Four cards. Clear use cases. No endless comparison trap.
The launch shortlist covers four real needs: international conference spends, online cashback, airport lounge comfort, and daily campus-life savings.
Scapia Credit Card 5% online cashback 
CASHBACK SBI Card Lounges + travel + movies 
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card Beginner food + movie card 
Axis Neo Credit Card Friends get Rs.1,000 off flights too, as per the current Scapia referral campaign you provided.
Best use cases
- Conference registration and hotel payments
- Online purchases paid in full every month
- Airport lounge use during long academic travel
- Food, grocery, and small recurring discounts
Pick by use case, then verify terms.
Travel, cashback, lounge value, and everyday campus spends. No endless comparison rabbit hole.
Federal Bank / BOBCARD / Scapia
Scapia Credit Card
Zero forex, lifetime-free pricing, 20% travel rewards, and lounge access after eligible spends.
- Zero forex fee
- Lifetime-free card
- 20% Scapia Coins on travel bookings
Friends get Rs.1,000 off flights too, as per the current Scapia referral campaign.
SBI Card
CASHBACK SBI Card
For Amazon, Flipkart, devices, books, subscriptions, and online spends paid in full.
- 5% cashback on eligible online spends
- 1% cashback on eligible offline spends
- Rs.4,000 total statement-cycle cashback cap
IndusInd Bank
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card
A strong travel card with domestic and international lounge access plus movie benefits.
- 2 domestic lounge visits per quarter
- 2 international lounge visits per year via Priority Pass
- One BookMyShow movie ticket up to Rs.500 every 6 months
Axis Bank
Axis Neo Credit Card
A starter card for Zomato, Blinkit, BookMyShow, Myntra, and daily campus spends.
- Zomato discount up to Rs.120 per order as per Axis offer terms
- Blinkit discount up to Rs.250 per month as per Axis offer terms
- BookMyShow movie discount up to Rs.100 per month
Compare the launch shortlist.
Use the table for fees, forex markup, lounge notes, caps, and official-source checks. Apply only after reading the issuer terms.
Scapia Credit Card
Federal Bank / BOBCARD / Scapia
TravelForexConference travel Nil LTF: Yes Scapia Coins / travel rewards
0% forex fee as per reviewed Scapia page; Conditional: verify latest issuer terms.
Details
Scapia Credit Card
Federal Bank / BOBCARD / Scapia
Joining fee
Nil
Renewal fee
Nil
Fee waiver
No joining or annual fee shown on reviewed Scapia page; verify at application.
Eligibility
Salary: Not officially specified. CIBIL: Not officially specified.
Forex
0% forex fee as per reviewed Scapia page
Lounge access
Conditional: verify latest issuer terms.
Caps / limits
Travel rewards depend on Scapia app booking and redemption rules. Availability, age and eligibility can change.
Last verified
2026-05-18
Pros
- • Highest priority for researcher travel because zero forex + no fee is powerful.
- • Good fit for international conference payments if approved.
Cons
- • Eligibility and availability need careful confirmation.
- • Lounge access is conditional.
CASHBACK SBI Card
SBI Card
CashbackShoppingOnline shopping ₹999 + GST LTF: No 5% online cashback, 1% offline cashback
3.5% foreign currency transaction fee; No complimentary lounge benefit found in reviewed source.
Details
CASHBACK SBI Card
SBI Card
Joining fee
₹999 + GST
Renewal fee
₹999 + GST
Fee waiver
Waived on ₹2 lakh annual spends.
Eligibility
Salary: Not officially specified. CIBIL: Not officially specified.
Forex
3.5% foreign currency transaction fee
Lounge access
No complimentary lounge benefit found in reviewed source.
Caps / limits
From 1 April 2026, SBI Card revision caps online cashback at Rs.2,000 and offline cashback at Rs.2,000, with Rs.4,000 maximum cashback per statement cycle. Exclusions and MCC rules apply, including utility, insurance, fuel, rent, wallet, education, railway, government-related, toll and gaming categories.
Last verified
2026-05-18
Pros
- • Strong broad online cashback.
- • Useful for Amazon, Flipkart, course subscriptions and academic purchases.
Cons
- • Paid card unless waiver spend is met.
- • Weak for forex.
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card
IndusInd Bank
TravelLoungeLifetime-free Nil LTF: Yes Reward points and airmile conversion
1.5% forex markup in reviewed reference; verify official fee schedule.; Domestic and international lounge acce...
Details
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card
IndusInd Bank
Joining fee
Nil
Renewal fee
Nil
Fee waiver
Lifetime-free in reviewed reference; verify official terms.
Eligibility
Salary: Not officially specified. CIBIL: Not officially specified.
Forex
1.5% forex markup in reviewed reference; verify official fee schedule.
Lounge access
Domestic and international lounge access in reviewed reference.
Caps / limits
Caps, exclusions, merchant-category rules and programme terms can change.
Last verified
2026-05-18
Pros
- • Useful to compare for the stated category.
Cons
- • Eligibility, approval and benefits are subject to issuer policy.
Axis Neo Credit Card
Axis Bank
DiningShoppingBeginner ₹250 LTF: Conditional Discounts and EDGE Reward Points
3.5%; No
Details
Axis Neo Credit Card
Axis Bank
Joining fee
₹250
Renewal fee
₹250
Fee waiver
Often issued as Lifetime Free during limited-time offers
Eligibility
Salary: Not officially specified. CIBIL: Not officially specified.
Forex
3.5%
Lounge access
No
Caps / limits
Requires specific promo codes for Zomato/Blinkit discounts. Minimum spend limits apply.
Last verified
2026-05-18
Pros
- • Exceptional recurring discounts on Zomato, Blinkit, and Myntra.
- • Great first card if acquired as Lifetime Free.
Cons
- • No travel benefits.
- • Discount codes can be cumbersome compared to direct cashback.
Scapia Credit Card
Federal Bank / BOBCARD / Scapia
TravelForexConference travelLifetime-free Annual fee: Nil · LTF: Yes
Rewards: Scapia Coins / travel rewards
Travel: 0% forex fee as per reviewed Scapia page; Conditional: verify latest issuer terms.
View full details
Scapia Credit Card
Federal Bank / BOBCARD / Scapia
Annual fee: Nil · LTF: Yes
Rewards: Scapia Coins / travel rewards
Travel: 0% forex fee as per reviewed Scapia page; Conditional: verify latest issuer terms.
Joining fee
Nil
Renewal fee
Nil
Fee waiver
No joining or annual fee shown on reviewed Scapia page; verify at application.
Salary requirement
Not officially specified
CIBIL requirement
Not officially specified
Reward caps / limits
Travel rewards depend on Scapia app booking and redemption rules. Availability, age and eligibility can change.
CASHBACK SBI Card
SBI Card
CashbackShoppingOnline shoppingBeginner Annual fee: ₹999 + GST · LTF: No
Rewards: 5% online cashback, 1% offline cashback
Travel: 3.5% foreign currency transaction fee; No complimentary lounge benefit found in reviewed source.
View full details
CASHBACK SBI Card
SBI Card
Annual fee: ₹999 + GST · LTF: No
Rewards: 5% online cashback, 1% offline cashback
Travel: 3.5% foreign currency transaction fee; No complimentary lounge benefit found in reviewed source.
Joining fee
₹999 + GST
Renewal fee
₹999 + GST
Fee waiver
Waived on ₹2 lakh annual spends.
Salary requirement
Not officially specified
CIBIL requirement
Not officially specified
Reward caps / limits
From 1 April 2026, SBI Card revision caps online cashback at Rs.2,000 and offline cashback at Rs.2,000, with Rs.4,000 maximum cashback per statement cycle. Exclusions and MCC rules apply, including utility, insurance, fuel, rent, wallet, education, railway, government-related, toll and gaming categories.
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card
IndusInd Bank
TravelLoungeLifetime-freeForex Annual fee: Nil · LTF: Yes
Rewards: Reward points and airmile conversion
Travel: 1.5% forex markup in reviewed reference; verify official fee schedule.; Domestic and international lounge access in reviewed refer...
View full details
IndusInd Tiger Credit Card
IndusInd Bank
Annual fee: Nil · LTF: Yes
Rewards: Reward points and airmile conversion
Travel: 1.5% forex markup in reviewed reference; verify official fee schedule.; Domestic and international lounge access in reviewed refer...
Joining fee
Nil
Renewal fee
Nil
Fee waiver
Lifetime-free in reviewed reference; verify official terms.
Salary requirement
Not officially specified
CIBIL requirement
Not officially specified
Reward caps / limits
Caps, exclusions, merchant-category rules and programme terms can change.
Axis Neo Credit Card
Axis Bank
DiningShoppingBeginnerUtilities Annual fee: ₹250 · LTF: Conditional
Rewards: Discounts and EDGE Reward Points
Travel: 3.5%; No
View full details
Axis Neo Credit Card
Axis Bank
Annual fee: ₹250 · LTF: Conditional
Rewards: Discounts and EDGE Reward Points
Travel: 3.5%; No
Joining fee
₹250
Renewal fee
₹250
Fee waiver
Often issued as Lifetime Free during limited-time offers
Salary requirement
Not officially specified
CIBIL requirement
Not officially specified
Reward caps / limits
Requires specific promo codes for Zomato/Blinkit discounts. Minimum spend limits apply.