Credit card against FD: minimum deposit and limit, bank by bank

Getting a cardUpdated 31 Oct 2026By Saurabh Garg, credit card enthusiast

M16SRead 31 Oct 2026

A credit card against an FD needs a minimum deposit of Rs 100 on Utkarsh SuperCard, Rs 10,000 at Kotak, Rs 15,000 at HDFC and Axis, and Rs 50,000 at ICICI. The limit runs from up to 75% of the FD at Tamilnad Mercantile to 100% at IDFC FIRST. If you do not pay, the bank can break the FD.

Checked against35 documents

12 cards named in this guide

How much FD do I need, and what limit will I get?

The minimum FD in the table runs from Rs 100 on Utkarsh SuperCard to Rs 65,000 on Axis Privilege Easy. Most documents we read set the limit at 80% to 90% of the deposit, while IDFC FIRST and South Indian Bank state 100%, TMB stops at 75% and Canara's page says both 75% and 100%.

Kotak's terms, updated 31 July 2026, and its Dream Different page disagree on limit and tenure, so ask Kotak. The full catalogue is on the secured credit cards list.

Bank and card	Minimum FD	Limit against the FD	Joining and annual fee (before GST)
HDFC Bank Pixel Go	Rs 15,000 (up to Rs 55,000)	90%, Rs 13,500 to Rs 49,500	Rs 250 each, joining waived on Rs 10,000 spend in 90 days, renewal waived on Rs 50,000 a year
HDFC Bank Pixel Play	Rs 56,000 (up to Rs 5,00,000)	90%, Rs 50,400 to Rs 4,50,000	Rs 500 each, joining waived on Rs 20,000 spend in 90 days, renewal waived on Rs 1,00,000 a year
ICICI Bank Coral, Instant Platinum	Rs 50,000, at least 180 days	Up to 90%	Page calls the card complimentary and gives no fee figure
Axis Bank My Zone Easy	Rs 15,000 (up to Rs 25 lakh)	Up to 80% to 90%	Rs 500 each
Axis Bank Privilege Easy	Rs 65,000 (up to Rs 25 lakh)	Up to 80% to 90%	Rs 1,500 each, annual fee reversed on Rs 5 lakh spend
Kotak Dream Different	Rs 10,000 (up to Rs 20 lakh). Tenure at least 1 year 1 day in the terms, at least 181 days on the page	80% in the terms, up to 90% on the page	Rs 424 joining in the Key Fact Statement from 1 September 2026 (Rs 500 including GST in the page FAQ), annual nil. A banner on the same page says no joining fee for a limited period, so ask Kotak
IDFC FIRST WOW	Rs 20,000 (NRE FD Rs 25,000)	100%	Nil
Bank of Baroda BOBCARD PRIME	Rs 30,000 in the page text; the page's embedded card data says Rs 15,000	Not on the page we read	Nil
Canara Bank RuPay Select Secured	Not stated	Up to 75%, minimum limit Rs 25,000. Another part of the page says up to 100%, minimum limit Rs 1,00,000. Ask Canara which applies	Nil, Rs 300 inactivity fee below Rs 1,00,000 a year
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Platinum	Rs 50,000, at least 3 years	Up to 75%, Rs 20,000 to Rs 5,00,000	Nil
City Union Bank Dhi FD Backed	Rs 10,000	90%	Nil
DCB Bank PayLess Platinum, Select	Not stated	90%	Joining nil. Annual Rs 350 or Rs 1,000 from month 13, waived on Rs 50,000 or Rs 2,00,000 spend
SBM Bank secured cards (ZET, novio, Magnet and others)	Not stated in the MITC. Rs 5,000 on Niyo Global per its KFS. 390 day FD	90%	Varies. ZET and Magnet nil. novio Rs 299 from year 2, with a waiver
IDBI Bank Secured	Not stated	Up to 85%, maximum Rs 10 lakh	Not stated for secured cards; the MITC does not say which variant is secured
Utkarsh SuperCard	From Rs 100	Currently minimum 90%	Physical card nil at Rs 10,000 FD or above (Rs 249 if the FD falls below that or the account closes within 12 months), Rs 99 from Rs 5,000 (Rs 150 on the same conditions), otherwise Rs 249
Utkarsh Wish	Rs 2,000	Up to 90%, set by bureau score	Nil
South Indian Bank SIB One	Not stated	100%	Nil
AU NOMO	Not on the page we read	Not on the page we read, lien on 100% of the FD	Rs 199 once

Read at each bank's page or terms on 31 October 2026. GST of 18% applies on fees. Banks say these figures can change at their discretion.

Should I go for an FD-backed credit card?

It fits if you have no credit history or income proof and can leave the money locked. The real cost is the card fee plus losing access to the deposit, because the FD itself keeps earning interest.

An example. You want a Rs 50,000 limit. At 100% of the FD you lock Rs 50,000, at 90% about Rs 55,556, at 80% Rs 62,500 and at 75% about Rs 66,667. Then add the fee. Axis My Zone Easy is Rs 500 plus Rs 90 GST, so Rs 590 a year. Kotak Dream Different is Rs 424 plus Rs 76.32 GST, so Rs 500.32 once. IDFC FIRST WOW is nil.

If you already qualify for an unsecured card, you lock nothing, so compare the fees on the card finder.

Can I get one with no credit score, no income or at 18?

Usually yes on score and income, and many banks accept age 18. HDFC, Axis, Kotak and IDFC FIRST all say no credit score or income proof is needed. IDFC FIRST and Utkarsh Wish take ages 18 to 80. Bank of Baroda's page text says 18 to 85, while its embedded card data says 21 to 65, so ask BOBCARD which applies.

Assured does not mean automatic. HDFC's FAQ of 23 February 2026 says there is still a bureau check and approval depends on its policy. Bank of Baroda's guarantee excludes customers delinquent on CIBIL.

Some cards exclude people who already hold cards. Axis bars anyone who holds or has held a credit card, HDFC's Pixel route is only for people without an HDFC credit card, and ICICI and City Union Bank allow one secured card. If you are starting from zero, read first credit card with no credit history.

Does an FD-backed card build a credit history?

Banks say it can, if you pay on time. Axis says it can help improve a CIBIL score when you pay on time, keep usage low and hold the card longer. ICICI, IDFC FIRST and AU say much the same.

Reporting is in the documents. SBM says it sends cardholder data to credit bureaus every 2 weeks, covering both current accounts and defaulters. The RBI bars reporting a new card to credit bureaus before activation.

Under paragraph 23(5) of the RBI's card directions, updated 1 October 2026, a card more than three days past due can be reported as past due. CIBIL's own pages would not load today, so this guide does not say how much a secured card moves a score.

Does the FD still earn interest, and can I withdraw it?

It keeps earning interest, but on most cards you cannot withdraw it while the card is live. ICICI pays the same rate as a standard FD, with TDS on the interest. HDFC, Axis and Kotak all say the FD stays locked until dues are cleared and the card is closed.

Utkarsh Wish lets you withdraw after a 7 day lock-in, which cuts your limit, and withdrawing your last deposit may close the card. IDFC FIRST lets you delink one of several FDs if the rest stays above Rs 20,000 and covers your dues.

To raise a limit, Kotak, IDFC FIRST and City Union Bank allow more FDs. HDFC's FAQ says the Pixel FD amount cannot be changed once the card is set up. See how to increase a credit card limit.

What happens to my FD if I do not pay the bill?

The bank can break the FD and take what you owe. Kotak, DCB, Utkarsh SuperCard, SBM, City Union Bank and IDBI set about 50 to 90 days of non-payment, with DCB, Utkarsh SuperCard and IDBI able to act sooner if the outstanding reaches their 95% to 100% trigger, while Axis, IndusInd and HDFC give no day count, so do not assume a cushion. Kotak's terms say no prior notice while its page says after proper notice, and its page says dues are not automatically adjusted against the FD, so late fees and interest still run.

An example. City Union Bank's terms charge a 1% penalty on early liquidation, and its illustration uses 6% for 12 months with 5% for 6 months. On a Rs 1,00,000 FD broken at 6 months you earn 4%, so Rs 1,00,000 x 4% x 6/12 = Rs 2,000, and the payout is Rs 1,02,000. If you owe Rs 45,000, Rs 57,000 comes back. At the original 6% you would have earned Rs 3,000 by then, so the break cost Rs 1,000 of interest: Rs 500 from the lower rate and Rs 500 from the penalty.

Breaking the FD does not erase the record. City Union Bank says it can report non-payment to credit bureaus, and DCB says a balance above 100% of the linked FD gets you reported as a defaulter. See late payment charges by bank for the fees that build up.

Bank	When the terms let it break the FD
Kotak Mahindra Bank	Minimum due unpaid within 90 days of the statement date. The terms say without prior notice; the Dream Different page says after proper notice, so ask Kotak. A remainder under Rs 10,000 on Dream Different is paid out to you
DCB Bank	Minimum due unpaid up to 85 days past the due date, or outstanding crossing 95% of the FD
Utkarsh SuperCard	Dues unpaid within 60 days past due, or outstanding reaching 95% of the FD
SBM Bank	Dues unpaid within 60 days past due
City Union Bank	Dues unpaid within 60 days of the due date. Anything still owed after liquidation remains payable
IDBI Bank	Card hotlisted after 30 days past due, FD liquidated if unpaid in the next 21 days. Also if outstanding reaches 100% of the limit, after debiting your other accounts
Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank	On default, with no day count in the terms. Axis's FD card page says it notifies you first

From each bank's terms. HDFC's terms state a lien and right of set-off without a day count in the sections we read.

Is the interest rate lower because the card is secured?

Sometimes, but not always. SBI Card's terms say 2.75% against 3.75%. HDFC says FD cards carry the same rate as the card variant, and Kotak Dream Different and Equitas secured variants are at 3.75%.

Canara's MITC says 2% a month on secured cards against 2.5% on others, but its RuPay Select Secured page quotes only 2.5%, so ask Canara which applies.

DCB PayLess is at 3%, Axis secured cards at 3.4% and Utkarsh SuperCard at 3.5% from 21 June 2026.

An example. You carry Rs 20,000 for a month on Kotak Dream Different at 3.75%. Interest is Rs 750 and 18% GST adds Rs 135, so Rs 885.

What happens to the FD when I close the card?

You clear the dues and close the card, then the FD is either released or broken, depending on the bank. The RBI requires a closure request to be honoured within seven working days once all dues are paid. Ask which applies before you close.

Released: HDFC's FAQ says the FD stays active and the lien goes within 4 days of closure. Axis says to close the card, then ask customer care or a branch to remove the lien.

Broken or closed: SBM closes the linked FD with the card and pays the balance to the source account. If you close before clearing dues, SBM treats the FD as a premature withdrawal with a 1% penalty on the interest rate. Canara closes the deposit only 7 days after the card closes.

Two banks' documents point both ways. Kotak's page says the lien is removed after closure and settlement, under its policy, while clause 34.4 of its terms says that on cancellation the bank may liquidate the entire deposit without prior notice and pay you the balance. City Union Bank's MITC says the lien is released in 2 days after the card's dues are closed, and also that on termination the FD is liquidated, possibly before maturity, with a pre-closure charge of 1% a year. Ask either bank which applies.

Closing early can cost a fee. Kotak charges Rs 170 within 90 days of issue from 1 September 2026, and Utkarsh SuperCard up to Rs 249 plus a Rs 100 account charge, plus taxes, within 12 months. See how to close a credit card.

Which banks are not in the table?

We could not confirm a minimum FD and limit for SBI Card, Bank of India, ESAF, IndusInd, Equitas, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Suryoday or Federal, so none has a row.

Bank of India, ESAF and Federal blocked our reader.

Sources

This explains what the documents say. It is not financial advice.