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Best Credit Card for Rent Payment in India (2026)

Quick answer:

Axis ACE Credit Card gives you up to 5% back on monthly rent payments via credit card — the highest of any card we track. SBM OneCard Credit Card is the best free alternative.

Updated April 2026·10 cards compared·No affiliate commissions

Top 10 Cards for Rent Payment

How We Ranked These

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

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

Platforms like CRED Rent Pay and NoBroker charge 1-2% convenience fee — your card rewards must exceed this to be profitable

Rent payments code under the payment platform's MCC, not 'Rent'

High-reward-rate cards (2%+) are the only ones where rent payment via credit card makes sense

Free vs Paid: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

Best Free Card

SBM OneCard Credit Card

SBM Bank · ₹0 annual fee

Up to 10% on monthly rent payments via credit card

Score: 7.8/10

Best Overall

Axis ACE Credit Card

Axis · ₹499 annual fee

Up to 5% on monthly rent payments via credit card

Score: 8.1/10

Cards to Avoid for Rent Payment

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

IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 9/10 — but only 0.5% on monthly rent payments via credit card

American Express Platinum Charge Card

American Express · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.25% on monthly rent payments via credit card

IndusInd Tiger Credit Card

IndusInd · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1.2% on monthly rent payments via credit card

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

HDFC · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 1% on monthly rent payments via credit card

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card

IDFC FIRST · Score: 8.7/10 — but only 0.75% on monthly rent payments via credit card

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

Related: Best Cards for Similar Spending

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the highest cashback on Rent Payment?
Axis ACE Credit Card from Axis gives up to 5% back on monthly rent payments via credit card. It has a CardTrail Score of 8.1/10 with an annual fee of ₹499.
Is there a no-annual-fee credit card good for Rent Payment?
Yes — SBM OneCard Credit Card is a free card (₹0 annual fee) that earns up to 10% on monthly rent payments via credit card. CardTrail Score: 7.8/10.
How do credit card rewards work on Rent Payment?
Credit cards earn rewards based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the transaction. Rent Payment 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 Rent Payment?
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 monthly rent payments via credit card. Use a category-matched card instead.

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