Which card has a lower forex fee: American Express SmartEarn Credit Card or IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card?

Both cards have the same forex markup (3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: American Express SmartEarn Credit Card or IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card?

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹495 vs ₹499).

Which card offers better lounge access?

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card: No complimentary lounge access. IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Base reward rates are not fully available for both cards in the current snapshot.

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

American Express SmartEarn vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the American Express SmartEarn and the IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Lounge IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

SmartEarn American Express

Annual fee ₹495 Waivable at ₹40,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge No complimentary lounge access

HPCL Power Plus IDFC FIRST Bank

Annual fee ₹499 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 1/quarter Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend (issuer terms apply)

Reward earning explained

Per card

SmartEarn

20 pts / ₹100 on Select 10X partners (domestic) + 20 pts / ₹100 on Blinkit (dom…

HPCL Power Plus

30 pts / ₹150 on HPCL (domestic) + 1% on General spend

Pick based on what matters

2 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (American Express SmartEarn: ₹495 vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus: ₹499), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (No complimentary lounge access vs 1/quarter).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus wins

IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus is better for lounge access

IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 1 per quarter.

Verify with issuer

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus: ~₹500/month at base rate
American Express SmartEarn: ~₹250/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	SmartEarn American Express	HPCL Power Plus IDFC FIRST Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits No complimentary lounge access vs 1/quarter	No complimentary lounge access	1/quarter
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee ₹495 vs ₹499	₹495	₹499
Joining fee ₹495 vs ₹499	₹495	₹499
Fee waiver spend ₹40,000 vs ₹1,50,000	₹40,000	₹1,50,000
Interest-free period Up to 48 days vs Up to 45 days	Up to 48 days	Up to 45 days
Rewards
Points per ₹100 2 pts vs 1%	2 pts	1%
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for American Express SmartEarn	₹0.25	Not specified
Point validity Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	Not specified	2 years

Notes

Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.