HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card vs HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card and HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card by HDFC Bank are quite basic credit cards that provide the cardholders with cash points and cashback respectively on their purchases made using these credit cards. The HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card is an entry-level credit card that provides cardholders with cash points on every purchase made using the credit card. The card offers you accelerated cash points while you shop for products on Big Basket, Swiggy, and BookMyShow This card also provides you with discounts on your dining bills at the selected restaurants. As an added advantage, the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card provides you with cash points as a joining benefit and charges a low-interest rate for the first 90 days of the card issuance. The card comes with a joining and renewal fee of Rs. 500 which is quite a in sync with the benefits that this card provides.

The second credit card, i.e., the HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card is also a decent credit card that provides you with cashback on your spends made using this credit card. This card is quite suitable for those people who frequently spend through payment platforms such as PayZapp, SmartBUY, and Easy EMI. This card provides you with cashback on various transactions such as fuel, groceries, recharges and bill payments, etc. Also, the cardholder gets a cashback when he books rail tickets through IRCTC using this credit card. The joining and renewal fee of this credit card is placed at Rs. 500 which is quite affordable and nominal with respect to the benefits that this card provides.

Both the credit cards by HDFC Bank provide great benefits to its customers on all their spends. Though both the credit cards are basic credit cards but are quite suitable for people who are new to the field of credit cards and are concerned with getting rewards and cashback on their purchases. Keep reading the article to know more about the features and benefits that the individual card provides in detail:-

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card

HDFC Bank Freedom credit card is one of the basic credit cards by HDFC Bank which has been designed for the people who are new entrants in the field of credit cards. This card is suitable for those who just want to earn reward points on their every spend done using the credit card. With this credit card, the rewards are credited in the form of cash points. This card is placed at a joining fee of Rs. 499 which can be waived off on the basis of the amount you spend using your credit card. Apart from the reward points, this card also provides you with some advantages that are explained in the article below –

• Once the cardholder pays the joining fees of this credit card, he will be given 500 Cash Points as a welcome benefit to this credit card.
• The cardholders will get 1 Cash Point for every Rs. 150 spent using this credit card.
• You will get 5x Cash Points for every Rs. 150 spent on all the EMI transactions done at the selected merchant locations. The maximum points are capped at 2,500 points per month
• The cardholders will get accelerated 10x Cash Points on every Rs. 150 spent on BigBasket, OYO, Swiggy, Uber, and BookMyShow.
• The cardholders can enjoy 20% off on their dining bills while dining at 20k premium restaurants while paying their bills using the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card.
• The cash points received with this credit card can be redeemed against a variety of options like vouchers, flight and hotel bookings, and products, etc. For redemption purposes, 1 CP = Rs. 0.15
• As an introductory offer, the cardholders are charged with a low-interest rate of 0.99% per month for the first 90 days of card issuance. Thereafter, a rate of 3.6% per month is charged to this credit card.
• The cardholders are also entitled to a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% at all fuel stations in India on transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5,000. The maximum surcharge waiver is capped at Rs. 250 per statement cycle.
• The annual fee of Rs. 500 of this credit card can be redeemed if the cardholder spends Rs. 50,000 or more through this card in the previous year.

HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card

HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card by HDFC Bank provides its customers with amazing cashback offers and deals. This card provides exclusive benefits on selected merchant categories such as bill payments, groceries, mobile recharges, etc. Apart from this you also get a cashback if you book your railway tickets via IRCTC using the HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card. This card comes with a joining and renewal fee of Rs. 500. Keep reading the article to know more about the features and benefits of this credit card in detail: –

• HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Cardholders will get a monthly cashback of 5% on Category A transactions. Category A transactions include transactions like fuel expenses, railway ticket bookings through IRCTC, grocery expenses, bill payments, and mobile recharges.
• The combined maximum cashback on category A transaction is capped at Rs. 150.
• A monthly cashback of 5% can also be enjoyed on Category B transactions which include transactions done through platforms like EasyEMI, PayZapp, and SmartBUY.
• The combined maximum cashback on Category B transactions is capped at Rs. 150.
• The cardholders are entitled to a fuel surcharge waiver of 1% at all fuel stations in India on a minimum transaction of Rs. 400. The fuel surcharge waiver amount is capped at a minimum of Rs. 250 per statement cycle.
• The cashback provided with this credit card is retained in the form of reward points. These can be easily redeemed for cash where 1 Reward Point = Re. 1.
• The cardholders get an accidental death cover insurance of Rs. 50 Lakhs.
• If the cardholder is able to spend Rs. 20,000 using his credit card in the previous year, the renewal fee of the credit card of RS. 500 will be waived off.

Quick Comparison

Now that we have discussed the features of both the cards individually, let us now have a quick comparison between The HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card and HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card-

Basis	HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card	HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card
Reward Rate	1 CP for every Rs. 150 spent 5 CP for every Rs. 150 spent on EMI purchases 10 CP for every Rs. 150 spent on BigBasket, OYO, Swiggy, Uber, and BookMyShow.	5% monthly cashback on Category A transactions (fuel expenses, booking railway tickets through IRCTC, grocery, bill payments, and mobile recharges). 5% monthly cashback on Category B transactions (payments done through – PayZapp, Smart BUY, and Easy EMI).
Reward Redemption	Cash points can be redeemed against a variety of products available in the product catalog or can be redeemed for booking flights and hotels. They can be even redeemed against cash. 1 CP = Rs. 0.15	Cashback is retained in the form of reward points which can be redeemed for cash where 1 RP = Re. 1
Fuel Surcharge Waiver	1%	1%
Welcome Benefits	500 Cash Points	NA
Dining Benefits	20% discount on dining bills	NA
Joining Fee	Rs. 500 + Applicable Taxes	Rs. 500 + Applicable Taxes
Renewal Fees	Rs. 500 + Applicable Taxes (Can be waived off on spending Rs. 50,000 in the anniversary year)	Rs. 500 + Applicable Taxes (Can we waived off on spending Rs. 20,000 in the previous year)
Eligibility	Issued to salaried and self-employed individuals The salaried individuals should have an age between 21 – 60 years and earn a minimum of Rs. 12,000 or above per month. The self-employed individuals should have an age between 21 – 65 years and should have an annual income of Rs. 2 Lakhs or more.	Issued to salaried and self-employed individuals The salaried individuals should have an age between 21 – 60 years and earn a minimum of Rs. 12,000 or above per month. The self-employed individuals should have an age between 21 – 65 years and should have an annual income of Rs. 2 Lakhs or more.

Bottom Line

Both the cards by HDFC Bank are decent entry-level cards and provide some amazing deals and offers with respect to the fees that individual card charges. Whereas, the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card provides you cash points that can be redeemed against a variety of options available on the website, the cashback that you get with the HDFC Freedom Credit Card is retained in the form of reward points that can be redeemed for cash. Both cards provide the cardholders with a fuel surcharge waiver of 1%. But since these cards are quite basic credit cards, they do not provide you with any type of value-added benefits but can help a new entrant build his credit history. Hence, the cardholders will have to choose between the two cards on the basis of their needs.