# SBI Cashback Card Review: 5% Online After the New Caps

> SBI's CASHBACK card reviewed: 5% online with no merchant list, 1% offline, the INR 2,000 online and INR 2,000 offline caps per cycle, the exclusion list and the INR 2 lakh fee reversal.
- **Published**: 2026-11-05
- **Modified**: 2026-11-05
- **Category**: credit-cards
- **URL**: https://www.tldr.money/articles/credit-cards/sbi-cashback-card-review

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Our [credit cards guide](/credit-cards) explains how to judge any card. This review covers the **CASHBACK SBI Card**, the simplest 5% online card in India, and how its per-cycle caps now work.

**Last updated: 5 November 2026.** Educational, not advice. Caps and exclusions are from SBI Card's current cardholder terms; check them before applying.

## SBI Cashback card at a glance

| Feature | CASHBACK SBI Card |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | INR 999 + taxes |
| Fee reversal | INR 2 lakh spend in the previous year |
| Online spends | 5% cashback, no merchant list |
| Offline spends | 1% cashback |
| Cap per statement cycle | INR 2,000 online + INR 2,000 offline (INR 4,000 total) |
| How it's paid | Auto-credited within 2 working days of the statement |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on INR 500-INR 3,000, up to INR 100 a cycle |
| Lounge access | None |

## The caps

SBI Card's FAQ sets separate limits for each cycle: INR 2,000 of online cashback and INR 2,000 of offline cashback, never more than INR 4,000 together. In spend terms:

- **Online:** 5% stops at INR 40,000 of online spend a cycle
- **Offline:** 1% stops at INR 2 lakh, which few people reach

Once a bucket hits its cap, further spend in that bucket earns nothing until the next statement.

## What earns nothing

The terms exclude these by merchant category: fuel, rent and property management, wallet loads, jewellery, school and education, utilities, insurance, gift and souvenir shops, railways and quasi-cash. Cash advances, balance transfers, Flexipay and merchant EMIs, and bills paid through SBI Card's own Fetch and Pay or standing instructions also earn nothing. If an online purchase turns into an EMI, its cashback is reversed.

## The maths

Say you spend INR 20,000 online and INR 10,000 offline each month, INR 3.6 lakh a year:

- Online: INR 20,000 x 5% = INR 1,000 a month, under the cap
- Offline: INR 10,000 x 1% = INR 100 a month
- Year: **INR 13,200**
- Fee: reversed, because you passed INR 2 lakh. In year one you pay INR 999 + GST, about INR 1,179.

Online spend above INR 40,000 a month earns nothing, so heavy online spenders should split spend with a second card.

## Who should get it

- **People with mixed online spend** across many sites, at up to INR 40,000 a month.
- **People who want cashback without redeeming anything.**

## Who should skip it

- **People who shop on Amazon only.** [Amazon Pay ICICI](/articles/credit-cards/amazon-pay-icici-credit-card-review) is lifetime free.
- **Mostly offline spenders.** 1% doesn't justify a INR 999 fee.
- **People whose online spend is on a handful of brands.** [HDFC Millennia](/articles/credit-cards/hdfc-millennia-credit-card-review) costs about the same and adds quarterly vouchers.

SBI Card also adds a 1% fee on large fuel and transport spends from 1 December; see [SBI Card's 1% fee on fuel and transport](/articles/credit-cards/sbi-card-1-percent-fee-fuel-transport-december-2026). Compare other options in [best cashback credit cards](/articles/credit-cards/best-cashback-credit-cards-india).

## Sources

- SBI Card, CASHBACK SBI Card: https://www.sbicard.com/en/personal/credit-cards/cashback-sbi-card.html
- SBI Card, CASHBACK SBI Card terms and FAQ: https://www.sbicard.com/sbi-card-en/assets/docs/pdf/ekit-tncs/cashback-tnc-ekit.pdf
- Example figures: tldr.money calculation
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