u/ResourceNo6999

Looking for suggestions for a first unsecured credit card.

Profile:

• Government employee

• Income: ₹6–7 LPA

• CIBIL: 776

• No existing credit cards

Monthly spends:

• Online shopping: ₹5–10k

• Utility bills: ₹3–5k

• Fuel: ₹3–5k

• Dining/Food delivery: ₹2–4k

• Insurance premiums: ~₹30–35k annually

Current relationship:

• HDFC Savings Account opened in May 2026 (₹10,000 MAB).

• Around ₹50,000 in monthly account transactions while maintaining the required MAB.

• ₹1 lakh FD with HDFC.

• HDFC app showed Pixel (LTF), MoneyBack+ (paid), and Swiggy HDFC as available offers.

• A hard enquiry from HDFC was generated in June while checking card eligibility/pre-approved offers.

Previous applications:

• SBI SimplyCLICK – Rejected (January 2026)

• Amazon Pay ICICI – Rejected (January 2026), currently under the cooldown period.

Would it be better to wait another 2–3 months for the HDFC relationship to mature before applying, or apply now?

Also, what would be the best first cashback card for this profile besides HDFC? Any thoughts on why SBI SimplyCLICK and Amazon Pay ICICI may have been rejected despite a 776 CIBIL and a stable government job?

Looking for suggestions for a first unsecured credit card.

Profile:

• Government employee

• Income: ₹6–7 LPA

• CIBIL: 776

• No existing credit cards

Monthly spends:

• Online shopping: ₹5–10k

• Utility bills: ₹3–5k

• Fuel: ₹3–5k

• Dining/Food delivery: ₹2–4k

• Insurance premiums: ~₹30–35k annually

Current relationship:

• HDFC Savings Account opened in May 2026 (₹10,000 MAB).

• Around ₹50,000 in monthly account transactions while maintaining the required MAB.

• ₹1 lakh FD with HDFC.

• HDFC app showed Pixel (LTF), MoneyBack+ (paid), and Swiggy HDFC as available offers.

• A hard enquiry from HDFC was generated in June while checking card eligibility/pre-approved offers.

Previous applications:

• SBI SimplyCLICK – Rejected (January 2026)

• Amazon Pay ICICI – Rejected (January 2026), currently under the cooldown period.

Would it be better to wait another 2–3 months for the HDFC relationship to mature before applying, or apply now?

Also, what would be the best first cashback card for this profile besides HDFC? Any thoughts on why SBI SimplyCLICK and Amazon Pay ICICI may have been rejected despite a 776 CIBIL and a stable government job?

I'm 18 and looking to build my CIBIL score with my first credit card.

I initially shortlisted ICICI and SBI. I visited an ICICI branch, but they told me I'd need to maintain a ₹15,000 minimum average balance in addition to creating the FD, which made it a deal-breaker for me.

I already have an SBI savings account, so I'm now planning to create a ₹50,000 FD and apply for the SBI Unnati credit card. (90%limit offered)

My main priorities are:

- Building a good credit history

- Getting access to SBI instant discount offers during online sales

- Occasional EMI purchases

Before I go ahead, I'd like to hear from people who actually use SBI Unnati.

- How has your experience been?

- Are SBI instant discount offers generally applicable on Unnati?

- Any hidden drawbacks or things I should know before creating the FD?

- If you were starting from scratch today, would you still choose SBI Unnati?

Thanks in advance!

I'm 18 and looking to build my CIBIL score with my first credit card.

I initially shortlisted ICICI and SBI. I visited an ICICI branch, but they told me I'd need to maintain a ₹15,000 minimum average balance in addition to creating the FD, which made it a deal-breaker for me.

I already have an SBI savings account, so I'm now planning to create a ₹50,000 FD and apply for the SBI Unnati credit card. (90%limit offered)

My main priorities are:

- Building a good credit history

- Getting access to SBI instant discount offers during online sales

- Occasional EMI purchases

Before I go ahead, I'd like to hear from people who actually use SBI Unnati.

- How has your experience been?

- Are SBI instant discount offers generally applicable on Unnati?

- Any hidden drawbacks or things I should know before creating the FD?

- If you were starting from scratch today, would you still choose SBI Unnati?

Thanks in advance!

I'm 19 and looking to build my own credit history. I don't have any credit cards yet and I'm planning to create an FD of around ₹40,000–₹50,000 specifically for a secured credit card.

I'm mainly considering:

ICICI Bank

HDFC Bank

Axis Bank

IDFC FIRST WOW

A few things I'm looking for:

Easy approval for a first-time applicant

Good long-term value and customer experience

Minimal hidden charges

A card that reports well to CIBIL

One thing making me hesitate about HDFC is the minimum average balance requirement for some savings accounts, whereas ICICI seems simpler for my situation.

For people who've actually used these FD-backed cards:

Which one would you recommend and why?

Any issues with releasing the FD after closing the card?

Would you choose a different bank altogether?

Thanks!

I'm 19 and looking to build my own credit history. I don't have any credit cards yet and I'm planning to create an FD of around ₹40,000–₹50,000 specifically for a secured credit card.

I'm mainly considering:

ICICI Bank

HDFC Bank

Axis Bank

IDFC FIRST WOW

A few things I'm looking for:

Easy approval for a first-time applicant

Good long-term value and customer experience

Minimal hidden charges

A card that reports well to CIBIL

One thing making me hesitate about HDFC is the minimum average balance requirement for some savings accounts, whereas ICICI seems simpler for my situation.

For people who've actually used these FD-backed cards:

Which one would you recommend and why?

Any issues with releasing the FD after closing the card?

Would you choose a different bank altogether?

Thanks!

18 y/o, getting first secured credit card with around ₹25k FD.

Main priorities:

build good credit history

future unsecured approvals

heavy UPI usage

decent cashback/value for daily use

I initially considered IDFC WOW, but realistically I won’t use IDFC as my main bank anyway.

Now I have both super.money options available:

Kotak-backed

Utkarsh SFB-backed

Someone pointed out that Utkarsh:

doesn’t report to CRIF

lacks BBPS integration

and has weaker ecosystem integration overall

Wanted to ask:

is there any practical long-term difference between Kotak and Utkarsh variants?

or is the experience basically identical from a user perspective?

Would appreciate inputs from people who’ve actually used either/both.

18 y/o, getting first secured credit card with around ₹25k FD.

Main priorities:

build good credit history

future unsecured approvals

heavy UPI usage

decent cashback/value for daily use

I initially considered IDFC WOW, but realistically I won’t use IDFC as my main bank anyway.

Now I have both super.money options available:

Kotak-backed

Utkarsh SFB-backed

Someone pointed out that Utkarsh:

doesn’t report to CRIF

lacks BBPS integration

and has weaker ecosystem integration overall

Wanted to ask:

is there any practical long-term difference between Kotak and Utkarsh variants?

or is the experience basically identical from a user perspective?

Would appreciate inputs from people who’ve actually used either/both.

18 y/o, getting first secured credit card with around ₹25k FD.

Main priorities:

build good credit history

future unsecured approvals

heavy UPI usage

decent cashback/value for daily use

I initially considered IDFC WOW, but realistically I won’t use IDFC as my main bank anyway.

Now I have both super.money options available:

Kotak-backed

Utkarsh SFB-backed

Someone pointed out that Utkarsh:

doesn’t report to CRIF

lacks BBPS integration

and has weaker ecosystem integration overall

Wanted to ask:

is there any practical long-term difference between Kotak and Utkarsh variants?

or is the experience basically identical from a user perspective?

Would appreciate inputs from people who’ve actually used either/both.

I’m 18 and getting my first secured credit card with around ₹25k FD.

Main goal is to start building a good credit profile early and eventually get decent unsecured cards later.

Current situation:

Already have SBI savings account

HDFC was asking for ₹10k MAB account

IDFC WOW is available without opening savings account

super.money x Utkarsh also looks interesting

Initially I leaned toward IDFC WOW because it’s a more traditional bank ecosystem.

But realistically:

IDFC won’t become my main bank anyway

my usage will be heavily UPI-based

I mainly want controlled spending + on-time repayments

and enough cashback/value that using the card actually feels useful

So now I’m confused between:

IDFC WOW → stronger ecosystem/reputation vs

super.money → better day-to-day UPI usability + cashback

For people who’ve actually used these:

does the issuer ecosystem really matter much later for unsecured approvals?

or is clean repayment history/utilization the bigger factor anyway?

I’m 18 and getting my first secured credit card with around ₹25k FD.

Main goal is to start building a good credit profile early and eventually get decent unsecured cards later.

Current situation:

Already have SBI savings account

HDFC was asking for ₹10k MAB account

IDFC WOW is available without opening savings account

super.money x Utkarsh also looks interesting

Initially I leaned toward IDFC WOW because it’s a more traditional bank ecosystem.

But realistically:

IDFC won’t become my main bank anyway

my usage will be heavily UPI-based

I mainly want controlled spending + on-time repayments

and enough cashback/value that using the card actually feels useful

So now I’m confused between:

IDFC WOW → stronger ecosystem/reputation vs

super.money → better day-to-day UPI usability + cashback

For people who’ve actually used these:

does the issuer ecosystem really matter much later for unsecured approvals?

or is clean repayment history/utilization the bigger factor anyway?