HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card Features and Benefits

The Freedom Credit Card is one of the most basic HDFC Bank Credit Cards and is still desired by thousands of individuals who are looking for an affordable card with decent reward rates and features. 

It comes with great welcome and annual benefits along with a good reward rate. To understand all the features and benefits of the card in detail, refer to all the points mentioned below:

Welcome/Renewal benefit:

• You get 500 bonus Cash Points after successful payment of the joining fee.
• You also get 500 bonus CashPoints every year on card renewal.

Fuel Surcharge Waiver:

1% fuel surcharge is waived off at all filling stations across India for transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5,000 (max waiver capped at Rs. 250 per statement cycle).

Low-Interest Rate

• With the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit card, customers will be charged a low-interest rate of 0.99% per month only for the first 90 days from the card set-up date.
• This offer is only valid on retail and non-EMI transactions.
• After 90 days, the interest of 3.6% per month will be chargeable.

Spend Based Waiver

The renewal fee of Rs. 500 is waived off if you spend Rs. 50,000 or more in the previous anniversary year.

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card Reward Points

• You get 1 Cash Point on every spent of Rs. 150.
• You get 5 Cash Points on every Rs. 150 spent on EMI purchases at merchant locations. You can earn a maximum of 2,500 Cash Points every month in this category.
• You get 10 Cash Points on every Rs. 150 spent on BigBasket, OYO, Swiggy, Uber, and BookMyShow. The maximum Cash Points under this category are capped at 2,500 Cash Points every month.

CashPoints Redemption:

• The Reward Points earned on the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card can be redeemed for cashback, products (from the HDFC product catalogue), or hotel/flight bookings on Smartbuy.
• 1 Cash Point = Re. 0.15 for redemption against all the categories as mentioned above.
• You need a minimum of 500 Cash Points for redemption against cashback.
• You can only use up to 50% of Cash Points to book flights/hotels on SmartBuy. The rest must be paid by credit card.
• Please note that the maximum amount of reward points that can be redeemed in a calendar month is 50,000.
• Rent payments, fuel spends, cash advances and government transactions are excluded from reward points redemption.

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card Fees and Charges

• The joining and annual fee of the Freedom Card is Rs. 500 plus applicable taxes. The renewal fee is waived if the cardholder has spent Rs. 50,000 or more in the previous year.
• The interest rate on this credit card is 3.6% per month (0.99% per month as an introductory offer).
• The cash advance fee on the HDFC Freedom Card is 2.5% of the withdrawn amount or a minimum of Rs. 500.
• The foreign currency markup fee on this credit card is 3.5% per month.

HDFC Freedom Credit Card Eligibility Criteria:

In order to get approved for the HDFC Bank Freedom Card, the applicants need to fulfill certain eligibility criteria, which depend on several factors including their age, income, credit history, etc. The basic eligibility requirements for the HDFC Freedom Credit Card are mentioned below in the table:

Documents Required

The applicants also need to upload/submit a few necessary documents in order to apply for the HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card. A list of all the required documents is given below:

• Identity Proof: Aadhar Card, Voters Id, PAN Card, Passport, Driving License, etc,
• Address Proof: Aadhar Card, Passport, Voters’ Id, Utility bills, etc.
• Proof of income: Latest salary slips/bank statements or latest audited ITR.

How To Apply For The HDFC Freedom Credit Card?

HDFC Bank allows its customers to apply for a credit card online and offline. To apply offline, you can visit your nearest HDFC Bank branch and complete the physical application form. Make sure to carry all the required documents with you in this case.

However, if you want to apply online, simply click here.

HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card Review

Given its not-so-strict eligibility criteria, low membership fee and decent reward rate across almost all spending categories, the Freedom Credit Card by HDFC Bank is a good pick for first-time cardholders. 

Another card that can be considered very similar to this is the SimplySave Credit Card offered by SBI Card, which has a similar annual fee and features. If you love going out for movies or dine-outs, the Freedom Card would be a good choice as it earns you accelerated Reward Points on movies and exciting discounts on dining spends. 

All these benefits combined make it one of the best offerings in the entry-level segment. What do you think of the HDFC Freedom Credit Card? Do let us know in the comments. And if you’re an existing cardholder, feel free to share your experience.