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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News & DevaluationsSBI Card Devaluations Over the Years: The Pattern
Every Indian issuer has a devaluation fingerprint. Axis goes for the headline — ratios, milestones, fees. HDFC rewrites the earning unit and prunes categories. SBI Card's signature move is subtler: it leaves the headline
News & DevaluationsAxis Atlas: From Launch Darling to Serial Devaluation
When Axis Bank launched the Atlas credit card, it was built around a simple, seductive idea: a card that behaves like an airline loyalty programme. Cardholders earned EDGE Miles, climbed tiers — Silver on joining, Gold a
News & DevaluationsThe Axis Magnus Devaluation Story: Three Years of Cuts
No Indian credit card is more associated with the word devaluation than the Axis Magnus. For a stretch in 2022 and 2023 it was the enthusiast community's default answer to "which premium card should I get": a metal card
News & DevaluationsHow to Track Credit Card Devaluations in India
When a bank cuts your card's reward rate, adds a monthly cap, or quietly drops a category from earning, it does not send you a push notification titled "your card just got worse." The change lands inside a revised MITC d
How-To GuidesEMI Calculator Guide: What to Input, What to Ignore
EMI calculators are only as honest as their inputs. Most people enter the price and tenure, glance at the monthly number, and miss the three inputs that actually determine cost. Here's how to use any EMI calculator prope
How-To GuidesEMI Traps: Zero Down Payment, Subvention, and Easy EMI Marketing
EMI marketing is engineered to make borrowing feel like discounting. This article catalogs the standard traps — the mechanics behind each, what they cost in ₹ terms, and the one question that defuses each one.
How-To GuidesBalance Transfer vs New EMI: Which Route Is Cheaper for Debt
You have ₹2,00,000 of card debt. Two exits: convert it into a card EMI, or balance-transfer it to another card at a promotional rate. The cheaper route is pure arithmetic — here it is, worked end to end.
How-To GuidesFestive EMI Offers: A Mechanic's Checklist for Evaluating Them
Festive season brings a blizzard of EMI banners — no-cost EMI, instant cashback, zero down payment. None of these are gifts; each is a pricing mechanism. This article gives you the mechanics to evaluate any festive EMI o
How-To GuidesEMI Preclosure: Charges, Timing, and the Math That Matters
Preclosing an EMI — paying off the remaining balance early — sounds obviously smart. Sometimes it is. Sometimes the charges eat the entire saving. Here is the exact math to decide, with a worked ₹1 lakh example.
How-To GuidesHow EMIs Affect Your Credit Score and Future Loan Eligibility
EMIs don't just cost interest — they reshape how lenders see you. Here's the full chain from EMI to CIBIL score to your next loan approval, with the utilization and debt-to-income math worked out.
How-To GuidesBNPL vs Credit Card EMI: Cost, CIBIL Impact, and Protections
Buy Now Pay Later apps (LazyPay, Simpl, and similar) and credit card EMIs both let you split a purchase — but they are different financial products with different costs, credit-reporting behavior, and buyer protections.
How-To GuidesEMI vs Paying in Full: The Break-Even Math That Decides
"Should I just pay in full?" The honest answer is a formula, not a feeling. Here is the break-even math, with a ₹1 lakh worked example at each decision point.