HDFC SmartBuy Gyftr Cuts Amazon Fresh and Zomato Voucher Limits by 60%, What Cardholders Need to Know
ValueNinja Editorial Team
HDFC Bank has quietly reduced monthly purchase limits on several popular gift vouchers within its SmartBuy Gyftr platform. The change went live overnight, with Amazon Fresh and Zomato vouchers taking the biggest hit, both cut by 60%.
The new limits, in full
| Merchant | New Monthly Limit | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Croma | ₹75,000 | Unchanged |
| Vijay Sales | ₹75,000 | Unchanged |
| Amazon Pay Gift Cards | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| Amazon Shopping Vouchers | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| Flipkart | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| Myntra | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| Swiggy Money | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| Zepto | ₹10,000 | Unchanged |
| V-Mart | ₹15,000 | Unchanged |
| Amazon Fresh | ₹2,000 | Down from ₹5,000 |
| BigBasket | ₹2,000 | Up from ₹1,500 |
| Blinkit | ₹2,000 | Up from ₹1,500 |
| Zomato | ₹2,000 | Down from ₹5,000 |
Blinkit and BigBasket actually got a small bump. Amazon Fresh and Zomato did not, dropping from ₹5,000 to ₹2,000 each, a ₹3,000 reduction in accelerated-rewards-eligible spend per merchant, every month.
Why this matters if you hold a premium HDFC card
SmartBuy Gyftr has long been one of the most efficient ways for HDFC cardholders to earn accelerated reward points, you buy a voucher through SmartBuy instead of spending directly on the merchant, and the purchase qualifies for bonus point multipliers. This has been especially valuable for:
- HDFC Bank Infinia
- HDFC Bank Diners Club Black
- HDFC Bank BizBlack
- HDFC Bank Regalia Gold
- Other SmartBuy-enabled HDFC cards
For Infinia and Diners Club Black users specifically, grocery and food-delivery voucher purchases have been one of the easiest, most repeatable ways to hit monthly reward targets. A user who was routing ₹5,000/month each through Amazon Fresh and Zomato vouchers can now only route ₹2,000 each, that's ₹6,000 less in accelerated-rewards-eligible spend across just these two categories every month.
This isn't a one-off, it's a pattern
HDFC has been tightening SmartBuy incrementally for a while now: reduced accelerated earning rates, monthly bonus caps, category-wise restrictions, and added compliance checks have all shown up over the past few years. The likely driver is straightforward, premium card portfolios (especially Infinia and Diners Club Black) have grown fast, and the volume of rewards generated through voucher-based spending has grown with it. Tightening limits on the most heavily used categories is a cost-control move, not a one-time correction.
What to do if SmartBuy is part of your monthly rewards routine
- Spread your grocery voucher spend across platforms. Instead of concentrating on Amazon Fresh, split across Amazon Fresh, Blinkit, BigBasket, and Zepto to stay within each platform's new cap.
- Plan for the Zomato cap to run out faster. Once you hit ₹2,000 on Zomato vouchers, fall back to direct payment or another platform for the rest of the month.
- Don't assume these limits are final. HDFC has revised SmartBuy limits multiple times based on usage and partner economics. Expect further adjustments, and check the live limits on the SmartBuy Gyftr page before planning a large voucher purchase.
The bottom line
If SmartBuy vouchers were a meaningful part of how you hit your monthly rewards target, this cut directly reduces that ceiling, especially for Amazon Fresh and Zomato. The fix isn't complicated, diversify across merchants rather than concentrating spend, but it does mean slightly more manual tracking each month than before.
See how your HDFC card's current rewards rate compares to alternatives using ValueNinja's Card Recommender.