In a market full of cashback cards that cater to specific categories or brands, only a few stand out by offering accelerated cashback across all online transactions without any merchant restrictions. Two such options are Cashback SBI Card and YES Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave Credit Card.
Cashback SBI Card was among the first cards to bring flat-rate cashback across all online spends. Though YES Bank PaisaSave came much later, it quickly emerged as a strong contender to Cashback SBI Card. Here’s a detailed comparison of the two cashback cards to see how they fare against each other.
Cashback Structure and Capping
Both cards offer accelerated earning on online spends, along with base rate across other spending categories, as shown below:
| Parameters | Cashback SBI Card | YES Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave |
| Cashback on Online Spends | 5% | 3% |
| Cashback on Offline Spends | 1% | 1.5% |
| Cashback on UPI Spends | – | 1.5% |
| Capping | Total cashback earning across all categories capped at Rs. 5,000 p.m. | Cashback on online spends capped at Rs. 5,000 p.m., beyond which unlimited 1.5% cashback will be applicable |
| Exclusions | Utilities, insurance, fuel, rent, wallet reload, education, jewellery, railway, merchant EMI and Flexipay EMI transactions | Fuel, utilities, insurance, rent payments, wallet loading, education, jewellery, government services, hospitals, pharmacy stores, toll, telecom equipment and EMI transactions |
While cashback SBI Card offers a higher cashback of 5% on online and 1% on offline transactions, its total monthly cashback is capped at Rs. 5,000. In contrast, YES Bank Paisabazaar PaisaSave comes with a lower cashback rate of 3% but offers 1.5% unlimited cashback beyond the capping. Additionally, YES Bank PaisaSave offers an additional Rupay variant credit card, enabling 1.5% cashback on UPI spends—a valuable feature for users who frequently transact via UPI.
Value-back Comparison: How much can you save?
Below is a comparison of how much you can save through each of these cards. For better understanding, we have taken two spender personalities:
- Moderate Spender with monthly spends of 30,000 divided between Online (Rs. 20,000) and Offline (Rs. 10,000) categories
- High Spender with monthly spends of 2 Lakh divided between Online (Rs. 1.7 Lakh) and Offline (Rs. 30,000) categories
| Spender Type | Card | Online Spends | Offline and UPI Spends | Total Cashback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate Spender | Cashback SBI | 5% on Rs. 20,000 = Rs. 1,000 | 1% on Rs. 10,000 = Rs. 100 | Rs. 1,100 |
| YES Bank PaisaSave | 3% on Rs. 20,000 = Rs. 600 | 1.5% on Rs. 10,000 = Rs. 150 | Rs. 750 | |
| High Spender | Cashback SBI | 5% on Rs. 1.7L = Rs. 5,000 (capped) | Nil, as capping already reached | Rs. 5,000 |
| YES Bank PaisaSave | 3% on Rs. 1.7L = Rs. 5,000 (capped) | 1.5% on Rs. 30,000 = Rs. 450 | Rs. 5,450 |
Cashback SBI vs. YES Bank PaisaSave: How to choose?
Since both cards cater to the same spending category and work in a similar way with the only difference being their capping, you should consider your monthly spends across online and offline categories and other spending preferences before choosing one of these.
Choose Cashback SBI Card if:
- Your primary spending is online, and stays within Rs. 1 lakh p.m. – to maximize the 5% cashback within the Rs. 5,000 cap
- You don’t frequently use UPI or spend much offline
Choose YES Paisabazaar PaisaSave if:
- You spend a significant amount online and want to continue earning cashback (albeit at 1.5%), beyond the capping
- You also spend significantly via offline or UPI transactions—and can maximize value with unlimited 1.5% cashback on both
Pro-tip:
While both the Cashback SBI and YES Bank PaisaSave cards are excellent choices for maximizing value-back on online spending, they may not be the best fit for everyone. If your goal is to save specifically on categories like travel, dining, fuel, or entertainment, it is better to opt for credit cards tailored to those needs.
For instance, fuel spends are excluded from cashback earning on both these cards. So if fuel savings are a priority, consider fuel cards like the IndianOil RBL Bank XTRA Card or the BPCL SBI Card Octane. Likewise, if you are looking to reduce flight costs, a rewards card with airline transfer partners or an airline co-branded card would be a more suitable option.
