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.
5564 posts · Page 230 of 464 · View the full archive
Buying GuidesNykaa, Sephora and Myntra Beauty: Cashback vs Rewards on Cosmetics
Cosmetics is one of the highest-frequency online shopping categories in India — replenishment cycles for skincare, makeup, and hair products mean a beauty buyer places many more orders per year than an electronics buyer.
Buying GuidesSalon Memberships and Annual Hair Packs: The Credit-Card Playbook
Indian salon chains — the big hair-and-spa brands with outlets in every metro mall — make a large share of their revenue from annual memberships and prepaid service packs. Buy twelve haircuts and get two free; prepay for
Buying GuidesWellness Retreats and Spa Bookings: Paying with Cards, Perks and Refunds
Wellness retreats and spa memberships are the highest-ticket, highest-risk purchases in personal wellness: multi-day programmes at destination properties cost as much as an international holiday, and advance payments are
Buying GuidesSports Equipment EMI: Badminton, Cricket Kits and Treadmills on Cards
Badminton rackets, cricket kits, and treadmills share one trait: they are bought rarely, cost enough to sting, and sit squarely in no-cost-EMI territory. The mechanics of no-cost EMI — what "no cost" really means, how it
Buying GuidesCycling on EMI: Buying Road Bikes and Accessories with Credit Cards
A decent road bike in India starts where most consumer electronics end — and serious builds climb far higher. Add accessories (helmet, lights, GPS computer, kit, pedals, spares) and a cycling purchase becomes one of the
Buying GuidesPaying for Fitness Apps on Cards: Subscriptions and Recurring Bills
Fitness apps — workout platforms like cult.fit, run trackers like Strava, and the long tail of yoga, meditation, and coaching apps — bill as small recurring subscriptions. Individually trivial; collectively a meaningful
Buying GuidesMarathon Entry Fees on Credit Cards: Early Birds, Travel and Fee Stacking
A marathon race weekend is not one payment — it is a stack: the entry fee, travel to the host city, the hotel, the expo purchases, and the celebratory dinner. Runners who plan the whole stack on cards, starting with the
Buying GuidesProtein Supplements on Credit Cards: Auto-Reorder, Subscriptions and Cashback
Protein powder, creatine, multivitamins, and omega-3s are the definition of a consumable: you finish the tub, you buy another tub, forever. For cardholders, that predictability is an asset — subscription and auto-reorder
Buying GuidesRunning Shoes and Gear: Seasonal Buying Playbook for Card Holders
Runners replace shoes every 500–800 km, which for a regular runner means two to three pairs a year — plus apparel, watches, and accessories on a rolling cycle. It is a recurring, seasonal, brand-loyal spend pattern, and
Buying GuidesHome Gym Gear on Credit Cards: Dumbbells, Benches, Mats and EMI Math
Building a home gym is a series of discrete purchases — adjustable dumbbells one month, a bench the next, flooring and a mat after that — each large enough to matter for card rewards but small enough to tempt lazy paymen
Buying GuidesPaying for Yoga and Pilates Studios: Monthly vs Quarterly Packs on Cards
Yoga and Pilates studios price differently from gyms: instead of one big annual swipe, you buy monthly or quarterly class packs, often with per-class validity windows and pause options. The amounts are smaller but the pa
Buying GuidesWhich Credit Card Maximizes Value on Gym Memberships?
A gym membership is one of the most predictable large spends in an Indian household's year. Annual plans at branded chains routinely run into five figures, boutique functional-training studios charge a premium, and even