We hardly take out time to review things when they are going good, so here is a my "good" review of the SCM card, which I have been using for past 4 years or so.
Since my cons list is small, I’ll start with that first:
1) Charges are somewhat on the higher side.
2) Surcharge on fuel transactions not reversed/waived Off.
3) Comparatively less credit limit(54k).
Pros.
Cashback. There is 5% cashback on retail and departmental stores. However you should know that there is limit of 500 per month, 150 per transaction and minimum transaction value should be 1000(or 500?). So if use your card judiciously, you’ll have your annual fees virtually waved off.
Reward Points and Redemption My card has 5 points per 150 spend(which was changed in 2nd year). This accumulated points really fast. For~3000 points, you get still work 1k, So it effectively turns out to be 1% of your spending. Not to mention that the catalogue is really good, with not only merchandise but also give vouchers.
Offers This might be the least advertized point, But Standard Charted does have some great offers during festive season.(I would also like to give credit to HDFC and SBI cards here). I personally haven’t used the EMI schemes ever, But most sites offer that on StanC Cards.
Personally, Over last 4 years, I have saved/earned over 14k as cashback/redemption. If I subtract charges of~5k. that is still 2k saving per year. I pay my bill at least 4 days before due date, so haven’t faced late payment issue so far.
Summary: take this card only if you wish to use it, or else you just might end up complaining like other.