Best Credit Cards for Bill Payments in India

How to read this ranking

Bill-payment rewards have been cut across the market, so this list is short on strong options. HSBC Live+ leads by a wide margin (₹7,920 on utilities against ₹3,900 for the next card) because it still pays 10% on utilities, but inside its ₹1,200 monthly cap shared with groceries and shopping: this persona's ₹20,000 of eligible spend fills the cap, so the page splits it by spend, and if utilities were your only 10% spend the cap would cover up to ₹12,000 of bills a month. Axis ACE pays 5% on electricity, water, gas, LPG, broadband, DTH and mobile recharges only when paid through Google Pay (we assume half your bills), within a combined ₹500-per-statement cap shared with its 4% categories. Airtel Axis Bank is third on 25% back on Airtel bills paid through the Airtel Thanks app, capped at twice the base cashback you earn that cycle (we model ₹250 a month and assume 15% of your bills are Airtel), so it only helps if you pay Airtel bills in that app. Amazon Pay ICICI stopped paying on utility bills made outside Amazon from 11 October 2025, and SBI Cashback excludes utilities altogether.

Check the platform as well as the card, because several issuers charge a 1% fee on utility payments once a month or cycle passes a threshold: ₹20,000 at IDFC FIRST, ₹25,000 at Axis and IndusInd, ₹35,000 at Kotak, and ₹50,000 at HDFC, ICICI, SBI, RBL, AU and YES Bank. At HDFC and SBI the fee applies to the whole month's utility spend once the threshold is crossed, so ₹60,000 of bills costs ₹600, which can cancel the reward. Our persona's ₹10,000 of bills stays below every threshold; the thresholds and issuers are tabulated in the guide to these fees.

Figures come from the issuers' own terms as recorded on each card page (sources and check dates are listed there). Estimates, not offers.