STANDARD-CHARTERED

Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card

Good fit for everyday cashback on regular spend — ₹499 annual fee.

Top reasons to choose this card

2% on online shopping
₹1.2L fee waiver

What you'd do with it

Works when a ₹499 annual fee is acceptable for the accelerated earn rates.

Suggested comparison Similar tier comparison Compare with Axis Bank ACE →

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Annual fee ₹499 per year

Forex markup 3.5% high

Lounge access 0 no lounge

Base cashback 2% up to · on Online shopping

The catch Forex markup is 3.5%, so this can get expensive for frequent international spends.

Welcome benefit timing may vary
Fee waiver available
Welcome benefit listed
Annual fee known
Forex markup known

At a glance

Snapshot · usage · fit

Fast facts

Annual fee: ₹499 lower than 74 of 112 cards
Joining fee: ₹0
Forex markup: 3.5% the standard rate (matches 66 cards)
Lounge access: No complimentary lounge access
Reward rate: Up to 2% on Online shopping

No fuel surcharge waiver is available on this card.

Not a fit for

No domestic lounge access

Still worth it?

Evidence-backed snapshot

Good fit if

Annual fee is relatively low at ₹499.
Fee waiver applies at ₹1,20,000 annual spend.
Use this when online shopping spends are your main use case and the listed caps/exclusions still fit your usage.

Verify before applying

Annual fee known
Fee waiver available
Forex markup known
No lounge access
Welcome benefit listed
Welcome benefit timing may vary
Monthly interest known

Welcome benefit timing and claim process.
Annual fee waiver terms and eligible spend exclusions.
Issuer fees, GST, finance charges, and late-payment terms.
Reward limits
2% on Online shopping up to ₹50,000/month
1% on elsewhere up to ₹50,000/month
Fuel transactions excluded

Next best move

Open the ranking that matches your constraint, or compare this card with the closest alternative.

Compare with Axis Bank ACE Similar tier comparison Forex ranking (verified) Compared on verified forex markup, then annual fee. Cards under ₹1,000 annual fee Lower-fee options in the current snapshot.

Is this good for lounge access?

No lounge access.

Is this good for international spends?

Forex markup is 3.5%, so frequent international spends may be costly.

Is the annual fee easy to recover?

Fee waiver applies at ₹1,20,000 annual spend. Verify eligible spend exclusions before counting on it.

When do welcome benefits arrive?

Issuer lists a welcome benefit Extended interest-free period for the first 90 days. Included items: Standard Chartered Smart. Timing may depend on joining fee payment, card activation, first eligible transaction, or issuer processing.

Fees confidence: High Forex confidence: High Rewards confidence: High · issuer terms Lounge confidence: High Waiver confidence: High

Card facts refreshed 11 July 2026.

Spending requirements

Spend gates · caps · milestone thresholds

Annual fee waiver₹1,20,000yearAnnual fee waiverreasonablestrong

Watch outs

Before choosing this card

Forex markup is 3.5%, so frequent international spends may be costly.

Reward reality

Point value · limits · exclusions

Verified value₹1 per pointCashback

Best verified laneOnline shopping2%

Limits/capsOnline shopping: up to ₹50,000 per month; excess not counted unless source allows fallback; General spend: up to ₹50,000 per month; excess not counted unless source allows fallback

Exclusions/no-earnThese spends do not earn cashback: Fuel and Cash advances.

Reward rules

Structured earn rates · eligibility · caps when they bind

Online shopping2%online onlyup to ₹50,000 per month; excess not counted unless source allows fallback

General spend1%Applies to eligible offline transactions; cashback is capped at client level …up to ₹50,000 per month; excess not counted unless source allows fallback

Estimated usage

Example usage at this monthly spend

₹

At this monthly spend, you'd earn: ~₹500/month back (base earn · uses base/general earn rate)
~₹6,000/year back · net +₹5,500 after ₹499 fee
Fee waiver achievable at this spend
Forex cost ~₹1,750 per ₹50k international spend

Illustrative only, using current base rates and snapshot data.

Benefits & charges

Side-by-side facts

Benefits

Lounge Access

Domestic (cardholder): No complimentary lounge access
International (cardholder): Not included

Rewards

Base cashback: 1%
Reward type: Cashback

Redemption value

You earn: Cashback
Cashback: ₹1.00 per point

Fees & charges

Fees

Monthly interest rate: 3.75% / month
Annual fee: ₹499
Joining fee: ₹0 · verified 5 Jul 2026
Fee waiver spend: ₹1,20,000 · verified 5 Jul 2026 Below catalog median waiver (₹2,00,000 vs ₹1,20,000).
Interest-free period: Up to 90 days

International Use

Forex markup: 3.5%

2 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying

Where to verify

CardInsider
Operator-verified anchor
Issuer site (verify current terms) (opens in new tab)
Product tier: Entry-level