Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card

The long wait for an Marriott co-branded credit card in India is over. Marriott Group has announced the Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card in collaboration with HDFC Bank. It’s offered on the Diners Club platform and comes with a joining fee of Rs 3000 plus GST. The Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status comes complimentary along with a free award night as a welcome and renewal benefit. On purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card, you can earn up to 8 MB points. In this review, you will find everything you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card.

Eligibility

Age: Min 21 years and Max 60 years
Gross Monthly Income more than Rs 1 Lakh for salaried individuals
ITR Income more than Rs 15 Lakhs per annum for self-employed individuals

The Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card will be issued to existing HDFC Bank credit card customers too. It will share your existing HDFC Bank credit limit.

Fees and Charges

What do we get for paying Rs 3000+GST which is Rs 3540 as joining and annual fee on the new Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card?

1 Free Night Award (up to 15000 MB points)
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status with 10 Elite Night Credits per year

That is a pretty good value for the fee we pay. Now, 15000 Bonvoy points may not be enough for most premium properties in India. So, you do have an option to top it up with another 15K bonus points to access more properties. This is an entry-level Marriott Bonvoy credit card. So, we cannot expect much. 🙂

Rewards

Spends at Marriott Bonvoy hotels: 8 MB points / Rs 150 ~3.2%
Travel, Dining and Entertainment Spends: 4 MB points / Rs 150 ~1.6%
All Other Spends: 2 MB points / Rs 150 ~0.8%

The Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card does not earn any points on Fuel, SmartEMI, Wallets, Voucher purchases, Government and Rental transactions. The exclusion list is in line with what HDFC Bank has for its other credit cards.

2 MB points per Rs 100 on other spends seems a little low considering a lot of high spend categories are already excluded. We value each Marriott Bonvoy point at 60 paise. So, the return rate is between 0.8% to 3.2% on spends. This is rather low and less than what cashback credit cards offer. Plus, Marriott Bonvoy has also switched to a dynamic reward redemption value.

Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status Benefits

The Marriott Bonvoy program has got four membership levels – Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite. Without any Marriott Bonvoy credit card, you would need to stay for 10 nights in a year to get the Silver Elite status. With the 10 Elite Nights credit, the Marriott Bonvoy credit card fast tracks you to Silver Elite status. From here on, you would need to stay for only 15 nights more to get to Gold Elite.

The Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status will give you extra benefits too:

10% extra points on stays – Any eligible hotel purchases including dining and incidental purchases will get you 10% extra points in your Marriott Bonvoy account
Priority Late Checkout – For the days when your flight is in the evening and you want to check out a little later
Member Rates and Free Wi-Fi – Free Wi-Fi is pretty much standard for every hotel now, so not an extra benefit.

Rewards Redemption

The free night award and earned Bonvoy points will be credited to the cardholder’s Marriott Bonvoy account. These can directly be used for reward redemption bookings as we do for other cases.

The earned points for Marriott Bonvoy will also reflect in cardmembers account within 60 days of transaction.

Complimentary Airport Lounge Access

Domestic Lounge Access within India: 12 complimentary visits per year
International Lounge Access outside India: 12 complimentary visits per year

Complimentary Golf Access

Complimentary 2 golf courses access and 2 golf course lessons per quarter across the world

Insurance Benefits

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card holder gets the following insurance benefits. While T&C is not clear yet, this would most probably be applicable only if you use the card to make the travel booking.

Delay / Loss in Check in Baggage: $250
Loss of Travel Documents: $250
Flight Delay: $250
Air Accidental Cover: Rs 10 Lakhs
Emergency Medical Expenses: Rs 15 Lakhs
Credit Shield: Rs 1 Lakh
Loss Liability Cover: Rs 1 Lakh

Final Thoughts

This is the first ever co-branded hotel chain credit card in India. So, has the wait been worth it? The answer would be No. This is a good entry-level credit card from Marriott Bonvoy but it does not have any selling point for Marriott Bonvoy enthusiasts. The earn rate for spends is too low. The only good benefit are the joining and renewal perks.

We get Silver Elite status as long as we hold the card with a credit of 10 Elite nights. Another 15 nights of stay and we can reach Gold Elite status.

For earning Bonvoy points, Amex cards stay on as the best. We get 1:1 transfer for MR points to Marriott Bonvoy. Do check out the Gold Charge, MRCC and Platinum Travel cards from Amex.