HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card: Great for Travel, High Redemption Rate

• Complimentary Annual memberships* of Club Marriott, Times Prime (worth Rs. 1,499), Amazon Prime (worth Rs. 1,499), MMT BLACK Elite Tier and three-month Swiggy One (worth Rs. 899) on spending Rs. 1.5 Lakh within the first 90 days or upon first-year fee realization
• These memberships will be renewed every year on spending Rs. 8 Lakh in a year

Considering the card charges a joining fee of Rs. 10,000, the combined value of these memberships surpasses the fee charged by a wide margin. Also, they cover a wide range of categories like travel, online shopping, dining, etc. making this the perfect welcome package for cardholders. However, this should not be the sole reason to get the card.

*The cost of memberships might differ.

HDFC Diners Club Black Credit cardholders can earn a reward rate of 3.33% across all categories as per the below details:

• 5 reward points per Rs. 150 spent across all retail categories
• Up to 10X reward points on spends at HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy Platform

Reward Points Redemption

Cardholders can redeem the accumulated reward points against a variety of options, such as Airmiles, vouchers, hotel/ flight bookings and much more.

• Convert the reward points into Air Miles at a value of 1 Reward Point = 1 Air Mile
• Use reward points to book hotels/flight tickets through Smartbuy portal at 1 Reward Point = Re. 1
• Buy vouchers and items through the rewards catalogue for 1 Reward Point = Up to Re. 0.50
• 1 Reward Point = Re. 0.30, if redeemed against cashback

HDFC DC Black holds significant value due to its rewards program, where individuals can earn a reward rate of 3.33% across all categories. Additionally, consumers can convert the accumulated reward points for travel bookings and air miles at a 1:1 ratio, which is a decent benefit for frequent travellers. Also, HDFC Bank’s miles transfer program has over 14 partners, allowing frequent travellers to avail a significant value back on popular airlines or hotels like British Airways, Etihad Guest, or Accor. Another aspect that strengthens this card’s reward program is that users can earn rewards on mostly overlooked categories like utility bills, insurance, and groceries, making it a suitable option for day-to-day expenses as well.

HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card Reward Points Transfer Partners

You can convert the reward points you earn into the following transfer partner points using the Rewards360 platform:

Let’s understand how much you can save on monthly spends of Rs. 1 Lakh through these three credit cards.

On annual spends of Rs. 1 Lakh as per the above transactions, you will earn:

• 3,331 reward points through HDFC DC Black
• 6,000 reward points through Axis Magnus
• 3,000 reward points through ICICI Emeralde Private

Let’s see how much value back one can get by redeeming these reward points across various categories:

HDFC DC Black’s higher reward rate makes it a better option than other premium cards such as Axis Magnus and ICICI Emeralde. With DC Black, you can convert accumulated points into Air Miles or redeem them against travel bookings through the portal at a 1:1 ratio. Whereas, with ICICI Emeralde, point-to-mile conversion is not available; you can only redeem rewards through the reward portal at a 1:1 ratio, which may not be the preferable option for all consumers, considering there are limited options available, and you can only redeem points for travel bookings through vouchers. Additionally, despite offering the highest reward points, Magnus falls behind in this race due to its low redemption value, especially considering it’s a premium card, people would expect a better redemption value. Overall, HDFC DC Black offers the best value in comparison to these three cards, at a comparatively lower fee.

Cardholders can earn 2 monthly vouchers from cult. fit Live 1-month membership or BookMyShow or TataCLiQ or Ola vouchers worth Rs. 500, every month on spends of Rs. 80,000.

This card offers decent milestone benefits, especially by covering different categories, allowing individuals to choose benefits as per their preferences. Given that its invite-only variant – Infinia, with a comparatively higher annual fee, lacks milestone benefits, offering such benefits can enhance the overall value of DC Black Card. For high-spenders, who put most of their purchases on credit cards, achieving a spending milestone of Rs. 80,000 per month to maximize their benefits wouldn’t be challenging.

Also, if you spend Rs. 80,000 every month, summing up to approximately Rs. 9.6 Lakh in a year, you can save above Rs. 25,000 as per the details below:

**Annual membership fee is not mentioned on the official website for Club Marriott and MMT Black Elite Tier. For other memberships as well, the cost might differ.

• Unlimited airport lounge access worldwide for both primary and add-on user
• Low forex markup fee of 2%

The lounge access and low forex markup features will help you save big, especially if you are a frequent international traveller. However, there are no additional travel features such as extra reward points on travel booking or free membership to some frequent flyer programs. Such features would have made it even better for travellers to maximize their savings.

• 6 complimentary golf games per quarter across the finest courses in the world
• 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India on minimum transaction of Rs. 400 (Max waiver of Rs. 1,000 per statement cycle)
• Flat 10% extra off on restaurant bills via Swiggy Dineout
• Exclusive discounts at leading spas, salons, gyms etc. such as Sarva Yoga, Eyewearlabs, Round Glass Living, Tattva Spa, SleepyCat, Himalayan Hideaway, Neemrana Hotels, etc.
• Exclusive 24×7 concierge service for golf course referral, reservation assistance, dining referral and car rental, etc.
• Insurance benefits:
• Air accidental insurance coverage: Rs. 2 Crore
• Emergency overseas hospitalization: Rs. 50 Lakh
• Credit Liability Cover: Up to Rs. 9 Lakh
• Travel Insurance Cover: Up to Rs. 55,000 on baggage delay (Capped to $10 per hour restricted to 8 hours)

With a high reward rate of 3.33% and a 1:1 redemption ratio for air miles and flight/hotel bookings via SmartBuy, HDFC Diners Club Black could be a good option for high-spenders and frequent travellers. Additional travel benefits like unlimited lounge access and a low forex mark-up fee, etc. further help frequent travellers save a lot of money.

Most benefits on the Diners Club Black credit card are similar to those on HDFC Infinia Credit Card. Since Infinia is an invite-only card, those who are not eligible for it can apply for the HDFC Diners Club Black instead.

So, if you are wondering whether this card would be the right choice for you, consider these points.

Apply for credit card if:

• You are a frequent traveller looking for an option to save on travel bookings
• You want all-round benefits on a single credit card rather than having multiple cards catering to different categories
• You put most spends on your credit cards and would be able to spend Rs. 80,000 or more in a month to avail monthly milestone benefit