This review was contributed by one of our readers, Bhavye Goel, who has multiple Kotak credit cards across his family.
After finding the best grocery card in India—the Kotak Essentia Platinum Credit Card—I began searching for a card that would reward my frequent dining expenses. I wanted consistent rewards for everything from quick solo lunches to family dinners, and a card that would work at any merchant accepting cards, whether a roadside dhaba or a fine dining restaurant—not just at a limited set of partner restaurants.
Two Kotak cards seemed suitable: the Kotak Feast Gold Credit Card and the Kotak Delight Platinum Credit Card.
I dismissed the Feast Card because of restrictive conditions, such as cashback being limited to the first five dining and entertainment transactions—unhelpful for my frequent low-value lunch spends (typically Rs. 100–200). In the end, I applied for the Kotak Delight Platinum Credit Card on my father’s behalf. The branch manager told us only one card is issued per CRN, though that turned out to be incorrect since I later had two cards on the same CRN.
Table of Contents
- Joining Fees
- Application Process
- Rewards
- Bottomline
Joining Fees
- Joining fees: Rs. 1,999 + GST
- Welcome offer: Two BookMyShow vouchers worth Rs. 200 each on first swipe if you apply online directly with Kotak (offer subject to change)
- Annual fees: Rs. 299 + GST (non-waiverable from 2nd year)
- Add-on card fees: Rs. 249 + GST
Application Process
The branch application process was smooth. At the time we applied there was no online welcome offer, so branch staff collected documents at home and completed the form. Although this was my father’s first credit card, he had credit history from a car loan, which helped the application.
The physical card has a greyish appearance, and it arrived in about 10 days.
Credit limit: I was surprised to see a modest credit limit of Rs. 15,000 despite an Ace savings account with Kotak and a healthy balance. That limit made it difficult to fully utilize the card’s benefits because of the cashback conditions (detailed below). Multiple requests to increase the limit were declined, with staff asking us to wait six months for review.
Rewards
- 10% cashback on dining (coffee shops, fast food, pizza outlets, pubs, restaurants)
- 10% cashback on movies (movie theatres, plays)
- Maximum transaction size for cashback eligibility: Rs. 4,000 per transaction
- Maximum cashback: Rs. 600 per month (combined dining & entertainment)
- Milestone benefit: Spend Rs. 1,25,000 every six months to receive either four free PVR tickets or Rs. 750 cashback
Cashback is capped at Rs. 600 per billing cycle across dining and entertainment. Transactions must be Rs. 4,000 or less to qualify; if your dining bill exceeds Rs. 4,000, splitting the bill and swiping twice can make both transactions eligible. Cashback for a billing cycle posts in the next billing cycle, and redemption is straightforward.
Cashback condition: A key requirement is that you must spend Rs. 10,000 per month on categories other than restaurants and entertainment in the same billing cycle to earn the 10% cashback. To meet this, I typically load online wallets. If your other card charges 1–2% for wallet loads, that cost can offset some benefit—but even accounting for that, the effective return can be around 7% on non-partner restaurant spends.
Below is a snapshot of my statement showing cashback entries and redemptions.
Bottomline
- Cardexpert Rating: 3.8/5
This card suits someone who spends roughly Rs. 6,000 per month dining out and wants rewards across all restaurants rather than only partner outlets. I typically save about Rs. 500–600 per month—roughly Rs. 7,200 per year—using this card.
A few caveats: merchant category coding at tourist locations can sometimes be incorrect (e.g., coded as Hotels or Grocery), which can make specific transactions ineligible for cashback. However, in most cases the card works as intended.
It also works on online food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, so when there aren’t wallet or delivery app offers, I use this card to earn 10% cashback.
Do you have the Kotak Delight Platinum Credit Card? Feel free to share your experiences and feedback in the comments below.