Planning to Apply for an HDFC Credit Card? Here is a All You Need to Know

HDFC Bank, as you must be aware, is the largest and the most popular credit card issuer in the country. HDFC credit cards are known for the discounts that they offer in partnership with e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart. Being the largest card issuer in the country, HDFC has a portfolio of over 25 credit cards suitable for all types of customers- from frequent flyers to shopaholics; HDFC Bank has a credit card for everyone. In this article, we will help you figure out the best HDFC credit card for you based on your spending habits.

Best HDFC Credit Card for Beginners

While none of HDFC Bank’s credit cards is LTF (lifetime free), the bank does offer a few credit cards that come with a nominal annual membership fee and offer a decent reward rate. Although these cards do not offer many additional privileges like airport lounge access, insurance covers, etc., these cards are best suited for young professionals and new to credit individuals. HDFC MoneyBack+ Credit Card and HDFC EasyEMI Credit Card are the two most popular credit cards by the bank in the entry-level segment-

• HDFC MoneyBack+ Credit Card: The MoneyBack+ Card by HDFC is a beginners credit card by the bank. The card comes with a joining fee of Rs. 500 plus GST and offers a reward rate of up to 3.33% on partner online brands, including Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy and Big Basket. MoneyBack+ Card is a cashback card, and the cashback is required as CashPoints- 2 CPs per Rs. 150, 5x CPs on EMI spends at partner merchants and 10x CPs on the aforementioned partner stores (1 CP = Rs. 0.25). The CashPoints earned can be redeemed for products from HDFC’s catalogue, flight/hotel bookings, can also be transferred to the programs like partnered airlines’ frequent flyers or can be adjusted as cashback against the card’s statement balance.
• HDFC EasyEMI Credit Card: It is another entry-level credit card by HDFC Bank. The key feature of the EasyEMI card is that all purchases of more than Rs. 10,000 can be automatically converted into instalments (EMIs) to be repaid over the next 9 months (interest rate and processing fee applicable). EasyEMI Card also comes with a joining fee of Rs. 500 + GST and offers 5% cashback on Amazon, Flipkart and on hotel/flight bookings, 2% cashback on other online purchases and 1% cashback on offline purchases with the card.

Best HDFC Lifestyle Credit Cards

Lifestyle credit cards are mid-range credit cards that, apart from offering a decent reward rate, also offer some additional benefits such as airport lounge access, discount vouchers, insurance cover, etc. The annual membership fee of lifestyle credit cards is more than that of entry-level cards but less than that of premium credit cards. HDFC Regalia Credit Card and Millennia Credit Card are two of the most popular lifestyle credit cards by the bank.

• HDFC Millennia Credit Card: Millennia Credit Card is another trendy credit card by the bank. As the name suggests, the card targets millennials, most of whom are new to credit young professionals. HDFC Millennia Credit Card comes with a joining fee of Rs. 1,000 (plus GST) and offers a cashback of up to 5% at partner online merchants, including popular names like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Uber and Zomato and 1% cashback on all other online/offline spends with this credit card. Apart from cashback, you also get 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits per year with the Millennia Credit Card (max 2 visits per quarter).
• HDFC Regalia Credit Card: It is arguably the most popular lifestyle credit card in India. With an annual fee of Rs. 2,500 + GST, the Regalia Credit Card falls in the sub-premium segment. Regalia Credit Card earns 4 Reward Points per Rs. 150 spent and up to 10x Reward Points on SmartBuy. Being a lifestyle credit card, apart from Reward Points, you also get a number of other benefits like complimentary domestic/international airport lounge access, dining benefits, and insurance benefit with HDFC Regalia Credit Card. To learn more about the HDFC Regalia Credit Card, you may refer to our detailed review of the Regalia Card here.

Best HDFC Travel Credit Cards

All of the travel credit cards by HDFC Bank are cobranded credit cards, i.e. offered in collaboration with an airline partner or a frequent flyer program, HDFC does not provide any generic travel credit card. Two of the best travel credit cards by HDFC Bank are 6E Rewards XL – IndiGo HDFC Bank Credit Card and Intermiles HDFC Diners Club Credit Card.

• 6E Rewards XL – IndiGo HDFC Credit Card: It is one of the two IndiGo cobranded credit cards by HDFC Bank. Earn Reward Points as 6E Rewards on all spends with the card- 15% 6E Rewards on IndiGo features products, 5% 6E Rewards on spends on IndiGo, 3% 6E Rewards on entertainment, dining and grocery, 2% 6E Rewards on all other spends with the card. Since it is the most premium of the two IndiGo cobranded cards offered by the bank, you get 8 complimentary domestic lounge access with max capped at 2 visits per quarter under the MasterCard airport lounge access program and also a lower forex mark-up fee of just 2.5% of the transaction amount.
• InterMiles HDFC Diners Club Credit Card: It is a premium travel credit card by HDFC Bank. As it is evident from the name, it is an InterMiles co-branded credit card and therefore you earn Reward Points as InterMiles. The card earns you 8 InterMiles per Rs. 150 spent and 2x InterMiles on flight bookings via the InterMiles flight booking portal. Since it is a premium travel credit card and comes with a joining fee of Rs. 5,000 + GST, the card also entitles you to other benefits like complimentary InterMiles Gold Tier membership, unlimited airport lounge access, exclusive discount offers from Etihad Airways, complimentary Dineout Passport membership and many other benefits.

Best HDFC Premium Credit Cards

As far as premium credit cards are concerned, HDFC Bank offers two super-premium credit cards- Infinia Credit Card Metal Edition and Diners Club Black Credit Card. Both these credit cards are very popular among HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals) and offer a very similar reward rate.

• HDFC Infinia Credit Card Metal Edition: It is the most premium offering by the bank. Infinia Credit Card Metal Edition comes with a membership fee of Rs. 12,500 per annum (plus GST) and earns you 5 RPs for every Rs. 150 spent with the card (reward rate of up to 3.33%) and up to 10x Reward Points on SmartBuy. Also, since it is a super premium credit card, you also get many other add-on benefits like unlimited complimentary domestic and international airport lounge access, unlimited golf games, attractive hotel and dining offers, complimentary insurance cover and many more that one expects from a premium credit card.
• HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card: The Diners Club Black Credit Card is the second most premium card offered by HDFC Bank after Infinia. Diners Club Black Credit Card comes with a joining fee of Rs. 10,000 +GST and just like Infinia Credit Card, offers a reward rate of up to 3.33% on regular spends and 10x reward rate on spends via SmartBuy. Apart from earning Reward Points, being a premium credit card, Diners Club Black Credit Card also offers a plethora of additional privileges like unlimited complimentary international and domestic airport lounge access, complimentary golf games, insurance benefits, dining and hotel discounts, and many more.

Bottom Line

For the majority of individuals looking for an HDFC credit card, one of the aforementioned 8 credit cards will definitely fit their financial needs as these are the best curated HDFC credit cards best suited for customers with different spending patterns. These are also the most popular HDFC cards in their respective categories. For example, HDFC Infinia Credit Card is the most popular super-premium credit card and the Regalia Credit Card is the most popular lifestyle credit card by the bank, therefore there is a higher likelihood of getting offers on these credit cards. However, if you want more choice, you may find the features and benefits of all the 25+ credit cards offered by HDFC Bank here and make your mind accordingly.