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Best Credit Card for PhonePe in India (2026)

Quick answer:

PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card gives you up to 10% back on payments via PhonePe — the highest of any card we track. YES BANK POP-CLUB Credit Card is the best free alternative.

Updated April 2026·10 cards compared·No affiliate commissions

Top 10 Cards for PhonePe

How We Ranked These

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

  1. Direct match — cards specifically designed for or partnered with PhonePe (co-branded cards, direct accelerated rewards)
  2. Category match — cards that earn accelerated rewards on the spending category that PhonePe 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 PhonePe

PhonePe HDFC co-branded cards (Uno, Ultimo) earn rewards on PhonePe transactions

UPI payments via PhonePe don't earn credit card rewards unless using RuPay credit on UPI

PhonePe's 'credit card on UPI' feature (RuPay) is limited to select cards

Free vs Paid: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

Best Free Card

YES BANK POP-CLUB Credit Card

YES Bank · ₹0 annual fee

Up to 10% on payments via PhonePe

Score: 7.8/10

Best Overall

PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card

HDFC · ₹999 annual fee

Up to 10% on payments via PhonePe

Score: 8.6/10

Cards to Avoid for PhonePe

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

IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 9/10 — but only 0.5% on payments via PhonePe

American Express Platinum Charge Card

American Express · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.25% on payments via PhonePe

IndusInd Tiger Credit Card

IndusInd · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.2% on payments via PhonePe

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on payments via PhonePe

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 0.75% on payments via PhonePe

These are great cards for other spending categories — just not for payments via PhonePe. Use the top-ranked card above instead.

Related: Best Cards for Similar Spending

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the highest cashback on PhonePe?
PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card from HDFC gives up to 10% back on payments via PhonePe. It has a CardTrail Score of 8.6/10 with an annual fee of ₹999.
Is there a no-annual-fee credit card good for PhonePe?
Yes — YES BANK POP-CLUB Credit Card is a free card (₹0 annual fee) that earns up to 10% on payments via PhonePe. CardTrail Score: 7.8/10.
How do credit card rewards work on PhonePe?
Credit cards earn rewards based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the transaction. PhonePe 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 PhonePe?
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 payments via PhonePe. Use a category-matched card instead.

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