Millennia to Infinia

[Dobbiee]

Hi Guys,
Need some expert advice.
I am new to Technofino club and recently have been reading a lot of conversations here, specially about the high desire for Infinia. Have got excited for it too.

I have been a user of mostly ICICI Credit card. Mainly used Amazon Pay for last 5 years and I liked the cash-back system. In Nov got ICICI Emeralde Private, primarly based on my spends pattern (above Rs 15 lacs per annum).

To make better returns on the credit card, opened SavingsMax HDFC and started taking the 1% cashback also (other card payments through HDFC billpay).
Further to this, I also took HDFC Millennia credit card and easily meeting the Rs 1000 additional cashback criteria on spend of Rs 1 lac per quarter.
All in all I can expect around Rs 50k worth of benefit coming back on a spend of Rs 15 lacs per annum. (believe cost of Cash-back to bank is quite high, thats why the conversion ratio of Infinia from reward points to cash is only 1:0.3).

I am not saying that I am unhappy with this situation. But reading the threads here, I also got excited to get into the Infinia game of Smartbuy and make money more use out of my spends.

I wrote to Infinia customer care to issue me a card and also took to grievances, but they did not support. (Had provided all types of reasons and documents ranging from annual salary package, cibil score, HDFC Ergo policies, limit and spends on Emeralde etc.)

I approached HDFC branch and the credit card team over there told me that as you are new customer to HDFC do following:
Salary transfer every month in HDFC account should be above Rs 2.75 lacs pm for continuous 6 months. (which is not an issue).
Spend on the HDFC credit card (currently Millenia with a credit limit of 2.17 lacs) should be over Rs 7.5 lacs for 6 months.
If I meet these 2 criteria then they would upgrade me to Infinia.

Now my queries are:
1. Is it worth to spend over 7.5 lacs on Millennia in 6 months. I would be loosing money just with the hope of getting Infinia.
2. Should I keep requesting for credit limit increase. If that helps in getting the Infinia offer.
3. Is it possible to keep Millennia and still get an offer for Infinia as a 2nd card.
4. Any other way suggested.

Thanks in advance for the knowledge sharing and guidance.


Edit on16.06.2024:
On HDFC cards - CL increased to 5.5 lacs on 15th May. And Millennia card upgraded to DCB Metal on 15th June.

 

[Dobbiee]

I'm in the same boat as well, i got a Millennia card trying to Upgrade it to Regalia Gold/DCB ,spends is not am issue but limit is too low

I also have Privilage banking with ICICI and multiple cards ,currently being offered Emerald PVC Paid ,trying to get my hands on Emerald Private Metal, any advice will be greatly appreciated

Accept the offer for Emeralde PVC. There are high chances that you would be delivered Metal. PVC is being stopped.

 

[Dobbiee]

Usp of emerald?

Infinia in any case should be more rewarding with its smartbuy offers.

 

[SSV]

Accept the offer for Emeralde PVC. There are high chances that you would be delivered Metal. PVC is being stopped.

Completely wrong.. they are delivering pvc even after metal is introduced .
I got it and cancelled it

 

[Dobbiee]

Unlimited
Spa
Unlimited lounge
No cancellation charges on ticket cancellation

Golf round per month

There is no spa offerings.

Completely wrong.. they are delivering pvc even after metal is introduced .
I got it and cancelled it

 

[Dobbiee]

Completely wrong.. they are delivering pvc even after metal is introduced .
I got it and cancelled it

😢
Arent they upgrading to Metal

 

[sidpsidp is verified member.]

So its better to keep moving up step by step instead of loosing money reward capped cards. This is what I also feel. Why loose out today with hope of tomorrow.

See if you get dcb then great. Cuz there isn't much difference in dcb and infinnia rewards. Only problem is acceptability and exclusions ( like fuel/govt spends) for which you have emerald private.

Regalia gold should be your second priority. With your spend fyf dcb>>ltf regalia gold.

And main problem is they aren't making any commitment. Once you move salary account they will ignore you. banks care more about ntb than existing customers. So when you satisfy criteria for infinnia only then you should commit shifting your salary account against upgrade to infinnia. If you are lucky, you might come across a rm who can get you infinnia just based on spends & cl.

 

[sidpsidp is verified member.]

😢
Arent they upgrading to Metal

No. They weren't delivering pvc when metal was 1st introduced. After few months they resumed pvc card.

It is even weirder with hdfc. Even though they are saying pvc dcb is scrapped , few people have still got it as new card( not reissue).

 

[SSV]

😢
Arent they upgrading to Metal

No . .

 

[Dobbiee]

See if you get dcb then great. Cuz there isn't much difference in dcb and infinnia rewards. Only problem is acceptability and exclusions ( like fuel/govt spends) for which you have emerald private.

Regalia gold should be your second priority. With your spend fyf dcb>>ltf regalia gold.

And main problem is they aren't making any commitment. Once you move salary account they will ignore you. banks care more about ntb than existing customers. So when you satisfy criteria for infinnia only then you should commit shifting your salary account against upgrade to infinnia. If you are lucky, you might come across a rm who can get you infinnia just based on spends & cl.

With all the discussions and understanding here, I think I should do following:
1. Try for DCB, if Infinia doesnt seems coming in next 2-3 months.
2. Use 2 cards - SBI Cash back/Millenia and DCB.
3. Stop using Emeralde. And take spends on DCB up.

 

[VasukiVasuki is verified member.]

There is no spa offerings.

So bogus claims on website for hni card 🤡 clown icici

 

[sidpsidp is verified member.]

With all the discussions and understanding here, I think I should do following:
1. Try for DCB, if Infinia doesnt seems coming in next 2-3 months.
2. Use 2 cards - SBI Cash back/Millenia and DCB.
3. Stop using Emeralde. And take spends on DCB up.

1. If your last 6m spend>4L, right away send your salary slip/bank statement and ask for le and upgrade to dcb. With your salary cl>>5L which is base cl for dcb.
2. Dcb should be your primary card. You still need to use emerald as dcb has offline acceptability issue and many exclusions Like fuel/rent/govt spends etc .

3. They will close millenia. Hdfc allows 2 core in very rare cases. Either very high nrv or replacement of old/scrapped card.

 

[Dobbiee]

1. If your last 6m spend>4L, right away send your salary slip/bank statement and ask for le and upgrade to dcb. With your salary cl>>5L which is base cl for dcb.
2. Dcb should be your primary card. You still need to use emerald as dcb has offline acceptability issue and many exclusions Like fuel/rent/govt spends etc .

3. They will close millenia. Hdfc allows 2 core in very rare cases. Either very high nrv or replacement of old/scrapped card.

Right. Will start with LE request right away and then apply for DCB once last 6 months sends are >4L

 

[VasukiVasuki is verified member.]

Right. Will start with LE request right away and then apply for DCB once last 6 months sends are >4L

Directly mail to grievance redressal

 

[souvikr]

The title sounds like

 

[VasukiVasuki is verified member.]

The title sounds like

View attachment 48107

 

[Swastik]

I have a good ICICI relationship of over 10 years of Salary account, credit card, PPF, Bank Locker, Term Insurance, Car loan etc. Nothing much in FD. And no HNI types. The relationship was Privilege banking and became Wealth Management from last couple of years.

I think I got Emeralde mainly due to my usage on Amazon Pay card for last 5 years. Its CL reached 15 lacs 2 years ago and has been same since then. And the spend pattern was also over 10 lacs per year. Had been ignoring their upgrade offers. Think Emeralde plastic was there in the offer before launch of Metal.
But in Nov, the offer for Metal was visible on the iMobile app and I took it. Initially I was not willing to spend 12500 + GST. But the joining benefit were too good.

So in short you have long history and a high salary account ,big portofolio of financial products availed with ICICI ,combined with high spends on ICICI Amazon Pay Card ,Privilage chaged to wealth and you got pre approved offer on imobile app

 

[Swastik]

Accept the offer for Emeralde PVC. There are high chances that you would be delivered Metal. PVC is being stopped.

I guess but its 12k + GST for Abysmal reward rare ,only upside to this card is unlimited spa ,but the 1 spa visit i get my MMT Signature i find it difficult to use ,so not very keen on it

I might just wait it out ,see if i get a pre approved offer to Metal as well

 

[VasukiVasuki is verified member.]

I guess but its 12k + GST for Abysmal reward rare ,only upside to this card is unlimited spa ,but the 1 spa visit i get my MMT Signature i find it difficult to use ,so not very keen on it

I might just wait it out ,see if i get a pre approved offer to Metal as well

Only Shapiro makes sense that too ltf

 

[Dobbiee]

1. If your last 6m spend>4L, right away send your salary slip/bank statement and ask for le and upgrade to dcb. With your salary cl>>5L which is base cl for dcb.
2. Dcb should be your primary card. You still need to use emerald as dcb has offline acceptability issue and many exclusions Like fuel/rent/govt spends etc .

3. They will close millenia. Hdfc allows 2 core in very rare cases. Either very high nrv or replacement of old/scrapped card.

Right now my last 5 months spend is 2.2 lacs on Millenia. Will need to take it up.
In the meantime will push for LE based on salary.

Once DCB comes in, will use a cashback card as second card, wherever DCB doesnt work. Using Emeralde and DCB both means that I may miss target rewards on both and also end up paying renewal fee next year.

Will miss Millenia once it gets upgraded. Surely I wont be able to have high NRV with HDFC too soon.

 

[Dobbiee]

So in short you have long history and a high salary account ,big portofolio of financial products availed with ICICI ,combined with high spends on ICICI Amazon Pay Card ,Privilage chaged to wealth and you got pre approved offer on imobile app

Correct. With as much as I know ICICI, they do give preference of new products to people with long history of relationship. Earlier also they invited me for an account on Digital Rupee during testing phase.

But incase of credit card, they have always been bad with the product. And incase of Emeralde metal offer, I think spends and timely payments would have been a higher criteria.

With so much eagerness to know about it, I just now called ICICI bank, and the wealth management customer care is also not aware of how the backend team made the selection for Emeralde Metal. Even customer care said that they are NOT allowed to take any upgrade request for this card.

Seems like they are creating scarcity of this card (like google did when they launched Gmail) or they have had a limited number of cards to be issued in launch phase.