Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card Review: 2% Online, ₹499 Fee
The Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card gives 2% back on online spends up to ₹1,000 in each statement cycle and 1% on everything else that qualifies, up to ₹500. The ₹499 plus GST fee is waived in year one for new Standard Chartered card customers and reversed later at ₹1,20,000 of yearly spend, but cashback must be redeemed on a portal from a ₹2,500 balance.
Key facts
- Joining fee
- ₹499 + GST
- Annual fee
- ₹499 + GST. Renewal fee reversed for spends of Rs 1,20,000 or more in the preceding year. First-year fee of Rs 499 + GST waived as a special offer for new SC credit card customers.
- Base reward
- 1% cashback on other (offline) spends, up to Rs 500 per statement cycle (about 1% value)
- Best category
- Online spends: about 2% value
- Lounge
- Domestic: None listed International: None listed
- Forex markup
- 3.5% of the amount
- Network
- Visa
Opens the bank's own page for this card. Approval and the credit limit are the bank's decision.
In short
A low-fee starter card for steady online spenders who will remember to redeem, though the ₹2,500 redemption floor and per-cycle caps make it weaker than the 2% headline suggests.
Best for
- Newer card users who shop online across many sites rather than one marketplace
- Spenders who reach ₹10,000 a month and so get the renewal fee reversed
- New Standard Chartered card customers, who get the first-year fee waived
Skip it if
- You need lounge access, a low forex markup or fuel benefits
- You already hold a Standard Chartered credit card
- You want cashback credited automatically every month
Highlights
- 2% cashback online, up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle
- 1% on other spends, up to ₹500 per statement cycle
- Fee ₹499 plus GST, first year waived for new Standard Chartered card customers
- Renewal fee reversed at ₹1,20,000 of yearly spend
- Redemption from ₹2,500, in multiples of ₹1,000
What the Smart card does, in plain terms
Standard Chartered's Smart Credit Card is a Visa card that give cash back at two rates: 2% on online spends and 1% on other eligible spends. It is a entry-level card at ₹499 plus GST a year, open for new applications, and the bank publishes no income figure beyond asking for a stable monthly income.
It fits someone who buys online across food apps, travel sites, electronics stores and subscriptions, and keep total card spend near ₹10,000 a month or more. People who want perks should look elsewhere, as there is no lounge access listed, no fuel waiver and a 3.5% forex markup.
Three points that decide its value
- Small caps, per statement cycle. Online cashback stops at ₹1,000, reached at ₹50,000 of online spend (₹1,000 / 2%), and offline at ₹500, reached at ₹50,000 offline (₹500 / 1%).
- No auto-credit. Cashback sits on the Rewards 360 portal, and since 1 May 2024 you can redeem only once the balance is reaching ₹2,500, in multiples of ₹1,000.
- An easy fee. New Standard Chartered card customers get the first year waived, and the ₹499 renewal fee is reversed when spends in the preceding year are ₹1,20,000 or more.
Changes since 2024
From 1 May 2024 the redemption floor rose to ₹2,500 in multiples of ₹1,000, from a ₹1,000 minimum in multiples of ₹500, and the same date the bank moved late fees on all its cards to slabs by statement balance. From 21 August 2024 the caps apply at client level, so a supplementary card shares your ₹1,000 and ₹500 rather than getting its own. Standard Chartered's other cards are on our Standard Chartered credit cards page.
Fees and charges on the Smart card
The first-year fee is ₹499 plus GST, but Standard Chartered waive it as a special offer for new customers, meaning people who don't already hold one of its credit cards. From year two the renewal fee is ₹499 plus GST, or ₹588.82 at 18% (₹499 plus ₹89.82). Supplementary cards are free.
The renewal fee is reversed when spends in the preceding year are ₹1,20,000 or more, which is ₹10,000 a month (₹1,20,000 / 12). Most people using it as their main card will cross that, and below it the ₹588.82 come out of your cashback.
Interest and the first 90 days
Interest is 3.75% a month, annualised to 45%. For the first 90 days the card offer an extended interest-free period if you pay the minimum due, and a 3-month EMI at 0.99% a month with no processing fee. Use both as a short cushion, not a reason to carry balance.
Late payment slabs (from 1 May 2024)
The late fee climbs with your statement balance: nothing on a balance up to ₹100, then ₹100 for ₹101 to ₹500, ₹500 for ₹501 to ₹5,000, ₹700 for ₹5,001 to ₹10,000, and ₹1,200 once the balance is above ₹10,000. Let two or more consecutive months pass without paying the Minimum Amount Due and another ₹100 is added. That minimum itself works out as the largest of three things: 5% of what you owe, ₹250, or your instalments, interest, fees and over-limit amount plus 1% of principal.
Other charges
- ATM cash: 3%, minimum ₹300, with 3.75% monthly interest from the transaction date.
- Overseas transactions: 3.5%. Rent (MCC 6513): 1% processing fee plus taxes, since 2 April 2023.
- Petrol: a surcharge of ₹10 or 1%, whichever is higher, and no waiver is listed; railway: ₹25 or 2.5%.
- Going over the limit: 2.5% of the excess, with ₹500 a time as the floor.
- Cash payment at a branch ₹299, cheque bounce ₹500, and a paper statement ₹99 a month when you get both paper and e-statement.
Standard Chartered's tariff, as read, carry no wallet-load, utility or education charge for Smart. GST is extra on all charges.
SC Smart: fees and charges
| Joining fee | ₹499 + GST |
|---|---|
| Annual or renewal fee | ₹499 + GST |
| Annual fee waiver | Renewal fee reversed for spends of Rs 1,20,000 or more in the preceding year. First-year fee of Rs 499 + GST waived as a special offer for new SC credit card customers. |
| Add-on card fee | Nil |
| GST | Charged on top of the fees and charges listed |
| In the bank’s words | Joining / First Year Fee of INR 499 + GST waived as a Special Offer (Not applicable for existing SCB credit card holders). Renewal INR 499 + GST. Supplementary cards free. |
| Interest on unpaid balances | Up to 3.75% a month (45% a year) |
| Late payment fee | Rs 0 if statement balance up to Rs 100; Rs 100 for Rs 101 to Rs 500; Rs 500 for Rs 501 to Rs 5,000; Rs 700 for Rs 5,001 to Rs 10,000; Rs 1,200 above Rs 10,000 (w.e.f. 1 May 2024); plus Rs 100 if the Minimum Amount Due is missed for 2 or more consecutive months |
| Cash withdrawal | ATM withdrawals: 3% of the amount, minimum Rs 300; interest 3.75% a month from the date of transaction |
| Over-limit fee | Rs 500 per instance or 2.5% of the over-limit amount (minimum Rs 500) |
| Forex markup | 3.5% of the amount |
| Other fees |
|
How Smart's cashback adds up
Online spends earn 2%, up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle, and other spends, in practice card swipes and taps at shops, earn 1%, up to ₹500. So most you can ever earn is ₹1,500 a cycle (₹1,000 plus ₹500), whatever you spend.
The product terms put the cap per statement cycle, though the card page says per month; for most people the two is close enough anyway. Since 21 August 2024 it counts at client level, so you and your supplementary cardholder share one ₹1,000 online limit and one ₹500 offline limit.
What doesn't earn
No cashback on fuel, cash advances, fees and finance charges, or returned and disputed transactions. Bill payments through BillDesk or StanChart Bill Pay also earn nothing, except telecom and utility billers for electricity, water and gas, which still earn.
Redeeming, and the ₹2,500 hurdle
You redeem on the Rewards 360 portal, where ₹1 of cashback is ₹1, but only from a ₹2,500 balance and in multiples of ₹1,000; the money reach your card within 3 working days. The tariff lists a ₹99 handling charge on reward redemption, and the bank doesn't say if it applies to cashback. It also doesn't say whether cashback expires, so redeem when you can. The only welcome benefit is the waived first-year fee, and there are no milestones.
Three worked examples
Each takes a month as one statement cycle, with 2% online up to ₹1,000, 1% offline up to ₹500 and nothing on fuel.
| Monthly spend | Light: ₹8,000 | Typical: ₹25,000 | Heavy: ₹70,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online spends at 2% | ₹5,000 | ₹15,000 | ₹55,000 |
| Offline spends at 1% | ₹3,000 | ₹8,000 | ₹12,000 |
| Fuel (no cashback) | ₹0 | ₹2,000 | ₹3,000 |
| Online cashback | ₹100 | ₹300 | ₹1,000 (capped from ₹1,100) |
| Offline cashback | ₹30 | ₹80 | ₹120 |
| Cashback a month | ₹130 | ₹380 | ₹1,120 |
| Cashback a year | ₹1,560 | ₹4,560 | ₹13,440 |
| Renewal fee with GST | ₹588.82 | Reversed | Reversed |
| Net a year from year two | ₹971.18 | ₹4,560 | ₹13,440 |
Light, ₹8,000 a month. ₹5,000 online earns ₹100 and ₹3,000 at shops earns ₹30: ₹130 a month, ₹1,560 a year. A year is ₹96,000 (₹8,000 x 12), short of ₹1,20,000, so from year two the ₹588.82 fee leaves ₹971.18 (₹1,560 minus ₹588.82). Worse, the balance only reach ₹2,500 in the 20th month (₹130 x 20 = ₹2,600), so nothing can be redeemed in year one.
Typical, ₹25,000 a month. ₹15,000 online gives ₹300 and ₹8,000 offline gives ₹80, while ₹2,000 of fuel gives nothing: ₹380 a month, ₹4,560 a year, with the fee reversed. The balance passes ₹2,500 in month seven (₹380 x 7 = ₹2,660), when you can redeem ₹2,000 and carry ₹660 forward.
Heavy, ₹70,000 a month. ₹55,000 online would earn ₹1,100, but the cap stops it at ₹1,000, and ₹12,000 offline adds ₹120: ₹1,120 a month, ₹13,440 a year, or 1.6% of spend (₹1,120 / ₹70,000). Past ₹50,000 online in a cycle the extra online spend earn nothing, so a heavy spender need a second card.
SC Smart: higher-reward categories
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Online spends | 2% cashback, about 2% value | Maximum Rs 1,000 cashback per statement cycle, ₹1,000, statement cycle |
SC Smart: how rewards work
| Earned as | Cashback (redeemed through the Rewards 360 portal) |
|---|---|
| Base rate | 1% cashback on other (offline) spends, up to Rs 500 per statement cycle. About 1% value back |
| Minimum spend rules | Not published by the bank |
| No rewards on |
|
| Lower rewards on |
|
| Value of a point |
|
| Redemption fee | Not stated for cashback (tariff lists Rs 99 reward redemption handling charge) |
| Expiry | Not stated |
| Welcome benefits |
|
| Milestone benefits | None published |
| Lounge access | Domestic: None listed International: None listed |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | No waiver listed; petrol surcharge Rs 10 or 1%; fuel earns no cashback |
| Insurance cover | Not listed |
Who can get the Smart card and how
Standard Chartered asks that you are 21 to 65, salaried or self-employed, with a stable monthly income; it publishes no minimum figure. Your home has to be in a city where the bank sources credit cards, and every application go through credit and policy checks.
Documents
- Identity proof (passport, voter ID or a government ID) and PAN card.
- Address proof such as a driving licence, Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, NPR letter or NREGA job card.
- One recent passport-size photograph.
- Salaried: latest one month salary slip. Self-employed businessmen: recent income tax returns with the income computation, or certified financials, plus proof the business is running; professionals: tax returns and the same continuity proof.
How to apply
The Smart card page has no online apply link. It sends you to a branch or the contact centre instead, reachable on 080-49248444, 044-47628444, or 66014444 after your local STD code, between 8 am and 8 pm. So expect a assisted application, not an app sign-up.
What the bank weighs
With no income floor published, the bank's own checks carries more weight. Under the RBI's 2025 Directions it must assess your independent financial means and take into account the credit limits other lenders have already given you. If you have no credit history, a bureau like CRIF may show "NH" (no history) instead of a score, giving the bank less to go on. A refusal must come with reasons in writing, and the decision is the bank's alone.
SC Smart: eligibility and documents
| Age (salaried) | 21 to 65 years |
|---|---|
| Age (self-employed) | 21 to 65 years |
| Income (salaried) | Stable monthly income (no figure published) |
| Income (self-employed) | Stable monthly income (no figure published) |
| Other conditions | Must live in the bank's credit card sourcing cities; subject to credit and policy checks |
| Documents |
|
| How to apply | Online for some cards (Platinum Rewards, with video KYC) at sc.bank.in; for Smart, Ultimate and Rewards the card pages say 'Visit nearest branch or call contact center'. Cards only in the bank's credit card sourcing cities. |
| Card customer care | Personal banking helpline 66014444 (prefix local STD code) / 080-49248444 / 044-47628444, 8 am to 8 pm; toll free 1800 258 6465 to report unauthorised transactions |
These are the bank's published conditions. Meeting them does not guarantee a card: approval and the credit limit are the bank's decision.
Who the Smart card suits, and its trade-offs
Smart works best for a newer card user who spend mostly online, across many sites, and keeps card spend somewhere between ₹10,000 and ₹50,000 a month. In that range the 2% rarely hits the cap, the fee is reversed, and at about ₹25,000 a month the ₹2,500 redemption floor comes round in well under a year.
The weak points is the plumbing. Cashback waits on a portal until you redeem, the ₹99 handling charge may or may not apply, and expiry isn't stated. There's no lounge, no fuel waiver and a 3.5% markup, so it's a poor travel companion, and offline spend earns half the online rate under a ₹500 cap.
Skip it if you already hold a Standard Chartered credit card and won't get the first year free, if fuel is your biggest spend, or if one marketplace with its own co-brand card gets most of your money. Online spenders above ₹50,000 a cycle will also hit the ₹1,000 cap and leave money on table. For them, pairing Smart with a second card that has a bigger online cap is the more sensible setup.
Pros
- 2% cashback on online spends across merchants, up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle
- Low fee of ₹499 plus GST, waived in year one for new Standard Chartered card customers
- Renewal fee reversed at ₹1,20,000 of yearly spend, about ₹10,000 a month
- Free supplementary cards
- Telecom, electricity, water and gas bills paid through BillDesk or StanChart Bill Pay still earn
- Extended interest-free period in the first 90 days if the minimum due is paid, and a 3-month EMI at 0.99% a month with no processing fee
Cons
- Cashback must be redeemed on Rewards 360, only from a ₹2,500 balance and in multiples of ₹1,000
- Offline spends earn just 1%, capped at ₹500 per statement cycle
- Supplementary cards share the caps since 21 August 2024
- No lounge access, no fuel surcharge waiver and a 3.5% forex markup
- No online apply link, so you apply through a branch or the contact centre
- No published minimum income, and cashback expiry is not stated
Smart compared with other online cashback cards
All three cards below reward online spends and charge less than ₹1,000 a year.
SBI Card CASHBACK
The CASHBACK SBI Card gives 5% on online spends and 1% on the rest, with a ₹2,000 ceiling on each per statement cycle, credited within two working days of the statement. The fee is ₹999, reversed at ₹2,00,000 a year. On ₹20,000 of monthly online spend it pays ₹1,000 against Smart's ₹400 (₹20,000 x 2%), so it is the stronger earner if you are able to clearing its higher waiver.
SimplyCLICK SBI Card
The SimplyCLICK SBI Card has the same ₹499 fee and a lower ₹1,00,000 waiver, but pays points: 10 per ₹100 at partners like Myntra, Swiggy and Cleartrip, 5 per ₹100 on other online spends up to 10,000 points a month, and 1 per ₹100 elsewhere, at ₹0.25 a point as statement credit. That is ₹2.50 per ₹100 at partners (10 x ₹0.25) and ₹1.25 on other online spends (5 x ₹0.25), so Smart's flat 2% wins off the partner list.
Flipkart Axis Bank
The Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card costs ₹500 and pays 5% on Flipkart and Cleartrip and 7.5% on Myntra, each capped at ₹4,000 per statement quarter, 4% at Swiggy, Uber and PVR, and 1% elsewhere with no cap. If Flipkart and Myntra are where you shop, very much benefit is there over Smart, but its waiver needs ₹3,50,000 a year.
Picking between them
Choose Smart for a low fee and spread-out online spends, SBI CASHBACK for bigger online spends that clear ₹2,00,000 a year, SimplyCLICK if you live on its partner sites, and Flipkart Axis if one marketplace gets most of your money. For food and bills, HSBC Live+ pays 10% up to ₹1,200 a month. The card finder and our credit cards hub can narrow it down.
SC Smart against similar cards
| Term | Smart Credit Card This card | CASHBACK SBI Card | SimplyCLICK SBI Card | Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank | Standard Chartered | SBI Card | SBI Card | Axis Bank |
| Joining fee | ₹499 + GST | ₹999 + GST | ₹499 + GST | ₹500 + GST |
| Annual fee and waiver | ₹499 + GST. Renewal fee reversed for spends of Rs 1,20,000 or more in the preceding year. First-year fee of Rs 499 + GST waived as a special offer for new SC credit card customers. | ₹999 + GST. Renewal Fee is reversed if annual spends for last year >= Rs. 2,00,000. | ₹499 + GST. Renewal Fee is reversed if annual spends for last year >= Rs. 1,00,000. | ₹500 + GST. Annual fee (2nd year onward) waived on spends of INR 3,50,000 in the preceding card anniversary year; rent and wallet loads (Key Fact Sheet: also gift cards) do not count; spends counted by posting date. |
| Base reward | 1% cashback on other (offline) spends, up to Rs 500 per statement cycle (about 1% value) | 1% cashback on offline (POS at merchant outlets) spends, max Rs (about 1% value) | 1 Reward Point per Rs. 100 on all other spends (about 0.25% value) | 1% cashback on other eligible spends, no cap (about 1% value) |
| Best category | Online spends: about 2% value | Online spends: about 5% value | Online spends with exclusive partners: Apollo 24x7, BookMyShow, Cleartrip, Domino's, GyFTR, IGP, Myntra, Netmeds, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Yatra: about 2.5% value | Myntra: about 7.5% value |
| Lounges | Domestic: None listed International: None listed | Domestic: None listed on card page International: None listed on card page | Domestic: None listed on card page International: None listed on card page | Domestic: None (4 complimentary domestic lounge visits discontinued from 20 June 2025) International: None |
| Forex markup | 3.5% of the amount | 3.5% of the amount | 3.5% of the amount | 3.5% of the amount |
| Network | Visa | Visa | Visa, Mastercard | Not stated by the bank |
| Published minimum income | Stable monthly income (no figure published) | Stable income; SBI Card says the specific minimum varies by card and does not... | Stable income; SBI Card says the specific minimum varies by card and does not... | Not stated on the card page |
| Status | Taking applications | Taking applications | Taking applications | Taking applications |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Standard Chartered Smart card free in the first year?
How much cashback does the Smart card give, and how do I redeem it?
What is the eligibility for the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card?
Does the Smart card have lounge access or low forex charges?
What changed on the Smart card's cashback rules in 2024?
Is the Smart card cashback cap monthly or per statement cycle?
Related
- Standard Chartered Credit Cards 2026: Smart, EaseMyTrip and Ultimate
- CASHBACK SBI Card Review: 5% Online Cashback and the 2026 Caps
- SimplyCLICK SBI Card Review: 10X Online Points for a ₹499 Fee
- Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card Review: Myntra 7.5%, Capped Cashback
- Credit Cards in India 2026: Choose by Spend, Know the Costs and Rules
Sources
- Standard Chartered Bank (India): Credit Card Fees & Charges - Tariffs and Charges; Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card Terms and Conditions; Smart Credit Card; Important Information Document - EaseMyTrip Credit Card (Card_RTOB_Ver_March2026); Phone Banking
Last verified: 5 November 2026
Written by Rashmi Mandana, reviewed by BankCreds Financial Experts
BankCreds does not sell cards or take applications. Fees and rewards change; the bank's own terms on the day you apply are what count, and approval is the bank's decision.