HDFC Credit Cards 2026 - All Types, Eligibility and Charges

HDFC Bank issues more credit cards than any other bank in India, and by a wide margin. It offers credit cards that suit almost everyone, from first-timers getting started to frequent travellers who live for airport lounges.

If you've been searching for the types of credit cards in HDFC, you're probably staring at that list wondering where you actually fit. So, here's the full lineup – sorted by tier, priced out, and cross-checked against what HDFC actually charges and who it actually lets in.

How Big Is HDFC in India's Credit Card Market?

HDFC’s card market is big enough that its decisions set the market.

In April 2026, HDFC Bank held 26.44 million credit cards against a national total of 119.44 million. That is 22.1% of credit cards in the country, held by one bank.

SBI Card sits at 22.24 million, ICICI Bank at 19.20 million and Axis Bank at 16.09 million. HDFC added 2.44 million cards over the preceding twelve months, which is more than the entire card base of most foreign banks operating in India.

HDFC has branch presence in cities where premium cards are otherwise hard to source; its SmartBuy portal is the deepest redemption platform any Indian issuer runs; and the co-brand list covers many popular services, such as Swiggy, Tata, IndiGo, Marriott, IRCTC and PhonePe.

Want to see how HDFC compares against every other issuer side by side? Compare across all banks here →

All HDFC Credit Cards

Entry Tier

Mid Tier

Premium Tier

A few HDFC cards you'll still find written about across the internet are closed to new applicants. The four InterMiles co-brands are gone, along with Regalia First, Diners Club Rewardz, Diners Club Miles, the original Regalia, Doctor's Superia and the old Platinum and Titanium range.

HDFC Co-Branded Credit Cards

A large share of HDFC's card base sits outside the tier ladder above, on co-brands tied to one app or one retailer.

• Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card is for people who order in more often than they cook. It pays 10% back on Swiggy food, Instamart, Dineout and Genie for a ₹500 annual fee. Two changes this year are worth knowing. Orders below ₹249 dropped out of the 10% bracket in April 2026, and since 21 June the cashback arrives against your card statement rather than as Swiggy Money.

HDFC is retiring the Swiggy card and migrating every existing holder to Swiggy Ornge or Swiggy BLCK, and the fee and cashback math changes with the switch.

• Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card suits households whose spending runs through Tata, i.e., BigBasket, Croma, Westside, 1MG and others. For ₹1,499, you get 5% back as NeuCoins across those brands, eight domestic lounge visits a year, and a 2% forex markup. The advertised “up to 7%” includes 5% that Tata Neu pays on select categories no matter how you're paying.
• Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card is the same idea at a third of the price, giving 2% as NeuCoins and four lounge visits for ₹499. It makes sense below roughly ₹15,000 a month of Tata spending.
• Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card earns its keep if you spend enough nights in hotels to want status out of it. At ₹3,000, it returns 5.33% as Bonvoy points and adds twelve lounge visits, Silver Elite status and ten Elite Night Credits a year.
• Shoppers Stop Black Credit Card is the most expensive co-branded HDFC issues and the most generous on lounges, with sixteen domestic visits a year against a ₹4,500 fee. It pays 7% at Shoppers Stop.

RBL Bank entered the same Shoppers Stop co-brand space in August 2026 with three pricier tiers.

• PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card fits people who route bills, recharges and everyday UPI payments through PhonePe. The ₹999 fee returns 10% on PhonePe spends and eight lounge visits (but this unlocks only if you spent ₹75,000 in the previous quarter).
• IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card is built for regular train travellers, and the distinction matters more than the ₹500 fee does. It pays 5% back on IRCTC bookings and includes eight railway lounge visits (not airport lounges).
• IndianOil HDFC Bank Credit Card works for drivers loyal to one chain of pumps. It returns 5% of fuel spend as Fuel Points, which is worth about ₹0.96 redeemed for fuel through the IndianOil app and ₹0.20 taken against your statement. Our guide to fuel credit cards in India covers how that compares against the alternatives.
• Paytm Select HDFC Bank Credit Card targets the Paytm-first spender, paying 5% on Paytm transactions with eight lounge visits for a ₹1,000 fee. The cashback lands in your Paytm wallet each month.
• HDFC Bank UPI RuPay Credit Card is the cheapest way into the HDFC ecosystem, at ₹99, paying 3% on groceries, dining and UPI spends.

Whichever one you're weighing, do the same piece of maths first: what do you genuinely spend at that partner in a year? Swiggy at ₹3,000 a month returns roughly ₹3,600 against a ₹500 fee, and that is an easy yes. At ₹800 a month, it returns ₹960, and the fee quietly takes a third of it back.

HDFC also offered 6E Rewards and 6E Rewards XL cards in partnership with IndiGo. But those cards have been discontinued after the end of that partnership.

HDFC Super Premium Cards: Infinia and Diners Club Black

Diners Club Black (Metal Edition) is the highest tier you can actually apply for. The annual fee is ₹10,000, waived once you cross ₹8 lakh in spend for the year.

In return, you get unlimited lounge access worldwide, a 2% forex markup, six complimentary golf games a quarter, and a 3.33% general reward rate that climbs to 10X on flights, hotels, and shopping booked through HDFC SmartBuy.

The catch is a 75,000-point cap per statement cycle and a three-year points expiry. So, this only pays off if you're spending and redeeming consistently, not hoarding points.

Infinia (Metal Edition) sits above Diners Black and isn't something you can apply for in the normal sense. HDFC invites you based on income and banking relationship.

What you get for the ₹12,500 fee is unlimited Priority Pass lounge access, unlimited golf, a Club Marriott and EazyDiner Prime membership, and rewards up to 33% on some SmartBuy categories.

However, just like Diners Club Black, this card has a 1,50,000-point cap per statement cycle and a three-year points expiry. Our Infinia review breaks down whether the card is worth the ₹12,500 fee.

So which of the two should you go for? Both earn 3.33% at base, both carry a 2% forex markup, both give unlimited lounge access. Infinia adds a higher SmartBuy ceiling, unlimited golf and a Club Marriott membership for ₹2,500 more, but HDFC trimmed its voucher rate from 5X to 3X in January 2026.

What separates them is what each demands of you. Diners Club Black waives at ₹8 lakh of spend and asks nothing further. Infinia waives at ₹10 lakh and, from April 2027, wants ₹18 lakh of annual spend or a ₹50 lakh banking relationship simply to keep it.

Spending ₹8 to ₹15 lakh a year? Take Diners Club Black and stop thinking about it. Above ₹18 lakh, Infinia is the better card and the retention bar is a non-issue.

HDFC Credit Card Eligibility by Card

Note: HDFC caps the Millennia card actually at 40 years (it’s not a typo) for both salaried and self-employed applicants, while the rest of the HDFC lineup runs to 60 or 65. It’s positioned as a card for younger earners.

HDFC's range spans Pixel at the entry end to Infinia at the top, and which door you enter through is set by your income. At ₹50,000 a month, Millennia is the realistic entry point.

HDFC Credit Card Charges & Fees

The forex gap is the one worth planning around. If you travel internationally regularly, the difference between a 2% markup and a 3.5% markup adds up fast. On ₹2 lakh of overseas spend in a year, that's ₹3,000 in markup versus ₹7,000.

What the Fine Print Doesn't Say

Nearly every card here has a cap, a carve-out or a redemption fee sitting behind that rate. None of this is hidden exactly, but it lives in the Most Important Terms and Conditions document rather than the cards’ landing page.

Infinia's 33% rate has a 70% ceiling. The advertised best-case return applies to SmartBuy, and on flight and hotel bookings your points can only cover 70% of the booking value. The remaining 30% comes out of your pocket regardless of how many points you're holding. Redemption for travel is capped at 1,50,000 points a calendar month, and total earning is capped at 2,00,000 points a statement cycle.

Diners Club Black caps by category, not just overall. The overall ceiling is 75,000 points a statement cycle. Underneath that, utility, telecom and grocery spends are capped at 2,000 points a month combined, and insurance at 5,000. Rent, government payments, fuel, e-wallet loads and education spends at select merchants earn nothing at all.

Regalia Gold's 5X is capped at 5,000 points a month. That's ₹40,000 of partner-brand spend, after which you're back to the base rate. The card also caps total earning at 50,000 points a statement cycle, which HDFC does not put anywhere near the 5X messaging.

Millennia pays CashPoints, not cashback. Statement credit redemption costs ₹50 per request, needs a minimum of 500 CashPoints, and is capped at 3,000 points a month. A CashPoint is worth ₹1 against your statement and ₹0.30 against flights and hotels. Gift card and voucher purchases at partner merchants earn 1%, not 5%. Wallet loads and EMI conversions earn nothing.

Pixel Go ignores small transactions. Anything under ₹100 earns no CashPoints, and both the 3% and 1% buckets cap at 500 CashPoints a month each. On a card whose entire pitch is everyday spending, that ceiling arrives faster than most people expect.

Pixel Play's fee isn't annual. Each benefit pack you select costs ₹49 plus GST a month, and the charge is waived the following month only if you spend over ₹25,000 in the current one. Two packs on a low-spend month is ₹98 plus GST.

None of this makes these bad cards. It just means the actual return on an HDFC card is usually somewhere between half and two-thirds of the advertised one, and you should do that maths.

What HDFC Reward Points Are Actually Worth in Rupees

HDFC runs four separate reward currencies and they are not interchangeable.

The gap that catches people out is the Reward Point. On Infinia or Diners Club Black, it’s worth ₹1 when you redeem it for a flight or hotel through SmartBuy, but ₹0.30 when you take it as statement credit. That is a 70% haircut for the convenience of cash.

Run it through Diners Club Black. Spending ₹50,000 a month earns roughly 18,400 points across a year. Redeemed through SmartBuy that is ₹18,400. Taken as statement credit it is ₹5,520. The ₹10,000 fee turns a ₹6,600 gain into a ₹6,280 loss depending on nothing except which button you press.

So, if you hold a Reward Points card and you don't book travel, you're holding the wrong HDFC card. Move to the CashPoints side of the lineup, where the currency does what you'd assume it does.

Which HDFC Card Should You Get?

If you're applying for your first card or your income sits under ₹6 lakh a year, Pixel Go or MoneyBack+ are the realistic entry points. Pixel Go in particular, given its ₹12,000-a-month bar and FD-backed option for those without income proof.

If you shop consistently on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, and Zomato and can comfortably cross ₹1 lakh in annual spend, Millennia's 5% categories are hard to beat for the ₹1,000 fee.

If your income clears the bar and you travel enough to value unlimited lounge access, Diners Club Black is the strongest card HDFC lets you actually apply for. It doesn't need an invite, and the 2% forex markup alone makes it worth considering for anyone who travels abroad on a regular basis.

Which HDFC Card Fits Your Monthly Spend

Under ₹15,000 a month. HDFC UPI RuPay at ₹99, or Pixel Go at ₹250 with the fee waived on ₹50,000 of annual spend. Both are cheap enough that a mediocre month costs you nothing. Skip anything with a four-figure fee at this level; you will not clear the waiver.

₹15,000 to ₹35,000 a month. MoneyBack+ or Millennia, depending on where the money goes and how old you are. If more than half of it lands on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato or Uber, Millennia's 5% categories return about ₹1,000 a month against a ₹1,000 annual fee that waives at ₹1 lakh of spend. Millennia is capped at age 40, though, so applicants past that go to MoneyBack+ at ₹500 by default.

₹35,000 to ₹70,000 a month. This is where Regalia Gold starts to make sense. The ₹2,500 fee is waived at ₹4 lakh of annual spend, which ₹35,000 a month clears. The base rate is 2.5 points per ₹100, worth about 1.625% if you redeem through SmartBuy.

₹70,000 to ₹1.5 lakh a month. Diners Club Black Metal Edition, with a caveat. The ₹10,000 fee waives at ₹8 lakh of annual spend, which means ₹67,000 a month. Below that, you're paying ₹11,800 including GST for unlimited lounge access and a 2% forex markup. That can be worth it if you travel abroad, and it isn't if you don't.

Above ₹1.5 lakh a month. Infinia territory, if HDFC invites you. At this level, the ₹10 lakh fee waiver is comfortable, and the ₹18 lakh retention bar arriving in April 2027 is reachable. Our look at India's super-premium segment compares it against what other banks offer at the same tier.

What ₹50,000 a Month Actually Returns on Popular HDFC Cards

These values are based on a profile with a monthly spend of ₹50,000: ₹12,000 online shopping, ₹8,000 food delivery, ₹6,000 groceries, ₹5,000 utilities, ₹8,000 travel and cabs, ₹4,000 fuel, ₹3,000 entertainment, ₹4,000 everything else. Annual spend ₹6 lakh.

Millennia (₹1,000 fee, waived at ₹1 lakh). Roughly ₹24,000 a month lands on 5% merchants, which would earn ₹1,200 but caps at ₹1,000. The remaining eligible ₹22,000 earns 1%, or ₹220. The ₹4,000 of fuel earns nothing at all. That's ₹1,220 a month, ₹14,640 a year, fee waived. Redeeming quarterly costs ₹200 in fees. Net ₹14,440, an effective 2.4%.

Regalia Gold (₹2,500 fee, waived at ₹4 lakh). Eligible spend of ₹46,000 earns 1,150 points at the new base rate, plus roughly 400 more from partner-brand 5X. About 18,600 points a year, worth ₹12,090 redeemed through SmartBuy at ₹0.65 a point. Fee waived at this spend level. Lounge access unlocks, since ₹1.5 lakh a quarter clears the ₹60,000 gate. Net ₹12,090, an effective 2.0%, plus 12 lounge visits.

Diners Club Black Metal (₹10,000 fee, waived at ₹8 lakh). Eligible spend earns about 18,400 points a year. Redeemed through SmartBuy at ₹1 a point that's ₹18,400. But ₹6 lakh of annual spend doesn't reach the ₹8 lakh waiver, so the fee is payable at ₹11,800 including GST. Net ₹6,600, an effective 1.1%, plus unlimited lounge access.

Millennia wins on rupees returned, and it isn't close. A ₹1,000 card beats a ₹10,000 card by more than double at this spend level, because the premium card's fee waiver sits ₹2 lakh above where you are.

Diners Club Black only pulls ahead past roughly ₹67,000 a month, where the fee disappears and the lounge access and 2% forex markup become free. Below that, you're buying lounge access for ₹11,800 a year, which is a fair trade for some travellers and a poor one for everybody else.

What TechnoFino Says About HDFC Cards

The praise. The SmartBuy portal is generally treated as the best redemption platform any Indian bank runs, and the reason people tolerate the caps. The Pixel range has a following, with holders on the lifetime free Pixel Play thread reporting clean issuance and correctly credited CashPoints.

The criticism. The Regalia Gold lounge change drew the sharpest reaction of anything HDFC did this year. Members on the Regalia Gold lounge spend criteria thread pointed out that the card used to give 12 visits a year with no spend gate. The new rule removes the ability to walk into a lounge without checking last quarter's statement first.

The Infinia retention rule generated more discussion than any HDFC change in years. The thread tracking the ₹18 lakh spend and ₹50 lakh RLV criteria framed it as a shift in what premium cards are. It’s whether the bank thinks you deserve to hold it. Members in the longer discussion of the same announcement expect other issuers to follow, making it harder to hold top-tier cards across several banks at once.

The operational complaints. Cashback crediting is the recurring one. Threads on Swiggy card cashback discrepancies and the ₹50 Millennia redemption charge both describe having to raise individual tickets to get amounts corrected.

Community verdict: respected, not loved. Even though HDFC has the best infrastructure in Indian cards, it has the least generous attitude toward keeping reward terms stable.

How to Apply for an HDFC Credit Card

If you already bank with HDFC, check the pre-approved offers section in net banking first. A pre-approved card is a soft pull against your existing relationship, so it costs you no hard enquiry and approval is usually instant.

Step 1. Pick the card that best suits you.

Step 2. Check the income floor for that specific card. HDFC's bar ranges from ₹12,000 a month on Pixel Go to ₹5 lakh a month on Infinia.

Step 3. Apply through HDFC's own site or net banking. Decisions land in two to five working days on entry and mid-tier cards, longer on Diners Club Black.

Step 4. Complete video KYC or a document pickup, then wait for dispatch.

Two things that get applications declined. HDFC generally wants a CIBIL score of 750 or above for unsecured cards, and it turns down applicants who took another card in the last six months. If you were rejected recently, wait ninety days rather than reapplying straight away.

HDFC doesn't approve on salary alone. Here are HDFC's real eligibility filters (TRV, PIN code, FOIR) and how each one moves your limit.

No formal income proof? HDFC issues cards against a fixed deposit from roughly ₹25,000, with a limit at 80 to 90% of the deposit, and the FD keeps earning interest. Our guide to getting a first credit card in India covers that route.

Documents You'll Need

• Identity proof: PAN is mandatory, plus Aadhaar, passport or voter ID
• Address proof: Aadhaar, passport, or a utility bill from the last three months
• Income proof: last three months' salary slips and a recent Form 16 if salaried; two years of ITR plus six months of bank statements if self-employed
• Photographs: passport-sized, though video KYC usually removes this step

If you bank with HDFC and hold a salary account there, most of this is already on file and the application skips straight to a decision. Applying against a fixed deposit instead of income proof needs the FD receipt and a lien-marking form.

Activating and Managing Your HDFC Credit Card

Activation. Set your PIN through the HDFC Bank MyCards portal, the mobile banking app, or the IVR number in your welcome kit. Cards now arrive inactive by RBI rule, and an unactivated card is closed automatically after 30 days from issue.

Online access. Register on HDFC net banking or the MyCards portal to see statements, track reward balances and set spending controls. SmartBuy sits behind the same login, and it's where your points are worth the most.

Paying your bill. Pay through net banking, the app, UPI, NEFT from another bank, or by setting up an auto-debit mandate. Auto-debit on the minimum due is the setting most people should avoid, because it protects your credit score while letting interest run at up to 3.75% a month.

Redeeming rewards. SmartBuy for flights and hotels gives the best rate on Reward Points cards. Statement credit is the better route on the CashPoints cards. Batch your redemptions rather than doing them monthly, since the ₹50 statement credit fee and the ₹99 plus GST catalogue fee apply per request rather than per point.

Closing a card. Email HDFC or use the closure request in net banking, so there's a written record. Under RBI rules, the bank must complete closure within seven working days once dues are cleared, and owes you ₹500 for every day beyond that. Clear your reward balance before you request closure, because points are forfeited on account closure.

HDFC Customer Care and Grievance Redressal

HDFC runs a published three-stage grievance ladder, and skipping stages is the most common reason complaints stall.

Stage one. Phone banking (18001600 or 18002600​​​​) or the complaint form in net banking. Note your reference number, because stage two needs it.

Stage two. The Grievance Redressal Officer, if stage one doesn't resolve within the stated timeline. Put this in writing and attach the reference number from stage one.

Stage three. The Principal Nodal Officer, whose details HDFC publishes on its website.

If all three fail, the RBI Ombudsman is next, and HDFC has to have had thirty days to respond before the Ombudsman will take the case.

The bank owes you ₹500 a day if it misses the seven-working-day card closure deadline after dues are cleared. It also owes compensation if a card is issued or upgraded without your consent, which matters given how often unrequested upgrades on the premium range get reported.

Put every complaint in writing from the start. Phone escalation without a written trail often leaves people repeating themselves six weeks later.

HDFC Card Devaluations: What Changed

HDFC hit several cards, including Regalia Gold with a two-phase devaluation in 2026. The reward rate change landed May 15: the earn rate moved from 4 points per ₹150 spent to 5 points per ₹200 spent. Minor change, but worth taking notice.

So, you used to earn 2.667 points for every ₹100; you now earn 2.5. Deeper cuts of 25% and more landed on several other HDFC cards that usually aren’t in its core lineup.

The second phase landed July 1 – domestic lounge access, previously free on Regalia Gold, now requires ₹60,000 in spend during the previous quarter.

Apart from that, in April 2026, HDFC published retention criteria for Infinia: ₹18 lakh of annual spend or ₹50 lakh of Relationship Value. FY26-27 is exempt, though, and the first review lands in April 2027. The same applies to Diners Black cardholders as well.

HDFC Relationship Value (RLV) Explained

Relationship Value, or RLV, is the metric HDFC uses to decide who keeps Infinia and Diners Club Black once the honeymoon period ends. It isn't just your card spend, but a rolled-up score of your total banking relationship with HDFC, including deposits, investments, and loans held with the bank.

Let’s consider Infinia; the annual fee waiver is ₹10 lakh of annual spend. But a retention criteria is a new one, announced in April 2026.

Holding on to an Infinia requires either ₹18 lakh of annual spend across primary and add-on cards, or an average Relationship Value of ₹50 lakh. Fall short and HDFC can move you down to Diners Club Black or Regalia Gold.

Our deep dive on India's super-premium credit card segment goes further into how RLV compares across issuers if you're weighing Infinia against a competing bank's top-tier card.

HDFC Credit Card: Domestic Lounge Access Updates

Cards like Regalia, Infinia, and Diners Club Black include generous domestic and international lounge access: sometimes unlimited for premium variants. In my case, even two complimentary visits per quarter feels like a small luxury during travel from smaller hubs.

HDFC Credit Cards with Lounge Access

Also Read: Full List of HDFC Bank Cards with Lounge Access

Frequently Asked Questions about HDFC Credit Cards

How many types of HDFC credit cards are there?

HDFC's active lineup breaks into four practical tiers: entry (Pixel Go, Pixel Play, MoneyBack+), mid (Millennia, Regalia Gold), premium (Diners Club Black), and super-premium (Infinia, invite-only). Beyond these, HDFC also runs a long list of co-branded cards with airlines, retailers, and platforms like Swiggy and Tata Neu.

Which HDFC credit card is lifetime free?

None of HDFC's current mainstream cards are unconditionally lifetime free. Pixel Go carries a ₹250 annual fee waived on ₹50,000 of yearly spend, Pixel Play ₹500 waived on ₹1 lakh, and the UPI RuPay card ₹99. HDFC does run lifetime free offers on specific cards through targeted campaigns, usually to existing account holders through net banking. Our guide to lifetime free credit cards covers what's genuinely free across issuers.

How do I get my HDFC annual fee waived?

HDFC credit cards have a spend-based waiver. The thresholds are ₹50,000 on Pixel Go and MoneyBack+, ₹1 lakh on Pixel Play and Millennia, ₹4 lakh on Regalia Gold, ₹8 lakh on Diners Club Black Metal and ₹10 lakh on Infinia Metal. If you fall short, calling and asking for a reversal against a spend commitment works more often than people assume. Our annual fee waiver guide walks through the script.

Which HDFC credit card is best?

There's no single answer – it depends on spend and income. For your first credit card, Pixel Go or MoneyBack+ makes sense given the low income bar. For online shoppers, Millennia's 5% categories are hard to beat (when the ₹1L fee waiver is in reach). For frequent travellers, Diners Club Black offers the best lounge-to-fee ratio.

What is the eligibility for HDFC Infinia?

Infinia is invite-only, not a direct application. HDFC typically looks for salaried applicants earning ₹5L a month in the private sector (₹3.5L for government employees) or self-employed applicants with an ITR showing ₹60 lakh a year.

What happens if I don't meet Infinia's retention criteria?

Nothing until April 2027, which is when the first review happens, because FY26 is exempt from the rule entirely. After that, falling short of both ₹18 lakh of annual spend and ₹50 lakh of Relationship Value means HDFC can move you down to Diners Club Black or Regalia Gold rather than closing your account outright.

What are HDFC's late payment and forex charges?

Late payment fees scale with the amount due, from ₹100 up to ₹1,300 for dues above ₹50,000, plus 18% GST. Forex markup is 2% on Diners Club Black and Infinia, and 3.5% on most other HDFC cards. Cash advances carry a 2.5% fee (minimum ₹500) with interest accruing immediately.

Which HDFC card has the lowest forex markup?

Diners Club Black and Infinia both charge 2%, against 3.5% on most of the lineup, and Tata Neu Infinity matches them at 2% for a far smaller fee. On ₹2 lakh of overseas spend, the difference between 2% and 3.5% is ₹3,000 against ₹7,000.

Does HDFC charge a fee to redeem reward points?

Yes, on most cards, and it varies by redemption type. Statement credit on the CashPoints cards costs ₹50 per request. Catalogue redemption costs ₹99 plus GST. IRCTC and IndianOil both charge ₹99 plus GST on every request. SmartBuy travel redemptions carry no fee.

Can I get an HDFC credit card without a salary slip?

Yes, through a fixed deposit. HDFC issues secured cards against deposits from roughly ₹25,000, with a credit limit of 80 to 90% of the deposit value, and the FD continues earning interest. This is the standard route for self-employed applicants, freelancers and anyone building credit history from zero.

Our Take on HDFC Credit Cards in India

HDFC remains one of the most reliable credit card issuers in India, suitable for beginners as well as credit card experts alike. And it’s the issuer we'd point most people toward, and the one we'd read the terms on most carefully.

SmartBuy is the deepest redemption platform in the Indian market, acceptance is universal, and the co-branded cards mean there's usually an HDFC card aimed at wherever your money actually goes.

But HDFC revises reward terms more often than its competitors, and the revisions almost always run one direction. Regalia Gold lost 6% of its earn rate and its unconditional lounge access inside eight weeks this year. Infinia holders will face a spend test in 2027 that didn't exist when they were issued the card.

If you’re just starting out, the FD-based card is a smart way to build credit quietly. For salaried folks with routine spends, Millenia or Regalia Gold adds value without drama. And if you’re deep into travel and can manage higher fees, Infinia or Diners Club Black will spoil you with comfort.

Buy the card that matches what you already spend. Chasing a tier you haven't reached is how a ₹12,500 fee turns into a bad year.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Eligibility criteria, fees, interest rates, and product features mentioned are accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 2026, but they can change without notice at the issuer's discretion. Please read the latest Most Important Terms and Conditions (MITC) on the issuing bank's website and consult a certified financial advisor before applying for any credit card or financial product.