Credit card EMI vs personal loan — which is cheaper?

I was worried about the high joining fee but the welcome benefit voucher was credited within 30 days of crossing the spend threshold. Net cost: zero. The trick is to time your application so that you make a big purchase (appliance, travel booking) in the first 45 days.

Tip from someone who made this mistake: never max out the credit limit in the first 6 months. Banks track utilisation, and high utilisation right after approval often triggers a credit limit decrease or even an account review.