Is the SBI Card Unnati lifetime free?

No. The card is free of annual charges for the initial 4 years only; beginning in the 5th year, an annual fee of Rs.499 plus applicable taxes is levied.

Do I need a fixed deposit to get it?

Yes, issuance requires a lien on an SBI fixed deposit with a minimum balance of Rs.25,000, eliminating the need for extensive prior credit history.

What rewards does it earn?

Spends earn 1 Reward Point for every Rs.100 spent, redeemable through the SBI Card rewards catalogue, with an additional Rs.500 cashback granted when annual spends reach Rs.50,000. In effective value terms, the card provides an estimated 0.25% return on standard purchases.

What does not earn rewards?

Reward Points are not accrued on transactions involving cash advances, balance transfers, Flexipay conversions, fuel purchases, rent, or government payments.

How has the SBI Card Unnati changed over time?

Our dated Value Timeline for SBI Card Unnati lists 7 tracked updates since 2017: 6 devaluations, 0 improvements, and baseline product milestones. The most recent adjustment on 1 April 2026 restricted statement-credit redemptions to blocks of 4,000 points. Every event is sourced from official SBI Card notices.

Has the SBI Card Unnati been devalued recently?

Yes, 2 devaluations have been recorded for SBI Card Unnati in the past 24 months. The latest change, effective 1 April 2026, capped monthly statement credit redemptions at 60,000 Reward Points and restricted redemption increments to 4,000 points. See the Value Timeline for complete dates and terms.

When did the SBI Card Unnati's fees last change?

Effective 1 November 2025, SBI Card added a 1% surcharge on education payments made via third-party channels and on digital wallet reloads above ₹1,000, where no surcharge previously existed. The full fee structure is outlined in the fees section.

How did the SBI Card Unnati change in 2024?

During 2024, SBI Card Unnati had 3 downward revisions: a revised Minimum Amount Due (MAD) calculation on 15 March 2024, removal of points on rent payments on 1 April 2024, and exclusion of government transactions from earning points on 1 June 2024.

SBISELECT

SBI Card Unnati

3.7 / 5SarvCred Editorial Review

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SBI

SBI Card Unnati

Name: SBI Card Unnati
Brand: SarvCred
Rating: 3.7 (1 reviews)

Mid-tierFee variesCashbackRewardsFuel

The SBI Card Unnati is an FD-backed starter card issued against a lien on an SBI fixed deposit of ₹25,000 or more, which makes approval accessible to those with little credit history. It is free for its first 4 years — but not lifetime free, as a ₹499 annual fee applies from the 5th year. Rewards are bare-minimum — 1 Reward Point per ₹100 (~0.25%), plus ₹500 cashback on reaching ₹50,000 of annual spend. Fuel, rent, government payments, cash advances, balance transfers and Flexipay earn nothing, though a 1% fuel surcharge waiver applies. SBI publishes no minimum income and no minimum credit score for this card — the FD lien is the gate, and applications go through an SBI branch rather than online.

Key features

What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.

⭐

0.25% on Other

1 Reward Point per Rs.100 spent (~0.25%). Cash advance, balance transfer, Flexipay and fuel do not earn points.

🎯

Milestone Bonus

~₹500 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones

Full reward structure

Category	Type	Rate	Monthly cap
Other	reward points	0.25%	—

Fees & charges

Charge	Amount
Annual fee (incl. 18% GST)	₹589
Joining fee (incl. 18% GST)	Free
Forex markup	3.5%

Perks & benefits

Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹1,100/yr in total.

🎯

milestone bonus ~ ₹500 /yr

Rs.500 cashback on annual spends of Rs.50,000.

⛽

fuel waiver ~ ₹600 /yr

1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between Rs.500 and Rs.3,000; max Rs.100 per statement cycle.

Spend milestone

· ₹50,000 a year ₹500 of value

Should you get it?

Best for: First-time cardholders building a credit history, SBI fixed-deposit holders wanting a low-commitment card, Anyone shifting everyday spends to cashless payments

Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.

Strongest value if you spend heavily on Other ( 0.25% back).

✓ Pros

No annual fee for the first 4 years
Rs.500 cashback on Rs.50,000 annual spend covers everyday use
FD-backed issuance makes approval easy for those building credit
Simple entry card to go cashless with SBI

✕ Cons

Requires a lien on an SBI fixed deposit of Rs.25,000 or more
Only 1 Reward Point per Rs.100 (~0.25%) — a bare-minimum earn rate
Fuel, cash advance, balance transfer and Flexipay earn no points
Rs.499 fee kicks in from the 5th year; it is not lifetime free

Eligibility & documents

Employment

Salaried · Self-employed · Student

Documents required

PAN card
Aadhaar / address proof
SBI fixed-deposit proof (Rs.25,000+)
Income proof (salary slips or ITR)
Recent passport-size photograph

How to redeem rewards

Ways to convert what you earn into real value.

🎁 Redeem Reward Points against gifts from the SBI Card rewards catalogue

🎁 Rs.500 cashback auto-credited on reaching Rs.50,000 annual spend

What your SBI Reward Points are worth

Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.

Statement credit BEST Capped at 60,000 pts/month from Apr 2026

₹ 0.25 /pt

Rewards catalogue / vouchers BEST Vouchers & merchandise

₹ 0.25 /pt

The concern It requires a lien on an SBI fixed deposit of ₹25,000 or more, earns only ~0.25%, and is not lifetime free — the ₹499 fee kicks in from year 5.

The bottom line

Designed primarily as a credit-building stepping stone, the SBI Card Unnati combines secured FD backing with a straightforward four-year fee holiday and an achievable ₹500 cashback milestone on ₹50,000 annual spend. It serves as a low-risk gateway to establish creditworthiness before moving on to feature-rich reward cards once the cardholder's score permits.

Sources & verification

Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the SBI Card Unnati are taken from SBI Card 's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page . Last verified 5 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 SBI Card . 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 2017 · 7 changes · last change Apr 2026

▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed

2026 1 change — 1 cut

▼ Redemption Observed 26 Feb 2026 · Effective 1 Apr 2026

Statement-credit redemption capped & blocked into 4,000-point multiples

Unrestricted statement-credit redemption, any point quantity → Max 60,000 RP/month; redeemable only in multiples of 4,000

Effective 1 April 2026, SBI Card capped statement-credit redemption at 60,000 Reward Points per card per calendar month and required redemptions in multiples of 4,000 points, removing partial/small redemptions. The 4 RP = ₹1 (₹0.25/point) conversion rate is unchanged. Applies to the SBI Card Unnati (only Air India SBI Signature and the two PhonePe SBI variants are exempt).