POP UPI Credit Card Review: Is the Flat 5% Cashback Really Worth It?
If you’re looking for a RuPay credit card and your Kiwi or Slice Credit Card application wasn’t approved, don’t worry. There is another option that’s worth considering: the POP Club Rupay Credit Card.
POP claims to offer flat 5% cashback, making it one of the most rewarding options for UPI users. But is that claim really true? In this article, I’ll explain how the cashback actually works, its benefits, charges, and whether it’s worth applying for.
One Advantage Over Jupiter and Kiwi
One limitation of both the Jupiter Credit Card and the Kiwi Credit Card is that you generally need to make a UPI payment of ₹100 or more to earn cashback.
The POP app gives you cashback on minimum payments of ₹25 . This means, you can still earn rewards even on transactions below ₹100, which makes it a better choice if you frequently make small UPI payments.
Let’s now look at its features and the advertised 5% cashback scheme to know if is actually as same as it marketed.
POP UPI Credit Card Features
The POP UPI Credit Card is issued by Yes Bank and is a lifetime free credit card. That means there are no joining fees or annual charges.
In fact, POP also offers a joining bonus, which is currently ₹500. Plus, there’s an active referral campaign, you can use a referral code CCCY3TU4CI while signing up to receive any additional benefits, if available under that offer.
Benefits of the POP UPI Credit Card
- 10% cashback on online payments.
- Flat 7% rewards on UPI QR code payments made through the POP app.
- Additional welcome benefits such as Zomato Gold, pharmacy vouchers, Easy membership, and other promotional offers, depending on the ongoing campaign.
- ₹500 joining bonus
Now let’s come to the rewards or cashback scheme.
How Does the Cashback Work?
This is where many people get confused.
POP advertises cashback of up to 10%, and flat 5% cashback on UPI scan-and-pay payments. But, you don’t receive this amount as cash in your bank account. Instead, you earn POP Coins.
Are POP Coins equal to cash? (1 Pop Coin ≠ ₹1)
Not exactly.
While POP Coins do have value, 1 POP Coin should not be considered equal to ₹1.
The value of POP Coins depends on how and where you use them.
You can use/burn them on bill payments on making UPI transactions or shopping on the Pop Shop.
If you’ve used CRED shop, it’s somewhat similar. POP has its own shopping platform where you can purchase products. You can get decent value from your coins, if you are redeeming them on shopping
However, there’s a catch.
The number of POP Coins you can redeem on a purchase depends on the promotions POP is running.
For example, if you’re buying a product worth ₹500, POP may allow you to redeem only 50, 70, or 100 Coins. The redemption limit keeps changing.
Let’s say POP allows you to redeem 100 POP Coins on a ₹500 purchase. In that case, you get a ₹100 discount, which is why POP advertises that 1 POP Coin = ₹1.
Technically, that statement is true, but only within their own platform.
POP sets redemption limits, so you can use only a certain number of coins on each transaction.
In simple words, POP Coins are not the same as real cash. Their value depends on POP’s redemption rules and ongoing promotions. So while POP advertises 1 POP Coin = ₹1, that value is limited to specific redemption scenarios and shouldn’t be treated as direct cashback.
10 Pop Coins = ₹1 For Bill Payments & UPI
When you burn/redeem Pop Coins on UPI or bill payments, their value drops dramatically to ₹0.1.
For example, if you burn POP Coins while paying a bill or making a UPI transaction, 50 POP Coins give you only a ₹5 discount. That means each POP Coin is worth just ₹0.10 in this case.
Where Can You Use POP Coins?
POP has partnered with 10,000+ brands. It you to redeem POP Coins for discounts while shopping. If you regularly shop through the POP Shop, the coins can provide great savings.
However, if you’re expecting direct cashback like some other credit cards offer, that’s not how POP works.
Can You Convert POP Coins Into Cash?
Yes, but, then again the value of each Pop Coins becomes 0.10INR. So, if I’ve 100 coins and I want them to convert into real cashback, I’ll get ₹10 into my bank account upon redemption.
While the coins save you money, they cannot be fully converted into cash at face value.
POP also frequently runs promotional campaigns where completing a certain number of transactions earns bonus POP Coins. Overall , you can earn up to 1000 coins every month if you use Pop Rupay card.
My Verdict
If I had to rank RuPay credit cards for cashback, my preference would be:
- Slice Credit Card – Flat 1% real cashback with a simple rewards structure.
- Kiwi Credit Card – Excellent for UPI users, provided your application gets approved.
- POP UPI Credit Card – A good option if you shop through POP’s partner brands and don’t mind earning rewards as POP Coins instead of direct cashback.
If your Slice or Kiwi card wasn’t approved, the POP UPI Credit Card is definitely worth checking out. Since it’s lifetime free, there’s no risk of paying annual charges, and you may also receive a joining bonus if there’s an active referral offer.
If that sounds useful to you, it’s worth giving the card a try.
