Regalia and Ace are two of the most popular credit cards from HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. While Regalia has been around for almost 10 years now, Ace is a recent launch. The key difference is the rewards methods for these cards. Regalia is a ‘reward points’ card while Ace is a ‘cashback’ card. Here is a comparison of the HDFC Bank Regalia vs Axis Bank Ace credit card to help you decide.
Fees and Charges
Axis Ace has a lower fee but Regalia is issued LTF in most cases with Smartpay/spend conditions. Considering this, Regalia is a better option.
| HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card | Axis Bank Ace Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Joining/Renewal Fee | Rs 2500 – Issued LTF in most cases | Rs 499 |
| Welcome Benefit | 2500 Reward Points if the joining fee is paid | Spend Rs 10000 within 45 days to waive the joining fee |
| Renewal Fee Waiver | Rs 3 Lakhs spend in a membership year | Rs 2 Lakhs spend in a membership year |
| Renewal Benefit | 2500 Reward Points if the renewal fee is paid | None |
Rewards
Ace has an edge here as it offers direct cashback. Regalia has a low conversion rate for converting reward points to cashback. But again, we can do a lot more with Regalia reward points as we will see in the rewards redemption section.
| HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card (Reward Points) | Axis Bank Ace Credit Card (Cashback) | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Rewards | 4 RP / Rs 150 | 2% |
| Weekend Dining Spends | 2X Rewards or 8 RP / Rs 150 up to 500 RP per day | 2% |
| Google Pay Bill Payments | 4 RP / Rs 150 | 5% |
| Wallet Loads | No Rewards | No Rewards |
| Milestone Rewards | A. Bonus 10,000 Reward Points on Rs 5 Lakhs spends in a membership year B. Additional 5,000 Reward Points on Rs 8 lakhs spends | None |
Smartbuy Rewards
This is where Regalia has an edge. Smartbuy spends lift Regalia’s reward rate much above the usual 2%. We can buy Amazon Pay gift cards from Smartbuy to get 6.3% on recharges/bill payments. This is more than what Ace offers with Google Pay.
| Shopping Category | Smartbuy Cashback | Total Cashback for Regalia |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 5% | 6.3% |
| Flipkart | 1% | 2.3% |
| Instant Vouchers | 5% | 6.3% |
| MakeMyTrip – Hotels | 10% | 11.3% |
| Flights/Hotels | 5% | 6.3% |
| Trains | 5% | 6.3% |
| Buses | 5% | 6.3% |
| Imagine (Apple Reseller) | 5% | 6.3% |
Rewards Redemption
Axis Ace offers direct cashback that is credited one month after statement generation. There is no minimum cashback that needs to be accumulated.
Regalia has many rewards redemption options.
| Redemption Option | HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card Value of 1 RP |
|---|---|
| Smartbuy (Flights/Hotels) | 50 paise |
| Airmiles – Intermiles, Singapore Airlines (Krisflyer), Club Vistara | 0.5 Airmiles |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | 20 paise to 35 paise |
| Cashback | 20 paise |
Airport Lounge Access
The Regalia again has an edge here. Not only do we get more complimentary lounge accesses, but we also get access via Priority Pass.
| HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card | Axis Bank Ace Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge Access | 12 complimentary lounge access within India every year 6 complimentary lounge access outside India every year | 4 complimentary airport lounge access in a year |
Which card is better – Regalia vs Ace?
When to choose HDFC Bank Regalia credit card?
- You travel or plan to travel occasionally. Regalia reward points can be a huge saver here.
- You can use Smartbuy purchases to the maximum for higher savings.
- Your spends are high to get milestone reward benefits.
- The target is to upgrade to Infinia in the future.
When to choose Axis Bank Ace credit card?
- You want a simple cashback card with predictable cashback on every transaction.
- Spends are low.
- No plans to use credit card points for travel.
2 thoughts on “HDFC Bank Regalia vs Axis Bank Ace Credit Card”
Is there a difference between the longe access via directly the card vs the priority pass ?
How is lounge access via priority pass an advantage ?
More number of lounge accesses with Visa and Priority Pass combined.
Priority Pass also enables lounge access outside India.