Best card for
Best credit card for Airtel / Jio recharge
Which card to use for Airtel / Jio recharge in India - all 187 cards ranked
by what you actually get back on ₹1,000, after caps, exclusions and fees.
Top cardson ₹1,000
1
Airtel Axis Bank
Pay the bill through the Airtel Thanks app · 25% Airtel services · cap DYNAMIC: capped at 2X the base 1% cashback earned in the same cycle (zero base spends = zero 25% earn); ₹500 shown as a working ceiling
axis.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
₹250
25%
2
PhonePe SBI SELECT BLACK
Book it on PhonePe app · 10 RP/₹100 on PhonePe app: recharges, utilities, bills, travel (10% value) · cap 1,500 RP/calendar month (non-insurance)
sbicard.com · 22 Aug 2026
₹100
100 pts · 10%
3
Axis Burgundy Private
Pay directly
axis.bank.in · 21 Aug 2026
₹64
75 pts · 6.38%
4
FIRST Private
Pay directly
idfcfirstbank.com · 25 Sep 2026
₹60
60 pts · 6%
5
Axis ACE
Pay the bill through Google Pay · 5% bills via Google Pay · cap ₹500/statement COMBINED across the 5% GPay-bills and 4% Swiggy/Zomato/Ola buckets (bank worked example credits ₹500, not ₹650)
axisbank.com · 20 Aug 2026
₹50
5%
6
SBI Cashback Card
Pay directly · 5% all online spends · cap ₹2,000/cycle
sbicard.com · 20 Aug 2026
₹50
5%
7
HDFC Infinia Metal
Pay directly · Telecom: base rate capped 2,000 pts/month · cap 2,000 pts/calendar month
hdfc.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
₹30
30 pts · 3%
8
HDFC Diners Club Black Metal
Pay directly · Telecom: base rate capped 2,000 pts/month · cap 2,000 pts/calendar month
hdfc.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
₹30
30 pts · 3%
9
Biz Black Metal Edition Credit Card
Pay directly
hdfc.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
₹30
30 pts · 3%
10
ICICI Emeralde Private Metal
Pay directly
icicibank.com · 20 Aug 2026
₹30
30 pts · 3%
Best with no annual fee3
1
Scapia (Federal Bank)
Pay directly
federal.bank.in · 20 Aug 2026
₹20
100 pts · 2%
2
Pinnacle Credit Card
Pay directly · 2.5 pts / Rs 100 on e-commerce transactions
indusind.bank.in · 30 Sep 2026
₹19
25 pts · 1.88%
3
RuPay Platinum
Pay directly
hsbc.co.in · 30 Sep 2026
₹11
12 pts · 1.07%
Cards that earn nothing here25
Axis Magnus
Utility & telecom excluded (current category list).
axis.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
Flipkart Axis Bank
Utility & telecom grouped in the exclusion category list.
campaign.axis.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
Axis Atlas
Utilities and telecom grouped as excluded.
axis.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
Axis Magnus for Burgundy
Utility & telecom excluded (current category list).
axis.bank.in · 22 Aug 2026
Axis MY Zone
Utility & Telecom, Rent, Wallet, Government spends, Insurance, Gold & Jewellery and Fuel earn no rewards
axis.bank.in · 25 Sep 2026
Axis Select
Insurance, rent, fuel, educational services, utilities & telecom, wallet, gold/jewellery, government services, gift cards and bridge/road/toll fees earn no EDGE REWARD points
axis.bank.in · 25 Sep 2026
Axis Horizon
Transportation & tolls, utilities and telecom, insurance, educational institutions, government institutions, wallet/gift cards, rent and fuel earn no EDGE Miles
axis.bank.in · 25 Sep 2026
Axis Rewards
Transportation & tolls, utility and certain telecom, insurance, educational institutions, government institutions, wallet/wire transfer, rent and fuel MCCs earn no reward points
axis.bank.in · 25 Sep 2026
Axis Bank Neo
No EDGE REWARD points on utilities and telecom, education, insurance, government, wallet loads, rent, fuel, gold and jewellery, or gift cards.
axis.bank.in · 1 Oct 2026
Axis Bank Supermoney RuPay Credit Card
Telecom and purchases converted to EMI earn no cashback.
axis.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
Kotak Air+ Prime
Telecom earns nothing.
kotak.bank.in · 21 Aug 2026
Kotak Air
Telecom earns nothing.
kotak.bank.in · 21 Aug 2026
Kotak Air+
Utility and telecom spends earn nothing.
kotak.bank.in · 21 Sep 2026
Kotak Solitaire Credit Card
No Air Miles on rent, wallet, fuel, utility/telecom, insurance, education, government (except tax payments), digital gaming, and international spends.
kotak.bank.in · 30 Sep 2026
IRCTC BOBCARD
No reward points on telecom bill payments (MCC 4814).
media.bobcard.co.in · 25 Sep 2026
CUB CSK RuPay Platinum Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB SRH RuPay Platinum Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB CSK Master Platinum Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB SRH Master Platinum Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB CSK Master World Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB SRH Master World Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB Kavach RuPay Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CUB Kavach Master Credit Card
Utilities and Telecom spends (MCC 4800-4999) earn no Reward Points.
cityunionbank.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
CSB Bank Edge+ Credit Card
Jewels are not awarded on telecommunications or pay-TV transactions (MCC 4814, 4899).
csb.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
Edge CSB Bank Credit Card
Jewels are not awarded on telecommunications or pay-TV transactions (MCC 4814, 4899).
csb.bank.in · 2 Oct 2026
Questions
Which credit card is best for Airtel / Jio recharge?
Airtel Axis Bank is the best card for Airtel / Jio recharge. It nets ₹250 on a ₹1,000 spend. Pay the bill through the Airtel Thanks app.
Which cards give nothing on Airtel / Jio recharge?
25 of the cards we track earn nothing on Airtel / Jio recharge, including Axis Magnus, Flipkart Axis Bank, Axis Atlas, Axis Magnus for Burgundy, Axis MY Zone and 20 more.
Is a gift voucher better than paying directly for Airtel / Jio recharge?
Buying a gift voucher first (Airtel Axis Bank, Pay the bill through the Airtel Thanks app) nets ₹250 on ₹1,000, more than paying directly with Axis Burgundy Private (₹64).