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M16S / Yes Bank / YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card)

entry · rewards, cashback

YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card)

The YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card) costs Rs 588 a year. Its base return is 1%. The forex markup is 3.5%. Lounge visits in India: 1 per quarter (spend-gated). Read from the issuer's documents and an aggregator on 31 Oct 2026.

Annual fee
Rs 588+ GST
Fee waived at
—
Base return
1%
Forex markup
3.5%
Interest
3.99%a month
Apply on yes.bank.inOpens the bank’s own page.

Fees

Joining feeFree
Annual feeRs 588
Fee notesNo annual fee; a monthly fee instead: Rs 49 a month on BYOC Rewards (Rs 588 a year, shown as annual_fee) or Rs 99 a month on BYOC Cashback (Rs 1,188 a year; Rs 49 for cards on-boarded before 1 Oct 2023), plus any subscription plan fee. One-time card fee in the first statement: regular plastic nil, eco-friendly Rs 249, metal Rs 3,499. No spend waiver. Re-issuance: regular Rs 199 (Rs 100 before 15 Jun 2026), bio-degradable Rs 349, metal Rs 3,599. Core benefit and card material cannot be changed after issuance.

Rewards

Welcome benefitAmazon voucher worth Rs 500 on spending Rs 1,000 within the first 30 days (application offer shown on the issuer page).
Reward currencyYES Rewardz points (Rewards plan) or cashback (Cashback plan)
Base earnRewards plan: 8 YES Rewardz points per Rs 200 on all spends except rental, wallet and fuel; Cashback plan: 1% cashback on all spends except rental and fuel
Base return1%
Point valueunverifiedRs 0.25 per point on flights/hotels via YES Rewardz (points cover max 70% of invoice); about Rs 0.15 on e-gift vouchers; Rs 0.10 as statement credit
Accelerated earnOptional monthly subscription (Silver Rs 99 / Gold Rs 149 / Platinum Rs 249, plus GST; changeable every month): 10% cashback on the chosen merchants (earlier pass: 2, 3 or all 5 of Swiggy, Uber, PharmEasy, BigBasket, BookMyShow; the merchant list is not in the page text)
CapsIssuer page: Cashback plan capped at Rs 1,000 per statement cycle; subscription cashback max Rs 100 per merchant per statement cycle. Rewards plan: the page FAQ says reward points are capped at 600 per statement cycle, while the page footnote (and the MITC) apply the 600-point cap to utility spends (MCC 4900) only.
Spends that earn nothingCashback plan: nothing on rental, wallet, utility, fuel, government, marketing/advertising, cash withdrawals, Post Purchase EMI and Instant EMI. Rewards plan: nothing on rental, wallet, fuel, government, marketing/advertising, cash withdrawals, EMI conversions and, from 15 Jun 2026, insurance, education, railways, toll, ferry and jewellery (issuer page).
Points expiry3 years from earning
Reward notesRedemption fee Rs 100 + GST per request and Rs 99 + GST convenience fee on flight bookings with points (MITC). Point values by route are from an aggregator citing the MITC; the issuer page only links to a value chart. base_return_pct = 1% on the Cashback plan, which is issuer-stated rupee cashback, before the Rs 99 monthly fee and capped at Rs 1,000 a cycle. The Rewards plan (4 points per Rs 100) has no issuer-stated rupee value; at the aggregator's Rs 0.25 it is also about 1%. The monthly fee wipes out the return on spends below roughly Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 a month.

Transfers

PartnersAir India Maharaja Club
Ratio10 points : 1 Maharaja Point (Air India page; one aggregator shows 15:1); minimum balance 2,000 points (BYOC Rewards only)

Travel and perks

Domestic loungeunverified1 per quarter (spend-gated)
International loungeNone
Lounge conditionsNeeds Rs 50,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter.
Forex markup3.5%
Fuel surcharge waiver1% on Rs 500-3,000 transactions, cap Rs 125 per statement
Other freebiesComplimentary ET Prime membership on the first card anniversary; golf programme referenced in the page terms (rounds not stated).

Charges and eligibility

Interest per month3.99%
Late payment feeOutstanding up to Rs 500: nil; above Rs 500: lower of 10% of statement balance or Rs 1,350 per statement
Cash advance fee2.5% or Rs 650, whichever is higher (from 15 Jun 2026); cash withdrawal suspended for the first 6 months; cash limit up to 30% of credit limit
EligibilityAge 21-60; minimum net salary Rs 25,000 a month or ITR Rs 7.5 lakh and above; existing YES BANK credit cardholders not eligible.
Fine-print notesIssuer product page read 12 Oct 2026: confirms the fee structure, 8 points per Rs 200 or 1% cashback, the 10% merchant cashback (max Rs 100 per merchant per cycle) and fuel waiver cap Rs 125. Conflicts: the 1% cashback cap is Rs 1,000 per cycle on the page (the MITC reading showed both Rs 500 and Rs 1,000); ITR criterion is Rs 7.5 lakh on the page (aggregator said Rs 5 lakh). The page itself is inconsistent on the Rewards-plan cap (FAQ: 600 points per cycle overall; footnote: 600 points on utilities). Domestic lounge access is advertised but no count appears in the page text. The page does not state the forex markup; 3.5% stays unverified. || Earlier notes: MITC v18 (file reference 05102026): rent (MCC 6513) fee is the greater of 1% or Rs 199 above Rs 1,000, max 5 rent transactions per 30 days; wallet loads above Rs 2,000 charged 1%; education via third-party apps 1% + GST; utilities 1% + GST once the month's cumulative spend crosses the card's threshold (Rs 25,000); fuel 1% + GST on a single transaction above Rs 10,000 or cumulative above Rs 25,000 a month; tolls and railways also carry 1% beyond thresholds. Overlimit Rs 550 + GST per transaction (from 1 Jun 2026). Reissue Rs 199 + GST. Dynamic currency conversion: 1% + GST on INR-billed transactions at overseas merchants. Existing YES Bank credit cardholders are reported as ineligible for a second card. Forex 3.5% not independently confirmed; the Yes Bank MITC prints the markup beside the dynamic currency conversion charge and other cards were misread this way.

Questions

What is the annual fee of the YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card)?
Rs 588 a year, before GST.
Does the YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card) give airport lounge access?
Yes. In India: 1 per quarter (spend-gated). Outside India: none listed. Conditions: Needs Rs 50,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter.
What is the forex markup on the YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card)?
3.5% of each foreign-currency transaction, before GST.
Which spends earn no rewards on the YES BYOC (Build Your Own Card)?
Cashback plan: nothing on rental, wallet, utility, fuel, government, marketing/advertising, cash withdrawals, Post Purchase EMI and Instant EMI. Rewards plan: nothing on rental, wallet, fuel, government, marketing/advertising, cash withdrawals, EMI conversions and, from 15 Jun 2026, insurance, education, railways, toll, ferry and jewellery (issuer page).