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When it comes to premium credit cards, HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black are among the most popular options in the market. While both cater to high-net-worth individuals, they differ in terms of overall value.
Being an invite-only card, HDFC Infinia is designed for HNIs seeking luxury lifestyle benefits, whereas HDFC Diners Club Black, offered at a comparatively lower annual fee, is the best suited alternative with similar benefits.
But which one should you choose? Here is a detailed comparison of credit cards to help you find the right pick.
Welcome/Renewal Benefits
| Particular | HDFC Infinia | HDFC DC Black |
| Joining/Annual Fee | Rs. 12,500 + Applicable Taxes | Rs. 10,000 + Applicable Taxes |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Annual spends of Rs. 10 Lakh | Annual spends of Rs. 5 Lakh |
| Joining Benefit |
|
Annual memberships of Club Marriott, Times Prime, Amazon Prime, Swiggy One (3 months) & MMT BLACK on spending Rs. 1.5 Lakh within the first 90 days |
| Renewal Benefit | 12,500 reward points after the payment of annual fee | Renewal of Club Marriott, Times Prime, Amazon Prime, Swiggy One (3 months) & MMT BLACK annual memberships on spending Rs. 8 Lakh in a year |
HDFC Infinia charges a comparatively higher annual fee of Rs. 12,500, but it compensates for it every year by offering reward points worth the joining and renewal fee. Besides this, while HDFC Infinia offers a complimentary Club Marriott membership only for the first year, cardholders can still save significantly on their stays and dining spends.
On the other hand, HDFC Diners Club Black offers welcome and renewal benefits through five different complimentary memberships covering multiple categories such as travel, entertainment, and dining. However, these memberships come with a spend-based condition. Cardholders need to achieve the spending milestone to avail both welcome and renewal benefits.
For consumers who prefer straightforward value-back, HDFC Infinia would be a better option with bonus reward points every year. However, for cardholders who can easily achieve the spending milestone on DC Black, and are frequent users of the partner brands, choosing Diners Club Black would be a smarter choice.
Rewards Program
While both cards come with a similar reward structure, i.e., 5 points per Rs. 100 spent and up to 10X points on SmartBuy, they differ when it comes to dining rewards:
- HDFC Infinia: 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent on dining
- HDFC DC Black: 2X (10 reward points per Rs. 150 spent) on dining during weekends
SmartBuy Rewards
Both HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black cardholders can earn up to 10X reward points on SmartBuy spends. However, there are certain categories where the two cards differ. Here are the details:
| Category | Points via Infinia | Points via DC Black |
| IGP.com | 10X | 10X |
| Flights | 5X | 5X |
| Hotels | 10X | 10X |
| Trains-Confirm Ticket | 3X | 3X |
| RedBus | 5X | 5X |
| Instant Voucher | 5X | 3X |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 5X | 3X |
| Zoom Car | 5X | 5X |
| Nykaa | 5X | 5X |
| Myntra | 5X | 5X |
| Jockey | 10X | 10X |
| MMT Holiday Packages | 5X | 5X |
| Pharmeasy | 10X | 10X |
Suggested Read: HDFC SmartBuy vs. ICICI iShop
Reward Redemption
With both cards, cardholders can redeem accumulated reward points at a 1:1 ratio across multiple categories, as detailed below:
- 1 RP = Rs. 1 on flights and hotel bookings via SmartBuy
- 1 RP = Up to 1 AirMile
- 1 RP = Rs. 0.50 for vouchers and product purchase on SmartBuy
- 1 RP = Rs. 0.30 on cashback conversion
Apart from the above redemption options, cardholders can also redeem accumulated reward points against Apple products and Tanishq vouchers. However, in this case, the redemption value differs for both cards:
- HDFC Infinia: 1 RP = Rs. 1 on purchasing Apple products and Tanishq Vouchers via SmartBuy
- HDFC DC Black: 1 RP = Rs. 0.50 on purchasing Apple products and Tanishq Vouchers via SmartBuy
While both cards offer similar value-back of 3.33% across all spends, HDFC Diners Club Black stands out by offering 2X rewards on weekend dining spends. However, HDFC Infinia offers better overall value-back through higher accelerated rewards on certain SmartBuy spends and a 1:1 redemption ratio for travel bookings, Air Mile conversion, Apple products, and Tanishq vouchers.
Other Differences
| Particular | HDFC Infinia | HDFC DC Black |
| Hotel Benefits |
|
No Benefit |
| Golf Benefit | Unlimited complimentary golf games worldwide | 6 complimentary golf games every quarter |
| Milestone Benefit | No Benefit | Cult.fit Live 1 month membership or BookMyShow/TataCLiQ/Uber vouchers worth Rs. 500 on monthly spends of Rs. 80,000 |
Quick Comparison: HDFC Infinia vs. HDFC DC Black
| Particular | HDFC Infinia | HDFC DC Black |
| Joining/Annual Fee | Rs. 12,500 + Applicable Taxes | Rs. 10,000 + Applicable Taxes |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Waived off on annual spends of Rs. 10 Lakh | Waived off on annual spends of Rs. 5 Lakh |
| Welcome Benefits |
|
Complimentary annual memberships of Club Marriott, Times Prime, Amazon Prime, Swiggy One (3 months) & MMT BLACK on spending Rs. 1.5 Lakh within the first 90 days |
| Renewal Benefits | 12,500 reward points after the payment of annual fee | Annual memberships of Club Marriott, Times Prime, Amazon Prime, Swiggy One (3 months) & MMT BLACK on annual spend of Rs. 8 Lakh |
| Reward Points |
|
|
| Reward Redemption |
|
|
| Lounge Access | Unlimited domestic & international lounge visits | Unlimited domestic & international lounge visits |
| Hotel Benefits |
|
No Benefit |
| Golf Benefit | Unlimited complimentary golf games worldwide | 6 complimentary golf games every quarter |
| Forex Markup Fee | 2% | 2% |
| Dining Benefit | Extra 10% off at partner restaurants via Swiggy Dineout | Extra 10% off at partner restaurants via Swiggy Dineout |
| Milestone Benefit | No Benefit | Cult.fit Live 1 month membership or BookMyShow/TataCLiQ/Uber vouchers worth Rs. 500 on monthly spends of Rs. 80,000 |
Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing between HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black depends on your eligibility and lifestyle preferences. If you are eligible for HDFC Infinia Credit Card, opting for Infinia over DC Black would be a smarter choice as it offers better overall value. However, if you want to avail similar benefits at a lower annual fee, HDFC DC Black can help you save significantly on your spends.
Choose HDFC Infinia if:
- You are a high-net-worth individual (HNI) or an existing HDFC preferred banking customer
- You are seeking luxury benefits like unlimited lounge access & golf games, exclusive privileges at top hotels and more
- You can spend Rs. 10 Lakh or more annually to avail annual fee waiver
Choose HDFC Diners Club Black if:
- You want premium benefits without the invite-only barrier
- You prefer membership-based welcome rewards like Times Prime, Amazon Prime, and Swiggy One
- You seek achievable fee waivers and monthly milestones for consistent rewards
