RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card
The RBL BankBazaar SaveMax is a lifetime-free grocery card: it earns 5X reward points on grocery spends (capped at 1,000 points a month) and 1 reward point per ₹100 on everything else. The honest framing: 5X sounds large, but at RBL's ~₹0.25 per point that grocery rate is about 1.25% in value, not 5% cashback — a real but modest return. Its virtue is that it costs nothing, so even thin rewards are pure upside. A 10% discount on Zomato and BookMyShow (₹100/month each) adds small everyday value. Note the long list of categories that earn nothing — fuel, utilities, insurance, education and government payments among them.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
1.25% on Groceries
5X reward points on groceries (5 points per ₹100, point ≈ ₹0.25 ≈ 1.25% value), capped 1,000 points/month
0.25% on Other
1 reward point per ₹100 base (~0.25%); many categories excluded; ₹99 redemption fee applies
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
Movie Ticket Benefit
10% instant discount on BookMyShow, up to ₹100 per month
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | reward points | 1.25% | ₹250 |
| Other | reward points | 0.25% | — |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.99% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹1,200/yr in total.
movie ticket ~ ₹1,200 /yr
10% instant discount on BookMyShow, up to ₹100 per month
Should you get it?
Best for: First-time card users wanting a no-fee card, Low-to-moderate grocery shoppers
Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Groceries ( 1.25% back).
✓ Pros
- Genuinely lifetime-free — no joining or annual fee ever
- 5X reward points on grocery spends
- 10% off Zomato and BookMyShow (₹100/month each)
- Free monthly credit-advisory report via BankBazaar
✕ Cons
- 5X grocery is ~1.25% in real value, not 5% cashback
- Grocery reward capped at 1,000 points/month
- Fuel, utilities, insurance, education and government payments earn no rewards
- ₹99 + GST reward-redemption fee per redemption day
Eligibility & documents
Employment
Salaried · Self-employed · Student
Documents required
- PAN card
- Aadhaar / valid address proof
- Latest 3 months bank statement
- Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
🎁 Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
🎁 Statement credit against reward points
What your RBL Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Statement credit BEST Standard redemption
Gift voucher catalogue BEST Brand & e-gift vouchers
The concern The 5X grocery rate is only about 1.25% in real value (RBL points ≈ ₹0.25), the grocery reward is capped at 1,000 points/month, and a long list of categories — fuel, utilities, insurance, education, government — earn no rewards at all.
The bottom line
The SaveMax is an easy card to keep in your wallet thanks to its lifetime-free structure: earning 5X points on groceries (up to 1,000 points monthly) and 10% dining and movie discounts at no ongoing cost. Cardholders should keep expectations realistic regarding the 5X accelerator—which translates to roughly 1.25% in value rather than 5% cashback—and be aware that fuel, utilities, and insurance earn no points. It works well as a zero-cost secondary card for supermarket runs, though it lacks the horsepower of a primary card.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card are taken from RBL Bank 's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page . Last verified 6 Aug 2026 . Reviewed by Devchandra Sah . Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for RBL Bank . All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2022 · 5 changes · last change Jan 2026
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2026 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Fee Observed Jan 2026 · Effective 7 Jan 2026
New 1% fee on large FASTag top-ups and toll payments
No FASTag or toll transaction fee → 1% fee on any FASTag-loading or toll-payment transaction above ₹10,000
From 7 January 2026 RBL Bank charges a 1% fee on any single FASTag-loading or toll-payment transaction above ₹10,000, measured per transaction per card, across merchant category codes 4784, 4111 and 4131. Because the threshold is per transaction rather than a monthly aggregate, it bites on one-off large FASTag top-ups rather than on regular commuting; splitting a top-up below ₹10,000 avoids it. The fee sits alongside RBL's existing 1% charges on rent, on utility spends above ₹50,000 a month, on fuel transactions above ₹10,000, and on education payments routed through third-party apps. It is a fee on the transaction, not a change to reward earning — these categories already earn no reward points on most RBL cards.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2024 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Fee Effective 15 Oct 2024
New 1% fees on large fuel, utility & education payments
No 1% category transaction fees → 1% on large fuel, utility & third-party education spends
From 15 Oct 2024 RBL added a 1% fee on any single fuel transaction above ₹10,000 (capped ₹3,000), a 1% fee on utility spends exceeding ₹50,000 in a month, and a 1% fee on third-party-app education payments (Cred, PhonePe, Paytm and similar). These apply portfolio-wide and reach the SaveMax as a cost even though the card earns no rewards on those categories.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Reward Effective 15 Oct 2024
Reward points removed on education & government payments
Education & government spends earned base points → Education, government & similar earn zero points
Effective 15 Oct 2024 RBL widened its earn-exclusions further, ending base reward points on Education, Government Services, Contracted Services, Cash, Bills2Pay and similar categories. On the SaveMax this compounds the Oct-2023 cull, leaving groceries and general retail as the only meaningful earning spends.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Reward Effective 9 Oct 2023
Reward points removed on fuel, utilities, insurance, rent & wallet spends
Most non-grocery spends earned 1 RP/₹100 → Fuel, utilities, insurance, rent, wallet & similar earn nothing
From 09 Oct 2023 RBL stopped awarding reward points on Insurance, Wallet loads, Fuel, Utility, Rental, Railways and Miscellaneous transactions across its reward-point line-up, which the SaveMax (in market since early 2022) inherited. It narrows the card's already-thin base earn to little beyond groceries and general retail.
Verification: RBL Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2022 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective Jan 2022
BankBazaar SaveMax launched as a lifetime-free grocery card
RBL Bank and BankBazaar announced the co-branded SaveMax Credit Card in late January 2022: a genuinely lifetime-free card earning 5X reward points on groceries (capped 1,000 points/month) and 1 reward point per ₹100 on other eligible spends, plus a 10% instant discount on Zomato and BookMyShow (₹100/month each). At RBL's ~₹0.25 per point the 5X grocery rate is worth about 1.25%. Announcement date taken from the BankBazaar launch post; exact card-live date undocumented.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: Reconstructed
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
Embed this timeline on your site Free to use. Facts only — dates, changes and before/after values. Please keep the credit line below the frame: it's the only part search engines can see, and it's what we ask for in return.
Source: RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card value timeline — CardAdvisor
“ Cite this timeline Quoting a date or a before/after figure? Copy the HTML version — it credits the record with a working link.
HTML (with link) Plain text Copy
Source: RBL Bank BankBazaar SaveMax Credit Card value timeline , CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
Want to know if this beats your current card for your spending?
Apply now → Compare with my profile
Applications are submitted to and decided by RBL Bank . CardAdvisor does not issue cards or process applications.
Find your best card
Answer 5 questions. Get a personalised shortlist with ₹ value estimates.
Find my card →
Quick summary
Type Entry credit card
Reward rate 0.25%–1.25%
Best for First-time card users wanting a no-fee card
Joining fee Free
Annual fee Lifetime free
Reviewed by
Devchandra Sah · Cards tested, miles earned, trips booked — for over a decade
Last verified 6 Aug 2026
How we research →
Useful links
Rewards calculator
Estimate any card’s annual value
Points valuations
What each point is really worth
Latest card changes
Live fee & reward-rate tracker
Market insights
The Indian card landscape
Card data study 2026
280 cards analysed — August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Check your eligibility for this card
Answer a few quick questions and our team will reach out with matching card offers based on your profile.