Kiwi YES Bank Credit Card
YES Kiwi is a lifetime-free credit card with the weakest reward structure of any card we recommend — 0.5% flat cashback, no lounge access, no forex benefits. Its only legitimate purpose is holding a credit line open for CIBIL score health and credit age. If you have any better free card option, use that for actual spending.
By Ashutosh · Updated June 2026
A 0.5% reward rate means every ₹10,000 you spend earns ₹50. By comparison, AU Xcite ACE earns ₹200 on the same ₹10,000 at 2%, and Amazon Pay ICICI earns ₹500 on Amazon at 5%. The gap is not marginal — it is 4x to 10x worse than the best free alternatives. YES Kiwi's saving grace is that it is genuinely lifetime free with no conditions: no annual fee, no spend milestone, no relationship requirement. This makes it a reasonable starter card for credit building — first-time credit card users who cannot qualify for better cards yet can use YES Kiwi to establish a credit history and then graduate to AU Xcite ACE or Amazon Pay ICICI once their CIBIL score improves. If you already have a good credit score and income, there is no reason to choose YES Kiwi over Xcite ACE or Amazon Pay ICICI. Never pay with YES Kiwi when you have a better card in your wallet.
First-time credit card applicants building a credit history who cannot yet qualify for better rewards cards, and existing holders who should keep it only for CIBIL age.
You already have a good credit profile (700+ CIBIL), stable income, and can qualify for AU Xcite ACE, Scapia, or Amazon Pay ICICI — all of which are free and earn dramatically more.
2% Kiwi Coins on all spends, but 1 Coin = ₹0.25, so effective rate ~0.5% · Lifetime free
Card advertises '2% Kiwi Coins' but each Kiwi Coin is worth only ₹0.25, making the effective cashback rate ~0.5%, not 2%.
PROS
- Lifetime free
- Simple flat reward structure
CONS
- Effective rate only ~0.5% (misleading 2% headline)
- No lounge access
- Kiwi Coin value is low
- CIBIL Score Building for First-Time Credit Users: A credit card used responsibly — paying the full bill on time every month — is the most effective way to build a CIBIL score. YES Kiwi's lifetime-free status means there is no cost to holding it open long-term. For someone starting their credit journey, YES Kiwi is a workable starter card. Use it for small, regular purchases like a streaming subscription and pay the full bill on the due date every month.
- Credit Age Preservation: Existing Kiwi cardholders should keep the card active rather than closing it. A credit card account's age positively impacts CIBIL score through the average credit age metric. Closing an old card shortens credit age and can drop your score by 10 to 30 points. Make at least one small transaction per year to keep the account active and avoid dormancy closure by YES Bank.
- Minimum Spend on Non-Primary Categories: If you have exhausted all better card options for a specific transaction and YES Kiwi is the only card available, 0.5% is still better than zero. For a ₹5,000 transaction: ₹25 earned. Minimal, but not zero. This is genuinely the extent of its reward case.
AU Xcite ACE is free and earns 2% — four times YES Kiwi's 0.5%. There is no category or situation where YES Kiwi's earn rate matches or beats Xcite ACE for active use. If you have Xcite ACE, never choose YES Kiwi for everyday spend.
Amazon Pay ICICI is free and earns 5% on Amazon for Prime members and 3% without Prime. YES Kiwi earns 0.5% on the same Amazon purchase — a 10x gap. Amazon Pay ICICI should be the default card for all Amazon purchases.
AU ixigo is also a free card and provides 17 lounge visits per year (16 domestic + 1 international) plus a 1.25% base rate. YES Kiwi provides zero lounge visits and 0.5% rewards. For travelers, ixigo is the obvious free card of choice.
Scapia is free with zero forex markup, saving 3% to 3.5% on international transactions. YES Kiwi has a standard forex markup and earns 0.5% rewards — effectively costing you 3% net on international spend versus saving 3% net with Scapia.
Keep YES Kiwi in your wallet purely for CIBIL age if you already hold it. Use AU Xcite ACE for all actual spending — 2% on everything. This is not a synergistic combination; it is damage control for someone who holds Kiwi and needs to maximize earning elsewhere.
View AU Xcite ACE Credit Card →Amazon Pay ICICI handles all Amazon purchases at 5% for Prime members. YES Kiwi sits dormant except for the annual CIBIL-maintenance transaction. Together: zero combined fee, good Amazon earning, credit age preserved on Kiwi.
Should I close my YES Kiwi card if I get a better free card?
No, do not close it — especially if it is one of your older credit cards. Closing a credit card account hurts your CIBIL score in two ways: it reduces your total available credit (increasing your credit utilization ratio) and it may reduce your average credit age. Keep YES Kiwi open, do one small transaction per year to prevent dormancy closure, and simply stop using it as an active spending card.
Is YES Bank safe to hold a credit card with?
YES Bank is a scheduled commercial bank regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. Following the RBI-orchestrated restructuring in 2020, YES Bank has been under a revised management team and has stabilized significantly through 2023 to 2025. It is a publicly listed bank on BSE and NSE. Your credit card deposits and transactions are protected under RBI's consumer credit card regulations. For a card you are primarily holding for credit history purposes, the banking stability concern is minimal.
Can I upgrade YES Kiwi to a better YES Bank card?
YES Bank offers better credit cards in its lineup — YES First Exclusive, YES ACE, and others — with higher rewards and more travel benefits. Contact YES Bank customer care or log into the YES Bank mobile app to check upgrade eligibility. An upgrade typically retains your card account history, preserving your CIBIL age. If you can qualify for YES First Exclusive or a similar premium YES Bank card, upgrade rather than staying on Kiwi.
What is the credit limit typically offered on YES Kiwi?
YES Kiwi's credit limit depends on your income, employment profile, and CIBIL score at the time of application. As an entry-level free card, limits often start in the ₹15,000 to ₹40,000 range for first-time applicants. For income-verified salaried professionals with established CIBIL scores, limits can go higher. Request a credit limit increase after six to twelve months of good payment history, which also helps your credit utilization ratio.
Are there any signup or welcome benefits on YES Kiwi?
YES Kiwi occasionally runs welcome offers for new applicants — these change frequently and may include welcome cashback, movie vouchers, or merchant partner discounts in the first few months of card usage. Check YES Bank's current offer page and the card's welcome kit for whatever promotional benefits apply at your time of application. These one-time welcome benefits are not a reason to choose the card long-term, but they are a nice bonus if you are getting the card for credit-building purposes.
What is the best strategy for someone who holds YES Kiwi as their only card?
Apply immediately for AU Xcite ACE (free, 2% cashback) and Amazon Pay ICICI (free, 5% on Amazon for Prime members). Use those two cards for all actual spending. Keep YES Kiwi active with one small recurring transaction per month — a ₹199 streaming subscription works well. Pay all cards in full every month on or before the due date. In six to twelve months, your CIBIL score will improve from responsible multi-card management, unlocking even better card options.
Does YES Kiwi have any category-specific accelerated rates or merchant partners?
YES Bank periodically runs limited-time partner offers on YES Kiwi — specific merchant discounts or bonus cashback campaigns tied to YES Bank's merchant network. These are promotional, not structural, and cannot be relied upon as a long-term earning strategy. The structural 0.5% rate is what you will earn 95% of the time. Do not hold or choose YES Kiwi in anticipation of partner deals that may or may not be active when you need them.