Is the IDFC FIRST WOW! Black 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
- Travel card
- ₹885 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹12,500 a month
- 0.67% on most spends; 5% only at partner merchants
- 4 lounge visits a year
- Pays in reward points
- travel only at Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app, the hotel leg earns bonus RP worth 16.7% of the booking, flights 10%: 5% back, up to ₹4,000 a month
- spending ₹12,500 or more a month: the ₹885 fee is waived
- flyers: 4 airport lounge visits a year
- spending abroad: 0% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹12,500 a month (₹1,50,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹885 fee is then charged
- most of your spending is fuel: those earn nothing on this card
- you spend a lot on UPI payments or government payments: the card's terms do not state a rate there, so we count nothing
- you rarely spend on Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app, the hotel leg earns bonus RP worth 16.7% of the booking, flights 10%: the 5% rate applies only there, everything else earns 0.67%
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 4 RP per ₹150 (~0.67%) on online and offline spends; up to 3 RP per ₹150 on UPI spends; points redeem at ₹0.25 (₹0.50 on in-app flight/hotel bookings)
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) | Not stated | - | the card's terms give UPI a rate of its own we cannot read as a number | - |
| Online shopping | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 0.67% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 5% | ₹4,000 | Only at: Hotel and flight bookings made through the IDFC FIRST Bank mobile app, the hotel leg earns bonus RP worth 16.7% of the booking, flights 10%; a single 8,000 bonus-point monthly cap is shared across both legs, so this row uses the conservative flight-leg encodingTerms: 10% bonus RP on flights and 16.7% on hotels booked via the IDFC FIRST app, capped at 8,000 bonus RP a month; in-app travel redemption at ₹0.50/point. IDFC's own savings calculator implies double these rates, the benefit copy governs | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.17% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 RP per ₹150 on insurance and utility payments | - |
| Rent | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| School and college fees | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Wallet top-ups | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Taxes and government payments | Not stated | - | the card's terms state no rate here; many cards pay nothing on these | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 0.67% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 0.67% | 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.
