BOBCARD CASHBACK Review 2026: 5% Capped at ₹250 a Cycle, Monthly or Annual Fee & FAQs
BOBCARD CASHBACK pays 5% on accelerated categories capped at ₹250 a statement cycle, on a 1% base. The fee can be ₹49 a month or ₹499 a year. Clawback rules, caps and FAQs.
BOBCARD CASHBACK pays 5% on its accelerated categories and 1% on everything else, in rupees rather than points — so the percentages are true percentages with nothing to translate.
Two things make it unusual: the fee can be paid monthly or annually, and cashback is clawed back on reversals in a way that can create an interest-bearing balance.
BOBCARD CASHBACK Quick Overview
| **Card type** | Entry-level cashback card |
|---|---|
| **Best for** | Light spenders who want simple cashback |
| **Joining / renewal fee** | ₹499 + GST, same on renewal |
| **Network** | Visa, RuPay |
| **Base reward rate** | **1.0%** |
| **Top reward rate** | **5.0%** — Accelerated categories |
| **Reward currency** | Cashback, valued at ₹1 each |
| **Lounge access** | None published |
| **Forex markup** | 3.5% |
Reward Structure: How You Earn
5% cashback on the accelerated categories, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle. 1% on all other eligible spends.
The fee can be paid monthly or annually — BOBCARD lets the cardholder choose ₹49 a month or ₹499 joining and annual. The annual option is cheaper by ₹89 a year; the monthly option works out to ₹588.
| Spend | Effective rate |
|---|---|
| Accelerated categories (capped at 250 points a month) | **5.0%** |
| Everything else | 1.0% |
| Fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, gaming | **0%** |
The caps that actually bind
Headline rates mean little until you know where they stop. These are the limits on this card:
| Cap | Limit |
|---|---|
| Accel | 250 points per calendar month |
The 5% band caps at ₹250 a statement cycle — ₹3,000 a year at most, binding at ₹5,000 of qualifying spend a month.
Cashback is computed on NET spends and clawed back on reversals. BOBCARD states that if a reversal 'leads to an outstanding balance on the credit card, it will be treated as a regular due and may attract applicable fees and charges'. A returned purchase can therefore create an interest-bearing balance out of cashback already paid — an unusual and genuinely adverse mechanic worth understanding before relying on the card for large refundable purchases.
Category Restrictions: Where You Won't Earn
- Where you earn nothing: Earns nothing at all: fuel on every BOBCARD except HPCL Energie; cash withdrawals at ATM; and quasi-cash transactions. BOBCARD names these three in Annexure 1 of its rewards terms as ineligible for BOTH core and accelerated Reward Points. Transactions below ₹100 earn nothing either (₹150 on HPCL Energie).
- Point expiry: Reward Points are valid for 24 months from the date they are earned on most BOBCARD products. Points on BOBCARD ETERNA do not expire.
- Accel cap: ₹250 of accelerated cashback per statement cycle — binding at ₹5,000 of qualifying spend, so a maximum of ₹3,000 a year from the 5% band.
Fees and Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹499 + GST |
| Renewal fee | ₹499 + GST |
| Finance charges | 3.75% per month (45% per annum) on all credit cards. Micro Enterprise cards are charged 1.5% per month (18% per annum). |
| Interest-free period | 20 to 50 days, and only where there is no previous outstanding. A purchase made early in the cycle gets the longer period; one made near the statement date gets the shorter. Not available at all if the previous month's balance was not cleared in full or if cash has been withdrawn at an ATM. |
| Minimum amount due | 100% of all fees, charges, finance charges, GST and EMI amounts, PLUS 2% of retail spends and cash advances — or ₹200, whichever is higher. Revised w.e.f. 1 October 2025. Where the total amount due exceeds the credit limit and the over-limit amount is greater than the computed MAD, the MAD becomes the whole over-limit amount. Any unpaid MAD from previous statements is added to the current one. |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount withdrawn or ₹500, whichever is higher. |
| Cash advance interest | 3.75% per month (45% per annum), charged from the date of withdrawal with no interest-free period. |
| Forex markup | Varies by card: 2% on Eterna, Tiara, Varunah Premium, ICAI, ICSI and CMA One; 2.5% on Varunah Plus; 3% on Yoddha, The Sentinel, Rakshamah and Vikram; 3.5% on every other BOBCARD. Also applies to transactions in Indian rupees at an international location or at merchants registered overseas. |
| Late payment | Graduated by statement balance: nil below ₹100; ₹100 for ₹100–₹500; ₹400 for ₹501–₹1,000; ₹750 for ₹1,001–₹10,000; ₹950 for ₹10,001–₹25,000; ₹1,100 for ₹25,001–₹50,000; ₹1,300 above ₹50,000. |
| Overlimit | 2.5% of the amount over and above the sanctioned credit limit, or ₹600, whichever is higher. Charged only where the cardholder has given explicit consent to the over-limit facility. |
| Payment return | 2% of the payment amount subject to a minimum of ₹500 for a returned cheque. The same 2%/₹500 applies to an auto-debit or standing-instruction bounce, but only ONCE per statement cycle per card and only where the failure was due to insufficient balance. |
| Rent payment | 1% of the transaction amount on all rent payments (MCC 6513), with no minimum threshold. Non-reversible. |
| Wallet load | 1% of the transaction amount on all wallet loading transactions (MCC 6539, 6540, 6541, 6542), with no minimum threshold. Wallet loading is not permitted at all on the Micro Enterprise card. Non-reversible. |
| Utility payments | 1% of the transaction amount, capped at ₹3,000 per transaction, on utility payments (MCC 4900) of ₹50,000 or more. Non-reversible. |
| Education payments | 1% of the transaction amount, capped at ₹5,000 per transaction, on online education fee payments made through third-party apps — Cheq, CRED, Ease My Deal, MobiKwik, NoBroker, Paytm, PhonePe and SuperPe — w.e.f. 1 April 2026. Non-reversible. |
| Fuel transactions | 1% of the transaction amount on fuel transactions (MCC 5172, 5541, 5542, 5983) of ₹10,000 or more. NOT applicable to HPCL Energie BOBCARD. Non-reversible. |
| Card replacement | ₹100 per replacement card. |
| Add-on card | Nil. BOBCARD charges no joining or annual fee on add-on cards. |
| Reward redemption | No per-redemption handling fee is published. Minimum redemption is Reward Points worth ₹1,000, and redemption must be initiated through the BOBCARD Portal or mobile app. |
| EMI processing | Charged per the SmartEMI scheme selected. Purchases above ₹2,500 may be converted. |
| GST | 18% on all fees, interest and other charges. |
Is the BOBCARD CASHBACK Worth It?
₹3,000 a year at most from the 5% band, against ₹499 annually or ₹588 monthly. That works if you fill the cap, which needs ₹5,000 a month of qualifying spend.
Take the annual fee option unless you expect to close the card within the year — it is ₹89 cheaper and there is no other difference.
The 1% base is uncapped, which is more than most BOBCARD products offer outside the accelerated band.
The clawback mechanic is the thing to remember. On a card used for purchases that might be returned, cashback already credited can come back as a due.
Three charges are worth knowing before you apply. Finance charges run at 3.75% a month — 45% a year. Late payment is graduated, from ₹100 on a balance of ₹100–₹500 up to ₹1,300 above ₹50,000. And BOBCARD levies non-reversible 1% processing fees on rent, wallet loading, large utility bills and fuel above ₹10,000 — with toll and bus, railway bookings and third-party education payments added to that list on 1 April 2026.
Reward Points lapse if the card goes unused for 365 days, and are forfeited outright on closure, settlement or dues overdue beyond 90 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does BOBCARD CASHBACK pay? 5% on the accelerated categories capped at ₹250 a statement cycle, and 1% on everything else.
Is the fee monthly or annual? Either — BOBCARD lets you choose ₹49 a month or ₹499 joining and annual. The annual option is ₹89 cheaper over a year.
Where does the cap bite? At ₹5,000 of qualifying spend a month, giving ₹250 of cashback — ₹3,000 a year at most.
What happens if I return a purchase? The associated cashback is reversed. If that leaves an outstanding balance, BOBCARD treats it as a regular due that may attract interest and charges.
Cards Mentioned in This Article
