Base reward rate: Upto 5% cashback on specific categories like dining, movies, taxi, and supermarkets, with a cap of ₹150 per category per statement cycle.
Redemption options: flights, cashback, vouchers
Redemption value: 1 Pt = ₹0.15
Fees & Charges
Joining fee: 500
Annual fee: 500
Pros
Extremely achievable annual fee waiver, requiring a spend of only ₹20,000 per year to waive the ₹500 fee, making it effectively free for most users.
Offers a valuable milestone benefit of a ₹1,000 gift voucher on annual spends of ₹90,000, providing an additional 1.1% return.
Provides a high 5% cashback rate on a wide range of everyday categories, including dining, supermarkets, movies, bill payments, and on the Payzapp platform.
The joining fee of ₹500 is effectively nullified by a welcome bonus of 500 CashPoints upon fee payment.
Includes complimentary lounge access without a minimum spend condition, a premium benefit rarely found on cards at this low fee level.
Offers up to 20% discount at partner restaurants through the Swiggy Dineout program, providing direct savings on dining.
Complimentary lounge access with no minimum spend requirement
Cons
The high 5% cashback rate is severely restricted by a low monthly cap of ₹150 per category, meaning the benefit is exhausted after just ₹3,000 of spending in each category.
Carries a high foreign exchange markup fee of 3.50%, making it a poor choice for international travel or foreign currency transactions.
Key spending categories like rent payments, wallet loads, fuel, and government-related transactions are explicitly excluded from earning any reward points.
The fuel surcharge waiver is limited to a maximum of ₹250 per billing cycle, which may be insufficient for users with high fuel consumption.
Best Use Case
Consumers seeking high cashback on everyday spends like dining, movies, and groceries, with a focus on HDFC Bank's SmartBuy and PayZapp platforms.