HDFC SmartBuy Offers: A Complete Guide

HDFC Bank SmartBuy Offers

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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.

PartnerInfiniaDiners Club Black
IGP.com10X ~33%10X ~33%
Flights5X ~16.5%5X ~16.5%
Hotels10X ~33%10X ~33%
IRCTC3X ~10%3X ~10%
Redbus5X ~16.5%5X ~16.5%
Instant Voucher5X ~16.5%3X ~10%
Apple Imagine Tresor5X ~16.5%3X ~10%
Flipkart3X ~10%2X ~6.6%
HDFC Bank Infinia and Diners Club Black Credit Card – SmartBuy Rewards

Accelerated Rewards Rate for Regalia and Diners Club Privilege

Shopping CategoryRewards Value at 1RP = 50 paise
IGP.com10X13.3%
Amazon5X6.6%
Flights5X6.6%
Hotels10X 13.3%
IRCTC3X3.9%
Redbus5X 6.6%
Instant Voucher5X6.6%
Apple Imagine Tresor5X 6.6%
Flipkart3X3.9%
HDFC Bank Regalia and Diners Club Privilege Credit Card: SmartBuy Rewards
LTF IDFC First Bank Credit Card

Accelerated Cashback Rate for other Credit and Debit Cards

All other eligible credit and debit cards including Millennia credit card get cashback.

Shopping CategoryCashback
IGP.com10%
Flights5%
Hotels5%
IRCTC5%
Redbus5%
Instant Voucher5%
Apple Imagine Tresor5%
Flipkart1%
HDFC Bank Credit and Debit Cards: SmartBuy Cashback

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.

CategoryTata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card (NeuCoins)Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card (NeuCoins)
IGP.com4%6%
Flights1%1.5%
Hotels4%6%
IRCTC1%1.5%
RedBus1%1.5%
Instant Vouchers1%1.5%
Apple Imagine Tresor1%1.5%
Flipkart1%1.5%
SmartBuy Offers on Tata Neu Credit Cards

Maximum Rewards and Cashback on SmartBuy

We have caps on how many bonus reward points and cashback we can earn on SmartBuy transactions.

VariantMaximum per calendar monthMaximum per Day
Infinia15000 RP15000 RP
Diners Club Black7500 RP2500 RP
Regalia and Diners Club Privilege4000 RP2000 RP
Other Credit and Debit CardsRs 1000NA
PayZapp WalletRs 1000NA
Maximum Limit of SmartBuy Rewards

Exclusions for SmartBuy Rewards

There are few exclusions only for SmartBuy partner Flipkart.

  1. Flight Bookings, Prepaid / Gift Cards, Bill Payments, Insurance & Recharges
  2. Purchase of Video Gaming Consoles & Hardware
  3. 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

Do we get SmartBuy rewards/cashback for EMI transactions?

Yes, we get SmartBuy rewards and cashback for EMI transactions. They will be calculated as per the EMI amount levied on that given month.

When do the SmartBuy bonus reward points and cashback get posted?

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.

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