Is the IndusInd Bank Pinnacle 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
- Shopping card
- Needs ₹83,333 a month income
- No annual fee
- 0.75% base, up to 1.88% on online shopping
- 8 lounge visits a year
- Pays in reward points
- online shopping: 1.88% back
- travel: 1.13% back
- anyone who wants no annual fee, ever
- flyers: 8 airport lounge visits a year
- most of your spending is fuel: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you rarely spend on online shopping: the 1.88% rate applies only there, everything else earns 0.75%
- you often pay in foreign currency: 3.5% is added to every foreign spend
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 3.83% a month (45.96% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 1 reward point per ₹100 at point of sale (MOTO, IVR and standing instructions count as POS). Cash-credit redemption is capped at 7,500 points a calendar month and at half your points balance per request; points also transfer to partner airlines at 2:1.
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 | 1.88% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 2.5 reward points per ₹100 on online/e-commerce spends (excluding airlines, travel and utilities). Points redeem for cash credit at ₹0.75 each, about a 1.9% return on this category. | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 0.75% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 0.75% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 1.13% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1.5 reward points per ₹100 on online travel and airline transactions | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.53% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 0.70 RP per ₹100 (~0.53%) on utility bill payments, the reduced rate from IndusInd's 1 Aug 2019 revision, not the 1-per-₹100 base | - |
| Rent | 0.75% | ₹375 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 reward point per ₹100 on rent, but capped at 500 points a statement cycle since 3 January 2023. Rent paid through third-party merchants also attracts a 1% + GST fee on each transaction, which more than cancels the earn. | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.53% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 0.70 RP per ₹100 (~0.53%) on insurance premium payments, reduced rate, 1 Aug 2019 revision | - |
| School and college fees | 0.53% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 0.70 RP per ₹100 (~0.53%) on education institute fees, reduced rate, 1 Aug 2019 revision | - |
| Wallet top-ups | 0.75% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Taxes and government payments | 0.53% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 0.70 RP per ₹100 (~0.53%) on government services, charges and payments, reduced rate, 1 Aug 2019 revision | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 0.75% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 0.75% | 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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