Best Credit Cards for Agoda and Booking.com in India (2026)

The best card for Agoda or Booking.com is one with zero or very low forex markup, because many of these bookings are billed in foreign currency or processed overseas, and ideally a good travel reward rate as well. If you're comfortable booking through bank portals, a premium card with a high portal rate can beat both. Below are six cards from BestCard's data and the maths to choose between them.

Why these bookings are tricky

Agoda and Booking.com show prices in rupees, but what you're charged depends on the property and payment option:

• Pay now in a foreign currency (common on international stays): your bank adds its forex markup plus 18% GST on it.
• Pay now in rupees through an overseas entity: some banks still treat this as cross-border and add markup. Check your statement after the first booking.
• Pay at the property: the hotel charges you locally, often in its own currency, at checkout.

So for international hotel stays, a 3.5% markup card can wipe out its own rewards. A zero-forex card avoids that problem.

The shortlist

IDFC FIRST Select: best free all-rounder

IDFC FIRST Select is lifetime free with 0% forex markup and earns 4% on travel and dining (0.5% base, at 25 paise a point). If your hotel booking codes as travel, that's one of the best combinations available on a free card. It also gives 1 domestic lounge visit a quarter on ₹20,000 spend in the preceding month. Minimum income is ₹1 lakh a month.

Federal Bank Scapia: free, with lounge access

Federal Bank Scapia has no fee and 0% markup, and earns about 2% in Scapia Coins on eligible spends (5 Coins = ₹1). Coins can only be spent in the Scapia app. You get unlimited domestic lounge access in months you spend ₹5,000. It's the easiest card here to qualify for, at ₹25,000 monthly income.

Yes Bank Marquee: high travel rate with low markup

Yes Bank Marquee charges a 1% forex markup and earns 6% on travel, 5% on dining and 3% base (points at 30 paise). The joining fee is ₹9,999 and the annual fee ₹4,999, waived on ₹10 lakh spend. It also gives 24 domestic lounge visits a year and unlimited international lounges through Priority Pass. Minimum income is ₹2 lakh a month.

AU Zenith Plus: 0.99% markup and lots of lounges

AU Bank Zenith Plus costs ₹4,999 (waived on ₹8 lakh), has a 0.99% markup and earns 2% on travel and dining. It's strongest on lounges: 16 domestic and 16 international visits a year, plus Airport Meet & Assist.

Axis Atlas: miles for Travel EDGE bookers

Axis Atlas earns 5% on flights and hotels booked through Travel EDGE and 2% base, as miles that transfer to 20+ partners. The 3.5% forex markup makes it a poor choice for direct Agoda payments in foreign currency. It's useful for rupee-billed domestic hotels and for comparing Travel EDGE prices. You can apply for Axis Atlas here.

HDFC Infinia: when the portal wins

HDFC Infinia earns 16.65% on travel booked through SmartBuy in our data (up to 10X points on hotels, capped monthly). Booking directly on Agoda gets you only the 3.33% base and a 2% markup. If SmartBuy lists the same hotel at a similar price, it wins easily. The card is effectively for very high earners (₹5 lakh monthly income in our data). Our SmartBuy and EDGE portals explainer covers how these portals work.

Summary table

Card	Annual fee	Forex markup	Travel rate	Best for
IDFC FIRST Select	₹0	0%	4%	Free card, international stays
Federal Bank Scapia	₹0	0%	~2% (4% in Scapia app)	Easy approval, domestic lounges
Yes Bank Marquee	₹4,999	1%	6%	High spenders who travel often
AU Zenith Plus	₹4,999	0.99%	2%	Lounges plus low markup
Axis Atlas	₹5,000	3.5%	5% on Travel EDGE	Domestic hotels, miles collectors
HDFC Infinia	₹12,500	2%	16.65% on SmartBuy	Portal bookings

Worked example: a ₹40,000 Bangkok hotel billed in baht

Here's the net cost on each type of card, assuming the booking codes as travel:

• Typical rewards card, 3.5% markup, 2% back: markup ₹1,400 + GST ₹252 = ₹1,652 cost, minus ₹800 rewards = ₹852 worse off
• IDFC FIRST Select (0%, 4%): no markup, ₹1,600 back = ₹1,600 ahead
• Federal Scapia (0%, ~2%): no markup, ₹800 in Coins = ₹800 ahead
• Yes Marquee (1%, 6%): markup ₹400 + GST ₹72 = ₹472, minus ₹2,400 rewards = ₹1,928 ahead
• AU Zenith Plus (0.99%, 2%): markup ₹396 + GST ₹71 = ₹467, minus ₹800 = ₹333 ahead

The difference between the best and worst card here is about ₹2,800 on one booking. For a ₹40,000 domestic hotel billed in rupees with no markup, Atlas's 5% (₹2,000 in miles via Travel EDGE) or Marquee's 6% (₹2,400) come out on top.

How to choose

1. Mostly international stays? Start with a zero or near-zero markup card: IDFC FIRST Select, Scapia, AU Zenith Plus or Yes Marquee.
2. Mostly domestic stays? Markup matters less. Pick the highest travel rate you can get, or compare a bank portal's price.
3. Hold a premium HDFC or Axis card? Check SmartBuy or Travel EDGE before booking direct. A slightly higher portal price can still work out cheaper after rewards.
4. Check the category once. After your first booking, look at your statement to confirm the travel rate applied. Banks decide categories by merchant code, not by what the website calls itself.

Common mistakes

• Choosing "pay in INR" at a foreign hotel. That's dynamic currency conversion and usually costs more. Pay in the hotel's local currency instead.
• Ignoring GST on markup. The 18% GST on forex markup is easy to miss on your statement.
• Assuming free cancellation means a free refund. Refunds go back at the day's exchange rate, and the markup you paid may not be fully reversed.

Card figures come from BestCard's latest data. Issuers revise terms, so confirm on the issuer's site before applying. To find your best match, try the BestCard matcher.