CardAgent

Best credit cards for international travel & forex (2026)

Cards ranked by international value: forex markup, air-mile earn rate, international lounge access (Priority Pass / DreamFolks), and included travel insurance.

  1. 1
    Axis Bank
    Axis Reserve Credit Card
    7.5% on International travel₹59,000/yr incl. GST
    2X points on international card spending
    37
  2. 2
    HDFC Bank
    HDFC 6E Rewards XL Indigo Credit Card
    5% on International travel₹1,770/yr incl. GST
    52
  3. 3
    ICICI Bank
    ICICI Adani One Signature Credit Card
    5% on International travel₹5,900/yr incl. GST
    34
  4. 4
    Federal Bank
    Federal Bank Scapia Credit Card
    4% on International travelLifetime free
    20 Scapia Coins per ₹100 on travel bookings via the Scapia app; effective value ~4% at ₹0.20 per coin.
    50
  5. 5
    ICICI Bank
    ICICI Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card
    3% on International travel₹14,749/yr incl. GST
    Best-case travel redemption at ₹1/RP via ICICI iShop or airline/hotel partner transfers.
    87
  6. 6
    HDFC Bank
    HDFC Pixel Play Credit Card
    3% on International travel₹590/yr incl. GST
    53
  7. 7
    HDFC Bank
    HDFC 6E Rewards Indigo Credit Card
    2.5% on International travel₹590/yr incl. GST
    36
  8. 8
    Kotak Mahindra Bank
    Kotak Indigo Ka-ching 6E Rewards Credit Card
    2.5% on International travel₹1,770/yr incl. GST
    35

How we rank

We compute an effective % back for each card's International travel reward rule as rate × point value, cap-aware, and rank by that number. Ties are broken by the CardAgent overall score, which weighs reward value (70%), fee efficiency (12%), redemption flexibility (9%), and perks (9%). All fees are shown inclusive of 18% GST. See methodology and full catalog.

FAQ

What is the lowest forex markup card?

IDFC First Wealth (1.5%), Scapia Federal (0%), and Niyo Global (0%) offer the lowest forex markup in India. Premium travel cards like Axis Atlas (2%) trade slightly higher forex for miles.

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