Axis Burgundy vs. Standard Chartered Priority vs. HDFC Imperia

[xlr8]

I'm a 32-year-old resident of Mumbai whose monthly salary meets the eligibility criteria for all 3 banking programs mentioned above. Currently, I'm a Imperia Banking customer with HDFC Bank (although I've never felt like one).

Despite being a loyal customer of HDFC for almost a decade, having an excellent credit score, and consistently clearing my credit card dues before the due dates, my requests for HDFC Infinia (paid / LTF) have always been rejected. My RM is totally useless.

I currently hold Diners Club Millenia CC (downgraded from Diners Club Miles when the latter was discontinued) and Tata Neu Infinity CC, both from HDFC. I also hold Amex Platinum Travel CC, which in fact is my primary CC.

Bottom line - I haven't received any significant benefits from being an Imperia Banking customer, so I've decided to switch my salary account from HDFC to another bank.

My (first ever) question to the TF community: Which banking program would you recommend for me? Or should I stick with HDFC Imperia?

 

[financewizard]

To be honest most of the premium banking programs don't offer you great benefits (equivalent to the MAB maintained for these accounts).
But if you really want great benefits look out for smaller bank's premium accounts. They offer more value add services and give more benefits.

With premium accounts of IndusInd, AU bank etc you get free movie tickets, better cashback, rent free big lockers, wealth management (I won't recommend this service), etc. even you can pitch for premium Credit Card.

SC priority is not a decent option. But stay away from Axis Burgundy. It's HDFC ka Baap in providing pathetic services.

 

[sourpai]

HDFC is not going to give you Infinia just because of Imperia account.

Credit card team looks at certain conditions to issue Infinia:
1. Limit on existing HDFC card should be 10L plus
2. Spend of 7.5L in last 6 months on core HDFC card

Are you meeting these conditions? Best option is to take cards like Regalia gold or Diners black and try to fulfil above conditions. You will get Infinia. Taking Infinia is a multi step process.

If you are patient, you can try for diners black metal also, with reduced criteria (and easier to get) and then aim for Infinia
1. Limit on existing HDFC card should be 5L plus
2. Spend of 5L in last 6 months on core HDFC card
3. C2C with other bank credit card of limit more than 5L (non co branded, more than one year old)

Edit: You will get Infinia with preferred account also, Imperia is not needed as long as above conditions are met
My personal preference is Axis Burgundy, as getting axis cards is easier, although little risky overall
Stan C does not have any great CC... only for banking you can consider

 

[pgarg24]

I have axis burgandy, got select and atlas as LTF. If any if these cc is something you can use you can go ahead with burgandy.

In terms of service, I feel they are good. RM responds to any query I have and they have dedicated xustomer support too. You can also try exploring indusind pioneer account varient too, thats great and I prefer their prompt support over burgandy.

Imperia is for namesake only. Not sure about stanC priority.

I also heard hsbc premier is good, they will provide premier cc which have 3% reward rate close to infinia. So you can explore that too.

 

[xlr8]

Thank you guys for the insightful responses. Didn’t expect such a quick turnaround.

Anyway, I was leaning more towards StanC Priority because StanC is a global bank. Your “Priority” status is recognized globally, therefore your privileges also become available globally.
I tend to travel a lot, go on mini vacations, so I thought being associated with StanC will get you some travel-related perks (not through CCs, but through the banking program itself).

As for CCs, my local branch head offered me the StanC Ultimate CC (not LTF, but it’s reasonably priced with decent rewards) if I join them.

Is anyone here a long term StanC Priority Banking customer? Can you please share your experience? Did you get any prominent benefits just by being a customer of this banking program?

P.S. Axis Burgundy is likely my fallback option. But definitely not sticking with HDFC Imperia. Even excluding the CC, the bank provided no significant perceivable benefits for being a customer for so long.

 

[sourpai]

Thank you guys for the insightful responses. Didn’t expect such a quick turnaround.

Anyway, I was leaning more towards StanC Priority because StanC is a global bank. Your “Priority” status is recognized globally, therefore your privileges also become available globally.
I tend to travel a lot, go on mini vacations, so I thought being associated with StanC will get you some travel-related perks (not through CCs, but through the banking program itself).

As for CCs, my local branch head offered me the StanC Ultimate CC (not LTF, but it’s reasonably priced with decent rewards) if I join them.

Is anyone here a long term StanC Priority Banking customer? Can you please share your experience? Did you get any prominent benefits just by being a customer of this banking program?

P.S. Axis Burgundy is likely my fallback option. But definitely not sticking with HDFC Imperia. Even excluding the CC, the bank provided no significant perceivable benefits for being a customer for so long.

What benefits are you expecting via SC banking program? Can you list some tangible benefits that are useful to you?

To be honest, premium banking programs do not offer any significant benefits. But happy to hear your view

SC Ultimate is not a good card due to poor redemption options. Do search on this forum about this card and you will know a lot of information

 

[Lobogris]

Thank you guys for the insightful responses. Didn’t expect such a quick turnaround.

Anyway, I was leaning more towards StanC Priority because StanC is a global bank. Your “Priority” status is recognized globally, therefore your privileges also become available globally.
I tend to travel a lot, go on mini vacations, so I thought being associated with StanC will get you some travel-related perks (not through CCs, but through the banking program itself).

As for CCs, my local branch head offered me the StanC Ultimate CC (not LTF, but it’s reasonably priced with decent rewards) if I join them.

Is anyone here a long term StanC Priority Banking customer? Can you please share your experience? Did you get any prominent benefits just by being a customer of this banking program?

P.S. Axis Burgundy is likely my fallback option. But definitely not sticking with HDFC Imperia. Even excluding the CC, the bank provided no significant perceivable benefits for being a customer for so long.

I have been a SC Premium banking customer for about a year now. I am also a HDFC Imperia customer and have top tier relationships with almost all banks. I don't think any of them offer any special benefits. SC is fine. Their app and website are a little different and a bit difficult for routine banking. As always, an RM is assigned and he is quite nice and helpful. I generally go to the Branch Manager's office and she calls the RM there while we have some coffee. Ultimately, all they want is more investments. It's the same with all banks. I only opened this relationship as it was a way of getting a credit card with SC. Ultimately, I believe smaller banks provide more benefits. If you move 50 lakhs to HDFC, they barely notice but a smaller bank would treat you well with such a balance. At the end, it depends upon the RM and BM and they tend to vary. I have had some really good RMs at HDFC as well.

 

[Lobogris]

I'm a 32-year-old resident of Mumbai

I suppose you are too young to remember the name Bombay.

 

[xlr8]

Coming back to this thread after doing some research. I'm no longer considering StanC. Now it is back to Axis Burgundy vs. HDFC Imperia.

1. Is Axis Burgundy account worth it in 2024 after the massive devaluation of all of its credit cards and debit cards? If I were to join Axis Burgundy, should I apply for a CC right away, or just join and wait until they launch a new and better rewarding CC?
2. Or should I stay with HDFC Imperia? I must mention that I've closed my HDFC Diners Club Millennia CC out of sheer frustration from being denied Infinite / DCB Metal (paid) and lack of responsiveness from RM / Customer Support. Now the only CC I've got from HDFC is the HDFC Tata Net Infinity CC. If you guys advise me to stay, then I will have to restart my CC journey with them.
   (My primary CC remains my Amex Platinum Travel CC.)

So what do you guys suggest? If you have any questions for me that you think will help answering my question, please do ask.

On a side note, this community is amazing. I discovered it recently (the day I started this thread) and have been reading all the posts since then. Helped a lot in my research too. What’s great is that people actively participate in conversations and don’t ridicule anyone for asking what might seem like trivial questions. I’m really glad I found this community.

 

[magnusfan]

My 2 cents when dealing with HDFC Infinia - we are supposed to keep our egos at home and need a consistent follow up approach at get a card with 16% returns!

Also, why not check HSBC for the savings account!

 

[nigameash]

Having been on all 3 programs, none of them offer anything worthwhile.

Find a good banker and move banks with him/her.

 

[Wealth is my birth right!]

Coming back to this thread after doing some research. I'm no longer considering StanC. Now it is back to Axis Burgundy vs. HDFC Imperia.

1. Is Axis Burgundy account worth it in 2024 after the massive devaluation of all of its credit cards and debit cards? If I were to join Axis Burgundy, should I apply for a CC right away, or just join and wait until they launch a new and better rewarding CC?
2. Or should I stay with HDFC Imperia? I must mention that I've closed my HDFC Diners Club Millennia CC out of sheer frustration from being denied Infinite / DCB Metal (paid) and lack of responsiveness from RM / Customer Support. Now the only CC I've got from HDFC is the HDFC Tata Net Infinity CC. If you guys advise me to stay, then I will have to restart my CC journey with them.
   (My primary CC remains my Amex Platinum Travel CC.)

So what do you guys suggest? If you have any questions for me that you think will help answering my question, please do ask.

On a side note, this community is amazing. I discovered it recently (the day I started this thread) and have been reading all the posts since then. Helped a lot in my research too. What’s great is that people actively participate in conversations and don’t ridicule anyone for asking what might seem like trivial questions. I’m really glad I found this community.

Keep hsbc as an option since u reside in Mumbai
With a 30l nrv high chances there to get their premium card

 

[venkateshr]

Coming back to this thread after doing some research. I'm no longer considering StanC. Now it is back to Axis Burgundy vs. HDFC Imperia.

1. Is Axis Burgundy account worth it in 2024 after the massive devaluation of all of its credit cards and debit cards? If I were to join Axis Burgundy, should I apply for a CC right away, or just join and wait until they launch a new and better rewarding CC?
2. Or should I stay with HDFC Imperia? I must mention that I've closed my HDFC Diners Club Millennia CC out of sheer frustration from being denied Infinite / DCB Metal (paid) and lack of responsiveness from RM / Customer Support. Now the only CC I've got from HDFC is the HDFC Tata Net Infinity CC. If you guys advise me to stay, then I will have to restart my CC journey with them.
   (My primary CC remains my Amex Platinum Travel CC.)

So what do you guys suggest? If you have any questions for me that you think will help answering my question, please do ask.

On a side note, this community is amazing. I discovered it recently (the day I started this thread) and have been reading all the posts since then. Helped a lot in my research too. What’s great is that people actively participate in conversations and don’t ridicule anyone for asking what might seem like trivial questions. I’m really glad I found this community.

Hi bro. Am StanC priority since last 8 yrs. Axis Burgundy since last 2 yrs approx. Never been HDFC Imperia. Have DCB LTF which one could get earlier under the alumni offer and Neu LTF. I think some perspective may help.

1. Being from Finance domain, have never felt an acute need for a RM. Having said that, i did take one Term plan from my RM of StanC only last year primarily because he has been around for a long time in StanC and have reasonable assurance from him that he will help if any support is needed anytime in the future regarding the insurance itself.

2. StanC priority is just about fine. Mine is under the Home loan (against OD) scheme (in Mumbai) and they have been fine. Though interest resets are poor. Have to continuously request them for when rates change.

3. Axis Burgundy, i took the acct last year March when the execs said you'll get the Burgundy DC which had some good offers like BMS etc. I wasn't getting anything extra from my StanC Priority card and hence decided i'll go for it. The good part of being Burgundy was the ability to get Magnus LTF when the changes happened post August last year. That and the ability to use the Br. DC for paying CC bills helped me rake in good reward points till April of this year where massive devaluations happened on the Br. DC. In fact i'll say that the Br. DC devaluations are the single biggest kill on the Axis CC folio when one compares with devals on Magnus or Reserve or any other card. They were one of the easiest way to rake up points without any spends!! I also hold Select (LTF under the Burgundy program - has been a feature, think hasnt changed) and Atlas (paid). Have utilized the other cards in moderation.

4. I got a RM whose only raison d'etre is to sell u crappy insurance products where you can make money only in "0" interest countries like Japan. Here you'll be swindled. His presence is almost useless and hence i'll never recommend any Axis RM (havent heard good things about anyone else either). If you were to choose Axis for any RM related helps (many people do need honest help at times but these RMs are unlikely to offer any help). In fact discussing on forums like ours may help you better directionally. StanC RM atleast is an intelligent guy though his urge to sell is also high. I would rate him far higher than the Axis one.

5. Bottomline - from where you are right now, it is clear HDFC has short changed you very badly all these years. They should be discarded forthwith without any ado. If you can get the Burgundy relationship and Magnus card or Atlas as LTF, and if you are a reasonably high spender on CCs (the forum will help you in ways to spend!!) - the reward rates when converted to airmiles are still the best in the industry. No other card comes relatively close - not even the Infinia which HDFC regards as a god send card and their ppl use all unethical means like sucking upto you for ULIPs and shitty plans to give the Infinia to you. It is one of the most immoral and unethical things that HDFC Bank does and hence for that i have no sympathy for them ever!! (please note it is not a case of sour grapes for me since i do not have Infinia - this is just an objective view)

6. Axis cards have undergone a lot of changes. Their people are mercurial. They will block your accounts and ask for proof of usages of Sulabh Shauchalya (i guess it still doesn't accept cards, maybe one level higher POS maybe - u get the drift!!), support is quite bad, will exasperate you but still the points and rewards, if you can accumulate them, through spends are really worth the amounts you'll eventually save for international trips in the future. (I did 3 countries last year for the first time and Japan this year and all thanks to Axis points - though i have to caution you that the heydays of easy points accumulation are possibly over!!) all the best

My recommendation - Axis Burgundy anyday given the rewards but please take it up with lot of patience

 

[magnusfan]

Hi bro. Am StanC priority since last 8 yrs. Axis Burgundy since last 2 yrs approx. Never been HDFC Imperia. Have DCB LTF which one could get earlier under the alumni offer and Neu LTF. I think some perspective may help.

1. Being from Finance domain, have never felt an acute need for a RM. Having said that, i did take one Term plan from my RM of StanC only last year primarily because he has been around for a long time in StanC and have reasonable assurance from him that he will help if any support is needed anytime in the future regarding the insurance itself.

2. StanC priority is just about fine. Mine is under the Home loan (against OD) scheme (in Mumbai) and they have been fine. Though interest resets are poor. Have to continuously request them for when rates change.

3. Axis Burgundy, i took the acct last year March when the execs said you'll get the Burgundy DC which had some good offers like BMS etc. I wasn't getting anything extra from my StanC Priority card and hence decided i'll go for it. The good part of being Burgundy was the ability to get Magnus LTF when the changes happened post August last year. That and the ability to use the Br. DC for paying CC bills helped me rake in good reward points till April of this year where massive devaluations happened on the Br. DC. In fact i'll say that the Br. DC devaluations are the single biggest kill on the Axis CC folio when one compares with devals on Magnus or Reserve or any other card. They were one of the easiest way to rake up points without any spends!! I also hold Select (LTF under the Burgundy program - has been a feature, think hasnt changed) and Atlas (paid). Have utilized the other cards in moderation.

4. I got a RM whose only raison d'etre is to sell u crappy insurance products where you can make money only in "0" interest countries like Japan. Here you'll be swindled. His presence is almost useless and hence i'll never recommend any Axis RM (havent heard good things about anyone else either). If you were to choose Axis for any RM related helps (many people do need honest help at times but these RMs are unlikely to offer any help). In fact discussing on forums like ours may help you better directionally. StanC RM atleast is an intelligent guy though his urge to sell is also high. I would rate him far higher than the Axis one.

5. Bottomline - from where you are right now, it is clear HDFC has short changed you very badly all these years. They should be discarded forthwith without any ado. If you can get the Burgundy relationship and Magnus card or Atlas as LTF, and if you are a reasonably high spender on CCs (the forum will help you in ways to spend!!) - the reward rates when converted to airmiles are still the best in the industry. No other card comes relatively close - not even the Infinia which HDFC regards as a god send card and their ppl use all unethical means like sucking upto you for ULIPs and shitty plans to give the Infinia to you. It is one of the most immoral and unethical things that HDFC Bank does and hence for that i have no sympathy for them ever!! (please note it is not a case of sour grapes for me since i do not have Infinia - this is just an objective view)

6. Axis cards have undergone a lot of changes. Their people are mercurial. They will block your accounts and ask for proof of usages of Sulabh Shauchalya (i guess it still doesn't accept cards, maybe one level higher POS maybe - u get the drift!!), support is quite bad, will exasperate you but still the points and rewards, if you can accumulate them, through spends are really worth the amounts you'll eventually save for international trips in the future. (I did 3 countries last year for the first time and Japan this year and all thanks to Axis points - though i have to caution you that the heydays of easy points accumulation are possibly over!!) all the best

My recommendation - Axis Burgundy anyday given the rewards but please take it up with lot of patience

Infinia vs Atlas: I don't think Atlas has any chance to win if one spends mostly at 5x on Infinia

If u r still stuck with Atlas, do evaluate SBI Air India Signature

 

[sm9811911]

Consider hsbc
Avoid axis, service is terrible.
Pick hdfc even though it's not a great bank but good enough overall.

 

[knowbie]

I'm a 32-year-old resident of Mumbai whose monthly salary meets the eligibility criteria for all 3 banking programs mentioned above. Currently, I'm a Imperia Banking customer with HDFC Bank (although I've never felt like one).

Despite being a loyal customer of HDFC for almost a decade, having an excellent credit score, and consistently clearing my credit card dues before the due dates, my requests for HDFC Infinia (paid / LTF) have always been rejected. My RM is totally useless.

I currently hold Diners Club Millenia CC (downgraded from Diners Club Miles when the latter was discontinued) and Tata Neu Infinity CC, both from HDFC. I also hold Amex Platinum Travel CC, which in fact is my primary CC.

Bottom line - I haven't received any significant benefits from being an Imperia Banking customer, so I've decided to switch my salary account from HDFC to another bank.

My (first ever) question to the TF community: Which banking program would you recommend for me? Or should I stick with HDFC Imperia?

Not sure if you are looking for a better CC here or any premium banking experience.

Might be better to define what you are expecting from these? Is it a debit card or credit card? Or locker etc. Ultimately you need to be able to avail of the services these programs offer to their optimal usage to cover for the cost of the relationship.

If it's simply the feeling of being not respected by HDFC 😒 then both SC and Axis will not solve that 😛

While I have both SC priority and Burgundy and not on Imperia (because it provides no weightage to get Imperia) I did feel HDFC in it's inability to offer Infinia did give Neu Infinity as LTF last year, possibly based on the relationship so I feel we are even.

 

[javadsha]

Keep hsbc as an option since u reside in Mumbai
With a 30l nrv high chances there to get their premium card

Au bank will offer taj epicure membership 2 nights free at taj for 25L

 

[javadsha]

Consider hsbc
Avoid axis, service is terrible.
Pick hdfc even though it's not a great bank but good enough overall.

Hdfc is even more terrible

 

[xlr8]

Final update: I parted ways with HDFC and went ahead with Axis Burgundy.

I can see some questions addressed to me, let me answer them. I'll also add in a few of my own.

1. Is not getting Infinia the only reason for parting ways with HDFC?
   This was the final straw, but not the only reason. Infact during the final CC closure confirmation call, I told them I'd stay if they provided me a suitable CC that matched my salary and spending habits. I requested the DCB Metal (paid), but they refused, citing my lack of spending on the Millenia card. I explained them that I didn't use it because I have a much more rewarding card (my Amex Platinum Travel CC). It was a classic "no experience, no job; no job, no experience" kind of scenario. So, I told them to just go ahead and close my card. This was one of the many frustrating experiences I had with HDFC.
   Btw, my RM found out that I closed my CC and contacted me, saying that I could have reached out to him first before all this drama. This irked me even more because I have actually contacted him many times before about this same issue. Most of the times, he wouldn't answer my calls, and when he did, he would pressure me to buy a ULIP policy or some other unnecessary financial product in exchange for him putting in a good word for me. I don't like to yell at people, so I just hung up. In this post, I have stated a few other reasons that went wrong. Feel free to read it.
   
   
2. What am I seeking from the new bank?
   A decent rewarding CC (ok with paid ones too) and a DC that would earn me reward points upon using it to pay my CC bills.
   
   
3. How has my experience been so far with Axis Bank?
   The account opening process took me less than 30 minutes, and I received my NetBanking credentials within the next 2 hours. My welcome kit arrived in 4 days. During my first week, I submitted 2 service requests, both of which were completed within the promised timeframe. Apparently, they've got a policy called "Burgundy Promise", wherein if they don't fulfil their promise, they give you 1,000 Reward Points.
   It's worth noting that for similar requests at HDFC Bank, I've had to visit the branch back then. And there are still no online options available to accomplish those tasks.
   The Axis Mobile app is slightly unstable, occasionally requiring you to log out and back in, but it offers nearly all the features directly within the app. Even my experience with their Customer Support has surprisingly been decent so far. Their Burgundy Support team seemed to be very welcoming and knowledgeable.
   (I haven't spoken with my RM yet.)
   
   
4. Have I closed my HDFC account?
   Not yet. But I have transferred all my liquid funds to Axis. I have a demat account with some equities and MFs, and a PPF account at HDFC, I will slowly transfer them as well over the next few months. I'll likely be downgraded from Imperia tier, but that's ok. If all goes well with Axis, I'll terminate my relationship with HDFC and make the complete switch to Axis.

 

[xlr8]

I do have some questions about Axis Burgundy though and I could use your advice, guys.

1. Should I apply for the Axis Select Card which is LTF for Burgundy customers? Or should I wait and apply for the next best CC from them (within the fee range that I'm ok with; ₹10-15k)? They have been launching some attractive cards recently. Perhaps I should wait and see which card they introduce to replace the Axis Burgundy.
   
   
2. @venkateshr Given that the Burgundy DC no longer earns you Reward Points for CC bill payments, did you find a workaround to still earn points?
   
   
3. Has anyone here used the Axis Burgundy family banking? I want to bring in my mom to the program. Do I open for her a regular zero balance savings account and then get it upgraded to Burgundy by linking it with mine? Or should I directly open for her a Burgundy account and then link it with mine?

Thanks.