Opening Multiple Bank Accounts

[CarbonLogic]

Hello everyone, I am creating this thread to cover and clarify some basic points of opening savings accounts in a couple of banks that I have shortlisted

• At present: I have a savings acc in SBI, have had it for ~15 years now.
• Employment: General Physician at a charitable Clinic that pays a monthly salary but its not exactly salary. Pseudosalary, no TDS or anything corporate, kind of off the books hence I dont think I can open a salary account.
• Annual: ~4L
• This will be increasing a bit later as I intend to do my masters soon

---

UPDATE: 05-04-2025

I applied for Kotak 811 Super Savings Account and HDFC SavingsMax Account on 1st April 2025. Just wanted to share my experience and timeline of events for both.

Kotak811 Super:

1st April:

• Applied online around 12pm with 5k Initial Funding
• Process was smooth up until KYC. Video KYC was not available, it was giving me the option to book a slot for physical KYC.
• However I logged into the 811 App with the MPIN and there it somehow showed me the option to complete kyc through vKYC. Tapped on it and I was connected to an agent within 1 minute. VKYC went smoothly. So if anyone planning to open the account online is not getting the option for vKYC, just log into your app and go from there. This is sort of a workaround I would say.
• Account was in restricted mode showing status as '811 Lite'.
• Virtual Debit Card was instantly issued as well.
• At around mindnight before 12am, 300 INR deducted from balance for Annual Fee for the Super Subscription/Program. Account updated to Full KYC status.
• Activmoney was automatically enabled but I disabled it since I dont intend to use it.

2nd April:

• Account was converted to Super 811 from 811 Lite, received SMS alert for the same.
• Received SMS that Kotak has received SuperDC request
• Received SMS that Kotak has received Chequebook request (both separate sms)
• App Icon changed! Not something I expected. It changed from regular 811 to 811 Super style (black to red gradient)
• App loading animation changed

3rd April:

• Received SMS that DC was issued.

4th April:

• Received SMS from BlueDart that WelcomeKit dispatched

5th April:

• WelcomeKit received at 1:30pm
• Chequebook has 25 leaves
• Debit Card has Gradient color from Black to Red. I was expecting this. Till this time I thought the Red color is for Regular 811 Savings account and Silver color is for the 811 Super account. But I have to say this was a pleasant surprise. The gradient color and all the typography on the card itself is very Beautiful.
• I have to say Kotak did a fantastic job with the Debit Card and Welcome Kit!
• Note: theres no Passbook, a separate request for Passbook can be made through the App. I have not done that yet. I asked a youtuber who made a video on requesting the passbook and he mentioned its actually free of cost for ordering the passbook 1st time. So will look into it and update.

HDFC SavingsMax: ( I want to personally thank @am11 for clarifying my doubts before and after account opening! )

1st April:

• Applied online around 3pm
• Process was smooth with instant VKYC.
• No initial funding but Deposited 25k as MAB is 25k for SavingsMax account
• Checked branch details, branch was somewhere in Mumbai even though I selected a branch near to me during application process, so I applied for Account Transfer through website (I live in Hyderabad)
• In evening received EMail that account transfer failed because there was already a request for account transfer.
• In evening DebitCard was issued and linked to my account. Details of type of card was not yet visible. It only showed image of EasyShop Platinum DC

2nd April:

• Account transfer completed to the Branch that I had selected during application. So it seems like new online accounts probably open in that one Mumbai branch but then get automatically transferred to selected branch.
• Received Email that Account is now active (emails are arriving a little late and not corresponding to real time activities on the account)

3rd April:

• Received SMS to validate my Email
• Received Welcome Email with PDF containing account details + Mention of Welcome kit
• Received whatsapp msg that Welcome Kit has been dispatched via BlueDart

4th April:

• WelcomeKit delivered at 9am
• Instead of easyshop platinum card received NEW Platinum Card and I have to be honest, this card looks quite horrible in design when compared to the Kotak 811 SuperDC. Even the Easyshop Platinum card looks better than this. So I think it is official that you no longer get Easyshop Platinum DC with the SavingsMax account instead you get the New Platinum Card
• Cheque book has only 5 leaves

So far the experience of Opening the accounts online for both banks have been decent. Definitely not completely smooth for me. They made me anxious quite a few times. I did not worry much about delivery of WelcomeKit since it was handled by BlueDart.
But I have to says Kotak811 looks and feels much more Premium than HDFC SavingsMax.

---

I intend on opening a basic savings account in HDFC(done), ICICI, Axis(on hold), Kotak(done) and maybe AU
Why? In order to eventually get pre-approved offers for their CCs OR increase my chances of getting a CC application approved from them. For example:

1. HDFC: Swiggy (Co-brand, its showing me LTF offer in app but dont want to risk applying it rn), Millennia (if and when it becomes LTF)
2. ICICI: AmazonPay (Co-brand, applied and rejected since I did not have credit history now on 130d cooldown), Coral (if and when it shows LTF for instant discount offers)
3. Axis: Airtel Axis (Co-brand)
4. SBI: Cashback (King of CB), Simplyclick (will think about this, for instant discount offers)
5. Kotak: Myntra (will wait for LTF offer if its possible)
6. AU: Ixigo (currently LTF)

My aim is not to get these CCs for Credit but rather to save ₹₹₹ whereever possible. Till date I have used only DC and UPI.

In the CC department:

1. I applied for AmazonPay CC in Feb since it was showing me the offer on Amazon but it got instantly rejected with the reason no credit history. I was kind of expecting this but had my fingers crossed. Bad luck. At present its on a 130day cool down

2. Applied for Supercard last month: 10k FD, did a small txn, paid bill this month. It has generated Experian credit history @ 786 points. No CIBIL yet. Will continue to use this card for the foreseeable future. I am using it mainly on Myntra for the 5% CB for a max of 150 per month. Keeping the usage under 30% (2700 INR).

---

Coming to the banks (since thats what I would like to discuss in this post), heres what I have shortlisted so far. Please feel free to correct me or give your valuable points:
Note: I donot intend to do large FDs as of now, would like to go with the MAB route. Also at present I dont think I can qualify for the different banking programs so would like to stay out of that unless its feasible to get into one

1. HDFC (Opened SavingsMax)
Seems pretty straigthforward here, below are the 2 accounts I shortlisted. In another thread a member had mentioned that Millennia DC had become slightly better than ES Platinum DC but the latter is still a better account so I am still on the fence here.

1. Regular Savings - 10k MAB, paid Millennia DC (590pa)
2. SavingsMax - 25k MAB, LTF Easyshop New Platinum DC ( As per advice by @Fini7777 )

2. ICICI (Tried opening online but on the next page it simply tells you to go to Branch)

This is the confusing one as website shows only 3in1, Family360, WM Savings and Private Banking Savings options
When I go here and click on Apply for Savings Account > Regular > it shows that I can open Savings Acc with no Initial Funding Requirement.
I havent proceeded yet because some members have mentioned that when they applied from here, on the next page it just tells them to go to Bank Branch.

-Some have also mentioned that there is an Initial funding of 95k, which converts the account to 0 MAB acc when infact originally the account was supposed to be a 10k MAB account. So would like some clarification on this.
If I do proceed with the 95k funding, can I withdraw the entire amount in a couple of days and will the account remain 0 MAB for LifeTime or would I have to maintain some balance in it? Also which DC do you get here and does it have a JF and AF? Not able to find proper documentations.


3. Axis
After going through this thread, I have decided to put Axis on hold. Since my aim for this account was Airtel Axis CC, I will try applying for the CC directly
Once again 2 straightforward accounts here

1. Easy Access Digital Savings - 16k initial funding, 12k MAB, Free VDC but Physical DC is 500+gst JF & AF and both VDC and PhyDC seem to be not that great.
2. Liberty Savings - 25k initial funding, 25k MAB, PhyDC is 200+gst JF and 300+gst AF which seems fine. Seems to have all benifits of DC from Easy Access acc. ( As per advice by @Mr. Bean but will put this on hold since another thread I just went through mentions that Axis is infamous for levying unncessary charges on the account)

4. AU SFB

• Digital Savings - 0 MAB, RPDC at 200pa
• Avoid AU ( As per advice by @Fini7777 @Beyond )

5. Kotak (Opened 811 SuperSavings)

1. 811 ZeroBalance Digital Savings - 0 MAB, free VDC, Physical Classic DC on request @ 299/yr
2. 811 Edge Savings - 10k MAB, no VDC, Physical Platinum DC @ 235/yr
3. 811 SuperSavings acc - 0 MAB, 5000 deposit every month, 300/yr subscription fee ( As per advice by @Fini7777 )

Comparison Page
I dont see much of a difference between the two, the ZeroBalance Digital SB should suffice with just VDC.
Also would it make sense to go for 811 Super Savings, assuming I dont get put on a waitlist? It does not have any MAB requirement either but subscription fee of 300/yr is applicable + every month you have to do a hard deposit of 5000 in a single txn. Can this be immediately withdrawn?

---

Thank you for reading till the end!
I will keep updating the post as I receive clarification and suggestions.
Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[hender]

Hello everyone, I am creating this thread to cover and clarify some basic points of opening savings accounts in a couple of banks that I have shortlisted

At present: I have a savings acc in SBI, have had it for ~15 years now.
Employment: General Physician at a charitable Clinic that pays a monthly salary but its not exactly salary. Pseudosalary, no TDS or anything corporate, kind of off the books hence I dont think I can open a salary account.
Annual: ~4L
This will be increasing a bit later as I intend to do my masters soon

---

I intend on opening a basic savings account in HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and maybe AU
Why? In order to eventually get pre-approved offers for their CCs OR increase my chances of getting a CC application approved from them. For example:

1. HDFC: Swiggy (Co-brand, its showing me LTF offer in app but dont want to risk applying it rn), Millennia (if and when it becomes LTF)
2. ICICI: AmazonPay (Co-brand, applied and rejected since I did not have credit history now on 130d cooldown), Coral (if and when it shows LTF for instant discount offers)
3. Axis: Airtel Axis (Co-brand)
4. SBI: Cashback (King of CB), Simplyclick (will think about this, for instant discount offers)
5. Kotak: Myntra (will wait for LTF offer if its possible)
6. AU: Ixigo (currently LTF)

My aim is not to get these CCs for Credit but rather to save ₹₹₹ whereever possible. Till date I have used only DC and UPI.

In the CC department:
1. I applied for AmazonPay CC in Feb since it was showing me the offer on Amazon but it got instantly rejected with the reason no credit history. I was kind of expecting this but had my fingers crossed. Bad luck. At present its on a 130day cool down

2. Applied for Supercard last month: 10k FD, did a small txn, paid bill this month. It has generated Experian credit history @ 786 points. No CIBIL yet. Will continue to use this card for the foreseeable future. I am using it mainly on Myntra for the 5% CB for a max of 150 per month. Keeping the usage under 30% (2700 INR).

---

Coming to the banks (since thats what I would like to discuss in this post), heres what I have shortlisted so far. Please feel free to correct me or give your valuable points:
Note: I donot intend to do large FDs as of now, would like to go with the MAB route. Also at present I dont think I can qualify for the different banking programs so would like to stay out of that unless its feasible to get into one

1. HDFC
Seems pretty straigthforward here, below are the 2 accounts I shortlisted. In another thread a member had mentioned that Millennia DC had become slightly better than ES Platinum DC but the latter is still a better account so I am still on the fence here.

a. Regular Savings - 10k MAB, paid Millennia DC (590pa)
b. SavingsMax - 25k MAB, LTF Easyshop Platinum DC


2. ICICI
This is the confusing one as website shows only 3in1, Family360, WM Savings and Private Banking Savings options
When I go here and click on Apply for Savings Account > Regular > it shows that I can open Savings Acc with no Initial Funding Requirement. I have attached Screenshots below
I havent proceeded yet because some members have mentioned that when they applied from here, on the next page it just tells them to go to Bank Branch.

-Some have also mentioned that there is an Initial funding of 95k, which converts the account to 0 MAB acc when infact originally the account was supposed to be a 10k MAB account. So would like some clarification on this.
If I do proceed with the 95k funding, can I withdraw the entire amount in a couple of days and will the account remain 0 MAB for LifeTime or would I have to maintain some balance in it? Also which DC do you get here and does it have a JF and AF? Not able to find proper documentations.

View attachment 87159


3. Axis
Once again 2 straightforward accounts here

a. Easy Access Digital Savings - 16k initial funding, 12k MAB, Free VDC but Physical DC is 500+gst JF & AF and both VDC and PhyDC seem to be not that great.
b. Liberty Savings - 25k initial funding, 25k MAB, PhyDC is 200+gst JF and 300+gst AF which seems fine. Seems to have all benifits of DC from Easy Access acc.

Amaze Savings - Its just a subscription account at 200/pm fees. Doesnt seem any useful.

4. AU SFB
a. Digital Savings - 0 MAB, RPDC at 200pa

5. Kotak

a. 811 ZeroBalance Digital Savings - 0 MAB, free VDC, Physical Classic DC on request @ 299/yr
b. 811 Edge Savings - 10k MAB, no VDC, Physical Platinum DC @ 235/yr
Comparison Page
I dont see much of a difference between the two, the ZeroBalance Digital SB should suffice with just VDC.
Also would it make sense to go for 811 Super Savings, assuming I dont get put on a waitlist? It does not have any MAB requirement either but subscription fee of 300/yr is applicable + every month you have to do a hard deposit of 5000 in a single txn. Can this be immediately withdrawn?

---

Thank you for reading till the end!
I will keep updating the post as I receive clarification and suggestions.
Your help is greatly appreciated!

Dr Sir, 🙌 What a thesis, 💯, fantastic 😍 .

 

[Mr. BeanMr. Bean is verified member.]

Took me 5 minutes just to read.

Employment: General Physician at a charitable Clinic that pays a monthly salary but its not exactly salary. Pseudosalary,

💕💕💕

1. HDFC
Seems pretty straigthforward here, below are the 2 accounts I shortlisted. In another thread a member had mentioned that Millennia DC had become slightly better than ES Platinum DC but the latter is still a better account so I am still on the fence here.

With SavingsMax, from what I know, Millennia DC is LTF too. Others, please correct me if I am wrong.

3. Axis
Once again 2 straightforward accounts here

Liberty. Especially, when used for a family. Only one needs to maintain the min bal. Rest can enjoy zero bal.

Easy Access Digital Savings is useless, IMO. I have it for 10+ years. So, I speak from my experience. Anyway, if you ever go with Easy Access Digital Savings account, deactivate the DC and apply for ATM only card to save on DC charges.

I don't have experience with other banks mentioned.

You may also consider Slice SB account offered by North East Small Finance Bank only to keep the liquid funds, as it temporarily offers 6.25% interest on funds in SB account.

 

[Fini7777]

Hello everyone, I am creating this thread to cover and clarify some basic points of opening savings accounts in a couple of banks that I have shortlisted

At present: I have a savings acc in SBI, have had it for ~15 years now.
Employment: General Physician at a charitable Clinic that pays a monthly salary but its not exactly salary. Pseudosalary, no TDS or anything corporate, kind of off the books hence I dont think I can open a salary account.
Annual: ~4L
This will be increasing a bit later as I intend to do my masters soon

---

I intend on opening a basic savings account in HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and maybe AU
Why? In order to eventually get pre-approved offers for their CCs OR increase my chances of getting a CC application approved from them. For example:

1. HDFC: Swiggy (Co-brand, its showing me LTF offer in app but dont want to risk applying it rn), Millennia (if and when it becomes LTF)
2. ICICI: AmazonPay (Co-brand, applied and rejected since I did not have credit history now on 130d cooldown), Coral (if and when it shows LTF for instant discount offers)
3. Axis: Airtel Axis (Co-brand)
4. SBI: Cashback (King of CB), Simplyclick (will think about this, for instant discount offers)
5. Kotak: Myntra (will wait for LTF offer if its possible)
6. AU: Ixigo (currently LTF)

My aim is not to get these CCs for Credit but rather to save ₹₹₹ whereever possible. Till date I have used only DC and UPI.

I was in similar situation like you few yrs ago, and I've gone through all these steps and opened accounts except ICICI (My mother hold ICICI account opened for cc)

Coming to pre approved CCs for account holders
HDFC: True
ICICI: Myth (True for self employed)
Axis: Myth
AU: Myth
Kotak: True

you no need to open accounts just for CCs, follow a right strategy

In the CC department:
1. I applied for AmazonPay CC in Feb since it was showing me the offer on Amazon but it got instantly rejected with the reason no credit history. I was kind of expecting this but had my fingers crossed. Bad luck. At present its on a 130day cool down

2. Applied for Supercard last month: 10k FD, did a small txn, paid bill this month. It has generated Experian credit history @ 786 points. No CIBIL yet. Will continue to use this card for the foreseeable future. I am using it mainly on Myntra for the 5% CB for a max of 150 per month. Keeping the usage under 30% (2700 INR).

Good to know u started with Secured CC it will inc your credit score and improve you credit history

Coming to the banks (since thats what I would like to discuss in this post), heres what I have shortlisted so far. Please feel free to correct me or give your valuable points:
Note: I donot intend to do large FDs as of now, would like to go with the MAB route. Also at present I dont think I can qualify for the different banking programs so would like to stay out of that unless its feasible to get into one

1. HDFC
Seems pretty straigthforward here, below are the 2 accounts I shortlisted. In another thread a member had mentioned that Millennia DC had become slightly better than ES Platinum DC but the latter is still a better account so I am still on the fence here.

a. Regular Savings - 10k MAB, paid Millennia DC (590pa)
b. SavingsMax - 25k MAB, LTF Easyshop Platinum DC


2. ICICI
This is the confusing one as website shows only 3in1, Family360, WM Savings and Private Banking Savings options
When I go here and click on Apply for Savings Account > Regular > it shows that I can open Savings Acc with no Initial Funding Requirement. I have attached Screenshots below
I havent proceeded yet because some members have mentioned that when they applied from here, on the next page it just tells them to go to Bank Branch.

-Some have also mentioned that there is an Initial funding of 95k, which converts the account to 0 MAB acc when infact originally the account was supposed to be a 10k MAB account. So would like some clarification on this.
If I do proceed with the 95k funding, can I withdraw the entire amount in a couple of days and will the account remain 0 MAB for LifeTime or would I have to maintain some balance in it? Also which DC do you get here and does it have a JF and AF? Not able to find proper documentations.

View attachment 87159


3. Axis
Once again 2 straightforward accounts here

a. Easy Access Digital Savings - 16k initial funding, 12k MAB, Free VDC but Physical DC is 500+gst JF & AF and both VDC and PhyDC seem to be not that great.
b. Liberty Savings - 25k initial funding, 25k MAB, PhyDC is 200+gst JF and 300+gst AF which seems fine. Seems to have all benifits of DC from Easy Access acc.

Amaze Savings - Its just a subscription account at 200/pm fees. Doesnt seem any useful.

4. AU SFB
a. Digital Savings - 0 MAB, RPDC at 200pa

5. Kotak

a. 811 ZeroBalance Digital Savings - 0 MAB, free VDC, Physical Classic DC on request @ 299/yr
b. 811 Edge Savings - 10k MAB, no VDC, Physical Platinum DC @ 235/yr
Comparison Page
I dont see much of a difference between the two, the ZeroBalance Digital SB should suffice with just VDC.
Also would it make sense to go for 811 Super Savings, assuming I dont get put on a waitlist? It does not have any MAB requirement either but subscription fee of 300/yr is applicable + every month you have to do a hard deposit of 5000 in a single txn. Can this be immediately withdrawn?

---

Thank you for reading till the end!
I will keep updating the post as I receive clarification and suggestions.
Your help is greatly appreciated!

I'd suggest:
1. open HDFC SavingsMax (25k MAB)
2. maintain more funds as much as you can
3. wait for a good CC (Don't take MB+ Or other useless cards) consider atleast Millennia even if it paid
4. if u get it then ur work is done

Gradually start applying for Axis cards and ICICI Apay card

1. open kotak 811 Super ACcount which comes with 811 super DC (5% csb online + offline exclusions apply)
2. kotak will start accepting cc applications soon try ur luck

Getting ICICI core cc is not that easy as a self employed
1. they r not willing to offer regular sb acc to new customers and forcing all to join their privilege banking
2. if you can get regular SB go for it though I'd not recommend
3. Once u get Apay ICICI cc u get their core cards easily so, patience is key here

Avoid AU Savings account
1. you can get their cards easily without an account
2. apply for au card after 1 yr of getting any unsecured cc

Final Note:
Open HDFC, KOTAK 811
get ur 1st unsecured CC and slowly get other cards

This is what I can say based on my experience

 

[hender]

I was in similar situation like you few yrs ago, and I've gone through all these steps and opened accounts except ICICI (My mother hold ICICI account opened for cc)

Coming to pre approved CCs for account holders
HDFC: True
ICICI: Myth (True for self employed)
Axis: Myth
AU: Myth
Kotak: True

you no need to open accounts just for CCs, follow a right strategy

Good to know u started with Secured CC it will inc your credit score and improve you credit history

I'd suggest:
1. open HDFC SavingsMax (25k MAB)
2. maintain more funds as much as you can
3. wait for a good CC (Don't take MB+ Or other useless cards) consider atleast Millennia even if it paid
4. if u get it then ur work is done

Gradually start applying for Axis cards and ICICI Apay card

1. open kotak 811 Super ACcount which comes with 811 super DC (5% csb online + offline exclusions apply)
2. kotak will start accepting cc applications soon try ur luck

Getting ICICI core cc is not that easy as a self employed
1. they r not willing to offer regular sb acc to new customers and forcing all to join their privilege banking
2. if you can get regular SB go for it though I'd not recommend
3. Once u get Apay ICICI cc u get their core cards easily so, patience is key here

Avoid AU Savings account
1. you can get their cards easily without an account
2. apply for au card after 1 yr of getting any unsecured cc

Final Note:
Open HDFC, KOTAK 811
get ur 1st unsecured CC and slowly get other cards

This is what I can say based on my experience

This thread will be the "encyclopaedia of credit card or my journey to credit card" in 2025
"Mixed Fruit 🍑🍓 Juice 🥤"

 

[drvirag]

U want all dese ac jst for pre-approved offers. U cn get in hdfc kotak n icici. Hdfc u cn open 2500 mab ac for rural branch. Icici stopped zero balance ac. Bt for pre approved offer u need to maintain gud balance.
Au don't give pre-approved I hv from 5 Yr n maintained 1 lakh even told rm bt no pre-approved.
Better just open 1 ac in icici n get icici card.
Den take sbi cashback. Most difficult card to get later.
Den normally apply for hdfc n axis. It's easy to get hdfc n axis card.
Kotak n au cards r useless. Bt if u want Kotak den Dey will start application form nxt month. For au u need to b from service location.

 

[sadhunath]

Hello everyone, I am creating this thread to cover and clarify some basic points of opening savings accounts in a couple of banks that I have shortlisted

• At present: I have a savings acc in SBI, have had it for ~15 years now.
• Employment: General Physician at a charitable Clinic that pays a monthly salary but its not exactly salary. Pseudosalary, no TDS or anything corporate, kind of off the books hence I dont think I can open a salary account.
• Annual: ~4L
• This will be increasing a bit later as I intend to do my masters soon

---

I intend on opening a basic savings account in HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and maybe AU
Why? In order to eventually get pre-approved offers for their CCs OR increase my chances of getting a CC application approved from them. For example:

1. HDFC: Swiggy (Co-brand, its showing me LTF offer in app but dont want to risk applying it rn), Millennia (if and when it becomes LTF)
2. ICICI: AmazonPay (Co-brand, applied and rejected since I did not have credit history now on 130d cooldown), Coral (if and when it shows LTF for instant discount offers)
3. Axis: Airtel Axis (Co-brand)
4. SBI: Cashback (King of CB), Simplyclick (will think about this, for instant discount offers)
5. Kotak: Myntra (will wait for LTF offer if its possible)
6. AU: Ixigo (currently LTF)

My aim is not to get these CCs for Credit but rather to save ₹₹₹ whereever possible. Till date I have used only DC and UPI.

In the CC department:

1. I applied for AmazonPay CC in Feb since it was showing me the offer on Amazon but it got instantly rejected with the reason no credit history. I was kind of expecting this but had my fingers crossed. Bad luck. At present its on a 130day cool down

2. Applied for Supercard last month: 10k FD, did a small txn, paid bill this month. It has generated Experian credit history @ 786 points. No CIBIL yet. Will continue to use this card for the foreseeable future. I am using it mainly on Myntra for the 5% CB for a max of 150 per month. Keeping the usage under 30% (2700 INR).

---

Coming to the banks (since thats what I would like to discuss in this post), heres what I have shortlisted so far. Please feel free to correct me or give your valuable points:
Note: I donot intend to do large FDs as of now, would like to go with the MAB route. Also at present I dont think I can qualify for the different banking programs so would like to stay out of that unless its feasible to get into one

1. HDFC
Seems pretty straigthforward here, below are the 2 accounts I shortlisted. In another thread a member had mentioned that Millennia DC had become slightly better than ES Platinum DC but the latter is still a better account so I am still on the fence here.

1. Regular Savings - 10k MAB, paid Millennia DC (590pa)
2. SavingsMax - 25k MAB, LTF Easyshop Platinum DC

2. ICICI
This is the confusing one as website shows only 3in1, Family360, WM Savings and Private Banking Savings options
When I go here and click on Apply for Savings Account > Regular > it shows that I can open Savings Acc with no Initial Funding Requirement. I have attached Screenshots below
I havent proceeded yet because some members have mentioned that when they applied from here, on the next page it just tells them to go to Bank Branch.

-Some have also mentioned that there is an Initial funding of 95k, which converts the account to 0 MAB acc when infact originally the account was supposed to be a 10k MAB account. So would like some clarification on this.
If I do proceed with the 95k funding, can I withdraw the entire amount in a couple of days and will the account remain 0 MAB for LifeTime or would I have to maintain some balance in it? Also which DC do you get here and does it have a JF and AF? Not able to find proper documentations.

View attachment 87159


3. Axis
Once again 2 straightforward accounts here

1. Easy Access Digital Savings - 16k initial funding, 12k MAB, Free VDC but Physical DC is 500+gst JF & AF and both VDC and PhyDC seem to be not that great.
2. Liberty Savings - 25k initial funding, 25k MAB, PhyDC is 200+gst JF and 300+gst AF which seems fine. Seems to have all benifits of DC from Easy Access acc.

4. AU SFB

• Digital Savings - 0 MAB, RPDC at 200pa

5. Kotak

1. 811 ZeroBalance Digital Savings - 0 MAB, free VDC, Physical Classic DC on request @ 299/yr
2. 811 Edge Savings - 10k MAB, no VDC, Physical Platinum DC @ 235/yr

Comparison Page
I dont see much of a difference between the two, the ZeroBalance Digital SB should suffice with just VDC.
Also would it make sense to go for 811 Super Savings, assuming I dont get put on a waitlist? It does not have any MAB requirement either but subscription fee of 300/yr is applicable + every month you have to do a hard deposit of 5000 in a single txn. Can this be immediately withdrawn?

---

Thank you for reading till the end!
I will keep updating the post as I receive clarification and suggestions.
Your help is greatly appreciated!

Doctor ko 4L annual salary milta hain? 😱

 

[drvirag]

Doctor ko 4L annual salary milta hain? 😱

Is se Kam b multi hai

 

[CarbonLogic]

Dr Sir, 🙌 What a thesis, 💯, fantastic 😍 .

Haha thank you 😀 I just wanted to be as detailed as possible so that it will be easier for other members can give me suggestions.

Doctor ko 4L annual salary milta hain? 😱

Kum hai actually. This is in south (Im from Hyderabad). North me nearly ~7-9L annually for freshers.

Is se Kam b multi hai

That is true in some states and cities specially south

 

[CarbonLogic]

With SavingsMax, from what I know, Millennia DC is LTF too. Others, please correct me if I am wrong.

Liberty. Especially, when used for a family. Only one needs to maintain the min bal. Rest can enjoy zero bal.

I don't have experience with other banks mentioned.

You may also consider Slice SB account offered by North East Small Finance Bank only to keep the liquid funds, as it temporarily offers 6.25% interest on funds in SB account.

HDFC
Documentation on website doesnt show anything as such for LTF Millennia with the SavingsMax. Not sure if ES Platinum which is LTF can be converted to LTF Millennia.

Axis
Yup I was leaning towards Liberty tbh. The family aspect seems very good too. I can include my wife in it as well who also shares similar income and profession as me. (If theres any tips/tricks I should be knowing with regards to this account please do let me know in your free time)

Slice
Will definitely consider this

Thanks for your advice!

 

[CarbonLogic]

I was in similar situation like you few yrs ago, and I've gone through all these steps and opened accounts except ICICI (My mother hold ICICI account opened for cc)

Coming to pre approved CCs for account holders
HDFC: True
ICICI: Myth (True for self employed)
Axis: Myth
AU: Myth
Kotak: True

you no need to open accounts just for CCs, follow a right strategy

I'd suggest:
1. open HDFC SavingsMax (25k MAB)
2. maintain more funds as much as you can
3. wait for a good CC (Don't take MB+ Or other useless cards) consider atleast Millennia even if it paid
4. if u get it then ur work is done

Gradually start applying for Axis cards and ICICI Apay card

1. open kotak 811 Super ACcount which comes with 811 super DC (5% csb online + offline exclusions apply)
2. kotak will start accepting cc applications soon try ur luck

Getting ICICI core cc is not that easy as a self employed
1. they r not willing to offer regular sb acc to new customers and forcing all to join their privilege banking
2. if you can get regular SB go for it though I'd not recommend
3. Once u get Apay ICICI cc u get their core cards easily so, patience is key here

Avoid AU Savings account
1. you can get their cards easily without an account
2. apply for au card after 1 yr of getting any unsecured cc

Final Note:
Open HDFC, KOTAK 811
get ur 1st unsecured CC and slowly get other cards

This is what I can say based on my experience

Thank you very much for your advice!

HDFC
I will go with the SavingsMax. Only card I am aiming for is the Millennia and then ofc Co-branded cards such as Swiggy and Neucard Plus maybe.

Axis
I will try for the Liberty account as that will be useful in the long run with family features. Main CC here is the Airtel Axis.

Kotak
Ok will look into the 811 Super Savings account. Main CC here is the Myntra CC.

ICICI
As you said this one looks to be the most difficult one. Iam personally very doubtful if my application for AmazonPay CC will be accepted after 130 days when I apply again. Hopefully by that time my CIBIL score will be decent. TBH once I get the Apay CC I will be more relaxed and happy as I do majority of shopping on Amazon. SBI CB will be the next target after this.

AU
I am actually not in very much hurry for the IXIGO CC, I just included it in my list so I think I will skip this for now.

Thanks once again for giving your time to reply to my query!

 

[CarbonLogic]

U want all dese ac jst for pre-approved offers. U cn get in hdfc kotak n icici. Hdfc u cn open 2500 mab ac for rural branch. Icici stopped zero balance ac. Bt for pre approved offer u need to maintain gud balance.
Au don't give pre-approved I hv from 5 Yr n maintained 1 lakh even told rm bt no pre-approved.
Better just open 1 ac in icici n get icici card.
Den take sbi cashback. Most difficult card to get later.
Den normally apply for hdfc n axis. It's easy to get hdfc n axis card.
Kotak n au cards r useless. Bt if u want Kotak den Dey will start application form nxt month. For au u need to b from service location.

HDFC
I will go with SavingsMax since the ES Platinum DC will be useful. Will gradually increase to 30-40k.

AU
Yes I think I will skip this bank. @Fini7777 has also mentioned not to go with this bank.

ICICI
I will see what to do with this, still not sure how to approach it. Will wait for some experienced members to give some clarification.

Kotak
Myntra CC is beneficial I believe. you get 7.5% instant discount unlimited upto 750 per txn. This discount can go upto 12.5% or even 15% during festivals or special ocassions.

 

[Fini7777]

ICICI
I will see what to do with this, still not sure how to approach it. Will wait for some experienced members to give some clarification.

If you need ICICI regular account
reach out to ur nearest ICICI branch and ask for regular sb acc
Mostly they deny opening 10k regular sb acc and ask u for 1L IP for family 360 banking
But try as much as u can to convince them for regular sb acc

Earlier we have multiple options to select but they were discontinued
We've a detailed thread on opening regular sb but that person struggled a lot to get his work done


If u really need icici acc for any other purpose other than getting cc: Try ur luck
Otherwise wait for some time and you most likely get Apay cc after building a good credit history
Opening an icici acc for cc is not recommended.

 

[Beyond]

Hi @CarbonLogic

You already know more than desired. 🙂

Suggestion-
1. Open savingsmax and do FD of 1.25L , Your charges will be waived
2. Open Family 360 by 1L IP, contact icici, they will visit your home/office and open account for you
3. Axis dont open account right now, get a card with good limit and do c2c
4. AU avoid
5. Kotak you can look for 811 super, good DC until you secure a good cashback card, avoid if you have SBI CB

Additional:
Ignore SFB, but try BoB if possible eterna

 

[CarbonLogic]

Mostly they deny opening 10k regular sb acc and ask u for 1L IP for family 360 banking
But try as much as u can to convince them for regular sb acc

Otherwise wait for some time and you most likely get Apay cc after building a good credit history
Opening an icici acc for cc is not recommended.

Thanks, one of my uncles have a Salary acc with ICICI I think, will try to approach the bank through his relation and see what they can do. If no luck then I will have to wait for another 4 months until the cooldown for AmazonPay ICICI is over. By then hopefully my CIBIL is at a good point and will apply for the CC.
TBH I do want to build a relation with these banks as well, so that in near future they might be useful for other purposes which maybe I am not yet aware of.

Hi @CarbonLogic

You already know more than desired. 🙂

Suggestion-
1. Open savingsmax and do FD of 1.25L , Your charges will be waived
2. Open Family 360 by 1L IP, contact icici, they will visit your home/office and open account for you
3. Axis dont open account right now, get a card with good limit and do c2c
4. AU avoid
5. Kotak you can look for 811 super, good DC until you secure a good cashback card, avoid if you have SBI CB

Additional:
Ignore SFB, but try BoB if possible eterna

Hi, thanks
And not at all brother, still in process of learning many things. It took me a weeks time to research the details properly and make this thread.

1. As I had mentioned regarding FDs, I am not capable of doing any large FDs as of now. Also for the MAB waiver on SavingsMax, the FD is 1.5L
2. I will look into this, the family 360 account.
3. The thing is as I mentioned I got a secured CC last month only. So far only Experian score has been generated. I will wait until CIBIL is generated and reaches a decent point. Only then I will try applying for unsecured CC. This will probably take another 3-4 months. I dont know when Utkarsh SFB reports to CIBIL
4. Alright, another member had mentioned the same
5. SBI CB is gonna take some time as mentioned in point 3, will try opening Kotak 811 Super

Thanks for your input!

 

[Beyond]

1. As I had mentioned regarding FDs, I am not capable of doing any large FDs as of now. Also for the MAB waiver on SavingsMax, the FD is 1.5L

No issues, you can open regular account and choose low cost dc. (moneyback 256)
MAB waiver depend on branch (try semi urban)
1.25 as its fd limit of millennia fd based card

 

[CarbonLogic]

UPDATE: 05-04-2025

I applied for Kotak 811 Super Savings Account and HDFC SavingsMax Account on 1st April 2025. Just wanted to share my experience and timeline of events for both.

Kotak811 Super:

1st April:

• Applied online around 12pm with 5k Initial Funding
• Process was smooth up until KYC. Video KYC was not available, it was giving me the option to book a slot for physical KYC.
• However I logged into the 811 App with the MPIN and there it somehow showed me the option to complete kyc through vKYC. Tapped on it and I was connected to an agent within 1 minute. VKYC went smoothly. So if anyone planning to open the account online is not getting the option for vKYC, just log into your app and go from there. This is sort of a workaround I would say.
• Account was in restricted mode showing status as '811 Lite'.
• Virtual Debit Card was instantly issued as well.
• At around mindnight before 12am, 300 INR deducted from balance for Annual Fee for the Super Subscription/Program. Account updated to Full KYC status.
• Activmoney was automatically enabled but I disabled it since I dont intend to use it.

2nd April:

• Account was converted to Super 811 from 811 Lite, received SMS alert for the same.
• Received SMS that Kotak has received SuperDC request
• Received SMS that Kotak has received Chequebook request (both separate sms)
• App Icon changed! Not something I expected. It changed from regular 811 to 811 Super style (black to red gradient)
• App loading animation changed

3rd April:

• Received SMS that DC was issued.

4th April:

• Received SMS from BlueDart that WelcomeKit dispatched

5th April:

• WelcomeKit received at 1:30pm
• Chequebook has 25 leaves
• Debit Card has Gradient color from Black to Red. I was expecting this. Till this time I thought the Red color is for Regular 811 Savings account and Silver color is for the 811 Super account. But I have to say this was a pleasant surprise. The gradient color and all the typography on the card itself is very Beautiful.
• I have to say Kotak did a fantastic job with the Debit Card and Welcome Kit!
• Note: theres no Passbook, a separate request for Passbook can be made through the App. I have not done that yet. I asked a youtuber who made a video on requesting the passbook and he mentioned its actually free of cost for ordering the passbook 1st time. So will look into it and update.

HDFC SavingsMax: ( I want to personally thank @am11 for clarifying my doubts before and after account opening! )

1st April:

• Applied online around 3pm
• Process was smooth with instant VKYC.
• No initial funding but Deposited 25k as MAB is 25k for SavingsMax account
• Checked branch details, branch was somewhere in Mumbai even though I selected a branch near to me during application process, so I applied for Account Transfer through website (I live in Hyderabad)
• In evening received EMail that account transfer failed because there was already a request for account transfer.
• In evening DebitCard was issued and linked to my account. Details of type of card was not yet visible. It only showed image of EasyShop Platinum DC

2nd April:

• Account transfer completed to the Branch that I had selected during application. So it seems like new online accounts probably open in that one Mumbai branch but then get automatically transferred to selected branch.
• Received Email that Account is now active (emails are arriving a little late and not corresponding to real time activities on the account)

3rd April:

• Received SMS to validate my Email
• Received Welcome Email with PDF containing account details + Mention of Welcome kit
• Received whatsapp msg that Welcome Kit has been dispatched via BlueDart

4th April:

• WelcomeKit delivered at 9am
• Instead of easyshop platinum card received NEW Platinum Card and I have to be honest, this card looks quite horrible in design when compared to the Kotak 811 SuperDC. Even the Easyshop Platinum card looks better than this. So I think it is official that you no longer get Easyshop Platinum DC with the SavingsMax account instead you get the New Platinum Card
• Cheque book has only 5 leaves

So far the experience of Opening the accounts online for both banks have been decent. Definitely not completely smooth for me. They made me anxious quite a few times. I did not worry much about delivery of WelcomeKit since it was handled by BlueDart.
But I have to says Kotak811 looks and feels much more Premium than HDFC SavingsMax both in terms of Welcome Kit and also AppBanking

NOTE: I have edited+updated the Main Post as well

 

[jainil]

HDFC
Documentation on website doesnt show anything as such for LTF Millennia with the SavingsMax. Not sure if ES Platinum which is LTF can be converted to LTF Millennia.

Axis
Yup I was leaning towards Liberty tbh. The family aspect seems very good too. I can include my wife in it as well who also shares similar income and profession as me. (If theres any tips/tricks I should be knowing with regards to this account please do let me know in your free time)

Slice
Will definitely consider this

Thanks for your advice!

I have tried to open hdfc account online and vkyc option not popeed up but it shows to visit branch with latest documents or bank will connect you but still almost a week passed no one has contacted me what to do..experts any suggestions for it

 

[kiwi195]

I have tried to open hdfc account online and vkyc option not popeed up but it shows to visit branch with latest documents or bank will connect you but still almost a week passed no one has contacted me what to do..experts any suggestions for it

Do visit your nearest branch if approachable. Else, you should contact customer care

 

[Piyush Yadav]

I was in similar situation like you few yrs ago, and I've gone through all these steps and opened accounts except ICICI (My mother hold ICICI account opened for cc)

Coming to pre approved CCs for account holders
HDFC: True
ICICI: Myth (True for self employed)
Axis: Myth
AU: Myth
Kotak: True

you no need to open accounts just for CCs, follow a right strategy

Good to know u started with Secured CC it will inc your credit score and improve you credit history

I'd suggest:
1. open HDFC SavingsMax (25k MAB)
2. maintain more funds as much as you can
3. wait for a good CC (Don't take MB+ Or other useless cards) consider atleast Millennia even if it paid
4. if u get it then ur work is done

I'm also holding this savings account from last 6 month like about September 2024 to April 2025... maintained it with above 1 lakh... 💵
Using this as a primary account...
to get pre-approved offer of core credit card..💳
Also make there debit card transactions frequently...
Unfortunately, still there is no any pre-approved offer for me till the date don't know when to get it...
Can you suggest something,. to get there offer fast 😊 ⁉️
Note = i fill my occupation details as a salary person is this get effect?

Gradually start applying for Axis cards and ICICI Apay card

1. open kotak 811 Super ACcount which comes with 811 super DC (5% csb online + offline exclusions apply)
2. kotak will start accepting cc applications soon try ur luck

Getting ICICI core cc is not that easy as a self employed
1. they r not willing to offer regular sb acc to new customers and forcing all to join their privilege banking
2. if you can get regular SB go for it though I'd not recommend
3. Once u get Apay ICICI cc u get their core cards easily so, patience is key here

I'm planning to open an account in ICICI to get there pre-approved core card offer...
Is it worth for me..
my only motive is.. to get AMAZON PAY ICICI CREDIT CARD 💳 mine got rejected 2 times now there is an cooling period of 6 month ☹️
Do suggest something to get amazon pay icici credit card easily...

Avoid AU Savings account
1. you can get their cards easily without an account
2. apply for au card after 1 yr of getting any unsecured cc

Final Note:
Open HDFC, KOTAK 811
get ur 1st unsecured CC and slowly get other cards

This is what I can say based on my experience