SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd has partnered with Google Pay to launch a co-branded credit card called the Google Pay Flex SBI Card, unveiled on 29 July 2026. The card is designed to make everyday digital spending more rewarding, combining SBI Card’s credit card expertise with Google Pay’s growing payments ecosystem. Available on both RuPay and Visa networks, the card lets users earn reward points called “Stars” that are instantly redeemable against UPI payments.
What Is the Google Pay Flex SBI Card?
The Google Pay Flex SBI Card is a co-branded credit card jointly developed by SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd and Google Pay. It is a fully digital credit card, meaning the entire application, approval, and management process happens inside the Google Pay app with no physical paperwork required.
The card is built on the RuPay network, which allows it to be linked directly to a user’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) account. This means cardholders can use their credit card to make payments at any UPI-enabled merchant outlet across India, just like they would with a regular UPI transaction. A Visa variant is also available for users who prefer that network.
SBI Card is one of India’s largest pure-play credit card issuers, with over 22.6 million cards in force and a market share of approximately 18.8% as of December 2025. The company is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, and operates as a subsidiary of the State Bank of India. Google Pay, on the other hand, is one of India’s most widely used digital payment platforms, with a massive user base that has grown rapidly since the adoption of UPI.
This partnership is an expansion of Google’s Flex by Google Pay programme, which was first launched in December 2025 in partnership with Axis Bank. The original Flex card was Google’s first-ever credit card globally, and it was designed specifically for the Indian market. With the SBI Card partnership, Google is now deepening its presence in India’s credit card space by teaming up with the country’s largest public sector bank’s card subsidiary.
Rewards and Benefits
The central feature of the Google Pay Flex SBI Card is its Stars reward system. Stars are reward points that users earn on eligible spends and can redeem instantly while making UPI payments through the Google Pay app. The value of one Star is equal to ₹1.
How Stars Work
Cardholders earn 2 Stars on every ₹500 spent as a base reward. However, the rewards scale up significantly as users hit monthly spending milestones. After meeting certain monthly spend thresholds, users can earn up to 8 Stars per cumulative ₹500 spent. This tiered structure is designed to incentivise higher spending on the card.
The card covers a wide range of everyday transactions, including groceries, utility bill payments, travel bookings, online shopping, and offline purchases at merchant outlets. Users can earn up to 18,000 Stars annually on these everyday spends, which translates to rewards worth up to ₹18,000 per year.
Welcome Benefit
New cardholders receive a welcome gift worth ₹1,000 upon card issuance. This includes cashback and 500 bonus Stars credited upon payment of the joining fee on the Google Pay app. The welcome benefit is designed to offset the joining fee and give users an immediate sense of value.
Additional Perks
Google Pay Flex SBI Card customers will also soon gain access to the Google AI Plus plan at a 50% discount for one year. This plan includes 400GB of cloud storage and 2TB of total storage. Flex card customers will also be eligible for discounts on the entire range of Google Pixel smartphones, adding a hardware benefit to the credit card offering.
Fee Structure and EMI Options
The Google Pay Flex SBI Card carries a joining fee of ₹499 plus applicable taxes. The same amount applies as an annual renewal fee. However, the renewal fee can be reversed if the cardholder achieves annual spends of ₹1 lakh in the previous year. This spend-based fee waiver makes the card essentially free for users who spend at least ₹8,333 per month on average.
One of the standout features of the card is its flexible EMI conversion option. Cardholders can convert their outstanding credit card bill into easy Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs) directly through the Google Pay app. This gives users the flexibility to manage their cash flow without worrying about a large bill at the end of the billing cycle. Processing fees may apply for EMI conversions, and interest rates are determined by SBI Card based on the user’s credit profile and chosen tenure.
The card also supports multiple repayment methods. Users can pay their credit card dues through UPI, debit card, or net banking. All billing, statement viewing, and payment tracking can be done within the Google Pay app itself, eliminating the need to switch between multiple apps or visit the SBI Card website.
UPI Integration and Digital Experience
The RuPay variant of the Google Pay Flex SBI Card can be linked directly to a user’s UPI account on Google Pay. This is a significant feature because it allows credit card payments at millions of UPI-enabled merchant outlets across India. In practice, this means a user can scan a UPI QR code at a neighbourhood kirana store or a roadside vendor and pay using their credit card, something that was not possible with traditional credit cards on other networks.
Both the RuPay and Visa variants support tokenisation on Google Pay, which enables secure tap-to-pay transactions at contactless payment terminals. Tokenisation replaces the actual card number with a unique digital token, reducing the risk of card data theft during transactions.
The entire card lifecycle, from application to daily use to bill payment, is managed through the Google Pay app. Users can apply for the card in a few minutes, track their Stars balance, view transaction history, set spending limits, block or unblock the card, and reset their PIN, all without leaving the app. The card lives entirely on the user’s phone as a digital card, though a physical card may also be issued upon request.
This end-to-end digital approach aligns with Google’s broader strategy of making financial tools accessible through a single app. With over 50 million credit card holders in India, a figure that remains low relative to the country’s population, the integration of credit with UPI could help bring millions of new users into the formal credit system.
Significance for India’s Credit Card Market
The launch of the Google Pay Flex SBI Card comes at a time when India’s credit card market is growing rapidly but remains significantly underpenetrated. According to industry estimates, India has only about 50 million credit card holders in a country of over 1.4 billion people. This represents a massive untapped opportunity for both banks and fintech platforms.
The partnership between SBI Card and Google Pay combines the strengths of two very different players. SBI Card brings the infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and vast customer base of the State Bank of India group. Google Pay brings the technology, the user interface, and access to hundreds of millions of smartphone users who already use UPI for their daily transactions.
The card also fits into a broader trend of banks and fintech companies integrating credit cards with digital payment platforms. By embedding the credit card experience inside an app that users already open multiple times a day, Google Pay and SBI Card are reducing the friction that has traditionally kept many potential credit card users away. The fully digital application process, the absence of physical paperwork, and the instant reward redemption all lower the barrier to entry for first-time credit card users.
For SBI Card, the partnership is a strategic move to expand its card base beyond its traditional banking customers. With 18.8% market share in cards-in-force as of December 2025, SBI Card is already the second-largest credit card issuer in India. The Google Pay partnership could help it reach younger, digitally savvy users who may not have a traditional relationship with the State Bank of India but are comfortable using Google Pay for their everyday transactions.
Salila Pande, Managing Director and CEO of SBI Card, described the partnership as an effort to combine rewards, flexibility, and digital convenience for customers. Sharath Bulusu, Senior Director of Product Management at Google Pay, said the card is designed to make credit access more integrated with everyday digital payments.
Key Takeaways
- The Google Pay Flex SBI Card was launched on 29 July 2026 as a co-branded credit card by SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd and Google Pay.
- The card is available on both RuPay and Visa networks, with the RuPay variant linkable to UPI for payments at millions of merchant outlets.
- Cardholders earn Stars as reward points, where 1 Star equals ₹1, with up to 8 Stars per ₹500 spent after meeting monthly spending milestones and up to 18,000 Stars annually.
- The joining and annual renewal fee is ₹499 plus taxes, with the renewal fee reversed on annual spends of ₹1 lakh.
- SBI Card has over 22.6 million cards in force and a market share of approximately 18.8% as of December 2025, making it India’s second-largest credit card issuer.
- The card expands Google’s Flex by Google Pay programme, which was originally launched in December 2025 in partnership with Axis Bank.
