Hi everyone,

I'm 23F and recently started working. My monthly in-hand salary is around ₹1.5 lakh, and I'm planning to restructure my finances by opening two bank accounts:

• Salary Account – Salary gets credited here, SIPs auto-debit from here, and I transfer money home.
• Spending Account – Every month I'll transfer a fixed amount here for all my expenses (UPI, credit card bill, etc.) so I can better track my spending and avoid dipping into my investments.

Monthly cash flow

• Salary: ~₹1.5L
• Money sent home: ₹30k
• SIPs (auto-debit): ₹60k
• Remaining (~₹60k): Rent + groceries + shopping + lifestyle expenses

Approximate annual spending

• Flights: ₹50,000
• Hotel Bookings: ₹150,000
• Groceries (Blinkit/BigBasket/Instamart, etc.): ₹84,000
• Dining + Swiggy/Zomato: ₹80,000
• Shopping (UNIQLO, Levi's, ONLY, Pepe Jeans, etc.): ₹60,000
• Uber/Ola: ₹18,000

What I'm looking for in a credit card

• Low or ideally zero annual fee (or easily waived)
• Good airport lounge access (guest access would be a bonus)
• Strong rewards on flight bookings
• Good cashback/rewards on Amazon, Blinkit, Swiggy, Zomato, BigBasket, Instamart, etc.
• Decent rewards on clothing brands
• Good rewards on Uber/Ola
• Easy approval with my salary profile

I don't mind using 2 credit cards if that gives significantly better returns than trying to use a single card.

Current plan

After doing some research, I'm thinking of:

• HDFC Salary Account
• IDFC FIRST Savings Account for daily spending
• HDFC Regalia Gold as my primary card
• HSBC Live+ for groceries and dining

Does this sound like the best setup, or is there a better combination?

Some questions:

1. Would you recommend a different salary bank?
2. Is Regalia Gold still the best option for my spending pattern, or would something like Axis Atlas, SBI Cashback, Amex MRCC, ICICI Emeralde/HPCL, etc. be better?
3. Is HSBC Live+ still the best grocery/dining card, or are there better alternatives now?
4. Should I prioritize cashback or travel rewards considering I spend only ~₹50k/year on flights?
5. Are there any hidden drawbacks with this setup that I'm missing?

Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks!