CardAgent
Verified by CardAgent admin · last checked 08 Jul 2026
Kotak Mahindra Bank

Kotak Essentia Platinum Credit Card

23
Ranked #150 of 170 in credit
creditVisa/MastercardEntry-Mid Grocery

Kotak's grocery/departmental-store-focused entry-mid card offering capped accelerated points and milestone PVR ticket rewards — best suited for regular grocery shoppers willing to track the monthly point cap.

Score breakdown

Data completeness: 95% · Last verified: 09 Jul 2026

Reward value6/100 · weight 71%
≈ 0.31% effective on the standard basket (eligible spend only)
Wide-coverage rewards: +2.6% score bonus — earns broadly without narrow category restrictions.
No rewards on: government, rent, education, fuel, insurance. Reward score is scaled by ×(1 − 4.2%), proportional to how much of the standard basket falls in these excluded categories (v4 formula, capped at −5%). Tip: pair with a card that covers these.
Fee efficiency93/100 · weight 12%
Redemption flexibility75/100 · weight 9%
Perks14/100 · weight 9%

Fees

All fees shown base + 18% GST (India card fees legally attract GST).

Joining fee
₹1,499 + 18% GST
= ₹1,769 total
Annual fee
₹749 + 18% GST
= ₹884 / year total
Waiver: Annual fee waived on Rs50,000+ annual retail spend
Forex markup
3.5%

Lounge access

Domestic (per year)
0
International (per year)
0

Reward structure

CategoryTypeRateCapNotes
diningpoints0.50%(2 pts @ ₹0.25)——
groceriespoints0.50%(2 pts @ ₹0.25)——
groceries_offlinepoints0.50%(2 pts @ ₹0.25)₹500 / monthly2 Savings Points/Rs100, capped 500pts/month combined with departmental
travelpoints0.25%(1 pts @ ₹0.25)——
online_spendspoints0.25%(1 pts @ ₹0.25)——
fuelpoints0.25%(1 pts @ ₹0.25)——
all_spendspoints0.13%(0.5 pts @ ₹0.25)—Base rate on other spends

Welcome offer

Not prominently detailed as a distinct headline figure

Milestone benefits

Pros

  • Strong grocery/departmental store focus with capped monthly points
  • milestone PVR ticket rewards
  • joining fee partially offset by savings redemption

Cons

  • Grocery/departmental points capped at 500/month combined
  • high joining fee (Rs1,499) relative to modest ongoing value
  • no lounge or major lifestyle benefits

What's inside

More benefits

  • PVR movie tickets milestone

    ₹250

    6 free PVR movie tickets (or 1,200 points) on Rs1,25,000 spend every 6 months

    Cap ₹3,000 / quarterly. Rs1,25,000 spend per 6-month period

Insurance cover

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₹NaN

Eligibility

text
Age 21-60; income ~Rs3L+ p.a. indicative

Small print

Fuel surcharge:1% waiver, standard range per Jun 2025 revision