How-To Guides
Practical guides to EMIs, reward redemptions, lounge access, fee waivers and getting more from your cards.
2040 posts · Page 116 of 170
How-To GuidesThe Diwali verdict: your 2026 festive shopping plan
Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8. The sales open in early October, Dhanteras lands on November 6, and the whole season is roughly five weeks long. That is enough time to do this properly — and enough time to get i
How-To GuidesDiwali travel: booking flights and hotels with points
Diwali is India's great homecoming — and with the festival falling on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the travel window is already taking shape. Govardhan Puja follows on Monday, November 9, and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday, November
How-To GuidesDiwali gifting: maximizing rewards on every gift
Diwali gifting is a budget category of its own — family, friends, colleagues, staff, clients. Each gift feels small; the total never is. Twenty gifts at ₹1,000 is ₹20,000, and most of it is bought in a two-week rush when
How-To GuidesThe Diwali budget: celebrating without the January regret
Every year the same pattern plays out. October and November bring gifts, gadgets, gold, travel, and parties. January brings the credit card statements — plus school fees, plus wedding season. Festive spending drops sharp
How-To GuidesElectronics at Diwali: the card + EMI + exchange stack
Electronics are the heart of Diwali shopping — smartphones, TVs, laptops, large appliances. They are also the category where stacking works best: platform discounts, bank instant discounts, card cashback, exchange bonuse
How-To GuidesBuying gold this Diwali: cards, EMI, and digital gold
Dhanteras — Friday, November 6, 2026 — is traditionally the biggest gold-buying day of the year. Households buy gold, silver, copper, or steel on this day, and jewellers respond with festive offers. But gold bought the w
How-To GuidesThe debt-free verdict: your 12-month escape plan
Here is the context for everything below: India's credit card balances reached ₹3.1 lakh crore by March 2026, defaults rose nearly 45% year-on-year to ₹6,742 crore, and revolving card debt costs 36% to 48% a year dependi
How-To GuidesDebt consolidation with cards: the 2026 guide
Debt consolidation means rolling multiple high-cost debts into one lower-cost facility with a single payment. Done with credit cards — via balance transfers — it is the cheapest consolidation route available to most Indi
How-To GuidesThe debt payoff playbook: avalanche vs snowball in 2026
India's outstanding credit card balances hit ₹3.1 lakh crore by March 2026 — 8.3 times the level a decade earlier — while card defaults climbed nearly 45% year-on-year to ₹6,742 crore. Revolving credit card debt now cost
How-To GuidesBalance transfer fees: the 1-3% that eats your savings
"0% interest" is the hook. The processing fee is the price of the hook. Indian issuers charge 1% to 3% of the transferred amount (sometimes with minimums and caps), and on top of that, 18% GST applies to the fee. Ignore
How-To GuidesBalance transfers in 2026: how to move debt and save on interest
Carrying a credit card balance in India today is brutally expensive. Major issuers charge roughly 3% to 3.5% per month on revolving balances — about 36% to 42% a year before GST — and SBI Card's rate on unsecured cards n
How-To GuidesThe fee verdict: how much should you pay for a card
After nine articles on every fee, waiver, markup and hike in the Indian credit card market, here's the bottom line: a number. How much should you actually pay for a credit card in 2026? The honest answer depends on your