Pick high-value redemption option instead of always settling for cashback

About 70 per cent of credit card users do not optimise their rewards, according to a February-March 2025 survey of over 5,000 users across nine major cities.

- SANJEEV SINHA

The survey was conducted by SaveSage, a fintech platform that helps users optimise their credit card rewards and loyalty programmes.

Why reward points are not optimised

Many users who hold multiple cards fail to use them strategically.

"They swipe the same card for every transaction, regardless of whether it offers optimal rewards for that category," says Adhil Shetty, chief executive officer (CEO), Bankbazaar.com.

Ashish Lath, founder, SaveSage, attributes the expiry of reward points to lack of awareness, forgetfulness, and poor tracking. "Due to the absence of a unified dashboard, tracking scattered points becomes difficult," says Shetty. Complexity also plays a part.

"The redemption options are sometimes too complex to understand," says Lath. He explains that categories like utilities may have caps or charge convenience fees, which confuses users and prevents them from optimising spends.