SHOP with your credit card this festive season and get cash back. ICICI Bank and HSBC have a special festive season cash-back offer on usage of credit cards for buying certain items, such as apparel, jewellery, watches, electronics, consumer durables and groceries.

You get a 5 per cent cash-back on all spends above Rs 2,000 through an ICICI credit card. The offer is valid from October 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004. Maximum refund during the period would be Rs 5,000. Do insist on the ICICI Bank charge slip to enjoy the cash-back offer.

Pay through a HSBC credit card and you get back 10 per cent of the amount on the three highest purchases made by the cardholder during the offer period. The offer is on from October 1 to November 30. Overseas, Internet, mail-order and telephone-order transactions are not eligible for the cash-back offer. The minimum value of a purchase should be Rs 1,000 and the maximum total cash back given to any cardholder will be restricted to Rs 1,000. Purchases made by add-on cardholders will be added to the primary cardholder's purchases for the purposes of this offer. You need to register to avail yourself of the offer.

Credit card holders who make a single purchase transaction of Rs 1,000 or more between October 1 and November 30 (both dates inclusive) through a HSBC credit card will be eligible for 50 extra reward points. This offer is also applicable for cardholders who have not registered for the cash-back offer.

BL Research Bureau

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