HDFC Bank Credit Cards

HDFC Infinia is invitation-only for HDFC's top relationship customers. Sanjay, a senior executive with an HDFC salary account, uses SmartBuy to book business flights: 5X points = ₹1 per ₹6 spent. His ₹5L/month spend earns about ₹2 lakh in points a year at the 3.3% base — on ELIGIBLE spend only: fuel, rent, government, wallet loads, EMI, third-party-app education and property management earn nothing here, and grocery and utility each stop at 2,000 points a month, so a real ₹5L/month wallet lands below that figure. Unlimited Priority Pass covers his weekly lounge visits globally. The 2% forex markup on ₹20L/year international spend saves ₹30,000 before GST against the 3.5% standard markup on most HDFC cards.

Why it stands out 10X SmartBuy points — the highest points density in Indian credit cards

Best suited for Infinia is for HDFC's top-tier relationship customers — typically those with ₹30L+ invested in HDFC products or a salary account with significant AUM. If you can get invited, the SmartBuy accelerator (10X on hotels, 5X on flights) is the highest points density on any Indian card.

The HDFC Diners Club Black Metal earns ~3.3% on all spend, up to 10X on SmartBuy hotels and unlimited lounge access, with its ₹10,000 fee waived at ₹8 lakh. HDFC's premium all-rounder earns 5 reward points per ₹150 (~3.3% at ₹1/point) across spends, with SmartBuy turning travel into double-digit returns (10X on hotels and partner brands like IGP, Jockey and PharmEasy, ~33%; 5X on flights, buses and Myntra, ~16.5%; 3X on trains and brand vouchers). It adds 2X on weekend dining at standalone restaurants, Club Marriott, Amazon Prime and Swiggy One one-year memberships once you spend ₹1.5 lakh in the first 90 days, a 10,000-point milestone on ₹4 lakh quarterly spend, and unlimited access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide on the Diners Club network itself. Largely spared the May 2026 HDFC devaluation, it remains one of the strongest premium cards for high spenders.

Why it stands out ~3.3% base with rich SmartBuy accelerators, three bundled memberships and unlimited 1,300+ lounges; ₹10,000 fee waives at ₹8 lakh

Best suited for For HDFC customers who book travel via HDFC SmartBuy and spend ₹50,000+ per month total. The SmartBuy 10X multiplier is what makes this card exceptional — if you do not use SmartBuy, the Infinia or Regalia Gold offers better everyday value.

HDFC Regalia Gold after the May 2026 revision: 5 reward points per ₹200 (~1.25%), 10X on SmartBuy hotels, spend-gated lounges, ₹2,500 fee waived at ₹4 lakh. A premium all-rounder until the 15 May 2026 revision trimmed it, its base earn dropped to 5 reward points per ₹200 (~1.25% at ₹0.50/point, down from 4 RP/₹150), and from July 2026 domestic lounge access is gated behind ₹60,000 of quarterly spend. It still earns an accelerated 25 RP per ₹200 (~6.25%) at partner brands (Myntra, Marks & Spencer, Nykaa, Reliance Digital), and SmartBuy turns flights into 5X (~6.25%) and hotels into 10X (~12.5%), capped 4,000 RP/month. The ₹2,500 fee waives at ₹4 lakh of annual spend, with quarterly ₹1,500 vouchers (₹1.5L) and ₹5,000 flight vouchers (₹5L and ₹7.5L). The ₹2,500 welcome benefit is not automatic — HDFC's terms gate it on ₹1 lakh of net retail spend in the first 90 days, though its own FAQ still advertises it unconditionally. Redemption is capped at 70% of a booking's value and at 50,000 reward points a calendar month. Still capable, just no longer the effortless pick it was.

Why it stands out Accelerated ~6.25% at partner brands and via SmartBuy, but a thinner ~1.25% base and spend-gated lounges after the May 2026 devaluation; ₹4 lakh fee waiver

Best suited for For premium spenders who will use SmartBuy and the partner-brand accelerators and can clear ₹60,000/quarter to keep lounge access — less compelling for low-effort everyday use now.

The HDFC Diners Club Privilege earns 5X on Swiggy and Zomato and up to 10X on SmartBuy, adds Swiggy One and Times Prime, and waives its ₹1,000 fee at ₹3 lakh. HDFC's accessible entry into the Diners Club stable, a rung below the Diners Black, it earns a base 4 Reward Points per ₹200 (~1% at the ₹0.50 SmartBuy point value), 5X on Swiggy and Zomato (capped 2,500 RP/month), and up to 10X on HDFC SmartBuy (hotels 10X, flights 5X, trains 3X; capped 4,000 RP/month). Welcome benefits are complimentary annual Swiggy One and Times Prime memberships (on ₹75,000 spend in 90 days), and ₹1,500 vouchers land each quarter on ₹1.5 lakh of quarterly spend. From 1 July 2026 the lounge programme became spend-gated — 2 domestic + 1 international vouchers per quarter, unlocked by ₹60,000 of spend in the previous quarter. Points are worth ₹0.50 on SmartBuy but only ₹0.20 as statement credit, so redemption discipline matters.

Why it stands out An accessible ₹1,000 Diners Club card — 5X on Swiggy/Zomato, up to 10X via SmartBuy, complimentary Swiggy One + Times Prime, ₹1,500 quarterly milestone vouchers; base ~1% at ₹0.50/point, but a thin ~0.4% if you redeem to statement

Best suited for For mid-premium spenders who will route dining through Swiggy/Zomato and travel through SmartBuy, use the Swiggy One + Times Prime memberships, and clear ₹60,000/quarter to keep lounge access.

The Marriott Bonvoy HDFC is India's only Marriott co-brand, built around one benefit: a Free Night Award redeemable at or under 15,000 points as both a welcome and a renewal perk — and since 12 March 2026 you can top a certificate up with your own points to reach a property priced as high as 40,000, which widens where a single Free Night lands (HDFC's own card FAQ still prints the old figure). Redeemed at a decent property it clears the ₹3,000 (+GST) fee off a single stay, so you do not need to be a frequent guest — even one Marriott night a year pays for the card, and three further awards unlock at ₹6 lakh, ₹9 lakh and ₹15 lakh of eligible spend. Each award expires 12 months from issue and cannot be transferred, which is the caveat that matters most given the whole thesis rests on it. HDFC also gives up to 5% cashback on SmartBuy, without publishing a cap. The everyday earn is thin, so treat it as a hotel-loyalty tool, not a daily driver.

Why it stands out India's only Marriott co-brand — free night award covers the fee

Best suited for For frequent Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, or Le Méridien guests in India — the Bonvoy points from everyday credit card spend stack with your stay points. Especially valuable if you travel to cities where Marriott properties dominate your hotel choice.

The Swiggy BLCK is the premium tier of the split Swiggy HDFC card (launched March 2026, above the ₹500 Ornge). It earns 10% cashback across the Swiggy app — Food, Instamart, Dineout (minimum ₹249, capped ₹1,500/month) — 5% on select online merchants (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Cleartrip, BookMyShow, cabs; minimum ₹100, capped ₹1,500/month), and 1% on all other categories capped ₹1,000/month. Cashback is direct statement credit at 1:1. What actually separates it from the ₹500 Ornge is that the online 5% gets its own ₹1,500 cap instead of sharing one — a ₹48,000 annual ceiling against the Ornge's ₹30,000 — plus a lower ₹100 minimum per online transaction and a complimentary 3-month Swiggy BLCK membership. Notably, there is no airport lounge access, an unusual gap at this tier. The ₹1,000 joining fee waives on ₹75,000 spend in 90 days (first year only) and renewal at ₹2 lakh.

Why it stands out The premium tier of the split Swiggy HDFC card — 10% cashback on the Swiggy app (cap ₹1,500/month), 5% on select online under its OWN ₹1,500 cap, 1% elsewhere, plus a Swiggy BLCK membership; but no lounge access

Best suited for For heavy Swiggy users who will max the 10% app cashback (up to ₹1,500/month) AND spend enough on the listed online merchants to use the second ₹1,500 cap — and who don't need airport lounge access here.

The Shoppers Stop Black is the ₹4,500 premium tier of the co-brand, sitting well above the ₹299 base card. It earns 7% Reward Points on Shoppers Stop spends in-store and on shoppersstop.com and 2% on everything else, with points worth a full ₹1 each only when redeemed against Shoppers Stop vouchers. The welcome kit is a ₹1,500 Shoppers Stop voucher plus a Shoppers Stop Black membership HDFC values at ₹4,500, and a monthly offer adds ₹2,000 in Reward Points for a single Shoppers Stop purchase of ₹50,000 or more. It carries 16 domestic lounge visits a year (4 a quarter) and 8 international (2 a quarter), plus accidental air death cover of ₹3 crore. HDFC publishes no spend-based waiver for the ₹4,500 fee, so the card has to earn its keep on Shoppers Stop volume alone — the fee is recovered by the welcome benefits in year one, but not in year two.

Why it stands out 7% Reward Points at Shoppers Stop with 1 RP = ₹1 against Shoppers Stop vouchers, a ₹1,500 welcome voucher, a ₹4,500 Black membership and 16 domestic + 8 international lounge visits a year

Best suited for Heavy Shoppers Stop shoppers who spend enough there for 7% at ₹1 a point to outrun a ₹4,500 fee with no waiver, and who will use the 24 lounge visits. Below roughly ₹1.24 lakh of annual Shoppers Stop spend the ₹299 base variant nets more on store spend.

The Swiggy HDFC card earns 10% cashback on Swiggy-app spend — food ordering, Instamart and Dineout — under a single ₹1,500-per-cycle cap (Genie dropped out of the 10% in HDFC's September 2026 terms). From 21 April 2026 each Swiggy transaction must be ₹249 or more to earn the 10%. On top, it pays 5% on a select list of online categories — apparel, electronics, department stores, pharmacies, local cabs and a few more — under its own ₹1,500/cycle cap, which Cleartrip now shares; anything outside that MCC list drops to the 1% base (cap ₹500/cycle). Apply through the Swiggy app rather than HDFC's site and the 3-month Swiggy One welcome extends to 12. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹2 lakh of annual spend, and its core rates held through 2026 — making it one of the strongest food-delivery cards for heavy Swiggy users. Fuel, rent, government payments, wallet and gift-card loads, jewellery and all EMI earn nothing. HDFC is phasing the card out; since September 2026 it has been moving holders to the Swiggy Ornge or Swiggy BLCK card, a process it says runs until March 2027.

Why it stands out 10% on all Swiggy-app spend (₹1,500/cycle cap, ₹249 min/txn from Apr 2026) + 5% on select online categories and Cleartrip under a second ₹1,500 cap; ₹500 fee waived at ₹2 lakh

Best suited for For heavy Swiggy users (food, Instamart, Dineout) who will hit the ₹1,500/cycle cap, plus general online spenders.

The HDFC Millennia earns 5% cashback (capped 1,000 points a month) on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy and seven more brands, 1% elsewhere; fee waived at ₹1 lakh. The 5% comes as CashPoints across 10 specific brands — Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, SonyLIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato — and the 1% on everything else is also capped at 1,000 points a month. The ₹1,000 fee waives at ₹1 lakh of annual spend. One caveat the catalog used to miss: since December 2023 the quarterly benefit is spend-gated and appears to be either/or — on ₹1 lakh of spend in the previous quarter you get a ₹1,000 voucher or a domestic lounge visit, commonly reported as up to 4 visits a year. ⚠ HDFC confirms the lounge benefit exists and is voucher-based on a spend criterion, but publishes neither the annual visit count nor an explicit "not both" rule, so treat those two specifics as the market's reading rather than the bank's. Fuel, rent, EMI, wallet loads and government spends are excluded. Routing the 10 partner brands through PayZapp or SmartBuy drops them from 5% to 1%, and redemptions carry a ₹50 statement-credit fee (₹99 for the catalogue) with a 500-CashPoint minimum.

Why it stands out 5% on 10 brands (capped 1,000 pts/month) + 1% base (also capped); lounge & voucher now need ₹1 lakh/quarter spend

Best suited for For mid-tier spenders who shop the 10 partner brands within the monthly cap — but not for those expecting unconditional lounge access.

The Tata Neu Infinity HDFC is the premium Tata-ecosystem card: 5% NeuCoins on Tata Neu and partner Tata brands (BigBasket, Croma, Tata CLiQ, 1mg, Air India) and 1.5% on non-Tata spends. The "up to 10%" headline is the card's 5% plus, per HDFC's terms, an additional up to 5% via NeuPass on selected Tata Neu categories — an "up to" rate that depends on your NeuPass standing, not a flat 5% on everything. Insurance premium payments (LIC and others) via Tata Neu app bill-pay earn the base 1.5% rate — not the 5% Tata-brand rate — capped at 2,000 NeuCoins/month (~₹1.33 lakh of premium). Merchant/brand/aggregator EMI earns the base 1.5% on principal (only SmartEMI/Dial-an-EMI earn nothing). NeuCoins can't be redeemed on Bill Payment, and the Tata Neu app may add a convenience fee at checkout, so routing bills through the app for rewards rarely pays off. UPI earning was curtailed in August 2024 — you get 1.5% only on the Tata Neu UPI ID and 0.5% on other UPI, capped 500 NeuCoins/month. The ₹1,499 fee waives at ₹3 lakh, with a 1,499-NeuCoin welcome benefit. Domestic lounge access has been milestone-gated since 10 June 2025 (2/quarter on ₹50,000 of prior-quarter spend, up to 8/year) plus 4 international visits. NeuCoins are valid 12 months from the end of the credit month and are usable only across the Tata ecosystem.

Why it stands out 5% NeuCoins across Tata brands + RuPay UPI earning, milestone-gated lounges; ₹1,499 fee waived at ₹3 lakh

Best suited for For heavy Tata-ecosystem users who pay via RuPay UPI and will spend NeuCoins within 12 months and hit the lounge spend gates.

The PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo is the upper tier of the PhonePe co-brand pair (above the ₹499 Uno). It pays 10% Reward Points on select PhonePe categories — recharges, bills, travel & stays — capped at 1,000 points a month, 5% on select online brands (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato) capped 500/month, and 1% on RuPay-on-UPI Scan & Pay. Points are worth ₹1 each as statement credit (₹0.30 on SmartBuy), so the headline rates are real cashback. It adds up to 8 domestic lounge visits a year (2 per quarter, gated on ₹75,000 of spend in the PREVIOUS calendar quarter). From 1 August 2026 the welcome benefit is five ₹200 scratch cards — one on each of your first five 'UPI on Credit Card' transactions of ₹100 or more in the PhonePe app — ₹1,000 in all, about 85% of the ₹1,179 all-in joining fee. The renewal fee waives at ₹2 lakh of spend. Applied for only in the PhonePe app.

Why it stands out The premium PhonePe co-brand — 10% Reward Points on PhonePe recharges/bills/travel (cap 1,000/month), 5% on select online brands, 1% on Scan & Pay, points worth ₹1 each, plus 8 domestic lounge visits gated at ₹75,000/quarter

Best suited for For heavy PhonePe users who will max the 10% recharges/bills/travel bucket each month and want domestic lounge access — provided they can clear ₹75,000/quarter to unlock it.

The HDFC Tata Neu Plus is a ₹499 co-branded card for the Tata ecosystem. It earns 2% NeuCoins on Tata Neu and partner Tata brands, and per HDFC's terms an additional up to 5% via NeuPass on selected Tata Neu categories (up to ~7% combined), plus 1% on non-Tata spends; UPI on the RuPay network earns ~1% (with a cap of 500 NeuCoins/month on the Tata Neu UPI ID bonus). HDFC states the NeuPass benefit as "additional 5% NeuCoins on selected categories on Tata Neu" — what it conditions is the SCOPE (which categories, app or website only, registration required, primary mobile number since 15 Jan 2025), not the rate. Merchant/brand/aggregator EMI earns the base 1% on principal (only SmartEMI/Dial-an-EMI earn nothing); NeuCoins can't be redeemed on Bill Payment and the app may add a convenience fee at checkout. The fee waives at ₹1 lakh of annual spend, a 499-NeuCoin welcome benefit (about 85% of the ₹589 all-in fee) lands on your first transaction within 30 days, and you get 4 lounge visits a year (max 1/quarter) on ₹50,000 of spend in that calendar quarter. Grocery is capped at 1,000 NeuCoins a month — half the Infinity's ceiling — with utility, telecom and insurance capped at 2,000 each, and the fuel-surcharge waiver caps at ₹250 a cycle against the Infinity's ₹500. Fuel, rent, government payments, wallet and gift-card loads, vouchers and online gaming earn nothing. NeuCoins are valid 12 months from the end of the credit month, are usable only across the Tata ecosystem, and there is no cashback.

Why it stands out Up to ~7% NeuCoins on the Tata Neu app + 2% on Tata brands, ₹499 fee waived at ₹1 lakh, with RuPay UPI earning

Best suited for For regular Tata-ecosystem shoppers (BigBasket, Croma, Tata CLiQ, 1mg, Tata Neu) who will spend NeuCoins within 12 months.

The IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card is a RuPay co-brand built for train travellers. It earns 5 Reward Points per ₹100 (~5% at the ₹1 point value) on IRCTC railway ticket bookings via the IRCTC website and Rail Connect app (capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year), with an additional 5% available on IRCTC tickets booked through HDFC SmartBuy — itself capped at ₹1,000 a month — plus a 1% IRCTC transaction-charge waiver, which also stops at ₹1,000 a month and is reversed proportionally if you cancel. Everyday retail spends earn 1 Reward Point per ₹100 (~1%), capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year. Almost every headline on this card has a ceiling, and they are easy to miss. It adds complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge access at select railway stations (8/year, 2/quarter, valid train ticket required plus a ₹2 validation charge), a ₹500 welcome gift voucher, ₹500 milestone vouchers each quarter on ₹30,000 of spend, and a standard fuel surcharge waiver. Being RuPay, it links to UPI. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend. A focused card that pays off if you book rail regularly.

Why it stands out A RuPay railway co-brand — 5 Reward Points per ₹100 (~5% at ₹1/point) on IRCTC train bookings plus a 1% transaction-charge waiver, complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge access at stations, and ₹500 quarterly milestone vouchers

Best suited for For frequent train travellers who book via IRCTC and will use the railway lounges and quarterly milestone vouchers — less compelling as a general-spends card at 1%.

The Swiggy HDFC Bank Ornge card (or Swiggy Orange) earns 5% cashback on the Swiggy app and 5% at Amazon, Flipkart and Uber; ₹500 fee, waived at ₹1.5 lakh. It is the entry tier created when HDFC split its Swiggy card into two — Ornge (this one, ₹500) and the premium Blck (₹1,000). The 5% runs across the Swiggy app (Food, Instamart, Dineout; minimum ₹249) and select online merchants (Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Cleartrip, Uber, Croma and others) — the two 5% streams share a single ₹1,500/month cap — plus 1% on all other eligible spends capped ₹1,000/month. Unlike the older Swiggy card, cashback is paid as direct statement credit (not Swiggy Money). The welcome benefit is a complimentary 12-month Swiggy One membership, and there's a birthday-week 10% Dineout offer. Cleartrip and Nykaa stack instant discounts on top of the 5%. There is no lounge access, and fuel, rent, jewellery, government payments, wallet loads, EMI and — new on the 2026 cards — online gaming and education fees all earn nothing. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend.

Why it stands out The entry tier of the split Swiggy HDFC card — 5% cashback on the Swiggy app and 5% on select online merchants (sharing one ₹1,500/month cap), 1% elsewhere, plus a 12-month Swiggy One membership; cashback is direct statement credit

Best suited for For regular Swiggy users who also shop the listed online brands and want straightforward statement-credit cashback with a free Swiggy One membership — not for anyone needing lounge access.

IndianOil HDFC earns 5% as Fuel Points at every Indian Oil (IOCL) outlet across India — the densest fuel retail network in the country — plus 5% on groceries and on utility and telecom bills, each capped at 100 Fuel Points a month. Suresh refuels ₹4,000/month at IOCL: the 250-point monthly cap in the first six months and 150 after it means about ₹2,000 in year one and ₹1,730 a year thereafter, plus the 1% surcharge waiver saving him ₹480. A Fuel Point is worth 96 paise against fuel and only 20 paise elsewhere, so the value is real but narrow — on a ₹500 fee card waived at ₹50,000 of annual spend.

Why it stands out 5% Fuel Points at India's largest pump network (IOCL)

Best suited for For car owners who refuel at Indian Oil pumps. If your nearest petrol station is IOCL and you spend ₹3,000+ per month on fuel, this card pays for itself instantly — but swipe the card at the IOCL POS, because HDFC pays the accelerated 5% only on non-UPI transactions at the pump. The RuPay variant still links to UPI, where spends earn the base rate.

HDFC PIXEL Play lets you pick two of five 5% cashback packs, with 5% on SmartBuy and 3% on one chosen platform, for a ₹500 fee waived at ₹1 lakh. ⚠ HDFC contradicts itself on that fee: its product page calls the card "lifetime free with no joining or renewal fees", while its own Fees & Charges page and the MITC both state ₹500 + GST, waived at ₹1 lakh of annual spend. The KFS/MITC is the regulatory document and wins, so treat the card as carrying a ₹500 fee (joining waived on ₹20,000 spend in 90 days) — though it is frequently issued lifetime-free via digital onboarding. You choose any 2 of 5 cashback packs (Dining/Entertainment, Travel, Grocery, Electronics, Fashion) for 5%, sharing one 500-CashPoint monthly cap; SmartBuy earns 5% under a second 500-point cap; and one nominated platform (Amazon, Flipkart or PayZapp) earns 3% under a third. That is 1,500 CashPoints a month of accelerated earning. Everything else earns 1%, capped at 15,000 CashPoints a month since 15 April 2026 — it was advertised as unlimited before that. Note the packs are swappable only every three months, and the Blinkit, Reliance Smart Bazaar, Croma and Reliance Digital merchants qualify on in-store purchases rather than online. There is no lounge access, and fuel, rent, EMI, wallet and gift-card loads, vouchers, government spends and cash advances all earn nothing. HDFC issues PIXEL on BOTH rails as standard — RuPay as a digital card and Visa as the physical plastic, on one shared limit and one statement — and it is the RuPay rail that makes the 1% on UPI work.

Why it stands out Choose-your-own 5% cashback packs (any 2 of 5) plus 5% on SmartBuy and 3% on one chosen platform — three separate 500-CashPoint monthly caps; ₹500 fee, waived at ₹1 lakh

Best suited for For digital-first entry users who will choose cashback packs matching their spend and actively work all three 500-CashPoint accelerated caps.

The HDFC MoneyBack+ is an entry card built around 10X CashPoints (20 per ₹200, ~2.0% at ₹0.20/point) on Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Reliance Smart and BigBasket — capped 2,500 CashPoints a month (grocery sub-capped 1,000/month) — and 2 CashPoints per ₹200 (~0.20%) on everything else, including UPI — though UPI earning applies only to the RuPay variant, and this row is Mastercard. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹50,000 of annual spend, with 500 CashPoints each as welcome and renewal benefits. ⚠ A CashPoint is worth ₹0.20 against your statement, not ₹1 — HDFC cut it from ₹0.25 on 1 November 2025. HDFC's own card T&C, republished 15 May 2026, still prints "1 CashPoint = Upto ₹0.25"; the MITC is newer, regulatory and carries an effective date, so we carry 20 paise and flag the conflict. Set expectations at the accelerated categories rather than the base.

Why it stands out 10X CashPoints (~2.0%) on Flipkart/Amazon/Swiggy/Reliance/BigBasket (capped 2,500/month); ₹500 fee waived at ₹50,000

Best suited for For entry users who shop the five 10X partner brands within the monthly cap and want a simple low-fee card.

The PhonePe HDFC Bank Uno is a RuPay co-brand card built around the PhonePe app and UPI. It does not pay a blanket rate on ordinary swipes — rewards accrue only in three buckets — 2% on select PhonePe categories (recharges, bills, travel & stays), 1% on select online brands (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato), and 1% on all RuPay-credit-card-on-UPI Scan & Pay — each capped at 500 Reward Points a month. Points are worth ₹1 each as statement credit (₹0.30 on SmartBuy), a genuinely strong ratio. From 1 August 2026 the welcome benefit is five ₹100 scratch cards — one on each of your first five 'UPI on Credit Card' transactions of ₹100 or more in the PhonePe app — ₹500 in all, which covers most of the ₹589 the ₹499 fee comes to with GST. That fee waives at ₹1 lakh of spend. You apply exclusively through the PhonePe app. A tidy UPI-first entry card for PhonePe regulars.

Why it stands out A RuPay-on-UPI card that pays in HDFC Reward Points (1 point = ₹1) — 2% on PhonePe recharges/bills/travel and 1% on select online brands plus Scan & Pay, each capped 500 points/month; applied for only in the PhonePe app

Best suited for For PhonePe-first users who pay by UPI and shop the listed online brands, and who will stay inside the 500-points-per-bucket monthly caps — not for anyone wanting rewards on general offline spends. Note the Scan & Pay bucket pays only on QR-code scans, and fuel, rent, insurance, education, wallet loads, gift cards, EMI and government payments earn nothing at all.

The HDFC Pixel Go is HDFC's entry-most digital card, positioned a rung below the Pixel Play. It keeps things simple — a flat 1% unlimited cashback on all eligible spends (as PIXEL CashPoints, worth ₹1 each), 5% on HDFC SmartBuy capped at 500 CashPoints a month, and 1% on UPI on the RuPay rail. What you give up versus the Pixel Play is the customisable 5% category packs and the 3% nominated platform — not lounge access, because NEITHER PIXEL card has any. In exchange the fee is half (₹250 vs ₹500). The ₹250 joining fee is reversed on ₹10,000 spend in 90 days and renewal waives at ₹50,000 a year. HDFC issues PIXEL on both rails as standard — RuPay as a digital card and Visa as the physical plastic, sharing one limit and one statement. Fuel, rent, EMI, wallet and gift-card loads, vouchers, government spends and cash advances all earn nothing. A clean, fully-digital first card issued instantly via PayZapp.

Why it stands out A simple flat-1% digital cashback card at a low ₹250 fee — plus 5% on SmartBuy and 1% on UPI (RuPay variant); no lounge and no customisable packs, so it sits a rung below the Pixel Play

Best suited for For a digital-first first-timer who wants a simple flat-1% card with no category management to keep on top of, at the lowest possible fee.

The HDFC Bank UPI RuPay is a virtual-only RuPay card whose whole point is letting you pay by UPI on credit. It earns 3% CashPoints on groceries, supermarkets, dining and all PayZapp spends, 2% on utility bills, and 1% on everything else — each capped at 500 CashPoints a month. The critical caveat is the point value — 1 CashPoint is worth just ₹0.25, so those headline rates translate to roughly 0.75%, 0.5% and 0.25% of real cashback. HDFC's Fees & Charges FAQ answers the lifetime-free question with a flat "No, the UPI RuPay credit card is not free. It comes with a minimal annual fee of ₹99/- + Applicable Taxes" — the renewal fee waives on ₹25,000 of retail spend from year two, but the joining fee is not spend-waivable. There is no lounge access, and fuel, rent, insurance, education, wallet loads and government spends earn nothing. A cheap, convenient way to earn a little on UPI spends — just don't overrate the nominal percentages.

Why it stands out A ₹99, often-waived virtual RuPay card that brings credit to UPI — 3% CashPoints on grocery, supermarket, dining and PayZapp, 2% on utilities, 1% on the rest; but CashPoints are worth only ₹0.25, so real returns are 0.75%/0.5%/0.25%

Best suited for For UPI-heavy spenders who want a near-free way to put everyday scan-and-pay on credit and earn a small return — not for anyone chasing meaningful cashback rates.

The Shoppers Stop HDFC Bank Credit Card is the ₹299 base variant of the co-brand (the ₹4,500 Black is a separate card). It earns 3% Reward Points on Shoppers Stop spends in-store and on shoppersstop.com (capped 500 RP/month, min ₹150 per transaction) and 1% on everything else (capped 1,000 RP/month), with points worth a full ₹1 each only when redeemed against Shoppers Stop vouchers — ₹0.20–0.25 via cashback, SmartBuy or the catalogue. The welcome kit is a ₹500 Shoppers Stop voucher plus a Silver Edge membership worth ₹350, and a weekend offer adds ₹500 in points for a single ₹15,000+ Shoppers Stop bill (Fri–Sun, max once a month, 5 times a year). It is a RuPay card that links to UPI for scan-and-pay. HDFC publishes no spend-based waiver for the ₹299 annual fee, and a long exclusion list — supermarkets, fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, EMI, insurance, jewellery — earns nothing. ⚠ On groceries HDFC contradicts itself — the card's own T&C §2.2 lists "Supermarkets" among the categories that do not accrue points at all, while the bank-wide boilerplate on the product page says grocery spends are merely "capped at 1,000 points per month". The card-specific T&C governs and our data follows it, so assume supermarket spend earns nothing here.

Why it stands out 3% Reward Points at Shoppers Stop with 1 RP = ₹1 against Shoppers Stop vouchers, a ₹500 welcome voucher and complimentary Silver Edge membership — all on a ₹299 RuPay card that links to UPI

Best suited for Regular Shoppers Stop shoppers who will redeem points against Shoppers Stop vouchers at ₹1 each and want a low-fee RuPay card that also earns on UPI scan-and-pay.

The HDFC Freedom is one of HDFC's oldest entry cards, and in 2026 it is showing its age. The base earn is a token 1 CashPoint per ₹200 (~0.075% at ₹0.15/point), and the only real draw is 10X CashPoints on exactly five merchants — BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy and Uber — capped at 2,500 CashPoints a month (₹375 of value). There is a 500-point welcome bonus on fee realisation, repeated at each renewal when the fee is paid, a standard 1% fuel-surcharge waiver, no lounge access, and a ₹500 fee that waives at ₹50,000 of annual spend. HDFC's 15 May 2026 reward revision cut the base earn to 1 CashPoint per ₹200 (from 1 per ₹150); the five-brand 10X was left intact. A narrow card that only pays if your spending clusters on its five brands.

Why it stands out 10X CashPoints (~0.75% at ₹0.15/point) on five brands — BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy, Uber, capped 2,500 CashPoints/month; a thin ~0.075% base and a ₹500 fee waived at ₹50,000 spend

Best suited for For someone whose regular spend genuinely concentrates on BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy and Uber and who will treat everything else as a 0.075% afterthought — most people are better served elsewhere.