Which card has a lower forex fee: IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card or Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card?

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

Which card has a lower annual fee: IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card or Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card?

Both cards have the same annual fee (₹499).

Which card offers better lounge access?

IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge. Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card: No complimentary lounge access.

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 →

IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus vs Standard Chartered Bank India Standard Chartered Smart Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus and the Standard Chartered Bank India Standard Chartered Smart. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Lounge IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

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)

Standard Chartered Smart Standard Chartered Bank India

Annual fee ₹499 Waivable at ₹1,20,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge No complimentary lounge access

Reward earning explained

Per card

HPCL Power Plus

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

Standard Chartered Smart

2% on Online shopping (online only) + 1% on General spend (Applies to eligible…

Pick based on what matters

2 dimensions

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

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
Standard Chartered Smart: ~₹500/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	HPCL Power Plus IDFC FIRST Bank	Standard Chartered Smart Standard Chartered Bank India
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits 1/quarter vs No complimentary lounge access	1/quarter	No complimentary lounge access
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee	₹499	₹499
Joining fee ₹499 vs ₹0	₹499	₹0
Fee waiver spend ₹1,50,000 vs ₹1,20,000	₹1,50,000	₹1,20,000
Interest-free period Up to 45 days vs Up to 90 days	Up to 45 days	Up to 90 days
Rewards
Base cashback	1%	1%
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for Standard Chartered Smart	Not specified	₹1
Point validity Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	2 years	Not specified

Notes

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