When individuals with no income or with no credit history or poor credit history; such as housewives, retired persons, college students and others apply for credit card; the first eligibility criteria by the card issuing companies is the minimum income. And it is one of the biggest reason for credit card application denial.

However this does not mean that these individuals can never own a credit card. There is a category of credit card called as add-on card (also called as supplementary card) which are easiest to get in India. This is a card derived from a person who needs to give financial support to their closest loved ones.

Kotak Urbane Gold Credit Card – Easiest to Get

There are many financial institutions in India offering add-on credit cards, and Kotak Mahindra Bank is one such leading card issuer. The bank has range of easy to get add-on credit cards and amongst them is Urbane Gold Credit Card. The supplementary card can be granted to close relatives so that they can make purchases on the primary card holder’s credit line.

It’s a Money Saver

This card saves money, as there is a zero charge on

• Joining
• Charge Slip Request
• Machine Surcharge at ATMs
• Balance Enquiry Charges at Non Parent Bank ATM
• Duplicate Statement Request
• Web Pay Service Fee

Other Benefits

• It is an easiest credit card to get in India to finance your family or dependents.
• There is minimum income requirement criteria
• No credit history needed
• Even if the supplementary card holder has poor credit history, he/she can still easily get the card
• If you do not want to put your account and your finances at risk, there is always the possibility of setting a spending limit for additional cards.
• This card is usually granted at no cost and with no annuity; in general, they are much faster and simpler.
• They are useful in case of emergencies
• Additional cardholders enjoy the same banking benefits as the cardholder, such as access to discounts and/or pre-sales or promotions.
• You can cancel the additional card at any time

Features of Add-On Card

• It’s free i.e. there is no application or joining fee
• Earn 3 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on retail. Every 1000 reward points have a redeemable worth of Rs. 75.
• Maximum 48 days of interest free period of transactions made at retail outlets.
• Insurance cover of Rs. 50,000 against fraudulent usage or theft or loss
• Spend limit can be easily set giving additional control to the primary card holder
• Annual fees of Rs. 199

Check out: Another card from Kotak Mahindra Bank which is easy to get – Aqua Gold

Points to remember when applying for add-on card

The primary card holder has the legal obligation to settle the debts of the additional cards in addition to his/her own card. For this reason it is very important to think carefully to whom we are granting an additional card. The best thing is that, if you are going to grant an additional credit card to another person, he/she should be completely trustworthy and you should be sure of his/her payment capacity. If the beneficiary is financially dependent on you, set a limit amount that does not affect your finances by having to pay their debts.

Cons of additional cards

• The person who handles the additional cards do not generate credit history of their own
• If the person handling the card is unable to cover the payments, the cardholder has the legal obligation to do so.
• The cardholder can see the record of purchases made with this card, so there is no complete financial autonomy for its users.
• Mismanagement of these financial products may result in a bad credit bureau record for the primary cardholder.

Read more: List of 22 easiest credit cards to get in India

So is this easy to get credit card convenient or not and what are the charges?

It depends on why you want to grant them, since the primary card holder must trust the financial habits and payment capacity. In this way, you do not put your own financials at risk by having to settle the debts that cannot be covered by the add-on card holder.

This is because there are following charges on this easy to get card:

• 3.5% interest charge on outstanding balance. Annualized to 42%.
• Rs. 100 late payment charge when the amount is less than or equal to Rs.500.
• Rs. 500 late payment charge when the amount is between Rs.500.01 to Rs.10,000.
• Rs. 700 late payment charge when the amount is greater than Rs.10,000.
• Over limit charge of Rs. 500

Hi, I am Nikesh Mehta, owner and writer of this site. I’m an analytics professional and also love writing on finance and related industry. I’ve done online course in Financial Markets and Investment Strategy from Indian School of Business. I can be reached at nikeshmehta@allonmoney.com.