Pay Day just got pricier: New credit card offers 37.5% Salary Day rewards

The card introduces India's first "Salary Day Bonus" feature, offering up to 37.5% rewards on salary disbursement days, enabling salaried employees to maximize returns on essential expenses

In a first, SalarySe has partnered with City Union Bank (CUB) to launch the Level Up Credit Card, a product designed exclusively for salaried individuals. What sets it apart is a first-of-its-kind “Salary Day Bonus” that offers up to 37.5% rewards on spending made on salary credit days—a feature aimed at aligning rewards with real-life cash flow cycles.

 

Launched on December 9 in Chennai, the card is powered by RuPay Credit Card on UPI, allowing users to access revolving credit directly through everyday UPI transactions. From online shopping and utility bills to in-store QR payments, the card integrates credit into daily digital spending—without the need for separate loan applications.

 

 

Built Around the Salaried Pay Cycle

 

Unlike traditional credit cards that concentrate benefits around travel, luxury, or niche categories, the Level Up Credit Card is structured specifically around the spending behaviour of working professionals. The Salary Day Bonus is targeted at the period when major expenses such as rent, bills, EMIs, and household purchases are typically made.

 

The card issuance and credit access are backed by employer-linked salary verification, which ensures disciplined borrowing and controlled exposure—an approach that combines convenience with built-in financial prudence. Users can apply for the card and access other curated financial products through the SalarySe app.

 

Blending Fintech Agility with Bank Trust

 

The partnership combines SalarySe’s salary-powered financial infrastructure with City Union Bank’s regulated banking framework. While SalarySe brings technology-led underwriting and data-driven product design, CUB anchors the offering with compliance, balance sheet strength, and operational oversight.

 

“This card brings fairness to credit by giving salaried individuals the benefits they truly deserve,” said Mohit Gorisariya, Co-founder of SalarySe. “With Credit Card on UPI, rewards designed around real life, luxury benefits like lounge access and lower forex markup, and predictable financial flexibility, this product simplifies money for millions of working professionals.”

 

From the banking side, Vijay Anandh R, Executive Director, City Union Bank, said the collaboration aligns with the lender’s objective to promote disciplined digitised credit. “Salaried individuals form the backbone of India’s consumption economy. This partnership strengthens our commitment to digital inclusion while encouraging responsible credit usage,” he said.

 

Implications for the Credit Card Market

 

India’s credit card market has grown rapidly in the past four years, but penetration remains low relative to the size of the workforce. Products have largely focused on urban, high-income customers with premium lifestyle spending. A salaried-first, UPI-native credit card could widen the funnel to younger professionals, first-time borrowers, and Tier 2–3 city users who already rely heavily on UPI.

 

If adoption scales, it could redefine how issuers design reward programmes—shifting from aspirational luxury perks to practical, income-aligned incentives.

 

For salaried consumers, the proposition is simple: earn higher rewards when you actually have money in hand, use credit seamlessly through UPI, and access regulated, responsible borrowing without friction.

 

"The Level Up Credit Card introduces India's first "Salary Day Bonus" feature, offering up to 37.5% rewards on salary disbursement days, enabling salaried employees to maximize returns on essential expenses coinciding with payroll cycles. Unlike legacy credit cards that concentrate rewards on select use cases, this offering integrates credit seamlessly into the UPI ecosystem while maintaining disciplined credit access through employer-linked payroll verification. Customers can avail this credit card and many other curated products through SalarySe app," the company said in a statement.

 

The collaboration leverages SalarySe's salary-powered financial infrastructure with City Union Bank's established trust and regulatory framework. Users gain direct access to revolving credit lines within everyday UPI transactions, eliminating the need for standalone loan applications while ensuring responsible credit deployment through systematic salary linkage.