Honestly, I've tracked this for the last two sales and the Amazon Pay ICICI card is almost always the best bet for Amazon specifically — and it's lifetime free, so zero risk to hold it.
Here's how it typically stacks up. Amazon Pay ICICI gives 5% back on Amazon for Prime members on regular days. During Great Indian Festival, Amazon usually runs extra cashback offers stacked on top — last year it went up to 7-10% effectively when you combined the base reward plus the sale offer. That's hard to beat on a free card.
Now people mess this up constantly — they think Axis Flipkart card or SBI SimplyCLICK will work because they're 'online shopping cards.' They won't give the same rate on Amazon. Flipkart card is obviously optimised for Flipkart. SimplyCLICK gives 10X points on partner sites but Amazon isn't always a featured partner during sale events.
HDFC Millennia is decent — gives 5% cashback on Amazon normally. During festivals HDFC sometimes runs co-branded offers. But there's a ₹1000 joining fee and you need to spend ₹1 lakh per quarter to waive annual fee. For ₹30-40k festival shopping alone it's borderline.
My actual recommendation for your situation — get the Amazon Pay ICICI card right now if you don't have it. Apply through Amazon app itself, approval is usually fast. This covers your festival shopping perfectly and costs you nothing.
If you want a paid card for broader benefits, look at HDFC Regalia or Axis Magnus — but those are for bigger spenders who want lounge access and travel perks, not really optimised for Amazon cashback specifically.
One thing most people miss — always check the Amazon offers page on the day of the sale. Cards that aren't normally top performers sometimes have special deals during GIF. Screenshot the offer before you buy, these sometimes disappear mid-sale.
For your ₹30-40k spend, Amazon Pay ICICI should get you ₹2000-4000 back depending on what offers run. That's solid for a free card. Apply today, don't wait for the sale to start.