Can I get a credit card with ₹25k salary? Which bank will approve?

Question

Hi, I'm Deepa, working as a junior executive in Kochi, take-home salary is around ₹25,000 per month. I've been trying to get a credit card for the past 3 months but keep getting rejected. Tried HDFC and Axis directly but both said my income is too low or I don't have enough credit history. I'm 24 years old, this is my first job, no loans, no existing cards. I need a card mainly for online shopping and maybe travel bookings — not for spending beyond my means. My salary gets credited to a Kotak 811 account. Colleague told me to try a secured card against FD but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or if it'll affect my CIBIL. Honestly just confused about where to even start. Is ₹25k salary too less for a credit card in India? Which banks are more lenient? Any specific cards I'd recommend applying for?

Answer 1

Honestly, ₹25k salary is not a dealbreaker at all. Banks are just being cautious because you have zero credit history, that's the real issue — not the salary number.

Here's what actually works in your situation:

**Go the FD-backed card route first.** This is genuinely the smartest move for someone starting out. It does NOT hurt your CIBIL — in fact it builds it. You put a fixed deposit, say ₹20,000–₹25,000, and the bank gives you a credit card with a limit that's usually 80-90% of the FD amount. You use the card, pay bills on time, and within 12-18 months your credit score goes from zero to 750+.

Best options right now:
- **SBI Card Unnati** — FD-backed, very easy approval, no joining fee
- **HDFC MoneyBack against FD** — since you already bank with Kotak, try **Kotak 811 #DreamDifferent Card** — it's literally designed for 811 account holders, low income threshold, and approval is much smoother since your salary already goes there
- **ICICI Coral against FD** — decent rewards for online shopping

The thing most people get wrong here is they keep applying at multiple banks in quick succession. Every hard inquiry drops your CIBIL score a little. Three rejections in 3 months means your score might already have some hits. Stop applying randomly right now.

Instead, do this: Apply for the Kotak credit card first since you already have a salary account there — internal customers get faster approvals and sometimes salary-based cards even at ₹25k. If they still say no, do the FD route with SBI or ICICI.

Use the card only for 20-30% of the limit, pay the full amount before due date — not minimum due, full amount. Do this for a year and banks like HDFC and Axis will be chasing you with upgrade offers.

Start with Kotak or SBI FD card. One application, wait for the result, don't shotgun it.

Answer 2

Rajan's advice is mostly solid but I'd push back on one thing — don't lock your money in an FD just to get a credit card if you don't have much savings to begin with at ₹25k salary.

Here's a different angle: **look at entry-level cards that don't require FD at all.**

IDFC FIRST Classic card has one of the lowest income requirements in the market — some people report getting it at ₹20k–₹25k salary. Zero annual fee, decent rewards on online spends. Worth a direct try.

Also, **OneCard** (metal card, app-based) specifically targets young professionals with thin credit files. Their algorithm looks beyond just salary slips. Amazon Pay ICICI card is another one — if you shop on Amazon at all, approval rates are higher because it's a co-branded card and they want the spending ecosystem.

My honest take: an FD card is fine, but you're essentially paying opportunity cost — that ₹20k–₹25k FD money could be sitting in a liquid mutual fund giving you 6-7% returns instead of an FD at 4-5% where you can't touch it freely.

That said, if you've already been rejected twice, your credit profile has some inquiry marks. In that case, Rajan is right — the FD route becomes more practical now since banks will see those rejections.

Check your CIBIL score free on the CIBIL website or through Paytm first. If it shows 'NH' or '-1' it just means no history, not bad history — that actually helps with some of these new-age card issuers.

Try IDFC FIRST or OneCard first. If rejected, then go FD route. Don't waste your savings unnecessarily.