Is SBI Cashback Card becoming obsolete? Too many new cashback restrictions
​
I’ve been using the SBI Cashback Card mainly for the flat 5% online cashback, especially through the Amazon Pay gift card route for utilities and bill payments.
Now SBI seems to have tightened restrictions even more:
Utility MCCs (4900 etc.) are excluded from cashback.
Wallet/gift card related spends are getting excluded or inconsistently tracked
Amazon Pay balance loading + bill payments loophole seems mostly dead
Earlier the best workaround was: SBI Cashback Card → Buy Amazon Pay Gift Card → Pay bills via Amazon Pay → Get 5%
But now even gift cards/wallet related spends are reportedly getting blocked or not rewarding cashback consistently.
So what’s the best alternative now?
Is SBI Cashback Card still worth paying annual fees for in 2026?
Feels like the card is slowly getting devalued month by month.
Personally, the card is still strong for:
direct online shopping
smaller e-commerce purchases
websites where no co-branded offers exist
But yes, the “universal 5% hack” appeal has definitely reduced.
Here is what I received from them