Our process, in plain English
When you read a credit card review on Credit Smart India, you’re reading something that has gone through a specific verification process. Here’s exactly what we do.
Step 1 — Primary source: the issuer
For any card review, the first and last reference is the issuer’s own website. For HDFC cards that’s hdfcbank.com; for ICICI, icicibank.com; for Axis, axisbank.com; for Amex, americanexpress.com/in; for SBI Card, sbicard.com; and so on. We read:
- The product page (features, benefits)
- The fees and charges page (specific rupee amounts, APRs, GST)
- The eligibility criteria page (income, age, CIBIL requirements)
- The FAQ page (often has current rule nuances)
- The terms and conditions PDF (for specific exclusions, caps, renewal conditions)
The issuer is the only authoritative source for fee, reward-rate, eligibility, and rule information. Everything else is corroboration or context.
Step 2 — Regulatory and news sources
For rule changes, RBI circulars, and major industry news, we consult:
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — for credit card regulations, UPI-on-credit guidelines, foreign-exchange rules
- Mainstream business-news publications — for breaking rule changes and corporate communications from issuers
- Issuer press releases and investor-relations pages — for merger news (e.g., Air India / Vistara), partnership renewals, and product launches
Step 3 — Recent change verification
Credit card rules in India change constantly. In just the last six months of writing, we’ve tracked:
- HDFC’s Feb 2026 tightening of Infinia retention (₹18L spend / ₹50L AUM)
- HDFC’s Jan 2026 SmartBuy Gyftr 5× → 3× reduction
- HDFC’s Feb 2026 redemption cap introduction (50K points/month)
- HDFC Regalia Gold May 2026 devaluation and July 2026 lounge gating
- Axis’s April 2026 transfer partner refresh (removed Marriott/Accor/Qatar; added British Airways/Vietnam/Finnair)
- Axis Atlas discontinuation for new applicants
- ICICI Amazon Pay October 2025 forex reduction to 1.99%
- Flipkart Axis June 2025 lounge discontinuation
- HDFC Tata Neu Infinity August 2025 NeuCoin 12-month expiry
For each review, we search the web specifically for recent changes before publishing. Material changes in the last 6 months are flagged at the top of every review.
Step 4 — Interactive calculator math
Our calculators (EMI, income tax, SIP, PPF, capital gains, home loan eligibility, retirement corpus, HRA, and card-specific reward calculators) are built using standard Indian finance formulas and cross-checked in independent computation. The card reward calculators apply per-card rates, monthly caps, and milestone thresholds as published by the issuer.
Step 5 — Human judgment
Data accuracy is necessary but not sufficient. Every review contains editorial judgment about:
- Who the card actually suits (specific user profile)
- Realistic break-even analysis (when does the fee recover?)
- Known pain points (issuer service quality, acceptance gaps, hidden exclusions)
- Recent rule changes that materially affect the card’s proposition
What we don’t do
- We don’t repeat issuer marketing copy verbatim. Every paragraph is written independently.
- We don’t accept editorial influence from issuers — no sponsored content, no paid placements.
- We don’t over-claim reward value. The card calculators use conservative default redemption values.
- We don’t rank by affiliate commission — we have none.
Corrections
If you spot a factual error, please email us via the contact page. We correct within 48 hours and acknowledge the corrected date on the review’s “Last reviewed” stamp.
Updates
This research process was last updated in April 2026.