Is the HDFC Regalia Credit Card the Best VISA Credit Card? Come let's check.
Introduction:
HDFC Regalia credit card is a premium card that offers a range of benefits for travel, dining, and shopping enthusiasts. It is one of the oldest and most popular cards by HDFC Bank, which has recently launched a new variant called Regalia Gold. In this article, we will review the features, benefits, fees, and charges of the HDFC Regalia credit card and compare it with other similar cards in the market.
Features and Benefits of HDFC Regalia Credit Card:
Reward Points: You can earn 4 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent on all retail purchases, including insurance, utilities, education and rent pay. You can also earn 5x reward points on purchases from partner brands and merchants such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato and more. Each reward point is worth Rs. 0.50 when redeemed for flights and hotels on HDFC's SmartBuy portal or for gift vouchers from various brands. You can also convert your reward points into air miles of leading domestic and international airlines.
Airport Lounge Access: You can enjoy 12 complimentary domestic lounge visits and 6 complimentary international lounge visits per calendar year with your HDFC Regalia credit card. You can access the domestic lounges using your Visa or Mastercard variant of the card, while you can access the international lounges using your free Priority Pass membership. You can also share this benefit with your add-on cardholder, but the total number of visits will be capped at 6 for both primary and add-on members. Any additional or guest visits will be charged at US$27+GST per person per visit.
Travel Benefits: You can get up to 35% discounts on hotel bookings, up to 10% discounts on flight bookings and up to 15% discounts on car rentals on HDFC's SmartBuy portal using your HDFC Regalia credit card. You can also get complimentary travel insurance cover of up to Rs. 1 crore for air accident death, up to Rs. 15 lakh for emergency medical expenses, up to Rs. 50,000 for baggage delay or loss and up to Rs. 25,000 for flight delay or cancellation.
Dining Benefits: You can get up to 35% discounts at over 3,000 premium restaurants across India under the Dineout membership program. You can also get up to 15% discounts at over 300 restaurants under the Good Food Trail program by HDFC Bank.
Shopping Benefits: You can get up to 5% cashback on online shopping spends of Rs. 10,000 or more per month on HDFC's SmartBuy portal using your HDFC Regalia credit card. You can also get up to 20% discounts on various brands such as Myntra, Nykaa, Tata Cliq, Pepperfry and more under the SmartBuy Extra Savings program.
Other Benefits: You can get low foreign currency markup fee of 2% on international transactions using your HDFC Regalia credit card. You can also get fuel surcharge waiver of up to Rs. 500 per billing cycle on fuel transactions between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5,000 across all fuel stations in India. You can also get access to concierge services such as travel assistance, dining reservations, gift delivery and more.
Fees and Charges of HDFC Regalia Credit Card:
Annual Fee: The annual fee of HDFC Regalia credit card is Rs. 2,500 + GST, which will be waived off if you spend Rs. 3 lakh or more in the previous year.
Renewal Fee: The renewal fee of HDFC Regalia credit card is Rs. 2,500 + GST, which will be waived off if you spend Rs. 3 lakh or more in the previous year.
Interest Rate: The interest rate of HDFC Regalia credit card is 3.49% per month or 41.88% per annum.
Cash Advance Fee: The cash advance fee of HDFC Regalia credit card is 2.5% of the amount withdrawn or Rs. 500, whichever is higher.
Late Payment Fee: The late payment fee of HDFC Regalia credit card is as follows:
Overlimit Fee: The overlimit fee of HDFC Regalia credit card is 2.5% of the overlimit amount or Rs. 500, whichever is higher.
Other Charges: The other charges of HDFC Regalia credit card include GST, cheque return fee, outstation cheque processing fee, card reissue fee, balance transfer fee, cash processing fee and more.
Comparison of HDFC Regalia Credit Card with Other Cards:
HDFC Regalia credit card is a good option for those who want a premium card with decent rewards and basic travel benefits. However, there are other cards in the market that offer similar or better features and benefits at a lower or comparable annual fee. Here are some of the cards that you can compare with HDFC Regalia credit card:
SBI Card ELITE: This card offers 5 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on dining, groceries, department stores and movies and 2 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on other purchases. You can also get 10,000 bonus reward points on achieving annual spends of Rs. 3 lakh and 4 lakh and 15,000 bonus reward points on achieving annual spends of Rs. 5 lakh and 8 lakh. You can also get complimentary membership to Club Vistara Silver and Trident Privilege Red Tier programs and get benefits such as priority check-in, lounge access, extra baggage allowance and more. You can also get 6 complimentary domestic lounge visits and 4 complimentary international lounge visits per year using your Priority Pass membership. You can also get up to 50,000 bonus reward points worth Rs. 12,500 as a welcome gift in the form of e-gift vouchers from popular brands such as Yatra, Hush Puppies/Bata, Pantaloons and more. You can also get free movie tickets worth Rs. 6,000 per year on BookMyShow. The annual fee of this card is Rs. 4,999 + GST, which will be waived off if you spend Rs. 10 lakh or more in the previous year.
HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card: This card offers 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent on all retail purchases and 10 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent on HDFC's SmartBuy portal and partner brands such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato and more. You can also get unlimited complimentary domestic and international lounge access for yourself and your add-on member using your card or your free Priority Pass membership. You can also get up to 33% discounts on hotel bookings, up to 10% discounts on flight bookings and up to 15% discounts on car rentals on HDFC's SmartBuy portal using your card. You can also get complimentary travel insurance cover of up to Rs. 2 crore for air accident death, up to Rs. 50 lakh for emergency medical expenses, up to Rs. 55,000 for baggage delay or loss and up to Rs. 40,000 for flight delay or cancellation. You can also get up to 15% discounts at over 3,000 premium restaurants across India under the Dineout membership program. You can also get low foreign currency markup fee of 1.99% on international transactions using your card. The annual fee of this card is Rs. 5,000 + GST, which will be waived off if you spend Rs. 5 lakh or more in the previous year.
Conclusion:
HDFC Regalia credit card is a great option for those who value rewards, travel benefits, and lifestyle privileges. However, it also comes with a high annual fee, interest rate, and eligibility criteria. Therefore, you should compare it with other cards in the market and choose the one that suits your needs and budget the best.
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