CUB SalarySe Level Up Credit Card Review
Card Fees:
Virtual (NIL), Physical (₹500)
Valueback:
7.5% on Salary Days
Domestic Lounge:
1 per Month (Spend based)
Reward Type:
Scoins (20% value)
Payment Network
RuPay (UPI Enabled)
If you are a salaried employee and looking for a RuPay (UPI enabled) Credit Card, then the CUB SalarySe Level Up Credit Card may be worth checking out. But before applying, read our complete review blog to understand the Salary Day Bonus Offer, its eligibility criteria, airport lounge perks and every key detail you shouldn’t miss. Let’s dive in!
Disclaimer: This blog contains referral links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. These rewards help support the maintenance of this website but don’t affect our review.
Eligibility, Fees and Welcome Benefit
The CUB SalarySe Level Up Credit Card is crafted exclusively for the salaried employees. If you are not salaried, you are ineligible for this card in the first place.
Eligibility Requirements
SalarySe or CUB hasn’t shared specific eligibility requirements but if you are a salaried employee with a decent income (maybe ₹25,000 and above) and a good credit history then you might get this card easily. While other factors like higher income, your spending habits might influence the decision.
Joining and Annual Fees
The Physical Variant of the CUB SalarySe Level Up Card comes with a Joining & Annual Fee while the Virtual Variant is offered as Lifetime Free.
Joining Fees
₹500 + GST
(Virtual Card is LTF)
Annual Fees
₹500 + GST
(Waived off on spends above ₹2,00,000 or more in a year)
Welcome Benefit
New applicants can earn 1,250 Scoins (worth a ₹250 Gift Voucher) on signing up with a SalarySe App Referral Code (8VTUTGHF). To claim the signup bonus successfully, the referred applicant must:
- Download and register on the SalarySe App for the very first time.
- Apply for either the Virtual or Physical Variant of CUB SalarySe Level Up Card.
- Make a transaction via the SalarySe App. (Even a ₹1 UPI payment to merchant through RuPay CC qualifies).
Checkout Offers listed in this blog for extra cashback offers.
Physical vs Virtual: Which one to apply?
City Union Bank offers the SalarySe Level Up Credit Card in two variants:
- Virtual Only
- Physical + Virtual
Feature
| Virtual Only |
Physical + Virtual |
|
|---|---|---|
| Joining & Annual Fees | Lifetime free | ₹500 + GST (₹590) |
| Maximum (SalaryDay) Reward | 5% Valueback | 7.5% Valueback |
| SalaryDay Bonus Limit per Month | Max 3,750 Scoins (worth ₹750) | Max 5,625 Scoins (worth ₹1,125) |
| Airport Lounge | Not Available | Once per month (on min spends of ₹10,000 in last month) |
| Forex Markup | 2% | 1% |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Not applicable | Waived on annual spends of ₹2 lakh or more |
Important Notes:
- SalaryDay Cap: Maximum Spends of ₹15,000 are eligible for Salary Day Bonus Rewards for both Virtual and Physical + Virtual Variant.
- Signup Bonus: Both the Virtual or Physical + Virtual variants qualify for the signup bonus of 1,250 Scoins if you have signed up for the app using a Referral Code. (Checkout our SalarySe Referral blog for complete details.)
Reward Points (Scoins) and Exclusions
The CUB SalarySe Level Up (Physical) Credit Card is marketed with an eye-catching “37.5% Rewards” headline.
Here is the truth behind this marketing gimmick:
- Salary Day Restriction: The 37.5% rewards are Salary Day Bonus Rewards applicable only on Salary Day Spends (1st and last day of the month).
- Reward Points Valuation: You earn reward points (RPs) called Scoins, not direct cashback. Since 5 Scoins equal ₹1, 37.5 Scoins translate to a 7.5% real-world valueback when redeemed for gift cards.
Salary Days: The 1st and the last day of the month are referred as the Salary Days (same for everyone) and transactions on both these dates are eligible for 7.5% Salary Day Bonus Rewards.
How do we earn Scoins?
Base Rewards
Earn 1 Scoin per ₹100 spent on Other UPI Apps (other than SalarySe App)
Or on base categories like bill payments and insurance.
Accelerated Rewards
Earn 5 Scoins per ₹100 (if current bill is below ₹20K).
Applicable on SalarySe UPI, Online and Offline transactions.
Super Accelerated Rewards
Earn 10 Scoins per ₹100 spent (if your current bill is above ₹20K).
Applicable on SalarySe UPI, Online and Offline Transactions.
Salary Day Bonus Rewards
Virtual: Earn 25 Scoins per ₹100 spent
Physical: Earn 37.5 Scoins per ₹100 spent on txns made via SalarySe UPI.
Offer applicable only on Salary Days.
Quick Notes:
- Cardholders need to spend atleast ₹5,000 on Non-Salary Days to be eligible for 37.5% Salary Day Rewards.
- Transactions done on Salary Days are not eligible for Base, Accelerated or Super Accelerated Rewards.
How to Redeem Scoins? What is the value of Scoins?
The Scoins earned can be redeemed within the SalarySe app either for Gift Cards or for Cash. However, the value of Scoins depends upon your choice of redemption. You get a discount equivalent to 20% of Scoins when redeemed for Gift Card while Cash Redemption gives just 10% value.
SalarySe doesn’t lock Scoins with a minimum redemption clause. You can use the available Scoins and pay the rest amount through UPI.
Gift Cards (20% Valueback)
5 Scoins = ₹1 worth of Gift Card
Cash Redemption (10% Valueback)
10 Scoins = ₹1 Bank Credit
Cult Tip: Always redeem Scoins for Amazon Pay GV (or other Gift Cards) as you are getting twice the value compared to Cash Credits.
Important Details:
- Validity: Scoins expire after 18 months from the date of issuance.
- Bonus rewards only on UPI based RuPay Card (SalarySe App UPI) transactions.
- Maximum Spends of ₹15,000 per billing cycle are eligible for SalaryDay Bonus rewards. Hence you will earn maximum –
– 3,750 RPs per billing cycle if you use virtual only card (worth ₹750)
– 5,625 RPs per billing cycle if you use physical + virtual card (worth ₹1,125) - The maximum RPs you can earn are limited to 10% of credit limit of Level Up Credit Card (excluding rewards earned on SalaryDay Bonus).
- You won’t earn any reward (other than base rewards) on Transactions below ₹2,000 at small offline merchants.
Base Categories
The following are eligible for Base Rewards (earn only 0.2% or one SCoin per ₹100) but are ineligible for any other rewards:
Railways
Rent
Government services
Insurance
Education
Contracted, agricultural and transportation or transit services
Bridge fees and tolls
Telecom and post office payments
Bill payments
Transactions below ₹2,000 at small offline merchants
Restricted Categories
The following do not earn rewards and also do not count towards the ₹5,000 SalaryDay unlock requirement:
Cash
Wallets and service providers
Fuel and automobile-related spends
Quasi-cash
Gambling
12 Domestic Airport Lounge Access (Once a month)
The Physical Variant of the CUB SalarySe Level Up Credit Card offers 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per year, once a month, subject to a monthly spending threshold.
- Spend Requirement: To access lounge once a month, cardholder needs to spend at least ₹10,000 in the previous billing cycle.
- Lounge Validity: Once unlocked, lounge access is credited after statement generation and should be used within the next 30 days.
- Eligible Lounges: Make sure to check the eligible list of lounges before departure.
Low Forex Markup (1% + GST):
Unlike most entry-level RuPay cards that levy a 3.5% foreign currency markup, the CUB SalarySe Physical card charges only 1% + GST on international spends, making it an unexpectedly strong choice for international online billing and overseas travel.
Cult Concludes: Is it Worth Applying?
The CUB SalarySe Level Up Credit Card stands out for one amazing benefit: 7.5% Value back on Salary Days. If you are salaried and looking for a high reward credit card for UPI then this card is definitely worth considering.
Which Variant Should You Choose?
- Choose Virtual Variant: If you want a zero-cost yet high rewarding credit card. If you are not a frequent traveler or don’t need the lounge benefit then you can apply for the virtual variant and still get a better reward rate of 5% than almost any other RuPay Credit Card.
- Choose Physical + Virtual Variant: If you are a reward maximizer. As this variant offers the maximum, 7.5% value back and higher monthly reward limit on Salary Days along with the 12 complimentary lounge visits and a 1% forex markup.
Cult Calculates: Why the Physical Card’s Fee Isn’t a Dealbreaker
Math Proof: Fee Waiver & Maximum Value
- Monthly Spend: ₹20,000 (₹15k Salary Day + ₹5k Regular)
- Annual Spend: ₹2,40,000 (Exceeds the ₹2,00,000 fee waiver limit)
- Year-2 Fee Status: 100% Waived
- Year-1 Net Return (Physical): ₹12,910 vs ₹9,000 (Virtual)
If you are still hesitant to pay the joining fees or want to try the SalarySe Card first then you can start with the virtual variant. You can upgrade at any time and apply for the physical variant once you want to unlock the higher 7.5% value back tier and enjoy higher rewarding experience.
Saurabh | Founder & Content Writer at CreditCult.in
For the last 7 years, I’ve been obsessed with the Indian credit ecosystem—testing cards, deconstructing reward programs, and finding the tiny loopholes banks don’t want you to see. I don’t just write about these accounts; I use them daily to ensure the advice I give is backed by real-world results.
Looking for a more of all rounder card? Checkout our comparison blog: SBI Cashback vs SBI PhonePe Black Credit Card to find yourself the most suitable card for Online Spends.
Cult Calculator: SalarySe Variant Selector
SalarySe Variant Selector & Profit Calculator
Adjust your estimated monthly spending to see which card gives you maximum net valueback.
Recommended: Physical + Virtual Variant
Virtual Variant Annual Cashback: ₹0
Physical Variant Annual Cashback: ₹0 (Net after ₹590 Year-1 fee)
Extra Annual Benefit with Physical: ₹0
Year-2 Fee Waiver: Checking criteria...
