Is the IDFC FIRST Private Credit Card Worth It?
Enter what you spend where this card pays more, and the benefits you would use. See what it is worth to you in rupees, after its fee.
- 207Cards to check
- FreeCost
- Rewards card
- ₹29,500 fee a year (with GST)
- 1.67% on most spends
- Unlimited lounge visits
- Pays in reward points
- frequent flyers: unlimited airport lounge visits
- spending abroad: 0% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹1,47,500 a month: below that the ₹29,500 fee costs more than the rewards
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you spend a lot on fuel: the card's terms do not state a rate there, so we count nothing
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 0.75% a month (9% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: Flat 10 RP per ₹150 on eligible domestic spends; 1 RP per ₹150 on rent, education, utilities, insurance, government, FASTag, wallet, railways, gift vouchers and jewellery (the first six now carry their own rows); 1 RP = ₹1 on in-app travel bookings and ₹0.25 elsewhere; points never expire
Total on the card: ₹0 a month
Abroad and benefits
Every rate on this card, and what your spend earns
| Spend category | Rate | Monthly cap | Where it applies | Your spend earns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPI payments (scan and pay) | Earns nothing | - | a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI | - |
| Online shopping | 1.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 1.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 1.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 1.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Fuel | Not stated | - | the card's exclusions are not published, and many cards pay nothing here | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on utility bills, a tenth of the headline rate (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point) | - |
| Rent | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on rent, a tenth of the headline 10 RP per ₹150 (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point). IDFC names rent among its reduced-earn categories on this card. | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on insurance premiums, a tenth of the headline rate (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point) | - |
| School and college fees | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on education payments, a tenth of the headline rate (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point) | - |
| Wallet top-ups | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on wallet loads, a tenth of the headline rate (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point) | - |
| Taxes and government payments | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on government and tax payments, a tenth of the headline rate (0.67% nominal, ~0.17% at ₹0.25 a point) | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 0.83% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 5 RP per ₹150 on eligible international spends (~0.83% at ₹0.25) with a genuine 0% forex markup | - |
| Everything else | 1.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
Card data sourced via CardAdvisor.in, India Credit Card Facts, CC BY 4.0, adapted by SkyloFin.
Common Questions
When is a credit card worth its annual fee?
When the rewards you actually earn in a year are more than the fee plus 18% GST, or when you spend enough for the bank to waive the fee. This calculator works out both from the card's own published terms.
Why is GST added to the fee?
Card fees carry 18% GST, so a ₹1,000 fee costs ₹1,180. Where the bank already quotes the fee with GST, it is not added twice.
What does 'capped' mean?
Many cards limit the reward you can earn in a month in a category. Spending above the cap earns nothing extra, so the calculator stops counting there.
Is a lifetime free card always better?
Not always. A paid card with higher rewards can leave you with more once you spend enough. The break-even line shows the monthly spend where that starts.
Guides in Plain Words
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