Verified value
₹0.25 per point
Travel
HDFC VISA
MoneyBack Plus
Should you get this?
Conditional fit
Why this card
- Up to 10 CashPoints / ₹100 on online spend
- You spend on amazon online.
Trade-off
The annual fee (₹500) is waived only after ₹50,000 of eligible annual spend.
Annual fee ₹500 per year
Rewards 2 CashPoints / ₹150
Lounge access 0 no lounge
Forex markup 3.5% high
Compare with Axis Bank IndiGo →
Similar tier comparison
Rewards
Earning rules
Detail · from the summary aboveScopeRateEligibilityLimit
General spend2 CashPoints / ₹150——
Amazon (domestic)10 CashPoints / ₹100online only2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
BigBasket (domestic)10 CashPoints / ₹100online only2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
Flipkart (domestic)10 CashPoints / ₹100online only2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
Show all 6 earning rules (2 more)
Reliance SMART Superstore (domestic)10 CashPoints / ₹100online only2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
Swiggy (domestic)10 CashPoints / ₹100online only2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
Redemption value
What a CashPoint is worth
- Catalogueup tovia SmartBuy₹0.25 / pt
- Travelup tovia SmartBuy₹0.25 / pt
max 50,000 pts / month
- Cashback₹0.2 / pt
Annual fee break-even math
When does this card pay for itself ₹1.9L
Conservative yearly spend needed at the ₹0.20-per-point ranking floor.
Best documented case: about ₹1.5L at ₹0.25 per point.
Reward reality — the earning-rate detail behind the numbers above
Reward reality
Conclusion · what you actually getRanking floor
₹0.2 per point
(conservative floor)
₹0.25 per point (best documented)
Base earn
2 CashPoints per ₹150
(~0.267% base, up to 0.333% via transfers)
Best verified lane
Amazon (domestic)
10 CashPoints / ₹100
View bonus categories →Caps
- Amazon (domestic)2,500 CashPoints per month
Why?
at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
- BigBasket (domestic)2,500 CashPoints per month
Why?
at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
- Flipkart (domestic)2,500 CashPoints per month
Why?
at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend
No reward on
- Rent
- Government payments
- EMI
- Fuel
Costs & fees
Spending requirements
Spend gates · caps · milestone thresholdsRequirementAmountPeriodUnlocksRealismStrength
Annual fee waiver₹50,000yearAnnual fee waivertrivialstrong
Watch outs
Before choosing this card- Forex markup is 3.5%, so frequent international spends may be costly.
Estimated usage
Example usage at this monthly spend
₹
- At this monthly spend, you'd earn: Based on the standard earn rate (2 CashPoints / ₹150). ~670 CashPoints/month. Category and partner bonuses aren't included in this estimate.
- Fee waiver achievable at this spend
- Forex cost ~₹1,750 per ₹50k international spend
Illustrative only, using current base rates and snapshot data.
Benefits & charges
Side-by-side factsBenefits
Lounge Access
- Domestic (cardholder)
- No complimentary lounge access
2 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- Issuer site (verified manually) , opens external site
- Operator-verified anchor
- International (cardholder)
- Not included
2 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- Issuer site (verified manually) , opens external site
- Operator-verified anchor
Rewards
- Base earn
- 2 CashPoints per ₹150 value depends on redemption
- Effective return (honest floor)
- ~0.267% base, up to 0.333% via transfers · verified 20 Jun 2026 Conservative redemption floor; best documented path is not ranked on.
- Headline point value
- ₹0.25 per CashPoint (Travel) · verified 20 Jun 2026 Operator-verified headline rate — full channel grid in Redemption value.
- Point validity
- Points expire 2 years after earning · verified 7 Jul 2026
Fees & charges
Fees
- Monthly interest rate
- 3.75% / month
- Annual fee
- ₹500
- Joining fee
- ₹500 · verified 20 Jun 2026
- Fee waiver spend
- ₹50,000 · verified 20 Jun 2026 Below catalog median waiver (₹2,00,000 vs ₹50,000).
- Interest-free period
- Up to 50 days · verified 7 Jul 2026
International Use
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
3 sources agree · verify issuer terms before applying
Where to verify
- CardInsider
- BankBazaar
- Operator-verified anchor
- Issuer site (verify current terms) , opens external site
- Product tier
- Mid-tier
Travel & perks
Fuel Benefits
At the pump- 1% fuel surcharge waived on transactions ₹400–₹5,000.
- Maximum waiver ₹250 per statement cycle.
Fine print & compare
Compare with similar cards
Similar tier · similar benefitsThe fine print
Caps · exclusions · earning · redemption · last refreshCaps & limits
- Monthly cap:2,500 CashPoints per month; at 10 CashPoints / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹25,000 of eligible spend.
Exclusions
These spends do not earn reward points.
Payments
- Rent
- Government payments
Financial
- EMI
- Fuel
Redemption & expiry
Expiry:3 years, and Easy EMI cards/ PhonePe HDFC Bank Ultimo Credit Card/ PhonePe HDFC Bank Uno Credit Card on which reward points/ cash points are valid for 1 year
- Travel redemption: 1 CashPoint = ₹0.25 — SmartBuy travel and catalogue redemption
- Travel redemption: ₹99 redemption fee per redemption
Latest update
- Annual fee: ₹500.
- Forex markup currently listed at 3.5%.
- No complimentary lounge access.
Common questions
From verified card factsIs this good for lounge access?
No lounge access.
Is this good for international spends?
Forex markup is 3.5%, so frequent international spends may be costly.
Is the annual fee easy to recover?
Fee waiver applies at ₹50,000 annual spend. Verify eligible spend exclusions before counting on it.
When do welcome benefits arrive?
No welcome benefit is listed. Check the issuer welcome email, MITC, and current offer page if this benefit matters.
Learn more
Guides matched to this card — not a random syllabus.
- HDFC SmartBuy
Accelerators, caps, and traps - How reward rate works
Pts / ₹100 without the marketing fog - Billing cycle
Statement date vs due date, clearly