When it comes to earning accelerated rewards, HDFC SmartBuy has been a pioneer. From 2015 to now, it has seen many changes, devaluations, and improvements. However, it still remains the best option for earning accelerated rewards on HDFC Bank credit cards. With HDFC SmartBuy, you can earn accelerated rewards points or cashback with every transaction. Points can then be used to redeem products and services, such as flights, hotel reservations, and gift cards. Whether you have the basic MoneyBack+ or the super-premium Infinia/DCB card, here’s how to maximize HDFC SmartBuy for savings of up to 33%.
Accelerated Earnings Spends on HDFC SmartBuy
The first thing to know about HDFC 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.
- 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 too and lists hotels on Cleartrip, Yatra, and MakeMyTrip.
- IRCTC Trains
- RedBus
- Apple Reseller – Imagine Tresor
- IGP Gifting
- Instant Vouchers
- Zoom Car
- Nykaa
- Jockey
- MMT Holiday Packages
Accelerated Rewards on HDFC SmartBuy
The rewards we get on SmartBuy are dependent on the debit or credit card variant we use. We either get bonus rewards or cashback.
- Credit Cards eligible for Bonus Rewards: Infinia, Diners Club Black, Diners Club Black Metal, Regalia, Regalia Gold, and Diners Club Privilege
- Credit Cards eligible for Bonus Cashback: All other retail credit cards including Millennia but excluding Tata Neu
- Debit Cards eligible for Bonus Cashback: All debit cards except virtual cards, Jet Privilege Debit Card and Times Debit Cards
HDFC SmartBuy Rewards for Infinia and Diners Club Black
Infinia gets the highest reward rate on HDFC SmartBuy with Diners Club Black Metal Edition as a close second. Diners Club Metal Edition loses out on one essential rewarding partner. It gets only 3X rewards on SmartBuy instant vouchers compared to 5X rewards on Infinia.
| 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% |
| Zoom Car | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Nykaa | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Jockey | 10X ~33% | 10X ~33% |
| MMT Holiday Packages | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
HDFC SmartBuy Rewards for Regalia, Regalia Gold and Diners Club Privilege
| Shopping Category | Rewards | Value at 1RP = 50 paise |
|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10X | 13.3% |
| 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% |
| Zoom Car | 5X | 6.6% |
| Nykaa | 5X | 6.6% |
| Jockey | 10X | 13.3% |
| MMT Holiday Packages | 5X | 6.6% |
HDFC SmartBuy Cashback for other Credit and Debit Cards
All other eligible credit and debit cards including Millennia credit card get cashback for HDFC SmartBuy purchases.
| Shopping Category | Cashback |
|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10% |
| Flights | 5% |
| Hotels | 5% |
| IRCTC | 5% |
| Redbus | 5% |
| Instant Voucher | 5% |
| Apple Imagine Tresor | 5% |
| Zoom Car | 5% |
| Nykaa | 5% |
| Jockey | 10% |
| MMT Holiday Packages | 5% |
SmartBuy Offer for Tata Neu Credit Cards
HDFC SmartBuy offer for Tata Neu credit cards ended on 30th September 2023. These offers are not valid anymore.
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 Cap for Rewards and Cashback on SmartBuy
We have caps on how many bonus reward points and cashback we can earn on SmartBuy transactions. As you move up to super-premium credit cards from HDFC Bank, you will see more earning potential. Infinia gets a whopping 15000 bonus reward points per calendar month. These caps are only for the bonus rewards. The base 1X rewards on spends is uncapped.
| Variant | Maximum per calendar month | Maximum per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Infinia | 15000 RP | 15000 RP |
| Diners Club Black Metal Edition | 10000 RP | 10000 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 HDFC 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 and 3X on Diners Club Black, 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.
Rewards Redemption for Infinia, DCB, Regalia Gold Credit Cards
HDFC Bank provides multiple ways to redeem the accumulated reward points. Reward points are valid for three years from the date of credit. The best value would be to redeem the points for booking flights/hotels on SmartBuy or transfer miles to one of the airline, hotel partners.
Flights/Hotels Booking on SmartBuy
The redemption option that provides the best value for the reward points is booking flights and hotels on SmartBuy. In this case, each reward point is valued at Rs 1 for Infinia, DCB and 50 paise for Regalia, Regalia Gold and Diners Club Privilege. SmartBuy allows using up to 70% of the booking amount to be paid by reward points while the rest has to be paid by credit card. However, the good part is the amount paid by credit card accrues 5X reward points. We can redeem up to 75000 RP per calendar month towards flights and hotels redemption.
Cash/Gift Vouchers Redemption
The effective standard reward rate when redeeming vouchers and cash drops to 1.65% (1000 RP = Rs 500 Amazon voucher) and 1% (1 RP = 30p) respectively for Infinia and DCB! SmartBuy allows using up to 70% of the voucher amount to be paid by reward points while the rest has to be paid by credit card. Infinia has an edge here – we can redeem reward points in 1:1 ratio for Tanishq gift cards and Apple products. The 70-30 rule still applies for these.
This redemption option is not advisable for Regalia, Regalia Gold and Diners Club Privilege as the returns are even lower. If you plan to use this option, then it is better to move to cashback credit cards.
Reward Points Redemption Value Chart
| Redemption Option | 1 RP for Infinia/Diners Club Black | 1 RP for Diners Club Privilege, Regalia and Regalia Gold |
|---|---|---|
| SmartBuy (Flights/Hotels) | Rs 1 | 50 paise |
| Airmiles | 0.5 to 1 Airmiles | 0.5 Airmiles |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | 20 paise to 50 paise | Up to 65 paise |
| Cashback | 30 paise | 20 paise |
Transfer Partners for Infinia, Diners Club Black and Regalia Gold
HDFC Bank also has the option for points transfer to airline and hotel partners. This is available only for Infinia, Diners Club Black and Regalia Gold.
| Transfer Partner | Infinia/DCB 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 | 1:1 | 2:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | 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 | 1:1 | 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 |
Frequently Asked Questions
11 thoughts on “How to save with HDFC SmartBuy offers”
How much maximum spends can be done on infinia at 5x accelerated reward (gyftr portal) to reach 15k monthly capping?
Rs 1,12,500
I bought amazon gift card of 500/-
I paid 515/- approx
got total 60 point ( value 30/- )
I paid extra 15/- as tax
so ultimate point value (30-15 = 15)
its 3% value only
should I use millennia card in amazon ?
I wanted to block privilege card for its 2500/- charge
but they refund it 2times after sending letter
its my fathers card
so wanted to spend something… but
I have millennia & neu infinity card
Use Millennia directly on Amazon instead of buying vouchers.
I see PayZapp with a 1k cap per month. Could you please explain on which variants is this available and how to use it?
Load money into PayZapp wallet and use it for SmartBuy
Nice Article on smartbuy i am using it its one pf the best platform.
What is the best way to redeem the points earned? There is a cap of 70% while booking flights/hotels through Smartbuy which has 1:1 conversion of points.
You can also transfer to one of the airline/hotel partners.
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.