Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 5th Dec 2023.
HSBC has recently revamped their Cashback Credit card and I would say it has been revalued as an exception in this season of brutal devaluations. Since earning points for travel is again becoming difficult many people are shifting to cashback credit cards to bump up their valueback.
Here’s a quick review of this great credit card from HSBC Bank!
Amazon voucher worth ₹1000 on spending ₹10000 within the first 30 days
Annual Fees
₹999 + GST
Annual Benefits
NIL
Annual Fee Waiver
Spend ₹2L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver*.
Add-on Fees
NIL
Card Category
Cashback
The welcome voucher compensates the joining fee but there will be no annual benefits for paying the annual fees.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
CashbackRate
Capping
All dining, food delivery and grocery spends
10%
₹1000
All Other Spends*
1.50%
Unlimited
*Cashback cannot be earned on transactions made on Fuel, e-wallets, rental payments, Business to Business transactions, education and government payments, Insurance, Jewelry and antique items, Gambling, Tolls and Bridge Fees, Financial and Non-Financial Institutions, Security Broker Services, Collection Agencies, Charity, Money Transfers and Wholesale Clubs.
Your cashback will be credited within 45 days after the statement generation date
No cash-back redemption fee is applicable
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access Complimentary Limit – 4 Visits/ Calendar year (1 per quarter) within India only for primary cardholders. Access Via – Credit Card
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
No fuel surcharge waiver is applicable on this card.
Forex Markup
Forex markup charges are applicable of 3.5%+GST.
Eligibility
You must be aged between 18 to 65
Your annual income must be at least INR400,000 per annum (for salaried individuals)
You must be an Indian resident
You must reside in any of the following cities: Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Pune
HSBC Bank is currently only offering their credit cards to salaried individuals that too very strictly. If you are a self-employed individual then you may try your luck by opening a premium bank account against a huge NRV.
TechnoFino Recommends
A simple no-nonsense cashback card from HSBC Bank which caters to both Groceries and Dining that too at a flat 10% rate which I would say is unheard of before. Earlier Kotak was offering such cashback on their Essentia and Delight credit cards with some conditions and now have been discontinued.
If you are looking for a great multi-utility card for all your grocery and dining spending then this card should be there in your wallet! Not to worry about the fees since in festive time reaching that upper cap on 10% cashback even for just one time will make your card free virtually for the year. This card is in direct competition with the HDFC Swiggy card now.
Are you planning to get this card? Tell us in the comments below about your experience.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 19th Nov 2023.
Axis Bank Flipkart credit card was launched back in 2019 when the cobranded card space was evolving. I have held this card since then until last year after which I had closed this card to make space for other cards from Axis Bank’s stable. I got this as an upgrade from the erstwhile Axis Buzz credit card which has similar benefits. This card is quite popular among cashback enthusiasts.
Spend ₹3.5L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver*.
Add-on Fees
NIL
Card Category
Cashback
*Rental and Wallet Transactions not included in annual fee waiver.
The joining fee is well compensated by the welcome voucher but there will be no annual benefits on paying the annual fees.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
CashbackRate
Flipkart Spends*
5%
Myntra, Flipkart Hotel and Flight Bookings
1.50%
Spends at Cleartrip, Swiggy, Uber, PVR, Tata Play and Cure.fit
4%
Other Spends
1.5%
*Cashback cannot be earned on transactions made on fuel spends, govt spends, purchase of gift cards on Flipkart and Myntra, EMI transactions, purchases converted to EMI post-facto, wallet-loading transactions, cash advances, rental payments, purchase of jewellery, insurance services, utilities, educational services, payment of outstanding balances, payment of card fees and other card charges
Your cashback will be credited in the next billing cycle 3 days before the statement generation date
No cash-back redemption fee is applicable
This card currently has no cap on any kind of spending but it does have a large list of exclusions. With a meagre difference of 0.5% cashback, this card is in direct competition with Axis Ace.
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access Complimentary Limit – 4 Visits/ Calendar year within India only for primary cardholders. Access Via – Credit Card Network – Visa Signature/ MasterCard World
The lounge access tie-up is very limited on this card so do check the latest lounge list before taking this card.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver for transactions between ₹400 to ₹4000. Maximum surcharge waiver of ₹500 per statement cycle.
Forex Markup
Forex markup charges are applicable of 3.5%+GST.
TechnoFino Recommends
If you are a heavy spender on Flipkart and other preferred partners and want to have a card for offline spending as well then Axis Bank Flipkart Card is just the right one. The 5% unlimited cashback benefit on Flipkart purchases and an unlimited 1.5% cashback on all the spends make this card shine.
This one card when used for all your spending will give you quite a good value if you cross the yearly spending requirements. Its direct competitors are SBI Cashback and HDFC Millennia but they only give better reward rates on online spends only.
Are you holding the Axis Flipkart Credit Card? Tell us in the comments below about your experience.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 14th Nov 2023.
Axis Ace credit card is a darling of all cashback lovers with its best-in-class unlimited 2% cash back on offline spending and 5% on paying bills via Google Pay.
Here’s an updated review of its benefits amid all the devaluations!
Spend ₹2L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver*.
Add-on Fees
NIL
Card Category
Cashback
*Rental and Wallet Transactions not included in annual fee waiver.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
CashbackRate
Capping
Bill Payments on Google Pay (Electricity, Internet, Gas, DTH, and Mobile Recharges)
5%
Maximum cashback of ₹500 per statement cycle.
Swiggy, Zomato and Ola
4%
Same as above combined capping.
Other Spends*
2%
NIL
*Cashback cannot be earned on transactions made on Educational Services, Fuel Spends, Rental Payments, Insurance Premium Payments, EMI transactions or purchases converted to EMI, Wallet loading transactions, Govt Payments and Gold/Jewelry Purchases
Cashback earned for the purchases during the current billing cycle will be credited in the next billing cycle 3 days before the statement generation date
No cash-back redemption fee is applicable
This card is still a leader for offline spending since it offers 2% unlimited flat statement credit at such a low fee point. This credit card has one of the most clean statements I have ever seen regarding cashback calculations.
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access Complimentary Limit – 4 Visits/ Calendar year within India only for primary cardholders. Access Via – Credit Card Network – Visa Signature/ MasterCard World
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver for transactions between ₹400 to ₹4000. Maximum surcharge waiver of ₹500 per statement cycle.
Forex Markup
Forex markup charges are applicable of 3.5%+GST.
TechnoFino Maximum
Paying bills of ₹10,000 on the Google Pay app or using the card on select merchants ₹12,500 will maximize your savings of ₹500 per month. Rest the card can be used on all offline and online merchants for unlimited 2% cashback.
TechnoFino Recommends
Amid all the devaluations this card still has some steam left especially the 2% unlimited cashback on offline spending. At such a low fee point, easy to achieve fee waiver, and reasonable cappings on a usually low rewarding category like bill payments this card is a showstopper as of now.
Currently, the Axis Bank credit card is being issued only by Google Pay on an invite-only basis. You can also apply it on the Axis Bank mobile app if you have a pre-qualified offer. I had used this card quite extensively along with Axis Flipkart since its launch but got rid of them in 2023 when I started transitioning to travel credit cards. A word of caution for Apple users since GPay doesn’t support bill payments using a credit card on iOS.
Using SBI Cashback for online and Axis Ace for offline is also good if you like to over-optimize your spending. Its direct competitors are Standard Chartered Smart and Axis Flipkart.
If you’re into luxury travel and enjoy how your favourite credit card rewards can be converted into Airmiles and hotel loyalty points, you’ll love spreading the word about them and earning some bonus points in the process! Very few card issuers offer a referral benefit in India. The American Express Member-Get-Member is the most rewarding program for both the referrer(MGMer) and the referee(MGMee).
This post will cover the complete American Express MGM Program to help you maximise your referrals.
The American Express Member-Get-Member Program is a way to earn bonus points for spreading the word about AMEX cards with others.
You get a unique link for every card you hold with AMEX which needs to be shared with the MGMee. And, when MGMee gets a card approved through that link, you will earn bonus points for your endeavour. The MGMee can apply for any of the cards from the AMEX portfolio irrespective of the card you hold.
I believe referring your friends and family is a great way to earn those valuable MR (Membership Reward) points.
Whom Can You Refer?
AMEX Member-Get-Member program is intended to invite your friends and family for an American Express Card.
There are certain situations in which you may not receive a referral bonus:
The MGMee receives the link but doesn’t apply using your link.
The application gets rejected due to any reason whatsoever.
Your past dues are not clear and your account stands inactive.
You have reached the maximum number of points you can earn in a calendar year on the card you hold.
What are the benefits for the MGMee?
I am listing all the AMEX Cards and the benefits one gets over applying directly. These are subject to change hence the offers must be verified online before applying.
Other than the bonuses mentioned below, AMEX is offering a set of Limited Edition Playing Cards to the MGMee per approved application between 14th September 2023 till 31st October 2023, if the application is approved before 6 PM on the offer end date. This is a great but limited-time offer (LTO) for all those who love to play cards on Diwali Night which is just around the corner.
AMEX Platinum Card
Annual fee: ₹60,000 plus applicable taxes
10,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend INR 5,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership*
Stay vouchers worth INR 45,000 from Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta Hotels* as welcome gifts within 6-8 weeks of payment of the annual fee and upon spending INR 50,000 in the first 2 months of Cardmembership.
A set of Limited Edition Playing Cards if your application is approved between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, 6 PM IST.
AMEX Platinum Reserve Card
First Year fee: ₹5,000 + Applicable Taxes
Second year onwards: ₹10,000 + Applicable Taxes
4,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points when you spend INR 5,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership*
Welcome Gift of 11,000 Bonus Points on payment of the annual fee and on spending an additional INR 25,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership.
A set of Limited Edition Playing Cards if your application is approved between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, 6 PM IST.
2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points when you spend INR 5,000 in the first 90 days of Cardmembership*
Welcome Gift of 4,000 Bonus Membership Rewards® Points on payment of the annual fee and spending an additional INR 5,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership*
A set of Limited Edition Playing Cards if your application is approved between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, 6 PM IST.
2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points when you spend INR 5,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership*
A set of Limited Edition Playing Cards if your application is approved between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, 6 PM IST.
AMEX SmartEarn Card
Annual fee: ₹495 plus applicable taxes
2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points for being referred to American Express, when you spend INR 5,000 in the first 90 days of Cardmembership*
₹500 cashback as a Welcome Gift on eligible spends of an additional INR 5,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership
A set of Limited Edition Playing Cards if your application is approved between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, 6 PM IST.
How to Refer A Friend to an AMEX Card?
Go to https://www.americanexpress.com/en-in/referral and log in to your AMEX account
Next, choose the card on which you wish to earn the referral bonus. Your friend can apply for any of the cards from the AMEX portfolio
Once you choose the card, you can either mail your personalized link via e-mail or simply copy it and share it directly with your friend
Once your friend’s card is approved through your referral link, you become eligible to receive the bonus Membership Rewards Points
Cards With Member-Get-Member Bonuses
I am listing all the AMEX Cards with their referral bonuses. These are subject to change hence the offers must be verified online before applying.
Other than the bonuses mentioned below, AMEX is offering a set of Limited Edition Playing Cards to the MGMer, per product used to make successful referrals between 14th September 2023 and 31st October 2023, if the application is approved before 6 PM on the offer end date.
AMEX Platinum Card
Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points for each successful referral for an American Express Platinum Card.
Earn up to 5,00,000 Membership Rewards points in a calendar year.
AMEX Platinum Reserve Card
Earn 8,000 Membership Rewards points for each successful referral for any American Express Card available in the market.
Earn up to 1,50,000 Membership Rewards points in a calendar year.
Earn 8,000 Membership Rewards points for each successful referral for any American Express Card available in the market.
Earn up to 1,50,000 Membership Rewards points in a calendar year.
AMEX SmartEarn Card
Earn 5,000 Membership Rewards points for each successful referral for any American Express Card available in the market.
Earn up to 1,50,000 Membership Rewards points in a calendar year.
Final Thoughts
The American Express Member-Get-Member Program is a great way to earn rewards by referring your friends and family for an American Express Card. Once you accumulate the bonus points, you can redeem your points for your next holiday!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 18th October 2023.
HDFC Bank has recently launched the most speculated and much-awaited Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit card in India. This is the first credit card ever launched in India by one of the most renowned global hotel chains in the world. The card is available on the Diners Club platform.
Here’s everything you wish to know about the card.
1) 1 Free Award Night (valued up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) 2) 10 Elite Night Credits (ENCs) under the Marriott Bonvoy Program 3) Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status
Renewal Fees
₹3000 + GST
Renewal Benefits
1 Free Award Night (valued up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points)
Renewal Fee Waiver
NIL
The welcome benefit on this card is easily worth ₹7,500 minimum which is much more than the fee paid. Allow up to 12 weeks after paying the Joining Fee or Annual Membership Fee, or fulfilling the relevant spending thresholds, for your Free Night Award to be automatically deposited into your Marriott Bonvoy Member Account.
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Earn Rate
Monthly Capping
All retail spends*
2 Marriott Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent
NIL
Travel, Dining and Entertainment
4 Marriott Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent
53335 Marriott Bonvoy Points (monthly spends threshold of ₹10,00,000)
Marriott Hotels
8 Marriott Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent
13335 Marriott Bonvoy Points (monthly spends threshold of ₹5,00,000)
*Except for Fuel, Rental Payments, Packers and Movers, Government Transactions, Wallet loads, and Easy EMI transactions.
The points will be credited to your Marriott Bonvoy account within 3 months of bill generation.
Maximum Eligible Spend for earning Marriott Bonvoy Points on grocery store spend (i.e., 2 Marriott Bonvoy Points per ₹150) will be capped at spends of INR 1,50,000 per month (i.e., maximum 2000 Marriott Bonvoy Points could be earned on grocery spends per month).
Reward Points Redemption
For Marriott Bonvoy we can assume one MB point to be easily around 50p though you can extract more than Re 1 at some properties in some regions.
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All retail spends*
0.66%
Travel, Dining and Entertainment
1.33%
Marriott Hotels
2.66%
Milestone Benefits
1 Free Night Award on Eligible Spend of ₹6 lakhs in an Anniversary Year
1 Free Night Award on Eligible Spend of ₹9 lakhs in an Anniversary Year
1 Free Night Award on Eligible Spend of ₹15 lakhs in an Anniversary Year
Each Free Night Award is valid for 12 months and can be redeemed for a one-night stay, inclusive of room rate and applicable taxes, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy with a redemption level of up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points.
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Access Via – Credit Card Complimentary Domestic Limit – 12 Visits/ Calendar year within India Network – Diners Club India
Access Via – Credit Card Complimentary International Limit – 12 Visits/ Calendar year on lounges outside India.
Golf Access
Get access to 2 Complimentary golf lessons per quarter at select golf courses in India.
Get 2 Complimentary Golf course access per quarter at select premium golf courses in India and golf courses internationally.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
No fuel surcharge waiver is applicable on this card.
Insurance Coverage
Delay or loss of checked-in baggage cover of up to $250
Loss of travel documents cover of up to $250
Flight delay cover of up to $250
Air accidental cover of up to $12,500
Emergency medical expenses up to $18,750
Credit shield of up to ₹100,000
Loss liability cover of up to ₹100,000
Concierge Services
Enjoy the exclusive Concierge Services on your Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card. Customers can connect to the concierge number from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Toll Free: 18003093100
Email: support@marriotthdfcbank.com
Forex Markup Charges
FCY Markup Fee: 3.5%+GST
Reward Rate: 0.66%
Net: –3.5% (loss)
Eligibility
Officially the bank has the following criteria but can vary as per your relationship with the bank.
For Salaried Indian national
Age: Min 21 years & Max 60 Years
Net Monthly Income > ₹1 Lakh
For Self Employed Indian national
Age: Min 21 years & Max 65 Years
ITR > ₹15 Lakhs per annum.
Last Thoughts
The mediocre features of this card suggest that Marriott is looking to tap into new customers or many who stay at Marriott properties but not into their loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy. I am also expecting a much more premium card either from HDFC Bank or ICICI Bank soon. This card is up for keep since the joining fee is well compensated by the joining benefits even if you don’t spend on this card.
What are your thoughts about this card? Feel free to share in the comments below.
If you’re someone who spends a substantial amount in foreign currency every month, whether it’s online transactions or frequent visits to foreign countries involving offline transactions in foreign currencies, you’re likely in search of a credit card that offers low markup fees and provides good value on international spending. If that’s the case, you need to be aware of the valuable benefit offered by HDFC Bank to its select credit card users. HDFC Bank boasts a program called the “Global Value Back Program” (GVP), which allows you to earn a 1% cashback on all your international expenses. Let’s delve deeper into this program.
Global Value Back Program (GVP) is accessible to both retail and business credit card holders of HDFC Bank. When you enroll in this program, you’re entitled to receive a 1% direct cashback, credited to your credit card statement for all your international expenditures.
Charges: Joining/Annual Fees: Rs. 199 + GST
Welcome Benefit:
500 Bonus Reward Points on your first international transaction during the first year. This feature is not available upon renewal. Cashback Rate: 1% Cashback Cap: Rs. 1000 per statement cycle. This means if you spend 1 lakh in a statement cycle, you’ll receive a maximum cashback of Rs. 1000. Milestone Benefit: Receive Rs. 2,000/- worth of Yatra, Cleartrip, or MakeMyTrip vouchers once you accumulate international spends of Rs. 1,50,000/- in a year. This feature is available once a year.
Offer Eligibility:
Must be an Indian Citizen.
Applicable to HDFC Bank Credit Card customers (Applicable on Retail & Business Cards only; Corporate and Commercial cards are excluded).
Exclusions: Merchants dealing in Gaming, Betting, Gambling, and ATM cash withdrawal are not eligible for cashback. How to Avail GVP: Call HDFC Bank customer care and request them to activate the Global Value Back Program (GVP) on your credit card. You will receive an SMS confirmation of activation within 3 to 5 days.
The Global Value Back program is an exceptional value-added service provided by HDFC Bank to its customers. If you hold an HDFC Infinia or DCB card and frequently make international transactions, this service is highly recommended. By using GVP in conjunction with an Infinia/DCB card for international transactions, you can save 1.97% (including the 1% GVP cashback) on all international transactions up to 1 lakh in monthly spends. In the case of Regalia/Regalia Gold/DCP cards, you can virtually eliminate markup fees by utilizing GVP.
Discuss HDFC Bank Global Value Back Program On TF Community; HDFC Bank Page GVP Official Page Link.
Marriott Bonvoy, a globally renowned loyalty program, offers a gateway to unforgettable experiences for Indian travellers, catering to diverse preferences and travel goals. It encompasses a variety of brands under the Marriott International umbrella, offering an expansive range of hotels and resorts for every type of traveller. Whether one is planning a luxury retreat, a business trip, or a budget-friendly vacation, Marriott Bonvoy accommodates all, making it a popular choice amongst Indian tourists.
This ultimate guide is tailored to help Indian members navigate the multitude of benefits, rewards, and exclusive offers available through the Marriott Bonvoy program. It aims to provide insights on optimizing point earnings through hotel stays, credit card partnerships, dining, and organizing events at Marriott properties. The guide will also elucidate how to effectively redeem points for free nights, room upgrades, and unique experiences, maximizing value for every point earned. It covers the various membership tiers, each offering a spectrum of perks and privileges, allowing members to elevate their travel experience. Embracing this guide will empower Indian travellers to explore the world with Marriott Bonvoy, turning every journey into a memorable adventure.
Marriott Bonvoy has structured its loyalty program into several elite tiers, each offering a myriad of benefits to reward its most loyal members. Here’s an in-depth look into each tier, revealing how Indian travellers can maximize their travel experiences by leveraging these benefits.
Member Level
This is the entry-level tier for every individual who joins Marriott Bonvoy.
Benefits:
Members earn points per dollar spent on qualifying charges.
Access to member rates and free Wi-Fi.
Mobile check-in services.
Silver Elite
Attained after 10 qualifying nights in a calendar year.
Benefits:
Earn 10% more points on stays.
Late checkout (subject to availability).
Reservation guarantee.
Access to a dedicated elite reservation line.
Gold Elite
Reached after 25 qualifying nights in a calendar year.
Benefits:
Earn 25% bonus points on stays.
2 PM late checkout (based on availability).
Welcome gift of points.
Enhanced room upgrade, including select suites (subject to availability).
Platinum Elite
Achieved after 50 qualifying nights in a calendar year.
Benefits:
Earn 50% bonus points on stays.
4 PM late checkout.
Welcome gift options (points, breakfast offering, or amenity).
Room upgrades, including suites (subject to availability).
Lounge access at participating hotels.
Annual gift choice (such as gift of Silver Elite status for a friend or family member).
Titanium Elite
Attained after 75 qualifying nights in a calendar year.
Benefits:
Earn 75% bonus points on stays.
Additional Choice Benefit at 75 nights.
48-hour guarantee on room availability.
United MileagePlus Premier Silver status through RewardsPlus.
Ambassador Elite
Reached after 100 qualifying nights and $23,000 in qualifying spend in a calendar year. The only Elite Tier which requires spending
Benefits:
Your own Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador to help with your travel planning.
24/7 access to the Ambassador Service for travel assistance.
Your24™, allowing personalized check-in and check-out times.
Status Match: If you hold some other Elite Status on other Loyalty Programs, you may get offered a Status Match or you will be offered a “fast track” option where you’ll be provided with an elite status for 90 days and you’ll have to complete a certain amount of stays to proceed further or to maintain the same in that specific timeframe. It’s better to call the Marriott Bonvoy helpline for the offers.
Gold / Platinum Challenge: Marriott Bonvoy offers a fast-track method to attain Gold or Platinum status through their Challenge. By contacting Marriott Bonvoy support and requesting the Gold/Platinum Challenge, members are given 90 days to achieve the desired status. To secure Gold, 8 paid nights are required; for Platinum, it’s 18 paid nights. Only stays booked directly through Marriott after enrolling in the challenge are eligible, with third-party bookings excluded. Successful completion ensures the acquired status for a year.
Fast Track Offer: Marriott brings their yearly fast track offer where you usually get rewarded double the elite nights for a single stay on each of your paid nights. It’s an enrollment-only program and it’s not a targeted offer, which means everyone can avail it when it’s published by Marriott.
Merging Credit Card Signup/Renewal Offer: Currently only 3 cards in India offer Marriott Elite Statuses.
1) AMEX Centurion: Gold Elite Tier Status as long as the card is active. 2) AMEX Platinum Charge: Gold Elite Tier Status as long as the card is active. 3) HDFC Marriott Bonvoy: Silver Elite Tier Status as long as the card is active.
If someone is having or Planning to get the Platinum Charge card which gives the Gold Elite status, can be clubbed with the 10 free Elite Nights with the HDFC Marriott Bonvoy card, now after Marriott starts their Double Elite Night offering, one needs to stay at least 20 paid nights just to achieve the Platinum Elite Status. The sweet part is, that you’re already enjoying your Gold Elite benefits with these paid nights that came with the Platinum Charge card. You can also book ITC Hotels’ Properties which comes under The Luxury Collection, and settle the bill with Green Points of Club ITC and ask them to credit the nights to your Marriott Bonvoy account, they’ll also count it as paid nights. This may or may not work at all TLC of ITC Hotels, please do check with respective hotels during the time of check-in.
*Please do note that a few offerings may change over time. Please check at respective platforms from time to time to keep yourself updated with the latest offerings.
Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Elite status is a prestigious recognition awarded to members who have shown long-term loyalty to the Marriott hotel chain. This status comes in three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite, each offering a unique set of benefits. To attain Lifetime Elite Status, members need to fulfil specific requirements in terms of Elite Nights and years of Elite membership.
Lifetime Silver Elite: 250 lifetime nights plus 5 years of Silver Elite status or higher.
Lifetime Gold Elite: 400 lifetime nights plus 7 years of Gold Elite status or higher.
Lifetime Platinum Elite: 600 lifetime nights plus 10 years of Platinum Elite status or higher.
Marriott Bonvoy’s Elite Breakfast Benefits
Marriott Bonvoy has one of the most complicated and unnecessary breakfast benefit rules when it comes to any elite hotel chain and even die-hard Marriott loyalists won’t know them all. I will try to uncomplicate things a bit by mentioning some broad points as per their policies.
The following Marriott brands offer all guests complimentary breakfast irrespective of their elite status:
Element
Fairfield Inn & Suites (*Except Asia Pacific Region)
Residence Inn
SpringHill Suites
TownePlace Suites
The following Marriott brands don’t offer even elite members complimentary breakfast:
Design Hotels
EDITION
Marriott Grand Residence Club
Marriott Vacation Club
Sheraton Vacation Club
Westin Vacation Club
Ritz-Carlton
Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Further, if you are a Marriott Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Elite member then you can choose a welcome amenity upon check-in at most participating hotels which includes a breakfast option.
The following Marriott brands offer a complimentary breakfast as their welcome amenity:
Aloft
Autograph Collection (resorts only)
Delta (resorts only)
Four Points by Sheraton
JW Marriott (resorts only)
Le Meridien
Luxury Collection
Marriott (resorts only)
Protea
Renaissance (resorts only)
Sheraton
St. Regis
Tribute Portfolio
Westin
W
The following Marriott brands allow elite members to select a food and beverage credit as their welcome amenity which can redeemed for breakfast or any other meal:
AC Hotels
Autograph Collection (hotels only)
Courtyard
Delta (hotels only)
Gaylord
JW Marriott (hotels only)
Marriott (hotels only)
Moxy
Renaissance (hotels only)
Executive Lounge Access
The most loved benefit of Marriot Bonvoy is its executive lounge access which is another way to receive complimentary breakfast.
The following brands guarantee lounge access to Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Elite members only at their hotels and not the resorts:
JW Marriott.
Marriott Hotels.
Sheraton.
Delta Hotels.
Le Meridien.
Westin.
Autograph Collection.
Renaissance.
Courtyard (only outside the U.S./Canada).
Alas, there is no way to access Ritz-Carlton clubs using any elite status. If the above-mentioned brand properties have their lounge closed or if a lounge is not available at all then you will receive complimentary breakfast in the restaurant or you can choose to receive some bonus points in your Marriott Account.
Marriott STARS and Luminous Program For Enhanced Perks
The Marriott STARS and Luminous programs are elite travel agency programs that allow travellers to access unique benefits, personalized touches, and special amenities at select Marriott International luxury hotels. These programs are typically accessible through travel advisors affiliated with Marriott International’s luxury brands.
Marriott STARS Program
The STARS program is designed for an array of luxury brands within the Marriott International portfolio, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection. Guests booking through this program can enjoy exclusive benefits such as:
Daily Breakfast for Two
Complimentary Room Upgrades
Early Check-In and Late Check-Out
Customized VIP Experiences
Hotel Credits up to 100$ per day
Marriott Luminous Program
The Luminous program extends to other high-end Marriott brands like W Hotels, Autograph Collection, and more, providing enhanced travel experiences, with benefits such as:
Daily Breakfast for Two
Priority for Complimentary Room Upgrades
Early Check-In and Late Check-Out, Subject to Availability
Unique, Locally-Inspired Amenity
Access to Exclusive Experiences
You can combine these perks with your Bonvoy Elite Status and also you can earn your Elite Nights and Bonvoy Points with your paid nights. You need to search for a travel advisor who uses these programs to avail the benefits.
Club Marriott South Asia is a coveted paid membership program, that extends a plethora of exclusive benefits and privileges across participating Marriott International hotels in the region. Members can savour extensive dining benefits, including special discounts on food and beverages at numerous participating restaurants and bars within the Marriott properties.
Members can avail themselves of impressive dining discounts, allowing them to explore a variety of culinary delights at participating restaurants and bars within the Marriott hotels in South Asia. Additionally, members enjoy exclusive access to special events, promotions, and preferential rates on accommodations, enriching every stay with luxury and comfort.
Club Marriott offers two types of memberships. A hotel-specific membership can be purchased directly from a hotel’s sales desk, offering elevated perks including free stays and higher discounts. This specialized membership allows for a more tailored and enhanced experience at the respective hotel, providing more exclusive and lucrative benefits, and emphasizing the brand’s commitment to offering varied and enriched experiences to its diverse member base.
The other one is a vanilla membership which comes with Axis Reserve as long as you hold the card and with HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black for the first year. The benefits at the participating Marriott Hotels in India include:
Up to 20% off on the Best Available Rate on the base category of rooms.
Up to 20% off on the food and beverage bill at participating restaurants for up to a maximum of ten (10) guests.
Up to 20% discount on participating Marriott Spa’s in India.
Up to 20% off on dining and weekend rates on accommodation at participating Marriott hotels across Asia-Pacific.
5 one-time use gift certificates on Dining and Accommodation across participating hotels in India.
Ways to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points
In India, Marriott Bonvoy Points can be accrued through several avenues, facilitating travellers to explore more perks and benefits.
Marriott currently has only one co-branded card in India, which is partnered with HDFC Bank. This card is on Diners Club platform, being the 3rd card from HDFC Bank which is on Diners Club platform. HDFC and Marriott are targeting new customers who are still not into the Bonvoy Program yet, which can be observed by the features of the card:
HDFC Marriott Bonvoy comes with a yearly fee of ₹3,000 + GST
Silver Elite Status
10 Elite Nights
1 free award night worth 15,000 Bonvoy Points
You can earn 8 Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent on participating hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program
You can earn 4 Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent on travel, dining & entertainment categories
You can earn 4 Bonvoy Points per ₹150 spent on all other categories which qualifies to earn points
ICICI Bank is also in the process of launching its co-branded card with Marriott, though no confirmed news has surfaced yet.
Stay at Marriott Hotels
Staying at Marriott-branded hotels and their partners is a direct way to earn points. Regular members, Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite earn 10, 11, 12.5, 15, 17.5, and 17.5 points per USD respectively on qualifying charges. It also varies from the categories of the hotel brands. Please visit the official website for further details and any future changes or modifications.
Transfer Partners
Credit Card Transfer Partners
Points can be transferred from partner programs, such as credit card reward programs, to Marriott Bonvoy. Credit cards from banks like American Express and Axis Bank allow the transfer of their reward points to Marriott Bonvoy points.
Listing a few important points transfer partners:
Axis Bank:Axis Reserve, and Axis Magnus points can be transferred at a 5:2 ratio. Axis Burgundy Magnus and Axis One / Burgundy Private points can be transferred at a 5:4 ratio. Axis Atlas card points can be transferred at a 2:1 ratio.
American Express: AMEX Membership Reward Points from your favourite AMEX cards like Platinum Travel, MRCC and Gold Charge can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Bonvoy.
For detailed information, you can visit our community informational page here.
Airlines and Hotel Transfer Partners
In India, you can transfer from 3 Loyalty Programs’ points to Marriott Bonvoy Points, namely Club ITC, United MileagePlus and Japan Airline.
Club ITC: You can transfer up to 60,000 Club ITC points to Marriott Bonvoy points in a year with a 2:3 ratio. With the recent revaluation of this transfer, you’re limited to transferring 15,000 Club ITC points per quarter of a calendar year to your Marriott Bonvoy account.
United MileagePlus: You need to be a MileagePlus Premier member to be able to initiate this transfer. You can transfer up to 1,00,000 United miles per calendar year to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio.
Japan Airline: You can transfer your Japan Airlines miles to Marriott Bonvoy at a 4:3 ratio. The maximum number of points that can be transferred per calendar year is 50,000.
Dining and Spa Services
Even without a stay, dining at Marriott’s participating restaurants and availing spa services at Marriott properties could potentially earn members Bonvoy points.
Marriott Bonvoy Events
Organizing events or meetings at participating Marriott hotels can also accrue points. One can earn a maximum of 60,000 points per event. However, the Marriott Elites can earn a bonus on these events and can stack up to a 75% bonus depending on their elite status.
Exclusive Offers and Promotions
Regularly check Marriott Bonvoy’s official site for any ongoing offers, promotions, or challenges that might offer additional points or faster ways to earn them.
Refer Friends
Marriott Bonvoy will send you Bonvoy Points for referring friends to the program. You can refer up to five new members each calendar year and earn 2,000 points for up to five of their paid stays. You can earn up to 50,000 points in a year with this and the friends you’ll refer will also earn 2,000 points at each of their stays.
Family Pooling
One can transfer up to 1,00,000 Points per calendar year to another Bonvoy account and one can receive a maximum of 5,00,000 Bonvoy Points per calendar year. One needs to have an account created at least 30 days prior with a qualifying activity or created at least 90 days prior without a qualifying activity to perform this action.
Please note, that Marriott Bonvoy doesn’t allow trading points. Any suspicious activity may trigger to account review, suspension and up to permanent ban of the account. Please do transfer points where you’ll be able to give justifiable answers to Marriott Bonvoy if anything triggers the suspicious activity alert.
Buying Points
As with any other loyalty program, you do have the option to buy Marriott Bonvoy Points. Marriott often does run promotional offers of buying points, you can sometimes get up to 100% reward points with your purchases. 40-50% offers are quite common with Bonvoy promotion. You can check this link for purchasing Bonvoy Points.
Please do note that buying points only makes sense when it’s needed or else try to transfer points from credit card partners.
The Marriott Bonvoy program offers a lucrative points system, allowing members to accumulate points and enjoy a range of benefits and services. However, it’s important to note that these points are subject to expiration if there is no account activity for 24 months.
As per the official Marriott guidelines referenced, members need to ensure that they engage in qualifying activities to maintain the validity of their points. Qualifying activities can include making a stay at a participating hotel, earning or redeeming points, or any transaction that results in earning or using points. It is crucial to engage in at least one qualifying activity every 24 months to prevent points from expiring.
Transferring or gifting points, or receiving them as gifts or transfers between Marriott Bonvoy members does not constitute a qualifying activity and will not prevent points from expiring due to inactivity.
Members lacking activity for five consecutive years risk account deactivation and irreversible point forfeiture. While the lost points can not be recovered, earning new points is possible, barring account deactivation. Maintaining active status is crucial to avoid these repercussions and to continue enjoying Marriott Bonvoy benefits.
Lifetime Elite Membership Accounts in Marriott Bonvoy are exempt from the Points expiration policy; their points currently do not expire.
How to Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points
Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points effectively enables members to experience various benefits and luxuries offered by Marriott. Here are several ways to redeem these points:
Free Night Awards
Redeem points for free stays at any Marriott Bonvoy property, with the number of points required varying by hotel category and availability. Prioritize high-value redemptions and use points during peak seasons or at luxury properties to maximize value. Bonvoy Points can typically be valued at ₹.50 per point on average. Considering the current state of Bonvoy Points which is now dynamic in nature, it’s always wise to plan vacations in an effective way to reduce the points burning and gain the maximum value of your points. Few tips while booking:
If you book 5 consecutive nights, one night will become complimentary by default, so you will not be burning your points. Very useful for longer stays as it does apply for every 5 nights at a single property.
Book in off-peak season for maximum value and a chance to get more benefits out of your Elite Tier.
Transfer Marriot Bonvoy Points to Airlines
Marriott Bonvoy members can leverage their points effectively by transferring them to a multitude of airline partners, maximizing their reach and flexibility in travel options. The standard transfer ratio for most airlines is 3:1, but the value can differ depending on the partner. When transferring 60,000 points at once, Marriott provides a bonus, allowing members to receive 25,000 miles instead of the standard 20,000 with many airline partners. This advantageous conversion option enables members to optimize their points’ value by aligning them with diverse airline rewards programs, thereby accessing a broader spectrum of flight redemption opportunities, premium cabin availabilities, and global destinations. However, it is imperative to consider the transfer times, which can vary, and to research each airline’s award chart and availability to maximize the value obtained from each point transferred. You can only transfer between 3,000 to 2,40,000 points per day.
Transfer Partners List
Airline
Transfer Ratio
Transfer Bonus
Estimated Transfer Time
Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Aeroflot Bonus
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Aeromexico Club Premier
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Air Canada Aeroplan
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Air China PhoenixMiles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Air New Zealand Airpoints
200:1
—
1-2 days
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Alitalia MilleMiglia
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
American Airlines AAdvantage**
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
ANA Mileage Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Avianca LifeMiles**
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
British Airways Executive Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Delta SkyMiles**
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Emirates Skywards
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Etihad Airways Guest
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Frontier Airlines Frontier Miles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Iberia Plus
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Korean Air SKYPASS**
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
LATAM Pass
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Lufthansa Miles & More
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Qantas Frequent Flyer
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Qatar Privilege Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
United MileagePlus
3:1.1
5,275 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
Vueling Club
3:1
5,000 for every 60,000 points transferred
1-2 days
** A 5,000 Bonus offer will not be applicable for these Airline Partners.
This table contains most of the Marriott Bonvoy airline transfer partners, but always refer to the official Marriott website for the most current and accurate list, along with any additional details or restrictions.
PointSavers Awards
Occasionally, Marriott offers PointSavers awards where rooms are available for fewer points than usually required. Regularly check the PointSavers page on the Marriott website for available deals and book promptly as these are subject to availability.
Room Upgrades
Use points to enhance your stay with room upgrades. These could range from rooms with preferable views to luxurious suites, subject to availability. Before booking, check if your desired property allows room upgrades with points and inquire about availability. Alternatively, few properties do allow higher category rooms to be booked with Points or Points + Cash option, it can be beneficial if you’re looking for a guaranteed higher category room with Points.
Instant Redemptions at Property
Redeem points instantly at participating properties to cover incidental charges, such as meals, spa services, and more, right at the point of transaction. This option provides flexibility, allowing members to utilize points without pre-planning. This may not be the ideal “value-redemption” but an excellent option to be. This will come as ₹.20 per point valuation, so if you’re in absolute need of it, then only use the points.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments
Bid or redeem points for exclusive experiences, like intimate concerts, gourmet dinners, and special events, through Marriott Bonvoy Moments. These unique experiences can often offer high value and memorable returns on your points. You can browse through all the offers from their official website.
Gift Cards
Marriott Bonvoy Points can be redeemed for gift cards from various retailers, restaurants, and travel companies. Explore available gift card options within the Marriott Bonvoy online portal. Though this is not an ideal option, it’s a good-to-have option.
Charity Donations
Points can be donated to charitable organizations through the “Donate Points” feature on the Marriott Bonvoy website, making it a thoughtful way to contribute to a cause. You can visit this link to head to the donation page.
Marriott Bonvoy’s Best Rate Guarantee ensures that guests receive the most competitive rates when booking directly through Marriott. If a guest finds a lower rate on a competing website within 24 hours of booking, Marriott promises not only to match that rate but also to give an additional 25% discount or 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points. This guarantee applies after verifying that the lower rate found is for the same hotel, room type, and dates and that it carries the same cancellation policy and other booking conditions.
To claim this, guests must submit a claim form available on the Marriott website immediately after booking and at least 24 hours before the standard check-in time. After verification, guests can choose either the additional discount or the bonus points. However, this does not apply to rates found on websites that package the room with other services or products, like airfare or vacation packages.
This policy highlights Marriott’s commitment to providing its guests with the most value, ensuring satisfaction and trust in the pricing provided on its booking channels.
Bottomline
In conclusion, Marriott Bonvoy extends far beyond a conventional loyalty program for Indians, presenting a harmonious blend of luxury, value, flexibility, and diverse redemption options. It stands as a paradigm of enriched travel experiences and impeccable hospitality, ensuring that every journey is imbued with memorable moments and unparalleled value, catering to the discerning needs and evolving preferences of Indian travellers. Whether travelling for leisure or business, within India or internationally, Marriott Bonvoy’s extensive portfolio and innovative offerings make it an indispensable companion for Indians seeking enriching travel experiences. Let us know how you’ve leveraged or planning to leverage this diverse loyalty program.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 20th September 2023.
Earlier in 2023 HDFC launched Regalia Gold which is an upgraded version of their most popular HDFC Regalia credit card. With this, the HDFC Bank has positioned it just below the HDFC luxury twins HDFC Infinia Credit Card and HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card. I have recently taken a plunge into it.
Here’s everything you wish to know about the card.
1) Gift Voucher worth ₹2500 (Paid Cards) 2) Complimentary Club Vistara Silver Tier and MMT Black Elite Membership*
Renewal Fees
₹2500 + GST
Renewal Benefits
NIL
Renewal Fee Waiver
Spend ₹4L or more in a year.
*Applicable on ₹1L spent within 90 days of card issuance
HDFC has done away with reward points on both welcome and annual benefits on Regalia Gold which I found surprising since its a premium reward points based travel card.
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Maximum Capping per Calendar Month
All retail* spends
4 Reward Points per ₹150 spent (1X)
No capping
Marks & Spencers, Myntra, Nykaa & Reliance Digital
20 Reward Points per ₹150 spent (5X)
5000 per month on 4X accelerated points
*Except for Fuel, Rental Payments, Packers and Movers, Government Transactions, Wallet loads, and Easy EMI transactions.
Reward points are valid only for 2 years from the date of accumulation
Reward points accrued for Insurance transactions will have a maximum cap of 2,000 per day
Reward points accrued for Grocery transactions will have a maximum cap of 2,000 per month
HDFC Bank has a dedicated portal named SmartBuy with which we get some extra rewards and cashback.
SmartBuy Benefits
Accelerated Reward Rate
Maximum Reward Points per Calendar Month
Maximum Reward Points per Day
Upto 10X
4000
2000
It supports merchants like Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, IGP, Apple Tresor, and likes. It also supports multiple partners for travel bookings like IRCTC, RedBus, MMT and Yatra.
Exclusive Gold Catalogue (Apple, Samsung, Bose & other vouchers)
1 RP = ₹0.65
~1.73(1X) ~8.66(5X) ~17.33(10X)
₹99 + GST
Flights and Hotel bookings via SmartBuy
1 RP = ₹0.5
~1.33%(1X) ~6.65%(5X) ~13.3%(10X)
₹99 + GST
Products and Vouchers via Netbanking or SmartBuy
1 RP = upto ₹0.35
~0.93%(1X) ~4.65%(5X) ~9.3%(10X)
₹99 + GST
Cashback (Statement Credit)
1 RP = ₹0.20
~0.53%(1X) ~2.65%(5X) ~5.3%(10X)
None
Airmiles/Hotel Loyalty Points
1 RP = up to 0.50 Miles/ Points
Minimum ~1.33%(1X)
None
Redemption Value Chart.
Customers can redeem up to a maximum of 70% on travel bookings (Flights, hotels and experiences) using Reward Points. The balance amount will need to be paid via credit card.
Although the maximum value on paper lies in the redemptions via Gold Catalogue in which you can buy iPhones, Bose products and Samsung phones then you will be missing the instant card discount on the same. The best redemptions on Regalia Gold would be airmiles or hotel redemptions since it comes with a gold partner redemption list or else simply you can go for travel redemptions from the SmartBuy portal.
Get ₹1,500 Gift Voucher from Marriott, Myntra, Marks & Spencer or Reliance Digital when you spend 1.5 Lakhs in every calendar quarter.
Get ₹5,000 worth of flight vouchers when you spend ₹5 Lakhs in an anniversary year
Get an additional ₹5,000 worth of flight vouchers when you spend ₹7.5 Lakhs in an anniversary year
An anniversary year is defined as a 12-month period from card setup or the last upgrade/downgrade date.
All these benefits add up to ₹16,000 on a spend of ₹7.5L a year which is approximately 2.1% of additional benefits other than the base rewards.
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Access Via – Credit Card Complimentary Domestic Limit – 12 Visits/ Calendar year within India (Shared between Primary & maximum 3 Add-on cardholders but both cards cannot be used for the same lounge, same day). Network – Visa Signature/ MasterCard World
Access Via – Priority Pass Complimentary International Limit – 6 Visits/ Calendar year (Shared between Primary & Add-on cards)
You can apply for a Priority Pass for yourself and 3 add-on members once you complete a minimum of four retail transactions on your HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card.
If you exceed the 6 Complimentary visits, you will be charged at US $27 + GST per visit.
Airport Transfers
You can avail of 1 voucher per booking if you book your flight tickets through the Regalia Gold Unified Smartbuy portal. You have to generate your voucher code and use it in the Uber application for the airport pick-and-drop service. This voucher can be generated a maximum of twice per quarter. Quite a unique and value-oriented feature I must say.
Good Food Trail Program
Get up to 20% savings on all your restaurant bill payments via Swiggy Dineout (20k+ restaurants)
Offer inclusive of Restaurant and Swiggy Discount. Offer valid only on payments done via the Swiggy App.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
No fuel surcharge waiver is applicable on this card.
Insurance Coverage
Accidental air death cover worth Rs. 1 Crore
Emergency overseas hospitalization: up to Rs. 15 lakhs
Lost Card Liability Cover: Upto Rs 9 lakhs
Concierge Services
Enjoy the exclusive 24/7 Concierge Services on your HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card. Simply call the bank toll-free on 1860 425 1188 (India) / Email ID: regaliagold.support@smartbuyoffers.co
Forex Markup Charges
FCY Markup Fee: 2%+GST
Reward Rate: 1.3%
Net: –1% (loss)
Eligibility
Officially the bank has the following criteria but can vary as per your relationship with the bank.
For Salaried Indian national
Age: Min 21 years & Max 60 Years
Net Monthly Income > Rs 1 Lakh
For Self Employed Indian national
Age: Min 21 years & Max 65 Years
ITR > Rs 12 Lakhs per annum.
Unofficially, If you are an existing HDFC Credit Cardholder then you can ask for an upgrade if there is a 3L limit on your existing card.
TechnoFino Recommends
HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card is definitely a highly rewarding and lifestyle credit card and is also the gateway to the HDFC twins. With an upgraded list of transfer partners, travel vouchers and complimentary airport transfers this card surely packs a lot of punch.
Since many LTF Regalia holders have already received an upgrade invite to FYF Regalia Gold I would recommend them to take the plunge and enjoy the shining new card and the host of benefits that it has to offer over its predecessor.
What are your thoughts about this card? Feel free to share in the comments below.
KrisFlyer is the frequent flyer program of Singapore Airlines, the national carrier of Singapore. It is designed to reward loyal customers by offering a range of benefits and privileges. Whether you’re a frequent traveller or an occasional flyer, KrisFlyer allows you to earn miles when you fly with Singapore Airlines or its partner airlines. Singapore Airlines is very popular among Indian points and miles enthusiasts for its complex product. Singapore Airlines may not be suitable for all due to its limited connectivity but being a Star Alliance member one can easily book with partner airlines.
It’s mainly popular for its amazing First Class product called Suite which can be found in A380s. It has one of the biggest fleets of wide-body aircraft namely A350 & A380 and Boeing 777 & 787.
Membership & Tiers
Let’s dive more into the KrisFlyer membership:
KrisFlyer
You get automatically rolled into the base membership when you sign up. The benefits are as below:
Accumulate Elite miles to redeem KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, such as discounts, bonus miles, and free upgrades
Members-only promotions, deals, and offers
Mix miles and cash to purchase flights, additional baggage, and select seats
Personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld
Discounts on flight add-ons
Complimentary Wi-Fi on board all Singapore Airlines aircraft, excluding Boeing 737-800NG
KrisFlyer Elite Silver
You need to accumulate 25,000 Elite Miles to roll into the Elite Silver tier. You get all the benefits of the previous tier and the rest of the benefits are as below:
25% tier bonus on actual miles flown on Singapore Airlines and Scoot
Complimentary Standard Seat selection in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines
Automatic assignment of the best available standard seat for the travelling group on Scoot
BoardMeFirst and an additional 5kg with every baggage allowance purchase when travelling with Scoot
KrisFlyer Gold Elite
You need to accumulate 50,000 Elite Miles to roll into the Elite Gold tier. You get all the benefits of the previous tier and the rest of the benefits are as below
Worldwide lounge access, including Star Alliance lounges
Priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling
Complimentary Forward Zone Seat selection in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines
PPS Club
PPS Club is another way to get yourself pampered with added benefits if you’re travelling with Singapore Airlines as a frequent flyer. This status can only be achieved with 25,000 PPS Points which can only be accumulated based on your spending. You can earn 1 PPS Club Point per SG$ 1 spent at Singapore Airlines. With this, you get SilverKris and some partner lounge access, some partner airline benefits, added luggage allowance etc. There’s even 1 higher tier than PPS Club which is Solitaire PPS Club which can be achieved by accumulating 50,000 PPS Points.
Please do note, that you can only earn PPS points when you are travelling in Premium Cabins, which means, Economy and Premium Economy Cabins are excluded. For more information on the PPS Club, click here.
How to Earn KrisFlyer Miles
You can earn KrisFlyer Miles in various ways, but as this Ultimate Guide is made especially for the Indians, I’m going to focus on the ways where being an Indian Resident you can earn KrisFlyer Miles
Earn When You Fly
With KrisFlyer you can earn miles while flying with Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance Partner Airlines, and code-share partners as well. You can refer to this chart to determine the amount of miles you will earn. Alternatively, you can use the Miles Calculator to calculate the estimated miles.
Hotels
Accor: You can convert 4000 Accor Points to 2000 KrisFlyer miles
Agoda: You can earn 3 KrisFlyer miles for every 1$ spent
Hilton: You can convert 4000 Hilton Honors points to 500 KrisFlyer miles
Hyatt: You can convert 5000 World of Hyatt points to 2000 KrisFlyer miles
IHG: You can earn 1 or 2 KrisFlyer miles per 1$ spent depending on hotel brands. Alternatively, you can convert 10,000 IHG points to 2000 KrisFlyer miles
Marriott Bonvoy: You can earn 1 or 2 KrisFlyer miles per 1$ spent depending on hotel brands
Radisson: You can convert 10 Radisson Rewards points to 1 KrisFlyer miles
Shangri-La: You can earn 500 KrisFlyer miles per eligible stay
IHCL: You can earn 2 KrisFlyer miles per 1$ spent
Postcard Hotels: You can earn 2000 KrisFlyer miles per eligible stay
Financial Partners
Axis: With Axis Bank credit cards you can transfer Edge Reward Points at a 5:4 ratio for Axis One Card, a 5:2 ratio (Axis Reserve, Axis Magnus), 10:1 (All other Edge RP earning cards), and at 1:2 (Axis Atlas card) to KrisFlyer
AMEX: With AMEX cards, you can transfer MR points at a 2:1 ratio to KrisFlyer
Citi: With Citi Premiermiles you can transfer at a 2:1 ratio and with Prestige it’s a 1:4 ratio to KrisFlyer
HDFC: With Infinia, Diners Club Black, and Diners Club Miles you can transfer at 1:1 and with Regalia Gold, Regalia, and Diners Club Privilege you can transfer at a 2:1 ratio
HSBC: With HSBC cards you can transfer to KrisFlyer at a 2:1 ratio
Earn With Partner Flights
As Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance member, you’re entitled to earn points when travelling with Partner Airlines of Star Alliance. Apart from Star Alliance Partners, you can also earn KrisFlyer miles with non-partner airlines such as Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic. You can calculate and check how many points you’ll earn. Each partner airline has its own earning rate. Refer to this chart for more details.
Earn With KrisShop
KrisShop is a marketplace of Singapore Airlines where you can buy gadgets, perfume, and many other things. KrisShop will be discussed later on in this article. You can burn your KrisFlyer miles here but as we’re talking about earning, let’s dig down to the earning factor. You’ll earn 4 KrisFlyer miles per 1 SG$ spent. Though the value is not that great to be considered, but hey, it’s better to have options.
Redeeming KrisFlyer Miles
Booking Award Tickets
Redeeming KrisFlyer Miles is a fairly easy task. All you need is to log in to your KrisFlyer account, then go to Book Flight, select Redeem Flight, and put your route and dates, and here you’ll find the available list of the flights, which will also show other dates as well as a month.
There are two types of tickets: Saver and Advantage. Saver tickets are quite hard to find and often get sold out faster. So if you want to save those precious miles, you need to plan quite early if you want to grab those Saver tickets.
Singapore Airlines is divided into 13 zones with different mile requirements. In this Chart, you can find the requirements.
Singapore Airlines First Class Cabin
If anyone wants to explore Singapore, it’d be an excellent option for them.
Booking For Nominee
One can add up to 5 nominees to their account. You have the flexibility to remove the nominee but it comes with a flat nominal fee. This deletion will add a cool-down period of 6 months before you can add another nominee.
Upgrade Award Tickets
You can upgrade award tickets with miles. The amount of miles depends on the fare class you have booked your ticket at. Some connecting routes with mixed cabins can not be upgraded directly by yourself, you need to call Singapore Airlines’ helpline and ask them to upgrade it. For example, DEL – DSP where you’ll be going via SIN, and DEL – SIN is First Class. This will require an additional $25 or 2000 KF Miles as a rebooking fee per person. Please note, that you can not upgrade the partner airline’s ticket with KrisFlyer miles.
Singapore Airlines Business Class on A380
Redemption on Partner Airlines
As a Star Alliance member, you can use your KrisFlyer miles to book partner airlines’ flights. The only issue is that KrisFlyer does impose a fuel surcharge, which can pump up the cash burn. You can check this Partners’ Redemption Chart for further details.
KrisShop
KrishShop is helpful when you don’t have any travel plan before the miles expire. It helps you to get usually more than that ₹.50 value. You get multiple categories of products to browse from Apple iPhone to jewellery, many things are there to choose from. You can visit KrisShop by clicking here.
Redemption Examples
Singapore Airlines has a very good network in South East Asia, Europe, USA. The SE Asia redemption is pretty common with Singapore Airlines. From my personal experience, when Axis Bank introduced the points transferring opportunity, Singapore Airlines was the first frequent flyer program where I transferred my points.
SE Asia: BOM – SIN, BOM – DPS, DEL – SIN, DEL – DPS are some of the most popular routes and guess what, if you want to experience the big bird A380, BOM/DEL – SIN is the route for a beginner to even experience the F Suites. The Business Class one way is 43,000 KF Miles and for the F / F Suites it’s 58,500, both are on savers
USA: For this sector, you can try the BOM – JFK route which will come at 1,36,500 KF Miles.
UK: Here’s one of my favourite routes, which is BOM – ZRH which will come at 1,46,000 KF Miles.
Rescheduling & Cancellation
Type of Change / Cancellation
Saver
Advantage
Change of date for Singapore Airlines
25
0
Change of route/cabin class/award seat type/addition of stopover on Singapore Airlines
25
25
Change of date/route/flight/carrier on Partner Airlines
50
NA
Redeposit of miles for award redemption/upgrades
75
50
*all the values are in USD
Stop-Over
One of the best features of Singapore Airlines is to have free stopovers. You can have 1 stopover in a one-way ticket for Advantage redemption and 2 stopovers for a round trip on Advantage and 1 stopover for Saver.
Family Pooling
Family pooling for Singapore Airlines is actually between child and parent. It gives the flexibility to the parents to use the earned miles on the child’s account. This specifically is not useful for most people due to this specific condition restriction. Please do note, you can not transfer other’s credit card’s points to your account or vice versa because it’s not applicable according to the T&C. This may cause temporary suspension or permanent ban and forfeit of the points.
Waitlist
With the waitlist, you can nominate yourself for the unreleased award tickets, which can be available prior 3 weeks of departure. It’s an easy way to save yourself from constantly checking for the availability of the same. The waitlist will require you to have the same amount of points available to your account to make the booking go through. If you get the waitlisted ticket, you need to complete the transaction within 72 hours of the initiative. If you don’t get the waitlisted ticket, it’ll automatically get cancelled 2 weeks before the scheduled flight. As mentioned in the tiers of Elite Status, it helps you to gain priority on this waitlist.
Spontaneous Escapes
Spontaneous Escapes is a promo which gets run by Singapore Airlines where you can save up to 30% of the usual redemption value. This applies to a few routes only and with some blackout dates. This also comes with restrictions like non-cancellable and non-changeable tickets. So if you only can plan on very short notice of 1 month, it’s for you. You can only book till Business Class, First Class tickets are excluded.
KrisFlyer Gold Lounge
KrisFlyer Gold Lounge can be accessed by KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members departing from Singapore. KrisFlyer Gold Lounge is at Changi Airport’s T2 and T3. If one is travelling with Economy or Premium Economy, it’s a great perk to have.
SilverKris Lounge
If you’re a PPS Club member, KrisFlyer Gold or Flying Singapore Airline’s First or Business Class, you will have complimentary access to SilverKris Lounge which is one of the best Airline Lounge you can experience. The cherry on the cake, if you’re flying First Class, you will have access to Private Rooms in the lounge which can fulfil your basic needs and can have the best customised Chef’s Special meals.
Helpline
You can directly get in touch with Singapore Airlines over the call from within or outside of India. To get in touch with them, dial: Within India: 1800 121212 Outside of India: +91 22501 66046
Bottomline
Singapore Airlines is an amazing airline with one of the most straightforward loyalty programs. For all beginners who want to experience the luxury, it’s a no-brainer. With up to 4 business class award seats and two first class award seats, the availability is quite decent. For the first class, they release the inventory about 1-2 months prior, so keep checking if you have any plans with that. The value of the miles are class part, but at the end of the day, make sure you’re using your valuable miles wisely, and getting the best of the experience.
Let us know if you’ve made any plans for it or already have experienced it. Would love to listen to them!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 10th September 2023.
IndusInd Pioneer Heritage credit card is one of the few MasterCard World Elite cards available in India given to their HNI clients. This card is also the first metal card ever launched by IndusInd Bank. The card comes in two variants Pioneer Heritage credit card and Pioneer Heritage Metal credit card. The USP of these cards is the lifestyle benefits that no other card in India provides right now.
The fee point of these cards is also way higher since it’s not meant for the masses. But is it worth the fee for you? Let’s check it out! Also at the end of the article, I will tell you supposedly the best way to get this card.
Welcome Vouchers are equal to the fee paid. Vouchers include Non-Essential Vouchagram/ Luxe Gift Vouchers/ Oberoi Hotels Stay Voucher/ PostCard Hotels Stay Voucher
Renewal Benefits
NIL
Renewal Fee Waiver
Full fee waiver on spending ₹10L in a year.
Add-on Card Fees
NIL
No Late Payment Fee and no Over Limit Fee
No Cash Advancement / Withdrawal Charges
The joining fee is well compensated by the joining vouchers. If it still seems high to you then you can negotiate with the bank and they may consider based on your relationship with the bank since I have seen many approvals for LTF cards at ₹90K fee points that too just for Oberoi Vouchers as compared to a mix of all the vouchers.
IndusInd Heritage Metal Credit Card comes in a very useful wooden Jewellery Box.
IndusInd provides a wooden jewellery box with this card which is much better than the Axis Reserve‘s useless cardboard boxes.
Voucher Options
The most popular choices are Oberoi Hotels and PostCard Hotels. I would say that this is also the best way to get the card if you are planning to stay in a luxury hotel for a lifetime experience for a special memorable occasion.
For a PostCard Voucher worth ₹45K you can get two night’s stay in the luxury room of the Postcard on the Arabian Sea which goes north of ₹50K with GST per night. Since I have already explored PostCard Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and PostCard Hideaway Netravali Goa hence I can vouch for their extremely amazing hospitality!
The Postcard on the Arabian Sea, Maravanthe Beach Karnataka
And for an Oberoi Voucher worth ₹50K you can get two night’s stay in the luxury tent of the Oberoi Vanyavilas which goes north of ₹60K with GST per night.
Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambore
And if you are planning an international holiday in the lap of nature then you use your ₹45K Postcard voucher for a single night in the luxury room at Postcard Dewa, Bhutan which costs about ₹80K a night including Bhutan Sales Tax.
The Postcard Dewa, Thimpu, Bhutan
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Points Earning Rate
All Domestic Spends
1 Reward Point/ ₹100
Utility Bill Payments Insurance Premium Payments Government Services/Charges/Payments Education Institute Fees Real Estate/Rental Payments
0.70 Reward Point/ ₹100
International Spends
2.5 Reward Points/ ₹100
Reward Points Redemption
Redemption Options
Value Per Point
Reward Rate
Statement Cash
₹1
1% – 2.5%
Airmiles Club Vistara
1 CV Point
Minimum 1% – 2.5%
E-Gift Vouchers
₹1
1% – 2.5%
You can redeem a minimum of 500 reward points against Cash Credit and AirMiles
Only up to 30,000 reward points can be redeemed per statement cycle
There is no reward redemption fee applicable to this card.
The reward rate as you can see quite poor, especially on domestic transactions in comparison to the stature that this card holds keeping in mind that this card comes with zero milestone benefits. Indusind needs to work on the reward rate and bring some milestone benefits on this card since even Indusind Pinnacle which comes at one-fourth the fee rewards much better than this.
Milestone Benefits
Indusind Pioneer Heritage Metal credit card offers no milestone benefits which is highly surprising for this fee point.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Access Type
Access Via
Complimentary Access
Domestic
Pioneer Heritage Metal
Unlimited
International
Priority Pass/Lounge Key
Unlimited
You get unlimited domestic lounge access for the primary cardholder which though not categorically stated can be shared with add-on holders. And, since the priority pass with this card comes with no guest access, international usage is only for the primary cardholder.
Eazydiner Complimentary Dining Vouchers
Now here comes the most sought and the unique benefit of this card. How about a meal at a luxurious restaurant in your city for absolutely free twice a year? Yes, you have read it right. This card offers you a dining voucher worth ₹3,000 twice a year with a 6-month cooldown period in between which can be used for minimum billing of ₹500 at select restaurants all over India in collaboration with EazyDiner. The list of the select restaurants can be accessed from here.
BookMyShow Offer
A larger-than-life offer for you to take a break and unwind with movies, events and concerts. Another unique offer from IndusInd Bank that tempts you to get this card.
Movies: 4 Complimentary movie tickets up to ₹1,000 on each ticket per quarter
Events and Concerts: 20% discount up to ₹350 per on non-movie events
This card provides a toned-down version of Club ITC Culinaire and doesn’t offer the Free Night Stay instead they give a 3rd night stay on booking two revenue nights. It also offers just 1 room upgrade voucher instead of two. But it does provide two 50% and 20% off F&B Vouchers each. This membership is renewed every year complimentary till you hold an active card.
Earn Green Points at 25% on all eligible Food & Beverage spent at participating ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels
Earn Green Points at 5% on all eligible non-food and beverage spend at participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels & Fortune Hotels
Enjoy savings of 20% on Food and beverage spending at participating Fortune Hotels (valid for up to 8 guests including the member)
Golf Benefits
The primary cardholders get unlimited complimentary rounds at selected golf courses every year
You also get unlimited golf lessons at select golf courses
The unlimited golf benefit on this card places it in the league of HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black. For booking golfing sessions you can proceed here.
Further, if you hold its MasterCard Elite version then you get the following benefits which can be booked from here.
12 rounds of complimentary green fees for a year, not exceeding 3 rounds of complimentary green fees in a calendar quarter
4 complimentary green fee access for guests, not exceeding 1 complimentary guest green fee in a calendar quarter
12 complimentary golf lessons every year, not exceeding 3 lessons in a calendar quarter
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
This card provides an unlimited 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all the fuel stations for transactions ₹400 to ₹4000.
Forex Markup
This card provides a reduced forex markup charge of only 1.8% + GST and with an accelerated reward rate of 2.5% on international spending the net reward rate is around 0.30% only.
Insurance Benefits
You get a complimentary air accident protection cover worth up to ₹2.5 crore on this credit card
A protection liability cover in case of any fraudulent transactions reported within 48 hours
Eligibility
The first and foremost criterion to even apply for an IndusInd Pioneer Heritage card is to get a Pioneer Banking relationship. A Pioneer Banking relationship with IndusInd Bank requires
AQB Requirement: ₹10L (Savings+Current)
NRV Requirement: ₹30L (All Investments Combined) with ₹1L+ on Savings Account
TechnoFino Recommends
IndusInd Pioneer Heritage Metal credit card benefit guide and packaging.
IndusInd Pioneer Heritage card is indeed a pioneer regarding lifestyle benefits since it can take good care of your dining and entertainment expenses every year. A card of such high fees is intended only for the HNIs and IndusInd Bank is very clear with its target market since this card is exclusively given to their Pioneer banking customers.
I would like to suggest that if you wish to take this card then the best route is to get those luxury hotel vouchers which come with 6 months validity and have a good staycation with your family and after that enjoy all the great features on dining, golfing and entertainment on this card for life. So better take this card first and then plan those special occasions like your better half’s birthday, your marriage anniversary or even your honeymoon. But then this doesn’t work for everyone and depends on their lifestyle as well.
Do you hold this metallic beauty? What welcome vouchers did you take?
Credit cards were not very popular in India, at least until 2015. In the last few years, credit cards have become one of the preferred methods of digital payment. As you all know, India is the number one country in the world in terms of digital payments. More people are joining this digital payment revolution day by day. In January 2015, the total number of credit card users was 2,06,12,165 (Source: RBI Data). This number grew to 2,88,45,858, with approximately 83.33 lakhs credit cards added by the end of January, 2017. In January 2019, the total credit card users numbered 4,51,71,042, and by July 2023, it’s standing at 8,98,73,251, almost 9 crore credit cards. It is forecasted that this number might grow to 10 crore by the end of the current financial year.
On the other hand, foreign banks are struggling with their credit card business. Big credit card companies and banks like American Express, HSBC, and Standard Chartered are all struggling in India. If we look at the last 6 months’ data, we can clearly understand that something is wrong with most foreign banks. Foreign banks have a history of struggling with their credit card business in India. In 2011, Deutsche Bank sold its credit card business to IndusInd Bank, and just two years later, in 2013, Barclays Bank sold its credit card business to Standard Chartered and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Same year, RBL Bank has acquired RBS credit card business in India. Recently, in 2022, CitiBank sold its Indian banking business, including the credit card portfolio, to Axis Bank. So why are all these foreign banks leaving India or struggling?
Let’s examine the current numbers of foreign banks, and then we’ll try to understand the possible reasons for this.
If you look at the above data sheet, you’ll find that Amex India is only adding approximately 4600 credit cards per month. HSBC Bank is in the negative, continuously losing customers after March 2023, and the numbers are high, which is a bit concerning for HSBC Bank. The same goes for Standard Chartered Bank; after February 2023, they are constantly losing customers. SBM Bank, known as a fintech-friendly bank, was growing rapidly last year, but due to some KYC and LRS transaction-related problems, they lost almost 1.4 lakhs credit cards. However, they have started to recover. They just need to fix their issues, and they can get back on track as they are associated with many growing fintech companies. SBM understands today’s generation and the importance of tech-friendly facilities.
On the other hand, DBS Bank is continuously growing. They have added almost 1,82,000 credit cards in the last 6 months, and the numbers are increasing. It might seem strange that without a strong credit card offering, DBS is managing to outperform other foreign banks with a very strong credit card portfolio like Amex, SC, and HSBC. Let me remind you that DBS Bank is issuing credit cards in partnership with Bajaj Finance. It’s because of Bajaj Fin that they are able to issue such a number of credit cards.
If you look at the per-card spending data, you can see that only Amex India is surpassing the average per-card spending figure by a significant margin. Standard Chartered, HSBC, and DBS Bank have per-card spends almost Rs. 5000 less than the industry average, while SBM Bank has the lowest figures, with cardholders spending only about Rs. 1400 per card. From this data, you can understand the importance of quality customers. At the end of the day, the business you receive from your customers is crucial, and Amex India is consistently doing an amazing job of maintaining such high per-card spending figures. In July, Amex had the highest per-card spending in India, and in June, they were in the second position.
But why are most foreign banks struggling in India? There are a few possible reasons:
Limited Service Area: If you check the service areas of all struggling foreign banks, you’ll find that they serve a very limited number of cities, mostly metro cities. Big banks like HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Amex India only serve 10 to 13 cities in India. Recently, Amex India started offering their cards in Tier II cities as well. On the other hand, well-performing banks like SBM and DBS offer their credit cards in maximum Tier II and even Tier III cities.
Less Banking Network: Foreign banks only have a physical presence in Tier I cities, so reaching more customers is a real challenge for them.
Cross-Selling Credit Cards: As I already mentioned, foreign banks are only present in Tier I cities, so their customer base is also smaller compared to our Indian banks. More banking customers mean that the bank can cross-sell credit cards to more customers. But foreign banks lag behind in this aspect.
Credit Card Benefits & Rewards: Good-quality products can be sold without much marketing. Most foreign banks have been offering the same credit cards for the last 5 years without any major changes or upgrades. However, in the last 2 or 3 years, Indian banks like HDFC Bank, SBI Card, Axis Bank, etc., have significantly upgraded their credit card offerings, launching multiple credit cards with amazing benefits and reward systems. Naturally, they are selling more credit cards than any foreign banks. Foreign banks should review their credit card portfolios and try to offer similar or better deals.
High and Strict Eligibility Criteria: Most foreign banks have very high and strict eligibility criteria for their credit cards. Having a good credit score and income may not get you a credit card from banks like Standard Chartered or HSBC Bank. They analyze your credit profile, match your income with other credit card’s limit or loans you already have from the same or different banks, and then decide.
Those days are gone when people used to think that only those living in Tier I cities could have credit cards. There was a general assumption that only the elite class used credit cards, but this is far from true. You might think that merchants in Tier III cities or semi-rural areas wouldn’t have POS machines to accept credit cards, but surprisingly, many merchants in those areas do accept card payments. Moreover, nowadays, we can pay any small merchant using a RuPay credit card via the UPI network. This is the era of digital transactions; we shop online, order food online, buy electronics online, pay education fees online, pay taxes online, buy insurance online – everything is online. So, even people living in remote places are using credit cards for their online shopping and other payments. Foreign banks need to break free from their old mindset. They must expand their service areas if they genuinely want to grow their business in India. They also need to simplify their application process. SBI Card, India’s second-largest credit card issuer, may overtake the largest card issuer, HDFC Bank, in a few months, all because of their reach. They are issuing credit cards in many rural areas, and the State Bank of India is present almost everywhere, boasting the largest banking network in India.
Selling credit cards solely in the name of exclusivity won’t work for long either. Amex India has always tried to follow this approach, selling cards in the name of exclusivity. However, over time, people have come to understand credit cards better. They are choosing lucrative benefits and rewards at lower prices over exclusivity. Overall, this is a positive trend for Indian banks. Indian banks have been doing exceptionally well with their credit card offerings in recent times. But competition makes products better for consumers. Hopefully, we’ll see some fresh and lucrative offerings from a few foreign banks, at least from Amex India.
AMEX Platinum Travel as the name suggests is a travel-based card for all AMEX enthusiasts. I would call this another no-brainer card from the AMEX stable. I have reviewed the other AMEX cards like AMEX Gold Charge and AMEX MRCC here.
Let’s check out what is so tempting about this card!
2000 MR Points on spending ₹5,000 within 90 days (Referral Cards) Or 10000 MR Points on spending ₹15,000 in the first 90 days (Paid Cards)
Renewal Fees
₹5,000+ GST
Renewal Benefits
NIL
Renewal Fee Waiver
NA
Add on Cards
2 complimentary supplementary cards are provided.
AMEX doesn’t give you a spends-based fee waiver but you may get a waiver or a retention offer to keep you in the loop. Especially if you hold other AMEX cards then AMEX really values the overall relationship. Even then the rewards of this make up for the fee very easily.
Application through referral is a clear-cut winner due to the extra NIL Joining fees. Check out the link for detailed referral benefits information. You can apply for any of the six AMEX Cards available in India via this link.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
Disclaimer:I will receive a referral bonus for anyone who applies for and is approved for the card through the above link.
If you face any problems in the application process you can contact me on Technofino Community.
You can choose to apply for any AMEX card from the link in the banner. To choose and apply a card of your choice simply click on the View All Cards option and select one. All the information for that particular card is readily available on the website.
Regular Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Capping
All Spends*
1 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
NA
*Spends exclude Insurance payments, Utilities and Fuel but are counted for milestone spends.
Reward points never expire.
You get to earn MR points even on wallet loads.
Milestone Benefits
Spend Milestone
Regular MR Points
Bonus MR Points
Spend ₹1.90L in a year
3800
15000
Spend ₹4L in a year
4200
25000 + ₹10K Taj Voucher
Cumulative Points
8000
40000 + ₹10K Taj Voucher
You can get up to 48000 MR points on completing both milestones.
Technofino Tip: Credit of AMEX points on completing the milestones is not automatic. After completion of the first milestone, you will get 7500 MR points automatically and the rest of the points will need to be requested from AMEX and same goes for the 4L milestone.
AMEX Reward Multiplier
AMEX has a Reward Multiplier portal just like HDFC Smartbuy from where you can purchase gift vouchers or do affiliate shopping and get 3X the usual reward points.
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Reward Multiplier
3 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
Reward Redemption
Statement Credit/ Pay with Points
AMEX allows you to take a statement credit on eligible transactions or pay with points on select merchants while entering OTP for your transaction at a value of 25p/point. Most of the new AMEX cardholders use this redemption method but trust me there can’t be a method worse than this to use your MR Points. They are much more valuable than this so kindly ignore these two options.
Travel With Points
Another method to redeem your MR points. With this, you can purchase flights, prepaid hotels, car rentals, and more on AmexTravel. Again this gives you a value of 25p/MR point and is highly not recommended.
Insta Vouchers
AMEX further offers you a huge variety of instant vouchers against your MR points which have different values for different brands.
VoucherBrand
Value Per Point
Taj Stays
50p/MR Point
Flipkart
30p/MR Point
Amazon Pay
22p/MR Point
Others
25p/MR Point
Clearly, this card is meant for travel only since MR points are better redeemed for Taj Stays Voucher or Marriott Transfer since that is where the value lies.
TechnoFino Tip: Since the MR points are credited into a common pool so if you hold either an AMEX MRCC or an AMEX Gold Charge then you can redeem them for AMEX Gold Collection Vouchers which will you a much better value.
Like redeeming a 24K Taj Voucher will give 58p/MR Point and Amazon Pay/ Flipkart Voucher will give you just 37p/ MR Point.
Transfer Points
Now, this is the hottest redemption option for MR points and if you can play well with this you can yield values of even greater than a rupee per point.
Airlines Transfer Partners
AMEX allows you to transfer points to 8 different airline partners and some of them are so unique that none of the Indian credit cards allows you to transfer points to them like Asia Miles. We have a curated list of all AMEX airline transfer partners here. For booking award tickets using points, you can refer to this post on the TechnoFino Community.
Hotel Transfer Partners
Now, this is the most sought redemption option since anyone with a Platinum or Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy can just extract a value of more than 1Re/MR point by transferring a 1:1 ratio with suite upgrades, Breakfast and lounge access with complimentary drinks are an added plus. Since AMEX is the sole transfer partner to Marriott Bonvoy, many points miners use MR points only for transfer to Marriott.
Other than this you can transfer to Hilton Honors also but the value is not that great as compared to Marriott. We have curated a complete list of AMEX hotel transfer partners here.
It takes about 0-5 days to transfer Amex MR Points to various loyalty programs so transfer them well in advance to use them.
TechnoFino Maximum
This card is good for just ₹4L spent in a year and after that, the spending can be put on other cards.
Spend Milestone
Regular MR Points
Bonus MR Points
Spend ₹1.90L in a year
3800
15000
Spend ₹4L in a year
4200
25000 + ₹10K Taj Voucher
Cumulative Points
8000
40000 + ₹10K Taj Voucher
On completing both the milestones you will have 48000 MR points in your kitty along with a Taj Voucher worth ₹10,000.
Now with a value of 50p/MR point when redeemed for travel one would get a ₹34,000 worth (including TAJ voucher) reward value on completing both milestones which converts to an 8.5% reward rate. I mean what more can one ask for?
If you are not into travelling and will redeem the points for Flipkart vouchers then the value drops to ₹24,400 and the reward rate comes out to be nearly 6.1% which is also not bad in my opinion.
And if you hold any of the gold collection cards along with this card then with 58p/ MR Point value on a 24K Taj Voucher redemption you can easily earn up to a 9.5% reward rate. Even for cash-back lovers 18,000 worth of cash equivalent Amazon Pay vouchers along with a ₹10K Taj Voucher the reward rate translates into 7%!!!
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Access Type
Access Via
Complimentary Access Limit
Domestic
AMEX Credit Card
2/Quarter
International
Priority Pass
NIL
You are eligible to access only third-party airport lounges using AMEX Platinum Travel since to access AMEX Proprietary lounges you need to have an AMEX Platinum Charge card.
For International lounges only the Priority Pass membership is complimentary and all access will be chargeable. Also, access is restricted only to primary cardholders.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
0% for HPCL transactions less than ₹5,000,1% fee per transaction is applicable for all HPCL transactions on and above ₹5,000.
1% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations operated by the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies BPCL and IOCL.
2.5% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations of all other Oil Marketing Companies (except HPCL, BPCL and IOCL).
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST.
Eligibility Criteria
For the AMEX Platinum Travel card an income proof of a minimum gross ₹6LPA is required whether you are salaried or self-employed. AMEX doesn’t process applications on a Card-to-Card basis.
Your CIBIL score should be a minimum of 750.
You must have an address proof of any serviceable area.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
Application through referral is a clear-cut winner due to the extra NIL Joining fees. Check out the link for detailed referral benefits information. You can apply for any of the six AMEX Cards available in India via this link. Even better, you can also get another 2000 Bonus MR Points by spending ₹5000 within 90 days of membership.
TechnoFino Recommends
AMEX Platinum Travel is one of their best credit cards which provides an exceptional reward rate of 8.5% and is one of my go-to cards till I complete its milestone for the year. The only issue with AMEX cards is low acceptance but if you swipe your cards in premium places then there is nothing to stop you from clinching all of those milestones.
Isn’t AMEX Platinum Travel a no-brainer for all? Feel free to share your tricks in the comments below.
Complimentary lounge access stands as one of the widely promoted features of credit cards. Almost all mid-range and higher-tier credit cards offer free lounge access to their customers, with even some entry-level credit cards featuring this perk. Due to the extensive advertising, a surge in air travelers, and increased credit card users, banks are grappling to continue offering free lounge access across their entry-level, mid-range, and premium credit cards. Some banks have introduced certain conditions, while others have completely eliminated the lounge access facility from their cards.
So, what costs do banks incur when offering free lounge access? Before delving into the costs, it’s important to understand how free lounge access operates. Refer to my previous article [Free Airport Lounge Access Using Credit Cards: How It Works] on this topic for more insights. Banks and airport lounge companies function independently, lacking direct contact or connection. Instead, intermediary aggregator companies step in. Entities such as PriorityPass, Dreamfolks, and others establish partnerships with airport lounge companies and credit card issuers. These aggregators bridge the gap between banks and airport lounges, extending free access benefits to the banks’ credit cardholders.
Banks can provide free airport lounge access through two methods:
Via Card Network: Employing the “Via Card Network” approach, banks purchase bulk free lounge visits from the card network associated with the credit card. For example, if your credit card network is Visa, the bank would already have a tie-up with Visa for issuing their credit cards. Visa, in turn, collaborates with various airport lounges worldwide. The bank pays a per-visit fee to Visa and grants its customers free airport lounge access.
Via Aggregator Company: In the “Via Aggregator Company” method, banks directly partner with aggregators like PriorityPass or Dreamfolks. These aggregators connect banks with airport lounges across the globe. Here, the bank pays a per-visit fee to the aggregator company, which then purchases lounge visits in bulk from the actual airport lounge providers. This ultimately offers customers free airport lounge access.
Now, moving to the core point – what are the actual costs of providing free lounge access? In both scenarios, the bank covers the cost of furnishing free airport lounge access to customers. While cardholders enjoy the benefits of complimentary lounge access, the bank bears the expenses. The per-visit charges vary based on the bank’s bargaining power and location. For instance, if you were to access airport lounges in India without a credit card offering this benefit, you might pay anywhere from Rs. 800 to Rs. 2500, depending on the location. However, for banks, this rate is considerably lower than the regular public rate. Banks generally pay between Rs. 200 to 1000 per visit, depending on the location and their negotiation strength.
The Growing Pressure on Banks: With the continuous rise in air traffic, offering free lounge access has posed a financial challenge for banks. They are spending substantial sums to provide lounge access to customers. Many customers who don’t frequently use their credit cards still avail the free lounge benefit, resulting in no income generation for the bank from those customers. As a result, banks are now stipulating specific spending criteria that customers must meet within a designated time frame before enjoying free lounge access. For instance, lifetime free credit cardholders from IDFC First Bank can only avail free airport lounge benefits if they spend Rs. 5000 in the previous month. Major players like ICICI Bank require customers holding premium credit cards such as ICICI Sapphiro and Rubyx to spend Rs. 5000 in the previous quarter to access free lounges in the current quarter. In response to increasing costs, some card issuers have been compelled to eliminate free lounge access benefits from certain credit cards. For example, SBI Card removed lounge access benefits from their SBI cashback credit card to curtail expenses.
The Future of Complimentary Airport Lounge Access: Today, people are increasingly choosing air travel over railways due to rising railway fares. Rather than booking AC Tier 2 and Tier 1 tickets, one can secure a flight ticket at nearly the same rate. Consequently, air traffic is growing day by day, and airport lounges are becoming overcrowded due to credit card-linked free lounge access. Banks are finding it challenging to continue offering airport lounges for free. As a result, they have begun implementing various conditions. In the near future, we might witness the complete removal of lounge access from entry-level and mid-range credit cards. Moreover, banks may raise the spending criteria for premium cards to grant free access. I believe that banks should also extend premium treatment to their top-tier super-premium credit cards, such as a dedicated section at the airport lounge or queue-less entry.
Having a high credit limit on your credit card can be beneficial in some cases, but it can also have drawbacks in others. However, we generally prefer to maintain a high credit limit on our credit card. Typically, we don’t receive a very high credit limit when signing up for a new credit card. However, if we use the card responsibly over an extended period, the bank might gradually increase our credit limit. Banks routinely review our credit card accounts, and if they deem us eligible for a credit limit increase or card upgrade, they may offer it.
However, banks sometimes decrease our credit card limit. There are several reasons behind this decision. Let’s delve into these reasons to better understand why.
Banks review our credit profile periodically, checking credit reports like the CIBIL report. If they identify any issues that could raise concerns about our repayment capabilities, they might decide to decrease our credit limit. Here are a few reasons related to credit profiles:
A significant drop in the customer’s credit score: If your credit score (such as the CIBIL Score) experiences a steep decline within a short time frame, (For example, if someone’s CIBIL score drops from 750 to 690), the bank might raise a flag on your account and reduce your credit card limit.
Excessive Credit Limit Exposure: A significant and sudden increase in the total credit limits across other credit cards can also be a reason. For instance, let’s say you initially have 10 credit cards with a total credit limit of 20 lakhs. Within the next year, you apply for and are approved for 10 more credit cards with a total credit limit of 70 lakhs. This means your total credit card count becomes 20, and your total credit limit increases to 90 lakhs. If your income isn’t sufficient to manage this sudden 70 lakhs jump, the older banks might decide to reduce your credit limit, citing a potentially risky credit profile.
Delay Bill Payment: Failure to make timely payments of credit card bills can lead to a reduction in your credit limit. If you repeatedly miss payments on your credit card bills, the bank may decide to lower your credit limit.
Delayed payments of bills or loan EMIs from other banks’ credit cards: If you have credit cards or loans from other banks and fail to make timely payments of bills and loan EMIs, banks may choose to decrease your credit card limit.
Those are a few reasons related to your credit profile; however, banks may also lower your limit for a few other reasons.
1. Financial or Other Problems in Your Country: If there is a financial crisis or any other adverse situation in your country due to natural or man-made factors, banks might choose to decrease their total credit exposure. This can ultimately result in the reduction of their customers’ credit limits. We witnessed such cases in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic affected us significantly. HDFC Bank and a few other banks decided to decrease their customers’ credit limits during that time.
2. Misusing Credit Card: If you misuse your credit card or attempt to manipulate its reward system to earn more rewards, banks might choose to cancel your credit card. In such cases, they may also opt to lower your credit limit.
What can you do if the bank reduces your credit card limit? Banks can decrease your credit card limit without prior notice, leaving you with limited options in such cases. According to the RBI, banks cannot increase your credit limit without your consent, but they can reduce it without your consent or notification if they perceive your profile as risky.
If the bank decreases your credit limit, reach out to them via email. Inquire about the reason behind their decision and kindly request them to reinstate your previous limit. Provide insights about your credit profile and explain why you hold significance to the bank. With luck, they will consider your request.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 27th July 2023.
The recently launched HDFC Swiggy Credit card makes it the first cobrand card for the food cum instant grocery delivery giant. This card is surely going to delight a lot of foodies.
Spend ₹2L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver.
Add-on Fees
NIL
Card Category
Cashback
As you can see the joining fee is being compensated with a 3 months Swiggy One Membership which I would say is not clever on their part. The card could have been priced a bit higher and provided with a Swiggy One membership as long as the card is active.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
CashbackRate
Capping
Food ordering, Instamart, Dineout & Genie on Swiggy*
10%
Maximum discount of ₹1,500 per statement cycle.
Online Spends (Apparel, Department Store, Electronics, Entertainment, Home Decor Medical Stores & Pharmacies, Personal Care, Local Cabs, Pet Stores & Supplies & Discount Stores)
5%
Maximum discount of ₹1,500 per statement cycle.
Others
1%
Maximum discount of ₹500 per statement cycle.
*Cashback cannot be earned on transactions made using Swiggy Money Wallet, Swiggy Minis & Swiggy Liquor, and any other categories decided later (if any).
Only Selected merchants are valid for 5% cashback.
No cash back for transactions less than ₹100.
No cash back will be given for Fuel, Rent, EMI, Wallet Loads, Jewellery and Government transactions.
The cashback will always be rounded down to the nearest integer on every transaction.
Card Cashback will be auto-credited to the Swiggy Money account within 10 days of statement generation.
HDFC strangely haven’t clearly stated the name of the merchants eligible for the 5% cashback and will not give the customers confidence in doing any spending on that category.
TechnoFino Maximum
Spending ₹15,000 on the Swiggy portal will maximize your savings of ₹1,500 per month. The online spending cashback capping gets breached at ₹30,000 per statement cycle.
TechnoFino Recommends
I have never written such a short review on TechnoFino for any other card. Surprised to see a card with no milestone benefits, lounge access and even a fuel surcharge waiver. Also, The joining fee is also not well compensated here. I would say, that the Swiggy HDFC card is really made for Swiggy-holics, since with no other visible benefits grab it only if you spend a lot on Swiggy.
The good thing about this card is that it will come on the MasterCard World platform and will provide the associated perks and even current HDFC card holders can apply for this card. Also, a 10% discount on Swiggy Instamart with no exclusions items is also a worthy thing to note. Still, the product looks sustainable in the long run, unlike the RBL-Zomato debacle.
A much more versatile card which gives direct cashback and competition to this card is the Axis Airtel. The Card will be available for application in Swiggy App in the next 10 days.
Are you also planning to grab this card? Share your thoughts below!
Free Airport Lounge Access Using Credit Cards: How It Works and How Much Banks Spend for Your Free Lounge Access.
If you’re a frequent air traveler, you’re probably familiar with the concept of airport lounges. And if you’re a credit card user, you might have heard about the attractive benefit of complimentary airport lounge access that comes with certain credit cards. Many credit cards offer this perk, and the number of free lounge visits depends on the credit card variant. But have you ever wondered how banks manage to offer you this seemingly luxurious benefit? How much does it actually cost the bank? And who arranges these services? Let’s delve into the intricacies and find answers to these intriguing questions.
The Why Behind Banks Offering Free Lounge Access: Banks provide complimentary airport lounge access with many credit cards to attract frequent air travelers. As air traffic continues to increase in India, banks aim to target those who travel by air frequently. It can be assumed that people who travel frequently by air tend to earn more than the average Indian and possess a higher spending power. For banks, attracting such customers translates to higher credit card usage, resulting in increased income.
Do Banks Directly Tie-Up with Lounges? Bank and airport lounge companies operate independently and have no direct contact or connection with each other. Instead, there are aggregator companies that act as intermediaries. Entities like PriorityPass, Dreamfolks, and others establish partnerships with airport lounge companies and credit card issuers. These aggregators bridge the gap between the banks and airport lounges and offer free lounge access benefits to the banks’ credit cardholders.
How It Works: Banks can offer free airport lounge access using two methods:
Via Card Network: When using the “Via Card Network” method, banks purchase bulk free lounge visits from the card network associated with the credit card. For instance, if your credit card network is Visa, the bank would already have a tie-up with Visa for issuing their credit cards. Visa, in turn, partners with various airport lounges worldwide. The bank pays a per-visit fee to Visa and extends free airport lounge access to its customers.
Via Aggregator Company: In the “Via Aggregator Company” approach, banks directly tie-up with an aggregator such as PriorityPass or Dreamfolks. These aggregators connect the banks with airport lounges across the world. In this case, the bank pays a per-visit fee to the aggregator company, which, in turn, purchases lounge visits in bulk from the actual airport lounge providers, ultimately granting customers free airport lounge access.
Are They Really Free? In both cases, the bank covers the cost of providing free airport lounge access to its customers. While cardholders enjoy the benefits of complimentary lounge access, the bank bears the expense. The per-visit charges vary based on the bank’s negotiation power and location. For instance, if you were to access airport lounges in India without a credit card offering this benefit, you might pay anywhere from Rs. 800 to Rs. 2500, depending on the location. However, for banks, this rate is significantly cheaper than the regular public rate. Banks usually pay between Rs. 200 to 1000 per visit, depending on the location and their negotiation power. The fact is, banks subsidize the cost to offer this attractive perk to their customers.
The Increasing Burden on Banks: As air traffic continues to rise, offering free lounge access has become a financial challenge for banks. They are spending substantial amounts of money to provide lounge access to their customers. Many customers who don’t spend much using their credit cards still enjoy the free lounge benefit, leading to no income generation for the bank. Consequently, banks now ask customers to meet specific spending criteria within a given time frame before availing free lounge access. For instance, IDFC First Bank lifetime free credit card customers can only avail free airport lounge benefits if they spend Rs. 5000 in the previous month. In response to the increasing costs, some card issuers have been compelled to remove free lounge access benefits from certain credit cards. For instance, SBI Card removed lounge access benefits from their SBI cashback credit card to cut down expenses.
The Impact on Aggregator Companies: One such aggregator company, Dreamfolks, has seen remarkable growth due to increasing air traffic and more banks tying up with them for complimentary lounge access benefits, airport meet and greet, airport spa and airport transfers. In 2021, their total operational revenue was Rs. 105.63 crore, which surged to Rs. 282.49 crore in 2022—an impressive 167% increase. Almost 98% of their operational revenue comes from lounge fees charged to their partner banks. While this indicates that more customers are using free airport lounge access, leading to increased revenue for aggregator companies like Dreamfolks, it also poses a financial challenge for banks due to rising expenses. However, this also indicates that the number of credit card users in india are increasing rapidly, and this is ultimately beneficial for credit card issuers.
In conclusion, while credit card users enjoy the luxury of free airport lounge access, it comes at a cost to the banks. As air travel continues to gain popularity, banks are eager to retain their valued customers by providing attractive benefits like complimentary lounge access. So, next time you find yourself relaxing in an airport lounge, remember that it’s not entirely free—it’s the banks that are footing the bill to enhance your travel experience.
IDFC First has recently launched an Air Vistara credit card which is drawing quite a lot of interest due to the value that Club Vistara provides when it comes to its loyalty program. After Axis Bank, SBI Card and IndusInd Bank this is the fourth co-branded partner for Vistara Airlines. Read on to know the benefits of this card, how to maximize them and compare it with the other cobranded offerings.
1) Get 1 Premium Economy ticket as an E-Gift Voucher on payment of the annual fee and a One-Class upgrade voucher* 2) Club Vistara Silver Tier Annual Membership 3) EazyDiner Prime membership: complimentary for 3 months 4) Enjoy BQ Prime subscription: complimentary for 3 months
Renewal Fees
₹4999 + GST
Renewal Benefits
1) Get 1 Premium Economy ticket as an E-Gift Voucher on payment of the renewal fee and a One-Class upgrade voucher* 2) Club Vistara Silver Tier Annual Membership
Renewal Fee Waiver
NA
The e-Gift voucher will be sent via e-mail within 15 working days post payment of the Annual Fee
You will have to claim the voucher within six months of issuance post which will be auto-credited to your account
After claiming the voucher you get another 3 months to use them after which they will get expired
*This One-Class Upgrade Voucher is given exclusively by IDFC First Bank and is not a part of the Silver Tier Renewal benefits which you will get every year. These vouchers can only be used either for revenue flights or award flights booked using CV points only. So with this card, you get two One-Class Upgrade Vouchers.
With a premium economy ticket voucher being given on every renewal, I would say this card is absolutely free even if you don’t use it since you will be getting a renewal benefit which is at least 2X of the fee that you are paying. The perks offered on this card are too good at the given fee range.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All Spends
6 CV Points/ ₹200*
Fuel, Insurance, Utility, Rent & Wallet Load
1 CV Points/ ₹200
Dining Spends on Birthday
10 CV Points/ ₹200
*Earn 6 CV Points per ₹200 on spends up to ₹1 Lakh in each statement cycle after that earning is reduced to 4 CV points per ₹200 spent
No CV Points are awarded for EMI transactions and cash withdrawals
Activation Bonus
You can get up to 6000 CV Points that is 2000 CV Points per month on a minimum spend of ₹30,000 per cycle in the 3 full billing cycles after the completion of the first cycle from card generation.
Milestone Benefits
The earn rate of 6 CV points gives a decent value. But the real value of this card lies in its milestone benefits.
Spending Amount
Milestone Reward
₹1.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹3L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹4.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹9L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹12L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
Menu card for Premium Economy fliers.
TechnoFino Maximum
Since the 9 Lakh milestone sits almost at double the requirement so it doesn’t make any sense to go beyond ₹4.5L milestone. Assuming you spend 50-50% on both categories you get to earn approximately
8,000 CV points
4 Premium Economy tickets
With 8K CV points, you can fly from Delhi to Bengaluru economy which approximately costs ₹5,000 for a revenue ticket. The 4 domestic flight vouchers are worth ₹10K each even if we are taken a conservative value like for the Delhi-Bengaluru flight.
The equivalent reward rate comes out to be a whopping 9%! even if you factor in the taxes you will be paying for booking redemption tickets.
Veg Meal @ Vistara Premium Economy
I hope now you can imagine the value that it gives to you. And you can also use these vouchers and points for your family and friends by adding them as a nominee in your Club Vistara Account.
Other Benefits
Vistara CV Silver Membership
One gets a complimentary Club Vistara Silver Tier till you hold IDFC Club Vistara which offers you a host of benefits like priority boarding, priority check-in, 5 kg extra baggage allowance, and the like. It also gives you 9 Club Vistara Points for every ₹100 that you spend on Vistara flights.
You are entitled to a One-Class Upgrade Voucher as a part of Silver Tier Renewal benefits which you will get every year and can only be used either for revenue flights or award flights booked using CV points only.
Airport Lounge Access
2 Complimentary Visits/ Quarter to Domestic Airport lounges and 1 Complimentary Visit/ Quarter to select international lounges subject to spending of ₹5,000 in the previous month
Shared access for add-on cardholders
Airport Spa Access
2 Complimentary Visits/ Quarter to Airport Spa in collaboration with DreamFolks subject to the spending of ₹5,000 in the previous month.
Shared access for add-on cardholders
Golf Benefits
Enjoy exclusive privileges of playing on a golf course with 4 complimentary rounds of green fees golf per calendar year (maximum 1 round per calendar month)
Master your golfing skills with 12 complimentary golf lessons per calendar year (maximum 1 lesson per calendar month)
Get discounted golf services at 50% of the green fee beyond complimentary sessions
Air Accident & Fraud Liability Cover
IDFC Club Vistara also gives a unique feature that gives you cancellation insurance in which you can cancel annually 2 hotel and flight bookings for any reason that too worth ₹10,000 when booked using this card. This concept is very interesting.
Get a complimentary Air Accident Liability Cover of ₹1 Cr.
Get complimentary credit card Fraud Liability Cover of ₹50,000.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
No fuel surcharge waiver is applicable on this card
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 2.99% + GST
TechnoFino Recommends
The cards which are direct competitors of this card are the SBI Club Vistara Prime and the Axis Vistara Signature. My general recommendations for the Vistara lineup of cards are the SBI Club Vistara Prime and Axis Infinite so that you get the best of the Vistara with CV Gold.
So if you really travel a lot using Vistara Airlines then you can get this card and try reaching that ₹4.5L or even keep it just for that annual voucher benefit. If you don’t travel a lot and just want to get the best card then I would suggest you get the SBI Vistara one which provides you 4 PEY tickets and a Yatra Voucher worth ₹10K on crossing the ₹8L milestone.
I would rate this card equal to Axis Vistara Signature priced at ₹3000 although the earning rate of IDFC First Club Vistara is higher but spending to access the airport lounges that too for a paid card worth ₹4999 doesn’t make any sense. Also, keep in mind Axis does rewards spends on Insurance and Utilities. The only thing which makes it superior is that extra one-class upgrade voucher.
What are your thoughts on the IDFC First Vistara Card? Feel free to share your comments below.
Hello everyone! I am back again with the Ultimate Guide of the audience’s favourite Domestic Frequent Flyer Program, Club Vistara. To all those miles enthusiasts, who prefer to travel in domestic sectors, Club Vistara is the frequent flyer program, you use if it serves that route. Vistara, the brand which was created by two of the greatest, TATA Group and Singapore Airlines, serves as a full-service carrier for Domestic and International travel. Their fleet includes Airbus A320, A321neo, Boeing 737-800NG, and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in its fleet and run A320 and A321neo on domestic routes, 737-800NG, and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its international route. Vistara’s A321neo is the star of the show for domestic travel especially for its flatbed Business Class Seats.
Business Class of Vistara A321neo, captured by me. (CenturionGuy1)
With the current state of miles and points, it’s now really easy to experience it. From co-branded cards to point transfer partners, Vistara gives everyone a choice to experience its product.
Club Vistara Elite Tiers
Now let’s dive into the Frequent Flyer Program Vistara offers: Club Vistara. Let’s know the basics of Club Vistara and its tier benefits. Club Vistara has 4 tiers, let’s discuss the important benefits of the respective tiers:
CV Base
You can earn 8 points per ₹100 spent
You’ll be enrolled in promotional offers
CV Silver
You need to achieve 15,000 tier points and 4 flights to get to Silver Tier.
You can earn 9 points per ₹100 spent
You’ll be able to connect to the customer helpline on a priority
You are entitled to Priority Waitlist Clearance. In the case of the same tier, the person who booked earlier will be entitled first
You are entitled to a Priority Check-in through the Premium Economy counter
You are entitled to an extra 5 kg check-in luggage allowance
For flying Economy Lite you’re entitled to carry 1 extra piece of luggage for domestic sectors
1 One-Class Upgrade voucher on tier upgrade
1 One-Class Upgrade Voucher on tier renewal
CV Gold
You need to achieve 25,000 tier points and 6 flights to get to Gold Tier
You can earn 10 points per ₹100 spent
You’ll be able to connect to the customer helpline on a priority
You are entitled to Priority Waitlist Clearance. In the case of the same tier, the person who booked earlier will be entitled first
You are entitled to avail 1 complimentary rescheduling per flight booking at least 24 hours prior to departure within India. This is not available for Economy Light fare and booking should be made from the Vistara App or the Vistara website
You can choose Preferred Seats except for Emergency seats on a complimentary basis
You are entitled to a Priority Check-in through the Business Class counter
You are entitled to get priority on your requested flight’s standby list
Carry-on luggage allowance is up to 12 kg inclusive of standard cabin luggage allowance on domestic flights
You are entitled to a Priority-Boarding
You are entitled to a Priority-Baggage Handling
You are entitled to an extra 10 kg check-in luggage allowance
For flying Economy Lite you’re entitled to carry 1 extra piece of luggage for both domestic and international sectors
Access to Partner Lounges
2 One-Class Upgrade vouchers on tier upgrade
3 One-Class Upgrade Voucher on tier renewal
Enhanced privileges when flying with Singapore Airlines
You get a guaranteed economy class seat until 48 hours of departure
CV Platinum
You need to achieve 35,000 tier points and 8 flights to get to Platinum Tier
You can earn 11 points per ₹100 spent
You’ll be able to connect to the customer helpline on a priority
You are entitled to Priority Waitlist Clearance. In the case of the same tier, the person who booked earlier will be entitled first
You are entitled to avail of 2 complimentary reschedule per flight booking at least 24 hours prior to departure within or outside India. This is not available for Economy Light fare and booking should be made from the Vistara App or Vistara website.
You can choose Preferred Seats including Emergency seats on a complimentary basis
You are entitled to a Priority Check-in through the Business Class counter
You are entitled to get priority on your requested flight’s standby list
Carry-on luggage allowance is up to 12 kg inclusive of standard cabin luggage allowance on domestic flights
You are entitled to a Priority-Boarding
You are entitled to a Priority-Baggage Handling
You are entitled to an extra 15 kg check-in luggage allowance
Additional Perks
For flying Economy Lite you’re entitled to carry 1 extra piece of luggage for both domestic and international sectors
Access to Partner Lounges
3 One-Class Upgrade vouchers on tier upgrade
5 One-Class Upgrade Voucher on tier renewal
Enhanced privileges when flying with Singapore Airlines
You get a guaranteed economy class seat till 24hrs of departure
You’re entitled to a 50 MB data voucher on international flights
You’re entitled to FlyEarly, if you reach the airport early and there’s an early flight within 4 hours of the originally booked flight, you can on-board that without any additional charges
You’re entitled to companion lounge access to the Partnered Lounges if you’re flying international sectors
Business Class of Vistara 787-9 Dreamliner, Source BrownPoints
For Club Vistara Gold and Platinum tiers, you can enjoy enhanced perks from Singapore Airlines if you’re flying with them. The perks are as below:
As you can see, Club Vistara offers great perks when you climb up the ladder in Elite Tiers. Elite Tiers used to be easier to climb earlier, just by flying a number of flights, but as now you need to complete revenue flights to earn Tier Points, it has become more challenging. Tier Points earning rate is the same as CV points earning according to which Elite Tier you belong. The chart is as below:
How to Earn Club Vistara Points
By Taking Revenue Flights
CV Points can be earned by taking revenue flights and the number of CV points you earn depends on the Elite Tier you belong to. You can earn as per the chart below:
Co-branded Cards
With co-branded cards, one can get perks like getting direct access to CV Gold, different classes of tickets, upgrade vouchers, etc.
Club Vistara Points can be transferred from different banking partners as per below:
Axis Bank eDGE Rewards: At a 5:4 ratio for HNI Cards and a 10:1 ratio for other cards. 1:2 Ratio from Axis Atlas (minimum 300 RP)
American Express Membership Rewards: At a 3:1 ratio (minimum 900 RP)
HDFC Bank Reward Points: For Infinia, Diners Black, Diners ClubMiles at 1:1 ratio, and for Regalia, Diners Privilege, Corporate Platinum, Corporate World, Corporate Signature, Corporate Premium at 2:1 ratio (minimum 100 RP)
Yes Bank Reward Points: For Yes Private at 4:1 (250 and then multiples of 2 thereafter), for other Yes Bank Cards at 10:1 (2000 and then multiples of 10 thereafter)
IndusInd Bank Reward Points: Premium cards at 1:1, others at 2:1
Club ITC: At 3:2 (minimum 500 RP)
AU Bank Rewardz: At 4:1 (minimum 200 RP)
FAB Miles Programme: At 1:1 (minimum 1000 RP)
Standard Chartered 360° Rewards: 5:1 (minimum 100)
HSBC Reward Programme: For Premier at 1:1, for others at 2:1
Fi Coins: At 40:1 (minimum 200 RP)
Airline Partners
Air Canada: You can earn CV points if you take Air Canada revenue flights within Canada or from Canada to the rest of the world. The total accrual points will stay between 25% to 125% as the chart suggests below
Japan Airlines: You can earn CV points if you take Japan Airlines revenue domestic, international, and code-share flights. The total accrual points will stay between 30% to 150% as the charts suggest below:
Lufthansa: You can earn CV points if you take Lufthansa revenue flights. The total accrual points will stay between 25% to 250% as the chart suggests below:
Singapore Airlines: You can earn CV points if you take Singapore Airlines revenue flights. The total accrual points will stay between 70% to 150% as the chart suggests below:
United Airlines: You can earn CV points if you take United Airlines revenue flights. The total accrual points will stay between 25% to 125% as the chart suggests below
Car Rentals
Avis: You can earn 16 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
BookAirportCab: You can earn 5 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Urban Drive: You can earn 6 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Zoom Car: You can earn 5 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Health and Wellness
Shyft: For purchasing the Yoga & Nutrition program you can earn up to 2000 CV points
MediBuddy: You can earn up to 1000 CV points for booking the packages of different medical tests
Stay Partners
Booking.com: You can earn 2 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
IHCL: You can earn 3 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Luxury Escape: You can earn 5 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Onefinerate.com: You can earn 6 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
The Kingsbury: You can earn 600 CV Points for every night of stay
The Postcard Hotel: You can earn 5000 CV Points for a minimum of 2 nights of booking, capped at 60000 CV points a year
Soneva: You can earn 16 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Sterling: You can earn 8 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
The Grand Dragon, Ladakh: You can earn 20 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Voyaah: You can earn 6 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Travel Services
VISA2FLY: You can earn 5 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
Airportzo: You can earn 3 CV Points for every ₹100 spent
How to Burn Club Vistara Points
As we can see there are quite a few numbers of ways we can actually earn points but what’s the fun in earning if we can’t burn the points properly? Let’s see where you can burn your points.
Vistara Award Flights
Of course, this is the best possible way to burn the points. You can get the flights in way less cost-effective way when you burn your points to book the flights, and you end up paying the tax only. You can redeem both domestic and international sectors.
Though award booking is great to have, one needs to remember that there’ll always be limited availability of Award Seats, for example, an A320 will have 2 Business Class award seats and generally 4 in Premium Economy and 6 Economy award seats. Typically at max A321neo will be offering 3 Business Class award seats. Oh, wait, sometimes you may observe 4 as well on A321neo and 8 Economy award seats.
You can check the Club Vistara points requirement for each class here. Alternatively, Vistara has an Award Calculator, where you can check the mileage requirements for your desired route.
Business Class of Vistara A321neo. captured by me. (CenturionGuy1)
Cancellation and Reschedule
The award flights booked using points can definitely be cancelled and rescheduled depending on the availability like any normal flights. As with any normal flight, it’ll also be coming with some charges, but here it’ll be with CV Points.
If you wish to cancel your booking, you need to give up 30% of the booking amount as CV Points. However, if you wish to reschedule, you need to give up 10% of the booking amount as CV Points.
Upgrade Awards
You can upgrade your ticket with CV Points for both domestic and international sectors. This falls under subject to availability. Though upgrading is a great option you can only upgrade your revenue flights or the award seats booked using CV points, not the award flights booked using vouchers. For the CV points requirement to upgrade, please refer here. Alternatively, you can also check with the Upgrade Awards option with the award calculator here.
Meal Service of Business Class.captured by me. (CenturionGuy1)
Redeem with Partners
You can redeem CV points with partner airlines such as Air Canada, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, and Lufthansa. There are two major downsides to it. The first is, that the value is terribly low, and the second is it takes 14 working days just to book the flight. So even after this if you want to go with this option, you need to call Vistara Customer Care at +91 9289228888 and book your flight. The award redemption chart of partner airlines can be checked here.
Cash + Points
Vistara does give the flexibility to book a flight using the cash + points option if you’re falling short of CV points. The value is relatively low here. It’d be wiser to purchase points and book rather than go with this option.
Booking With Vouchers
With Vistara you can have 2 kinds of vouchers:
Complimentary Ticket Voucher
One-Class Upgrade Voucher.
The Complimentary Ticket Vouchers which are earned by using their co-branded credit cards, can be used to book the desired seat category that the voucher provides but you have to pay other charges such as taxes, surcharges and other levies as applicable on the ticket at the time of booking. These vouchers are only applicable on a non-stop domestic ticket and share the same award quota as for the seats booked using CV points.
With the One-Class Upgrade Voucher, you can upgrade to the next class category only if you booked a ticket using cash or CV points as per T&C. To upgrade award seats booked using vouchers, you need to pay in cash while checking in at the airport although some users have had luck even with their vouchers in this case. These vouchers are provided to you on your elite tier upgrade or renewal.
You can check all your vouchers by going to the “My Vouchers” section. For complimentary vouchers, go to “On-demand” vouchers and redeem them. If you get complimentary vouchers from Vistara for any compensation, you can redeem them from the “Redeem complimentary Voucher” section.
A voucher is issued as soon as you complete a respective milestone with a Vistara co-branded credit card and then can be self-issued anytime within the next 6 months
If you don’t self-issue itthen it will automatically get issued after 6 months and will be valid for another 3 months
Your travel date should be within those next 3 months only; if you still don’t use it, it will expire
After expiry also the vouchers can be revived within 3 months of expiry for another 3 months by paying a nominal fee as per the class of travel
So you have to travel using a voucher within 9 months if you don’t want to pay for its validity extension
In case of any cancellations or no-shows, the Voucher will be deemed utilized and, in such cases, only the statutory taxes will be refunded
Bonus Tip
Though practically you can use a voucher in 9 months but don’t ever issue a voucher if you are not travelling within the next 3 months else you won’t be able to use it for your travel. For example, if you receive a voucher using your Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card on 1st Jan 2023 and you intend to travel on 1st August 2023 and you issue the voucher of 1st Feb 2023 then you would have to use it with the travel date on or before 1st May 2023.
So for busy sectors like Delhi-Goa and Delhi-Mumbai always try to book award seats using CV Points else you won’t get any award seats 3 months before your travel date. Remember to book this by yourself else they will levy a service charge of ₹300 if you call customer care for this.
Bottomline
Sunset Through the Window.captured by me. (CenturionGuy1)
Vistara, a full-service carrier in India didn’t only excel in the Indian aviation industry but also introduced the best Frequent Flyer Program to reward its loyal flyers. They gave the option to travel with ultimate comfort and luxury. From their lie flat bed of the Business Class of A321neo to the delicious food served in Economy class, they took care of every kind of flyer. As the merger with Air India is going to happen very soon, and as promised by Air India we’ll be able to use the same benefits currently available, we can only expect this brand should exist separately.
Have you ever wondered how credit card companies make money? They offer you a credit card, and you use it for your purchases, paying your bill on time. In return, they provide you with reward points, cashback, and enticing lifestyle benefits like airport lounge access and free golf. But how do they manage to offer all these perks? Who is actually footing the bill for these rewards and benefits? Let’s delve into some intriguing questions about the credit card business and find the answers.
How do credit card companies make money? What are the main sources of income for a credit card company? A credit card company functions as a lending business, similar to other lending enterprises, where credit card companies earn profits by providing loans. However, unlike traditional lending businesses, credit card companies generate revenue not only from interest income but also from three other significant sources of income. These sources include:
Interest Income: Similar to other lending businesses, credit card companies generate interest income by levying interest on the outstanding balances carried by cardholders on their credit cards. When a customer fails to make timely payments or pays only a portion of the total bill, credit card companies apply interest charges on the remaining balance. These interest rates are generally high, typically ranging from 30% to 50% per annum. In addition, if a customer chooses to make a purchase through an Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) plan, the credit card company applies interest on the financed amount. In such cases, the interest rates are typically lower, ranging from 10% to 20% per annum.
Furthermore, if someone withdraws cash using a credit card, the card issuer charges interest on the withdrawn amount, along with associated fees. While you may wonder who would withdraw cash using a credit card, it is interesting to note that according to RBI data, Indian consumers have consistently withdrawn amounts ranging from Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 crores each month, from April of the previous year to April of this year. It is important for cardholders to be aware of the interest rates associated with their credit cards and to make timely payments to avoid accruing high interest charges.
Interchange Income: Credit card companies generate revenue through interchange income in addition to interest income. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) fees are charges imposed on merchants when they accept credit card payments. These fees are typically calculated as a percentage of the transaction value, ranging between 1% and 3%. The MDR income is distributed among various parties in the payment ecosystem, including the acquiring bank (which processes the merchant’s card transactions), the card issuing bank (which issued the credit card to the customer), and the card network (such as Visa, Mastercard, or American Express) that facilitates the transaction. Interchange fees, charged by the card issuer, usually represent the largest proportion of the overall MDR.
Membership Fees: Another source of income for credit card companies is membership fees. When customers apply for and are approved for a credit card, the bank may require them to pay a one-time joining fee. Additionally, credit card companies charge annual fees to cardholders. The specific amount of the annual fee depends on the features, benefits, and rewards associated with the card. Premium credit cards, which offer enhanced perks such as travel rewards, concierge services, or exclusive access to events, often carry higher annual fees.
Other Fee-based Income: In addition to interest income, interchange income, and membership fees, credit card companies earn revenue through various other fees. These fees may include balance transfer fees, late payment fees, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees, and other charges associated with specific services or transactions.
To gain insights into the income sources of credit card companies, let’s examine the income distribution of SBI Card for the fiscal year 2021-2022. SBI Card, the second-largest card issuer in India, generated the following revenue streams:
Based on these figures, it can be observed that 45% of SBI Card’s income is derived from interest charged to its customers. An additional 24% comes from interchange fees collection, which is the fee charged to merchants. Another 24% is generated from credit card membership fees and other related charges. The remaining 6% is contributed by various other income sources.
Who actually pays for credit card rewards? We often utilize credit cards to take advantage of various rewards offered, such as cashback, reward points, and airmiles. But have you ever wondered why credit card companies incentivize us to use their cards? The answer lies in the financial benefits they derive from our spending habits. Credit card companies earn revenue through several means, and one significant source is the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) fees paid by merchants. The more we spend using their credit cards, the more income credit card companies generate from these fees. Additionally, increased spending also raises the likelihood of delayed payments, resulting in interest income for banks. To encourage customers to spend more, banks and credit card companies frequently send targeted offers to their customers and promote discounted online/offline sales. By doing so, they aim to increase customer spending, leading to higher revenue. If we take a closer look at SBI Card’s financial report for the fiscal year 2021-2022, we can observe that they spent Rs. 622.63 crores for customer rewards (reward redemption cost). This amount accounts for approximately 5.81% of their total income and around 15% of their total operational expenses. Hence, it can be inferred that individuals who delay payments, carry balances on their credit cards each month, or make purchases through EMIs effectively finance the credit card rewards and perks enjoyed by other customers.
What are the major expenses of a credit card company? Managing a credit card company entails significant costs, with various expenses associated with its operations. Some key expenditures include interest expenses incurred from borrowing money, managing bad debt and write-offs, maintaining reward programs, and investing in advertising and sales promotion. I have consulted with bank officials from some of the top Indian credit card companies, and they have identified advertising and sales promotion, rewards and loyalty programs, collection of dues, and IT-related expenses as their major expenditures.
What would happen if all customers started paying their credit card bills on time? Would credit card companies be able to survive such situations? If all customers start paying their 100% bill on time then It’ll make more damage than good. It will reduce bad loans, improve cashflow, but credit card companies heavily rely on interest income and late payment fees. As stated earlier, almost 40 to 60% income of a credit card company comes from interest & other related fees. In such a scenario, credit card companies would need to adapt their business models and strategies to compensate for the potential loss of revenue from interest charges and late payment fees. They might explore new avenues to generate income or adjust their fee structures and rewards programs accordingly. Additionally, they would need to carefully manage costs and optimize their operational efficiency to maintain profitability. During discussions with officials from top credit card companies, they said, “All customers paying their bills in full on time is a thought experiment, just like all policyholders claiming insurance at the same time. Two things can happen in this case. The credit card business will become commoditized, with low margins and only a few big players surviving. “The Indian market will then begin to mimic the characteristics of the card market in developed economies.”
In conclusion, a credit card can be a valuable financial tool when used responsibly. However, the irony lies in the fact that if you are a responsible consumer, you may not be as profitable for the credit card company. Finding a balance is essential because we cannot expect everyone to default on their payments or pay their bills on time. Credit card companies require a mix of responsible users who pay their bills on time and users who carry forward balances, allowing them to earn interest and maintain cash flow. Striking a balance between these user types is crucial for the sustainability and profitability of credit card companies.
Spend ₹2L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver.
Add-on Fees
₹299 + GST
Card Category
Cashback
You are eligible for welcome benefits if you complete a transaction of ₹500 or more within 30 days of card issuance. Here the joining fees is well compensated with the welcome voucher. Myntra voucher will be disbursed to the customer via Email/SMS within 30 days of the activation of the card which can be availed to enjoy a discount of Rs. 500 on your Myntra cart.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
Cashback
Capping
Myntra
7.5%
Unlimited cashback is subject to a maximum discount of ₹750 per transaction.
Other Spends (Including UPI on Rupay Variant above ₹2,000)
1.25%
NIL
*Cashback is not applicable on Rent Payments, Fuel Spends, Wallet Loads, UPI transfer less than ₹2,000, Merchant EMIs, Cash Advances, Balance Transfer, Encash & Flexipay.
The cashback will always be rounded down to the nearest integer on every transaction.
Card Cashback will be auto-credited to your card account within 30 days of transaction settlement.
Milestone Benefits
2 complimentary PVR tickets worth ₹250 on spending ₹50000 in a calendar quarter.
Rent Payments, Wallet loads, and Fuel spending will not be considered eligible spending for this quarterly milestone benefit.
TechnoFino Maximum
Since Myntra spends have no capping on the discount hence you can spend as much as you can per month if you keep the per transaction value below 10K whereas on preferred partners you need to spend 66K per month to maximize the category cashback.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 1 Complimentary Visit/Quarter using Visa Lounge Access Program/Rupay Network.
Myntra Insider Membership
Become an Insider with the Myntra x Kotak Credit Card. Enjoy exclusive benefits and offers as a part of the Myntra insider community.
Select Tier of Myntra Insider Program will be accessible to you within 7 days of card issuance.
Customers will need to spend a minimum of Rs. 7000 and place 5 orders each year on the Myntra platform, to maintain the insider tier.
Myntra Insider Program comes with a host of benefits like free shipping, early access to sale events, exclusive offers & savings, earning Supercoins and more.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% Fuel Surcharge Waiver across all petrol pumps on transactions of ₹500 – ₹3,000, exclusive of GST with a maximum surcharge waiver of ₹3500 in a membership year.
TechnoFino Recommends
Kotak Myntra card is in direct competition with SBI Cashback, HDFC Millennia, Axis Flipkart and Standard Chartered Digismart since all of them reward you handsomely when you shop on Myntra. If your needs are limited then there is no card which can beat Digismart since it offers a 20% instant discount else I would suggest you go for an SBI Cashback card since with that you won’t have to restrict yourself to just select merchants.
If your spends are huge on Myntra every month then also getting paid add-ons of Digismart makes much more sense.
But if you still want to get this card then better opt for the RuPay variant so that you can get an avenue to spend via UPI from this card and complete your quarterly milestone. When it comes to UPI this is the second best rewarding card currently in the market after HDFC Tata Neu Infinity which gives 1.5% on UPI spending.
Are you also planning to grab this card? Share your thoughts below!
Pay the full amount initially and then convert the charge into EMI by contacting your card issuer.
Opt for No Cost EMI.
When we make a purchase at EMI or convert our purchases to EMI through the bank, the bank charges us interest on the principal amount. It is a short-term personal loan. However, the bank does not report these separately to the credit bureaus.
In the case of No Cost EMI, as the name suggests, it implies EMI without any interest. But is it truly interest-free? Let’s explore the charges associated with No Cost EMI to find out.
So, when you decide to make a purchase using the No Cost EMI option, let’s consider buying a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G with a cost of Rs. 1,24,999 on Amazon. You can choose to use a HDFC Bank credit card for the transaction and you will be presented with various tenure options to select from.
As you go through the options, you will notice that there is a total interest amount mentioned along with an equivalent discount for each tenure.
In reality, banks do not offer interest-free EMIs. Instead, it is the merchant who provides an upfront discount equivalent to the interest amount that the bank would charge if you were to opt for the No Cost EMI. Essentially, the bank still applies their interest as per their policy, but you receive an immediate discount of the same amount from the merchant. In this scenario, if you choose the 24-month No Cost EMI option, you will be charged a total of Rs. 1,06,372. You will receive an upfront discount of Rs. 18,627 from the merchant (Amazon in this case), which offsets the future interest charges.
Now, let’s take a look at the charges associated with No Cost EMI:
Processing Fees: Typically, banks charge a flat processing fee if you choose the No Cost EMI option. This fee can range from Rs. 99 to Rs. 300.
GST on Interest: Although customers receive the interest amount as an upfront discount, banks still levy GST (Goods and Services Tax) on the interest component of the credit card EMI. Therefore, for each EMI, you will have to pay 18% GST on the interest amount.
Foreclosure Charges: If you decide to cancel the EMI at any time, banks usually impose foreclosure charges. These charges can range from 2% to 5% of the remaining EMI amount.
It is important to be aware of these charges before opting for the No Cost EMI option.
Many people often misunderstand the concept of “No Cost EMI” and mistakenly believe that there will be no interest charged by the bank if they choose this option. This misconception can lead to feelings of being cheated once they discover the reality behind No Cost EMI. It is essential for individuals to understand all the associated fees and how No Cost EMI works before utilizing it.
Here’s a Pro Tip for you: Consider selecting the maximum available tenure when opting for a No Cost EMI. By doing so, you can receive the maximum interest discount. After the EMI is posted on your credit card account, which typically takes 3 to 7 days, contact your card issuer and cancel the EMI. The bank will ask you to pay the remaining amount. Even after paying foreclosure charges, significant savings can be achieved.
Let’s refer back to the example we discussed earlier with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G. If you choose the 24-month EMI tenure, you will receive an upfront discount of Rs. 18,627, resulting in a charge of Rs. 1,06,372. However, if you cancel your EMI a few days after the purchase, even after paying a 3% foreclosure fee (approximately Rs. 3,035, calculated as 3% of the remaining amount after deducting the upfront discount), you can save nearly Rs. 15,500 as an upfront discount. However, it is crucial to perform your own calculations and consider the terms and conditions before employing such tactics.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 18th Nov 2023.
From insanely popular cashback cards to the cards for nerds, the Airmiles cards, we can see a lot of variation so here I am listing the best credit cards for international spending in India. Since international travel is touching its new peaks we all have certain forex spends be it on international travel or buying goods and services from International merchants sitting right here in India.
Further, at the end of the article, I will also recommend some of the cards as per a broad classification.
Reward rate on International Spends: 1.67% (GV) & Minimum of 3.3% (Transfer Partners).
Forex Markup: 2% + GST – 1% cashback till monthly spends of ₹1,00,000 if purchased Global Value Program for ₹199 per year. You also get a ₹2,000 Yatra voucher on international spending of ₹1.5L in a year under Global Value Program.
Net Reward Rate: 0.97% (GV) & Minimum 1.94% (Transfer Partners).
Milestone Benefits: NIL
HDFC Diners Club Black
HDFC Diners Club Black
Joining Fee: ₹10,000+GST.
Annual Fee: ₹10,000+GST.
Reward rate on International Spends: 1.67% (on GV) & Minimum of 3.3% (on Travel Transfer Partners).
Forex Markup: 2% + GST – 1% cashback till monthly spends of ₹1,00,000 if purchased Global Value Program for ₹199 per year. Here also you get a ₹2,000 Yatra voucher on international spending of ₹1.5L in a year under Global Value Program.
Net Reward Rate: 0.97% (on GV) & Minimum 1.94% (Transfer to Loyalty Partners).
Indusind Explorer in Visa and MasterCard platforms.
Joining Fee: ₹40,000+GST.
Annual Fee: ₹10,000+GST.
Reward rate on International Spends: 1%
Forex Markup: 0%
Net Reward Rate: 1% (CV Points)
Milestone Benefits: Spend ₹3L/₹6L/₹9L/₹12L/₹15L per year for Vistara Business Class Vouchers.
IDFC First WOW!
IDFC First Wow!
Joining Fee: NIL
Annual Fee: NIL
Reward rate on International Spends: 0.67%
Forex Markup: 0%
Net Reward Rate: 0.67% (Cashback)
Milestone Benefits: NIL
Other than the above list you can explore Yes Private, Standard Chartered Ultimate, and RBL Safari. Other than this if you can cross the monthly threshold then doing forex spending will leave you with an overall gain even on IDFC First Wealth and Select credit cards.
According to the latest notification of the Ministry of Finance, any individual making payments using their international debit or credit cards up to ₹7L per financial year will be excluded from the LRS (Liberalized Remittance Scheme) limits. This means that these transactions will not attract any TCS. Additionally, the existing TCS exemption for education and health payments will continue to apply.
So, you can enjoy TCS-free international transactions up to
₹7L for medical purposes.
₹7L for educational purposes.
and another ₹7L for other purposes.
Once you exceed the TCS-free limit, a 5% TCS will be applicable for medical and educational transactions, while a 20% TCS will be levied for all other transactions. You can discuss more of this here in the TF community.
TechnoFino Recommends
The recommendation for the best credit cards for international spends in India is very clear from my side. If you have huge forex spends and want to redeem the rewards for air travel or luxury hotel stays then Axis Reserve or the Axis Magnus (with 25K ER milestone benefits) is the way to go!
For cashback card lovers BOB Eterna and SBI Cashback are the only two meaning full choices for now.
So which card are you using to reward yourself on all those foreign trips? Do comment below!
The American Express Centurion Credit card, also known as the Amex Black card, is widely regarded as the most prestigious credit card globally. It offers exceptional lifestyle benefits that are unmatched by any other bank. However, it’s important to note that this exclusive credit card comes with substantial fees. Furthermore, it is not accessible to everyone through a standard application process. Instead, it is a true invite-only credit card reserved for a select group of individuals worldwide.
I’m Ujjwal, and I have been using the Amex Black card for the past two years. In this article, I will share the benefits you actually get from this highly prestigious credit card. We will explore whether the fees, both annual and joining, are truly justified, along with a few additional considerations.
Joining and Annual Fees: The Amex Centurion credit card in India carries a substantial initiation fee of Rs. 7,00,000 + GST, in addition to a joining fee of Rs. 2,75,000 + GST. This means that at the time of joining, you will be required to pay Rs. 9,75,000 + GST, amounting to a total of Rs. 11,50,500 to Amex India.
For each subsequent year, starting from the second year onwards, you will be required to pay an annual fee of Rs. 2,75,000 + GST, making a total of Rs. 3,24,500 as annual fees.
Welcome & Renewal Benefits: Unfortunately, there are no specific joining or renewal benefits available with the Centurion credit card.
How to Get the Amex Centurion Credit Card: The Amex Centurion Card is not available to everyone. When I received my invitation in 2021, Amex informed me that there were only a few hundred Centurion members in India. This exclusive credit card operates on an invitation-only basis. You cannot apply for this card directly, but you can request Amex to review your profile, and if they deem you eligible, they will extend an invitation to you.
Typically, individuals who hold an Amex Platinum Card and consistently spend a substantial amount for two to three years are considered potential Centurion customers. However, there are no fixed rules or guarantees regarding the invitation process. Amex evaluates each customer on a case-by-case basis.
Benefits We Receive: To be candid, the Amex Centurion card offers a wide range of lifestyle benefits. While not all of them may be useful to everyone, it largely depends
on your individual lifestyle. What may be valuable to me might not hold the same appeal for someone else, and vice versa. Amex does not publicly disclose the specific benefits of the Centurion credit card on their website. However, I will attempt to provide a comprehensive list of the benefits and perks associated with the Amex Black card.
Complimentary Memberships: 1. Hilton Honors Diamond Tier 2. Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite 3. Hertz President Circle Five Star 4. Taj Epicure 5. Radisson Rewards Gold Tier (now known as Premium Status) 6. ITC Culinaire Membership 7. Emirates Gold Membership
Perks You’ll Enjoy with this Card:
No pre set limit, you can even buy a car on a single swipe.
Complimentary Night in any Oberoi Hotel: You will receive acomplimentary night stay in any Oberoi Hotel each year, which can beavailed during your birthday month.
Complimentary Suite Night at Taj Hotels: Once a year, you are entitledto a complimentary suite night stay at select Taj Properties.
Etihad Upgrade: When booking Etihad business class tickets, you havethe opportunity to be upgraded to first class for free, subject toavailability and specific routes.
Meet & Greet and Airport Transfer: For international travel, when youbook your tickets using the Amex Centurion card, you will receive complimentary airport transfers in India (from home to the airport for departures) and free meet and greet services upon arrival at selected international destinations. Additionally, you’ll also receive these services upon arrivals in India.
Hotel Credit & Room Upgrade: Unlike the Platinum Card, the Centurion Card offers additional benefits with Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR). Along with the basic FHR benefits, you receive an extra US$100 or US$200 food and beverage or spa credit, along with a room upgrade at the time of reservation, for a minimum two-night stay.
Relationship Manager: One of the most valuable aspects of the Centurion Card is having a dedicated Relationship Manager (RM). Your RM becomes your go-to contact for all travel, concierge needs, and reservations. Having a reliable RM just a phone call away is a significant advantage and one of the primary reasons I value this card.
Exclusive Invitation to Private Events: As a Centurion cardholder, you receive exclusive invitations to private events. These invitations extend to the cardholder and one guest.
₹50,000 Worth of Taj Vouchers: Twice a year, when you make eligible bookings for domestic travel or stays worth ₹100,000, you receive ₹50,000 worth of Taj vouchers.
Complimentary Cyber Threat Coverage: Enjoy ₹1 million worth of coverage against cyber threats, providing added peace of mind.
Coverage for Tangible Goods: Protect your tangible goods against loss or damage within 90 days of purchase, providing an extra layer of protection.
Preferential Airfares: When booking through American Express Travel & Lifestyle Concierge or your Relationship Manager, you can access preferential airfares on select world-class airlines.
Reward System:
Earn 6 Membership Rewards (MR) Points for every ₹200 spent using the Amex Centurion Credit Card.
Reward Rate: 3% MR Points
10X MR Points (60 MR Points for every ₹200 spent) when shoppingthrough the American Express Reward Multiplier.
Reward Rate: 30% MR Points
Redemption: You have various options for redeeming your MR Points. The best option is transferring your MR Points to Amex’s hotel and airline partners. For a complete list of transfer partners and transfer rates, please refer to Amex’s website. Hotel Transfer Partners: Click Here Airline Transfer Partners: Click Here
Now, let me share my experience with the Amex Black Card and why I opted for this credit card.
Invitation & Card Delivery: In 2021, I received an exclusive invitation from Amex India to become a Centurion card member and upgrade my Amex Platinum card to the Amex Centurion. I accepted the invitation, and the card processing began in Singapore. Afterward, the card was delivered to my mailing address within approximately 14-20 days, enclosed in a medium-sized metal box. The box contained two cards: the main Centurion card made of Titanium and another Centurion card made of plastic.
Why I Selected Amex Centurion: When you travel a lot and require a credit card with substantial spending power, your options are limited. One of the top choices is the Amex Centurion card. This card liberates me from the concerns of available credit limit. While I also possess Axis Reserve, Magnus, and other super-premium credit cards, they cannot meet my spending needs. The second most significant reason is the dedicated relationship manager assigned to Centurion cardholders. With just a call to my RM, all my travel and other needs are taken care of. This benefit is incredibly advantageous for someone like me who travels extensively for business and lacks the time to manage all the bookings and arrangements. Let me share an incident: During my visit to Paris with clients, we decided to visit one of the busiest night lounges, only to find a long line outside. I immediately contacted my RM, requesting assistance. He assured me that he would handle it within 30 minutes. To my surprise, within 15 minutes, a representative from the lounge came outside to receive us. This incident truly exemplifies the power of the Centurion card. FHR is certainly a useful tool for me and most of the times I have been upgraded from base to at-least one bedroom suites in some of the finest hotels in the world. I also did an all points booking via Hilton Honors at Waldorf Astoria Dubai DIFC for 5 nights and due to my Hilton Honors Diamond status was upgraded to a one bedroom suite with a view of the Burj Khalifa. Last year, I had the privilege of being invited to a private event in Delhi, a watch launch event. I had the opportunity to mingle with celebrities like Ranveer Singh, making it a truly memorable experience. So I definitely feel that this card is undoubtedly the best card in the world, in one word “CONVENIENCE”.
Is Amex Centurion Really Worth the Huge Fees? To be honest, whether Amex Centurion is worth the substantial fees depends entirely on your individual needs and lifestyle preferences. This credit card is best suited for high spenders. If you typically spend between 2 to 5 lakhs per month, the Amex Platinum card might be more suitable for you. While it is possible to recover the fees you pay for Amex Centurion, it requires significant spending. It’s important to remember that what works for me may not work for everyone else. Amex Centurion is often perceived as a card for flaunting wealth, but in reality, it is substantially beneficial for a few selected individuals.
In summary, Amex Centurion is a truly prestigious and advantageous credit card designed exclusively for a limited number of individuals. If you are seeking a credit card primarily for its rewards program, there may be better options available. However, if you are a high spender and the Centurion benefits align with your lifestyle, then this credit card could be a worthwhile choice.
ALL – Accor Live Limitless is the loyalty program from the Accor Group of hotels. It’s the second biggest hotel chain in the world which has a footprint in over 100 countries and more than 5,100 properties spread across its hotel brands. Accor does offer from the most exclusive and exquisite properties to the budget properties as well. It can make you awestruck with its top-of-the-line Raffles or Banyan Tree properties and also do give you the flexibility to stay at mid-range or budget hotels such as Novotel or Ibis. Accor doesn’t only show its glory in terms of the collection of properties worldwide but also does give tremendous value in terms of point value. It also offers one of the best-paid members out there which serves equally to all its guests. So let’s deep dive into it, shall we?
Accor has one of the biggest collections of hotel chains, which includes 45 brands from Super Luxury to Budget properties. Accor officially has divided the hotel brands into 4 categories. Let’s see a few of the notable mentions of the respective categories:
Luxury: Raffles, Orient Express, Banyan Tree, Sofitel, Rixos, Fairmont, etc.
Premium: M Gallery, Swissotel, Pullman, Peppers, Grand Mercure etc.
Midscale: Novotel, Mercure, Mantra etc.
Economy: Ibis, Ibis Styles, etc.
ALL Accor
Tier Benefits
Accor Plus Membership Card: Silver Tier
The ALL Accor program has 4 Elite status if the base tier is not counted. Let’s see what it requires to reach each Elite status and their benefits:
Classic
The Classic status comes just after the enrollment to the program which gives access to accumulate points for the stays made and also helps to progress to the first Elite status. It also opens the gate to more private sales of the ALL Accor.
Silver
One needs to stay at least 10 nights or have at least 2,000 status points i.e. 800 EUR spent. Few Notable Benefits:
Late checkout
Priority Welcome
Welcome Drink
Gold
One needs to stay at least 30 nights or have at least 7,000 status points i.e. 2,800 EUR spent. Few Notable Benefits: All of the Silver with the addition of
Early check-in or late check out
Guaranteed room availability on 3 days before arrival
Upgrade to the next room category (subject to availability)
Welcome Amenity (except at budget hotels such as Ibis)
Platinum
One needs to stay at least 60 nights or have at least 14,000 status points i.e. 5,600 EUR spent. Few Notable Benefits: All of Gold with the addition of
Guaranteed Suite Night Upgrade (Can be availed with vouchers when reaching platinum. You get 2 vouchers and an additional voucher on each 4,000 status points)
Guaranteed room availability on 2 days before arrival
Early check-in and late checkout
Access to Executive Lounge, if available at the hotel (Fairmont’s Gold Lounge is an exception)
Premium Wi-Fi
Free Breakfast only in Asia-pacific hotels
Dedicated customer care line
Diamond
One needs to have at least 26,000 status points i.e. 10,400 EUR spent. Few Notable Benefits: All of Platinum with the addition of
Free Breakfast on weekends worldwide, every day in Asia-pacific hotels
100 EUR (in the form of 100 RP) dining and spa credit during the stay
Gold status can be sent as a gift to one person of choice
Even besides all these sweet benefits, there are quite a good amount of “brand specific benefits” that can be found on their official website.
Validity
Validity of Elite Status:
It gets reset on the 31st of December of each year
For valid Accor Plus members, the validity of the status stays at Silver if not progressed to the next Elite Status
Accor Plus
Accor Plus is a paid membership of Accor Hotels. This goes as an add-on to the Loyalty program ALL Accor. This program comes with its own added perks in terms of direct discounts or availing lucrative perks with various coupons.
Accor Traveller and Accor Explorer
Membership Fees and Benefits
Accor Plus membership needs to be bought separately, which comes in two variants:
Traveller: INR 11,800 per year (Currently being offered at INR 7,080 per year)
Explorer: INR 15,930 per year or 12,000 Accor points (Currently being offered at INR 13,541 per year)
With Traveller membership, you can buy for another individual’s membership with the “Secondary Membership” add-on which comes at INR 4,130 per year and gives all the benefits of Traveller membership to that individual at a lower cost. So if you want a double dip, you can buy one for your spouse or close ones to enjoy the perks at a lower cost.
Some tangible benefits of these memberships are
Members get 10% off on the best available public rates.
Automatic qualification to ALL Accor Silver Status.
You get up to 50% off the food bill and 15% off on drinks in Asia.
You can save up to 50% on your hotel or resort accommodation with their Red Hot Room offers.
and many more. . .
Voucher Benefits
Lunch Buffet All India & Sri Lanka for two (2 Certificates)
Birthday Cake (1kg)
Regional Hotel’s Lunch or Dinner Buffet for two (2 Certificates)
Bottle of Red or White Wine at the table of four at the Regional Hotel
500 INR off at 1000 INR bakery product purchase from Regional Hotel’s Bakery
50% discount on group dining of 6-12 people at Regional Hotel
Complimentary buffet breakfast for two when staying at Member’s rate at Regional Hotel (2 Certificates)
40% discount on food bills of 4-10 people across India and Sri Lanka
500 INR off on a minimum 2000 INR food bill across India
40 % discount on food bills of 6 and more people as well as buy two get two starters at Novotel Goa Candolim or Novotel Goa Resort and Spa
50% discount on food bills for 10-15 groups of people at Regional Hotel (2 Certificates)
Next Room Category upgrade (no capping the number of days of staying)
INR 3999 + Tax for Standard Room for 2 adults and 1 child for one night including Breakfast buffet + Lunch or Dinner buffet at Regional Hotel (2 Certificates)
Differences
Explorer comes with 1 complimentary stay night. It can be valued at INR 6,000 – INR 20,000 depending on your option of stay.
Explorer also comes with more dining and stay vouchers.
If you’re holding an Axis Bank Reserve credit card, you’re already getting the hybrid variant of Explorer membership that gives you Silver Status (which can be earned with 10 nights of stay or 800 EUR spent) and an additional 1 night of stay.
Also do note that not all hotels do participate in Accor Plus Program, such as in India Raffles Udaipur doesn’t participate in Accor Plus, but they do participate in ALL Accor so your Membership Tier benefits will be applicable only.
How to Earn Accor Points?
How to earn points? It’s pretty simple. You can earn by staying and paying with cash/card. But hey! We’re the points/miles enthusiast, that’s not the game we’re inclined to play.
Hotel Stays
Hotel stays do earn points and it depends on the tier. You can earn both Status Points and Reward Points. Status Points as discussed above are for migrating up to the Elite Status, but Reward Points are something you do earn. Accor does either earn or burn redemption. The earning happens per 10 EUR spent. Let’s see the table of each status
Accor Elite Tier Points Earning Chart
As you can see in the table, the more the ladder you climb, the more points you earn. Not only that, the Reward Points and Status Points both vary from one hotel brand to another. You’ll earn points for everything you pay for at the hotel, including spa treatments, minibar, paid TV services, and f&b.
If this table makes you confused and you don’t want to go through the hustle of predicting the total points earned, Accor has a Great Tool at your disposal to calculate it for you in a few clicks.
Credit Cards Transfer Partners
There are no co-branded cards with Accor. Currently. Accor has two transfer partners in India:
Axis Bank Credit Cards
Edge Reward points can be transferred in 5:4 super premium cards (Axis Reserve, Magnus & Burgundy Private Credit Card).
10:1 ratio (other Edge Reward Points Earning cards).
Edge Miles (Axis Atlas) can be transferred in a 1:2 ratio.
HDFC Bank Credit Cards
HDFC Infinia and DCB points can be transferred in a 1:1 ratio to Accor.
Airline Transfer Partners
Accor Points can not only be earned by transfer partners such as HDFC and Axis but also can be transferred from other Loyalty Programs, which is a great way to accumulate points. There are plenty of Airline Partners but not all can be useful to transfer to Accor as you can hardly earn with them from India. Currently, there are three airline partners in India from which you’re allowed to transfer airmiles to ALL Accor:
Air France/KLM Flying Blue: You can transfer points from Axis and HDFC to Flying Blue. 4,000 Flying Blue Miles will be converted to 1,000 Accor points which is a 4:1 ratio.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club: You can transfer points to Qatar Airways from Axis Bank. 4,500 Qmiles will be converted to 1,000 Accor Points which is a 4.5:1 ratio.
Fin Air Plus: You can transfer HDFC points to Fin Air. 3,500 Fin Air points will be converted to 500 Accor Points in a 7:1 ratio.
Yes, the ratios are not great or even good either but that can only come in handy if you have thousands of points lying around to any of those frequent flyer programs and don’t have any plan to use them in the near future and have some urgent plan with Accor where you want minimal cash-burn. Though these options aren’t recommended, it’s always good to have multiple options, isn’t it?
ALL Meeting Planner
You can earn and burn in ALL Meeting Planner which is a program where you need to enroll separately for planning Professional Planning of your events. You do earn 1 Accor Point per 2 EUR spent. These points are sharable as well, so you can share these points with other Accor members.
To sign up for the ALL Meeting Planner Click Here.
Not at every property you can avail of this benefit. The properties or brands you can avail of this benefit are below:
MAMA Shelter
Raffles
Banyan Tree
Delano
Fairmont
Potel & Chabot
Saint Clair
SLS
Sofitel
M Gallery
The Redbury
Art Series
Pullman
Swissotel
Angsana
25 h
Movenpick
Grand Mercure
Peppers
Mantra
Novotel
Mercure
Breakfree
Cassia
Ibis
Ibis Styles
Museum Hotel
Tribe
These are the 28 participating hotel brands under this program. Please do note, not all the branches of the respective brand may provide this benefit, so always do confirm with the hotel before planning.
How to Burn Accor Points?
Accor has a great valuation per point. The approximate value is 1 Accor pt = ~ INR 1.8. All the Participating Accor Hotels will let you redeem your points at a denomination of 40 EUR = 2,000 points. So in a multiple of 2,000 points, you can redeem it. Some hotels have also allowed you to redeem at 20 EUR = 1,000 points.
Burn For Hotel Stay
The property which allows you to burn points can easily be identified with “All Points” written at the bottom right corner of their property’s name as suggested below in the screenshot.
Raffles, Udaipur, by Dr. Payal Vyas
To burn the Accor points few things to be kept in mind:
Only pay at the hotel or the “pay with pts” option can be utilized to use your points, online payments may or may not allow you to use points, if they allow, you can use points, and pay the rest with your desired payment method.
Though as per T&C you can settle the total bill with the points, a few hotels do not let you settle select components of the bill with points even the tax. For example, Pullman Delhi will not allow you to pay tax with points that need to be settled with a card or cash. So if you’re planning for redemption, check with the hotel if they’re allowing the same.
Plunge Pool of Oasis Suite of Raffles, Udaipur, PC: Dr. Payal Vyas
Burn For Meal
You can settle your Food and Beverage bill with your Accor Points. You can redeem them at a flat rate of 10 EUR = 1,000 Accor Points. Even if you don’t stay at the property, you can just pay for the meal with points, be it at the restaurant or the bar.
Writers Bar, Raffles, Udaipur, PC: Dr. Payal Vyas
Burn for Airmiles
There are 30 Airline partners to which you can transfer your Accor Points. Note that, not all the time you’ll get a bang on value, so check and only transfer when needed. The Airlines are below
Aegean Olympic Air
Aero Mexico Club Premier
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air China Phoenix Miles
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Avianca Lifemiles
Azul ToduAzul
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Delta SkyMiles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
Finnair Plus
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club
Iberia Plus
Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Clb
ITA Airways Volare
Korean Air SkyPass
LATAM Pass
LATAM Pass Brazil
Oman Air Sindbad
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Smiles
Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
TAP Portugal Miles & Go
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Turkish Airlines Miles& Smiles
United Airlines MileagePlus
Virgin Australia Velocity
Not all airlines will give great value, so let’s check which one you should keep your eyes on:
Qantas: 2,000 Accor points = 2,000 Qantas points
Iberia: 3,000 Accor points= 3,000 Iberia Avios
Delta: 4,000 Accor points = 2,000 Delta miles
ITA: 4,000 Accor points = 5,000 Volare miles
Events
Accor often lists many more events to redeem from. It varies from sports, travel, culinary, converts, etc. You can always browse through them. Some major cities in India have already seen such events. You need to keep an eye on them.
ALL Meeting Planner
Burning these points for events has separate value. You can only consume these points at max 15% of your total bill amount (excluding tax) or 1,500 EUR whichever is lower.
There’s no blackout day for using these points so you can feel free to use them anywhere. These points don’t have any expiry.
Validity
Please do note that Accor Points’ Validity Stays/ Depends on the followings:
365 days from the last check-out day.
365 days from the last point earning/burning day.
365 days from the last point conversion day.
Sweet Spots
Now you all must be waiting for the sweet spots, aren’t you? So here it’s. For a disclaimer, these sweet spots do exist officially, they’re not loopholes that can be exploited, but these are lesser-known “facts” that haven’t been much discussed:
The free stay night can be availed at a valuation of at least INR 20,000 easily. In India, Sofitel which is the third most expensive property after Raffles and Fairmont, is an option. The tariff goes at INR 15,000-20,000. For worldwide, many Sofitel, Fairmont does give this “stay plus” redemption.
With Axis Reserve‘s Accor Plus membership, you do get two complimentary nights, but one drawback, you cannot use them together for a consecutive stay at the same property. Even if you make two separate reservations, it’ll not work out.
Those who don’t want to spend a lot of money and want the maximum out of the points’ valuation can choose “pay at the hotel” and settle the bill with points. What difference does it make that booking with points already? Big difference! You’ll earn status points which will advance you through the Elite Tiers.
The hotels which give “stay plus” nights, often use the base two-category room for redemption, but you can always redeem it for higher-category rooms. Select it to avail and pay the difference with points/cash/card.
You can reach Accor Gold in a single go in two ways. i) Buy an ALL Plus Voyageur card for EUR 199 ii) Buy at least a share of Accor Hotels through Europe’s Stock Exchange
Bottomline
ALL Accor is one of the most lucrative memberships to take advantage of. Though Accor is having more than 5,100 properties, they lack the number of properties in India. There are amazing properties like Raffles, and Fairmont in India, but the number of high-end properties is pretty less. Accor has great plans to expand their hotel chain in India as stated in a renowned newspaper article, we as guests can have more and more choices.
So have you availed any benefits of this amazing program yet? Where are you planning your next vacation with Accor Hotels? Let us know in the comment below.
Credit cards can be a double-edged sword, offering great benefits to those who use them responsibly, such as earning reward points, airmiles, and hotel points, while also posing a serious risk to those who do not use them correctly. If used irresponsibly, credit cards can ruin you financially and mentally.
While many people might identify overspending as the main disadvantage of credit cards, I believe this is a psychological issue that stems from human nature rather than a problem with the credit card itself.
Here’s why:
When you apply for a credit card, your bank gives you a pre-fixed credit limit. When you make a purchase at a store or online using your credit card, you might feel like you are not spending your own money because you are using the bank’s funds. Since cash isn’t coming out of your bank account or pocket immediately, your mind might tell you that you have more money to spend than you actually do. This type of thinking can lead to overspending and a false sense of financial security.
Credit cards can be an amazing financial product when used responsibly. However, it’s important to acknowledge that there are some potential disadvantages to using a credit card. These include high interest rates, hidden fees, and the temptation to overspend.
Despite these potential drawbacks, many people find that credit cards are a valuable tool for managing their finances. In fact, some individuals even have multiple credit cards that they use on a regular basis. For example, personally, I have 51 active credit cards but never overspend. For me, managing multiple credit cards is an art. It doesn’t require rocket science-level knowledge, just adherence to a few straightforward principles.
So, how do you stop yourself from overspending?
Just by following a simple rule: using the credit card as a debit card.
To use a credit card as a debit card without compromising any benefits that a credit card offers, you’ll need to create a separate bank account to manage your credit card expenses. This can help you stay organized and ensure that you’re able to keep track of your spending. For example, let’s say that you have Bank A as your primary bank account and Bank B as your credit card expense management account.
Whenever you use your credit card to make a purchase or pay a bill, transfer the same amount from your Bank A account to your Bank B account. For instance, if you need to make a bill payment of Rs. 10,000 using your credit card, immediately transfer Rs. 10,000 from Bank A to Bank B. Repeat this process for all your spending, and at the end of the month, after your credit card bill has been generated, pay the total amount due from your Bank B account.
By using your credit card in this way, you can enjoy all the benefits of credit cards without worrying about overspending or getting into debt. Furthermore, you have the option to invest the balance in your Bank B account into short-term savings instruments such as fixed deposits (FDs) or liquid funds to earn interest, but it’s highly recommended that you avoid investing this fund in equity. Alternatively, you can simply keep the balance in your savings account and earn interest on it. It may be worth considering a bank account that offers a higher interest rate for your credit card expense management account. This can help you maximize your savings and earn more money on your funds.
What if you are unable to pay your credit card bill in full due to an unforeseen emergency?
In such a situation, it is advisable to pay the maximum amount you can and convert the remaining balance into an Equated Monthly Installment (EMI). Credit card companies typically charge 40 to 50 percent annual interest on the outstanding amount, but if you opt for EMI, the bank will usually charge only 10 to 18 percent annual interest on it.
Of course, it’s important to remember that using a credit card responsibly requires discipline and self-control. You’ll need to be mindful of your spending habits and make sure that you’re able to pay off your balance in full each month. By doing so, you can reap the rewards of credit cards without falling into debt or financial trouble.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 7th May 2023.
HDFC recently launched a co-branded credit card with IRCTC. After SBI and BOB, HDFC is the third banking partner for the public sector undertaking which is responsible for ticketing, catering, and tourism services for Indian Railways.
Let’s check out how this card is different from the previous versions!
Gift Voucher worth ₹500 on making a transaction within 37 days of card issuance.
Annual Fees
₹500 + GST
Annual Fees Waiver
Spend ₹1.5L on your card in a year.
Renewal Benefits
None
Add-on Card Charges
NIL
The joining fee is well compensated with the welcome voucher of ₹500 on this card but no renewal benefits for the next year.
Reward Accrual
Category
Accrual Rate
Monthly Capping
Maximum Monthly Rewarding Spends
IRCTC Web and App
5 Reward Points/₹100
1,000 Reward Points
₹20,000
All Other Categories*
1 Reward Point/₹100
NIL
Not Applicable
Excluding Fuel Spends, Wallet loads / Gift or Prepaid Card loads/ Voucher purchases, Cash Advances, Government related transactions, Education, and Rental transaction.
Since this card is on the RuPay platform hence can be used for UPI transactions as well which will give you a reward rate of 1%.
Reward Redemption
Category
Reward Rate
IRCTC Web and App
5%
All Other Categories*
1%
1 Reward Point = ₹1 worth of IRCTC transactions.
Reward Points will lapse on expiry of two years from the date of issuance.
Redemption can be made only against 70% of the fare ticket amount on train ticket booking via HDFC Bank SmartBuy or buying IRCTC vouchers on the portal, inclusive of fares of all the passengers and service charges levied by IRCTC.
Milestone Benefits
Gift Voucher worth ₹500 on spends of more than ₹30,000 or more every 90 days.
TechnoFino Maximum
So a 5% reward rate on train tickets doesn’t looks exciting enough? What about if I tell you that you can double it up by using the highly rewarding platform of HDFC Bank called HDFC Smartbuy? Using this card you are eligible for an extra 5% cashback maximum up to ₹1000 a month on booking train tickets via Smartbuy. So all in all you get a 10% reward on train tickets using this card for booking train tickets worth up to ₹20,000 a month.
Though the best value with minimum spending will come if you book train tickets worth ₹10,000 every month so that you get to complete the quarterly milestone as well which brings the reward rate to 11.66%.
Also, this card rewards you for the full ticket value instead of giving rewards only on the cardholder’s ticket amount like in the case of other IRCTC cobranded cards from SBI and BOB which makes it really unique.
Other Benefits
Railway Lounge Access
8 complimentary access to select IRCTC Executive Lounges every year with a quarterly capping of 2 visits. The list of eligible lounges is quite exhaustive as compared to other eligible cards.
Railway Ticket Surcharge Waiver
1% Transaction charges waiver on transactions done on the IRCTC ticketing website and Rail Connect App with a Maximum waiver of ₹1,000 per statement cycle.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations. (Minimum transaction of ₹400, Maximum transaction of ₹5,000 & Maximum waiver of ₹250 per statement cycle).
Forex Markup
3.5% + GST forex markup charges applicable which though common are on the higher side.
TechnoFino Recommends
HDFC IRCTC credit card is recommended if you travel frequently via Indian Railways with family since this is the only card which rewards you even for the tickets booked for your family members which isn’t the case with SBI IRCTC cobranded cards. Since this is a co-branded card, your redemptions are restricted to discounted train tickets.
But if you are using Amazon to book your train tickets by buying vouchers from Axis Gift Edge, HDFC Smartbuy or AMEX Reward Multiplier and are simply into cash-back cards then ignore this straightaway. Though I have started to travel a lot by train I won’t take any exposure of this card since I am using vouchers bought from Axis Gift Edge for the same. If you are already holding a premium card from HDFC and still want this card then you can try applying it in some family member’s name.
Which card are you using for railway bookings? Do comment below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 18th November 2023.
Axis Reserve is the big brother of Axis Magnus and was the second most sought-after card among CC enthusiasts due to its exceptional reward rate till recently. Till 2021 no one would have ever thought that Axis would bring a storm in the credit card industry and outpace all its competitors and even giants like AMEX, HDFC and Citi with such good earning rates and even better redemption partners!
Getting a card worth ₹60K? Are you outta your mind? This was the first thing that I had got to hear when I told my family members that I had applied for Axis Reserve. One of the most UHNI cards available in India right now. I took the plunge last October just before I had an international vacation planned and continuing till now.
But does this card still have some juice left that makes it worth the fees? Let’s check it out!
50,000 Edge Reward Points on every renewal even if you manage to fulfil a fee waiver.
Renewal Fee Waiver
Full fee waiver on spending ₹35L* in a year.
*Rental, Govt Payments Utility and Wallet transactions are not valid for the annual spending threshold.
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Multiplier
Reward Points Earning Rate
Capping
All Domestic Spends*
1X
15 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA^
International Spends
2X
30 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA
Gift Edge
Up to 5X
Up to 75 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA
Grab Deals
Up to 5X
Up to 75 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
10,000 ER Points/Customer ID/Month
*Except for Wallet Loads, Govt Payments, Utility Spends and EMI.
^Rewards on rental spends are capped at ₹1,00,000 per transaction.
Edge Rewards carry an expiry of 3 years from the date of accrual.
Grab Deals points are per customer ID and not per card.
Technofino Tip – Always spend in multiples of ₹200 to maximize your earning especially when buying vouchers from Gift Edge or Grab Deals. Add smaller denominations like Swiggy/KFC to round the payable amount.
Reward Points Redemption
Redemption Options
Value Per ER Point
Reward Rate (1X)
Cash
20p
1X~ 1.5% 2X~ 3.0% 3X~ 4.5% 5X~ 7.5%
Travel Edge Redemption
20p
1X~ 1.5% 2X~ 3.0% 3X~ 4.5% 5X~ 7.5%
Gift Vouchers
20p (Amazon) to 40p (MultiBrand)
1X~ 1.5% to 3.0% 2X~ 3.0% to 6.0% 3X~ 4.5% to 9.0% 5X~ 7.5% to 15.0%
So as you can see first three redemptions won’t fetch you much value. Hence this card is basically a travel-oriented card in which the value can only be extracted if you consider transferring your points to the partner hotel and airlines. Even going by the conservative value of ₹0.80 per point (ITC Transfers) the reward rate comes out to around 4.8% flat and if you are into the miles game then you can take this value anywhere depending on your expertise.
Total EDGE Reward Points that can be converted to Partner Points in a calendar year is capped at 5,00,000 EDGE Reward Points per customer ID. For the year 2023, customers can convert 5,00,000 EDGE Reward Points from 1st September 2023– 31st December 2023.
If you wish to explore transfer partners of this card then we have compiled master lists for both Airlines and Hotels transfer partners on TF Community. Also, you can access our Axis Edge Transfer Guide to know what expected value you can get out of your Axis Edge Rewards earned on the Axis Trifecta.
Milestone Benefits
Axis Reserve offers no milestone benefits which is highly surprising for this fee point.
Other Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: Unlimited for Primary as well as add-on cardholders and 12 Complimentary visits per card anniversary year for accompanying guests.
International Lounge Access: Unlimited Lounge Access using Priority Pass for Primary as well as add-on cardholders and 12 Complimentary visits per card anniversary year for accompanying guests.
I would call this a one-stop credit card for you and your entire family for airport lounge access that too anywhere in the world.
Also, you can access some select domestic lounges using the Priority Pass offered by Reserve then the charges are reversed later on. Earlier the bank was allowing to access all domestic lounges in India complimentary using Priority Pass.
Luxury Airport Transfers
Luxury Airport Transfers using Axis Reserve!
How about a luxury (Merc/BMW/Audi) chauffeured car standing right outside your home ready to take you to the airport for your next flight that too for free? Welcome to the world of Luxury Airport Transfers. Axis Bank is giving this facility on Reserve in a tie-up with DreamFolks Services.
In my opinion, the number of transfers is quite low if compared to the fee paid for this card.
Airport Meet and Greet
8 Complimentary Meet and Greet Access per Calendar Year.
Airport Meet and Greet also known as an airport concierge service is the USP of this product since only a very limited set of cards in India are providing this service. In this service, you get a dedicated person right at the gate to take care of all your luggage by providing a dedicated buggy and a porter service. With this, they also provide check-in via express counters, security checks via Business class sections and also immigration assistance even if you are travelling economy.
Since Magnus is providing the same I had expected Axis Bank to at least provide double the access on this card!
This card provides a toned-down version of Club ITC Culinaire and doesn’t offer the Free Night Stay instead they give a 3rd night stay on booking two revenue nights. It also offers just 1 room upgrade voucher instead of two. But it does provide two 50% and 20% off F&B Vouchers each.
Complimentary third-night stay.
50% savings on published room tariff for suites on weekends.
Axis offers automatic enrolment to the Silver Tier membership of Accor Plus which comes with various benefits and which is generally achievable by spending 800 € which is roughly around 70,000 INR.
Sofitel Nusa Dua, Bali redemption for 2 nights can give you a good bang for the fees paid!
2-night complimentary stay across the Asia Pacific region.
Complimentary room upgrade.
Up to 50% off on dining.
Complimentary lunch buffet for 2 across Accor hotels in India.
20% off on the best available rates at participating Marriott hotels in India and on Weekend rates in Asia Pacific.
Oberoi Hotels Benefits
15% savings on Room Only Rate and Room with Breakfast Rate or 3rd Night complimentary.
50% savings on the Best Available Rates on suites.
The Postcard Hotel Benefits
15% off on the best available room rate.
Anytime check-in and check-out.
A complimentary lifestyle consultation (applicable at our hotels in Goa).
Golf Benefits
Axis Bank Reserve Credit Card entitles you to 50 complimentary rounds of golf games or lessons every year at some of the most premium golf destinations in the country. Never tried this but would soon give it a shot!
Movies & Entertainment
BookMyShow Offer
This card provides Buy 1 Get 1 on Movies and Events for a maximum of up to ₹500 and ₹1,000 per ticket respectively on bookings made on BookMyShow that too 5 times a month. Other than this you can also use the Visa Infinite benefits on this card. The availability for the Magnus offer is better than the Visa Infinite offer since the quota looks huge.
EazyDiner
Complimentary membership of the Eazydiner Prime dining program under which you up to 25% off plus a 40% card discount up to ₹1,000 at premium restaurants across the country. It is one of my favourite benefits on both Reserve and Magnus which I eagerly look forward to enjoying while dining out with my friends and family at fancy places.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
A 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all the fuel stations for transactions ₹400 to ₹4000 with a maximum surcharge waiver of ₹400 per month.
Forex Markup
This card provides a reduced forex markup charge of only 1.5% + GST and with an accelerated reward rate of 6% on international spending this card is the crown prince for forex spending!
Insurance Benefits
Comprehensive insurance cover including purchase protection up to ₹2L, a 500 USD cover for loss/delay in baggage. Also, you are provided with an Air Accidental Insurance of ₹4.5Cr and complete lost card liability lies with the bank in case you misplace the card.
Eligibility
Indian Resident, aged 21 to 65 years of age.
Minimum ₹36LPA ITR or ₹4L credit limit on other banks’ credit cards for C2C basis application.
TechnoFino Recommends
The deadly combo of Axis Magnus and Axis Reserve!
With the recent brutal devaluations on this card, I would say Axis Bank has killed this card. But if you still have considerable forex spends and value the Accor Stay Plus nights and other perks that come along with this card then this card still makes some sense.
Do you hold this magnificent card? How are planning to redeem the truckloads of your ER points? Share your plans in the comments below.
Club ITC is a loyalty program offered by ITC Hotels, a chain of luxury hotels in India. The program is designed to reward its members for their loyalty and offer them exclusive benefits and privileges during their stays and visits to the ITC Group of Hotels. ITC Group of Hotels consists of 6 brands under a roof –
ITC Hotels
Mementos
WelcomHotel
Storii
Fortune
WelcomHeritage Hotels
As a member of Club ITC, you can earn Green Points for your stays, dining, and other eligible spends at any ITC Hotel across India. These points can be redeemed for a range of rewards, including free stays, dining, spa services, and more. Additionally, members can enjoy a range of benefits, such as access to special rates, room upgrades, late check-out, and discounts on dining and other services.
Club ITC is loved by many because of its simplistic approach toward its redemption and its value. ITC has 81 Hotels across India and most of the hotels do participate in this loyalty program, WelcomHeritage being the exception.
Let’s break the discussion into four major parts: Club ITC, ITC Culinaire, Earning and Redemption of Green Points:
Club ITC
Club ITC is the base program which consists of 3 tiers namely base, Silver, Gold and Platinum. These tiers can be achieved by completing either of the two fulfilling criteria, i.e.
Spending Criteria, and
The number of Stay Nights.
Each tier comes with its own upgrade & retention vouchers. Let’s see how these tiers benefit you:
Tier Benefits
Silver
With a stay of 6 Nights or spending of ₹60,000, you achieve this tier. If you book Suites for weekends, you’ll get 10% off on the Flexible rate if booked through the guest contact centre. Along with these, you can avail late check-out benefit till 2:00 PM.
Upgrade & Retention, You get 4 value vouchers which include:
Room upgrade voucher.
25% savings on F&B at the coffee shop. (up to 4 guests)
25% savings on SPA services.
30% savings on laundry services.
Gold
With a stay of 16 Nights or spending of ₹1,60,000, you achieve this tier. If you book Suites for weekends, you’ll get 20% off on the Flexible rate if booked through the guest contact centre. Along with these, you can avail late check-out benefit till 4:00 PM. Apart from these, you get an enhanced room upgrade, which they may upgrade you to the ITC One/equivalent category at max, enhanced amenities will be provided. If you book for 1 person and you’re travelling with your spouse, the room charge will not be added, which also includes the standard addition of breakfast, and that’s a great value.
Upgrade & Retention, You get 4 value vouchers which include:
Suite Upgrade voucher.
25% savings on F&B at the coffee shop. (up to 4 guests)
25% savings on SPA services.
30% savings on laundry services.
Platinum
With a stay of 30 Nights or spending of ₹3,00,000, you achieve this tier. If you book Suites for weekends, you’ll get 20% off on the Flexible rate if booked through the guest contact centre. Apart from the added benefits of the Gold tier or Silver tier, you’re also eligible for a few great additional and enhanced perks such as a room upgrade to Standard Suites, and in-room tea/coffee service throughout your stay and this is apart from ready-to-make tea/coffee, Access to Towers/Upper Crust Lounge as a resident guest, and one more great feature such as 24-hour check-in check-out which need to be informed to the property’s front office prior 48 hours and can only be availed for 1 room only during the entire stay.
Upgrade & Retention, You get 8 value vouchers ( 2 of each) which include:
25% savings on F&B @ all outlets. (up to 4 guests)
25% savings on SPA services.
30% savings on laundry services.
Buy One Get one on select beverages at the bar. (up to 4 guests)
Bonus Tips
All the above-mentioned qualifying nights or spending can either be award bookings or can be paid from your own pocket.
Room upgrade is subject to availability, thus it’s better to check with the hotel prior you arriving at the hotel for a better chance of upgradation, rather than showing up directly and expecting an upgrade, though it’s how it was supposed to work, but chances get thinner.
24-hour check-in check-out and late check-out are not applicable at Welcom Hotel.
Gold & Platinum tiers will get enhanced internet access.
Each tier comes with roll-over nights. For example, if you have achieved 35 nights before 31st December of 2023, 5 nights will be rolled over for next year and will count towards achieving the next tier.
Club ITC Culinaire
Membership Card of Club ITC Culinaire
Club ITC Culinaire is a paid membership which gives additional benefits such as free stay, discount F&B vouchers, room upgrade vouchers etc. Club ITC Culinaire membership comes with two kinds of membership:
ITC Culinaire Select and ITC Culinaire Elite
Membership Fees and Differences
You can purchase ITC Culinaire Select for ₹14,000 + GST and ITC Culinaire Elite for ₹21,000 + GST. Alternatively, you can purchase both the membership with Green Points where you can buy a Select membership for 16,520 Green Points and the Elite membership for 24,780 Green Points. The only difference between the two memberships is the Free Night stay, where the Elite gives two but Select gives one. Here is the list of Participating Hotels. The best redemption options IMO are
ITC Gardenia
Grand Maurya
Grand Chola
Kences Palm Resort
Sheraton, New Delhi
Rajputana
Grand Central
Royal Bengal
Port Blair
Privileged Earnings and Benefits
Earn Green Points at 25% on all eligible Food and beverage spends at participating ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels (Valid for Resident/Non-Resident Guests)
Earn Green Points at 5% on all eligible non-food and beverage spends at participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels & Fortune Hotels (Valid for Resident Guests)
Savings of 20% on Food and beverage spent at participating Fortune Hotels (valid for up to 8 Resident guests including the member)
Savings of 20% on Food and beverage spent at participating Fortune Hotels and WelcomHeritage Hotels (valid for up to 8 Non-Resident guests including the member)
Receive 1,000 Green Points on every accumulated spend of ₹25,000 on Food & Beverage
Hi-spirited Wednesdays: Enjoy 2 at the cost of 1 at select bars between 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM, every Wednesday (applicable on select beverages).
Gourmet Fridays: Earn 50% extra Green Points (37.5% earnings) on dining spends at select restaurants at ITC Luxury Collection Hotel & Sheraton New Delhi on Fridays. (not applicable at Bukhara – ITC Maurya, Peshawari – ITC Rajputana and Jharokha – ITC Rajputana).
Birthday Week: Receive 50% bonus Green Points during your and your Spouse’s birthday week (for example – three days prior & three days later to the birth date) on your dining spending (37.5% earnings) or stay (7.5% earnings) at all ITC Luxury collection hotel & Sheraton New Delhi.
Please note that accelerated earnings are not applicable at Fabelle.
Experience E-Certificates
Luxury Stays for Club ITC Culinaire Elite: Two e-certificates for a 1-night/2-days stay including buffet breakfast at participating hotels.
Luxury Stays for Club ITC Culinaire Select: One e-certificate for a 1-night/2-days stay including buffet breakfast at participating hotels.
Room Upgrade: Two e-certificates for a one-time room upgrade to the next category.
Luxury Getaways: Two e-certificates for 20% savings on the purchase of Welcombreak packages.
Culinary Delight: One e-certificate for 50% savings on the Food and beverage bill for a maximum of 4 guests.
Culinary Extravagance: Two e-certificates for 25% savings at all-day dining restaurants for a maximum of 4 guests.
Gourmet Delight: One e-certificate for 30% savings on purchases at the gourmet shop.
Sweet Indulgence: One e-certificate for a 1 Kg cake while dining.
Though these cards come with the benefits of Club ITC Culinaire, they’re toned versions, and both of them don’t offer the Free Night Stay instead they give a 3rd night stay on booking two revenue nights. They also offer just 1 room upgrade voucher instead of two. But they do provide two 50% and 20% off F&B Vouchers each.
Also if you’ve both cards then only one card’s membership will be activated and the other one gets forfeited.
How to Earn Green Points?
Credit Card Transfer Partners
Since there is no Co-branded card as of now in India, Axis Bank’s Reward Points, namely Edge Reward Points and Edge Miles are the only sources to earn the points without directly earning from the spending at ITC properties.
Axis Bank Credit Cards
You can transfer Edge Reward Points or Edge Miles to Club ITC Green Points. The transfer ratios are:
HNI Cards (Axis Reserve, Axis Magnus, Axis Burgundy Private): 5 Edge Reward Points = 4 Club ITC Green Points.
Axis Atlas: 1 Edge Mile = 2 Club ITC Green Points.
Other Edge Rewards Earning Axis Cards: 10 Edge Reward Points = 1 Club ITC Green Points.
Hotel Stays/ Dining
Earning Green Points when staying or dining at one of ITC’s many properties is the most obvious way to earn. ITC stays award Green Points as per the tier of member staying or dining. With the base tier, you get 2% equivalent Green points of the total spending done.
Having elite status with ITC not only allows you the upgraded perks as discussed above but also helps you earn accelerated Green Points.
CLUB ITC
Silver: This tier helps you to earn 3% of Green Points instead of 2% on the base tier on eligible spending.
Gold: With Gold, you are set to earn 4% of Green Points on eligible spending.
Platinum: This tier helps you to earn 5% of Green Points on eligible spending.
ITC Culinaire
Non-Resident Guest:
Earn Green Points at 25% on all eligible Food and beverage spending done at participating ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels.
Savings of 20% while dining at participating Fortune and WelcomHeritage Hotels (valid for up to 8 guests including the member).
Receive 1,000 Green Points on every accumulated spend of ₹25,000 on Food & Beverage, where the maximum accumulated spend is ₹1,00,000.
Resident Guest:
Earn Green Points at 25% on all eligible Food & beverages spent at participating ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels.
Earn Green Points at 5% on all eligible non-food and beverage spend at participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels & Fortune Hotels.
Receive 1,000 Green Points on every accumulated spend of ₹25,000 on Food & Beverage, where the maximum accumulated spend is ₹1,00,000.
Bonus Tips
If you’re in any Elite Tier of Club ITC membership, and along with that you have your Club ITC Culinaire membership, you’ll earn a 5% return on your accommodation spending which is the highest you can earn at the Platinum Tier of Club ITC. The 5% return will not club with a Tier Benefit of 2%-5%.
Similarly for F&B bills always pay the F&B bills separately using a card or cash to get extra 25% Green Points.
You’ll only be able to earn Green Points if you’re doing a revenue stay which means, you’re paying with a card or cash, not on an award stay where you’ll pay with Green Points.
Do check with hotels prior to check-in and make sure they’re not facing any trouble during redemption or during check-in, inform them that you’ll settle the bill with Green Points. This gives you a seamless check-out experience.
Few services do exclude Green Points redemption. Due to third-party involvement in a few things such as salons, car rentals, spas etc., some properties will refuse to settle the bill with Green Points. Thus it’s advisable to check with the front desk of the respective property first before you decide to avail of any such service.
How to Redeem Green Points?
Room Redemptions
Luxury Suite, ITC Maratha, Mumbai
Green Points is the Loyalty Currency of the Club ITC Loyalty program. Green Points redemption for award nights is pretty much straightforward. The standard value of Green Points is 1 GP = ₹1. Green Points supports universal redemption through the ITC eco-system, which means, you can settle anything and everything through Green Points including the taxes! Of course, there are some exceptions, like you can neither settle nor earn Green Points for room tariff if it’s booked by a third-party/agent at a discounted rate, but for other spends during your stay, you can avail of it.
Green Points redemption for your room reservation can be done in two ways:
You can book directly with the available Green Points redemption booking through the website/over a call with the reservation centre (tax excluded, need to be paid at hotel),
Or one can book in revenue rate and settle the bill at the property itself.
For the first scenario, if booked directly via Green Points at the available property, you will definitely get more than ₹1 value per Green Point, but that option isn’t there many times and for many categories of rooms, usually Suites and excluded from direct Green Points booking. The redemption value is dynamic in this scenario which means it changes with the tariff changes of the room.
For the second scenario, you can easily settle the complete bill with Green Points with 1 GP = ₹1 value. In this scenario, you need to carry your physical membership card or you need to enable “contactless redemption” by verifying your credentials.
Bonus Tips
WelcomHeritage properties will not accept settling bills or doing award bookings with Green Points.
Though it’s universal for all ITC properties except WelcomHeritage to accept Green Points as a payment method but few may deny it, so during check-in do inform the front desk that you’ll be settling the bill with Green Points.
Some services like airport transfers or such may not be paid with points, which depends on the property itself, do check with that prior and make a reservation accordingly.
Restaurant Dining
Dum Pukht, ITC Maratha, Mumbai
If you’re going to any restaurant of ITC hotels, you can settle the F&B bill with Green Points. You can combine your discount voucher with Club ITC Culinaire and Green Points to settle the bill. However, it’s advisable to pay the bill with a card or cash as you’ll be able to earn 25% of Green Points at minimum, which is a great bonus if you are a Culinaire Member. Alternatively, you redeem your GP for Food orders (Home delivery/ takeaways ) through the ITC Hotels app.
Transfer to other Hotel Loyalty Programs and Airlines
Club ITC to Marriott Bonvoy: At 2 Club ITC Green pts = 3 Marriott Bonvoy pts you can convert your Green pts to MB pts. You can transfer a maximum of 60,000 GP in a calendar year which translates to 90,000 MB pts. with a minimum redemption value of 2,000 GP.
Club ITC to Club Vistara: At 3 Club ITC Green pts = 2 Club Vistara pts you can convert your Green pts to CV pts. You can transfer a maximum of 60,000 GP in a calendar year which translates to 40,000 CV points with a minimum redemption value of 600 GP and thereafter in multiples of 150 GP.
Club ITC to Intermiles: At 1 Club ITC Green pts = 1.25 Intermiles, you can convert your Green pts to Intermiles. You can transfer a maximum of 60,000 GP in a calendar year which translates to 75,000 Intermiles with a minimum redemption value of 500 GP and thereafter in multiples of 100 GP.
The transfer to the above partners is a manual process, it may take up to 3 weeks. You can directly do it through your Club ITC account, alternatively, you can mail it at clubitc.care@itc.in
Club ITC to International Travel House (ITH) Certificates: You can redeem ITH certificates for the Chauffeured Ride. One can redeem it at 1:1 valuation but in the denomination of 500 or 1,000 and one will get the same amount worth of GV.
Green Points Validity
For regular Club ITC members, the validity of the Green Points earned or obtained through any means is 12 months, starting from the date of their last eligible stay at a Participating Hotel. However, it is possible to extend the validity of these points by staying at any ITC property and renewing them for another 12 months, which can be repeated subsequently.
On the other hand, if you are a Club ITC Culinaire member, or a Club ITC Platinum, Gold, or Silver member, your Green Points will not expire as long as you maintain your corresponding Club ITC status.
Bottomline
ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata
That’s all folks. As a person who’s really enjoying the stay and hospitality of ITC hotels and almost being Platinum, I can assure you that this is one hell of a membership where if you don’t want to spend a single penny, but can achieve the maximum tier by availing all other services at same redemption value, unlike its competitors.
So at which ITC property are you planning your next stay? Let us know in the comments below!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 9th April 2023.
Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card was launched in 2019 but it failed to create a buzz as the segment it was targeting was already captured by HDFC Bank and AMEX. The reason behind this was that there was no competition to HDFC SmartBuy and the AMEX reward multiplier program. Recently HDFC devalued their SmartBuy program heavily for Diners Club Black and even Infinia users.
Now with its VISA Infinite 2.0 metal avatar, Axis Grab Deals, Axis Travel Edge and monthly milestone benefits, it packs quite a lot of punch. After Axis Ace and Vistara lineup, this card is becoming another hot favourite among credit card users and I would call it the best card in the world currently. Let’s check out whether the buzz is worth the hype!
One Economy Class Domestic Ticket Yatra Voucher or a Tata CLiQ Voucher worth ₹10,000.
Annual Fee
₹10,000+GST = ₹11,800
Renewal Benefits
One Economy Class Domestic Ticket Yatra Voucher or a Tata CLiQ Voucher worth ₹10,000.
Renewal Fee Waiver
Full fee waiver on spending ₹15L* in a year.
*Rental and Wallet transactions are not valid for the annual spending threshold.
The Tata Cliq voucher is the ideal choice here and even if you factor in the discount that you would have got while using 10% instant discount offers on the website I would say that you get to lose only ₹2800 which is really good considering the value that it delivers back.
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Multiplier
Reward Points Earning Rate
Capping
All Spends*
1X
12 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA^
Gift Edge
Up to 10X
Up to 120 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA
Travel Edge
5X
12 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
NA
Grab Deals
Up to 40X
Up to 480 Edge Reward Points/ ₹200
10,000 ER Points/Customer ID/Month
*Except for Fuel, Wallet Loads, and EMI.
^Rewards on Insurance and rental spends are capped at 1,00,000 and 50,000 per transaction.
Edge Rewards carry an expiry of 3 years from the date of accrual.
Reward Points Redemption
Redemption Options
Value Per ER Point
Reward Rate (1X)
Cash
20p
1.2%
Travel Edge Redemption
20p
1.2%
Gift Vouchers
20p (Amazon) to 40p (MultiBrand)
1.2% to 2.4%
Transfer Partners
Minimum 80p
Minimum 4.8%
So as you can see first three redemptions won’t fetch you much value. Hence this card is basically a travel-oriented card in which the value can only be extracted if you consider transferring your points to the partner hotel and airlines. Even going by the conservative value of ₹0.80 per point (ITC Transfers) the reward rate comes out to around 4.8% flat and if you are into the miles game then you can take this value anywhere depending on your expertise. And with the milestone benefits the value becomes insanely hard to even believe!
If you wish to explore transfer partners of this card then we have compiled master lists for both Airlines and Hotels transfer partners on TF Community.
Milestone Benefits
25,000 additional Edge Rewards on spending ₹1,00,000 in a calendar month.
Points will be credited within 90 days from the month end in which the qualifying spends were made.
This offer is applicable from the joining month itself.
Rent and Wallet spending are excluded from the monthly spending threshold.
So if you spend 1L in a month even on 1X categories you are set to earn 6,000(1X) + 25,000(Milestone) which is a total of 31,000 ER points which can easily give you a two-night stay in a Marriot hotel. And if you can do this for at least 3 calendar months in a year then you are set to earn a return business class ticket via Singapore Airlines!! Even if you transfer them straight to ITC Green Points then you can extract a value of a Rupee per point which means it’s a 24.8% reward rate.
Now, this value is valid only if you are spending on 1X categories. Imagine what you can do with it if you start buying gift vouchers from the Gift Edge portal at 5X and 10X multipliers extensively for all your uses!! There is no other card which can match this reward-earning rate anywhere in the world.
Even if you are not able to hit the 1L monthly milestone and want to do a value analysis of the card and your spending. We have created an Optimal Usage Guide for the same.
Technofino Tip: Align your billing cycle with the calendar month so that tracking monthly spending becomes easier by just checking the unbilled section before the month is ending.
TechnoFino Maximum
If you have a Magnus in your wallet then this card should be your go-to card for all the spending so that you aim to hit the 1L milestone every month if possible. Maximize the 10,000 Edge points using Axis Grab Deals first using any of the 30X-40X partners.
Another thing to do is buy 10K Amazon Pay Vouchers, 20K Amazon Shopping vouchers and 10K Flipkart vouchers if required from the Axis Gift Edge portal and route the maximum of your online spending to your Amazon wallet if possible. There are 100s of other options available there like Uber, Domino’s Pizza, Apollo Pharmacy, Swiggy, Zomato and Croma for your everyday spending.
For travel, you can simply buy the Yatra vouchers or use travel edge to get the best reward rates out there from any bank currently. So make the hay while the sun shines!
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: Unlimited for Primary and Add-on Cardholders.
International Lounge Access: Unlimited Lounge Access using Priority Pass for Primary Card Holder only and 8 Complimentary visits per card anniversary year for accompanying guests.
I would call this a one-stop credit card for you and your entire family for airport lounge access that too anywhere in the world. Also even if you access the domestic lounges using Priority Pass offered by Magnus then the charges are reversed later on.
Airport Meet and Greet
8 Complimentary Meet and Greet Access per Calendar Year.
Airport Meet and Greet also known as an airport concierge service is the USP of this product since only a very limited set of cards in India are providing this service. In this service, you get a dedicated person right at the gate to take care of all your luggage by providing a dedicated buggy and a porter service. With this, they also provide check-in via express counters, security checks via Business class sections and also immigration assistance even if you are travelling economy.
Golf Benefits
Axis Magnus sadly looks like the only premium credit card that doesn’t provide Golf benefits.
Movies & Entertainment
BookMyShow Offer
This card provides Buy 1 Get 1 on Movies and Events for a maximum of up to ₹500 on bookings made on BookMyShow that too 5 times a month. Other than this you can also use the Visa Infinite benefits on this card. The availability for the Magnus offer is better than the Visa Infinite offer since the quota looks huge.
EazyDiner Prime
Complimentary membership of the Eazydiner Prime dining program under which you up to 25% off plus a 40% card discount up to ₹1,000 at premium restaurants across the country. I mostly max this out every month!
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all the fuel stations for transactions ₹400 to ₹4000 with a maximum surcharge waiver of ₹400 per month.
Forex Markup
This card provides a very competitive forex markup charge of only 2% + GST and with a base reward rate of 4.8% on travel redemptions you ultimately end up with net gains.
Insurance Benefits
You are provided with an Air Accidental Insurance of ₹4.5Cr and complete lost card liability lies with the bank in case you misplace the card.
Eligibility
Indian Resident, aged 21 to 65 years of age.
Minimum 18LPA ITR or 4L credit limit on other bank’s credit card for C2C basis application.
TechnoFino Recommends
Axis Magnus is one of the best credit cards currently available among all the options in India and a must-have if you can spend ~1L a month especially if you indulge in luxury travel internationally or even economy air travel regularly. Cashback or GV redemption lovers should stay clear of this. There is no other bank which can provide such transfer options in India. With recently added 6 new partners, Axis Bank currently has the highest number of transfer partners in India.
Do you hold this magnificent card? How are planning to redeem the truckloads of your ER points? Share your plans in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 10th July 2023.
American Express has finally started issuing cards since they were put under an embargo by the RBI. Their most sought entry-level card other than the AMEX Membership Rewards is the AMEX Gold Charge Card. In my opinion, the Gold Charge card is even more rewarding than the MRCC. But wait did I tell you why it’s called a Charge Card and not a Credit Card?
A Charge Card works like a Credit Card, but without offering the option of making part payment. You are required to pay your charge card bill in full by the due date. Charge Cards offer a “no pre-set” spending limit. But this doesn’t mean that you can spend an unlimited amount using a charge card as AMEX does have an internal limit on this card which is not revealed upfront to the customer.
Now that you know what a charge card is then let’s check out how we can maximize rewards on it!
6000 MR Points on spending ₹10,000 within 90 days (Referral Cards) Or 4000 MR Points on spending ₹10,000 in the first 90 days (Paid Cards)
Renewal Fees
₹4,500+ GST
Renewal Benefits
5000 MR Points after first-year card renewal on the realization of the annual fee. Nothing in the subsequent years.
Renewal Fee Waiver
NA
Add on Cards
1 complimentary supplementary card is provided.
AMEX doesn’t give you a spends-based fee waiver on Gold Charge Cards but you may get a waiver (unofficially over ₹2-₹4Lakh spends annually) or a retention offer to keep you in the loop. Especially if you hold other AMEX cards then AMEX really values the overall relationship. Else you can get an MRCC as a companion card whenever AMEX offers you which makes MRCC free and the fee you pay for Gold Charge becomes shared.
Application through referral is a clear-cut winner due to the extra 2000 bonus points. Since everything else is the same then why lose the extra 2000 MR points? Check out the link for detailed referral benefits information.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
Disclaimer:I will receive a referral bonus for anyone who applies for and is approved for the card through the above link.
If you face any problems in the application process you can contact me on Technofino Community.
You can choose to apply for any AMEX card from the link in the banner. To choose and apply a card of your choice simply click on the View All Cards option and select one. All the information for that particular card is readily available on the website.
Regular Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Capping
All Spends*
1 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
NA
Utility Bills
1 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
10,000 MR Points/ Calendar Month
Fuel
1 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
5,000 MR Points/ Calendar Month
*Spends exclude insurance payments.
Reward points never expire.
You get to earn MR points even on wallet loads.
As you can see base reward rate is really poor and the maximum that you can yield out of it will be less than 1% whether you go for their Gold Collection voucher redemption or transfer them to Marriott Bonvoy/Taj Hotels.
Bonus Reward Accrual
The major value of the AMEX Gold Charge Card lies in completing its monthly target.
Monthly Target: Spend ₹1000 six times a month and get 1000 Bonus MR Points every month.
Repeat every month to get up to 12,000 MR Points every year.
AMEX Reward Multiplier
AMEX has a Reward Multiplier portal just like HDFC Smartbuy from where you can purchase gift vouchers or do affiliate shopping and get 5X the usual reward points. Yes, 5X!!! This is simply too good to be true since MRCC offers only 2X on Rewards Multiplier.
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Reward Multiplier
5 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
Reward Redemption
Redemption options on MRCC and Gold Charge are almost the same. You can also combine points on both of them for redemptions.
Statement Credit/ Pay with Points
AMEX allows you to take a statement credit on eligible transactions or pay with points on select merchants while entering OTP for your transaction at a value of 25p/point. Most of the new AMEX cardholders use this redemption method but trust me there can’t be a method worst than this to use your MR Points. They are much more valuable than this so kindly ignore these two options.
Travel With Points
Another method to redeem your MR points. With this, you can purchase flights, prepaid hotels, car rentals, and more on AmexTravel. Again this gives you a value of 25p/MR point and is highly not recommended.
Insta Vouchers & Gold Collection
AMEX further offers you a huge variety of instant vouchers against your MR points which have different values for different brands. In this section, there are certain brand vouchers like Amazon, TAJ, BigBasket, Croma, Flipkart etc. which give better value over others and are called Gold Collection vouchers from AMEX. To redeem the gold collection you need to redeem vouchers in multiple of 18,000 or 24,000 MR points.
Voucher
Value Per Point
24K Gold Collection – 9000 Amazon Voucher
37.5p/MR Point
18K Gold Collection – 7000 Amazon Voucher
38.8p/MR Point
24K Gold Collection – 14000 Taj Hotels Voucher
58.33p/MR Point
18K Gold Collection – 9000 Taj Hotels Voucher
50p/MR Point
Just for an idea, I have presented some values for the Gold Collection as Amazon and Taj give the highest and lowest monetary value per point. Also, keep in mind that AMEX vouchers can only be used to book Taj Properties at non-discounted rates. Amazon voucher option is good for cashback lovers while Taj or Vistara vouchers are good for those who are into travelling.
Sometimes AMEX brings up Hot Rewards on particular brand voucher redemption which may give a very tempting value. You just need to keep an eye on them.
Transfer Points
Now, this is the hottest redemption option for MR points and if you can play well with this you can yield values of even greater than a rupee per point.
Airlines Transfers
AMEX allows you to transfer points to 8 different airline partners and some of them are so unique that none of the Indian credit cards allows you to transfer points to them like Asia Miles. We have a curated list of all AMEX airline transfer partners here. For booking award tickets using points, you can refer to this post on the TechnoFino Community.
Hotel Transfers
Now, this is the most sought redemption option since anyone with a Platinum or Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy can just extract a value of more than 1Re/MR point by transferring a 1:1 ratio with suite upgrades, breakfast and lounge access with complimentary drinks are an added plus. Since AMEX is the sole transfer partner to Marriott Bonvoy so many points miners use MR points only for transfer to Marriott. What remains to be seen is what value it will offer once Marriott Bonvoy goes full dynamic since January 2023.
Other than this you can transfer to Hilton Honors also but the value is not that great as compared to Marriott. We have curated a complete list of AMEX hotel transfer partners here.
It takes about 3-5 days to transfer Amex MR Points to various loyalty programs so transfer them well in advance to use them.
TechnoFino Maximum
Case 1: If you spend ₹1,000*4 (₹6,000) transactions per month then you get to earn 13440 MR points in a year and get a reward rate of 7.1% even if you redeem for Amazon Vouchers. But keep in mind that you need to pay annual fees of ₹4,500 in this case and reward rates decrease to 4.63%.
So anyway you get to earn a good reward rate of a minimum of 4.63% which is huge for an entry-level card.
Since AMEX charges zero fuel surcharge on HPCL pumps so you can fill fuel of 6K every month to complete your monthly milestone bonus points. On Gold Charge unlike MRCC, you get Regular MR points also on this.
Case 2: The real earning potential of AMEX lies in its Reward Multiplier where you get 5X reward points on the Gold Charge and the reward rate increases by an insane 3%. You can buy Flipkart, Amazon Shopping etc. vouchers from here.
Fuel Hack: For the best rewards, you can buy BPCL vouchers using Reward Multipliers and redeem them at your nearest fuel bunk to get an exceptional reward rate of up to 26.66%! (Who Knows)! So it beats all our Best Credit Cards in India For Fuel Spending.
The only problem lies in the annual fees since there is no spend-based waiver on this card. But you have to follow the suggestions which I have shared above in the article to ensure that the reward rate doesn’t drop.
TechnoFino Tip: Always try to split your transactions in multiples of ₹1000 to reach your milestone faster.
Other Benefits
Exclusive Offers
Gold Charge is the inferior of the two charge cards AMEX offers in India but it offers quite a good of lifestyle offers which keep on changing. All the ongoing offers can be found here. Do explore them since some of them offer 100% cashback also!!
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
0% for HPCL transactions less than ₹5,000,1% fee per transaction is applicable for all HPCL transactions on and above ₹5,000.
1% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations operated by the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies BPCL and IOCL.
2.5% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations of all other Oil Marketing Companies (except HPCL, BPCL and IOCL).
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST.
Eligibility Criteria
For AMEX Gold Charge income proof of a minimum gross ₹6LPA is required whether you are salaried or self-employed. AMEX doesn’t process applications on a Card-to-Card basis.
Your CIBIL score should be a minimum of 750.
You must have an address proof of any serviceable area.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
On applying for a Gold Charge card via the link above you get 2000 MR points extra on spending ₹10,000 within 90 days! So why apply directly and lose on this benefit?
TechnoFino Recommends
AMEX is one of those cards in which one redemption option can’t fit everyone. Some find solace in gold collection vouchers and others in Marriott Bonvoy transfer. Miles enthusiasts can extract value from airline transfers too. So there is something for every AMEX card holder. While redemption opportunities are a lot I wish AMEX would bring 3X and 5X offers from time to time just like in 2020 so that everyone can rack up some points fast!
What are your favourite redemption options for AMEX Gold Charge? Feel free to share your tricks in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 10th July 2023.
American Express has finally started issuing cards since they were put under an embargo by the RBI. Their most sought entry-level but highly rewarding card is known as AMEX Membership Rewards Credit Card and the other one is AMEX Gold Charge. If used correctly, these cards can help you yield good reward rates whether you hold entry-level cards or premium ones. With the recently started referral program, you can further take advantage of the joining offers.
Let’s check out how we can maximize rewards on it!
2000 Membership Reward Points on spending ₹5,000 within 90 days (Referral Cards) 4000 Membership Reward Points on spending ₹15,000 in the first 90 days (Paid Cards)
Renewal Fees
₹4,500+ GST₹1,500+ GST (Referral Offer)
Renewal Benefits
NA
Renewal Fee Waiver
50% waiver on ₹90K spend and 100% waiver on ₹1.5L spend.
Add on Cards
2 complimentary supplementary cards are provided.
Clearly joining via referral gives you an edge as you save complete joining fees and 67% of the annual fees every year with MRCC!! Though you lose the 2000 welcome MR points, you are still in a better position than direct application.
Check out the link for detailed information.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
Disclaimer:I will receive a referral bonus for anyone who applies for and is approved for the card through the above link.
If you face any problems in the application process you can contact me on Twitter.
You can choose to apply for any AMEX card from the link in the banner. To choose and apply a card of your choice simply click on the View All Cards option and select one. All the information for that particular card is readily available on the website.
Regular Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All Spends*
1 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
*Spends exclude fuel, insurance, and utility Transactions.
Reward points never expire.
You get to earn MR points even on wallet loads.
As you can see base reward rate is really poor and the maximum that you can yield out of it will be less than 1% whether you go for their Gold Collection voucher redemption or transfer them to Marriot Bonvoy/Taj Hotels.
Bonus Reward Accrual
The major value of AMEX cards lies in completing their monthly or yearly targets. MRCC even though devalued recently in 2021 is still the most popular card among AMEX enthusiasts because of the value that it offers in the form of bonus points. I will discuss the effective value of these bonus points later on in our most sought TechnoFino Maximum section.
Target 1: Spend ₹1500 four times a month and get 1000 Bonus MR Points every month.
Repeat every month to get up to 12,000 MR Points every year.
Target 2: Spend ₹20,000 or above and get 1000 MR Points over and above the points earned by completing the 1st target, every month. For this offer, you have to enrol yourself here.
AMEX Reward Multiplier
AMEX has a Reward Multiplier portal just like HDFC Smartbuy from where you can purchase gift vouchers or do affiliate shopping and get 2X the normal reward points.
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Reward Multiplier
2 MR Points/ ₹50 spent
Reward Redemption
There are the following redemption options for MRCC.
Statement Credit/ Pay with Points
AMEX allows you to take a statement credit on eligible transactions or pay with points on select merchants while entering OTP for your transaction at a value of 25p/point. Most of the new AMEX cardholders use this redemption method but trust me there can’t be a method worst than this to use your MR Points. They are much more valuable than this so kindly ignore these two options.
Travel With Points
Another method to redeem your MR points. With this, you can purchase flights, prepaid hotels, car rentals, and more on AmexTravel. Again this gives you a value of 25p/MR point and is highly not recommended.
Insta Vouchers & Gold Collection
AMEX further offers you a huge variety of instant vouchers against your MR points which have different values for different brands. In this section, there are certain brand vouchers like Amazon, TAJ, BigBasket, Croma, Flipkart etc. which give better value over others and are called Gold Collection vouchers from AMEX. For redeeming the gold collection you need to redeem vouchers in multiple of 18,000 or 24,000 MR points.
Voucher
Value Per Point
24K Gold Collection – 9000 Amazon Voucher
37.5p/MR Point
18K Gold Collection – 7000 Amazon Voucher
38.8p/MR Point
24K Gold Collection – 14000 Taj Hotels Voucher
58.33p/MR Point
18K Gold Collection – 9000 Taj Hotels Voucher
50p/MR Point
Just for an idea, I have presented some values for Gold Collection as Amazon and Taj give the highest and lowest monetary value per point. Also, keep in mind that AMEX vouchers can only be used to book Taj Properties at non-discounted rates. Amazon voucher option is good for cashback lovers while Taj or Vistara vouchers are good for those who are into travelling.
Sometimes AMEX brings up Hot Rewards on particular brand voucher redemption which may give a very tempting value. You just need to keep an eye on them.
Transfer Points
Now, this is the hottest redemption option for MR points and if you can play well with this you can yield values of even greater than a rupee per point.
Airlines Transfers
AMEX allows you to transfer points to 8 different airline partners and some of them are so unique that none of the Indian credit cards allows you to transfer points to them like Asia Miles. We have a curated list of all AMEX airline transfer partners here. For booking award tickets using points, you can refer to this post on the TechnoFino Community.
Hotel Transfers
Now, this is the most sought redemption option since anyone with a Platinum or Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy can just extract a value of more than 1Re/MR point by transferring a 1:1 ratio with suite upgrades, breakfast and lounge access with complimentary drinks are an added plus. Since AMEX is the sole transfer partner to Marriott Bonvoy so many points minter use MR points only for transfer to Marriott. What remains to be seen is what value it will offer once Marriott Bonvoy goes full dynamic since January 2023.
Other than this you can transfer to Hilton Honors also but the value is not that great as compared to Marriott. We have curated a complete list of AMEX hotel transfer partners here.
It takes about 3-5 days to transfer Amex MR Points to various loyalty programs so transfer them well in advance to use them.
TechnoFino Maximum
Case 1: If you spend ₹1,500*4 (₹6,000) transactions per month then you get to earn 13440 MR points in a year and get a reward rate of 7.1% even if you redeem for Amazon Vouchers. But remember that you need to pay annual fees of ₹1,500 (discounted annual fees only on referral) in this case and reward rates decrease to 4.63%.
Case 2: If you spend ₹20,000 per month and also complete target 1 simultaneously whether by doing (₹1.5K X 4 times + 14K cumulatively or ₹5K X 4 times). Then you get to earn 28800 MR points in a year and get a reward rate of 4.60% even if you redeem for Amazon Vouchers. No renewal fee is applicable in this case.
So anyways you get to earn a good reward rate of a minimum of 4.63% which is huge for an entry-level credit card. Since AMEX charges zero fuel surcharge on HPCL pumps so you can fill fuel of 6K every month to complete your monthly milestone bonus points. Though you won’t get Regular MR points on this.
Case 3: The real earning potential of AMEX lies in its Reward Multiplier where you get 2X reward points on MRCC and the reward rate increases by almost 60bps.
Although AMEX gives no rewards on fuel purchases still you can buy BPCL vouchers using Reward Multipliers and redeem them at your nearest fuel bunk to get an exceptional reward rate of up to 20.66%! (Who Knows)! So it beats all our Best Credit Cards in India For Fuel Spends.
TechnoFino Tip: Always try to split your transactions in multiples of ₹1500 to reach your milestone faster.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
0% for HPCL transactions less than ₹5,000,1% fee per transaction is applicable for all HPCL transactions on and above ₹5,000.
1% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations operated by the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies BPCL and IOCL.
2.5% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of ₹10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as a convenience fee at fuel stations of all other Oil Marketing Companies (except HPCL, BPCL and IOCL).
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST
Eligibility Criteria
For MRCC income proof of a minimum gross ₹6LPA is required whether you are salaried or self-employed. AMEX doesn’t process applications on a Card-to-Card basis.
Your CIBIL score should be a minimum of 750.
You must have an address proof of any serviceable area.
***Apply now for any AMEX Card by clicking on the banner above and get all the referral benefits***
On applying for an MRCC card via the link above you get this card First Year Free and a 67% discount on next year’s renewal fees as well. Further, you are set to earn 2000 Membership Reward Points on spending ₹5,000 within 90 days!
TechnoFino Recommends
AMEX is one of those cards in which one redemption option can’t fit everyone. Some find solace in gold collection vouchers and others in Marriott Bonvoy transfer. Miles enthusiasts can extract value from airline transfers too. So there is something for every AMEX card holder. While redemption opportunities are a lot I wish AMEX would bring 3X and 5X offers from time to time just like in 2020 so that everyone can rack up some points fast!
Are you planning to get the American Express MRCC? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 27th May 2023.
Many people still exclaim after hearing that I do my rental payment using credit cards and earn handsome rewards by doing so. Well, earlier no one would have thought that this would be possible someday. But RedGirrafe made it possible for the very first time in India in 2017 and is still the popular choice of many users owing to its one of the lowest convenience fees.
Nowadays other than rent you can pay school fees, maintenance charges and even brokerage from such applications. Club the best portals with the Best Credit Cards For Rental Payments.
Well, before figuring out all the available portals and what they charge first let’s look into the pros and cons of rental payment using credit cards.
It provides an interest-free credit period of up to 45 days and thus helps you with liquidity at times.
It helps you achieve milestones and other rewards offered by your credit card issuer.
Users can also set standing instructions and not miss the due date besides getting digital rent receipts.
With the increased usage of your credit limit, you get to improve your credit history if you pay bills on time.
And since you spend more on your card you may get a spends-based annual fee waiver or an upgrade to your dream card.
Disadvantages
A high credit utilization ratio can negatively impact your credit score especially if you have a low credit limit.
Since rent is a significant expense, you may not be able to pay the complete bill on time, and the issuer will charge you heavy penalties and interest which will hamper your credit score like anything.
Credit card issuers can apply extra charges as ICICI Bank and SBI Cards have recently started levying charges on rent payments.
As you can see that the number of disadvantages is very few as compared to the advantages. Hence, it makes a lot of sense to put this expense on your credit card especially if you are financially disciplined.
Rent Payment Platforms
Platform
Net Charges*
Rent Agreement Required
Card Acceptance
RedGiraffe
0.46%
Yes
All, except AMEX
MagicBricks
0% to 1.76%
Yes for 0% fees
All, except AMEX
99Acres
1.17%
No
All, except Diners
NoBroker
1.3%
Optional
All, except AMEX
Freecharge
1.47%
Optional
All, except AMEX
Housing
1.61%
No
All, except AMEX
CRED
1.8%
No
All, except AMEX
PhonePe
2%
No
All
PayTM
2.2%
No
All, except AMEX
Mobikwik
2.36%
No
All, except AMEX
PayMatrix
2.36%
No
All, except AMEX
*Service charges keep on varying but the best platform remains constant and that is undoubtedly RedGiraffe with the lowest fee structure since inception.
Credit Rotation and Implications
During the lockdown, since many people were finding it hard to make spending on their cards they resorted to making fake rent payments to their family and friends to earn reward points and achieve milestones without knowing its consequences. Since all the rent payment transactions are captured by AIS nowadays as everything is linked to PAN. So,
If you are paying rent greater than ₹50,000 in any month, you have to compulsorily deduct 5% TDS and pay the net amount after tax deduction to your landlord else no deduction is required under section 194IB. Else you can be made an assessee and penalized.
The person receiving such amounts is liable to show it as income from House Property and pay applicable taxes on it after necessary deductions as per their tax slab. Failure to do all this may lead to interest, fines and penalties.
Even if the landlord is earning more than ₹2.5LPA but less than ₹5LPA then he is liable to file ITR.
The total cashback earned on the credit card is also taxable if the amount on all your cards is equal to or greater than ₹50K as per Section 56(2)(x) of the Income-tax Act. You need to report it under the head ‘Income from Other Sources’ or ‘Profits and Gains from Business or Profession’, as the case may be.
And if the recipient is not owning any property then it is nothing but a case of misrepresentation and financial fraud.
So beware of all this before doing any such transactions. Nowadays banks have also started levying charges on rent payments and some have capped or altogether removed reward point earnings on such transactions.
Consolidated List of Surcharges By Different Card Issuers
Card Issuer
Rental Payment Surcharges
Reward Accrual
Eligible for Milestone Benefits
AU Bank
No charges for 1st transaction in a month, and 1%+GST is applicable from 2nd transaction.
1.25% for Zenith and 1 Reward Point for other variants.
Yes
Axis Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
Only for Magnus, Reserve, Burgundy Private, and Atlas.
No milestone benefits.
Bank Of Baroda
1%+GST on all transactions.
Reduced rewards as per variant since rent comes under restricted MCC.
Yes
Citibank
NIL
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
HDFC Bank
No charges for 1st transaction in a month, and 1%+GST is applicable from 2nd transaction.
N/A.
Yes
HSBC
1%+GST on all transactions.
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
ICICI Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
IDFC First Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
Reduced rewards at 3X reward rate.
Yes
IndusInd Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
Reduced rewards at 0.7%.
Yes
Kotak Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
RBL Bank
1%+GST with a monthly cap of 1 transaction allowed that too up to 50% of the credit limit.
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
SBI Card
₹199+GST on all transactions.
Regular rewards as per variant except for 1X on SimplyClick and no reward on Cashback Card.
Yes
Standard Chartered Bank
1%+GST on all transactions.
2% for Ultimate and regular rewards for other variants.
Yes
Yes Bank
0.50%+GST with a monthly cap of 3 transactions.
Regular rewards as per variant.
Yes
Bottomline
Rental payment using credit cards is the best way to earn reward points and earn that next business-class ticket. There is absolutely no risk attached if you are financially disciplined and following all the IT Act regulations on rent payments. Since this is a significant monthly expense for anyone who has a rental property, I would suggest everyone should explore the Best Credit Cards for Rental Payments and earn the best rewards possible.
Do you pay rent using your credit cards then which portal and credit card combination is your favourite? Tell us in the comments below!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last updated 2nd May 2023.
Everyone is looking for the best credit cards list so this is a complete article on the best credit cards for Rent Payments. Only a handful of such cards exist nowadays since most banks are tightening their noose on rental payments and wallet loads using credit cards.
This list along with our Rent Payment Guide will help you get the best rewards and practices around it.
Reward rate on Rent Payments: Base: 1.2% (Amazon Vouchers) to approx 4.8% (Airmiles/Hotel Loyalty Points)
Capping on Rent Payments: Points accrued only up to ₹50K per transaction, no limitation on multiple transactions though.
Rent Payment Surcharge: 1%+GST on all transactions maximum up to ₹1500 and not included in monthly milestone.
Joining Fee: ₹10000+GST
Annual Fee: ₹10000+GST (Waived off on annual spending of ₹15L but rental payments not counted).
AU Zenith
AU Zenith Credit Card
Reward rate on Rent Payments: 1.25% (Reward Rate) to ~1.75%(Milestone)
Capping on Rent Payments: None.
Applicable Charges on Rent Payments: No Charges for 1st transaction every month.
Joining Fee: ₹7999+GST
Annual Fee: ₹7999+GST
Milestone Benefits: Rs 1000 gift vouchers on ₹2 Lakhs of retail spends per calendar quarter Complimentary Epicure Membership on ₹8 Lakhs retail spends in a card anniversary year.
SBI Vistara Prime
SBI Club Vistara Prime Credit Card: Uber cool design in shades of blue.
Reward rate on Rent Payments: 2% (CV Points) to ~8.5% (₹8L Milestone)
Capping on Rent Payments: None.
Applicable Charges on Rent Payments: 199+GST per transaction.
Joining Fee: ₹2999+GST
Annual Fee: ₹2999+GST (1 Premium Economy ticket as an E-Gift Voucher on payment of the renewal fee)
Milestone Benefits:
Spending Amount
Milestone Reward
₹1.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹3L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹4.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹8L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket & 1 Hotel E-Voucher from Yatra worth ₹10,000
Quite a lucrative card that rewards fuel, rent and wallet spending and if you can reach all those milestones then you get to earn a whopping 8.5% Reward Rate! But remember you will be charged ₹99 + GST for rent payments on this card hence use it only if your rent payment amount is significant. Click on the banner below to apply for this card and get a voucher worth ₹500 on making your first transaction of ₹500 and above.
Rent Payment Surcharge: 1%+GST on all transactions.
Joining Fee: ₹5000+GST
Annual Fee: ₹5000+GST (5000 Reward Points on renewal fee payment)
Milestone Benefits: None
The ultimate winner for all your rental payments and wallet loads!
Yes Private
Reward rate on Rent Payments: 2%Cashback
Capping on Rent Payments: None.
Rent Payment Surcharge: 0.5%+GST on all transactions.
Joining Fee: ₹50,000+GST
Annual Fee: ₹10,000+GST (Waived off on annual spending of ₹25L)
Milestone Benefits: None
Rewards Summary
Since the reward rate is highly dependent on the type of redemption a user is seeking so I am prioritizing this list basis the highest core reward rate of the cards irrespective of the redemption mode used.
We have excluded cards which are giving less than 2% reward rates since the majority of rental payment portals usually charge more than 1.5% as charges.
TechnoFino Recommends
I have made a very specific list especially as the noose around the rental payments is getting tighter and tighter by the banks every month. Since rental payment is a significant expense for every household I recommend everyone to get a card from this list if they have a rental property, school fees, or maintenance charges to be paid every month.
So if you are into international travel then Axis Magnus looks best since then you will be able to complete the 1L monthly milestone by paying your monthly rent. Magnus works even if you want vouchers from your card or If you like direct statement credits then Standard Chartered Smart is the best option. For domestic travel Axis Vistara Infinite or SBI Vistara Prime would be an ideal choice if you can complete those milestones.
With many people using it as a tool for credit rotation by doing fake rent payments, I can’t blame the banks for such moves. But instead of excluding rent payments completely from the reward structure the banks should partner with payment portals and allow genuine users to keep on earning rewards which can be a win-win situation for the banks too. I have prepared a Rent Payment Guidehere which answers most of the related questions.
Which card do you use for rental payments? Share your strategy in the comments below.For more such insightful content follow me on Twitter.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 7th May 2023.
The most uncomplicated cashback card for beginners is the ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card. This card is so simple to understand that you really don’t need to think about anything while using it. Launched in 2018 but still is quite popular and literally, there has been no devaluation on the same to date.
So let’s have a quick look at what this card offers!
So you actually get paid on applying for an LTF credit card here!
Reward Accrual
Category
PrimeAccount
Non-PrimeAccount
Shopping on Amazon India* (Physical Goods)
5%
3%
Shopping on Amazon India (Physical books, Kindle e-books and Audible audiobooks), bill payments, mobile/DTH recharges, air ticket bookings, movie or bus tickets, and loading balance to Amazon Pay Wallet & Physical Gift Vouchers
2%
2%
Offline and Online Transactions
1%
1%
International Transactions including foreign Amazon Retail Stores
The Prime status of only the original account to which the card is linked will be considered for rewards on physical goods. You may use the card on any Amazon account without any restrictions.
Reward points never expire.
1 Reward Point = ₹1 Amazon Pay Balance.
Rewards will be accrued and will get automatically credited as Amazon Gift Cards into the Amazon Pay balance of the card linked account at the end of the monthly billing cycle without any redemption fees.
Though there is no limit on the reward earned, I have seen ICICI closing down card accounts for excessive usage or business spending, so make sure you control your spending on it, especially on Amazon.
Rent Payment Surcharge – 1% + GST.
Technofino Tip: Don’t forget to use affiliate websites along with this card to jack up the reward rates.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% fuel surcharge waiver without any limitations.
Forex Markup
3.5% + GST forex markup charges applicable.
How to Apply?
Check for an invite here by logging into your Amazon India account. Having an ICICI relationship does help and may help you generate your card instantly. The application process is very smooth and the card is generally delivered to you within 2-3 days with a shared limit if you have an existing ICICI Bank credit card that too without any CIBIL enquiry.
But if you are not having an ICICI relationship then they may ask you for income documents with an ITR of at least ₹4.8LPA and a video KYC will be done. Also, the rejection rate is also quite good so make sure you give all the documents in one go.
TechnoFino Recommends
I would certainly recommend this to everyone, especially after the recent devaluation of HDFC 5X Smartbuy on Amazon. So if you don’t a premium card from HDFC then this card is ideal for all the Amazon spends. This card won’t work on ICICI sales on other websites. Hence it’s better to get another card like the ICICI MakeMyTrip Signature from ICICI through the expressions card route. Since ICICI Bank allows you to hold its complete portfolio of cards so it won’t be a problem to get as many cards as you want.
Even for premium cardholders, this can be a good addition to their plastic collection!
Are you using an Amazon Pay ICICI card? Please share in the comments below how you make the most of it!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 7th May 2023.
Standard Chartered DigiSmart is a very interesting and unique card especially if you have high spending on its partner merchants. Since this card offers no reward whatsoever for spending done on any other merchant. It’s made for the millennials who love to shop, roam around and hang out on weekends at the nearest multiplex.
So let’s have a quick look at what this card offers!
Spend ₹5K on your card in the consecutive month for reversal of the fees of the current month.
Add-on Card Charges
₹49 + GST Monthly
This card offers a monthly fee structure which is different from the usual annual fee structure. You get your fee reversed after 90 days of it being levied if you spend ₹5000 in the next month. Like if monthly fees have been charged in your January statement then you need to spend ₹5000 in February to get the same reversed in the month of April. Since it’s very complicated and the amount is meagre so you may lose interest in tracking the reversals. I do see some reversals sometimes and don’t bother about it more than this.
Rent Payment Surcharge – 1% + GST.
From a fee point of view, Standard Chartered treats DigiSmart add-ons like a separate card though certain cashbacks have a common capping.
Also, I have seen some lucky people getting it converted to LTF pricing basis of their Standard Chartered Ultimate card relationship.
Features and Benefits
Myntra
Get a 20% instant discount max up to ₹700 on the Myntra App/Website with your Standard Chartered DigiSmart credit card.
It’s valid once per month and no promo code is required as the discount gets automatically applied on the payment page.
No minimum transaction size.
This is the most sought benefit of this card. Since this offer is not capped at card level so you can apply for supplementary cards and enjoy that huge no-condition attached discount multiple times a month. 😉
TechnoFino Tip – Since you can use this card only once per month and fashion is that category in which there are frequent returns and replacements required so it’s better to load ₹3,500 every month to your Myntra wallet and use it as you wish.
Yatra
For travel benefits, the partner merchant is Yatra and benefits on Domestic flights and hotels are quite lucrative.
Category
Discount
Min Transaction Amount
Maximum Discount
Discount Code
Transaction Restriction
Domestic Flight Bookings
20% Instant discount
No Min Transaction
₹750
DIGISMART
1 transaction/ quarter
International Flight Bookings
10% Instant discount
INR 20,000
₹10,000
DIGISMART
1 transaction/ quarter
Domestic Hotel Bookings
25% Instant discount
No Min Transaction
₹4,000
DIGISMART
1 transaction/ quarter
Earlier I used to use the domestic flight offer quite a lot when ticket prices were low to get the maximum 20% benefit under that capping but now it’s not possible anymore. Good card if you fly on shorter routes which have low airfare.
Ola
Get 15% cashback by making payments for cab rides on the Ola App maximum of up to ₹600/month which is jointly applicable to primary and supplementary cardholders.
Cashback is applicable only on cab rides, excluding bikes, auto and shared rides.
Cashback is not applicable on loading or recharging the Ola Money Wallet.
Cashback would be credited after 60 days and no promo code is required for this offer.
I don’t think any card gives such a good reward rate on Ola Cabs. So if you take cabs once in a while then this can give you some really good value on that airport or railway station transfers.
Blinkit
10% discount on Blinkit (Erstwhile Grofers), subject to a maximum amount of ₹1000/month.
There is no limit on the minimum purchase amount.
The offer is applicable on 5 transactions per calendar month.
Use promo code “DIGISMART” to avail of the offer.
It’s a very good offer if you regularly make those small-small grocery orders multiple times a month. Don’t forget to apply the promo code since the same is mostly not listed on the app.
Zomato
10% discount on Zomato subject to a maximum amount of ₹150/transaction.
The offer is applicable on 5 transactions per calendar month.
Use promo code “DIGISMART” to avail of the offer.
There is no limit on the minimum purchase amount.
Needless to say, apply this only when you don’t have any other offer at your disposal as the reward rate is too low for Zomato.
INOX Cinemas
BUY 1 GET 1 movie ticket on weekend shows at INOX Cinemas twice a month.
This benefit is available twice in a calendar month.
The cardholder will be eligible for 2 transactions per card every calendar month, subject to a maximum discount of ₹200 on each transaction.
It’s a good offer if you are living in a lower-tier city since the movie tickets there are around that amount only.
Eligibility Criteria
Only Salaried person with a stable income.
Age 21- 65 years of age.
If you are holding another card from StanC then you need to call customer care to apply for it.
Standard Chartered is not offering its card to Self Employed persons as they compulsorily ask for official mail-id and PF deduction proofs but you can apply offline using the card-to-card basis if you are holding an SC priority account(NRV~30L) or with a 36L ITR. So whether you apply for its Ultimate card or DigiSmart, ITR requirements remain the same.
TechnoFino Recommends
This card is tailor-made for millennials who have considerable spending on its online partner merchants especially if you have just started earning your salary then this card is just for you. It gives you a good reward rate of up to 25% on many merchants which you can’t get without holding a premium card. Even if you pay the full fee every month still you can get much more than the fee paid just by using the Myntra offer every month. And the rest of the benefits become a bonus.
And definitely, this is not meant for the people who are more into travel or are holding much more premium cards. But even for them, this can sometimes give more value.
Are you using a DigiSmart card? Share in the comments below how you make the most of it!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 15th May 2023.
Everyone is looking for the best credit cards list so is a complete article on the best credit cards for digital wallet loads. Only a handful of such cards exist nowadays since most banks are tightening their noose on rental payments and wallet loads using credit cards.
This well-researched article is dedicated to all the members of the TechnoFino Community now since we completed 5,000 members last week and this was the most requested article by users. If you have not joined this community then you are missing a lot since many of the sections are private and only available to selected active members.
I have tried my best to collect all the relevant information but if there are any additions or discrepancies then your valuable suggestions are most welcome as always.
Annual Fee: ₹4,500+GST (Generally waived off on request as per spending done)
Milestone Benefits: None
AMEX gives huge rewards for completing its monthly targets and redeeming then on Gold Collection. This card can be on your wishlist as on completing its monthly target you get to earn reward rates equal to approx 10%.
Annual Fee: ₹2999+GST (1 Premium Economy ticket as an E-Gift Voucher on payment of the renewal fee)
Milestone Benefits:
Spending Amount
Milestone Reward
₹1.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹3L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹4.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹8L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket & 1 Hotel E-Voucher from Yatra worth ₹10,000
Quite a lucrative card that rewards fuel and wallet spends and if you can reach all those milestones then you get to earn a whopping 8.5% Reward Rate! Click on the banner below to apply for this card and get a voucher worth ₹500 on making your first transaction of ₹500 and above.
Annual Fee: ₹499+GST (Waived off on annual spending of ₹1.2L)
Milestone Benefits: None
Another straightforward credit card from Standard Chartered offers a flat cashback on online spending including digital wallet loads.
TechnoFino Tip – Apply for supplementary cards if you are regularly crossing the monthly cashback threshold.
IndusInd Iconia AMEX
Reward rate on Wallet Loads: 1.5% on Weekends
Joining Fee: ₹5,000+GST
Annual Fee: LTF
Milestone Benefits: None
I am holding this card for a long and it has always been my go-to card for wallet loads before the devaluation happened. Generally, rewards on wallet loads for IndusInd Cards are a hit or miss since sometimes they get captured under reduced reward rate categories but with the Iconia AMEX version, I have never faced this issue.
If you have a wealth card then the base reward rate can get you 1.5% but if you cross the monthly threshold then it can go up to 2.5%. Apply for an LTF IDFC Wealth by clicking on the banner below.
AU Zenith
Reward rate on Wallet Loads: 1.25%
Joining Fee: ₹7999+GST
Annual Fee: ₹7999+GST (Waived off on annual spending of ₹5L).
Milestone Benefits: 1) Shopping vouchers worth Rs. 1,000 from top brands on retail spends of Rs. 2 lacs quarterly. 2) Complimentary Taj Epicure membership on retail spends of Rs. 8 lacs in a year.
A decent reward rate for wallet loads but the card comes with a hefty annual fee. You can get it LTF basis your workplace. This information is exclusively available in TechnoFino Community. Not providing the link since the hunt is worth the reward. 😉
IndusInd Pinnacle/Legend
Reward rate on Wallet Loads: 0.52% to 2.5% (Pinnacle)/ 0.52% to 1.5% (Legend)
The reward rates using these cards are a hit or miss since IndusInd Bank has put categories like rental payments. utility bill payments and Insurance out of the standard reward rates. Sometimes the wallet loads get counted in the categories mentioned and you don’t get what you are aiming at.
Other than the above cards other cards worth exploring are IDFC Select, HDFC Millennia, and ICICI Amazon Pay.
TechnoFino Recommends
With such a diverse list of the best credit cards for digital wallet loads and limited avenues to do so, one thing is for sure, it doesn’t make any sense to get a card primarily for this purpose. So if you already have a card from the above list then reap its benefits to the core. If you don’t need a card for any specific purpose but only wallet spends then getting a Standard Chartered Smart makes a lot of sense with such a low annual fee and easy to achieve spends based waiver.
Else if you are already planning to get a premium card like BOB Eterna or Standard Chartered Ultimate then you can use them without any fuss even on rental payments and don’t need to bother getting any card listed down that list. If you are one of those who are eagerly waiting for AMEX onboarding to start then look nowhere since they will give you the best bang for your money. Also since AMEX has an offline acceptance issue so it would be better to use them aggressively on wallet loads.
Which card do you use to load your digital payments wallets? Share your strategy in the comments below.For more such insightful content follow me on Twitter.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 18th November 2023.
SBI Cashback – an insanely rewarding and unbelievably simple no-nonsense credit card that has taken all credit card users by storm. After Axis, it seems like SBI Cards has taken the lead to bring good days for all the plastic money enthusiasts. No one would have ever believed that one day some bank would offer products better than HDFC Bank in the market. From here the competition is only going to get fiercer for the banks and better for consumers.
So let’s have a quick look at what this card offers!
Spend ₹2L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver.
Add-on Card Charges
NIL (2 Add-ons Allowed)
Currently, this card is being offered at absolutely zero joining fees with no welcome benefits. The annual fee waiver condition is also not too high keeping in mind that the full threshold of ₹2L will give you accelerated rewards when spending is done online. This card is so simple to understand and use that you simply don’t need to remember anything while using it.
Reward Rate
Spends Area
Cashback
Capping
Online Spends*
5%
₹10,000 per billing statement per month†
Offline Spending* and Utility Bill Payments
1%
None
*Cashback is not applicable on Rent Payments, Fuel Spends, Wallet Loads, Merchant EMIs, Cash Advances, Balance Transfer, Encash & Flexipay.
Cashback is not applicable on any spending done below ₹100.
Cashback will always be rounded down to the nearest integer on every transaction.
†Post ₹10,000 you will continue to get a base reward rate of 1% on eligible online spending.
Card Cashback will be auto-credited to your SBI Card account within two days of your next statement generation.
Surprised? So am I! Straightforward 5% cashback credited to your statement without any redemption charges with an insanely high monthly capping. What more do you expect from a card? Let’s see how long can SBI sustain it.
So make hay till the sun shines!
Click on the banner below to apply for this card and get a voucher worth ₹500 on making your first transaction of ₹500 and above.
Apply now for a voucher worth ₹500.
TechnoFino Maximum
Spend ₹2L per month online to reach the huge threshold of ₹10,000 per billing cycle! As simple as that but won’t be easy to touch month on month.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 1 Complimentary Visit/Quarter using the Visa Lounge Access Program.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% Fuel Surcharge Waiver across all petrol pumps on transactions of ₹500 – ₹3,000, exclusive of GST with a maximum surcharge waiver of ₹100 per statement cycle per credit card account.
TechnoFino Recommends
This card is a delight for cashback lovers and I highly recommend it! All those who are worried about its fee should think that to break even you need to spend just ₹23,600 in a year and above that, all the cashback is nothing but your net gain if you don’t cross the ₹2L mark!
This card also gives a serious run for money to BOB Eterna which is offered for a hefty fee of ₹2500 + GST but be mindful that Eterna rewards wallet loads. So I would not recommend weeding out all the winning cards from your portfolio in haste since the reward rate of this card is definitely not sustainable in the long run so replace only what you are confident of getting back in case a devaluation happens.
Initially, this card was grabbed by everyone with a lot of enthusiasm which has now fizzed out since SBI has announced that this card will not work in online sales where SBI cards are already running an instant discount offer. So keep this in mind before replacing this with the above cards from your portfolio.
Though this card doesn’t give accelerated rewards on Utility Bill Payments like Axis Ace but then you always have the option of routing those spends through any online platform which can help you mask the merchant. 😉
Click on the banner below to apply for this card and get a voucher worth ₹500 on making your first transaction of ₹500 and above.
Apply now to get a ₹500 worth of Gift Voucher.
Are you also planning to grab an SBI Cashback card ASAP? Share your thoughts below!
Axis Bank recently launched its first worthy miles-based card called AXIS ATLAS CREDIT CARD and is giving some serious run for the money to the biggest lender in India, the HDFC Bank. This card has been packed with a lot to offer but to enjoy the perks you have to earn your perks
Some find this card super-worthy and others complicated. Read on to know all about this card and let all your doubts fade away!
Welcome benefits will be credited within 60 days from the date of completing the 3rd transaction within 60 days of card setup.
Reward Accrual
Since Axis Bank is new to the miles game so they have started rewards in a different manner on this card. So instead of the usual EDGE rewards, you are entitled to EDGE Miles on this card.
*Excluding spending on Airlines, Axis Bank Travel EDGE Portal, Insurance (amount > INR 5000), and wallet recharge.
For now, Axis has kept rent payments included in the rewards system on this card.
Tier Benefits
Axis has shown some great innovation in the reward system of this card by introducing what they call a “Tier” system. In this the more you spend the more rewarding this card becomes.
Initially, everyone who gets this card gets an exclusive Silver Tier Membership which comes with a host of benefits given below.
Now as you spend more in your anniversary year you get an upgrade to Gold and Platinum Tiers.
In an anniversary year, when you hit ₹7.5L of spending, you get upgraded to the Gold Tier, and when you spend beyond ₹15L, you get upgraded to the Platinum Tier.
With Gold, you unlock 2 airport meet and greet visits and with Platinum, you unlock 2 more of them in addition to 2 Luxury Airport Transfer Services.
With Platinum, you also get to unlock 2X EDGE Miles on Forex Transactions.
AXIS ATLAS Tier Benefits.
Tier Change
Atlas credit cardholders’ tier will be evaluated at the beginning of each anniversary year on the basis of the previous year’s card spending. But tier upgrades are being provided basis the spending in the middle of the year.
For example, if you get your card on 1st April 2022 and start with a Silver Tier and you spend ₹15L within let’s say 3 months then you get upgraded to Platinum Tier from that very same time and continue to enjoy it next year also. But if you fail to make the necessary spending in the year 2023-24 then you will be downgraded to Silver or Gold depending upon the spending you have achieved.
Overall the reward rates on this card are a bit low when redeemed for flights and hotels via the AXIS Travel EDGE portal since if we consider milestone benefits the overall reward rate comes out to be around 2% only.
However the real value of this card can only be utilized when it is used to transfer air miles to partner airlines. Since the partner airlines keep on changing so I am attaching the link where we listed all the transfer partners on the TechnoFino Community. The best value which can be obtained is by transferring it to the newly added KrisFlyer which can be used on any Star Alliance Partners else United Airlines can also give you amazing value since they both have one of the lowest taxes and surcharges among the options available. I would advise you to avoid Vistara since the transfer rate is very poor.
For hotel transfer partners we will not recommend Marriot Bonvoy since the obtained value will be quite low.
TechnoFino Tip – Even if you still wish to do it then first transfer it to Club ITC and then transfer it to Bonvoy to get a 1 Edge Miles is to 3 Marriot Bonvoy points value with a maximum transfer capping of 60K points per year which I guess is more than enough.
Renewal Benefits
There is no fee waiver condition on this card so it tries to compensate it with milestone and annual benefits.
Tier
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Renewal Benefits
2500 EDGE Miles
5000 EDGE Miles
10,000 EDGE Miles
Above mentioned EDGE Mileswill be credited to cardholders’ EDGE Miles accounts upon successful payment of the card renewal fees as per the tier achieved on the anniversary date.
Milestone Benefits
Further, this card offers another set of benefits depending upon the yearly spending you make. This feels like a bonus on a bonus!
Spends
₹3L
₹7.5L
₹15L
Milestone Benefits
Total 2500 EDGE Miles
+2500 EDGE Miles = Total 5000 EDGE Miles
+5,000 EDGE Miles = Total 10,000 EDGE Miles
Travel Benefits
What is a travel card without travel benefits?! Axis ATLAS has got loads of it!
Benefit\Tier
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access – Domestic
8
12
18
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access – International
The lounge access limits are fully sharable across guests is another great feature of ATLAS.
International lounge access on Axis Atlas credit card is provided via Dreamfolks.
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST
TechnoFino Recommends
Atlas is overall a very good product if you like playing with the miles since direct redemption won’t give you much value and features like Meet and Greet and Luxury Airport transfers are unheard of in this fee range. So if you don’t want to pay a hefty charge to hold an Axis Reserve but still want those luxury rides then this card is just for you. Do read the article on Luxury Airport Transfer Services offered in India if you are new to this.
As mentioned in the beginning this card may prove to be complicated for someone who tries to chase the rewards by doing a back calculation before spending. That said, this card belongs to someone who has regular spending of at least ₹7.5LPA as then the cardholder gets to earn 17,500 EDGE Miles and if you are able to spend ₹15LPA then you get to earn 30,000 EDGE Miles! Below these two thresholds, the reward rate is quite average. Further, consider this only if you are a lot into travelling.
With Magnus and Atlas, Axis has really upped the ante and with the recent addition of KrisFlyer, it now has all the travel transfer partners that soon-to-be-exiting CitiBank is providing in India. With similar reward rates but better perks than Premier Miles, I would like to place this card above it but lower than the Citi Prestige. With the way things are going forward, I think Axis Bank will super soon launch a super premium travel credit card to retain the customers of Citi Prestige. So I recommend this card to everyone who for now is looking for its replacement.
What are your thoughts on the new Axis Atlas credit card? Feel free to share them below.If you would like to read more such articles then connect with us on Twitter.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 15th May 2023.
ICICI MakeMyTrip Signature credit card is the superior of the two co-branded cards that the bank offers in collaboration with MMT. This card has recently undergone many changes in the welcome benefits that it offers.
So, Read on to find out whether you should apply for this card or not!
> Get ₹1,500 My Cash > MakeMyTrip holiday voucher worth ₹2,500 > Complimentary MMT BLACK Exclusive membership
Renewal Fees
NIL
Renewal Benefits
None
Supplementary Card Charges
₹250 + GST
Supplementary Card Renewal Charges
NIL
MakeMyTrip cash is 100% usable and will be credited to the Cardholder’s designated MakeMyTrip My Wallet within 45 business days post payment of the Joining Fee.
My Cash cannot be used for rail, offline holiday bookings, and ‘Pay at Hotel’ bookings.
MMT Holiday voucher can be used for booking domestic or international holiday packages and is a part of its welcome kit and is valid for 12 months.
The T&Cs attached with the holiday voucher are very vast and I am not including them all here so better to read them in detail before applying from ICICI Bank’s website. From a value point of view, the holiday voucher will give you almost no value if you are a completely do-it-yourself traveller. The welcome benefits I would say are very poor since generally, all banks give rewards equivalent to that of the joining fees paid.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Earning Rate
Reward Rate
Domestic spends outside MakeMyTrip*
1.25 My Cash/₹200
0.625%
International spends outside MakeMyTrip*
1.5 My Cash/₹200
0.75%
Spends on flight bookings on MakeMyTrip
2 My Cash/₹200
1%
Spends on hotel/holiday bookings on MakeMyTrip
4 My Cash/₹200
2%
*No reward points on fuel transactions.
1 My Cash in MMT my wallet = 1 INR and is 100% usable when used to make travel bookings or to purchase partner vouchers through MakeMyTrip.
My Cash earned will be added to the Primary Cardholder’s MakeMyTrip account within 45 Business Days of the monthly credit card statement generation
The reward structure is very dull and in line with the other lacklustre ICICI Bank credit cards. Since it’s LTF so why bother spending on this card?
Milestone Benefits
Spend Rs 2.5 Lakh using the MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card and earn 1,100 My Cash each anniversary year.
Spend Rs 5 Lakh using the MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card and earn 4,000 My Cash each anniversary year.
These milestone benefits add a good value to the existing reward structure that inflates the reward rate by 1% but I wonder why will anyone spend this much on this card.
MMT Black Membership
Currently, you get an annual MMT Black Exclusive Membership for the first year which gives you the following key benefits:
10% or 15% additional discount on select participating hotels, applicable over & above other discounts.
MMTBLACK Hotel Privileges such as free room upgrades, early check-ins, and hotel-specific discounts on food, beverages, spas, and other offerings(subject to availability).
My Cash is worth Re 0.75 for every Rs 100 spent on flight bookings and My Cash is worth Rs 1.5 for every Rs 100 spent on all other bookings (Rail, Metro, and Visa not included).
Exclusive Care—a premium Customer Care helpline.
Year-round benefits from MakeMyTrip Partners.
Access to the MMT BLACK Fest.
MMTBLACK Flight Privileges such as free Meals@Airports (at select restaurants), discounted airport transfers, and free seat selection.
For continuing this benefit membership you need to spend more than Rs 2L on MMT in the next 12 months else your membership will be degraded to either MMT Black Preferred or Elite. For upgrades, the spending is counted after every travel booking irrespective of the tier enrolment date whereas for a downgrade it is counted only after 12 months of the last upgrade or downgrade.
If your spending in the last 12 months is less than Rs 30,000, you will no longer remain a member of the MMT BLACK Programme. Post this, if you complete the travel for a booking made through the MakeMyTrip platform, which is greater than or equal to Rs 30,000, then you will be re-instated to the Preferred Tier or higher Tier, the basis spends done at MakeMyTrip.
Earlier they used to offer free cancellation of flight bookings under the MMT Double Black program which was a very lucrative offer but sadly has been discontinued.
Airport Lounge Access
International Airport Lounge Access: The card member will also get 1 complimentary visit and 1 domestic airport spa access per year with Dreamfolks Card, which is available upon request. Only one Dreamfolks card will be provided with this card.
In a spa, you can either get foot reflexology, a head or shoulder massage, or an upper back massage for 30 mins.
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: The Card Member will get 2 complimentary access per quarter by spending Rs 5,000 in the previous calendar quarter.
The domestic lounge access with that condition attached is not appealing enough but what makes this card work is the Dreamfolks Card and the international lounge and spa benefits that come with it considering the LTF pricing of this card.
Railway Lounge Access: The Card Member will get 2 complimentary railway lounge access/quarter at the participating lounges in India. This benefit is limited only to the primary cardholder. Intrigued enough to know about what is a railway lounge? Get to know everything about themhere.
Airtel International Roaming Pack
You are eligible to get a 10-day complimentary international roaming pack worth up to ₹3999 on booking an international flight/hotel on MakeMyTrip using the MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card. The Offer shall be available only to Airtel Post-paid Mobile subscribers.
. This offer can give you a good amount of savings on your next international trip.
MMT Cabs
Looks like another good offer but since I haven’t used this service so can’t really comment on the service part.
BookMyShow and INOX offer
You get a 25% discount, a maximum of up to Rs 150 on the purchase of a minimum of two tickets per transaction. The maximum discount amount will be INR. 200/- per transaction. You can avail of this benefit two times a month on BookMyShow and Inox individually.
But you can pass this offer if you have better cards with you since the Buy1Get1 offer is standard on many cards.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
A 1% fuel surcharge will not be applicable on fuel transactions of up to Rs. 4,000 at HPCL pumps if the Card is swiped on ICICI Merchant Services swipe machines.
TechnoFino Recommends
Since I also wanted to get an ICICI card as my ICICI Amazon Pay was excluded from most of the online sale offers so I went ahead with this one since it was offering complimentary railway lounge access and a Dreamfolks pass which was a unique addition to my cards portfolio at that time. When I got this card they offered me an MMT Double Black membership which came with free ticket cancellation, luckily I was able to use it that year and my whole fee was almost utilized. Further, they offered a Lemon Tree Hotel Voucher worth ₹2,500.
Most of the ICICI bank credit cards are poorly rewarding and it makes sense to get only an LTF Card from its stable. So most people either try to get their premium cards LTF using their relationship with the bank or simply get their humble Platinum card. So if you are planning to get hold of an ICICI card then I would suggest you go for this card instead of an ICICI Coral or an ICICI Platinum till you get hold of any of their premium cards. And since ICICI allows you to hold their complete portfolio of cards at once there is no problem in retaining this for life and getting another card anytime later.
Are you having this LTF credit card from ICICI Bank? How has been your experience related to the unique services it offers?
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 27th May 2023.
Ever needed a jumpstart or help with an empty fuel tank? When you are stuck it’s easy to panic and forget about the options you have at hand when you need them the most. Further, you may have a credit card in your wallet which offers complimentary Road Side Assistance.
Roadside assistance is generally sold or bundled with car insurance by car dealers in tie-up with partners like Allianz/ Europ Assistance but recently many credit cards are offering it for free. Let’s quickly check out the cards offering the same!
Roadside Assistance acts as your most trusted ally when the vehicle breaks down. In other words, Roadside Assistance Coverage means a professional technician comes to your rescue when your car breaks down in the middle of the journey leaving you stranded. Broadly it helps you in the following situations all over India.
Towing Service
Accidental Towing
Battery Jumpstart
Flat Tyre
Lost or Locked keys
Fuel Problems
Some of the RSAs will also provide you with a hotel stay or a complimentary taxi service to a limited area.
Cost Analysis
Though even paid plans don’t cost a bomb still many Indians tend to ignore it just like they ignore insurance and realize its value only when they are immobilized and are asked for hefty towing charges by local crane operators. A single instance of car towing from a remote location can cost easily something between ₹20,000 -₹30,000 easily. Whereas the cost of 1 year paid RSA plan when bought from your car manufacturer is anywhere near ₹2000 and a 5-year plan costs around ₹6500. So even a single RSA service can help you get back a multiple of the money paid.
RSA can also be bought for a low price when taken as an add-on with your vehicle insurance so do remember to ask for it from the provider when your next renewal is due. Else just get one of the cards given below!
Many new car owners live with the impression that they wouldn’t need this service but a car is a machine and can go faulty just when you need it the most. I have had multiple instances with my vehicle where I needed it and it proved to be a lifesaver. And now you don’t even have to pay for with since this is being offered complimentary with credit cards in India.
How to avail?
Pick your phone and call on the respective number and register your service request. There is no need for any prior signup.
The customer support executive just confirms your last 4 digits of the card and registered contact number.
Then a WhatsApp message is shared with you where you have share your current location and the drop location which is generally your preferred service centre.
Whether a technician is required or just a crane is needed is decided by the on-call assistant on the basis of your statement about what’s wrong with your vehicle.
On a best-effort basis, assistance will be provided to you, and the time would depend on the location of the vehicle. However, normally it would take about 30 to 45 minutes to reach you within city limits and about one to one and half hours to reach you if you are outside city limits. Sometimes even the live technician location is shared with you via a link.
If minor repairs are needed, the technician will repair your car on the spot. If it needs to be moved to a garage, they’ll tow it to a nearby network garage.
Charges depend on your card as per detailed comparison given below.
Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata
Unlimited#
1860 267 7777
Currently, all the IDFC credit cards like WOW!, Millennia/Classic, Select, Wealth and Private are offering this service. And clearly, IDFC First Bank is way ahead of the competition since the service area of IndusInd Bank is limited only to metro cities and ICICI is offering the services on its paid card whereas IDFC First cards are lifetime-free.
IndusInd Bank is offering this service on its multiple credit cards namely Crest, Pinnacle, Legend, Iconia, and even their base variant Platinum.
#But the main catch with IndusInd cards is that all expenses including labour charges or any repair charges need to be paid. So looks like all they are providing is a mere concierge service.
Debit Cards
Debit Card
Service Availability
Complimentary Limit
Toll-Free Number
1)
ICICI Sapphiro Debit Card
PAN India
4 Services/ Year
1800 572 3860
2)
IDFC Private Debit Card
PAN India
4 Services/ Year
1800 572 3860
3)
IDFC Wealth Debit Card
PAN India
4 Services/ Year
1800 572 3860
4)
IDFC Select Debit Card
PAN India
4 Services/ Year
1800 572 3860
The only ICICI debit card in India currently offering this service bundled with its complimentary Card Protection Plan (CPP) is ICICI Sapphiro but comes at a hefty cost of ₹1500 + GST per annum.
Other than the above IDFC First Bank is offering this facility on their selected top three debit card variants which you can get if you maintain a certain NRV with the bank.
Bottomline
You always hope never to need roadside assistance just like insurance and people tend to forget about it. So I would recommend you apply for an IDFC First Credit Card if you are already not using the ICICI twins mentioned above. IndusInd cards for this very specific purpose are not recommended since their coverage is very limited and emergencies can come anywhere.
Also getting a premium debit card for this purpose by keeping a good amount in banks is not at all recommended in this high-inflation era.
Apply now for an IDFC First Credit Card.
This article will come in handy when you are in need and it’s always good to know whom to call when you are stuck!
Have you availed of the Roadside Assistance services in India? How has been your experience? Share your experience in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 27th May 2023.
Bank Of Baroda Eterna Credit Card is the flagship offering from their credit card division known as BOB Financial. This card costs in line with other premium cards available in the market but gives a super premium card reward rate. This card comes on Visa Infinite and MasterCard World platforms.
I was holding a BOB Eazy Credit Card for the last 3 years and was a very early customer for them. I recently got my card upgraded to Eterna since I was using BOB cards a lot recently due to their mouthwatering online offers so that I could further sweeten the deal on all my online spending. Here’s a detailed review of this card.
Spend ₹25,000 on your card within the first 60 days of the card setup date for first-year fee reversal*.
Welcome Benefits
6 Months FitPass Pro
Annual Fee
₹2499+GST
Annual Fee Waiver
Spend ₹2.5L on your card in a year for an annual fee waiver.
Add-on Card Charges
NIL
*Fee reversal will reflect in the 4th bill statement from the card issuance month.
Currently, BOB is running a limited-period offer and offering unconditional LTF (except Bank Of Baroda Eterna) offers on many of their cards. We are also sharing with you an exclusive referral link for all TechnoFino readers. If you think I have been able to add some value to your spending then as a token of gratitude you can go ahead by applying from our link. So what is stopping you from grabbing a BOB card?
Reward Points Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Capping
Online Spends / Travel / Dining / International
15RP/ ₹100 (4X + 1X)
5000 RP/ Month(4X)
Selected MCCs
1.5RP/ ₹100
None
All Retail Spends
3RP/ ₹100 (1X)
None
*Reward program not applicable on Fuel, EMI transactions & Cash withdrawals.
Online Spends include wallet, rent, and insurance payments.
The capping of 5000 Reward Points exists on the 4X part of the total 5X reward points.
Further spending on categories mentioned in the 1st column will earn you Reward Points at the regular earn rate of 1X.
Reward Points Redemption
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Online / Travel / Dining / International
3.75%
Selected MCCs
0.375%
All Other Retail Spends
0.75%
Fuel
0%
For special MCCs, we get lesser reward points including some high-spending categories like Rent, Insurance, Utilities, and Government Transactions. Earlier these transactions were yielding rewards at 3.75% but not from now onwards.
Special MCCs List
1 Reward Point = 25p when redeemed for statement cash.
Reward redemption charges are absolutely zero.
The card is great for online spending, travel, and dining spending. The reward rate in other categories is poor. The USP is that reward points can simply be redeemed as a statement credit for 25p per point that too without any redemption charges which is a great feature as most banks are nowadays charging for direct cash redemptions. And that 5000 Reward Point capping on the accelerated category is also very decent as compared to other BOB Cards.
Milestone Benefits
10,000 Reward Points on spending ₹50,000 within the first 60 days.
20,000 Reward Points on spending ₹5,00,000 in a year.
Bonus Reward points for Milestone Rewards will be posted to eligible cardholders’ credit card accounts within 30 days of the promotion end date.
TechnoFino Maximum
If you spend ₹41,700 (Online / Travel / Dining / International) per month then you will cross the threshold of a maximum of 5000 of 4X reward points and get additional 1250 points at the rate of 1X and the total becomes 6250 Reward Points. With this, you will be able to achieve the yearly milestone of 5L spending and get another 20,000 Reward Points every year. So now you have earned 95K reward points worth ₹23750 on spending just ₹5L which makes the equivalent reward rate of a huge 4.75%CASHBACK.
With the above, you also get to waive your renewal fee for the next year. I have not added the first-year milestone benefit in the above calculations.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Domestic – Unlimited access for both primary & add-on cardholders)
Cardholders can get up to 3-lifetime free add-on cards for their spouse, parents, siblings, or kids. It’s disappointing to see no international access on this card but with the price point at which it comes and the kind of rewards, it gives I don’t have any complaints.
PayTM Movies Offer
Buy One Get One free movie ticket at Paytm movies up to ₹250/Month.
Golf Benefits
4 complimentary rounds of green fees per calendar year (not more than 1 round in a single calendar month).
12 complimentary golf lessons per calendar year (1 lesson per calendar month).
Discounted golf services at 50% of the green fee beyond complimentary sessions.
To Book Call- 1800-102-6263
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India on transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000
Max. surcharge waiver ₹250 per statement cycle.
No Reward Points are earned on fuel transactions.
Discounted Forex Markup
This card offers a discounted forex markup of 2% + GST applicable.
Insurance
Personal Accidental Death Cover:- Air: ₹1Cr; Non-Air: ₹10L.
Zero liability on lost card: Report the loss of the card immediately to ensure zero liability on any fraudulent transactions.
Eligibility
Indian resident.
Age 21 to 65 years.
Annual income required ₹12L.
For a paid variant above criteria are followed internally by the bank and if you want it LTF then the bank is giving it on an approval basis for ITR having income above ₹30LPA. Unofficially existing card holders can upgrade to a paid Bank Of Baroda Eterna if they have a limit of ₹2L on their current BOB Card.
Customer Care Details
For feedback/suggestions/complaints/requests the customer can contact BOB Financial @ 1800-103-1006 / 1800-225-100 or write to crm@bobfinancial.com from your registered mail-id.
TechnoFino Recommends
BOB is very aggressive with its offers like 12-15% on flights/hotels via EaseMyTrip, Yatra.com, or even 5% cashback on bill payments via Amazon Pay. BOB is running a 5% cashback offer on utility bill payments for the last 2 years continuously on Amazon through which we can even book a gas cylinder at 5% off!! Even though it is a lending arm of a PSU Bank but is phenomenally aggressive when it comes to tie-ups with merchants.
Since the team involved is quite small so you may need a great amount of patience in dealing with their slow-to-respond customer care team.
And still, if you are not comfortable with the idea of keeping a premium paid card in your portfolio then I would suggest you go for any of its LTF cards like BOB Premier or BOB Select so that you can enjoy BOB’s online offers carefree.
So what is stopping you from applying for a BOB credit card with so many benefits?
How has your experience been with BOB Credit Cards? Share your thoughts below!
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
EazyDiner is a dine-out application just like Dineout or Zomato backed by Vir Sanghvi and other top hoteliers. It’s primarily related to India and now expanding its footprint in Dubai as well. With this, you can book tables at your nearby restaurants, and even buy prepaid QSR deals for that on-the-go snacking. It has all the answers for the most enjoyable, authentic, and friction-free table booking experience. EazyDiner Prime is their membership program which gives ultimate dining benefits.
You can book over 10,000 restaurants in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, and over 150 cities in India & Dubai. They have an app as well as a website for bookings. For bookings in India, they also provide a 24×7 complimentary concierge service.
EazyDiner Prime is their paid-only membership program which promises exclusive access to the 2000+ hottest bars and restaurants. It also guarantees you a minimum of 25% off and up to 50% off at top restaurants in India & Dubai. Currently, they are offering the annual membership at a discounted price of ₹2495/year.
By using EazyDiner Prime membership benefits you get the following benefits extra.
Save up to ₹3,000 every time you eat out with a guaranteed 25% to 50% discount at bars and restaurants.
Enjoy a complimentary cake or dessert at select restaurants on your birthday and anniversary.
Enjoy 50% OFF when you take away a birthday or anniversary cake, anytime during the month.
Earn 2x EazyPoints and redeem them for free meals faster.
Joining Bonus of 2000 EazyPoints.
Now, PayEazy is a payment channel provider that helps you pay the restaurant bill. This helps you make a transaction with any debit or credit card to enjoy offers and discounts from their payment partners. You have to keep in mind that not all restaurants available on EazyDiner give Prime benefits and also not all the Prime restaurants are PayEazy enabled. For a maximum savings combination, a restaurant should be a PayEazy-enabled Prime restaurant.
So if you are using EazyDiner Prime then you are entitled to a 25% to 50% flat discount at the restaurant level and then additional benefits up to 40% depending upon the card you are using to pay the bill via PayEazy.
A bill of ₹4,000 in a restaurant gets an EazyDiner discount of let’s say, 25% and becomes ₹3,000 and then becomes ₹2250 instantly with this card!
How it works?
Here’s how you can avail maximum discount when you dine in with EazyDiner.
Go to EazyDiner App/Website
Select a deal at your choice of Prime restaurant and confirm the booking.
After you reach the restaurant and grab your table do inform the server that you have booked a table using EazyDiner.
Enjoy your meal, and open up the application.
To make a payment towards the bill, open the EazyDiner App and select PayEazy and pay with the best card offer you can see.
If the restaurant is not PayEazy enabled then you can pay the discounted bill in cash but you get to lose all the online payment offers.
New to EazyDiner?Download the application and use the referral code: BHAVY9104 to get a ₹500 worth voucher.
Cards Offers
EazyDiner has partnered with quite a lot of banks to offer you quite lucrative offers which they keep on changing. Here is a list of all the ongoing offers.
Currently, their best offer is a 40% discount on min. bill of ₹2500 up to ₹1000 on Super Premium cards. Like Axis BankMagnus, Vistara Infinite, Burgundy, and Reserve which is usable once in 15 days.
They have also recently launched an IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card which offers 25% OFF up to ₹1000. Also, there are no minimum billing amount requirements, This offer can be used unlimited times in a month along with a complimentary premium alcoholic beverage for the whole table!
My Experience
My personal experience with EazyDiner has been quite smooth as compared to its major competitor Dineout as I have never been refused a table or denied the listed perks whenever booked. I happened to land on this application after getting a voucher for the fee paid for getting my Indusind Iconia Amex card. I used it for a family buffet at a five-star hotel in Gurugram back in 2018.
The good thing is that many in-house restaurants of five-star properties are included in their network too. This makes my life easier when I am residing in them. Their mobile application is also very smooth and swanky with a clean user interface.
I got my last membership by redeeming Flipkart Supercoins and it came damn cheap. For people living in tier 1 cities and eating out regularly, this application is the way to dine out. During a recent visit to Delhi, I happened to visit the Soda Bottle Opener Wala outlet in DLF Mall of Noida and my experience with EazyDiner and PayEazy was seamless. I used my Axis Vistara Infinite Credit card to bust my bill worth around ₹4000 and paid just ₹1750. I have shared all the details in this tweet.
Have you used Eazydiner Prime and how’s been your experience? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 24th May 2023.
IndusInd Bank recently launched another co-branded credit card in collaboration with EazyDiner. It’s a surprising new addition since EazyDiner is already having a slew of banking partners for various offers on their application and hence exclusivity cannot be maintained. The card has been creating a lot of hype. This keen interest is due to the devaluation of the evergreen favourites of IndusInd Bank like Iconia, Legend, and Pinnacle.
EazyDiner is a dine-out application primarily related to India and now expanding its footprint in Dubai as well. With this, you can book tables at your nearby restaurants and even buy prepaid QSR deals for that on-the-go snacking.
Let’s check out all that this card brings on to the table and whether it makes sense to switch to it or not!
I know you are thinking that the joining fee has been over-compensated with the welcome benefits worth double the fee paid. But keep in mind that Postcard Hotels is a luxury hotel chain and their most basic room starts from 16000 onwards per day with the priciest one costing nearly 2L per day! So to use that voucher you have to pay a good difference using your Indusind EazyDiner card. This more or less looks like a promotional voucher from Postcard Hotel. But if luxury is your way to go then this voucher will give you a wonderful new experience of a postcard-perfect hotel. Postcard Hotel voucher is transferable but payment at the hotel needs to be done using IndusInd EazyDiner card only.
You also get an EazyDiner Prime Membership along with this card which costs more than the annual fee paid itself. Plus you also get 2000 EazyPoints every year on renewal.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Earn Rate
Reward Rate
Dining, Shopping, and Entertainment.
10 Reward Points/₹100
2%
All other retail spends*.
4 Reward Points/₹100
0.80%
EazyDiner Table Bookings
3X EazyPoints
NA
*Retail spending excludes fuel spending.
1 Reward Point = 20p
Accumulated reward points will expire at the completion of every anniversary year.
EazyPoints expire if you don’t do a transaction for more than 6 months on the EazyDiner platform.
EazyPoints are earned differently than the Reward Points on the EazyDiner application. Following are the ways in which you can earn EazyPoints.
Out of all the above ways, you will get 3X EazyPoints on the Book a Table Feature only, and the rest of earning rate will be as usual. If you are a non-prime member you are entitled to 25 EazyPoints per diner (50 EP if you are a Prime) on booking a table so with this card you will receive 75 EazyPoints per diner.
Reward Redemption
You can earn rewards in two different forms that are Reward Points and EazyPoints but the currency is a single entity called EazyPoints. Now the interesting part is that the redemption process for both of them is different. As both points will be visible separately in your application once you have the card linked to your application. I would say that this is a poor execution of the product since it makes it complex to understand for a novice card user.
For redemption, you have the following options.
Reward Points
Reward Points earned on spending are instantly redeemable against your food bills at 20p per point. You cannot redeem them in cash.
Reward Points are instantly redeemable against food bills on the EazyDiner app.
EazyPoints Redemption
You can redeem EazyPoints against Meal Vouchers, Restaurant events or free Hotel Stays as and when they are unlocked for you.
EazyPoints when redeemed for a meal voucher gives you a value of 20p each and have a minimum spending condition. A 200 voucher comes with a 1000 minimum billing condition. So redemptions for meal vouchers are pointless since you won’t be able to 20%-40% club card discounts with them and points would simply go to waste.
You can also redeem EazyPoints for a night’s stay in select juSTa Resorts in Dharamshala and Shimla. A night at juSTa Birding Dharamshala starts from 11K a night whereas juSTa Cliffend Resort & Spa Mashobra Shimla costs around 25K a night with the same redemption requirements.
Further if luxury is your cup of tea then Postcard Hotel (Goa/ Sri Lanka/ Bhutan) redemption option is also there for 30K EazyDiner points. But there is a condition of paying the full amount for the first night and then the second night becomes complimentary.
For getting the maximum out of EazyDiner points I recommend you accumulate them and use them for hotel redemptions. But yes these points will only be worthy of a meaningful redemption if you are a regular EazyDiner user.
TechnoFino Tip: You can easily get ₹6/EazyPoint if you redeem them for the Postcard Hotel voucher and book their topmost Dewa Suite in Thimpu, Bhutan, or ₹2.5/EazyPoint if used for a night’s stay at juSTa Cliffend Resort & Spa Mashobra Shimla, India.
EazyDiner Prime Membership
This card offers you an annual EazyDiner Prime Membership on payment of your renewal fees every year which currently they are offering at a discounted price of ₹2495/year.
EazyDiner Dining Benefits
Discount on your food bill
Avail an extra 25% OFF up to ₹1000 every time you eat out & pay on the app via PayEazy over and above the Prime Discount. This offer is valid on takeaway as well.
Exclusive extra 25% OFF up to 1000 is applicable through IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card only on paying on the EazyDiner App online via PayEazy.
You can avail of this discount multiple times in a day but will not be applicable if consecutive transactions are made at the same restaurant within a gap of 120 minutes or less. So clearly you can’t split the payment and enjoy the double dip.
The most highlighted feature of this card is that there are no minimum billing amount requirements and can be used unlimited times in a month unlike other card offers available on PayEazy.
Now, PayEazy is a payment channel provider that helps you pay the restaurant bill. This helps you make a transaction with any debit or credit card and other popular payment gateways and enjoy offers and discounts from their payment partners. You have to keep in mind that not all restaurants available on EazyDiner give Prime benefits and also not all the Prime restaurants are PayEazy enabled. So for a maximum savings combination, a restaurant should be a PayEazy-enabled Prime restaurant.
So a bill of ₹4,000 in a restaurant gets an EazyDiner discount of let’s say, 25% and becomes 3,000 and then becomes 2250 instantly on paying via EazyPay with this card!
Complimentary Premium Alcoholic Beverages
This is another unique feature of this card is that at over 200 amazing bars and restaurants, you get to enjoy a complimentary pour of Singleton Single malt Whisky or Black Dog or a glass of Fratelli Wine or a pour of Hapusa Gin per diner in addition to the above savings! Yes, it’s unreal!
Every diner gets a complimentary premium alcoholic beverage at over 200 select restaurants.
Complimentary premium alcoholic beverage is available for each diner at select restaurants only.
You can view these select restaurants using the ‘Free Drinks’ filter on the restaurant listing page.
The offer is applicable if the restaurant booking is done using the EazyDiner App.
The details of the brand and serving size will be at the discretion of the restaurant.
Here’s how you can avail of maximum discount when you dine in with your IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card
Go to EazyDiner App/Website
Select a deal at your choice of Prime restaurant and confirm the booking.
After you reach the restaurant and grab your table do inform the server that you have booked a table using EazyDiner.
Enjoy your meal, and open up the application.
To make a payment towards the bill, open the EazyDiner App and select PayEazy and pay with the best card offer you can see.
New to EazyDiner? Download the application and use the referral code: BHAVY9104 to get a ₹500 worth voucher.
Other Benefits
Lounge Access
Domestic: 2 Complimentary Visits/Quarter using Visa Lounge Access Program.
BookMyShow Offer
You can get two free Movie Tickets of ₹200 each every month on bookings made via BookMyShow.
The quota of free tickets is applicable to a Card account (which is inclusive of Add-on Cards).
Now, this is quite a tempting offer since this card is offering absolutely no conditions attached to free movie tickets instead of the usual BOGO offer. All you have to pay is the difference in the ticket price and internet handling fees of BMS. This offer is similar to what I have been using for years on my Yes First Debit Card.
So if you are living in a tier 2 city where tickets are usually around ₹200 per person then two of you are covered for a free movie every month!
Forex Markup Charges
All overseas transactions are levied with a 3.5% +GST as transaction fee.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
Enjoy a 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all fuel stations in India. This waiver is applicable for all fuel transactions between ₹400 to ₹4000 only. Since no capping has been mentioned by the bank on this card I think it’s an unlimited fuel surcharge waiver.
TechnoFino Recommends
Since most of the listings on EazyDiner are limited to bigger cities, I would highly recommend the IndusInd Eazydiner card to you if you are living in tier-1/2 cities and regularly eat out. Even if you have better rewarding PayEazy partnered cards with you, this card makes a lot of sense since you can avail of discounts unlimited times.
The reward rates on this card are not that exciting. But for me, this card is about new experiences like Postcard hotel stays and complimentary alcoholic beverages.
I saw so much noise regarding the high fee for this card. But I feel the fee being asked for is a fraction of the cost of the benefits involved since even on using BookMyShow benefits on this card you will be able to ₹4800 every year. With annual Prime membership, lounge access, and a good reward rate the fee is very much justified.
Are you planning to get hold of the IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card? Feel free to share your thoughts about this card in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This card has been discontinued w.e.f. 15th May 2023.
RBL Bank has started issuing Zomato Edition Black again after the embargo was lifted from the MasterCard network. Currently, you can get an upgrade to this card only if you are holding a Zomato Edition Classic, and is not an easy task.
Read on to find out whether you should apply for this card after the recent devaluations!
Annual fee waived off on spending ₹2,50,000 ₹4,00,000 in the preceding year.
Clearly, this card is too bad when it comes to renewal and welcome benefits, absolutely no value is given back in the form of Edition Cash. Even RBL Bank is offering better joining benefits on Zomato Edition Classic. With an increased annual fee waiver condition this card has lost its charm.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
Capping
Dining/ Delivery (Zomato) & Blinkit
10 Edition Cash/₹100
1000 Edition Cash/Day
All other Spends*
1 Edition Cash/ ₹100
None
Offline Dining (Anywhere)
10 Edition Cash/₹100
Unlimited
Birthday Spends
10 Edition Cash/₹100
Unlimited
Online Spends/Online food orders from other platforms
2 Edition Cash/₹100
Unlimited
Offline Spends (including fuel)
1 Edition Cash/₹100
Unlimited
*Edition Cash accrual is not applicable on spending done on wallet load & rent payments.
1 Edition Cash = 1 Zomato Credit = 1 INR worth of food on Zomato.
Edition Cash will be credited to your account within 3 working days of making a purchase or crossing a spending milestone.
On the Zomato app, your Edition Cash works just like real money. Use it to order food online or to pay at restaurants, using your Zomato app.
After this recent mindless devaluation, I am surprised to see that they have left not much difference between Classic and Black cards. With no 2% cashback on offline spending and 10% on offline dining, this card is certainly not worth the fee being asked for. But even after the recent devaluation, the reward structure is still very aggressive for a bank like RBL. With 1% Edition Cash on online spending, it is still better than most of the cards of RBL Bank.
A 10% reward rate on offline dining spending is also quite lucrative.But the real reason why this card is the most sought one currently is its birthday offer, a flat 10% reward on all the spending is just too good to be true. Let’s see till when this offer will sustain till then carpe diem! All gone now!
Reward Redemption
Edition cash can be converted to Zomato credits in a click and can be used instantly for ordering food and can be combined with available discount coupons, which makes it even more rewarding.
This is a great product from RBL Bank and they can capture a good market with this card. But they need to make the upgrades and application process smoother and more transparent and also sort out the cashback issues at the earliest.
Milestone Benefit
Get 2000 Edition Cash on spending ₹5,00,000 every year.
This benefit is another nominal addition to the existing reward structure that jacks up the reward rate by 0.4%. Not surprised to see this at all as here also the Zomato Edition Classic gives better milestone benefits than this card!
Zomato Pro Plus Membership
Currently, you get an annual Zomato Pro Plusmembership which gets renewed annually as long as you hold this card which gives you unlimited free deliveries. But since Zomato has stopped giving Pro Plus memberships to customers anymore it has been excluded from the card offering in the future and will last till your current membership is active. Nevertheless, the benefits of this membership (except free delivery) are for namesake these days as Zomato is out of competition as compared to mouth-watering offers available on Dineout and EazyDiner Prime.
Lounge Access
Domestic Airport Lounge Access: The Card Member will get 2 complimentary visits/quarter in a tie-up with the Mastercard network.
International Airport Lounge Access: The Cardmember will also get 2 complimentary visits/year, with Priority Pass, which is available upon request.
BookMyShow BOGO Offer
The cardmember will get 1 movie ticket free on purchase of 1 movie ticket at BookMyShow, once a month. The maximum discount amount will be INR. 200/- per transaction.
Forex Markup Charges
The Card Member will be eligible for a low forex markup of 1.50% on all international transactions which is quite competitive.
How to apply?
Check out the money tab on your Zomato application and apply for Edition Classic Card first. Zomato has already given invites to the masses but if you are still to get an invite you can refer to the steps given on the TechnoFino Communityhere for an invite. Now you can try and ask RBL for an upgrade to Zomato Edition Black. We have compiled all the required steps here for the upgrade.
The upgrade has not been smooth for many people as per the general feedback that I have received. Though the upgrade has been easier for people having a good relationship with RBL Bank.
TechnoFino Recommends
RBL Bank has recently devalued this card so much that there is not a single reason I can suggest you for holding this card. If you are having an LTF version of this card which is very rare to be seen then continue to use it on merchant offers till you find a more suitable RBL credit card for your spending needs. And it simply makes no sense to get a paid version of this card now.
Instead, you can explore Axis Airtel, IndusInd Eazy Diner and AU Bank Zenith which are currently giving the best rewards on food delivery and dining. And if you are holding other premium cards then don’t bother about this card.
Are you holding RBL Zomato Edition Black? Feel free to share your thoughts about the recent devaluations in the comments below.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 24th May 2023.
Standard Chartered Ultimate credit card as the name goes by is the topmost card offering from the SCB and offers an exceptional reward rate on all your spending. The point of difference between this card as compared to other Super-Premium cards is that this card rewards you on spend categories without any exclusions.
SC is currently offering this card on Visa Infinite and MC World platforms and both have their own perks. You can go for the MasterCard World for its extensive lounge network or else you can ask for the Visa Infinite to reap the benefits of the BookMyShow BOGO offer.
Let’s check out all that this card brings to the table!
The 6,000 reward points will be credited within 60 days after the realization of the joining fees by the bank.
Overall you get to lose ₹900 worth of GSTevery renewal as the renewal benefits don’t match the fees paid for renewal.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All retail spends*
5 Reward points/₹150 ~ 3.33%
Utilities, Supermarkets, Insurance, Property management/Rent Pay, Schools & Government payments
3 Reward points/₹150 ~ 2%
1 Reward Point = ₹1.
*Retail spending excludes fuel.
Rewards points have an expiry of 3 years from the date of accrual.
Reward Redemption
The best value of its redemption lies in its Gift Vouchers since the rest of the products are mostly available on MRP and you get to lose the discounts that online stores offer. Standard Chartered Ultimate reward points can be converted to brand vouchers in a 1:1 ratio from a vast catalogue. Popular options include
I know you were looking for a cash equivalent Amazon voucher in this list 😉 but to your disappointment Amazon and even Flipkart are not among the available redemption options. The most popular redemption usually is Croma due to the value it delivers as they do a price match with Amazon.
If you are not interested in buying electronics then you can simply redeem for Bluestone vouchers and use them to buy gold coins.
Also, you can use Marriott Bonvoy vouchers and redeem them for your hotel stays and earn membership points along with all the complimentary privileges assigned to you as per your loyalty status level. Nykaa is another good option that can give you good value since it hardly runs any bank offers.
TechnoFino Tip: Since this card carries a redemption fee of ₹99 + GST so it is smarter to redeem points in bulk for a bouquet of required brand vouchers as per your need in a single redemption order.
Lounge Access
Domestic: 4 Complimentary Visits/Quarter.
International: Primary and Supplementary card holders are eligible for 1 complimentary international lounge access per month via Priority Pass but it is conditional.
To qualify for complimentary PP visits you have to spend more than ₹20,000 in the previous month on the card which is a downer for a card of this stature.
Golf Access
1 complimentary Golf game per month, per valid cardholder, and this benefit is non-transferable.
1 complimentary coaching session per month for the cardholder.
Duty-Free Cashback
This is a unique offering on Standard Chartered Ultimate which offers 5% cash back on duty-free transactions at various airports with a maximum limit of ₹1000 per month.
Forex Markup Charges
All overseas transactions are levied with a 3.5% transaction fee. Cardholders are eligible for a cashback of 1.5% of the transaction fee amount on overseas transactions. The cashback amount effectively reduces the forex markup to 2% + GST.
Cashback will be credited within 60 days from the date of the transaction.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
A fuel surcharge waiver of 1% is applicable max of up to ₹1000 per month.
How to apply?
The eligibility criteria for this card:
₹24L Per Annum ITR
Existing credit card with a limit of ₹4L for a card-to-card basis application.
The smoothest way to get hands-on with this card is if you are an existing SC credit card holder with a ₹4L limit then you can apply directly online without any documentation and get the card delivered to you within a week or two. And if you applying basis on another bank’s card then better proceed with a call to the bank as online applications are being rejected by quite a number.
Standard Chartered Bank is highly inclined towards listed employers, so getting a card for a self-employed person is difficult. So remember this before applying for a card and later repenting for your CIBIL getting that hit.
TechnoFino Recommends
Standard Chartered Ultimate card gives direct competition to HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black since the base reward rate is the same.
The main difference lies in the redemption since with the above HDFC twins you will get the face value of the points only if redeemed for hotel/flight bookings that too for 70% of the amount or more than that if you prefer miles. But if you go for voucher redemptions this value gets reduced to 50p a point whereas with Ultimate you get to redeem at a rupee per point and with so many travel redemption options available it’s even harder to take the call.
Do you already hold the SC Ultimate card or planning to get it? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
Axis Vistara Signature credit card is the middle variant among the three credit cards that Axis is having in partnership with Vistara. Vistara for the first time in India had coined a new configuration that is Premium Economy. In this you get a Business class like experience on an economy-sized seat at almost 1.5-2X the economy prices.
This card gives you milestone benefits in the form of Premium Economy tickets. Read on to know the benefits, how you can maximize them, and also whether there are better alternatives available or not!
Get 1 Premium Economy ticket complimentary on payment of the annual fee.
Renewal Fees
₹3,000 + GST
Renewal Benefits
Get 1 Premium Economy ticket complimentary on payment of the renewal fee every year.
Renewal Fee Waiver
NA
The e-Gift voucher will be sent via e-mail within 15 working days post payment of the Annual Fee.
You will have to claim the voucher within six months of issuance post which they will be auto-credited to your account.
After claiming the voucher you get another 3 months to use them after which they will get expired.
This premium economy ticket voucher covers 2X-3X of the joining fees and even the renewal fees payment so I can clearly say that this card is better than an LTF credit card. Since even if you are flying economy the average ticket price is above 5K if booked a month ago but this card gives you a PEY ticket in just ₹3,000 + GST.
Menu card for Premium Economy fliers.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All Spends
4 CV Points/ ₹200
Spends include all retail spend categories excluding wallet loads, rent payments and fuel spending.
This card has decent CV points earning rates among all the Vistara Cobrand credit cards on generic spending. Axis has excluded fuel spending from the reward structure but SBI Vistara Prime offers CV points even on fuel spending which makes it a lucrative fuel card also.
Milestone Benefit
Just like all other Vistara co-branded cards, the real value of this card lies in its milestone benefits.
Spending Amount
Milestone Reward
₹75,000 within 90 days of card issuance.
3,000 CV Points
₹1.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹3L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹4.5L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
₹9L
1 Premium Economy Domestic Ticket
Voucher usage conditions remain the same as that of the welcome voucher as I have mentioned above. I have done a value analysis of these vouchers later on in this article.
Veg Meal @ Vistara Premium Economy
TechnoFino Maximum
Clearly going for the ₹9L milestone makes no sense so better aim for that ₹4.5L milestone to maximize your benefits. So if you hit that ₹4.5L milestone then you will get
12,000 CV points.
3 Premium Economy tickets.
1 one-class upgrade vouchers.
With 12K CV points, you can get an economy Delhi-Mumbai return flight worth ₹12K. The 3 premium economy flight vouchers are worth a minimum of ₹8K each even if we are taking a conservative value like for the Delhi-Bengaluru flight. One one-class upgrade voucher has a value of 5-10K depending which upgrade you take. Even if we factor in the taxes the equivalent reward comes out to be around ₹35K for ₹4.5L of spends and the equivalent reward rate is a good 7.5%!
The value gets enhanced more since you can also use these vouchers and points for your family and friends by adding them as a nominee in your Club Vistara Account. Also, you don’t pay any convenience fee for the booking from their official site.
But if you believe in traveling economy and getting the cheapest fare then you will value it very differently.
Vistara CV Silver Membership
One gets a complimentary Vistara CV Silver membership till you hold an active card which offers you a host of benefits like priority boarding, priority check-in, 5Kg extra baggage allowance, and likes.
It also gives you 9 Club Vistara Points/Tier Points for every ₹100 that you spend on Vistara flights.
Lounge Access
2 Complimentary Visits/Quarter to Domestic Airport lounges via Visa Lounge Access Program.
No shared access for add-on cardholders.
Golf Access
Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Cardholders enjoy 3 complimentary rounds of golf per year using Axis Bank Extraordinary Weekends.
Air Accident & Fraud Liability Cover
Get a complimentary Air Accident Liability Cover of ₹2.5 Cr.
Purchase Protection Cover of ₹1 lakh in case of fire or burglary.
Cover of 300$ for the following.
Loss of check-in baggage.
Delay of check-in baggage.
Loss of travel documents.
Fuel Surcharges
1% surcharge applicable on fuel spends with no-waiver.
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST
TechnoFino Recommends
If you regularly travel via flights then you can consider shifting your loyalty to Vistara if your city is serviced by them. This switch will be very easy if you are living in Delhi and Mumbai or even Bengaluru since they are the hub of Vistara.
Now talking about this card, if you are looking for a Premium Economy experience then I would prefer SBI Vistara Prime since it gives a better value than this card as it gives you Yatra Voucher worth ₹10K and a Premium Economy voucher extra on crossing ₹8L milestone. If we compare only the ₹4.5L milestone still SBI variant is better since it rewards fuel transactions also. From the Axis stable, the only Vistara card I like is Axis Vistara Infinite for its unique feature of Business Class Vouchers as milestone benefits.
Do you hold this card and enjoy business class-like luxury? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. If you would like to read more such articles then connect with us on Twitter.
Axis Vistara Infinite credit card is the most elite credit card out of all the three credit cards that Axis is having in partnership with Vistara. This card for sure has the power to spoil you with all the luxury of travelling business class in India. Read on to know the benefits, how you can maximize them and also whether this card is meant for you or not!
Get 1 Business Class ticket complimentary on payment of the annual fee.
Renewal Fees
₹10,000+ GST
Renewal Benefits
Get 1 Business Class ticket complimentary on payment of the renewal fee every year.
Renewal Fee Waiver
NA
The e-Gift voucher will be sent via e-mail within 15 working days post payment of the Annual Fee.
You will have to claim the voucher within six months of issuance post which they will be auto-credited to your account.
After claiming the voucher you get another 3 months to use them after which they will get expired.
With a business class ticket voucher being given on every renewal I would say this card is absolutely free even if you don’t use it since you will be getting a renewal benefit which is at least 2X-3X of the fee that you are paying.
Menu card for Business Class fliers.
Recently Axis was running a mouth-watering First-Year-Free offer on this card and I got tempted to cross the fence. As I was already having 3 Axis Cards I had to swap my Axis MyZone with this one and I am so glad I did it. I simply got a business class ticket voucher for the fee paid and then the fee also got reversed!
As per my knowledge Axis only allows you to upgrade your basic cards with this one only if you have a certain threshold limit on your card. But since I am holding an Axis card for 5 years now with a decent 3.5L plus limit, it went smooth for me.
Reward Accrual
Spends Area
Reward Rate
All Spends
6 CV Points/ ₹200
Spends include all retail spend categories excluding wallet loads and fuel spending.
This card has one of the highest CV points earning rates among all the Vistara Cobrand credit cards on generic spending. Axis has excluded fuel spending from the reward structure but SBI Vistara Prime offers CV points even on fuel spending which makes it a lucrative fuel card also.
Veg Meal @ Vistara Business Class
Milestone Benefit
Just like other Vistara co-branded cards, the real value of this card lies in its milestone benefits.
Spending Amount
Milestone Reward
₹1,00,000 within 90 days of card issuance.
10,000 CV Points
₹2.5L
1 Business Class Domestic Ticket
₹5L
1 Business Class Domestic Ticket
₹7.5L
1 Business Class Domestic Ticket
₹12L
1 Business Class Domestic Ticket
Voucher usage conditions remain the same as that of the welcome voucher as I have mentioned above. The value this card gives in the form of business-class tickets is just surreal but it depends from person to person on what exactly a person values it for.
Non-Veg Meal @ Vistara Business Class
TechnoFino Maximum
I will suggest that you better leave the ₹12L milestone and aim for that ₹7.5L milestone to maximize your benefits. The last milestone simply doesn’t justify the value propositions that it brings. So if you hit that ₹7.5L milestone then you will get
32,500 CV points.
4 Business Class tickets.
3 one-class upgrade vouchers.
With 32K CV points, you can get a return economy ticket from Delhi to Male or Mumbai to Dubai which approximately costs ₹26,000 for a revenue ticket. And if you are flying domestic then a Delhi-Bengaluru return flight will set you apart with 15K CV points. The 4 business class domestic flight vouchers are worth a minimum of ₹25-30K each even if we are taking a conservative value like for the Delhi-Bengaluru flight. With three one-class upgrade vouchers, the total benefits are worth ₹1.5L and the equivalent reward rate come out to be a whopping 15%! even if you factor in the taxes you will be paying for booking these redemption tickets.
Fruit Platter @ Vistara Business Class
But as I said earlier if you are not a regular business class traveller then you will probably value it very differently.
I hope now you can imagine the value that it gives to you. And you can also use these vouchers and points for your family and friends by adding them as a nominee in your Club Vistara Account. Also, you don’t pay any convenience fee for the booking from their official site.
Desserts @ Vistara Business Class
Vistara CV Gold Membership
One gets a complimentary Vistara CV Gold membership till you hold an active card which offers you a host of benefits like priority boarding, priority check-in, 10Kg extra baggage allowance, and likes.
It also gives you 10 Club Vistara Points for every ₹100 that you spend on Vistara flights. As a Gold member, you are also entitled to Vistara Priority Connect.
Lounge Access
4 Complimentary Visits/Quarter to Domestic Airport lounges via Visa and also via Vistara CV Gold Membership.
No shared access for add-on cardholders.
Golf Access
Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Cardholders enjoy 6 complimentary rounds of golf per year using Axis Bank Extraordinary Weekends.
Air Accident & Fraud Liability Cover
Get a complimentary Air Accident Liability Cover of ₹2.5 Cr.
Purchase protection cover of ₹1 lakh in case of fire or burglary.
Cover of 300$ for the following.
Loss of check-in baggage.
Delay of check-in baggage.
Loss of travel documents.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% surcharge waiver for a single transaction spends between ₹400 and ₹4,000.
Maximum surcharge waiver of ₹400 per statement cycle per credit card.
Forex Markup Charges
Forex Markup charges are standard 3.50% + GST
TechnoFino Recommends
If you are a regular business-class traveller on any airline then you can consider shifting your loyalty to Vistara if your city is serviced by them. The value that this card offers in the form of flight redemptions is just too good and makes this card a no-brainer.
Since there are direct flights to most of the cities from Delhi and Mumbai so they can be called as the hub for Vistara. So people living in these cities must hold a Vistara CoBranded card for the value it offers. For other cities you have to do your own calculations about the route on which you travel regularly.
But to extract that value you will have to spend 7.5L plus the joining fees and the taxes for the four business class redemption flights taken. So for people who travel economy, it’s important to evaluate it yourself since the value perception differs for everyone. And if it is not making much sense to you then you can explore Axis Vistara Platinum or Signature cards.
A hot cup of Starbucks coffee at 35,000ft! #DiningOnVistara
But if you are willing to live these kinds of new experiences in life then you can consider holding one. And if you are travelling business class using these redemptions then you also
