Cashback SBI Card review

SBI Card · Visa · cashback Official sources Checked 30 Oct 2026

At a glance

Annual fee: ₹999
Joining fee: ₹999
Fee waiver: ₹2,00,000 a year
Base return: 1% base
Point value: ₹1 per point
Domestic lounge: None found
International lounge: None found

Estimated net value a year

Profile	Net	% of spend
First card, light spender ₹15k a month	₹3,055	1.7%
Metro salaried ₹60k a month	₹16,656	2.3%
Family household ₹80k a month	₹17,280	1.8%
Frequent flyer ₹1.5L a month	₹34,584	1.9%
Online shopper ₹50k a month	₹21,576	3.6%
Rent-heavy ₹90k a month	₹12,216	1.1%

Fee maths: The ₹999 annual fee is waived at ₹2,00,000 a year of eligible spend, about ₹16,700 a month. Of our 6 profiles, 5 clear it; on first card, light spender you would pay the fee, which is 25% (₹4,054) of what that profile earns before the fee. On our 6 profiles it nets from ₹3,055 (first card, light spender) to ₹34,584 (frequent flyer), equal to 1.1% to 3.6% of spend across the profiles. Without a waiver, the metro salaried category mix earns back the fee from about ₹4,000 a month of total spend.

After fees and caps, best-case redemption. Use your own spend.

Our take: Best suited to people who shop online most of the time: 5% on online spends up to a ₹2,000 monthly cashback cap, and 1% offline. The exclusion list is long (utilities, fuel, rent, insurance, wallets and more), so check your own mix before counting on the headline.

From the card's terms: strengths

Capped category-wide rate: about 5% on Amazon, Flipkart, other online shopping
Up to about 5% at partner merchants, subject to caps

Reward rates and caps

Spend category	Points per ₹100	Value per ₹100	Cap	Notes
Groceries, Dining & food delivery, Flights & hotels, Entertainment & OTT	5	₹5	₹2,000 a month	5% applies when these are bought online; we assume 40% of this spend is online (offline earns 1%).
Amazon, Flipkart, Other online shopping	5	₹5	₹2,000 a month	5% on ALL online spends (any online merchant; same 5% also applies to online groceries/dining/travel/entertainment). Cap ₹2,000 per statement cycle for online (official SBI notice, eff. 1 Apr 2026). Offline/POS spends earn 1% with a separate ₹2,000 cap; total max ₹4,000/cycle.
Everything else, Groceries, Dining & food delivery, Flights & hotels, Entertainment & OTT	1	₹1	₹2,000 a month	1% on offline (POS at merchant outlets); separate ₹2,000 per cycle cap. Online spend in these categories earns 5% instead (see online rule).
Bills & utilities, Fuel, Rent	0	₹0	No cap found	Excluded: utility, insurance, fuel, rent, wallet, school/education, jewellery, railways, Merchant EMI/Flexipay EMI; from 1 Apr 2026 also digital gaming (MCC 7993/7994/5816), tolls (4784), government (9222/9311/9402).

Point value: Cashback auto-credited to statement; 1 point = ₹1. Caps expressed in rupees.

Excluded or reduced

utilities
insurance
fuel
rent
wallet loads
education
jewellery
railways
EMI transactions
digital gaming
tolls
government payments

Other benefits

Welcome: None confirmed.
Renewal: Annual fee waiver on ₹2 lakh spend.
1% fuel surcharge waiver (cap ₹100/month; aggregator)
Forex markup 3.5% (aggregator)

Eligibility

Salaried / self-employed; standard SBI Card income and KYC norms (details not verified). not confirmed in an issuer document: check the application page

Reported rule changes

1 May 2026: SBI Card: late payment charge bands revised from 1 May 2026 official
1 Apr 2026: SBI Card Cashback: caps and exclusions from 1 April 2026 official

Where it ranks

#1 in Best credit cards for online shopping
#2 in Best cashback credit cards
#3 in Best first credit cards

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FAQ

What is the annual fee of the Cashback SBI Card?

₹999 a year, waived at ₹2,00,000 annual spend. Fees exclude 18% GST.

How do Cashback SBI Card rewards work?

1% base, up to 5% on Amazon/Flipkart/other online shopping. Cashback auto-credited to statement; 1 point = ₹1. Caps expressed in rupees.

Does the Cashback SBI Card give airport lounge access?

We did not find lounge access on this card in the sources we checked.

Who is the Cashback SBI Card best suited to?

Best suited to people who shop online most of the time: 5% on online spends up to a ₹2,000 monthly cashback cap, and 1% offline. The exclusion list is long (utilities, fuel, rent, insurance, wallets and more), so check your own mix before counting on the headline. The ₹999 annual fee is waived at ₹2,00,000 a year of eligible spend, about ₹16,700 a month. Of our 6 profiles, 5 clear it; on first card, light spender you would pay the fee, which is 25% (₹4,054) of what that profile earns before the fee. On our 6 profiles it nets from ₹3,055 (first card, light spender) to ₹34,584 (frequent flyer), equal to 1.1% to 3.6% of spend across the profiles.