CardTrail

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Best Credit Card for EMI Purchases in India (2026)

Quick answer:

HDFC Easy EMI Credit Card gives you up to 5% back on EMI purchases and conversions — the highest of any card we track. OneCard Credit Card is the best free alternative.

Updated April 2026·10 cards compared·No affiliate commissions

Top 10 Cards for EMI Purchases

1

HDFC Easy EMI Credit Card

HDFC

Up to 5% — directly optimised for emi

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹500
Score7.7/10
Co-branded / Direct
2

Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard

RBL

Up to 2% — directly optimised for emi

Reward rateUp to 2%
Annual fee₹999
Score6.1/10
Co-branded / Direct
3

HSBC Cashback Credit Card

HSBC

Up to 10% on cashback category

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹999
Score8.2/10
4

SimplyCLICK Advantage SBI Card

SBI

Up to 10% on cashback category

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹499
Score7.9/10
5

Titan SBI Credit Card

SBI

Up to 7.5% on shopping category

Reward rateUp to 7.5%
Annual fee₹2,999
Score8.8/10
6

Shoppers Stop Black HDFC Bank Credit Card

HDFC

Up to 7% on shopping category

Reward rateUp to 7%
Annual fee₹4,500
Score8.1/10
7

Adani One ICICI Bank Signature

ICICI

Up to 7% on shopping category

Reward rateUp to 7%
Annual fee₹5,000
Score8.1/10
8

HDFC Millennia

HDFC

Up to 5% on cashback category

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹1,000
Score8.7/10
9

Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card

Axis

Up to 5% on cashback category

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹3,000
Score8.6/10
10

Axis ACE Credit Card

Axis

Up to 5% on cashback category

Reward rateUp to 5%
Annual fee₹499
Score8.1/10

How We Ranked These

We ranked all 239 credit cards in our database against EMI Purchases using three tiers of relevance:

  1. Direct match — cards specifically designed for or partnered with EMI Purchases (co-branded cards, direct accelerated rewards)
  2. Category match — cards that earn accelerated rewards on the spending category that EMI Purchases falls under
  3. Broad match — cards that earn elevated rewards on related or overlapping categories

Within each tier, cards are sorted by effective reward rate (highest first), then by CardTrail Score as a tiebreaker. Every number on this page comes from our database — nothing is fabricated.

Tips to Maximise Rewards on EMI Purchases

→

Most cards do NOT earn reward points on EMI transactions — this is the biggest gotcha

→

No-cost EMI means the merchant absorbs interest, but rewards may still be blocked

→

Cards that explicitly earn rewards on EMI are rare and valuable — they top our ranking

Free vs Paid: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

Best Free Card

OneCard Credit Card

Federal Bank / BOB Cards · ₹0 annual fee

Up to 5% on EMI purchases and conversions

Score: 7.2/10

Best Overall

HDFC Easy EMI Credit Card

HDFC · ₹500 annual fee

Up to 5% on EMI purchases and conversions

Score: 7.7/10

Cards to Avoid for EMI Purchases

These are popular, well-rated cards that earn only their base reward rate on EMI purchases and conversions. If you carry one of these, use a different card for EMI Purchases purchases.

IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 9/10 — but only 0.5% on EMI purchases and conversions

American Express Platinum Charge Card

American Express · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.25% on EMI purchases and conversions

IndusInd Tiger Credit Card

IndusInd · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.2% on EMI purchases and conversions

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on EMI purchases and conversions

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 0.75% on EMI purchases and conversions

These are great cards for other spending categories — just not for EMI purchases and conversions. Use the top-ranked card above instead.

Related: Best Cards for Similar Spending

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the highest cashback on EMI Purchases?
HDFC Easy EMI Credit Card from HDFC gives up to 5% back on EMI purchases and conversions. It has a CardTrail Score of 7.7/10 with an annual fee of ₹500.
Is there a no-annual-fee credit card good for EMI Purchases?
Yes — OneCard Credit Card is a free card (₹0 annual fee) that earns up to 5% on EMI purchases and conversions. CardTrail Score: 7.2/10.
How do credit card rewards work on EMI Purchases?
Credit cards earn rewards based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the transaction. EMI Purchases transactions are assigned an MCC by the payment network, and cards with accelerated rewards on that MCC earn higher cashback or points.
Which popular credit cards should I avoid using for EMI Purchases?
Cards like IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card, American Express Platinum Charge Card, IndusInd Tiger Credit Card have high overall scores but earn only their base rate (0.5% or less) on EMI purchases and conversions. Use a category-matched card instead.

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