Zomato

Zomato is one of the biggest food delivery plays in India. To make every rupee count, you need to combine the right card, UPI (and sometimes Zomato Gold) so that platform fees and delivery don't wipe out your savings.

Best credit cards to use on Zomato

• HDFC Millennia: 5% cashback on online spends (cap ₹1,000/month). Zomato counts as online, so you get real cashback, not just points.
• SBI SimplyCLICK: 10% reward points on partner merchants; Zomato is often in the list. Check the current list on SBI's site.
• AmEx Membership Rewards cards: 1 MR point per ₹50; good if you redeem for travel. Not cashback, but value if you use points well.
• ICICI Amazon Pay: 1% back as Amazon Pay balance; no category bonus but no hassle.

Avoid using a plain 1% card when you have a 5% or partner card — the difference on a ₹500 order is ₹20 vs ₹2.50.

Stacking with UPI cashback

Many banks run "Zomato UPI" campaigns (e.g. 10% cashback up to ₹50). Steps that work:

1. Add your bank UPI on Zomato.
2. At checkout, select UPI and complete the payment.
3. Cashback usually credits in 3–7 days; check your bank's offer T&C.

You cannot double-dip card and UPI on the same order — it's one payment method. So choose: either max card rewards or max UPI cashback, whichever is higher for that order size.

When to use Gold vs not

Gold is worth it if:
You order at least 2–3 times a month, use the delivery waivers, and often order from Gold partners (free delivery + sometimes a complimentary item). The platform fee is also lower for Gold members, which adds up.

Skip Gold if:
You order rarely or mostly from non-Gold restaurants. Then the subscription cost may not be recovered.

Pro tip: Time your Gold purchase with a card that gives extra on subscriptions (e.g. 5% on recurring) so you get a bit back on the Gold fee itself.

Platform fee workarounds

Zomato's platform fee (₹2–5 per order) is hard to avoid entirely. You can:

• Batch orders so the fee is a smaller share of a larger bill.
• Compare with Swiggy for the same restaurant — sometimes one platform has no or lower fee.
• Use Gold to reduce the fee amount.
• Offset with card/UPI so the effective cost after cashback is lower.

There's no trick to "remove" the fee; the game is to reduce net cost via stacking.

Quick reference

| Goal | What to do | |-------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | Max cashback | HDFC Millennia 5% or bank UPI offer (whichever is higher) | | Max points | AmEx or SBI SimplyCLICK if Zomato is a partner | | Lower platform fee| Zomato Gold + slightly larger orders | | Compare | Check Swiggy for same restaurant before paying |

We'll update this guide when Zomato or card partnerships change. Make every rupee count.