HDFC Smart Buy Changes Feb Better than Anyone Else

A reorganization of the HDFC Smart Buy 10X Program has resulted in both good and bad news items. Here’s an overview of the key adjustments to the deal. Check out the new smart buy page for the full terms and conditions.

  • Insta Voucher: 3X

  • Amazon Spends: 3X

The significant changes listed above may have an impact on you. A few more include the fact that infinia and restaurants black are now 5X for flights.

 Overall, the adjustments are to be expected, and I believe the majority of current consumers will accept them. Only recent arrivals might experience pain. The worst action of all is being taken here: daily bonus point caps. Not to mention the guideline that says “A day is considered as a settlement date,” which implies it’s best to leave at least one day between transactions to be on the safe side.

With this regulation in place, HDFC super premium cardholders might soon begin using other cards for purchases, such as Axis Magnus.

Please take note that this capping only applies to earned bonus prizes; earn rewards are not affected.

Back on Rewards for Premium Cards

 There is some good news for Regalia and Diners Privilege card holders. These cards have previously offered 5% cashback from HDFC, however, they are now offering 3X/5X/10X incentives as well.

For newcomers, premium cards may offer 5X when Diners Black only offers 3X. Of course, this does not imply that 5X is superior, as “X” is higher on Diners’ black. For further information, read the reviews for the appropriate cards.

Bank HDFC Smart buy

For the Infinia and Diners Club Black credit cards, changes from February have brought some unpleasant news. The well-known Smart buy program has undergone several significant revisions (devaluations) from HDFC Bank. The modifications take effect in February.

What has changed is as follows:

Smart buy Modifications for Infinia

• A reduction from 10X to 5X in rewards for booking flights

• IRCTC train booking rewards have been lowered from 5X to 3X.

• Redbus booking rewards drop from 10X to 5X

 Diners Club Black will suffer more from the changes. With these adjustments, Infinia is now two notches above DCB.

  • A reduction from 10X to 5X in rewards for booking flights

  •  Instant voucher rewards have been decreased from 5X to 3X.

  •  IRCTC train booking rewards have been lowered from 5X to 3X.

  •  Redbus reward reservations now earn 5X instead of 10X rewards.

  • Apple Tresor rewards have been decreased from 5X to 3X.

  • Flipkart rewards dropped from 3X to 2X

Modifications to Smart buy for Regalia/Diners Privilege

Regalia and Diners Privilege switching from cashback to accelerated rewards, just like Infinia/DCB, is the minor surprise in all of this. Now we have the following:

Our Opinion

Smart buy has been an ongoing program at HDFC Bank for a while. The previous devaluation, which lowered quick voucher payouts from 10X to 5X, was one of many that have occurred over time. Although it affects a bigger set of expenditures, especially airplane reservations, this is no different. I did not anticipate, however, the greater devaluation of the DCB. The payouts for Infinia and DCB have historically been comparable.

The establishment of a daily reward cap is the other significant change. The HDFC Bank has made it hard to use Smart buy now for greater purchases. The maximum rewards for those Amazon purchases of iPhones will no longer be available.

HDFC Bank Updates Credit Card Revenues on the Smart Buy Platform

The bonus reward point structure on HDFC Bank’s Smart Buy platform, which went into effect in February, has been updated. This directly affects how much money HDFC Credit Cards can make. While the benefits on HDFC’s most expensive cards—Infinia and Diners Club Black—have been reduced in value due to the new structure, cards like Regalia and DC Privilege have experienced an improvement. However, reward points on budget credit cards continue to be constant.

Devaluation of HDFC Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black

 These two cards were the only ones that helped the Smart Buy Bonus Rewards Program become so well-known since the accelerated reward bonus, added on top of their current rewards system, generated the highest returns. Additionally, each reward point is worth Re.1 (for a few categories of purchases), increasing the value of the profits.

The DCB users are the ones who will be most affected by this change in additional reward points.

Reward points are valued at 5 every Rs. 150 at the regular rate. (1 Bonus Point = Refer. 1)

Regalia and DC Privilege Users Will Earn More

Regalia and DC Privilege received flat cashback on purchases made using the SmartBuy platform, same as the lower-tier HDFC credit cards. However, these two cards have now been added to the extra rewards system as well. This modification actually results in increased earnings for Regalia and DC Privilege users because the base rate on these cards is already high (4 reward points every Rs. 150).

It should be reminded that 1 reward point has a value of 0.5 rupees when being redeemed. According to the kind of purchase you make on the Smart Buy Platform, it varies.

 In addition to these well-known credit cards, less expensive cards like HDFC Millennia, HDFC Money back, etc. continue to use the flat rate cashback model for bonus earnings on Smart Buy.

More guidelines for bonus rewards: daily capping

In addition to altering the earning rate, HDFC Bank has also established the following rules:

• Instead of being credited on the day the transaction is made, eligible cash back or bonus reward points will be awarded on the day the transaction is settled.

• In addition, the extra awards are capped both daily and monthly.

How does this affect you?

Most cards already had monthly capping, and premium cards also included daily capping. Even while the maximum cap alone might be appropriate, adding the settlement day rule could result in a point deduction.

Consider using your DCB Credit Card for sizable purchases on February 1, 2, and 3 while bearing in mind the daily capping. Imagine supposing the bank processed your transaction on February 2nd and February 3rd together rather than on February 2nd alone. Since awards are only taken into account on the day of settlement, transactions made on February 2nd and 3rd will group together and provide you bonus benefits up to the daily cap of just one day, which is February 3rd. If you frequently do large-scale transactions, this could result in a significant loss.

Takeaway

The Smart Buy rewards program offered by HDFC were excellent, especially for its premium cards, Infinia and Diners Club Black. Although the value of Infinia rewards has not been significantly reduced, DCB users may have been hard-hit by this modification.

The Regalia and Diners Club Privilege Cards have been widely marketed by HDFC Bank during the past few years. The switch from the flat-rate cashback model used by lower-end cards to a bonus rewards model has now richly rewarded the consumers. For users of Regalia and DC Privilege, this was a welcome surprise.

Effective February, HDFC Bank rationalizes bonus points on Infinia, Regalia, Diners Club, and other credit cards. HDFC Bank has finally changed the way points are earned on its portfolio of credit cards. Since February, the new HDFC Bank Smart buy points system has been in place. This will have an effect on the earnings potential of different HDFC Bank credit cards as well as other products like debit cards and Payzapp.

The rationalized Smart buy offer from HDFC Bank for Infinia Cardholders

 HDFC Infinia card ranks first among all HDFC Bank cards. Although the Bank hasn’t taken significant steps to lower the earnings on this card, there has undoubtedly been some rationalization.

The Bank is lowering the earning of bonus points on trains and eliminating the 10X earning on Smart buy bus and flight reservations. They already lowered the number of points that may be earned on Instant Vouchers. The advantages for the other daily movers in this portfolio, like Amazon and Flipkart, have long since vanished.

In a nutshell, this is Infinia’s new compensation plan. The endless 1X Reward Points that would always be awarded each month have been removed.

On Infinia, you can still earn up to 15,000 bonus points a month; however, you are only permitted to earn up to 7,500 bonus points each day here. The bonus also begins to accrue on the settlement date rather than the swiping date. Therefore, if you initiate a transaction on February and the bank settles it on February 3, it will count in the same way. Let’s assume, however, that a national holiday results in a settlement holiday. If someone went shopping incessantly that weekend, they might lose points because the purchases from two days are combined into one settlement.

Diners Club Black Cardholders’ undervalued Smartbuy proposal from HDFC Bank

The second most popular card in the HDFC Bank card lineup, HDFC Diners Club Black, has been in this position for a while. This appears to be a devaluation because the Bank took action to drastically cut the revenues on this card.

The Bank has reduced the earning of bonus points on Instant Vouchers, Trains, Amazon, Apple Tresor, and Flipkart in addition to eliminating the 10X earning on Smartbuy bus and flight reservations. They previously limited the number of points that could be earned on Instant Vouchers in September 2021, so this lowers it much more.

In a nutshell, this is Diners Club Black’s new compensation plan. The endless 1X Reward Points that would always be awarded each month have been removed.

On Diners Club Black, you can still earn up to 7,500 extra points each month; but, from this point on, you can only do so with 2,500 bonus points per day. In addition, as I mentioned previously, the incentive is calculated on the settlement date rather than the swipe date.

For HDFC Diners Club Black Cardholders, who previously lost the 10X partner brands, this is a double whammy.

Rewards from the Smart buy proposition from HDFC Bank have increased for Regalia and Diners Club Privilege Cardholders.

Numerous reorganization efforts are being made at Regalia and HDFC Diners Club Privilege. HDFC Bank distributes these cards like candy, and things have been that way for a while. The Bank has taken action to greatly increase the earnings on this card. Previously, HDFC Bank offered cashback on these cards; today, the reward is based on points, with a larger reward percentage.

largely steady for budget-friendly credit cards

On the less expensive cards, HDFC Bank still offers cashback, and things are generally constant. The monthly Cashback cap of INR 1,000 remains unchanged as well.

largely stable with regard to PayZapp and debit cards

HDFC Bank is still offering cashback on debit cards and PayZapp, and it is fairly constant. The monthly Cashback cap of INR 1,000 remains unchanged as well.

My Opinion

 HDFC Bank has chosen to reduce its payouts for the Diners Club Black Card while continuing to pay out of pocket for Infinia. In actuality, the rewards you receive from these products come from the affiliate fees the Smart buy merchants pay them. With travel plummeting as it has in Covid-19, the merchants have hardly been generating any money lately.

Bottom-Line

The Infinia will earn fewer points than the Diners Club Black Card, and Regalia + Diners Club Privilege Cards will earn more points than the Infinia. The modifications go into effect in February. Owners of Infinia are still not treated horribly, but Diners Club Black owners are in for a surprise. Holders of Regalia & Diners Club Privileges experience increased reward possibilities.

FAQs

How are HDFC Smart Buy Points checked?

 Simply connect to your Smart Buy account using the cellphone number associated with your HDFC Credit Card to check your HDFC Smart Buy points.

On Flipkart, how do I use HDFC Smart Buy?

 Make sure to only be referred to the app via the Smart buy portal if you want to take advantage of a Smart buy promotion on purchases from Flipkart. Log into HDFC Smart Buy, select the Flipkart or the Flipkart offer you wish to take advantage of, add the items to your cart, and then use your HDFC Bank Credit Card to complete the purchase.

When is the rebate from HDFC Smart Buy credited?

The posting of reward points or cashback will occur 90 working days after the transaction month’s last day.

What are Smart Buy and PayZapp?

With PayZapp, you can send money to anyone on your contact list or to your bank account, pay bills, recharge your mobile, DTH, and data card, and much more. You can also shop on your mobile at partner apps, purchase movie tickets and groceries, compare and book hotel rooms and flights, shop online at Smart Buy for great savings, and more.

Why is HDFC SmartBuy advantageous?

On the HDFC Infinia, Diners Black, Regalia, and Diners Club Privilege credit cards, you receive accelerated Reward Points (2 times to 10 times the regular Reward Points), and on the majority of other HDFC credit and debit cards, you receive 5% (2.5% + 2.5% bonanza) cashback on travel-related expenses (like hotel/flight/bus/train bookings).

What do you think about the modifications to the reward points that HDFC Bank Card holders can receive on Smart Buy?

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