SBM Bank credit cards

An SBM Bank credit card means the SBM Novio: lifetime free, with no joining fee and no annual fee, and unusual for earning on fuel — a category nearly every other Indian card excludes.

It is also one of the few cards open to students and homemakers, which makes it a realistic first card for someone with no credit history.

At 2.49%, its forex markup is also below the 3.5% most Indian cards charge.

There is no fee to waive. SBM Novio is lifetime free, so no minimum spend is needed to keep it.

That makes it worth keeping open even if it is not your main card: an old, free card lengthens your credit history at no cost.

SBM Novio pays 10 Novio Coins per Rs. 100 on fuel and 5 per Rs. 100 on bill payments, with a base rate elsewhere.

Fuel is the point of difference. Most Indian cards exclude fuel from rewards entirely and only refund part of the fuel surcharge, so a card that actually earns there is rare.

SBM Novio includes no complimentary airport lounge visits — expected on a card that costs nothing.

For lounge access, the travel category has entry-level cards that include visits.

SBM publishes no minimum income for Novio, and lists it as available to salaried and self-employed applicants as well as students and homemakers — so it is one of the few cards a first-time borrower can realistically get.

Check your odds with the eligibility checker, which makes no credit bureau enquiry.

What every SBM Bank card tracked here costs, earns and includes, cheapest first.

Lifetime free — no joining fee and no annual fee. Earns 10 points per Rs. 100 on fuel; 5 points per Rs. 100 on bill payments; 5 points per Rs. 100 on other spends. No complimentary lounge visits are recorded. Earns nothing on rent payments, wallet loads, EMI transactions and cash advances and ATM withdrawals. Full SBM Novio review

The annual fee is the charge people compare, and rarely the one that costs most. Pay less than the full statement balance and interest applies from the transaction date, and the interest-free period stops applying to new purchases until the balance is cleared.

Paid in full every month, a SBM Bank card costs only its annual fee. Revolved, the interest outruns any reward rate on the card several times over.

The eligibility checker scores your profile against each card's published criteria without a credit bureau enquiry.