Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November, and the last-minute shopping is in full swing: gifts, electronics, clothes, sweets, home décor and travel to see family. With that much spending in one week, the card you use matters. The right one can put thousands of rupees back in your pocket.

Here are the 5 best credit cards for Diwali shopping in 2026, what each one earns, and how to pick the right card for each purchase.

The 5 best credit cards for Diwali shopping: at a glance

1. CheQ AU Credit Card: best for shopping across many brands

The CheQ AU Credit Card, issued by AU Small Finance Bank with CheQ, is built for exactly the kind of mixed spending Diwali brings: big online orders, gifts, groceries, food delivery and travel, all on one card.

Rewards (as CheQ Points):

• 12% on Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, BigBasket, Apple products via Unicorn, flights and hotels on CheQ Travel, and utility bills paid through the CheQ app

• 5% on 10,000+ brands across online shopping, food delivery, groceries and travel

• 2.5% on UPI payments through the CheQ app with the RuPay variant

• 1% on other eligible spends

Why it works for Diwali:

• One card covers both Amazon and Flipkart at the top rate, so you don't need to juggle co-branded cards

• CheQ Travel helps if you're booking flights or hotels to go home for the festival

• It's lifetime free, and one application gets you both a Visa card and a RuPay card

Good to know:

• The 12% and 5% categories share a monthly cap of 12,000 CheQ Points

• Points are earned on card transactions of ₹200 or more

• CheQ Points are worth ₹0.50 each on CheQ Travel and gift cards (2 points = ₹1), or ₹0.25 each against your bills (4 points = ₹1)

2. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card: best for Amazon

If most of your Diwali shopping is on Amazon, this card is hard to beat for simplicity.

Rewards:

• 5% on Amazon shopping and travel bookings via Amazon Pay for Prime members, or 3% for non-Prime members, with no cap

• 2% on Amazon Pay transactions at partner merchants

• 1% on other eligible spends, excluding fuel, rent, tax, education, utilities and international spends

Good to know:

• Lifetime free: no joining or annual fee

• Rewards are credited as Amazon Pay balance, not statement credit

• The 5% rate needs an active Prime membership

3. Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card: best for Flipkart and Myntra

For Flipkart and Myntra loyalists, especially for festive fashion, this card offers some of the highest rates around.

Rewards:

• 7.5% cashback on Myntra

• 5% cashback on Flipkart and Cleartrip

• 4% unlimited cashback on preferred partners like Swiggy, Uber and PVR

• 1% on other eligible spends

Good to know:

• The Myntra, Flipkart and Cleartrip rates are each capped at ₹4,000 per statement quarter

• Cashback is credited straight to your card statement

• Annual fee of ₹500 + GST, waived if you spend ₹3.5 lakh in a year

4. HDFC Millennia Credit Card: best for 10 popular online brands

The Millennia pays 5% across ten brands at once, which suits people who shop on several big apps.

Rewards (as CashPoints):

• 5% on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, BookMyShow, Tata CLiQ, Sony LIV and Cult.fit

• 1% on other spends

Good to know:

• The 5% cashback is capped at 1,000 CashPoints per statement cycle, which you reach at about ₹20,000 of spend on these brands

• Annual fee of ₹1,000 + GST, waived if you spend ₹1 lakh in a year

5. SBI Cashback Credit Card: best for any online site

If you shop across lots of websites rather than a few big apps, this card's 5% applies to eligible online spends generally, not just partner brands.

Rewards:

• 5% on eligible online spends

• 1% on eligible offline spends

Good to know:

• Since 1 April 2026, online cashback is capped at ₹2,000 per statement cycle, which you reach at ₹40,000 of online spend. Offline cashback has a separate ₹2,000 cap

• Many categories are excluded, including fuel, rent, utilities, insurance, wallets, education, jewellery and gaming

• Annual fee of ₹999 + GST, waived if you spend ₹2 lakh in a year

How to earn the most on your Diwali shopping

• Match the card to the store. Use your Amazon card on Amazon, your Flipkart card on Flipkart, and a multi-brand card like the CheQ AU Credit Card for everything else.

• Watch the caps. Many high reward rates stop at a monthly or quarterly limit. Once you hit it, switch to another card.

• Check bank offers at checkout. Sales often have instant discounts for specific banks' cards. These change often, so check the offers on the sale page before you pay.

• Remember the exclusions. Gold and jewellery, fuel, rent and wallet loads often earn nothing. See our guide to buying gold on Dhanteras with a credit card.

• Pay the bill in full. At 40% or more a year in interest, carrying a festive balance wipes out every reward you earned.

How Wisor helps you pick the right card

When you hold several cards, it's hard to remember which one earns the most where, especially with caps and exclusions. That's exactly what Wisor, CheQ's AI credit card expert, is built for.

• Analyses your spends across all your cards, and tells you how to maximise rewards based on where and how you spend.

• Flags missed rewards and hidden fees, like using a card that earns nothing on a purchase another card would reward.

• Proactively tracks your credit health, so big festive spending doesn't quietly push your utilisation too high.

• Answers your questions. Ask it anything, from "which of my cards gives the best rewards on my Diwali shopping?" to "have I hit my cashback cap this month?"

Not sure which card to use this Diwali?

Ask Wisor which of your cards gives the best rewards on your Diwali shopping. It checks your cards for you, so every festive purchase earns as much as it can.

FAQs

Which is the best credit card for Diwali shopping in 2026?

It depends on where you shop. The CheQ AU Credit Card is best for shopping across many brands, including both Amazon and Flipkart. Amazon Pay ICICI suits Amazon shoppers, Flipkart Axis Bank suits Flipkart and Myntra shoppers, HDFC Millennia covers 10 popular brands, and SBI Cashback covers most online sites.

Which is the best credit card for online shopping?

For one card across many brands, the CheQ AU Credit Card earns up to 12% as CheQ Points on Amazon, Flipkart and more. For a single platform, co-branded cards like Amazon Pay ICICI or Flipkart Axis Bank work well.

Which is the best lifetime free credit card for Diwali shopping?

The CheQ AU Credit Card and the Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card are both lifetime free.

Do credit cards give rewards on gold and jewellery bought for Diwali?

Many don't. Gold and jewellery are often excluded from rewards, including on the CheQ AU Credit Card and SBI Cashback. Check your card's terms before you buy.

Are cashback rates on these cards unlimited?

Amazon Pay ICICI's Amazon cashback is uncapped. The others have caps: CheQ AU (12,000 CheQ Points a month across its 12% and 5% categories), Flipkart Axis Bank (₹4,000 per quarter per merchant), HDFC Millennia (1,000 CashPoints per cycle) and SBI Cashback (₹2,000 online per cycle).

Should I use EMI for big Diwali purchases?

Only if you can't pay in full, and after checking the interest, processing fee and GST. Our guide to how EMI on a credit card works explains the real cost.