for those who have missed since you have been travelling during this long weekend, this is the time to grab those

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Cred Flash deals in 40 mins! at 11.30Pm tonight, give a upvote and comment if you grabbed the deals

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https://preview.redd.it/9xi1xu7ka3th1.png?width=591&format=png&auto=webp&s=eafbf048b5ba2aa4376a7e56b8070db63758782b

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Get ready for Flash deals on Cred starts at 11pm biggest discount on cred !! Follow the Smartpaisaspender channel on WhatsApp so you dont miss any: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbDFUS27DAWtOTOenR15

https://preview.redd.it/5m1otaxh63th1.png?width=307&format=png&auto=webp&s=01220c6cf5241838fe2c5c00d173164f7d5e9ac7

Guess the card 👀

October could get interesting for credit card enthusiasts.

I have a feeling HDFC Millennia could possibly be the next card to go LTF 👀

No confirmation — just a guess based on how things have been moving lately.

Now your turn…

Which card do you think could suddenly become Lifetime Free this October?

Drop your guesses below 👇

Let’s see who gets it right 😄

And please… no “XYZ card because I want it LTF” 😂

Actual guesses only

Upvote if you like

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After years of waiting, Apple Pay has officially launched today!

For now:
• Only Axis Bank credit cards
• Visa & Mastercard supported
• RuPay not supported yet
• UPI NOT supported at launch
• Use iPhone / Apple Watch for tap & pay
• Face ID / Touch ID for authentication
• Works at NFC-enabled terminals + supported apps/websites

So if you have an Axis Visa/Mastercard credit card, you can finally add it to Apple Wallet and start using Apple Pay.

HDFC / ICICI / SBI support is not live yet.

Personally, the interesting part will be when more banks join + UPI support comes in.

Apple Pay in India — finally! 👀Will you use it? comment below!

Upvote if you like the post

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For those who have CRED Coins lying useless in their account for months 👀

This is probably one of the better ways to actually monetize those CRED Coins as discounts.

Currently seeing:

• Flipkart GC → 7.5% discount + 5% cashback using SBI Cashback or similar cards
• Tanishq Jewellery GC → 7.5% discount + 5% cashback
• There are other GVs also available with similar discounts.

So effectively, if you're going to use these anyway, the CRED Coins are actually giving you real ₹ value instead of just sitting there.

Flipkart + Tanishq GVs especially worth checking out.

Grab them soon — these offers can disappear/change anytime.

Anyone finding other good GVs on Coin Rush? Drop them below 👇

https://preview.redd.it/ka98i1z1gesh1.png?width=540&format=png&auto=webp&s=4fa44d27ba914077fb577e35367c93921bc52841

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https://preview.redd.it/q4by7gh380rh1.png?width=864&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c04fe85ef69a3c84a9441886aa445faeec06285

Which one is yours?

Give Upvote if you like the post!

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I’ve been chasing HSBC for nearly 2 weeks to get an add-on card initiated, and finally got the call today.

The process is VERY different from what I’ve seen with other banks. Interestingly, there was no V-KYC for the add-on applicant in my case.

Here’s exactly what happened 👇

I initiated multiple requests on chat support for addon card, no one called so i started to reach on telephone support: 

1. First call customer care

You have to call HSBC customer care and ask them to arrange a callback from the add-on card team.

They’ll say:

“Sure, you’ll get a callback within 48 hours.”

Spoiler: I didn’t. 😂

2. Call again

So I called customer care again and asked them to transfer me to the add-on team.

Finally got connected.

They again said the team would call me back.

At this point, you basically have no option other than saying yes. 😅

3. The mysterious +91 1600 call

One fine day, I finally received a call from a +91 1600 number.

ATTEND THIS CALL.

This is the actual add-on card initiation call.

They explained the process and asked for details of the person I wanted to add.

4. Keep these documents ready

You need:

• PAN
• Aadhaar / another valid KYC document
• Recent photograph

One thing I would suggest — if you have a Voter ID or Driving Licence with the same address, use that as address proof instead of Aadhaar.

HSBC has specific KYC/address-proof requirements, so make sure the document you provide is acceptable.- For aadhar you are expected to mask the number and the QR thats the reason i went ahead with other docs, if you are comfortable with editing docs do it.

5. The agent fills the application

This part was actually pretty convenient.

The agent asked me all the details and filled the application on the call:

• Add-on applicant name
• Father's name
• Mother's name
• Address
• Mobile number
• Other basic details

Then they sent a link to my registered email ID.

I had to upload the 3 documents through that link and digitally sign the application.

That's it.

Total time: ~30 minutes

If you’re free when they call, I would suggest completing everything on the same call.

Otherwise you can ask them to call back, but after chasing them for 2 weeks, I wasn't taking any chances 😂

Finally, I received an acknowledgement email confirming that the add-on application had been submitted.

Now comes the next question:

HOW LONG WILL HSBC TAKE TO ACTUALLY SEND THE ADD-ON CARD? 🤔

I have no idea yet.

Will update this post once the card arrives.

One thing I actually liked about this process:
The primary cardholder can apparently complete the entire process. The add-on applicant doesn't need to be physically present during the call.

So if you're planning an HSBC add-on card, keep the documents ready and make sure you don't miss that +91 1600 call.

HSBC says up to 3 add-on cards can be issued for immediate family members, with the add-on cards sharing the primary card's credit limit and also for the VISA offers/ Lounge benefits

Anyone else recently went through the HSBC add-on process?

How many days did it take for your card to arrive?

Give Upvote if you like the post!

A lot of people are writing off Edge+ after the devaluation.

I’m doing the opposite.

My plan is to squeeze the maximum value out of the ₹15K monthly spend without creating unnecessary spends.

₹6K → Amazon vouchers
₹2K × 3 every month
→ 10% = ₹600 cashback

₹6K → Flipkart
₹2K × 3 every month
→ 10% = ₹600 cashback

Now I’m at ₹12K.

That leaves ₹3K to hit ₹15K.

Here’s the interesting part 👀

I’m planning to put that ₹3K into a monthly jewellery scheme, which works out to roughly 1% effective return.

Gold is still not excluded, so this could actually make sense for me.

The math:

₹12K @ 10% = ₹1,200
₹3K @ 1% = ₹30

💰 Total cashback = ₹1,230/month

₹15,000 total spend → 8.2% effective blended return

So my post-devaluation Edge+ strategy is basically:

₹6K Amazon + ₹6K Flipkart + ₹3K jewellery

= ₹15K/month

= ₹1,230 cashback

= 8.2% effective return ( which is very good for a LTF card!)

If your spends on flipkart is lesser every month, you can increase your monthly gold scheme accordingly so you can hit the 15k milestone, but with a lesser return.

Obviously, this only makes sense if you already have these spends. I’m not going to manufacture ₹15K of spending just to chase cashback.

But if you can naturally utilise the categories, I don't think Edge+ is dead yet.

Anyone else finding ways to squeeze value out of Edge+ after the devaluation?

Give Upvote if you like the post!

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Looks like the backlash actually worked.

A few days ago IDFC FIRST announced that most of their credit cards would stop earning reward points on international transactions from 26 Oct 2026, even though they were giving 0% forex markup. our post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SmartPaisaSpender/comments/1wde9iw/idfc_first_just_killed_forex_markup_on_all_credit/

That obviously didn't go down well.

Now comes the twist...

IDFC has issued a new communication on Sep 13 and REVOKED that change.

So the updated position is:

0% forex markup ✅
Reward points on international transactions ✅

The new communication says reward points will continue to be earned as applicable for the respective card.

So basically:

Sep 9 → ❌ Forex rewards removed
Sep 13 → 🔥 Forex rewards restored

Honestly, this is one of those rare cases where a bank actually listened to customers.

IDFC heard us.

If you were holding off on IDFC because of the forex reward removal, looks like you can reconsider now.

Links:

Sep 9 communication: https://www.idfcfirst.bank.in/content/dam/idfcfirstbank/pdf/credit-card/Credit-Card-Communication1-Sep-26.pdf

Sep 13 revised communication: https://www.idfcfirst.bank.in/content/dam/idfcfirstbank/pdf/credit-card/Credit-Card-Communication-13-Sep-26.pdf

Were you planning to stop using your IDFC card for international spends after the original announcement?

Or with this update you are planning to apply a new card : https://my.idfcfirst.bank.in/apply

Upvote if you liked the post ⬆️

Thanks to u/Spiritual_Branch_537 for the find!

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https://preview.redd.it/s39276t95hph1.png?width=1113&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5b9d03094129fdb537cd90ee88a9065e6b68864

HSBC CC application experience — probably the longest application process ever 😂

Applied on Aug 21. Thought it would be a normal credit card application.

Boy, was I wrong.

Day 1 – Aug 21

• Applied for HSBC CC
• They mention you need to generate aadhar virtual ID in the process, which you will never use.. ( pan card is enough)
• Waited ~45 mins for VKYC
• Completed VKYC successfully
• Got email the same evening saying VKYC was successful
• Was excited 😅

Day 2
Got an email:

❌ Application rejected due to "internal policy"

Checked Reddit/X/communities and apparently HSBC rejection emails are pretty common during the process, so I didn't bother much.

Day 3
Got an email for employee verification after ~36 hours.

Completed it using my official email.

Assumed everything was fine.

Day 5
No update.

Then got a link to track the application.

Status: IN PROGRESS

Day 6
Got a call from HSBC.

"We have approved your application."

🎉

Asked about the credit limit — they wouldn't tell me.

Asked why the portal still showed "in progress".

Agent said it would take some time to update but assured me the card was approved.

I thought... FINALLY! 😂

Then came the real horror.

Day 12
Got another email:

❌ Application rejected due to internal reasons

Checked the application tracker.

Same thing.

REJECTED.

Called customer care.

First agent basically read the same rejection email to me.

Called again and asked the second agent to explain the actual reason or connect me to a manager.

This time I finally got an answer:

"Employment verification failed."

I told her I had completed the verification correctly.

But she said that's what was showing in their records and there was nothing more she could do.

So I emailed the nodal team.

Kept it polite and explained:

• My employment history
• Credit history
• Credit score
• That I was ready to redo the employment verification
• Requested them to review the rejection

4 days — nothing.

Then someone from the nodal team called me.

They asked me to send salary slips from my official employment email.

Sent them.

Next day

📧 Application REOPENED

Okay... maybe there's hope.

4 days later

📧 Application APPROVED 🎉 But they made 2nd cibil hard enquiry!!

Finally!!

But...

Another 5 days of silence.

No card.
No limit.
No update.

Then on Day 17

📱 Got an SMS with the Blue Dart tracking details.

Card finally arrived.

And here's the funny part:

I had absolutely no idea what my credit limit was until the card arrived.

The limit was only mentioned in the physical card kit. But they are very generous with the credit limit, my second highest credit limit 🤦‍♂️

So overall:

Aug 21 → Sep 6/7-ish

17 days of:

VKYC → Rejected → Employee verification → Approved → Rejected → Nodal escalation → Reopened → Approved → Silence → Card delivered

One important tip if you're applying for HSBC

My employment verification appears to have failed because location access wasn't enabled during the verification.

My official laptop doesn't allow location access, so this may have caused the issue.

The verification is done through a third-party process, so if you're doing employment verification:

Do it from your mobile + keep location ON.

Don't make the mistake I made.

HSBC may eventually approve you... but apparently they want to test your patience first. Get ready for radio silence days with no updates even after your card approval😂

17 days for one credit card.

Anyone else had a similar HSBC application horror story?

used chatgpt for formating..

Found this helpful? Upvote ! Stay ahead of the latest credit card deals, cashback hacks, bank offer updates, and money-saving tricks by following my WhatsApp Channel. I share quick updates there as soon as they go live: often before I create a detailed post.

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Should you get an Amazon Pay ICICI, Airtel Axis, or Swiggy HDFC card, or are you better off starting with a bank's own core card like HDFC Millennia or SBI Cashback?

Here is the real breakdown of how core and co-branded cards compare, and why your first credit card choice matters more than you think.

1. What Is the Difference?

• Core Cards: The bank's flagship native cards (e.g., HDFC MoneyBack+/Millennia, SBI Cashback,SBI Simply save, Axis Neo,myzone).
• Co-Branded Cards: Cards launched in partnership with specific brands (e.g., Amazon Pay ICICI, Flipkart Axis, Swiggy HDFC, Axis indigo).

2. The Pros and Cons of Co-Branded Cards

• The Good: Unbeatable returns when you spend on that partner platform (like 5% unlimited cashback on Amazon ).
• The Catch:
  • Low Base Rewards: Spends outside the partner merchant usually earn poor returns (often just 1%).
  • Ecosystem Lock-in: Rewards are usually tied to that specific merchant (like Amazon Pay balance or airline miles) rather than flexible cash or points.
  • No Sale Discounts: Co-branded cards are frequently excluded from festival sale instant discounts (e.g., "10% Instant Discount on HDFC Cards" often excludes co-branded variants).

3. The Power of Core Cards

• Flexible Redemption: Points can be converted to statement credit, shopping vouchers, air miles, or hotel points depending on what you need at the time.
• Upgrade Ladder: Holding and responsibly using a bank's core card lets you climb their reward tier (for instance: HDFC MoneyBack+ to Millennia to Regalia Gold and beyond).
• Broad Merchant Perks: Core cards are the ones eligible for instant bank sale discounts and Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) movie ticket deals.

4. Why You Should Get a Core Card First

If you start your relationship with certain banks using a co-branded card (like Swiggy HDFC), the bank may make it difficult to get approved for their premium core cards later on.

Instead of juggling 4 or 5 different co-branded cards for Amazon, Flipkart, and food delivery, having one versatile core cashback card (like SBI Cashback for flat 5% across most online merchants) gives you high rewards without managing multiple bill cycles.

The Final Verdict:
Everyone should have at least one reliable Core Card as their primary financial anchor. Add Co-Branded Cards only as secondary tools for brands where you spend consistently every month. Upvote if you liked the post!!

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If you have Jana Debit which you have not used, goahead and grab this offer.
Found this helpful? Stay ahead of the latest credit card deals, cashback hacks, bank offer updates, and money-saving tricks by following my WhatsApp Channel. I share quick updates there as soon as they go live: often before I create a detailed post.

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https://preview.redd.it/4qhrz24zyeoh1.png?width=688&format=png&auto=webp&s=fcfe573c43bbf31341965bf587c9ad7b8c731453

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Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vaidyanathanv_dear-all-sharing-an-advertisement-that-activity-7503155257674326017-xe3N

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• Currently this card is offered First year free till Sept 30, 2026
• 5% cashback on Flipkart (capped at ₹4,000 per statement quarter which is the highest among cashback cards)
• 7.5% cashback on Myntra (also capped at ₹4,000 per quarter)
• 5% on Cleartrip
• 4% unlimited on preferred partners like Swiggy, Uber, PVR, and Cult.fit
• 1% unlimited on other eligible spends

Cashback is credited as a direct statement credit — no complicated points redemption. During BBD, this 5% sits on top of the already heavy sale discounts, bank offers, and product-level deals. Best card if you have a plan to purchase a large appliance during this sale!!

Apply Link: https://web.axis.bank.in/DigitalChannel

5 Reward Points per ₹100 spent on IRCTC bookings
= ₹5 value back for every ₹100
= 5% effective return

Good for frequent train travellers!!

⚠️ Limited LTF offer — check eligibility before applying (as this is not for all offer)

Check your eligibility and apply: https://www.hdfc.bank.in/credit-cards/irctc-credit-card