The same FD-backed cards, sorted for a student's real constraints — the least capital locked away first, with zero-forex-markup picks worth knowing about if you're heading abroad.
The Top 10
Ranked for a first card, not the best rewards
This isn't a formula run over whatever's in our database — each card here was individually researched and verified as currently open for applications. Ranked by how low a Fixed Deposit you need (lowest first), since a student is even less likely than an average beginner to have a large lump sum sitting around — genuinely independent products (prepaid forex cards, add-on cards) were deliberately left off this list since they don't actually build credit history, which is the whole point of a student's first card.
The first seven are genuinely ₹0 joining and ₹0 annual fee — not waived above a spend threshold, not free for year one only. The rest trade a little more — a slightly higher deposit, or a small disclosed fee — for real reward value, once your core need — a guaranteed-approval card you can actually afford to open — is already covered.
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