Diners ClubMiles and Regalia First credit cards are two of the best credit cards issued by HDFC Bank. HDFC Bank has a policy of issuing only one credit card at any time. So given an option between Diners ClubMiles and Regalia First which is better? Read on to find out.
HDFC Bank has stopped issuing new Diners ClubMiles and Regalia First credit cards. Existing cardholders can continue using the card or upgrade to a different card variant.
Fees and Charges
| Regalia First | Diners ClubMiles | |
|---|---|---|
| Joining/Renewal Fees | Rs 1000 plus GST | Rs 1000 plus GST |
| Fee Waiver | Rs 1 Lakh Spend | Rs 1 Lakh Spend |
Though HDFC Bank mentions joining/annual fee against the cards, these are mostly issued as LTF with spending offer or Smartpay registration criteria.
Rewards
Both HDFC Regalia First and Diners ClubMiles give 4 reward points on every Rs 150/- spend. However, HDFC Regalia First offers a milestone benefit:
- 5000 RP on spending Rs 3 Lakhs in a membership year
- Additional 2500 RP on spending Rs 6 Lakhs in a membership year
The effective reward rate is:
- Diners ClubMiles: 1.3%
- Regalia First: 0.8% for spending less than Rs 3 Lakhs and 1.12% if crossing Rs 6 Lakhs spend
Smartbuy Rewards
For shopping on below merchants through Smartbuy, we get accelerated rewards which increase the overall reward rate. The Smartbuy cap for both Regalia First and Diners ClubMiles is Rs 1000 per calendar month.
| Shopping Category | Smartbuy Cashback |
|---|---|
| Amazon | 5% |
| Flipkart | 1% |
| Instant Vouchers | 5% |
| MakeMyTrip – Hotels | 10% |
| Flights/Hotels | 5% |
| Trains | 5% |
| Buses | 5% |
| Imagine (Apple Reseller) | 5% |
Redemption
HDFC offers a lot of ways to use up the reward points you will earn both Diners ClubMiles and Regalia First. The preferred way is to use HDFC Smartbuy where you can book flights and hotels at a redemption rate of 1 RP = Rs 0.5 for Diners Club Miles and 1 RP = Rs 0.3 for Regalia First. This is the way you get the maximum return for your points.
However, if you want to redeem for other options have a look at the HDFC Rewards Catalogue where you can order electronics and gift vouchers in exchange of points. The reward point redemption falls to around Rs 0.20 to Rs 0.35 in these cases.
| Redemption Option | Regalia First (Value of 1RP) | Diners ClubMiles (Value of 1 RP) |
|---|---|---|
| Smartbuy (Flights/Hotels) | 30 paise | 50 paise |
| Airmiles – Intermiles, Singapore Airlines (Krisflyer), Club Vistara | 0.3 Airmile | 1 Airmiles |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | Up to 25 paise | Up to 35 paise |
| Cashback | 15 paise | 20 paise |
Airmiles Redemption
Both cards also offer to convert reward points to Airmiles. For Diners Clubmiles, we can transfer reward points to Intermiles, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, and Club Vistara at a rate of 1 RP = 1 Airmiles. For Regalia First, the redemption rate is half at 2 RP = 1 Airmile.
If Airmiles are the preferred redemption option, then Diners ClubMiles is the better card.
Lounge Access
- Regalia First gets 8 complimentary access per calendar year within India as per Visa / MasterCard variant and 3 complimentary access per calendar year outside India with Priority Pass
- Diners ClubMiles gets 6 complimentary lounge access in a year. The access is directly on the card on this list of lounges.
Which is better – Regalia First vs Diners ClubMiles
With a 1.3% reward rate and 1:1 redemption to Airmiles, Diners ClubMiles is the better card among the two. Diners ClubMiles also gets a better value for all other redemption options as well. The only point against Diners ClubMiles is its offline acceptance might be an issue.
