Missed the big online sales for your favourite festive buys? Don’t worry, the offers haven’t ended yet!Experts expect another wave of discounts, cashbacks, and easy EMI options as the festival of lights draws closer.September to November is the busiest time for India’s leading e-commerce platforms. Online marketplaces aim to grab maximum attention, while banks compete to win customer loyalty. This year, lower GST rates have added extra appeal, with Flipkart and Amazon claiming to have passed on Rs 300 crore in GST savings: Rs 200 crore from Flipkart and Rs 100 crore from Amazon, early in the sales period.However, while paying for their purchases with digital payment apps, shoppers often overlook one tool, credit card. The right card can offer up to a 10% discount, along with cashbacks and rewards that keep giving long after the sales end. HDFC Bank, SBI, and ICICI Bank are leaders in India’s credit card market, holding over 57% of outstanding cards, according to industry data.This dominance shows in festive offers too. Flipkart offered extra discounts on ICICI and Axis Bank cards, while Amazon promoted SBI cards, according to ET.“Festive sale offers are usually designed to apply across a bank’s entire card portfolio rather than favouring one type of card, unless there is a specific exclusion,” says Ashish Lath, Founder and CEO of SaveSage. He added, “Savvy cardholders, especially those with premium cards, can continue to extract strong value throughout the year. By using bank reward multiplier platforms like HDFC SmartBuy or ICICI iShop, buying vouchers, or routing spends through the right channels, they can earn significantly higher rewards even outside festive windows.”Sumanta Mandal, Founder of Technofino, says, “Offers usually come through select banks, typically ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and SBI. A good practice is to carry one credit card from each, including HDFC Bank.”
Best cards for festival savings
SimplyCLICK SBIFor deal-focused shoppers, the SimplyCLICK SBI card is popular. Amazon offered up to 10% instant discount on SBI cards. Large purchases like TVs or fridges can easily cover the card’s annual fee through these discounts, according to ET. However, reward points may sometimes be withheld when using instant discounts. Mandal explained, “Headline festive discounts are uniform, but the extra value depends on the rewards structure of your card and how you typically spend.”CASHBACK SBIThe CASHBACK SBI card is useful for everyday online shopping. It offers 5% cashback on most online transactions (up to Rs.5,000 per statement cycle) and 1% on offline spends. It works well when platforms rotate their bank partners, giving shoppers consistent savings even outside major sales.Amazon Pay ICICICo-branded cards can also give extra benefits. The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank card is free for life for Prime members and offers points that never expire. It gives 5% cashback on Amazon purchases for Prime users, 2% at partner merchants, and 1% elsewhere. An Amazon Pay spokesperson told ET, “The ICICI co-branded card was used for one in nine orders during the opening hours of the Great Indian Festival this year, underlining its rapid adoption among festive shoppers.”Talking about co-branded cards, the Flipkart Axis Bank card gives 5% cashback on Flipkart and Myntra, 4% on partner merchants, and 1.5% elsewhere. Shoppers who use both Amazon and Flipkart can combine Amazon Pay ICICI for Prime-linked cashback and Axis Flipkart for Flipkart and Myntra deals to get the best of both worlds.
Premium and mid-tier options
Different banks follow different strategies. Kashif Ansari, Assistant Professor of Finance at OP Jindal Global University, says, “Before ICICI Bank came with modified rewards for premium cards, its rewards rate was quite low. Its initial strategy was to obtain spends through sale discount tie-ups. HDFC Bank has had a tier system, where it gives you the best cards if you belong to a high-income range. If you don’t, it upgrades to that tier only when you spend more on its lower-end cards.”HDFC MillenniaThe HDFC Millennia card suits young professionals. It offers 5% cashback on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, BookMyShow, and other major online partners, and 1% elsewhere. A Rs.50,000 festive spend across Amazon and Flipkart can yield Rs.2,500 back, ET reported.HDFC INFINIAAt the top end is HDFC INFINIA, an invite-only card. It earns five reward points per Rs 150 spent, around 3.3% back and can boost rewards above 10% through HDFC SmartBuy. During festivals, INFINIA combines instant discounts with reward points. Which card should you pick?No single card suits everyone. SimplyCLICK SBI is ideal for sale-focused buyers. CASHBACK SBI works for households wanting steady cashback. Heavy online shoppers benefit from Amazon Pay ICICI and Axis Flipkart cards. Young professionals get consistent returns with HDFC Millennia, while premium spenders enjoy unmatched value with HDFC INFINIA.With smart planning, the right credit card can make your Diwali shopping far more rewarding, giving instant savings and long-term cashback benefits.
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