Google Pay remains one of the most trusted UPI apps in India, and it regularly rewards new users with scratch cards or cashback on their first few transactions rather than a flat sign-up amount. The appeal isn’t a huge bonus — it’s that the reward is layered on top of an app you’ll use daily anyway for splitting bills, paying shopkeepers, or recharging your phone.

PhonePe is the largest UPI app in India by transaction volume, and new users are frequently greeted with a welcome offer that includes cashback on the first transaction, plus periodic “refer and earn” credits when friends join using your code. It also doubles as a gateway to mutual funds, insurance, and gold buying, so the app has value well beyond the initial bonus.

Paytm was one of the original apps to popularise sign-up cashback in India, and it still runs periodic new-user offers — typically cashback on your first recharge, bill payment, or UPI transaction. It also has one of the widest ecosystems of any Indian fintech app, spanning wallet, UPI, Paytm Postpaid, and Paytm Money for investing.

Amazon Pay’s sign-up incentive usually comes as a cashback or gift card credit when you link your bank account and complete your first UPI or bill payment through the Amazon app. Since it’s built into the Amazon shopping app, the reward often ends up as usable balance toward your next purchase.

CRED rewards users for paying credit card bills on time, and new members typically get a welcome bonus in “CRED coins” after their first bill payment through the app. Coins can be redeemed for vouchers, cashback, or entries into brand partner offers. It’s best suited to people who already use a credit card responsibly.

Groww is one of India’s most-downloaded investing apps, covering stocks, mutual funds, and IPOs. It periodically runs referral programs where both you and the friend you refer receive a cash or stock reward once the referred account completes its first trade or investment. It’s a strong pick if you’re already planning to start investing.

Angel One, one of India’s oldest full-service brokers turned discount app, has run free-stock referral campaigns where new users get a stock credited to their demat account after opening it and completing a small first transaction. It’s a good option if you want your welcome reward to double as your first investment.

Upstox, backed by Ratan Tata and Tiger Global, regularly runs account-opening promotions that include free stocks or brokerage credits for new demat account holders. Like Angel One and Groww, the “sign-up bonus” here is tied to completing account activation rather than the download itself.

Slice built its reputation on simple, transparent rewards for young, first-time credit users. New sign-ups who activate their Slice card and make their first transaction can typically expect a welcome cashback or reward points, which can be redeemed against future bill payments.

Navi, founded by Sachin Bansal, offers personal loans, mutual funds, insurance, and UPI payments in one app. It occasionally runs referral bonuses for mutual fund sign-ups and UPI activations, paid out once the referred user completes their first investment or transaction.

Meesho isn’t just a shopping app — it’s built around reselling, and new users who share product catalogues with their contacts can earn a commission on every sale made through their link, on top of occasional new-user shopping vouchers. It suits people who want to combine occasional shopping with light earning.

RozDhan is a task-based earning app popular in India where new users earn coins for reading news, watching short videos, and referring friends. On sign-up, most users receive a starter coin bonus that can be converted to a small cash amount once the minimum redemption threshold is met via UPI.

Toluna is a global survey platform with an active Indian user base. New members typically receive a small point bonus on sign-up, and additional points for completing surveys, which can later be redeemed for gift vouchers or, on some plans, cash via PayPal.

Swagbucks is one of the most recognised global reward platforms, offering a sign-up bonus in “SB points” after completing your profile and a small onboarding activity. Points accumulate through surveys, watching videos, and online shopping, and are redeemable for gift cards or PayPal cash.

CashKaro is India’s largest cashback platform, partnering with Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, and hundreds of other retailers. New users typically get a joining bonus credited to their CashKaro wallet, plus cashback on every purchase made by clicking through the app before shopping.