Best credit cards for foreign spending in India
Cards with a forex markup of 2% or less, ranked by markup first (the fee added to every foreign-currency payment), then by what they give back on ₹20,000 a month abroad.
1. Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card
Lifetime free · about ₹5,520 a year after fees on this spending.
A strong free card for anyone who travels, especially abroad, because it charges no forex markup and pays about 2% in travel coins on everyday spends. If you never book trips, the coins are hard to use, so a plain cashback card will suit you better.
2. IDFC FIRST Millennia Credit Card
Lifetime free · about ₹3,135 a year after fees on this spending.
A good free card for young earners who eat out, order food and travel or shop abroad, since those spends earn about 1.25% and there is no forex markup. For general shopping and bills its return is low, so pair it with a stronger everyday card.
3. IDFC FIRST Wealth Credit Card
Lifetime free · about ₹3,135 a year after fees on this spending.
One of the best free cards for spending abroad, since there is no forex markup and foreign spends earn about 1.25%. It also suits people who dine out and travel often. Its everyday return and lounge access are thin after the 2026 cuts, so it works best as a travel and dining card next to a stronger everyday card.
4. OneCard Metal Credit Card
Lifetime free · about ₹-2,280 a year after fees on this spending.
A tidy free card for someone who wants a metal card, a good app and a low 1% forex markup. Its rewards are modest: about 1% only on your top two categories and 0.2% elsewhere. People chasing high rewards on shopping or bills will do better with other cards.
5. HSBC Live+ Credit Card
₹999 a year + GST · about ₹-5,096 a year after fees on this spending.
One of the best everyday cashback cards if you spend roughly ₹10,000–12,000 a month on food, groceries, shopping and bills, because 10% back on that alone covers the fee many times over. If most of your spending is on Amazon or Flipkart, or abroad, look elsewhere.
6. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card
Lifetime free · about ₹-5,276 a year after fees on this spending.
A near-automatic pick for anyone who shops on Amazon and has Prime: it costs nothing and the 5% has no cap. If you rarely use Amazon, the 1% elsewhere and the growing list of excluded categories make it an average card.
7. Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card
₹1,499 a year + GST · about ₹-3,023 a year after fees on this spending.
A good all-rounder for people who already shop at Tata brands like BigBasket, Croma or Tata CLiQ, since 1.5% on everything else and a 2% forex markup are solid. Skip it if you never use the Tata Neu app, because NeuCoins are hard to use well outside it.