Is it worth paying an annual fee on a credit card?

On the annual fee — most premium cards waive it if you spend ₹1.5L to ₹3L in the previous year. Wallet loads (Paytm, Amazon Pay balance) usually DON'T count. But utilities, fuel, and grocery do. Spend pattern matters more than absolute number.

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.