Kotak Cashback+ Credit Card

The catch: "lifetime free" that is not

Start with the fee, because that is where most Cashback+ stories go wrong. The card costs ₹750 + GST to join and ₹750 + GST a year. Kotak's page currently shows a limited-time first-year-free offer, but that is not the same as lifetime free.

The most common complaint about this card is an agent, a WhatsApp message or a modified link promising "lifetime free", followed by a ₹750 fee on the statement. One user says they had the promise in writing on WhatsApp and were still billed. If you are offered this card free for life, get it confirmed from an official Kotak email address before you accept.

Once you know the real fee, the card is useful for one kind of person: someone who orders food and groceries online and fills fuel at whichever pump is closest.

Not to be confused with the Cashback SBI Card, which is a different card from a different bank.

Where the 5% applies

• 5% on online food delivery, online groceries, online movie tickets and OTT subscriptions.
• 3% on fuel at any fuel station, not tied to one oil company.
• 0.5% on other eligible spends.
• Nothing on rent, utilities, insurance, education, government payments, B2B, wallet reloads, online skill-based gaming or EMI.

On top of the 3%, there is a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on fills of ₹500 to ₹4,000, up to ₹3,500 a year. Movie buyers also get buy-one-get-one on PVR INOX.

A month of fuel and food delivery

Say you spend ₹6,000 on fuel and ₹8,000 on Swiggy, Zomato and grocery apps. That earns ₹180 plus ₹400, so ₹580 a month, or about ₹6,960 a year against a fee of about ₹885 with GST.

Two things can shrink that number. Users report the 5% tier stops at 750 points a month, which Kotak's page does not state. And cashback comes as points, not a bill credit, and our data does not confirm what one point is worth. Check your first two statements before you count on the full 5%.

Getting your cashback out

Users say nothing lands on your bill on its own. You redeem points manually in the Kotak app or net banking, and you need at least 400 points before you can. Several holders also say the app does not show cashback per transaction, so keep your own note of eligible spends and call customer care when a credit looks short.

RuPay or Visa?

Kotak's page lists a RuPay variant next to the Visa card. RuPay links to UPI, but UPI spends earn only the base 0.5%. So a food order paid by UPI may earn 0.5%, not 5%, depending on how it codes. Pay those orders with the card itself.

The bottom line on Kotak Cashback+

Get it if fuel is a big monthly cost, you buy at many different pumps, and you order food and groceries online. Paid ₹750 a year, it still clears its fee for most such users.

Skip it if you want 5% across most online shopping with automatic statement credit; users who compare the two mostly prefer SBI Cashback. If you fill up mainly at IndianOil, IndianOil Kotak can pay more there, up to its cap. More options sit in our cashback credit cards 2026 guide.

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