FIRST EA₹N Card

FIRST EA₹N in three lines

• A secured RuPay card you open against an IDFC FIRST fixed deposit of ₹5,000 or more, with a limit equal to 100% of the FD.
• 1% cashback on UPI through the IDFC FIRST app, 0.5% through other UPI apps and online, and 0% forex.
• Free to join for now, then ₹499 + GST a year unless you spend ₹1 lakh.

Most people know it as the IDFC FIRST "Earn" card. It is built for one job: giving you a first credit card and a credit score when no bank will give you an unsecured one.

Which app you scan with decides the cashback

Say you spend ₹10,000 a month on UPI. Paid inside the IDFC FIRST app, that is ₹100 back, or ₹1,200 a year. Paid through Google Pay or PhonePe, it is ₹50, or ₹600 a year, which only just covers the ₹589 annual fee with GST. The 1% applies to cards issued from 16 December 2025.

Online spends and international spends also earn 0.5%, and there is no forex markup abroad. Our record shows a ₹500 monthly cap on each cashback row but does not say whether that is one shared cap, so check the terms before a big month. Our record also lists 5% bonus cashback on hotels booked through FIRST Rewards Gallery.

The fee after year one

The joining fee is ₹0 as a limited-period offer; the standard fee is ₹499 + GST. From year two, the annual fee is ₹499 + GST, waived only if you spend ₹1 lakh in the year. That is about ₹8,300 a month, which is a lot on a card whose limit is a small FD. Most first-time users should plan to pay it, or close the card once their score is built.

Other benefits: 10% cashback up to ₹250 on your first transaction, and 25% off movie tickets up to ₹100 once a month. Users mention an older ₹500 welcome offer; the bank page now shows the ₹250 version. No lounge access.

EA₹N or WOW!?

These are IDFC FIRST's two FD-backed cards, and users compare them constantly. FIRST WOW! is lifetime free, which users prefer for international travel and for avoiding any fee. EA₹N pays straightforward cashback on RuPay UPI, which suits you if most of your spending is scan-and-pay in India.

One shared catch: users report that neither card converts into an unsecured IDFC card. Several were asked to close the FD card first.

Should EA₹N be your first card?

Yes, if you have no credit history, can park ₹5,000 or more in an FD and pay mostly by UPI through the IDFC app. Use it, pay in full every month, and your score will open other doors.

If you want no annual fee at all, start with WOW! instead. Our credit cards for beginners guide covers other starting points.

Credit Card Information Compiled by: Abhijeet Kumar | Reviewed by: Anmol Ratan Sachdeva