RBL Bank Cookies Credit Card Review 2026: What It Actually Pays, Caps, Fees & FAQs
RBL Bank Cookies Credit Card charges ₹100 a month. What the caps allow, what RBL publishes and what it does not, fees and FAQs.
The RBL Cookies card charges ₹100 a MONTH, not a year — waived on eligible monthly spends of ₹5,000 or more. Cards issued before 10 May 2021 carry a ₹500 annual fee instead.
RBL Bank Cookies Credit Card Quick Overview
| **Card type** | Entry-level card |
|---|---|
| **Best for** | Existing holders and low-fee shoppers |
| **Joining / renewal fee** | ₹100 + GST, same on renewal |
| **Network** | Mastercard |
| **Base reward rate** | **0.25%** |
| **Top reward rate** | **1.25%** — Online purchases |
| **Reward currency** | RBL Bank Reward Points, valued at ₹0.25 each |
| **Lounge access** | None published |
| **Forex markup** | 3.5% |
Reward Structure: How You Earn
RBL values a Reward Point at ₹0.25 — its own working figure rather than a published redemption table.
The fee structure is the unusual part. ₹100 a month is ₹1,200 a year if you never clear the waiver, which makes this a more expensive card than its headline suggests — and a free one if you spend ₹5,000 a month.
Cashback bands cap at ₹900 a calendar month combined, with ₹300 per brand.
RBL rounds down on every transaction. A ₹350 spend at 1 point per ₹100 earns 3 points and the ₹50 is lost — every time, not cumulatively.
RBL stopped paying rewards on a whole category block on 13 November 2023 — Fuel & Auto, Utilities, Insurance, Quasi-Cash, Real Estate and Rental, Education, and Wallets. The same list is excluded from milestone spend.
| Spend | Effective rate |
|---|---|
| Online purchases (capped at 1,000 points a month) | **1.25%** |
| Everything else | 0.25% |
| Fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, gaming | **0%** |
The caps that actually bind
Headline rates mean little until you know where they stop. These are the limits on this card:
| Cap | Limit |
|---|---|
| Monthly | 1,000 points per calendar month |
Category Restrictions: Where You Won't Earn
- Where you earn nothing: Earns nothing at all: Fuel & Auto, Utilities, Insurance, Quasi-Cash, Real Estate and Rental, Education, and Wallets and Service Providers — RBL's own category list, excluded from earning AND from milestone spend calculation, with effect from 13 November 2023. Railways and Government are excluded on some cards additionally. Base Reward Points are also NOT accrued on EMI conversion of retail transactions, including Split-N-Pay and EMI requests placed at the point of sale.
- Point expiry: Reward Points expire after the validity period RBL prescribes and are forfeited on card closure. Points transferred to a partner programme are governed by that programme's expiry rules, not RBL's.
- Redemption fee: ₹99 per redemption.
- Monthly cap: 1,000 a month on the accelerated band.
Fees and Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹100 + GST |
| Renewal fee | ₹100 + GST |
| Finance charges | Up to 3.99% per month (47.88% per annum) on both revolving credit and cash advances. |
| Interest-free period | Up to 50 days from the date of purchase, only when the previous balance is paid in full. |
| Minimum amount due | 5% of the total amount due, subject to a minimum, plus any EMI, fees, charges and over-limit amount. |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the cash amount, subject to a minimum of ₹500. |
| Cash advance interest | Up to 3.99% per month (47.88% per annum), charged from the date of withdrawal with no interest-free period. |
| Forex markup | Up to 3.5% of the transaction amount. Markup also applies to transactions in Indian rupees at an international location, or at merchants located in India but registered overseas. |
| Dynamic currency conversion | Charged at the same rate as the foreign currency markup — RBL treats dynamic and static conversion transactions identically. |
| Late payment | 12.5% of the outstanding amount, subject to a minimum of ₹5 and a maximum of ₹1,300. |
| Overlimit | Nil. RBL charges no over-limit fee. |
| Payment return | ₹500 for a returned or dishonoured cheque, and ₹500 for an auto-debit reversal where the bank account is out of funds. |
| Rent payment | 1% of the transaction amount on all rental transactions (MCC 6513). |
| Utility payments | 1% of the transaction amount on utility spends above ₹50,000 per month per card (MCC 4900). |
| Education payments | 1% on education payments made through third-party apps — CRED, PhonePe, Cheqedu, Paytm, MobiKwik, NoBroker, Housing.com and others. Payments made through a school or college website or its POS machine carry no fee. |
| Fuel transactions | 1% for each transaction exceeding ₹10,000 on fuel and auto (MCC 0032, 2541, 4001, 5172, 5541, 5542), capped at ₹3,000. |
| Add-on card | ₹0 to ₹5,000 per add-on cardmember, depending on the card variant. |
| Reward redemption | ₹99 plus GST per redemption. Waived on Lumière, Nova, Insignia, Insignia Prime, World Xclusive, Apex, Aspire Banking and Signature Banking. |
| EMI processing | 1.5% of the amount or ₹150, whichever is higher, on all merchant EMI conversions done at the time of the transaction. |
| GST | 18% on all fees, interest and charges. |
Is the RBL Bank Cookies Credit Card Worth It?
Spend ₹5,000 a month and the card is free; spend less and it costs ₹1,200 a year. There is no middle ground, and the threshold is low enough that most active users clear it.
The milestone pays vouchers worth ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 at published spend thresholds.
5X Reward Points on online purchases is the accelerated band, capped with everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the Cookies fee monthly or annual? Monthly — ₹100 a month for cards issued after 10 May 2021, waived on eligible monthly spends of ₹5,000 or more. Cards issued before that date carry a ₹500 annual fee.
What are the cashback caps? ₹300 per brand per month, with a combined ceiling of ₹900 a calendar month.
What is the milestone? Vouchers worth ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 at published spend thresholds.
Cards Mentioned in This Article
