Amazon Great Indian Festival: SBI Card Discount Cap Falls on 12 October, Reward Points Forfeited

From Monday 12 October, the most an SBI credit card can take off a non-mobile order on Amazon falls from ₹1,500 to ₹1,250. On mobiles it falls from ₹1,000 to ₹750. The Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026 opened to everyone at midnight on 8 October and is still running today, 10 October, and the SBI Credit Card offer runs to 23:59 on 20 October. The cap change isn’t the only fine print. Clause 15 of SBI Card’s terms says “Reward points accrued on offer eligible transactions will be forfeited”, which is easy to miss next to the 10% headline.

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026: is it live, and until when?

Yes, it is live. Amazon’s own announcement says deals “go live at 12 a.m. on October 8”, and lists a “10% instant discount on SBI Credit and Debit Cards and Credit Card EMI” (About Amazon India). Amazon’s announcement doesn’t give an end date for the festival. SBI Card’s offer page says the card offer runs “from 12 AM 8th Oct’26 – 11:59 PM 20th Oct’26” (SBI Card offer page).

The cap change on 12 October

What that means for two typical baskets:

On these orders, the “10%” offer actually works out to between 2.5% and 3.75% of the price. Buying on or before Sunday saves ₹250 more than buying from Monday in both examples. Clause 7 says the base offer “gets refreshed” on 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 October, so it can be used again after each refresh.

Six lines of fine print worth reading

1. Some SBI cards are left out. Corporate cards, Paytm SBI, Flipkart SBI and Cashback SBI credit cards are excluded, and so are RuPay credit card payments made through UPI (clause 2).
2. Reward points are forfeited. Points earned on offer transactions are reversed. If your points balance is too low, “an amount equivalent to Reward Points to be Forfeited will be debited”. For instant discounts, the forfeiture happens “within 120 days of end of offer month” (clause 15).
3. A return costs you the discount. If you return the product or the order is cancelled, “only the net amount paid by the Cardholder will be refunded”. On the ₹40,000 laptop that means you get back ₹38,500, not ₹40,000 (clause 16).
4. Exchange orders. The amount you pay by card after the exchange value is deducted must still meet the minimum (₹4,990 for mobiles, ₹2,490 otherwise), or you lose the discount (clause 10).
5. Some items are excluded. Gift cards, recharges, bill payments, digital gold, Amazon Pay balance loading and travel bookings don’t qualify (clause 11). Down-payment EMI is not eligible either (clause 13).
6. Complain by 21 November. Queries about the discount will be entertained “only till November 21st, 2026” (clause 24). That is 42 days from today.

Two numbers that don’t match

SBI Card’s offer page puts the total limit at “Rs 49,250 per card during the offer duration”. The terms PDF linked from the same page says, in clause 9, “Rs. 44,250 for Credit Card during the entire offer period”. The ₹5,000 difference won’t matter to most shoppers, because both figures need many large orders to reach. If you plan very big purchases, ask SBI Card in writing which figure applies.

Amazon’s announcement also mentions SBI debit cards. The SBI Card terms we read cover credit cards only. Check the debit card offer on the product page before you pay.

Paying by EMI

The terms say the offer is “valid on EMI … transactions, No Cost EMI transactions and Exchange offers” (clause 13), and EMI caps are ₹250 higher than full-swipe caps in each period. Before choosing a no-cost EMI, read our note on no-cost EMI hidden charges. Also check how the purchase falls in your credit card billing cycle. For the offers Amazon announced before the sale, see our earlier piece on the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026.

Before you tap Pay, a few short answers.

FAQ

Is the Amazon Great Indian Festival on today?

Yes. It went live at 12 a.m. on 8 October, and the SBI Credit Card offer runs to 20 October.

Will I lose reward points if I use the SBI offer?

Yes. Clause 15 says points on offer transactions are forfeited, and the amount is debited if your balance falls short.

Does the discount come back if I return the item?

No. Only the net amount you paid is refunded.

Who may want to buy before 12 October?

Anyone who has already decided on a full-swipe order above ₹12,500 in a non-mobile category, or above ₹7,500 for a mobile. Above those amounts, Monday’s lower cap means a smaller discount, by up to ₹250.

Takeaway: if you have already chosen the product, an SBI credit card order placed by Sunday gets ₹250 more discount. Count the reward points you’ll lose before you decide.