A few days ago, one of our TechnoFino Community members found and shared an internal document suggesting that HDFC Bank may require Infinia credit card holders to spend ₹18 lakh per year to keep the card active.
Failing to meet this spending threshold could potentially lead to card cancellation.
You can check the original thread/article here: https://technofino.in/community/thr...ust-a-devaluation-–-its-a-warning-sign.46104/
Now, another community member has noticed that HDFC Bank is already tracking the ₹18 lakh annual spend.
This can be seen by visiting the Rewards Redemption page → My Rewards → Spend Promo Details.
This clearly indicates that the leaked document was 100% accurate.
HDFC Bank has already started tracking annual spends and may formally enforce this rule from January 2026.
However, one thing I don’t understand is this:
If HDFC Bank is serious about implementing such a major change, why hasn’t there been any public communication yet?
Time will tell.
That said, as I mentioned earlier, this was bound to happen and almost all banks in India will eventually follow the same approach for their top-end credit cards.
The more you spend, the more the bank earns.
If a premium cardholder doesn’t spend much, the card becomes unprofitable for the bank.
In most cases, banks either charge a relatively low annual fee or offset the fee by offering bonus reward points, which further reduces their earnings.
The card comes with a Priority Pass membership offering unlimited lounge access for both primary and add-on cardholders.
HDFC Bank has to pay for every Priority Pass issued, whether you use it or not.
So even if you think, "I don’t use these benefits, so the bank isn’t paying anything" - that’s not always true.
That’s why banks want cardholders to meet a minimum annual spend requirement to keep top-end cards active.
In the case of Infinia, HDFC Bank has issued or upgraded a large number of cards as Lifetime Free.
It’s very likely that these LTF Infinia cards are now hurting the bank financially.
Many users keep Infinia only to extract benefits, while directing their actual spending to other cards that offer better rewards.
From a business standpoint, this is unsustainable and explains why HDFC Bank is tightening the rules.
Failing to meet this spending threshold could potentially lead to card cancellation.
You can check the original thread/article here: https://technofino.in/community/thr...ust-a-devaluation-–-its-a-warning-sign.46104/
Now, another community member has noticed that HDFC Bank is already tracking the ₹18 lakh annual spend.
This can be seen by visiting the Rewards Redemption page → My Rewards → Spend Promo Details.
This clearly indicates that the leaked document was 100% accurate.
HDFC Bank has already started tracking annual spends and may formally enforce this rule from January 2026.
However, one thing I don’t understand is this:
If HDFC Bank is serious about implementing such a major change, why hasn’t there been any public communication yet?
Time will tell.
That said, as I mentioned earlier, this was bound to happen and almost all banks in India will eventually follow the same approach for their top-end credit cards.
Why Do Banks Want to Implement Such Rules?
There are a few important points we need to understand:1️⃣ Banks Don’t Make Money on Premium Cards Unless You Spend
Banks earn primarily through MDR (Merchant Discount Rate).The more you spend, the more the bank earns.
If a premium cardholder doesn’t spend much, the card becomes unprofitable for the bank.
2️⃣ Premium Benefits Actually Cost Banks Money
When banks issue premium cards with benefits like:- Unlimited airport lounge access
- Golf privileges
- Dining offers
- Hotel memberships
In most cases, banks either charge a relatively low annual fee or offset the fee by offering bonus reward points, which further reduces their earnings.
3️⃣ Even "Unused" Benefits Still Cost Money
Take HDFC Infinia as an example.The card comes with a Priority Pass membership offering unlimited lounge access for both primary and add-on cardholders.
HDFC Bank has to pay for every Priority Pass issued, whether you use it or not.
So even if you think, "I don’t use these benefits, so the bank isn’t paying anything" - that’s not always true.
Why Spending Thresholds Make Sense (From the Bank’s Perspective)
To maintain such premium cards, banks must earn money, and that comes mainly from MDR through card usage.That’s why banks want cardholders to meet a minimum annual spend requirement to keep top-end cards active.
In the case of Infinia, HDFC Bank has issued or upgraded a large number of cards as Lifetime Free.
It’s very likely that these LTF Infinia cards are now hurting the bank financially.
Many users keep Infinia only to extract benefits, while directing their actual spending to other cards that offer better rewards.
From a business standpoint, this is unsustainable and explains why HDFC Bank is tightening the rules.
