The CardBuzz blog
Card-by-card write-ups from our team, features, fees, lounge access and who each card actually suits. For the numbers after every cap and exclusion, head to the card pages.
4733 posts · Page 119 of 395 · View the full archive
Buying GuidesCoaching Classes and Extracurricular Fees: Timing Payments and Choosing the Right Card
Coaching institutes, music academies, sports training centres, and hobby classes form a steady stream of family spending — term fees, quarterly instalments, exam charges, and material costs. Because these payments are pr
Buying GuidesTeenagers and Supplementary Credit Cards: Setting Limits, Controls, and Spending Discipline
A supplementary or add-on card — issued against the parent's credit card account in the teenager's name — can be a controlled introduction to credit. The teen gets spending power with training wheels; the parent keeps fu
Buying GuidesKids' Savings Accounts and First Debit Cards: What Parents Should Set Up
A savings account in a child's name, paired with their first debit card, is one of the most practical tools for teaching money habits early. Indian banks offer minor accounts with parent or guardian as operator, and many
Buying GuidesPaying School Fees with a Credit Card: Doing the Convenience-Fee Math
Many schools in India now accept credit card payments for term fees, often through a payment gateway that adds a convenience fee or surcharge. The transaction earns rewards, but the surcharge eats into them — sometimes c
How-To GuidesIn-Store EMI vs Online EMI: Terms That Differ
The same credit card offers EMI both in-store and online, and buyers assume the terms match. They often do not. The interest rate, processing fee, eligible tenures and even the no-cost availability can differ between the
How-To GuidesEMI Prepayment from Festival Bonuses: The Smart Playbook
The festival bonus arrives once a year, and every year it faces the same competition: the urge to spend it against the opportunity to kill debt with it. For households carrying EMIs, the bonus is the single most powerful
How-To GuidesEMI Planning for Freelancers with Irregular Income
EMI schedules assume something freelancers do not have: a fixed monthly salary. The instalment is due on the same date every month; freelance income arrives in lumps, late, and sometimes not at all. This mismatch does no
How-To GuidesBrand and Cardless EMI vs Credit Card EMI: The Honest Comparison
At checkout, the EMI options multiply: the brand's own EMI plan, a cardless EMI offer, and the credit card's EMI — sometimes all three on the same product page. They are not the same product, and the differences hide in
How-To GuidesRunning Multiple EMIs: The Budgeting Rule That Keeps You Safe
One EMI is a plan. Three EMIs are a portfolio — and portfolios need management. Indian households routinely carry several concurrent EMIs: a phone, an appliance, a laptop, each on its own tidy monthly plan. Individually
Credit HealthRecovering from a Utilization Spike: The 90-Day Plan
The festive bill arrives, the utilization ratio is alarming, and the score has dipped. This is the most common credit scare in India every October — and the most recoverable. Utilization has no memory: it reflects the la
Credit HealthHard Enquiries: Timing Card Applications to Protect Your Score
Every credit card application triggers a hard enquiry — the issuer's pull of the credit report, recorded on the file. One enquiry is trivial. Several in quick succession tell a story the scoring models dislike: someone u
Credit HealthSelf-Employed Credit Building Without a Salary Slip
The credit system was designed around salary slips, and the self-employed — freelancers, consultants, shop owners, creators — build credit without them. It is entirely doable, but the path has different gates: income pro