By Bharti Bisht
Updated On April 25, 2024

Credit cards are used by every category of people nowadays ranging from young professionals to high net-worth individuals. Some super-premium credit cards have a high joining fee while some mid-range cards have a lower joining fee, offering exclusive privileges and benefits to users.

You can even get cards without any joining or renewal fees like the HDFC Bank Lifetime Free credit cards. Even though these cards don’t charge anything, they still offer some exciting hotel, dining, travel, entertainment, and other benefits. These cards also come in handy for people who want a credit card to improve their credit score and don’t plan on heavy use of their card.

HDFC Bank life time free credit card

Currently, only the Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank credit card is lifetime free and doesn’t charge any annual or joining fee from users. In this article, we will talk about this card and other low fee credit cards offered by HDFC Bank.

Table of Contents

HDFC Bank Lifetime Free Credit Cards

Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

₹299 + GST

Renewal Fee

₹299 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

A voucher worth Rs. 500 as a welcome gift can be redeemed on a minimum spend of Rs. 3000 at Shoppers Stop stores.

The co-branded credit card by Shoppers Stop and HDFC Bank comes at no joining free and is a lifetime free card. People who love fashion and are regular shoppers at Shoppers Stop should get this card. Apart from complimentary Shoppers Stop membership, users also get offers on Zomato, Swiggy, etc.

  • Complimentary Shoppers Stop membership
  • Rs. 500 worth Shoppers Stop voucher as welcome benefit
  • Get 6 First Citizen points per Rs. 150 spent on private level brands
  • Get 2 First Citizen point per Rs. 150 spent on other brands
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver
  • Reward points can be redeemed at Shoppers Stop outlets and online platforms

HDFC Bank Credit Cards – Joining Fee below Rs. 500

Paytm HDFC Business Credit Card

(4.1/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 (plus applicable taxes)

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 (plus applicable taxes)

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

Get complimentary Paytm First Membership as a welcome gift on making your first transaction worth Rs. 100 or more.

This is a business credit card by Paytm and HDFC Bank and is exclusively meant for Paytm customers. Business professionals should consider getting the card as they can get quick business loans at low-cost. With this card, you can get cashback on Paytm Mall purchases and also on your bill payments. Also, you get a complimentary Paytm First membership with this card.

  • 3% cashback on Paytm spends including recharge, movies, Mini App, and utilities
  • 2% cashback on other Paytm spends
  • 1% cashback on other retail spends
  • Complimentary Paytm First membership as welcome benefit
  • Gift vouchers worth Rs. 250 on making 2 transactions inside 30 days of card activation
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based renewal fee waiver

Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 499 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 499 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

499 NeuCoins

This card is co-branded by HDFC Bank and Tata Group and is ideal for loyal customers of both these brands. The card has a joining fee of Rs. 500 and offers 2% value back on TATA brand spends in the form of NeuCoins. Other than rewards, you also get benefits across other categories.

  • 499 NeuCoins as a welcome benefit
  • 2% value back as NeuCoins on Tata brand spends
  • 1% value back as NeuCoins on other brand spends
  • Extra 5% value back as NeuCoins on registering for Tata NeuPass
  • Complimentary domestic lounge access
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based renewal fee waiver

HDFC-IRCTC-Credit-Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Travel

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

Amazon voucher worth Rs. 500 on making the first transaction within the first 30 days.

This co-branded card by IRCTC and HDFC Bank comes with a joining fee of Rs. 500 and offers a decent reward rate of 5 Cash Points per Rs. 100 spent. You can redeem Cash Points against various options and get complimentary access to railway lounges per quarter. If you frequently travel by rail, this is a great card for you.

  • Rs. 500 worth Amazon vouchers as welcome benefit
  • 1 Cash Point per Rs. 100 on retail spends
  • 5 Cash Points on your IRCTC spends
  • Complimentary railway lounge access
  • Spend-based renewal fee waiver and 1% fuel surcharge waiver

HDFC Bank UPI RuPay Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 99 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 99 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

NA

Cardholders can link this credit card to their UPI IDs and use the card to make UPI transactions on apps like Mobikwik, PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, etc. This card is the first one that can be linked to your UPI ID and it offers up to 3% cashback on regular as well UPI transactions. You just get the virtual version of this card and no physical card is issued.

  • 3% Cashpoints on grocery, supermarket, dining, and PayZapp spends
  • 2% Cashpoints on your Utility spends
  • 1% Cashpoints on all other spends
  • Spend-based renewal fee waiver

Paytm HDFC Bank Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

Get complimentary Paytm First Membership as a welcome gift on making your first transaction worth Rs. 100 or more.

This co-branded credit card by HDFC Bank and Paytm provides cardholders with a complimentary Paytm First membership and many other benefits on the application. This card has a monthly membership fee of Rs. 49 and it provides 2-3% cashback on Paytm app spends and 1% cashback on other spends.

  • Complimentary Paytm First membership as a welcome benefit
  • Up to 3% cashback on recharge, movies, and utility bill spends on Paytm
  • Up to 2% cashback on other Paytm app spends
  • Up to 1% cashback on other spends
  • Rs. 1200 as cashback on reaching spend-based milestone
  • Spend-based renewal fee waiver and 1% fuel surcharge waiver

6E Rewards IndiGo HDFC Bank Credit Card

(4.2/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Travel

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

1 complimentary 6E Prime add-on with priority check-in, complimentary meal, quicker baggage, choice of seat, etc.

A travel-based credit card by Indigo and HDFC Bank, this card offers exclusive rewards and benefits, especially on Indigo flight tickets. The card comes with a Rs. 500 joining fee offering extra reward points on Indigo spends. Cardholders get exclusive welcome benefits, free tickets, and several gift vouchers as well with the card.

  • 2.5% 6E rewards on Indigo flight bookings
  • 2% 6E rewards on entertainment, grocery, and dining spends
  • 1% 6E rewards on other spends
  • Up to 10% 6E rewards on Indigo partners
  • Complimentary 6E Prime add-on as welcome benefit
  • Complimentary Indigo flight ticket worth Rs. 1500
  • Dining offers through the Good Food Trail program

IndianOil HDFC Bank Credit Card

(4.1/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Fuel

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

N/A

This co-branded fuel card by Indian Oil and HDFC Bank has a joining fee of Rs. 500 and offers fuel points as rewards which can be used to get around 50 litres of fuel per year. Cardholders also get Indian XTRAREWARDS Program membership through which you can redeem fuel points at a decent rate and against a host of options.

  • Complimentary Indian Oil XTRAREWARDS Program membership
  • 5% back as fuel points at Indian Oil outlets, bill payments, and groceries
  • 1 fuel point per Rs. 150 on other spends
  • Up to 50 litres of free fuel per year
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based renewal fee waiver

Hdfc-Bank-EasyEmi-Credit-Card

(4.1/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

500 CashPoints

As the name suggests, the card allows easy EMI conversions on big spends and offers great cashback offers to the cardholders. Available at a joining fee of Rs. 500, the card offers a decent welcome benefit along with 5% cashback on Smartbuy and Payzapp spends, 2.5% cashback on online spends, and more. The CashPoints earned through the card can be redeemed against a lot of choices.

  • 500 CashPoints as a welcome benefit
  • 5% cashback on Flipkart, Amazon, flight, and hotel bookings through Payzapp and Smartbuy
  • 2.5% cashback on online spends and 1% cashback on offline spends
  • Spends above Rs. 10,000 are automatically converted to EMIs
  • Rs. 1000 worth gift vouchers on reaching spend milestone
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based renewal fee waiver

HDFC Business MoneyBack credit card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs 500 (plus applicable taxes)

Renewal Fee

Rs 500 (plus applicable taxes)

Best Suited For

Dining

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

NA

This credit card offers reward points on almost every spend made by you, in the form of CashPoints. On paying the joining fee of Rs. 500, you get 500 CashPoints and can also get a renewal fee waiver on the basis of your spends. The reward points earned by you can be redeemed against different things or for cashback.

  • 500 CashPoints as welcome benefit
  • 4 RPs per Rs. 150 on online spends and 2 RPs per Rs. 150 on other spends
  • Rs. 500 worth gift voucher on quarterly spending of Rs. 50,000 and above
  • Redeem reward points for various exciting things at the Smartbuy portal
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based annual fee waiver

HDFC Bank MoneyBack Plus Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

500 CashPoints

This credit card is like the better version of the Moneyback credit card. Both cards have the same joining fee of Rs. 500 but this card has a better reward rate as you can earn up to 20 CashPoints per Rs. 150 spent with the card. The card even offers gift vouchers, dining benefits, fuel benefits, and many more privileges to the cardholder

  • 500 Cashpoints as a welcome benefit
  • 2 Cashpoints per Rs. 150 spent
  • 5x Cashpoints on EMI transactions
  • 10x Cashpoints on spends at partner brands including Reliance Smart Store, Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, BigBasket, etc.
  • Rs. 500 worth gift voucher on reaching quarterly spend milestone
  • 15% dining discount at top restaurants across the country
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based renewal fee waiver

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card

(4.2/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

500 CashPoints

This is a basic credit card by HDFC Bank and is ideal for new, first-time users. With a low joining fee of Rs. 500, you get a decent reward rate on this card of 1 CashPoint per Rs. 150 spent and can earn up to 10x CashPoints on spends made at various popular partner brands. You also get low 0.99% interest rate as an introductory benefit for the first 90 days.

  • 500 CashPoints as a welcome benefit
  • Low 0.99% interest rate for first 90 days after getting the card
  • 10x CashPoints on popular partner brands
  • 5x CashPoints on your EMI spends
  • 1 RP per Rs. 150 spent on other things
  • 15% discount at partner restaurants via Dineout
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver

HDFC Solitaire Credit Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

A free wellness package from Thyrocare.

The Solitaire credit card is exclusively meant for women professionals and comes with a complimentary wellness package. With a low joining fee of Rs. 500, you can get 3 RPs per Rs. 150 spent with the card along with accelerated rewards on dining and grocery spends. As women love to shop, the card also offers 2 complimentary Shoppers Stop voucher per year.

  • Complimentary Thyrocare wellness package as welcome benefit
  • 3 RPs per Rs. 150 spent
  • Acclerated RPs on dining and grocery spends
  • Bonus 1000 RPs as renewal benefit
  • Rs. 2000 worth gift vouchers per year upon reaching the spend milestone
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver and spend-based annual fee waiver

HDFC-Bharat-Credit-Card

(4.5/5)

Fees

Joining Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Renewal Fee

Rs. 500 + GST

Best Suited For

Shopping

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

NA

The Bharat credit card by HDFC Bank is a cashback credit card offering some exciting features and benefits to the cardholder. With this card, you can earn up to 5% monthly cashback on select spend categories like bill payments, groceries, mobile recharges, and more. You also save up to 5% on booking railway tickets through IRCTC and on your fuel expenses.

  • 50 days of interest-free period
  • 5% monthly cashback on Category A spends that include fuel expenses, IRCTC ticket bookings, bill payments, groceries, mobile recharges, etc.
  • 5% monthly cashback on Category B spends that include payments made through EasyEMI, SmartBuy, and PayZapp
  • Cashback is retained as reward points

Benefits of HDFC Bank Lifetime Free Credit Cards

The following are the basic features and privileges that you can get with HDFC Bank lifetime free and other affordable, low joining fees credit cards –

  • You do not need to pay any joining, annual, or renewal fees for this credit card.
  • The application process for these credit cards is really simple and straightforward.
  • These cards may not be on par with some other super-premium and mid-range credit card offerings by HDFC Bank, but they still have multiple discounts and deals for the cardholder.
  • You get exclusive privileges across hotel/flight bookings, dining, travel, entertainment, lifestyle, fuel, and other categories.
  • You can do multiple tasks with lifetime free credit cards and one of its top uses is to improve your credit score and build a decent credit history.
  • The reward points and the redemption process on these cards is straightforward and amazing. You can redeem reward points against many products or vouchers, convert them to airmiles, cashback against the card statement balance, and more.
  • Once you build a good credit history and score using your lifetime free card, you can apply for and move onto other premium credit cards.

Eligibility and Documents Required

You must meet certain eligibility requirements to apply for the HDFC Bank lifetime free credit cards. These are some basic requirements and are common for most credit cards.

  • Applicant must be 21 to 60 years of age in case of salaried, and 21 to 65 years of age in case of self-employed people.
  • Applicant must be an Indian citizen.
  • Applicant must have a decent credit score
  • Applicant must have a stable source of income.

You must provide the following documents whenever you apply for a lifetime free credit card. A recent photograph must also be provided along with the following documents –

ID Proof – Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Driver’s License, Passport, etc.

Address Proof – Aadhar Card, Rent Agreement, Ration Card, Passport, Latest Utility Bills, etc.

Income Proof – Salaried individuals need to provide the latest 2 months’ salary slips and the bank statements. Self-employed individuals need to provide their audited ITR of the previous year.

All the documents provided must be valid and original. The credit card application will be rejected in case any documents are invalid or fake.

Credit Cards Comparison

In the following table, we will compare some of the best and most-popular HDFC Bank lifetime free and some other affordable, low joining fee credit cards.

Category Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank Credit Card HDFC Bank MoneyBack Plus Credit Card IndianOil HDFC Bank Credit Card Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card
Joining/Annual Fee Nil Rs. 500 plus taxes Rs. 500 plus taxes Rs. 500 plus taxes
Welcome Benefit Cardholders get a voucher worth Rs. 500 as a welcome benefit which can be redeemed on a minimum spend of Rs. 5000 on private label brands.   You get 500 Cash points on joining the card, and on card renewal, as a welcome benefit.   Complimentary Indian Oil XTRAREWARDS Program membership   499 NeuCoins as a welcome benefit
Reward Earning Get 6 first citizen points on private-label brands at Shoppers Stop on every Rs.150 spent (capped at 500 points per month) Get 2 first citizen points on every Rs.150 spent on other brands and category spends within and outside Shoppers Stop (except wallet and fuel)   2 Cashpoints per Rs. 150 spent   5x Cashpoints on EMI transactions   10x Cashpoints on spends at partner brands including Reliance Smart Store, Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, BigBasket, etc.   Get up to 5% of your purchases as Fuel Points at IndianOil outlets, groceries, and bill payments    You get 1 Fuel Point on every Rs. 150/- spent on all other purchases and at other fuel stations 2% back as NeuCoins while shopping at Tata brands. 1% back as NeuCoins while shopping at Non-Tata brands. Additional 5% back as NewCoins on Tata Neu app or website after registering for Tata NeuPass  
Reward Redemption The reward points can be redeemed against the purchases made at Shoppers Stop either at the retail outlet or through the website   Reward points can be redeemed against statement balance, flight/hotel bookings, products and vouchers, and Airmiles, where 1 Cash Point = Rs. 0.25 Reward points can be redeemed against the IndianOil XTRAREWARDS program, against the product catalog, and against the card statement balance NeuCoins can be redeemed against products on the Tata Neu app or website, where 1 NeuCoin = Rs. 1
Dining/Movie Benefits Get PayZapp offer up to Rs. 1,500 per month on select vendors like Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket   You get a discount of up to 15% on dining across more than 2,000 premium restaurants Save up to 2.5% on your dining bills with the credit card NA
Travel Benefits NA NA NA 1 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter
Spend-Based Waiver Nil Renewal fee is waived off on spending Rs. 50,000 or above in the previous year Renewal fee is waived off on spending Rs. 50,000 or above in the previous year Renewal fee is waived off on spending Rs. 1 Lakh or above in the previous year

How to Apply for HDFC Bank Lifetime Free Credit Cards

Follow these steps to apply for HDFC Bank lifetime free credit cards or other variants –

  • Visit the official website of HDFC Bank.
  • Hover your cursor on the Pay button and then click on ‘Credit Cards’ from the dropdown list.
  • You will see a list of HDFC Bank credit cards and you can narrow down the search according to your annual income and interests.
  • Click on Know More next to the card you want to apply for and go through its details and features.
  • Click on Apply Now, provide the necessary details, submit the required documents, and your application will be successful.

Bottom Line

If you are someone who doesn’t plan on extensive use of the credit card and just want it to improve your credit score and history, then HDFC Bank lifetime free credit cards are perfect for you. These cards won’t offer top-class privileges like some super-premium cards but you do get exciting rewards and benefits on making transactions with your lifetime free card.

The Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank credit card is the only lifetime free offering by the bank currently, but there are several other cards which you can get for a joining fee of Rs. 500 or lower than that. Also, several HDFC credit cards come with a spend-based renewal fee waiver which can make your card free of cost for you.

Let us know in the comments section below if you plan on using any HDFC Bank lifetime free credit card.

FAQs:

Yes, HDFC Bank has lifetime free credit cards in its portfolio that come without any joining or renewal fees. Currently, the bank offers Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank credit card as a lifetime free credit card. The card is perfect for those who regularly shop at Shoppers Stop and you get the following benefits with this credit card –
  • Complimentary Shoppers Stop membership
  • 500 worth Shoppers Stop voucher as welcome benefit
  • 6 First Citizen points per Rs. 150 spent on Shoppers Stop private-label brands
  • 2 First Citizen points per Rs. 150 spent on other brands
  • 1% fuel surcharge waiver
There are various HDFC Bank credit cards that can be made lifetime free under certain conditions. You can get the annual fee of credit cards waived off on spending a certain amount during the card anniversary year.
The following are the best HDFC Bank credit cards that come at an affordable joining fee of Rs. 500 or below – Paytm HDFC Bank Business Credit Card, HDFC Bank RuPay IRCTC Credit Card, Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card, HDFC Bank UPI RuPay Credit Card, Paytm HDFC Back Credit Card, IndianOil HDFC Bank Credit Card, 6E Rewards – Indigo HDFC Bank Credit Card, HDFC Bank Easy EMI Credit Card, HDFC Bank Business MoneyBack Credit Card, HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card, HDFC Bank Solitaire Credit Card, and HDFC Bank Bharat Credit Card
No, you don’t need to pay any money for a HDFC Bank lifetime free credit card. These cards come without a joining or annual fee for the cardholder.