Credit cards for a ₹40,000 monthly salary
Every card below states a monthly income requirement of ₹40,000or lower in the issuer's own published criteria. Clearing the stated floor satisfies the income criterion only; every other issuer rule still applies.
Short answer
Moving from ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 a month unlocks 5 cards that ₹30,000 does not reach: American Express SmartEarn, PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo, HDFC Bank Millennia, IndusInd Bank EazyDiner. 28 issuer-verified Indian credit cards publish a monthly income requirement of ₹40,000 or lower, so a salary of ₹40,000 clears their stated income floor. 4 of them carry no annual fee, starting with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank (via super.money / Flipkart group) super.money superCard (FD-secured). A published income floor is only one gate: issuers also weigh age, employment, credit history, existing obligations, recent applications and their own internal rules, and approval remains entirely at their discretion. A further 43 tracked cards publish no income cutoff at all.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-25. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
Ordered by lowest annual fee, then lowest published income floor. Check your own eligibility across all cards →
What ₹40,000 unlocks that ₹30,000 does not
These 5 cards publish income floors above ₹30,000 and at or below ₹40,000, so this is the band where they first become reachable on the issuer's own stated criterion. Everything listed further down is also open at lower incomes.
American Express SmartEarn
₹495 + GST
1 Membership Rewards point per ₹50 on eligible spend
3.5%
Amex
Best suited to: first amex, online shopping, low fee. Recorded exclusions: fuel, insurance, utilities, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo
₹999 + GST
1% in Reward Points
3.5%
RuPay
Best suited to: phonepe ecosystem, bills utilities, upi credit. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →HDFC Bank Millennia
₹1,000
1% in CashPoints
3.5%
Visa, Mastercard
Best suited to: online shopping, first card, young professional. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, government.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →IndusInd Bank EazyDiner
₹2,999 + GST
10 Reward Points per ₹100 on hotel and travel bookings, shopping and entertainment (issuer values a Reward Point at ₹0.10)
3.5%
Visa
Best suited to: dining, foodies, restaurant deals. Recorded exclusions: fuel.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card (MRCC)
₹4,500 + GST
1 Membership Rewards point per ₹50 on eligible spend
3.5%
Amex
Best suited to: disciplined monthly spender, points collector. Recorded exclusions: fuel, insurance, utilities, cash advance, emi.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Every card open at ₹40,000
Utkarsh Small Finance Bank (via super.money / Flipkart group) super.money superCard (FD-secured)
₹0
0.5% in Cashback
3.5%
RuPay
Best suited to: credit builder, upi credit, no income proof. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Amazon Pay ICICI
₹0
1% in Amazon Pay balance
1.99%
Visa, RuPay
Best suited to: amazon, cashback, first card, lifetime free. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, gift cards, wallet load.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Edge+ CSB Bank RuPay Credit Card
₹0
5 Jewels per ₹100 on eligible other-category payments through Jupiter UPI (about 1% at standard redemption or 0.7% as statement credit)
3.5%
RuPay
Best suited to: upi credit, online shopping, lifetime free. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, gift cards, utility, subscriptions, insurance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →HDFC Bank PIXEL Play
₹0
1% PIXEL CashPoints on eligible general spends
3.5%
Visa, RuPay
Best suited to: digital native, cashback, first card, lifetime free. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, govt, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip
₹350 + GST
2 Reward Points per ₹100 on other retail spend (issuer values 2 points at ₹0.50)
3.5%
Visa
Best suited to: budget travel, flights hotels, low fee. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →American Express SmartEarn
₹495 + GST
1 Membership Rewards point per ₹50 on eligible spend
3.5%
Amex
Best suited to: first amex, online shopping, low fee. Recorded exclusions: fuel, insurance, utilities, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Axis Bank ACE
₹499
1.5% in Cashback
3.5%
Visa
Best suited to: bills utilities, cashback, flat rate. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, utility, telecom, education, government.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Kotak Mahindra Bank League Platinum
₹499 + GST
4 Reward Points per ₹150 on eligible spend below ₹2 lakh a year
3.5%
Visa Platinum
Best suited to: movies, first card, milestone spender. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →PhonePe HDFC Bank Uno
₹499 + GST
Rewards apply only to issuer-listed PhonePe categories, select online brands and QR Scan & Pay transactions
3.5%
RuPay
Best suited to: phonepe ecosystem, first card, upi credit. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, gift card, cash advance, credit card bill payment, fees.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →HDFC Bank Freedom
₹500 + GST
1 CashPoint per ₹200 on eligible spends
3.5%
Visa, RuPay
Best suited to: credit builder, first card, low spender. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, govt, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →IndianOil HDFC Bank Credit Card
₹500 + GST
0.67% in Fuel Points
3.5%
RuPay, Visa
Best suited to: fuel, groceries, bills utilities, upi credit. Recorded exclusions: rent, wallet load, government, non IndianOil fuel.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Swiggy HDFC
₹500 + GST
1% statement cashback on eligible other-category spend
3.5%
Mastercard
Best suited to: food delivery, online shopping, young professional. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, jewellery, government, wallet load, gift card, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →ICICI Bank Coral
₹500 + GST
2 ICICI Bank Reward Points per ₹100 on eligible retail spend
3.5%
Visa, Mastercard, RuPay
Best suited to: first card, movies, lifetime free. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, cash advance, fees.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver
₹500 + GST
2 ICICI Bank Reward Points per ₹100 on eligible retail spends
3.5%
Visa
Best suited to: fuel, bills utilities, commuter. Recorded exclusions: emi, cash advance, fees.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →HDFC Bank MoneyBack+
₹500 + GST
2 CashPoints per ₹200 on eligible spends
3.5%
Visa, RuPay
Best suited to: first card, online shopping, low spender. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, govt, cash advance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →HDFC Bank Swiggy Ornge
₹500 + GST
1% in Cashback
3.5%
Mastercard
Best suited to: food delivery, swiggy, cashback. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, government, gaming, education, jewellery, emi.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →IndianOil RBL Bank
₹500 + GST
1 Fuel Point per ₹100 on non-fuel spend; 10 Fuel Points per ₹100 at IndianOil fuel stations
3.5%
RuPay, Mastercard
Best suited to: fuel, iocl loyalists, commuter. Recorded exclusions: utility, insurance, irctc, rent, education, wallet load, government, emi.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →IRCTC HDFC Bank
₹500 + GST
1 Reward Point per ₹100 on eligible retail spend; value requires IRCTC train-ticket redemption
3.5%
RuPay
Best suited to: train travel, budget traveler. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, gift card, prepaid card, voucher, cash advance, outstanding balance.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Paytm HDFC Bank Credit Card
₹500 + GST
1% CashPoints on eligible retail spend, capped at ₹1,000/month
3.5%
Visa
Best suited to: paytm ecosystem, bills utilities, first card. Recorded exclusions: fuel, rent, wallet load, emi, government, education, gaming.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Axis Bank IndiGo
₹799 + GST
1 IndiGo BluChip per ₹100 on eligible spends
3.5%
RuPay, Visa
Best suited to: indigo flyers, domestic travel. Recorded exclusions: government, insurance, utilities, telecom, rent, wallet load, fuel, jewellery.
Review rewards, caps, fees and issuer evidence →Frequently asked questions
Which credit card can I get with a ₹40,000 salary?
₹40,000 is the band where American Express SmartEarn, PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo, HDFC Bank Millennia first become reachable — their published floors sit above ₹30,000. In total 28 cards in the CardMasters catalogue state an income requirement at or below ₹40,000. Meeting that floor satisfies the published income criterion only; age, employment, credit history, existing obligations and the issuer's internal policy still apply.
What is the minimum salary for a credit card in India?
There is no single national minimum. Across the cards CardMasters tracks, published monthly income floors start around ₹12,001 and rise with card tier. Secured cards issued against a fixed deposit typically publish no income requirement at all.
Will applying to several cards at once improve my chances?
No — it usually reduces them. A lender may make a hard enquiry when assessing an application, and several applications in a short period can affect your bureau profile and an issuer's decision. There is no universal enquiry-count cutoff across Indian issuers. Apply to one card whose published criteria you clearly meet, and wait for the outcome before trying another.
Does CardMasters check my credit score?
No. CardMasters never queries a credit bureau and holds no bureau data. These pages compare the criteria issuers publish themselves; any approval guidance in the product is a modeled estimate, clearly labelled as such, not the bank's decision.