Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card review
A simple, cheap card if you want a flat 2% on everything you buy online without chasing partner brands. Heavy spenders will hit the ₹1,500-a-cycle total cap, and the ₹2,500 minimum before you can redeem can be annoying.
Fees
₹499 a year + GST. Renewal fee reversed when you spend ₹1.2 lakh on the card in the previous year. Forex markup 3.5%.
Rewards
Cashback builds up in the Rewards360 portal. You can redeem it against your bill only once you have ₹2,500, and then in steps of ₹1,000.
- Online shopping: 2% – 2% on all online spends, capped at ₹1,000 a statement cycle (reached at ₹50,000)
- Amazon: 2% – Counts as an online spend. The ₹1,000 online cap is shared.
- Flipkart: 2% – Counts as an online spend. The ₹1,000 online cap is shared.
- Swiggy & Zomato: 2% – Counts as an online spend. The ₹1,000 online cap is shared.
- Fuel: 0%
- Flights & hotels: 2% – 2% when booked online. The ₹1,000 online cap is shared.
- Bills: 2% – Online bill payments earn the online rate. Through BillDesk or SC Bill Pay, only telecom and utility billers qualify.
- UPI with a credit card: 0% – Visa card, so it can't be linked to UPI
- Other in-store: 1% – 1% on other spends, capped at ₹500 a statement cycle
- Everything else: 1%
On a typical spending pattern this card gives back about ₹6,420 a year.
What’s good
- Flat 2% back on every online spend, with no merchant list to track
- 1% back on in-store and other spends
- Low ₹499 fee, waived on ₹1.2 lakh yearly spend, and the first year is currently free
- 3-month EMI at 0.99% a month with no processing fee
What’s not
- Cashback can only be redeemed once it reaches ₹2,500, and then in steps of ₹1,000
- Caps of ₹1,000 (online) and ₹500 (offline) a cycle are shared by the primary and add-on cards
- No lounge access, and a 3.5% forex markup
Lounge access
Domestic: None. International: None.