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.
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How-To GuidesHow banks decide credit limit increases in India: when to ask and how
A higher credit limit does two useful things: it gives you more headroom for large spends, and it mechanically lowers your credit utilisation ratio without you spending a rupee less. But banks do not hand out increases o
Credit HealthCredit utilisation ratio explained: the maths that decides your credit score
Of all the factors that shape your CIBIL score, the credit utilisation ratio is the one most people misunderstand. It is also the one you can change fastest. Payment history takes months of discipline to build, but utili
How-To GuidesHow to read credit card entries in your Form 26AS and AIS
Every year before filing your income-tax return, you should review two documents on the e-filing portal: Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). Credit cardholders often open them expecting a list of their
How-To GuidesCredit card debt after the cardholder's death: who owes what
When a cardholder passes away with an unpaid credit card balance, grieving families often face a second shock: the bank asking for the money. Understanding who is actually liable — and who is not — protects the family fr
How-To GuidesTDS on rent paid through a credit card: who deducts and how
Paying rent with a credit card — directly or through a rent-payment platform — has become common for the rewards. But the payment rail does not change the tax obligation underneath it: if TDS applies to your rent, you as
How-To GuidesGifting reward points to family: the gift tax position
Many cardholders accumulate points they will never use and wonder whether transferring them to a spouse, parent, or child has tax consequences. India's gift tax provisions are specific about what they cover — and reward
How-To GuidesIncome-tax notice after big credit card spends: how to respond
A notice from the income-tax department referencing your credit card spending is alarming, but it is also routine. The department's data systems flag gaps between declared income and visible financial activity, and large
How-To GuidesReward point redemptions and income tax: the real position
Every year, Indian cardholders redeem crores of reward points for flights, hotel stays, vouchers, and statement credits. A persistent worry follows this activity: does redeeming points create taxable income? For personal
How-To GuidesCashback taxation in India: what is taxable and what is not
Cashback is one of the most popular credit card rewards in India, and one of the most misunderstood from a tax perspective. The good news for most cardholders is straightforward: cashback earned on your personal spending
How-To GuidesAIS and SFT: how your large credit card spends reach the tax department
Your credit card company does not send your monthly statement to the income-tax department. But under the Statement of Financial Transactions (SFT) framework, banks and financial institutions do report certain high-value
How-To GuidesLRS basics: what every cardholder should know before spending abroad
The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) is the framework that governs how much money an Indian resident can send — or spend — abroad in a year. Since international credit card transactions were brought under LRS in Octob
How-To GuidesTCS on international credit card spends: how the 20% levy above the ₹7 lakh threshold works
Since 1 October 2023, money you spend abroad on your credit card counts as a foreign remittance under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) applies to it just as it does to a wire tra