Infinia and Regalia Gold are two of the most popular credit cards from HDFC Bank. If you hold a Regalia Gold and are looking for or are eligible for an upgrade to Infinia, then this article is for you. In this post, we compare HDFC Bank Infinia vs Regalia Gold credit card. We will include all aspects like fees, rewards, and redemption options. Read on to decide which is the right credit card for you when it comes to Infinia vs Regalia Gold.
Fees
| Infinia | Regalia Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Joining Fee | Rs 12500+GST/FYF | Rs 2500+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 1 year Club Marriott membership and 12500 RP if joining fee is paid | Complimentary Club Vistara Silver Tier, MMT Black Elite Membership Rs 2500 GV if fee is paid |
| Annual Fee | Rs 12500+GST | Rs 2500+GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Rs 10 Lakh annual spend | Rs 4 Lakh annual spend |
| Renewal Benefit | 12500 RP if renewal fee is paid | None |
Rewards
Both Infinia and Regalia Gold are reward point credit cards. This makes it easy to compare both to see which is more rewarding.
| Category | Infinia | Regalia Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Base Rewards | 5 RP/Rs 150 ~3.3% | 4 RP/Rs 150 ~1.3% |
| Spends at 5X partners | NA | 20 RP per Rs 150 ~6.7% |
| Quarterly Milestone Benefit | NA | Get Rs 1500 GV on Rs 1.5 Lakh spend. The options are Marriott, Myntra, Marks and Spencer or Reliance Digital |
| Annual Milestone Benefit | NA | Rs 5000 flight GV each on Rs 5 Lakh spend and on Rs 7.5 Lakh spend |
While both Regalia Gold and Infinia earn reward points, what makes the major difference is the value of 1 RP. If we redeem RP for flights, 1 RP = 50 paise for Regalia Gold and 1 RP = Rs 1 for Infinia. Reward redemption is assumed to be for SmartBuy Flights for both Infinia and Regalia Gold to calculate the reward rate in the above table.
We get access to 5X rewards partners on the Regalia Gold. At this point, the 5X reward partners are Marks & Spencer, Myntra, Reliance Digital and Nykaa. The cap is 5000 RP per calendar month for the bonus points in this category.
SmartBuy Rewards
HDFC Bank SmartBuy rewards tilt the scale in favour of Infinia. Infinia is HDFC Bank’s top credit card and gets the maximum benefits on SmartBuy. It has a higher earn rate and bonus RP cap on SmartBuy.
- Infinia gets up to 15000 bonus RP per calendar month. The daily cap is the same at 15000 RP.
- Regalia Gold gets up to 4000 bonus RP per calendar month. The daily cap is 2000 RP.
| Category | Rewards on Regalia Gold and Infinia | Return on Regalia | Return for Infinia |
|---|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10X | 13.3% | 33% |
| Flights | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Hotels | 10X | 13.3% | 33% |
| IRCTC | 3X | 3.9% | 10% |
| Redbus | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Instant Vouchers | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Apple Tresor | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Flipkart | 3X | 3.9% | 10% |
| Zoom Car | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Nykaa | 5X | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Jockey | 10X | 13.3% | 33% |
Reward Redemption is assumed to be for SmartBuy Flights in the case of both Infinia and Regalia Gold to calculate the reward rate in the above table.
Rewards Redemption
| Redemption Option | Regalia Gold (Value of 1 RP) | Infinia (Value of 1 RP) |
|---|---|---|
| SmartBuy (Flights/Hotels) | 50 paise | Rs 1 |
| Tanishq Vouchers/Apple Products | 35 paise | Rs 1 |
| Airmiles – Intermiles, Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer), Club Vistara | 0.5 AirMile | 1 AirMile |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | Up to 35 paise | 20 paise to 50 paise |
| Cashback | 20 paise | 30 paise |
HDFC Bank Infinia vs Regalia Gold: Transfer Partners
Infinia also gets access to many more airline and hotel transfer partners than KrisFlyer and Club Vistara.
| Transfer Partner | Infinia Transfer Ratio RP:Miles | Regalia Gold Transfer Ratio RP:Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada – AeroPlan | 2:1 | 3:1 |
| Air Asia – airasia rewards | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| ALL – Accor Live Limitless | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 2:1 | 3:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 2:1 | 3:1 |
| Finnair Plus | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Flying Blue | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Hainan Airlines – Fortune Wings Club | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| IHG One Rewards | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Vietnam Airlines – Lotusmiles Program | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Turkish Airlines – Miles&Smiles | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| United MileagePlus | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Singapore Airlines – KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Vistara Airlines – Club Vistara | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| InterMiles | 1:1 | 2:1 |
Airport Lounge Access
| Type | Regalia Gold | Infinia |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Airport Lounge Access | 12 complimentary visits/calendar year | Unlimited visits. Priority Pass lounge access is free even within India |
| International Airport Lounge Access | 6 complimentary visits/calendar year | Unlimited visits |
Which card is better: HDFC Bank Infinia vs Regalia Gold Credit Card?
Regalia Gold is a stepping stone for the Infinia upgrade. As expected, it comes with better rewards and benefits.
If you have higher spending in the range of more than Rs 5 Lakh, Infinia is a natural choice. We get 12500 RP in exchange for the annual fee, so we do not need to spend Rs 10 Lakh to get the fee waiver. The effective payment in such cases is Rs 2250 for the GST component. For spending close to 10 Lakh, getting the Infinia is a no-brainer. 🙂
If you like to travel, Infinia comes with unlimited complimentary airport lounge access both within and outside India. This can also be extended to add-on card members with their individual Priority Pass.
Advantages of Infinia over Regalia Gold
- Base reward rate is higher for Infinia at 3.3% vs 1.3% on Regalia Gold. You get many more reward points on Infinia for the same spends.
- SmartBuy reward rate for Infinia is higher than that of Regalia Gold for all types of spends. For example, instant vouchers will get you 16.5% rewards on Infinia vs 6.5% on Regalia Gold.
- SmartBuy cap for Infinia is almost 4 times that of Regalia Gold
- Complimentary unlimited airport lounge access for both domestic and international
