Spend in rupees on India visits, build CIBIL, redeem for domestic flights. NRIs without Indian credit history can get FD-backed cards from day one — entry-level approval against a ₹2L deposit, then graduate to premium within 12 months.
Three patterns for different NRI situations.
Start with ICICI NRI Sapphiro — FD-backed against a ₹2L deposit, no CIBIL needed, instant approval if you already hold an ICICI NRE/NRO account. After 6–12 months of timely payments, you'll have CIBIL history and can graduate to Infinia/Magnus on income basis.
Pick HDFC Infinia Metal or Diners Club Black for unlimited domestic + international lounges + 3.3% effective rewards. Reward points convert to flights via SmartBuy at ~1.5x face value. Pair with an international card for home-country spend.
Only Axis Magnus and Amex MRCC have meaningful overseas transfer partners (Singapore Airlines, Marriott, BA). Magnus → Singapore at 5:4 ratio is the best India-to-overseas redemption available domestically. Infinia/ICICI redeem for India spend, not overseas miles.
Each is its own focused page.