WordsJoining fee
JF
Short for joining fee: a one-time fee for a new card, which usually covers its first year. Banks name it differently; HDFC Bank’s fee page calls it the first year membership fee and charges it, with GST, on the 120th day after the card is issued, or the 45th on two of its cards.
Some cards waive it for spending a set amount early on; HDFC Bank’s MITC does this for spends in the first 90 days on some of its Pixel cards, but charges it anyway if the card is closed within 90 days. RBI’s rules make a bank show its joining fee while marketing a card and when you apply.
Where this comes from
- HDFC Bank, Fee Waiver ConditionSeptember 2026 pricing: important term 1
- HDFC Bank, Key Fact Statement cum MITC for Credit CardsVersion 4.12, 30 September 2026: MITC for Pixel credit cards (updated 9 September 2026), A) i. joining fees and annual membership fees
- RBI, Credit Cards and Debit Cards: Issuance and Conduct Directions, 2025Paragraphs 91(1)(i), 92(1) and 92(2), as updated 1 October 2026
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More words like it
AF
Annual fee
What a card charges each year you keep it. Many cards waive it if you spent a set amount in the year before.
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First year free
No fee for the card's first year. The annual fee starts from the second, unless the card's spend condition waives it.
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Lifetime free
No joining fee and no annual fee. Banks can change a card's terms later, and people here write about when they did.
More about LTFGST
Goods and services tax
18 per cent, added on top of a card's fees, interest and markups. The bank doesn't add it to what you spend.
More about GST
What happened to members, not financial advice. Offers change, so check with the bank. Terms of use