Collection · 17 cards · updated 2026-09-19
Lifetime-free credit cards in India
No joining fee and no renewal fee, ever. Scored in rupees for the profile below – set up yours to re-rank.
Lifetime-free cards (Sept 2026): 17 of 119 cards qualify – no joining fee and no renewal fee, ever. Best of them for this profile: AU Small Finance Bank LIT (score 80, ₹6,439 net a year), then Scapia Federal Bank.
Standard profile
Scored for Typical Indian cardholder · ₹32k/monthBills paid in full · first-year offers shown separately · set up your profile to score cards for your own spend
Top 3
Federal Bank× ScapiaVisa
Scapia Federal Bank
Net savings₹5,573/yr
Savings rate1.7%
Annual feeFree for life
Lounge✈∞ dom
✓ Base rate 2% on other spends earns you about ₹4,133 a year on ₹2,06,640 of spend.
ICICI Bank× Amazon PayVisa
Amazon Pay ICICI Bank
Net savings₹4,742/yr
Savings rate1.5%
Annual feeFree for life
Lounge✈ none
✓ Base rate 1% on other spends earns you about ₹2,006 a year on ₹2,00,640 of spend.
All 17 lifetime-free cards
| # | Card | Score | Net savings / yr | Why it is free | Annual fee | Lounge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LITAU Small Finance Bank | 80/100 | ₹6,439 2.0% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | 4 domestic/yr |
| 2 | Scapia Federal BankFederal Bank | 66/100 | ₹5,573 1.7% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr; digital onboarding | Free for life | unlimited domestic/yr |
| 3 | Amazon Pay ICICI BankICICI Bank | 62/100 | ₹4,742 1.5% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr; instant issuance for many Amazon users | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 4 |  Burgundy PrivateAxis Bank | 56/100 | ₹4,000 1.2% rate | Burgundy Private relationship (₹5Cr+) | Free for life | unlimited domestic + unlimited international/yr |
| 5 |  FIRST WealthIDFC FIRST Bank | 54/100 | ₹2,247 0.7% rate | Income ₹36L+/yr (often offered to existing customers) | Free for life | 8 domestic + 8 international/yr |
| 6 |  FIRST SelectIDFC FIRST Bank | 54/100 | ₹2,247 0.7% rate | Income ₹12L+/yr | Free for life | 8 domestic/yr |
| 7 |  TigerIndusInd Bank | 45/100 | ₹2,936 0.9% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 8 |  FIRST WOWIDFC FIRST Bank | 41/100 | ₹2,307 0.7% rate | Fixed deposit of ₹5,000+; no income proof | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 9 |  PinnacleIndusInd Bank | 40/100 | ₹3,920 1.2% rate | Income ₹18L+/yr | Free for life | 0 domestic + 4 international/yr |
| 10 |  FIRST ClassicIDFC FIRST Bank | 40/100 | ₹2,247 0.7% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 11 |  HSBC Visa PlatinumHSBC | 38/100 | ₹1,986 0.6% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 12 |  Kiwi (Yes Bank RuPay)Yes Bank | 37/100 | ₹3,036 0.8% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 13 |  Uni CardUni (Yes Bank RuPay) | 37/100 | ₹3,036 0.8% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 14 |  811 #DreamDifferentKotak Mahindra Bank | 37/100 | ₹1,710 0.5% rate | Fixed deposit of ₹5,000+; no income proof | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 15 |  LegendIndusInd Bank | 36/100 | ₹1,816 0.6% rate | Income ₹8L+/yr; LTF often via offers | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 16 |  Jupiter Edge CSB BankCSB Bank | 34/100 | ₹2,581 0.7% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
| 17 |  OneCardOneCard (SBM / partner banks) | 26/100 | ₹1,265 0.4% rate | Income ₹3L+/yr | Free for life | No lounge access |
Ranked by the open CardLens engine: rewards at realistic redemption value + milestones + waivers − fee incl. 18% GST − forex, for the spend profile stated above. Figures are estimates from public issuer terms – verify on the issuer page before applying. How the score works →
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Frequently asked questions
Which lifetime-free credit card is best?
AU Small Finance Bank LIT scores highest among lifetime-free cards for the standard profile, followed by Scapia Federal Bank. “Lifetime free” means no joining or renewal fee; some are free only on offer or with a fixed deposit, which the table notes.
Are these scores the same as on the card pages?
Scores depend only on the profile, never on filters. This page uses a profile tuned to the collection (stated above), so scores can differ from the standard-profile ones on /cards.