Minimum CIBIL Score for a Credit Card in India (2026): The Real Numbers Per Bank

A good CIBIL score can make it easier to get a credit card in India. Friends tell you it should be at least 750, banks tell you it should be 750, and hundreds of other finance sites echo that advice.

The truth is that there’s no minimum CIBIL score for credit card approval in India. Even if your score is below 750, you may still qualify for certain cards. Card issuers look at several factors and internal cut-offs to decide whether to give you a desired credit card.

So let's do this properly. Let’s look at four bands, what each one actually gets you, and what every major issuer wants.

Where 750 came from – and why it's the wrong number to fixate on

A CIBIL score can be anywhere between 300 and 900. Anything at 750 or above is what the credit bureau itself calls “excellent,” and banks borrowed that label for their marketing communications. Because it gives them something concrete to highlight.

But 750 isn't the bare minimum to have a credit card. It's the score at which banks start considering you a responsible borrower.

Below it, they scrutinise you harder, based on your income, your employer, whether you have an account with them, and how many cards you applied for recently. Those factors are always present; a high score just makes the issuer more lenient.

But that doesn’t mean you can get a premium card at an entry-level salary. Even if your score is 800+. And you may get a good card at a 710 score if your salary is good enough and your account rests with that bank. Because income is one of the main credit card eligibility factors.

The four credit score bands

750 and above. You aren't being assessed, you're being courted. Every mainstream card is open, premium cards come down to income, and pre-approved offers start appearing in your net banking. The only thing that trips people here is applying to six favourable cards all in a few weeks.

700 to 749. The most common band in India and the most misunderstood. In this band, entry and mid-tier cards approve routinely. Premium cards – Infinia, Magnus, SBI Elite – are mostly declined, though. An approval is almost always due to a bank relationship: your salary account, an existing FD, a running loan you've never missed. So, first, apply where you already bank.

650 to 699. This is where it gets hard to grab unsecured cards. A few issuers will still approve here – SBI Card is the most forgiving of the big six. Some NBFC-issued and co-branded cards also run lower cut-offs. But your realistic move is one application at your own bank; and if that declines, stop. Every further attempt logs a hard enquiry and pushes you down.

Below 650. Unsecured approval is close to zero. Something on your report is doing the damage. Two things to do here: pull your free CIBIL report to check for errors (about one report in five has an error worth disputing), then take an FD-backed card.

We've listed the credit cards that actually approve at this level in our list of best FD cards for low CIBIL scores in India.

What each bank actually wants

Although no issuer publishes a portfolio-wide hard cut-off, we have managed to compile the details of what approvals on the ground actually look like. Treat this table as a map, not a rulebook.

Two patterns worth highlighting here.

• First, the gap between "stated" and "realistic" is usually 20 to 60 points. So, you can assume that the published numbers are for marketing, and the underwriting rule varies.
• Second, every route below the floor is a relationship route. The bank that already sees your money is the bank most likely to say yes.

The exception: the card that doesn't ask

If your score is 610, or 0, or has never existed, you can still get a credit card. A door exists that isn't score-dependent at all.

You can get yourself an FD-backed credit card, also called a secured card. You have to park a fixed deposit with the bank, and they issue a card with a limit tied to that deposit. If you default, they recover from the FD.

The IDFC FIRST WOW credit card needs ₹20,000 as a deposit, Kotak 811 needs ₹10,000, and SBM ZET needs just ₹2,000 to begin with. Your deposit keeps earning around 6.5–7% the whole time.

Your CIBIL score stops being the deciding factor in this case.

The credit bureaus don’t care whether you’re using a secured card or an unsecured card. All they see is the reported fields: limit, balance, payment status and account age. Twelve clean months build the same file either way. The FD-backed card comparison has the five worth considering.

What 60 credit points is actually worth, in rupees

Abstract score talk gets people nowhere, so let's price it.

Say you spend ₹30,000 a month – ₹3.6 lakh a year – and you're sitting at 690.

At 690, your realistic card is FD-backed, earning roughly 0.5% as rewards. That's ₹1,800 a year.

At 750, a mainstream 2% cashback card opens up. Same spend, same lifestyle, but you get to enjoy rewards worth ₹7,200 a year. That 60 points difference is worth ₹5,400 a year, every year, for as long as you hold the card.

Over five years, that's ₹27,000 for a number you can move with a standing instruction.

If you want to move your score up, you can keep your credit utilisation, meaning your reported balance as a share of your limit at below 30%.

In case you’re carrying ₹70,000 of credit on a ₹1,00,000 limit, it’s reported as 70% utilisation. At the statement date. Pay it down to leave only ₹28,000 before the statement generates, and it reports as 28%. That single change typically moves the score up by 30–50 points across one or two cycles.

Since 1 January 2025, RBI has required lenders to report to the bureaus every fortnight rather than monthly, on the 15th and the last day. So a fix you make now shows up in weeks, not a quarter. The full sequence is in how to improve your CIBIL score.

FAQs about minimum CIBIL score in India

What is the minimum CIBIL score for a credit card?

There's no official minimum. Practically: 750+ opens everything, 700–749 gets entry- and mid-tier cards, 650–699 needs a banking relationship to clear, and below 650 you take an FD-backed card. Secured cards have no score requirement at all.

Can I get a credit card with a 650 CIBIL score?

Sometimes – usually from SBI Card, or from your own bank if your salary is credited there. But make one application, not four. If it declines, go secured rather than trying elsewhere. Because each rejection adds a hard enquiry that costs you a few points.

Which bank gives a credit card with the lowest CIBIL score?

Among the majors, SBI Card is consistently the most forgiving, with approvals seen down to roughly 690. Below that, no unsecured issuer is a reliable bet, and an FD-backed card is the most realistic option.

Does checking my own CIBIL score reduce it?

No. Checking your own report is a soft enquiry and has zero effect. Only a lender pulling your report for an application counts as a hard enquiry, and each of those costs you a few points. You're entitled to one free full report a year from each bureau.

How long does it take to reach 750?

From a 690 with clean history, three to six months of sub-30% utilisation and full payments will usually do it. From a damaged file – a settlement or a write-off on record – expect 12 to 24 months, because those markers stay on your report for years regardless of what you do afterwards.

What if I have no CIBIL score at all?

A score of -1 (NH) or 0 (NA) means no history, not bad history. Lenders treat it cautiously either way. An FD-backed card is the standard route; your first three-digit score appears in three to four months after the card starts reporting.

The honest read

Stop treating 750 as a wall you've got to scale before you're allowed to have a card. It's a threshold above which banks start treating you as credible. A score of 750 is useful and worth reaching, but it isn’t a prerequisite.

If you're above 700, apply once at the bank that already holds your salary account. If you're between 650 and 700, accept an entry-level card without sulking about the reward rate.

If you're below 650, don't apply anywhere. Check your report, dispute anything wrong, and put ₹20,000 down for an FD-backed card. Six to twelve months later, you'll be in a more comfortable position to apply for an unscored credit card.

Disclaimer

This is my honest read, not formal financial advice – I'm not your advisor, and issuer directives shift without announcement, so confirm before you apply. But this is exactly how I'd go about it.