A new credit card from HDFC Bank and not the rumored super-premium Infinia Reserve. HDFC Bank launched Regalia in 2011. 12 years later, we have a new version of the Regalia – Regalia Gold. In many ways, it is the successor to Regalia with better awards and facilities. Here is the review of HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card.
The Regalia Credit Card from HDFC Bank comes with a host of lifestyle and travel rewards. With this card, avail benefits from its inclusion in categories like travel, dining and shopping, complimentary lounge access and more.
Eligibility
- Salaried: Rs 1 Lakh net monthly income
- Self-Employed: Rs 12 Lakhs per annum
HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card Review – Fees and Charges
| Joining Fee | Rs 2500+GST or FYF |
| Welcome Benefit | Rs 2500 GV if fee is paid |
| Welcome Memberships | Complimentary Club Vistara Silver Tier and MMT Black Elite Membership |
| Annual Fee | Rs 2500+GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Rs 4 Lakhs spend in a membership year |
To be eligible for welcome benefits, we need to spend Rs 1 lakh within 90 days of receiving the card.
Rewards
- Retail spend: 4 RP per Rs 150 ~1.3% return
- Instant spend: 20 RP per Rs 150 ~ 6.7% return
- Accelerated Spend partners include Marks & Spencer, Myntra, Reliance Digital and Nykaa. The cap for bonus points in this category is RP 5000.
- Grocery spends: Same reward rate as retail spends with a limit of Rp 2000 per calendar month
- Insurance spends: Same reward rate as retail spends with a limit of Rp 2000 per day
Instant spend at 20 RP per 150 RP is a new addition to Regalia. It’s like getting 10X Diners Partners back but at 5X the reward rate.
Like other credit cards in the market, there are categories where the HDFC Bank Regalia Gold doesn’t win any prizes. These:
- Easy EMI
- Purse
- Rentals, Property Management, Packers & Movers etc.
- government transactions
Milestone Benefits
This is where Regalia Gold is much better than Regalia. It gets better Milestone mileage for the same spending we would have otherwise done on Regalia.
- 1500 GV on Rs 1.5 lakh spent in a calendar quarter. The options are Marriott, Myntra, Marks & Spencer or Reliance Digital.
- Rs 5000 flight voucher on spending Rs 5 lakh in an anniversary year
- Rs 5000 flight voucher on spending Rs 7.5 lakh in an anniversary year
SmartBuy Rewards
The Smartbuy cap for Regalia Gold is 4000 reward points per calendar month and 2000 RP per day.
| SHOPPING CATEGORY | REWARDS | VALUE AT 1RP = 50 PAISE |
| Amazon | 5X | 6.60% |
| Apple Tresor | 5X | 6.60% |
| Flights | 5X | 6.60% |
| Flipkart | 3X | 3.90% |
| Hotels | 10X | 13.30% |
| IGP.com | 10X | 13.30% |
| Instant Voucher | 5X | 6.60% |
| IRCTC | 3X | 3.90% |
| Redbus | 5X | 6.60% |
Complimentary airport lounge access
- Airport lounges within India: 12 complimentary visits per calendar year within India (at both domestic and international terminals). This can be availed by swiping the credit card in the lounge. The eligible list of lounges is available at this link.
- Airport lounges outside India: 6 complimentary visits per calendar year. For Visa/Mastercard variants, access is with Priority Pass.
Other benefits
- Foreign exchange markup: 2%
- Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% for transactions between Rs 400 and Rs 5000
Reward redemption
The HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card offers multiple options to redeem reward points. Rewards can be redeemed on the SmartBuy redemption portal.
HDFC offers the option of redeeming products from its catalogue, booking flights/hotels, gift vouchers or even cash. What is the difference in the price paid for your rewards for these redemption options. If booking a flight or hotel, each reward point is worth 50p. However, if we go for products, gift vouchers or cash, the value of each reward point drops to 20p. So, if you travel then the best option is to book flights on Smartbuy using reward points or transfer them to one of the airmiles partners.
| REDEMPTION OPTION | HDFC BANK REGALIA GOLD CREDIT CARD (VALUE OF 1 RP) |
| Airmiles – Intermiles, Singapore Airlines (Krisflyer), Club Vistara | 0.5 Airmiles |
| Cashback | 20 paise |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | Up to 65 paise |
| Smartbuy (Flights/Hotels) | 50 paise |
Regalia Gold is best used for travel redemption. The benefits offered by Regalia Gold put the card above Regalia and Diners Club Privilege in HDFC Bank’s credit card line up.