applies each card's effective rate to those numbers. Cards earn at their base reward rate by default; when a card is positioned for a category (e.g. a travel card for travel spend, a cashback card for online shopping), the optimizer doubles the base rate to a maximum of 5%. Fuel spend additionally picks up a 1% bonus on cards that include the fuel-surcharge waiver.

Net value, not gross rewards

A 2% rewards card with a ₹500 annual fee almost always beats a 4% rewards card with a ₹10,000 annual fee for a household spending ₹50,000/month. The rankings on this page subtract the annual fee from estimated annual rewards — so the top card is the one that actually puts the most money back in your pocket, not the one with the flashiest sticker rate. When the fee exceeds estimated rewards, the net is shown in red.

Three habits that double your real reward rate

• Use one card per category — pay your fuel-station UPI from a fuel card, your Swiggy from a dining card. Multi-card routing typically adds 1.5–2% to your blended rate.
• Pay the full statement balance every month. At 42% APR, even one rolled month of interest erases a year of rewards.
• Redeem at least once a year. Most issuer points expire at 24–36 months and devalue silently before then.

Use this tool with our checklist

Once the ranking surfaces 2-3 candidates, run them through the 15-point credit card checklist before you apply. For a fuller manual sort, see our card finder or browse the full credit card catalogue.

Disclaimer:Reward estimates use each card's publicly documented base rate plus a category boost when the card's positioning matches your spend. Actual earnings vary with merchant codes, spend caps, partner changes and special promotions. Always confirm rates with the issuer before applying.