Help me build my credit card portfolio

[bhavyakjain]

Hi everyone,

I’m fairly new to the credit card portfolio game and looking for guidance to build a practical, cashback-focused, mostly-LTF setup.

My Profile

- Age: 28
- CIBIL: 777
- Net credit: ~₹3.3 LPM (classified as fee, not salary)
- Spending style: Low spender, prefer LTF cards.
- Milestone-based fee waivers don’t work well for me.
- Prefer cashback over points.

Main Spend Categories

1. Utility bills
2. Mobile recharge
3. Insurance payments
4. Dining / food ordering
5. Online shopping
6. UPI
7. Travel (flight/bus/train bookings)
8. Fuel

Current Card Portfolio

1. ICICI Amazon Pay (Sep 2022) - Visa – LTF – ₹14.4L limit - For insurance payments before PhonePe Select Black
2. Axis ACE (Apr 2023) – Visa - ₹590 fee – ₹5L limit - For utility bills before PhonePe Select Black
3. ICICI Coral (Mar 2024) – Rupay - LTF – ₹14.4L limit - Dormant
4. SBI Cashback (Oct 2024) – Visa - ₹1180 fee – ₹1.8L limit - For online spends before PhonePe Select Black
5. IDFC FIRST Wealth (May 2025) – Visa - LTF – ₹4L limit - Dormant
6. Slice Super (Sep 2025) – Rupay - LTF – ₹6.67L limit - For UPI before PhonePe Select Black
7. SBI PhonePe Select Black (Nov 2025) – Rupay - ₹1770 fee – ₹2L limit - For insurance, utility bills, online, UPI

Cards I’m Targeting

1. Bank of Baroda Eterna (application in progress)
2. IndusInd Tiger
3. HDFC Regalia Gold or Millennia
4. ICICI Emeralde PVC or Sapphiro
5. Axis Select

Portfolio Changes I’m Considering

- Axis ACE: thinking of closing since I now have PhonePe Select Black.

What I Need Advice On

1. Which cards should I add? Given my low spend + cashback preference + LTF focus, what additional cards make sense?

2. Which cards should I close or replace? Any cards that overlap or don’t offer value considering my usage?

3. Since I recently switched jobs, I’m also exploring moving my salary account (currently HDFC Preferred).
Goal: better chances for LTF premium cards. Any suggestions for banks/accounts that are most helpful.

Please feel free share any other suggestions or tips.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Anindya98]

Cards I’m Targeting

1. Bank of Baroda Eterna (application in progress)
2. IndusInd Tiger
3. HDFC Regalia Gold or Millennia
4. ICICI Emeralde PVC or Sapphiro
5. Axis Select

1. Go for the LTF Offer
2. Good card with BMS & Free lounge Access
3. Go for RG or higher variant
4. Both Useless only take LTF
5. Why Axis Select?

1. Which cards should I add?

Add a Fuel card

Given my low spend + cashback preference + LTF focus, what additional cards make sense?

Swiggy HDFC LTF as Floater

3. Since I recently switched jobs, I’m also exploring moving my salary account (currently HDFC Preferred).
Goal: better chances for LTF premium cards. Any suggestions for banks/accounts that are most helpful.

Try RG or DCBM paired with LTF Swiggy

 

[vaibhavpp0707]

For dining/food ordering as well as grocery you can add hsbc live plus card.
For fuel you can go with sbi BPCL octane / idfc hpcl power plus / bob hpcl energie card.

 

[tachniki]

Since you are getting paid as fees, do you have additional gst / advance tax payment?

 

[bhavyakjain]

Since you are getting paid as fees, do you have additional gst / advance tax payment?

I did have to make tax payment last year
Not sure about this year

 

[bhavyakjain]

For dining/food ordering as well as grocery you can add hsbc live plus card.
For fuel you can go with sbi BPCL octane / idfc hpcl power plus / bob hpcl energie card.

not much fuel spends to justify the fees, less than 500 a month

Not much dining/ordering to justify the fees, currently using 5% online category for this

 

[bhavyakjain]

1. Go for the LTF Offer
2. Good card with BMS & Free lounge Access
3. Go for RG or higher variant
4. Both Useless only take LTF
5. Why Axis Select?

1. Yes, applied for same
2. Yes, trying but bank person messed up my application so still in process
3. Trying for RG with salary account upgrade, only if LTF
4. Yes, will only take if LTF
5. Getting LTF with burgundy account under salary account transfer

Add a Fuel card

Please suggest a good ltf fuel card, not much fuel spends to justify paid card

Swiggy HDFC LTF as Floater

Don't have a core HDFC card yet so avoiding Swiggy card, will try to get it LTF once core card I sorted

Try RG or DCBM paired with LTF Swiggy

My RM has been worse than useless so far with credit cards
Last 2 years holding preferred sallary account but no offers. So now trying with other branch, as well as threat to tranfer to other bank salary account. Will see how it goes. Any help getting hdfc credit card ltf will be really good

 

[Anindya98]

Please suggest a good ltf fuel card, not much fuel spends to justify paid card

Axis Indian Oil Rupay is currently under LTF offer

Don't have a core HDFC card yet so avoiding Swiggy card, will try to get it LTF once core card I sorted

That's why I said floater after getting a core card

 

[bhavyakjain]

Axis Indian Oil Rupay is currently under LTF offer

I am exploring to switch account to burgundy and will be getting select credit card
If I apply iocl card now, will it cause issue getting select card later ?
Any cooldown or restrictions that I should be wary of ?

 

[Anindya98]

I am exploring to switch account to burgundy and will be getting select credit card
If I apply iocl card now, will it cause issue getting select card later ?

Generally, a 3-month cooldown

Any cooldown or restrictions that I should be wary of ?

For Select, no cooldown as it is applied via the branch