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Best Credit Card for redBus in India (2026)

Quick answer:

HDFC Diners Club Black gives you up to 33% back on bus ticket bookings — the highest of any card we track. Scapia Federal Credit Card is the best free alternative.

Updated April 2026·10 cards compared·No affiliate commissions

Top 10 Cards for redBus

1

HDFC Diners Club Black

HDFC

Up to 33% on travel

Reward rateUp to 33%
Annual fee₹10,000
Score9.1/10
2

HDFC Diners Club Metal Edition

HDFC

Up to 33% on travel

Reward rateUp to 33%
Annual fee₹10,000
Score8.9/10
3

HDFC Regalia

HDFC

Up to 13% on travel

Reward rateUp to 13%
Annual fee₹2,500
Score8.3/10
4

IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card

IDFC FIRST

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹3,000
Score9/10
5

HDFC Infinia

HDFC

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹12,500
Score8.9/10
6

HDFC Infinia Metal Edition

HDFC

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹12,500
Score8.9/10
7

Kotak Solitaire Credit Card

Kotak

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹25,000
Score8.8/10
8

Scapia Federal Credit Card

Federal Bank

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual feeFREE
Score8.7/10
9

HDFC Diners Club Privilege

HDFC

Up to 10% on travel

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

IDFC FIRST Mayura Credit Card

IDFC FIRST

Up to 10% on travel

Reward rateUp to 10%
Annual fee₹5,999
Score8.3/10

How We Ranked These

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

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

→

redBus transactions code under 'Travel Agency' or 'Online Shopping' MCC

→

Bus bookings are typically lower-value — pick a card with no minimum reward threshold

→

redBus offers frequent bank-specific discount codes — check your card issuer's offers page

Free vs Paid: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

Best Free Card

Scapia Federal Credit Card

Federal Bank · ₹0 annual fee

Up to 10% on bus ticket bookings

Score: 8.7/10

Best Overall

HDFC Diners Club Black

HDFC · ₹10,000 annual fee

Up to 33% on bus ticket bookings

Score: 9.1/10

At a monthly spend of ₹10,000 on bus ticket bookings, the paid card earns ₹39.6K/year vs ₹12.0K/year for the free card — a difference of ₹27.6K. The paid card's extra rewards exceed its annual fee at this spend level.

Cards to Avoid for redBus

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

IndusInd Tiger Credit Card

IndusInd · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.2% on bus ticket bookings

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on bus ticket bookings

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 0.75% on bus ticket bookings

PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.6/10 — but only 1% on bus ticket bookings

ICICI MakeMyTrip Credit Card

ICICI · Score: 8.5/10 — but only 1% on bus ticket bookings

These are great cards for other spending categories — just not for bus ticket bookings. Use the top-ranked card above instead.

Related: Best Cards for Similar Spending

Best for IRCTC Best for ixigo Best for MakeMyTrip

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the highest cashback on redBus?
HDFC Diners Club Black from HDFC gives up to 33% back on bus ticket bookings. It has a CardTrail Score of 9.1/10 with an annual fee of ₹10,000.
Is there a no-annual-fee credit card good for redBus?
Yes — Scapia Federal Credit Card is a free card (₹0 annual fee) that earns up to 10% on bus ticket bookings. CardTrail Score: 8.7/10.
How do credit card rewards work on redBus?
Credit cards earn rewards based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the transaction. redBus 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 redBus?
Cards like IndusInd Tiger Credit Card, HDFC Swiggy Credit Card, IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card have high overall scores but earn only their base rate (1.2% or less) on bus ticket bookings. Use a category-matched card instead.

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