HDFC SmartBuy has been a pioneer when it comes to earning accelerated rewards. From 2015 to now, it has seen its fair share of changes, devaluations, and many improvements. But, it still is the best for earning accelerated rewards and cashback on HDFC Bank credit cards. Whether you have MoneyBack+ or Infinia/DCB, here’s how to maximize HDFC Bank Smartbuy.
Accelerated Earnings Categories on SmartBuy
The first thing to know about SmartBuy is which purchases can get you accelerated spending. Here is the list of categories that we can purchase from SmartBuy.
Out of these, Flights, IRCTC Trains, and Instant Vouchers are the most useful ones. We can get better deals on others outside SmartBuy.
- Flights: We can book both domestic and international flights. SmartBuy acts as an aggregator in this case and lists flights from OTAs EaseMyTrip, Yatra, Cleatrip, and GoIbibo.
- Hotels: We can book both domestic and international flights. SmartBuy acts as an aggregator in this case and lists hotels on Cleartrip, Yatra, and MakeMyTrip
- IRCTC Trains
- Redbus
- Flipkart
- Apple Reseller – Imagine Tresor
- IGP Gifting
- Instant Vouchers
Accelerated Rewards on SmartBuy
The rewards we get on SmartBuy are dependent on the debit or credit card variant. We either get bonus rewards or cashback.
- Credit Cards eligible for Bonus Rewards: Infinia, Diners Club Black, Regalia, and Diners Club Privilege
- Credit Cards eligible for Bonus Cashback: All other retail credit cards except Tata Neu
- Debit Cards eligible for Bonus Cashback: All debit cards except virtual cards, Jet Privilege Debit Card and Times Debit Cards
Accelerated Rewards Rate for Infinia and Diners Club Black
Infinia gets the highest reward rate on SmartBuy with DCB as a close second.
| Partner | Infinia | Diners Club Black |
|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10X ~33% | 10X ~33% |
| Flights | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Hotels | 10X ~33% | 10X ~33% |
| IRCTC | 3X ~10% | 3X ~10% |
| Redbus | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Instant Voucher | 5X ~16.5% | 3X ~10% |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 5X ~16.5% | 3X ~10% |
| Flipkart | 3X ~10% | 2X ~6.6% |
Accelerated Rewards Rate for Regalia and Diners Club Privilege
| Shopping Category | Rewards | Value at 1RP = 50 paise |
|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10X | 13.3% |
| Amazon | 5X | 6.6% |
| Flights | 5X | 6.6% |
| Hotels | 10X | 13.3% |
| IRCTC | 3X | 3.9% |
| Redbus | 5X | 6.6% |
| Instant Voucher | 5X | 6.6% |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 5X | 6.6% |
| Flipkart | 3X | 3.9% |
Accelerated Cashback Rate for other Credit and Debit Cards
All other eligible credit and debit cards including Millennia credit card get cashback.
| Shopping Category | Cashback |
|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10% |
| Flights | 5% |
| Hotels | 5% |
| IRCTC | 5% |
| Redbus | 5% |
| Instant Voucher | 5% |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 5% |
| Flipkart | 1% |
SmartBuy Offer for Tata Neu Credit Cards
The Tata Neu credit cards do not get the 5% cashback or 5X rewards benefits on SmartBuy like other HDFC Bank credit cards. Instead, we get bonus NeuCoins for SmartBuy transactions at a much lower rate.
| Category | Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card (NeuCoins) | Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card (NeuCoins) |
|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 4% | 6% |
| Flights | 1% | 1.5% |
| Hotels | 4% | 6% |
| IRCTC | 1% | 1.5% |
| RedBus | 1% | 1.5% |
| Instant Vouchers | 1% | 1.5% |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 1% | 1.5% |
| Flipkart | 1% | 1.5% |
Maximum Rewards and Cashback on SmartBuy
We have caps on how many bonus reward points and cashback we can earn on SmartBuy transactions.
| Variant | Maximum per calendar month | Maximum per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Infinia | 15000 RP | 15000 RP |
| Diners Club Black | 7500 RP | 2500 RP |
| Regalia and Diners Club Privilege | 4000 RP | 2000 RP |
| Other Credit and Debit Cards | Rs 1000 | NA |
| PayZapp Wallet | Rs 1000 | NA |
Exclusions for SmartBuy Rewards
There are few exclusions only for SmartBuy partner Flipkart.
- Flight Bookings, Prepaid / Gift Cards, Bill Payments, Insurance & Recharges
- Purchase of Video Gaming Consoles & Hardware
- Jewellery / Gold coins or its equivalent
How to Maximize HDFC SmartBuy
This is one of the most asked questions. But, it is rather easy to answer. We need to spend on Flights, Instant Vouchers and IRCTC Trains as and when we need.
Flights get us 16.5% reward points. So, when you compare prices directly on OTAs and then SmartBuy, SmartBuy should be the option when you don’t see a major price difference.
Instant Vouchers are the next best option. With 5X rewards on Infinia, you can rack up reward points on virtually every purchase even if it is offline. You can buy Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop GV for apparel and BigBasket GV for groceries. Other options are Amazon Pay and Amazon Shopping GVs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we get SmartBuy rewards and cashback for EMI transactions. They will be calculated as per the EMI amount levied on that given month.
SmartBuy bonus reward points and cashback get posted within 90 days from the end of calendar month. Recently, HDFC Bank has been crediting them in less than a month in some cases.
2 thoughts on “HDFC SmartBuy Offers: A Complete Guide”
How can we get 33% on flight booking? Isn’t 16.66% is the max on Infinia now?
33% is for hotel bookings. That was a typo.