Which credit card gives best reward points?

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Could someone provide a list of popular websites where the 5% cashback is applicable. I understand its based on the MCC.

Recently I got the 5% cash back when I purchased something from basicslife.com. Similarly could some long time Manhattan user compile a small list? ;)

I read in some forum that we get the 5% cash back for purchases from HomeShop18, Tradus etc. Can someone else confirm? :)

@agantuk
 
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varkey said:
Could someone provide a list of popular websites where the 5% cashback is applicable. I understand its based on the MCC.

Recently I got the 5% cash back when I purchased something from basicslife.com. Similarly could some long time Manhattan user compile a small list? ;)

I read in some forum that we get the 5% cash back for purchases from HomeShop18, Tradus etc. Can someone else confirm? :)

@agantuk
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Yes . But there is a per month limit and a per txn limit . IIRC per txn limit is only 200 Rs .

you can get 5% on hs18 and local super markets too . I will look for my statement and will find where i got 5% cashback .
 
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mpaspc said:
Yes . But there is a per month limit and a per txn limit . IIRC per txn limit is only 200 Rs .

you can get 5% on hs18 and local super markets too . I will look for my statement and will find where i got 5% cashback .
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Yes, I'm aware of that. Rs 200 per transaction and Rs 500 per month.

That would be really great, thanks! :)
 
From a brick and mortar store perspective the list is exhaustive - pretty much everyone who we can classify as a 'departmental' store is eligible.

The same logic can be applied to online retailers too, with the only caveat that stores with higher visibility have higher chances of being classified. As you have already seen, HomeShop18 is eligible. So are eBay, Flipkart, Inkfruit, Indiaplaza, Indiatimes Shopping and even ShopClues. I have also got this for shopping abroad in stores in Singapore as well as US.
 
Dont want to create a new thread for my question:
Anyone knows which is better amongst Stan C Manhattan Platinum & Preferred World? I know that on paper, Manhattan is better than Preferred, but logically it should be reverse as Preferred is only offered to Preferred customers. Any owner of these cards willing to clarify?
 
@dragonball, doesn't look good enough to me. It really is a premium Master card. For a heavy spender, the points system looks bogus to me. Not much different from another similar crappy credit from Citibank - Citibank Rewards Card. All these privileges (lounge access etc.) are good for those who are frequent travellers, else it doesn't give much value to the regular user. And if lounge access is important, Citibank and ICICI have better cards - their top of the line cards give that and more.

Rs.100 spend at hotels = 5 Rewards Points
Rs.100 spend at fine dining outlets = 5 Rewards Points
Rs.100 spend overseas = 5 Rewards Points
Rs.100 spend on all other categories = 2 Rewards Points
 
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^ If you spend mostly in categories outside dining, a definite yes. Considering cards are being increasingly used for shopping be it online or in store, the reward points being given are no different from what others in the market have to offer. If you really want to get a 'premium' card at low expense, I would suggest taking a look at the Amex Gold card. Having a personal Amex does increase the 'standing in the society' factor, and this card also is pretty rewarding in terms of points. First year is free and you need to pay from the second year, but if you use the card regularly, they usually waive off that fee. Not to forget Amex has hands down the best customer care amongst all.
 
agantuk said:
The same logic can be applied to online retailers too, with the only caveat that stores with higher visibility have higher chances of being classified. As you have already seen, HomeShop18 is eligible. So are eBay, Flipkart, Inkfruit, Indiaplaza, Indiatimes Shopping and even ShopClues. I have also got this for shopping abroad in stores in Singapore as well as US.
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Are you sure about eBay and Flipkart? I just noticed that the Merchant Category for every transaction on my Axis card is mentioned in the statement.
And Flipkart seems to be categorized as "Stationery" and eBay as "Mail/Telephone Order".
It might be possible that eBay and others use multiple payment gateways and in few of them they are categorized incorrectly, but how do we identify the right one! :confused:

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It would have been great if Standard Chartered mentions the Merchant Category in the statement like Axis.[DOUBLEPOST=1363353635][/DOUBLEPOST]
agantuk said:
If you really want to get a 'premium' card at low expense, I would suggest taking a look at the Amex Gold card. Having a personal Amex does increase the 'standing in the society' factor, and this card also is pretty rewarding in terms of points. First year is free and you need to pay from the second year, but if you use the card regularly, they usually waive off that fee. Not to forget Amex has hands down the best customer care amongst all.
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https://www.americanexpressindia.co.in/gold.aspx


The Annual Membership Fee for the American Express Gold Card is Rs.4500 plus applicable taxes. It covers the Annual Fee for one Basic Card for the Card member, one Additional Card, up to two Supplementary Cards and membership into the Frequent Traveller Option of the American Express Membership Rewards Programme.

However, membership to the American Express Gold Card is complimentary for the first year which includes the Annual Fee for the Basic Card and up to two Supplementary Cards.
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  • Use the card once a week or 4 times (min Rs 250) every month. Get a whopping 1,000 points, every month. Added up, that’s 12,000 Points every year.
  • Earn Points on groceries, fuel and telephone bills, shopping and travel. Earn 1 Membership Reward Point for every Rs 50 charged to your Gold Card and 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs 100 spent on fuel and utility bills. The Supplementary Cards earn Points too.
  • Renewal of the American Express Gold Card at the end of the first year, gets 5,000 Bonus Points Membership Rewards Points.
  • Enrol for Standing Instructions Facility. Get a Bonus 1,000 Points the first time your bill gets paid through Bill Desk.
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But the redemption options doesn't seem that attractive, just 4 pts = 1 Re
Secondly it is a charge card, so you will have to pay off your dues in full always which everyone should do anyway, but in case of an emergency it might be a problem.

Do you think its worth the Rs 4500 annual fee?
 
Yes I have got cash back for both eBay and Flipkart, in fact all those sites I listed I have got the cash back.

Reg. Amex Gold, like I said the first year is free and subsequently there is a charge. However most folks I know (and me) have been able to get their renewal fee waived off - all of us had pretty decent usage (10K per month).

The best thing about Amex redemption is their huge catalog - lots of things there. However, they have some 'special' (or whatever they call it) redemptions, like for 25K points one gets a MMT voucher worth 12K, or an iPod Touch or a vacation at one of the resorts in Udaipur or Jaipur (don't remember which one). You can also take another Amex Gift card and use it to buy stuff, which indirectly is like paying for your own purchases.

In addition, they have 5X reward points at some outlets. eBay is one of them :D I have also got it at Easy Day. Not sure what other stores are covered.

Assuming one spends 20K per month, they would get 400 + 1000 bonus points if absolutely no transaction is done at a bonus point outlet. That still comes to16800 points a year.

All said however, if I had not got the fee waiver, I wouldn't have renewed it.
 
agantuk said:
Yes I have got cash back for both eBay and Flipkart, in fact all those sites I listed I have got the cash back.

Reg. Amex Gold, like I said the first year is free and subsequently there is a charge. However most folks I know (and me) have been able to get their renewal fee waived off - all of us had pretty decent usage (10K per month).

The best thing about Amex redemption is their huge catalog - lots of things there. However, they have some 'special' (or whatever they call it) redemptions, like for 25K points one gets a MMT voucher worth 12K, or an iPod Touch or a vacation at one of the resorts in Udaipur or Jaipur (don't remember which one). You can also take another Amex Gift card and use it to buy stuff, which indirectly is like paying for your own purchases.

In addition, they have 5X reward points at some outlets. eBay is one of them :D I have also got it at Easy Day. Not sure what other stores are covered.

Assuming one spends 20K per month, they would get 400 + 1000 bonus points if absolutely no transaction is done at a bonus point outlet. That still comes to16800 points a year.

All said however, if I had not got the fee waiver, I wouldn't have renewed it.
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hahaha, good, they need customer like you who reaches the target in first year, congrats yaar :) :)
 
If a credit card i own is gonna expire in next 4 months, what can be done? Do they renew it on their own or do i need to raise a request? Also, how much time it takes for renewal?
 
A little gyan :P Do not take a credit card thinking of what kind of reward points you will get as you inevitably end up spending more than you require. (Btw.. I use an AMEX , Citibank cards). Remember places where they actually give you points charges more than the neighbouring stores. E.g. Flipkart. Almost everything is more expensive than offline (barring books but then less than 500 u pay 50 bucks as shipping).
Having said that the service in Amex is truly exceptional though I have never delayed or messed up my payments ever.

One truly outstanding card I had was a Citibanlk titanium cash reward where there was no limit on the cashback basically 1 rupee for every 40 spent on weekends. Also it was valid anywhere you spent on a weekend. I bought a lot of stuff including my camera, fridge etc. (on a 50k purchase you get 1250 rupees back not some stupid vouchers). Got back more than 10000 over the course of a year. Used to book my international travels etc through the same. Buggers cancelled it though :( and gave me a stupid platinum card.
 
dragonball said:
If a credit card i own is gonna expire in next 4 months, what can be done? Do they renew it on their own or do i need to raise a request? Also, how much time it takes for renewal?
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Yes, the bank will send a new card at least a month before the expiry. You need not raise any request, it is done automatically.
 
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another question:
lets say i have applied for a card but I have not yet started using it and I dont want to start using it. But the card has been delivered it to my home. What do I do?
 
So my initial suspicion was right, the MCC - Merchant Category Code varies with the payment gateway too for the same merchant.

For eg

ShopClues -- If you use the CCAvenue gateway (select Credit Card in the payment page), then it is not categorized as Departmental Store and you won't get the cash back in case of Manhattan. However if you use their HDFC Bank gateway (select Debit Card) then it is categorized correctly and you will get the cashback.

Same thing with Cinemax India (one is Movie Tickets and the other Entertainment) although I am not sure which gateway is categorized correctly. Didn't get cashback on my Axis card because of this, have emailed the bank anyway for a manual cashback! :P

@agantuk
 
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Regarding american express gold card, is there some offer that if you use your card for x amount or x times in first month, you will get y points?
Why I am asking is because my card is not yet delivered (its been a month), but it has started working from backend. So my first month offers would have been lapsed.
 
dragonball said:
Regarding american express gold card, is there some offer that if you use your card for x amount or x times in first month, you will get y points?
Why I am asking is because my card is not yet delivered (its been a month), but it has started working from backend. So my first month offers would have been lapsed.
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yes 4 times each time for 250 bucks and above gets you a 1000 points
 
Get icici card register both cards or link them with you payback they have a good options for points on every purchase you make online on there partner site as well as on others sites too
As well as offline
 
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