A cap is the maximum PKR you can save per transaction. It's why a 15% card can
save you more than a 30% card, why the ranking changes when you move the bill slider,
and why advertised percentages are often the least useful number to compare.
What a cap means, with real numbers
When a bank says "20% off, up to Rs 500", the Rs 500 is the cap. Here's how
that plays out compared to a card offering 15% off with a Rs 1,500 cap:
Bill size
20% disc · Rs 500 cap
15% disc · Rs 1,500 cap
Which is better?
Rs 1,500
Rs 300 (20%)
Rs 225 (15%)
20% card wins
Rs 2,500
Rs 500 (20%) ←cap hit
Rs 375 (15%)
20% card still wins
Rs 4,000
Rs 500 (12.5%)
Rs 600 (15%)
15% card overtakes
Rs 6,000
Rs 500 (8.3%)
Rs 900 (15%)
15% card: +Rs 400 more
Rs 10,000
Rs 500 (5%)
Rs 1,500 (15%) ←cap hit
15% card: +Rs 1,000 more
Rs 15,000
Rs 500 (3.3%)
Rs 1,500 (10%)
15% card: +Rs 1,000 more
The crossover is at Rs 3,333. Below that the 20% card wins; above that
the 15% card wins by an increasing margin. At Rs 10,000 bills, the card with the
lower headline percentage saves you three times as much.
This is why the bill-size slider exists. Move it to your real spending level and the ranking will reorder to reflect what actually happens at that bill.
When does a cap kick in?
The cap breakeven is simple to calculate:
Cap breakeven bill = Cap amount ÷ Discount %
Cap amount
Discount %
Cap kicks in at bill of
What this means
Rs 300
25%
Rs 1,200
Hits cap almost immediately. Weak for any real meal.
Rs 500
20%
Rs 2,500
Fine for a solo meal; capped quickly for groups
Rs 1,000
25%
Rs 4,000
Covers 2 to 3 person bills at casual restaurants
Rs 1,500
15%
Rs 10,000
Covers most mid-range group dining
Rs 2,000
20%
Rs 10,000
Strong for regular group dining
Rs 5,000
25%
Rs 20,000
Effectively uncapped for most people
Why banks advertise percentages, not caps
"30% off at 200 restaurants" is a better headline than "up to Rs 450 off at 200 restaurants."
The first sounds unlimited and generous. The second reveals exactly what you get and makes it
easy to compare against competitors.
This isn't deceptive in itself (caps are disclosed in the terms), but it means most people
compare cards on the number that matters least and overlook the number that often
determines real savings. A card with a 30% headline and a Rs 300 cap is materially weaker
than a 15% card with a Rs 1,500 cap for most dining bills in Pakistan.
Per-transaction caps vs. monthly caps
Most published caps are per-transaction, meaning you get that saving once per visit.
Some programs also have a monthly cap that limits how much total discount you can
receive across all transactions in a calendar month.
Cap type
How it works
Watch out for
Per-transaction
Max saving applies each visit. If you go 4 times a month you save 4× the cap.
Still not useful if cap is too low for your bill size
Monthly cap
Total discount across the month is limited. Saving stops once you hit the ceiling.
A generous per-transaction cap can still exhaust quickly for frequent diners
Frequency limit
Offer is valid 1×, 2×, or N× per month per card, not per transaction
Common at popular restaurants. Third visit has no discount.
For heavy diners: A card with a generous per-transaction cap but a tight monthly cap or frequency limit can look great on visit one and deliver nothing by visit three. Always check frequency terms for restaurants you visit more than once a month.
When a cap isn't published
Some offers in the dataset have no published cap. This can mean:
Genuinely uncapped. Rare and valuable. The discount applies to the full bill regardless of size. Confirm this directly with the bank before relying on it for a large bill.
Cap exists in fine print not captured. More common. The bank may have a cap buried in T&Cs that didn't surface on the offer page used as the source.
The tool flags these cases rather than assuming unlimited. If a ranking looks unusually
strong for a card with no cap shown, treat it with some skepticism and confirm
with the bank or at the restaurant.
Practical checklist before choosing based on a discount
1
Find the cap amountNot the headline percentage. Find the Rs maximum. It's in the offer T&Cs or the bank's discount page for that restaurant.
2
Calculate the cap breakeven (Cap ÷ Discount %)If your typical bill is above this number, the cap has already kicked in and the effective discount is lower than advertised.
3
Check frequency limitsValid once or twice per month? If you visit this restaurant weekly the offer won't apply after your second visit.
4
Check day validityWeekdays only? Excludes Saturday? An offer that doesn't apply when you dine is worth nothing regardless of the cap.
5
Confirm at the restaurantBank pages update; restaurant agreements change. Before relying on a deal for a group dinner, verify it's still active.