HDFC Credit Cards Ultimate Guide

HDFC-Credit-Cards-Ultimate-Guide
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HDFC is the biggest Credit Cards issuer in India. HDFC started the wave of credit cards. There is a number of credit cards from HDFC that is audience favourites. In this Guide, we will cover those HDFC Bank Credit Cards that have the functionality of transfer of points. So, you might not see some popular credit cards. 

List of HDFC Bank Credit Cards That Allow Points Transfer  

Not all HDFC credit card points can be transferred. Only a handful of premium cards have the functionality of point transfer.

List of Credit Cards from which you can transfer points:

  1. Infinia
  2. Diners Black
  3. Regalia
  4. Diners ClubMiles
  5. Diners Privilege

Although there are other cards that allow the transfer of points, it doesn’t make sense to transfer points from those cards.

Related: How to transfer HDFC Points to transfer partners [Airlines & Hotels]?

Fees and Welcome Benefit

HDFC Bank has been generous in issuing First year free or Lifetime free credit cards. These days though, credit cards come with an annual benefit. In the case of chargeable cards, you will also get welcome benefits.

Credit CardsFirst Year FreeAnnual FeesWelcome Benefits
InfiniaYesINR 12500*Club Marriott membership; and
12,500 Reward Points
Diners BlackNoINR 10000Club Marriott,
Forbes, Amazon Prime,
Swiggy One,
MMT BLACK and Times Prime Membership
Diners ClubMilesNAINR 1000No Fresh Issue
Diners PrivilegeNoINR 2500Amazon Prime, MMT BLACK,
Times Prime and Swiggy One Membership
RegaliaYesINR 25002500 Reward Points

In the case of an old Infinia card, the annual fee is INR 10000. 

How to get an Annual fee waiver on HDFC Cards?

The only way to get your annual fee waiver on your HDFC Card is by reaching spending. Here is the card-wise spending needed for a fee waiver:

Credit CardsFee Waived on
InfiniaSpend INR 10 Lacs*
Diners BlackSpend INR 5 Lacs
RegaliaSpend INR 3 Lacs
Diners PrivilegeSpend INR 3 Lacs
Diners ClubMileSpend INR 1 Lac

In the case of an old Infinia card fee waiver is given on spending INR 8 lacs.

Base Points Earning on HDFC Credit Cards

HDFC Bank credit points on base spending of INR 150 and base points vary on the card. Here are the base points earned on HDFC Bank Credit Cards:

Credit CardsPoints EarnedAmount Spent
Infinia5INR 150
Diners Black5INR 150
ClubMiles4INR 150
Diners Privilege4INR 150
Regalia4INR 150

Bonus Points Earning on HDFC Credit Cards

Apart from base points, you can earn bonus points on HDFC Cards, but they are still not as good as Amex. Here are the card-wise bonus points opportunities:

Credit CardsBonus Points
Diners Black2x on Weekends Dining
InfiniaNA
Diners ClubMilesNA
Diners Privilege2x on Weekends Dining
HDFC Bank Regalia10000 Bonus Points on Spending INR 5 Lacs; and
5000 Bonus Points on Spending INR 8 Lacs

HDFC Smartbuy: Dark Horse

HDFC Smartbuy is a dark horse with one of the best points-earning opportunities. The points earned are based on the nature of spending.

Spend and Bonus Points on Smartbuy

You earn “x” points on different types of spending. Here are the spending-wise and card-wise X points you can earn on HDFC Smartbuy:

CategoryInfiniaDiners BlackRegalia &
Diners Privilege
IGP.com10X10X10X
Flights5X5X5X
Hotels10X10X10X
IRCTC3X3X3X
RedBus5X5X5X
Instant Voucher5X3X5X
Apple Imagine5X3X5X
Flipkart3X2X3X

In the case of Diners Club Miles, you earn cashback on spending on Smartbuy.

Limit on Points Earning at Smartbuy

A daily and monthly limit is there on points that can be earned on smartbuy. This limit differ based on the HDFC Credit Cards. Here are the card-wise daily and monthly limits:

Credit CardsDaily LimitMonthly Limit
Infinia7,50015,000
Diners Black2,5007,500
Regalia & Diners Privilege2,0004,000
Club MilesNARs.1,000

Lounge Access on HDFC Credit Cards

A good advantage of HDFC Credit Cards is that you get decent lounge access. Here are the card-wise eligibility and visits limits:

Credit CardsLounge AccessLimits
InfiniaYesUnlimited
Diners BlackYesUnlimited
Diners ClubMilesYes6/Yr
Diners PrivilegeYes12/Yr
RegaliaYes12/Yr (India)
and
6/Yr (Outside India)

HDFC Points Transfer Partners

HDFC bank has three points transfer partners, which are:

HDFC Points Conversion in Airmile Ratio

HDFC Points conversion is similar to other popular points transfer programs in India. This is how many Airmiles you get for transferring your points:

Credit CardsIntermilesKrisFlyerClub Vistara
Diners Black100 RP=100 Intermiles100 RP=100 Krisflyer Miles100 RP=100 CV Points
Infinia100 RP=100 Intermiles100 RP=100 Krisflyer Miles100 RP=100 CV Points
Diners ClubMiles100 RP=100 Intermiles100 RP=100 Krisflyer Miles100 RP=100 CV Points
Diners Privilege100 RP=50 Intermiles100 RP=50 Krisflyer Miles100 RP=50 CV Points
Regalia100 RP=50 Intermiles100 RP=50 Krisflyer Miles100 RP=50 CV Points

HDFC Infinia and, Diners Black, Club Miles have a conversion of 1, whereas others have a conversion of 0.5.

Related: Guide to HDFC Bank Points Transfer Partners

Value of HDFC Credit Cards Points

All HDFC Bank Credit Cards get decent value from HDFC Bank itself. This is how much a point has value:

Credit CardsSmartbuyVouchersCash Back
Diners BlackINR 1/RPINR 0.5/RPINR 0.3/RP
InfiniaINR 1/RPINR 0.5/RPINR 0.3/RP
Diners ClubMilesINR 0.5/RPINR 0.35/RPINR 0.2/RP
Diners PrivilegeINR 0.5/RPINR 0.35/RPINR 0.2/RP
RegaliaINR 0.5/RPINR 0.35/RPINR 0.2/RP

Note: The value of one Airlmile can vary based on different factors.

Bottomline

HDFC Credit Cards are one of the best credit cards in India, especially Infinia and Diners Black. There are a lot of points-earning opportunities on HDFC cards, including with Smartbuy. Indian Credit Card industry is moving in a great direction with a great credit card offering from HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and AMEX.