HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card and HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card are quite basic credit cards that provide cardholders with cash points and cashback, respectively, on 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 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 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. The joining and renewal fee of this credit card is 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, they 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, designed for 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 every purchase made using the credit card. With this credit card, the rewards are credited in the form of cash points. This card has a joining fee of Rs. 499, which can be waived 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 fee for this credit card, he will be given 500 Cash Points as a welcome benefit for this credit card.
- The cardholder will get 1 Cash Point for every Rs. 200 spent using this credit card.
- Cardholders will get accelerated 10x Cash Points on every Rs. 200 spent on BigBasket, OYO, Swiggy, Uber, and BookMyShow.
- 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
- 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 for this credit card can be waived 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 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 transactions 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 |
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| Reward Redemption |
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| Fuel Surcharge Waiver |
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| Welcome Benefits |
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| Joining Fee |
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| Renewal Fees |
(Can be waived off on spending Rs. 50,000 in the anniversary year) |
(Can be waived off on spending Rs. 20,000 in the previous year) |
| Eligibility |
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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 the individual card charges. Whereas the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card provides you with 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 their credit history. Hence, cardholders will have to choose between the two cards based on their needs.
