For Indians staying abroad and planning to visit India are always on look out for hassle free payment for shopping, hotel stays, dining etc. Cash payment is also an option but it always carries a risk. Best solution is to get a credit card from banks.

List of banks offering credit card for non-resident Indians:

There are very limited banks offering credit cards for NRI. Here’s the list of prominent banks and few credit cards offered by them for NRI’s:

• State Bank of India: NRI Platinum
• Kotak Mahindra Bank: NRI Royale Signature
• ICICI Bank: NRI Coral
• YES Bank: YES FIRST Preferred Credit Card

Benefits

Very few banks offer credit card for NRIs visiting India. However each card comes with attractive benefits as follows. The benefits would vary for each bank:

• For every purchase which is made within India or abroad, reward points are given
• Fuel surcharge waiver when card is used on any petrol pumps across India
• On train bookings made on Indian rail website, the surcharge is waived-off
• On dining in partner hotels, international purchase and others, cash back points are offered
• One of the biggest advantages for NRI having credit card from local bank is that all transactions are done in Indian currency. No need to wait of currency exchange or use other country’s card.

Eligibility:

Following are the eligibility criteria for NRI’s to apply for a credit card in India:

• Banks require NRIs to have Non-Resident External Rupee (NRE) or Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) account with them in order to be eligible for the card. This is the first and foremost eligibility criteria required by each and every bank. Account type can be either Savings/Current/Fixed/Term deposit. Credit limit depends on the amount kept in the account.
• Some banks also ask for minimum bank balance in the account. This is normally done to check repayment capacity.
• NRI credit card offered by YES bank requires minimum FD amount of INR 8,00,000.

How NRI’s can apply for the card & documents required:

• Application for credit card is fairly simple. If you have above mentioned bank account then you can visit the banks personally or apply online on their website.
• In case an NRI doesn’t have any account, you can apply for the new one with below listed banks along with these mandatory documents: Photocopy of the passport, visa/work permit/overseas and/or India address proof, official document containing signature proof, passport size photographs, a self cheque drawn by NRI on his/her bank account located abroad.
• If you cannot visit the bank in-person, you need to upload the scanned documents online on the bank’s website.
• NRI’s will normally needs to fill in an application form requiring following details: Personal and other details such as – residential address, office address, occupation, bank account, income, other credit cards (if any).

Important points to consider before choosing a bank for a card:

• Annual Fees
• Joining Fees
• Processing Fees
• Interest rate
• Acceptance in other countries
• Same/different bank ATM cash withdrawal
• Lost card protection
• Custom duty when the card is used in some other country
• Fraud protection cover when card is lost or stolen
• Penalty on late payments
• Ease of monthly payments when done from some other bank
• Types of payment option: Cash/Cheque/NEFT/IMPS
• Cancellation charges
• 24*7 customer support