
Best credit cards for school fees in October 2026
HDFC Diners Club Black Metal comes first (₹2,498, ₹ back on one ₹75,000 term fee) and is worth ₹28,200 a year at ₹75,000 a month after the fee.
The top 3


Most back on every ₹100 of education: HDFC Diners Club Black Metal, 3.33% .
The full ranking
115 cards, best first. Ranked by ₹ back on one ₹75,000 term fee; the ₹ a year column follows the spend you pick.
| Card | ₹ back on one ₹75,000 term fee | ₹ a year | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. HDFC Diners Club Black MetalHDFC Bank · 3.33% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹2,498 | ₹1,300 ₹28,200 ₹96,300 ₹1,52,700 ₹2,27,800 | ₹10,000 fee |
| 2. Axis Magnus for BurgundyAxis Bank · 4.80% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹3,600 | −₹15,500 ₹6,300 ₹42,600 ₹2,57,800 ₹5,40,000 | ₹30,000 fee |
| 3. Axis Miles & More World SelectAxis Bank · 3.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹2,250 | ₹8,600 ₹22,200 ₹44,900 ₹90,200 ₹1,50,700 | ₹10,000 joining + ₹4,500/yr |
| 4. Axis Bank ReserveAxis Bank · 3.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹2,250 | −₹40,900 −₹27,300 −₹4,600 ₹40,700 ₹1,51,200 | ₹50,000 fee |
| 5. Axis MagnusAxis Bank · 2.40% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹1,800 | −₹5,200 ₹5,600 ₹23,800 ₹1,28,900 ₹2,70,000 | ₹12,500 fee |
| 6. Axis Miles & More WorldAxis Bank · 2.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹1,500 | ₹5,500 ₹14,600 ₹29,700 ₹60,000 ₹1,00,300 | ₹3,500 fee |
| 7. Standard Chartered UltimateStandard Chartered · 2.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's REDUCED education rate… | ₹1,500 | ₹4,400 ₹18,400 ₹41,800 ₹88,500 ₹1,50,900 | ₹5,000 fee |
| 8. HDFC Regalia GoldHDFC Bank · 1.63% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹1,223 | ₹3,000 ₹29,800 ₹43,600 ₹71,200 ₹1,07,900 | ₹2,500 fee |
| 9. Tata Neu Infinity HDFC BankHDFC Bank · 1.50% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹1,125 | ₹5,100 ₹12,700 ₹25,400 ₹50,800 ₹81,600 | ₹1,499 fee |
| 10. KrisFlyer SBI CardSBI Card · 1.10% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹825 | ₹3,600 ₹8,600 ₹16,900 ₹33,600 ₹55,700 | ₹2,999 fee |
| 11. IndusInd TigerIndusInd Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹7,100 ₹32,000 ₹78,200 ₹1,70,700 ₹2,74,100 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 12. IDBI Bank LIC Eclat SelectIDBI Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,800 ₹9,300 ₹17,800 ₹34,700 ₹57,300 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 13. SBM MobiKwik First Credit CardSBM Bank (India) · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,600 ₹9,000 ₹18,000 ₹36,000 ₹60,000 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 14. Tata Neu Plus HDFC BankHDFC Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,400 ₹8,500 ₹16,900 ₹33,800 ₹50,400 | ₹499 fee |
| 15. HDFC Diners Club PrivilegeHDFC Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,400 ₹14,500 ₹22,900 ₹39,800 ₹62,400 | ₹1,000 fee |
| 16. HDFC Bank MillenniaHDFC Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,400 ₹12,500 ₹16,000 ₹16,000 ₹16,000 | ₹1,000 fee |
| 17. IDFC FIRST Hello CashbackIDFC FIRST Bank · 1.00% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹750 | ₹3,600 ₹9,000 ₹18,000 ₹18,000 ₹18,000 | ₹1,000 fee |
| 18. Kotak Zen SignatureKotak Mahindra Bank · 0.83% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹583 | ₹4,700 ₹10,800 ₹17,800 ₹23,200 ₹23,200 | ₹1,500 fee |
| 19. IDBI Bank Royale SignatureIDBI Bank · 0.75% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹563 | ₹2,900 ₹7,200 ₹13,600 ₹26,300 ₹43,200 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 20. Aditya Birla Capital AU FlexAU Small Finance Bank · 0.75% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution | ₹563 | ₹900 ₹2,300 ₹4,500 ₹9,000 ₹15,000 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 21. Aditya Birla Capital AU NxtAU Small Finance Bank · 0.75% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution | ₹563 | ₹900 ₹2,300 ₹4,500 ₹9,000 ₹15,000 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
| 22. IDBI Bank Euphoria WorldIDBI Bank · 0.75% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹563 | ₹2,900 ₹7,200 ₹13,600 ₹26,300 ₹43,200 | ₹1,499 fee |
| 23. IDFC FIRST WOW! BlackIDFC FIRST Bank · 0.67% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹501 | ₹2,100 ₹5,200 ₹10,400 ₹20,800 ₹34,600 | ₹750 fee |
| 24. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC BankHDFC Bank · 0.67% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹499 | ₹6,800 ₹17,600 ₹38,300 ₹39,000 ₹39,000 | ₹3,000 fee |
| 25. IndusInd PlatinumIndusInd Bank · 0.60% on a school, college or coaching fee paid direct to the institution — the card's ordinary rate, no… | ₹450 | ₹2,000 ₹5,100 ₹10,200 ₹20,300 ₹33,800 | ₹0 fee, lifetime free |
Ranks 26 to 115 90 cards
- MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank ₹750 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- IndusInd Legend ₹420
- IndusInd Pinnacle World ₹420
- IDFC FIRST WOW! ₹375
- IndusInd Duo ₹375
- IndianOil Kotak Credit Card ₹375
- IDFC FIRST HPCL Power+ ₹375
- SBI Card PRIME ₹375
- IDFC FIRST Diamond Reserve ₹375
- SBI Card ELITE ₹375
- IndusInd Avios Visa Infinite ₹375
- IDFC FIRST Ashva ₹600 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- IDFC FIRST Mayura ₹750 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- Kotak NRI Royale Signature ₹350
- IDFC FIRST Select ₹281
- IDFC FIRST Millennia ₹281
- IDFC FIRST Classic ₹281
- IDFC FIRST Wealth ₹281
- Federal Bank Celesta ₹188
- IndiGo IDFC FIRST Secured ₹188
- BPCL SBI Card OCTANE ₹188
- IndiGo IDFC FIRST Dual Credit Card ₹188
- CUB SalarySe Level UP Virtual ₹150
- CUB SalarySe Level UP ₹150
- IRCTC SBI Card Premier ₹600 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- Unity Bank BharatPe Credit Card ₹1,500
- IndiGo SBI Card ELITE ₹750
- IndiGo Axis Bank Premium Credit Card ₹750
- ICICI Bank Emeralde ₹750
- YES Bank RESERV ₹563
- IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card ₹400
- Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip ₹375
- IRCTC BOBCARD ₹375
- ICICI Bank Coral ₹375
- IndiGo Axis Bank Credit Card ₹375
- ICICI Bank NRI Coral ₹375
- IndiGo SBI Card ₹375
- SBI Card PULSE ₹375
- ICICI Bank Rubyx ₹375
- ICICI Sapphiro ₹375
- ICICI Bank NRI Sapphiro ₹375
- Adani One ICICI Bank Signature ₹1,125 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- Apollo SBI Card SELECT ₹338 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- IDFC FIRST SWYP ₹200
- Paisabazaar Step-Up SBM Credit Card ₹188
- HDFC Bank Freedom ₹56
- Titan SBI Card ₹1,125 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- Reliance SBI Card PRIME ₹375 · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- RBL EasySaver ₹375
- RBL MyFirst ₹375
- Axis Bank PRIMUS ₹3,750 · Invite only
- Air India SBI Signature Card ₹3,000 · Closed to new applicants
- Axis Atlas ₹3,000 · Closed to new applicants
- HDFC Infinia Metal ₹2,498 · Invite only
- Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card ₹2,250 · Closed to new applicants
- Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card ₹1,500 · Closed to new applicants
- Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME ₹1,500 · Closed to new applicants
- Standard Chartered Beyond ₹1,500 · Invite only
- DBS Vantage ₹1,500 · Invite only
- ICICI Emeralde Private Metal ₹1,000 · Invite only
- Amex Platinum Charge ₹938 · Issuing paused
- Axis Bank Vistara Credit Card ₹750 · Closed to new applicants
- Flipkart Axis Bank Super Elite ₹750 · Issuing paused
- Amex Membership Rewards Card ₹750 · Issuing paused
- Amex Gold Charge ₹750 · Issuing paused
- Axis Bank Signature ₹750 · Closed to new applicants
- HDFC Regalia ₹750 · Closed to new applicants
- Amex Platinum Travel ₹750 · Issuing paused
- SBI AURUM ₹750 · Invite only
- Amex Platinum Reserve ₹750 · Issuing paused
- IndusInd Pioneer Heritage ₹600 · Invite only
- IndusInd PIONEER Private ₹525 · Invite only
- IndusInd Pioneer Legacy ₹420 · Invite only
- IndusInd Iconia Amex ₹392 · Closed to new applicants
- IndusInd Iconia Visa ₹392 · Closed to new applicants
- KVB SBI Platinum Card ₹375 · Not confirmed on sale
- South Indian Bank SBI Platinum Card ₹375 · Not confirmed on sale
- KVB SBI Signature Card ₹375 · Not confirmed on sale
- Club Vistara IDFC FIRST ₹375 · Closed to new applicants
- Indus Solitaire ₹290 · Invite only
- IndusInd Indulge ₹263 · Invite only
- Kotak Royale Signature ₹233 · Closed to new applicants
- RBL World Safari Plus ₹188 · Invite only
- Kotak Mojo Platinum ₹175 · Closed to new applicants
- OneCard Metal ₹150 · Issuing paused
- Poonawalla Fincorp IndusInd eLITE RuPay ₹150 · Closed to new applicants
- IndusInd Celesta ₹143 · Invite only
- IndusInd Crest ₹143 · Invite only
- IDFC FIRST Private ₹500 · Invite only · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
- IDFC FIRST Gaj ₹500 · Invite only · Ranked lower: includes points worth full value only in one app
Earns nothing on a school fee — or a bucket we will not price 197 cards
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero reward points · Annexure 1 covers 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 (22): Snapdeal BOBCARD , ICAI Exclusive BOBCARD , ICSI Diamond BOBCARD , CMA One BOBCARD , Varunah Premium BOBCARD , Varunah Plus BOBCARD , Varunah BOBCARD , Indian Army YODDHA BOBCARD , Assam Rifles SENTINEL BOBCARD , Coast Guard RAKSHAMAH BOBCARD , BOBCARD VIKRAM , PRAGATI BOBCARD (RRB) , BOBCARD Select , BOBCARD Easy , Nainital Bank RENAISSANCE BOBCARD , BOBCARD Swavlamban , UJJIVAN SFB Platinum BOBCARD , UJJIVAN SFB Elite BOBCARD , BOBCARD Easy (FD Backed) , BOBCARD Select (FD Backed) , BOBCARD Premier (FD Backed) , BOBCARD Prime .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No points · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) on the T&C's own category/MCC exclusion table — AND the issuer charges: RBL also levies a 1% fee on education paid through a third-party app (11): RBL Bank Patanjali Swarn , RBL Signature Banking , RBL Aspire Banking , RBL Platinum Maxima Plus , RBL Platinum Maxima , RBL Apex , IRCTC RBL Bank Credit Card , TVS Credit RBL Bank Gold , RBL Bank Blockbuster , TVS Credit RBL Bank , RBL Bank Black .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — capped ₹5,000 a calendar month — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee also applies to third-party education platforms (4): YES Bank ELITE+ , YES Bank BYOC (Rewards) , YES Essence , YES Bank Wellness Plus .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCCs 5111 · 5192 · 5942 · 5943 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 · 8299 and 8351 earn nothing (4): CUB SRH Master Platinum , CUB CSK RuPay Platinum , CUB SRH RuPay Platinum , CUB SRH Master World .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCC 8211/8241/8244/8249/8299 (3): SBI Card MILES PRIME , SBI Card MILES ELITE , SBI Card MILES .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP and no milestone credit · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via a third-party app (MITC) (3): RBL Movies and More , RBL Patanjali Vishisht , RBL Bank DMI Finance .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Named on the ineligible list · zero cashback (3): Utkarsh Eternal Credit Card , Utkarsh Rhodium Credit Card , Utkarsh SmartGen Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points and no milestone credit (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee on education paid through third-party apps (3): RBL Bank Shoppers Stop Black , RBL Bank Shoppers Stop Platinum , RBL Bank Shoppers Stop Gold .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No points · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) on the product page's two stacked exclusion footnotes — AND the issuer charges: RBL also levies a 1% fee on education paid through a third-party app (3): RBL World Plus , RBL World Prime , RBL World Max .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero reward points · the "Education & Government" row names 8299 · 8220 · 8211 · 8241 · 8244 and 8249 · which is every code in… (2): HSBC Platinum , HSBC RuPay Platinum .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero miles · MITC (last updated 2 Aug 2026): "No Miles will be accrued on payments under the categories of Insurance · Utility… (2): Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Emeralde , Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education in the published exclusion list (2): IndiGo Kotak Credit Card , IndiGo Kotak Premium Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No points · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) on the product page's own dated exclusion footnote — AND the issuer charges: RBL also levies a 1% fee on education paid through a third-party app (2): RBL Platinum Edge , RBL Platinum LifeEasy .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education spends earn nothing (2): Kotak Cashback+ , Kotak Cashback+ Prime .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No EDGE REWARD Points on educational services (MCC 8299) (2): Axis Bank My Wings , Axis Bank Platinum .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Educational Services" earns no EDGE REWARD Points — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee also applies to education payments made through third-party apps (2): Axis Bank Pride Platinum , Axis Bank Pride Signature .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero cashback (MCC 8211; 8220; 8241; 8244; 8249; 8299) (2): Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card , Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points on education (glossary MCC list) (2): YES PaisaSave , YES PaisaSave RuPay .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCCs 8299 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 and 8249 earn nothing (2): Suryoday SFB RuPay Platinum , Suryoday SFB RuPay Select .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCCs 5111 · 5192 · 5942 · 5943 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 · 8299 and 8351 earn nothing · note that CUB files stationery… (2): CUB CSK Master Platinum , CUB CSK Master World .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Educational Institutions" in the official Excluded Merchant Categories list (Olympus T&C §4) · unlike Atlas · where education… (1): Axis Olympus .
6.00% on a school or college fee — but the ceiling on it is one bucket shared with other categories and the issuer publishes no split of it, so no rupee of it belongs to a term fee alone and this card is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ceiling it does not own — HSBC publishes no split of that ceiling, so none of it belongs to a school or college fee alone and this site prices no… (1): HSBC Premier (Metal) .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero miles · Annexure 1 MCCs 8211–8299 (official MITC) (1): BOBCARD Etihad Guest Premium .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Education" in the official rbl.bank.in exclusion list (1): RBL Nova .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCC 8299/8220/8211/8241/8244/8249 · one of the few cards zeroing ALL education (1): HSBC TravelOne .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education MCCs earn nothing and are excluded from the waiver count — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on education payments made through third-party apps (1): Kotak Air+ Prime .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Education & Government" in the published no-earn list (1): Kotak Air+ .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Third Party Education" · MCC 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 · 8299 · earns no Vantage Points (1): DBS Altitude .
2.00% on a school or college fee — but the ceiling on it is one bucket shared with other categories and the issuer publishes no split of it, so no rupee of it belongs to a term fee alone and this card is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ceiling it does not own — ICICI publishes no split of it, so none of that ceiling belongs to a school or college fee alone and this site prices no… (1): ICICI Times Black .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCC 8211/8241/8244/8249/8299 zero · UNLIKE Atlas/Magnus/Reserve · Horizon zeroes education too (1): Axis Horizon .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — cap ₹5,000/month — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via third-party apps (CRED/PhonePe etc.) (1): YES Bank Marquee .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education on the official no-coins list (1): Scapia (Federal Bank) .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Scapia Coins on "education services and school fees" (T&C 4.3) (1): Scapia (Axis Bank) .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education on the official no-RP exclusion list (1): ixigo AU .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCC 8211/8220/8241/8244/8249/8299 (1): BOBCARD Etihad Guest .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero NeuCoins · a twelve-code block (5111; 5192; 5942; 5943; 5947; 8211; 8220; 8241; 8244; 8249; 8299; 8351) · one of the widest… (1): Tata Neu Infinity SBI Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — 0% cashback (1): HSBC Live+ .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero cashback · HSBC names 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 · which is every code in this category (1): HSBC RuPay Cashback .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero earn · Annexure 1 MCCs 8211–8299 (official rewards T&C) (1): BOBCARD Eterna .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — 'Educational services' named in the 20-Jun-2025 T&C exclusion list (corrected 25-Jul-2026; we previously carried this as earning) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on third-party education apps (1): Axis Bank SELECT .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero w.e.f · 11 Oct 2025 · alongside international spends · in the same T&C clause (1): Amazon Pay ICICI Bank .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Delight Points · Two IDBI documents name education as non-earning · the Winnings Card Usage Guide… (1): IDBI Bank Winnings .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No Niyo Coins on education and school fees (rewards T&C) (1): Niyo Global SBM Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero SC Points · education services excluded — AND the issuer charges: 1% Axis fee on third-party education apps (1): SpiceJet Axis Bank Voyage Black .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Air Miles · official "Education and Government" MCC table (8211; 8220; 8241; 8244; 8249; 8299) · corrected from full… (1): Kotak Solitaire .
The issuer's own documents disagree about what a school or college fee earns on this card — we won't rank a number we can't settle — CONFLICT: not in the official MCC table, but card page/aggregators list education as no-earn · conservative excluded, unconfirmed (1): RBL World Safari .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "education fees" · named in the Reward Points TnCs exclusion list (1): PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education in the published no-earn list (1): Kotak Air .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · Annexure 1 covers 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 · paying through Cheq · CRED · Mobikwik · Paytm… — AND the issuer charges: PhonePe and the rest also draws a 1% fee capped at ₹5,000 per transaction (1): BOBCARD Tiara .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Dropped alongside rent on 1 January 2023 (1): Paytm HDFC Bank Select .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Educational services are on the published no-earn list — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee also applies to education payments made through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank Privilege .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education (MCC 8211; 8220; 8241; 8244; 8249; 8299) does not count towards milestones (1): Kotak White .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No per-swipe points (1): Kotak White Reserve .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 1-Apr-2024 bank-wide · unconfirmed: Ananta's own page doesn't restate the exclusion — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via third-party apps (1): AU Ananta .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "education fees" · named in the PhonePe programme's Reward Points exclusion list (1): PhonePe HDFC Bank Uno .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero SC Points · education services excluded (1): SpiceJet Axis Bank Voyage .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — MCC 8211/8241/8244/8249/8299 earn nothing · not named on either waiver-exclusion list · but not on payments made direct to an… — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on education payments made through third-party apps (1): IndianOil Axis Bank Premium .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Education" is its own bullet in the exclusion list · no direct-payment carve-out of the kind Millennia · Freedom and the Tata… (1): IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Named verbatim in the MITC's rewards exclusion list (1): BOBCARD Uni GoldX .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero coins across the school and college codes · elementary and secondary · colleges and universities · correspondence… (1): YES Bank Zagg Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero NeuCoins · the same twelve-code block the Infinity tier carries… (1): Tata Neu Plus SBI Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP · education & govt on Zenith's official exclusion list — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via third-party apps (1): AU Zenith .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education earns nothing and is excluded from the milestone count — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on education payments made through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank My Zone .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education earns nothing — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps carry a 1% fee (1): Fibe Axis Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Educational services earn nothing — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps carry a 1% fee (1): Axis Bank ACE .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Educational Institutions" on the excluded-MCC table (1): Axis Bank REWARDS .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Educational Services" earns nothing — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps also carry a 1% fee (1): Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee per transaction on education paid through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank NEO .
1.00% on a school or college fee — but the ceiling on it is one bucket shared with other categories and the issuer publishes no split of it, so no rupee of it belongs to a term fee alone and this card is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ceiling it does not own — IDFC publishes no split of that ceiling, so none of it belongs to a school or college fee alone and this site prices no… (1): LIC IDFC FIRST Select .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — 0% cashback across the widest education exclusion SBI publishes (1): Flipkart SBI Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero CheQ Points on education (AU's CheQ AU documents; read via search extract) (1): CheQ AU Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · school and educational services · MCC 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 (1): PhonePe SBI Card SELECT BLACK .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No CRED Reward Points on online education payments (the product page's exclusion line) (1): CRED IndusInd Bank RuPay Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero cashback on MCC 5111 · 5192 · 5942 · 5943 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 · 8299 and 8351 · one of the widest education… (1): CASHBACK SBI Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Educational institutions earn nothing — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps carry a 1% fee (1): Axis Bank Cashback .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education services earn nothing — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps carry a 1% fee (1): Axis Bank Freecharge Plus .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education services earn nothing (1): Axis Bank SuperMoney RuPay .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero monies on education · MCC 8211–8299 (slice MITC) (1): slice UPI Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education earns nothing — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee applies to education payments made through third-party apps (1): Kotak UPI RuPay .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — the category is not on the 20 Jun 2025 earn-exclusion list — AND the issuer charges: A 1% fee applies to education payments made through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank Freecharge .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education earns nothing — AND the issuer charges: a 1% fee also applies to education payments made through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank Kwik .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No EDGE REWARD Points on education (1): Axis Bank My Zone Easy .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · Annexure 1 covers 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 · w.e.f · 1 Apr 2026 — AND the issuer charges: paying through a third-party app also draws a 1% fee capped at ₹5,000 per… (1): BOBCARD Premier .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero base RP since 15-Oct-2024 (the page's second exclusion wave) (1): RBL BankBazaar SaveMax Pro .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero CashPoints · "Education and Govt Related Transactions" is one line on the exclusion list (1): HDFC Bank UPI RuPay .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — and 1% + GST on education paid through third-party apps (1): IndianOil Axis Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · MCC 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 (1): PhonePe SBI Card PURPLE .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — paid directly to a college or school website or POS it still earns · Education MCC 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 · 8299 — AND the issuer charges: Education paid through a third-party app earns nothing from 1 Sep 2024 and carries a 1% fee (1): HDFC Bank MoneyBack+ .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 1-Apr-2024 — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via third-party apps (official KFS) (1): AU Vetta .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · named in clause 12 — AND the issuer charges: third-party education payments also carry a 1% fee (1): LIC Axis Bank Platinum .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No cashback on education (MITC exclusions) (1): Utkarsh superCard .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Educational Institutions" on the T&C's list — AND the issuer charges: A further 1% fee applies to education payments made through third-party apps (1): Axis Bank Shoppers Stop Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 15-Oct-2024 · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) · and struck from the waiver bar the same day (1): RBL Platinum Delight .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) in the first footnote · none if paid to the institution directly… — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee if paid through a third-party app (1): RBL Platinum ShopGain .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP and no waiver credit · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee if routed through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Bank SalarySe UP .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No cashback · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) · none paying the institution directly (MITC) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on education routed through a third-party app (1): RBL Paisabazaar Duet .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero benefit · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee if routed through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Cookies .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points · Annexure 1 covers 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 — AND the issuer charges: paying through a third-party app also draws a 1% fee capped at ₹5,000 per… (1): HPCL ENERGIE BOBCARD .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — capped ₹5,000 a calendar month — AND the issuer charges: A 1% fee also applies to education paid through third-party apps (1): YES Bank SELECT .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — 1% with a ₹99 minimum through a third-party app (MITC) (1): AU Bank NOMO Credit Card .
0.25% on a school or college fee — but the ceiling on it is one bucket shared with other categories and the issuer publishes no split of it, so no rupee of it belongs to a term fee alone and this card is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ceiling it does not own — AU publishes no split of that ceiling, so none of it belongs to a school or college fee alone and this site prices no education… (1): AU Zenith+ .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education ("Education & Govt"; AU's Laksya page) (1): AU Laksya Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No cashback on education (product page) (1): AU SPONT Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero cashback · Annexure 1 covers 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 (1): BOBCARD Cashback .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — RBL also charges 1% on education paid through a third-party app (Cred; PhonePe; Paytm; MobiKwik; CHEQ and others) (1): RBL Platinum Max .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 13-Nov-2023 · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on top when paid through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Platinum Prime .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education (product page) (1): AU Bank Traverse Credit Card (NRI) .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No cashback · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Paisabazaar Duet Plus .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — plus 1% on education paid through a third-party app (1): Kotak League Platinum .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — through a third-party app it costs 1% with a ₹99 minimum (MITC) (1): AU Altura Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education ("Education & Govt"; AU's Tejas page) (1): AU Tejas Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education ("education and government"; AU's Xcite Ultra page) (1): AU Xcite Ultra Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 15-Oct-2024 · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) · struck from the waiver bar the same day (1): RBL Shoprite .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No cashback on education ("Education & Govt"; AU's Xcite Ace page) (1): AU Xcite Ace Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education ("Education & Govt"; AU's Xcite page) (1): AU Xcite Credit Card .
0.60% on a school or college fee — but the ceiling on it is one bucket shared with other categories and the issuer publishes no split of it, so no rupee of it belongs to a term fee alone and this card is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ceiling it does not own — IDFC publishes no split between the six, so not one rupee of that ceiling is claimed for education alone (1): LIC IDFC FIRST Classic .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No EDGE REWARDS on education (1): IndianOil Easy Axis Bank .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education ("Education & Govt"; AU's Prathama page) (1): AU Prathama Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Reward Points on education since 1-Jun-2025 (811 page) (1): Kotak 811 Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — a third-party app costs 1% with a ₹99 minimum (MITC) (1): AU Altura Plus Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 13-Nov-2023 · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) · and excluded from the online tier by name — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Binge .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No POPCoins on education from 1 Jun 2026 (1): YES Bank POP-CLUB .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — "Education" is named in the exclusion prose · and unlike its Paisabazaar sibling this card does not even earn the base rate there — AND the issuer charges: SBM still charges the 1% processing fee from 15 July 2026 (1): Paisabazaar Paisa Plus Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 15-Oct-2024 · Education (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) arrived in the second wave · not the first — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL BankBazaar SaveMax .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No Fuel Points · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) on the T&C's §3.7 exclusion table (1): IndianOil RBL Bank Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No Fuel Points · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) on the T&C's §3.8 exclusion table (1): IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) in the first footnote — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee via a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Platinum Choice .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) in the first footnote — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Platinum Plus .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP on base and on 5X/10X · MobiKwik or Freecharge it costs 1% with a ₹99 minimum (MITC) (1): AU LIT Credit Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero RP since 13-Nov-2023 · "Education" (MCC 8220; 8244; 8249; 8211; 8241; 8299) — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee when routed through a third-party app (MITC) (1): RBL Platinum Advantage .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No KIWIS on educational institutions 8211–8299 (Annexure-I) (1): PNB Kiwi .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Education on the Scapia no-coins list (1): Scapia (BOBCARD) .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points w.e.f · 9 Mar 2026 · MCC 5111 · 5192 · 5942 · 5943 · 5947 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8299 and 8351 · The newest… (1): Paytm SBI Card SELECT .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero points w.e.f · 9 Mar 2026 · MCC 5111 · 5192 · 5942 · 5943 · 5947 · 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8299 and 8351 (1): Paytm SBI Card .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — Zero Miles w.e.f · 15 Jan 2026 — AND the issuer charges: third-party education apps also draw a 1% transaction fee (1): Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Rubyx .
0.50% on a school or college fee — but inside a bucket we cannot convert into into rupees of fees, so it is named here at its rate rather than ranked on a ₹ nobody can check — Base 2 RP/₹100 up to ₹1,00,000 per statement cycle, zero beyond (Kotak change notice, eff. 1 June 2025) (1): Kotak Privy League Signature .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — capped ₹5,000 a calendar month — AND the issuer charges: 1% fee on third-party education platforms (1): YES First Preferred .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — the card leg paid the base 1.25% on education spends (1): Myntra Kotak .
A school or college fee earns nothing on this card — No Reward Points · MCC 8211 · 8220 · 8241 · 8244 · 8249 and 8299 (1): RBL Bank novio .
What changed
Changes to education rewards, newest first 7 events
- BOBCARD reprices rail, toll and app-routed education BOBCARD (Bank of Baroda)
- Paytm SBI Card stops earning on school and education spends SBI Card
- Paytm SBI Card SELECT stops earning on school and education spends SBI Card
- SBI adds 1% on third-party education and wallet loads SBI Card
- RBL strips points from education, government and wallet spends RBL Bank
- HDFC adds 1% fees on rent, big utility and third-party education HDFC Bank
- AU zeroes out rewards on fuel, rent, education and government AU Small Finance Bank
How we rank
THE COUNT FIRST, THEN THE PAYMENT ROUTE, THEN THE RATE. A card whose published education rule zeroes the category is not ranked at ₹0 — a zero is a finding, not a position — so it is named below the table with its own rule, and 190 of the 312 whose education rule this site holds sit there. Of the rest: (1) THE PAYMENT ROUTE IS PRICED, AND IT IS THE DIRECT ONE. An education payment goes either to the institution's own website or POS, or through a third-party app, and the two are different products: 101 of the 328 education rules here state a charge on the app route, and every single one of them states the same 1% — ₹750 on this reference payment. On HDFC's line-up the payment route decides the EARN too (Infinia pays 5 RP per ₹150 direct to a school and zero through an app, since 1 September 2024). So the ₹ on every row is the DIRECT route, the charge is NEVER netted out of it — it does not apply to the payment being priced — and it is never invented either: 27 ranked rows quote the clause verbatim beside the earn, and the reader does the subtraction we will not do for them. This is the exact inverse of /best/government, where we hold not one convenience-fee figure and says so. (2) THE RATE is first-tier earn × the card's published education treatment × its currency's house ₹/point — the same expression /spends, /spends/education and /wallet crown on — raised only where the card's own earn table publishes an education tier AND our own education rule states the same number; 4 ranked cards carry such a tier, and 5 had one refused for a tier ceiling we cannot convert. (3) THE BUCKET decides this category and it is not a tier ceiling: past a tier you still earn the ordinary rate, past a BUCKET you earn nothing at all — "Zen Points earn only on the first ₹70,000 of education spend a statement cycle". 6 ranked cards have a bucket that bites at ₹75,000, and no ranked card's own monthly earn ceiling bites this far down; every one of those rows prints its own ceiling, and where the issuer shares that bucket with insurance or FASTag the row says so. A bucket the note ASSERTS in units nothing here converts is refused rather than priced as uncapped: 6 cards are named at their rate instead of ranked. WHAT THAT LEAVES EXPOSED, as a number rather than a reassurance: 4 ranked rows carry an admitted tier with no ceiling anyone here can read, and if every one of those issuers turns out to publish a cap we have not found, the total overstatement across this whole board is ₹1,406 on a ₹75,000 fee — those tiers' entire premium over their own cards' ordinary education rates, which is the worst case and not a promise. (4) THE REFERENCE IS ONE TERM FEE, NOT A MONTH OF THEM. A school term, a college semester and a coaching enrolment are one lump on one due date, so the ₹ on every row is what ONE ₹75,000 payment pays back, once, never multiplied by twelve. Every education ceiling in this data is written per statement cycle or per month, which is why one payment in one cycle is the honest unit; ₹75,000 sits above every ceiling we can convert into rupees of fees so the caps decide the ranking instead of decorating it, and it clears IndusInd's ₹45,000-a-cycle fee threshold so the charges quoted here really are charged. Nor is a dated bank offer added; /news/offers carries those with their end dates. 339 priced cards have no education rule here yet and appear on no part of this page.
The records behind this board — the card records this ranks and the education rules in our fine-print records — carry re-verification dates from 1 Jun 2026 to 26 Oct 2026; the ranking is recomputed from them on every build.
Every figure comes from each card's own published fee and earn rate. How we value cards.
Questions
Which credit card is best for paying school, college or tuition fees in India?
TWO ANSWERS, AND MOST PEOPLE ONLY GIVE THE FIRST. One: 190 of the 312 whose education rule we hold earn EXACTLY NOTHING on a school, college or coaching fee, and they are named under the table with the clause that zeroes them. And 68 of those zeroes arrive with an invoice — the issuer bills you to make a payment it has already told you it will not reward. A further 6 cards DO earn on a term fee and are still not ranked: their rule states a bucket in units nothing here converts into rupees of school fees — points a cycle, points a month, and one basket bucket shared with four other categories — or one ceiling shared with other categories that the issuer never split, so they are named at their rate under the table rather than ranked on a ₹ nobody can check. NOW THE PART NOBODY LEADS WITH: 101 of the 328 education rules on this site charge you 1% to pay through CRED, CheQ, MobiKwik, Paytm or PhonePe instead of the school's own website — ₹750 on this payment, which is more than 74 of the 115 ranked cards below earn on it. Pay the institution directly. The ₹ above assumes you did. HDFC Diners Club Black Metal leads the 115 we can price, of 121 that pay anything: ₹2,498 back on a single ₹75,000 term fee. HDFC Diners Club Black Metal gets there on 3.33% on a fee paid direct to the institution, with no bucket ceiling published on the rule we hold.
How many cards are in this school & college fees ranking?
115 of the 990 Indian personal cards we track are ranked here. 197 are listed unranked with the computed reason — earns nothing on a school fee — or a bucket we will not price — because a card we can't rank honestly gets named, not hidden. A further 339 are carried but not valued at all — 51 with no annual fee any issuer document states, 241 whose issuer has not published how the card earns, 47 with neither — because scoring an unknown as ₹0 is a claim, not a gap. Business and corporate cards are ranked apart from these: 70 priced ones sit on /cards/best/business, because pricing an MSME card against a personal wallet answers a question nobody asked.
How up to date is this list?
The records behind this board — the card records this ranks and the education rules in our fine-print records — carry re-verification dates from 1 Jun 2026 to 26 Oct 2026; the ranking is recomputed from them on every build. Nothing on this page is typed by hand: the podium, the table and the numbers in this answer are all recomputed from those records every time the site builds, so a devaluation moves the ranking the day we log it.
Which credit cards for school, college and tuition fees in India have no annual fee?
21 of the 115 ranked here are lifetime free. The best on ₹ back on one ₹75,000 term fee is IndusInd Tiger at ₹750. This board's call, HDFC Diners Club Black Metal, costs ₹10,000/yr and reaches ₹2,498 — that gap is what the fee buys.
Is HDFC Diners Club Black Metal better than Axis Magnus for Burgundy?
On what this board ranks — ₹ back on one ₹75,000 term fee — yes: ₹2,498 against ₹3,600. That is the whole claim, and a narrow one. No card wins overall: 24 boards, 24 questions.