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Unlocking Hidden Value: My Experience with BOB Eterna.

Vineet Kumar

TF Select
VIP Lounge
As a seasoned credit card user, I've always been on the lookout for cards that offer more than just flashy perks. And boy, did Eterna surprise me!

Over the past year, I've casually been earning and redeeming reward points with Eterna without giving it much thought. But recently, spurred by curiosity, I decided to crunch some numbers. To my amazement, I discovered that I had redeemed a staggering 97,584 reward points accumulated over the preceding 12 months until March 2024.

What's even more jaw-dropping is the real cash value I reaped from these points – a whopping Rs. 24,396! And here's the kicker: most of these points were earned incidentally, including a generous 30,000 points from joining and annual spend milestone benefits.

Now, let me set the record straight: Eterna wasn't my go-to card for major expenses. In the last year that honor typically went to heavyweights like Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde, and HDFC Diners Club Black (of course - Infinia being a late entrant). However, when I reflected on utility and rewards combined, Eterna emerged as the unsung hero of my wallet.

But the perks didn't stop at cashback. Eterna also came bundled with a FitPass membership, which I fully utilized for 3-4 glorious months in New Delhi. Picture this: mornings at the gym, evenings by the swimming pool, and weekends sparring in boxing classes – all thanks to the unlimited access granted by my FitPass.

And the cherry on top? I acquired Eterna as a Lifetime Free Card (LTF)! Who would've thought that a card often dismissed as 'not an Ace' could deliver such value?

So here's to Eterna – the card that proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations.
 
As a seasoned credit card user, I've always been on the lookout for cards that offer more than just flashy perks. And boy, did Eterna surprise me!

Over the past year, I've casually been earning and redeeming reward points with Eterna without giving it much thought. But recently, spurred by curiosity, I decided to crunch some numbers. To my amazement, I discovered that I had redeemed a staggering 97,584 reward points accumulated over the preceding 12 months until March 2024.

What's even more jaw-dropping is the real cash value I reaped from these points – a whopping Rs. 24,396! And here's the kicker: most of these points were earned incidentally, including a generous 30,000 points from joining and annual spend milestone benefits.

Now, let me set the record straight: Eterna wasn't my go-to card for major expenses. In the last year that honor typically went to heavyweights like Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde, and HDFC Diners Club Black (of course - Infinia being a late entrant). However, when I reflected on utility and rewards combined, Eterna emerged as the unsung hero of my wallet.

But the perks didn't stop at cashback. Eterna also came bundled with a FitPass membership, which I fully utilized for 3-4 glorious months in New Delhi. Picture this: mornings at the gym, evenings by the swimming pool, and weekends sparring in boxing classes – all thanks to the unlimited access granted by my FitPass.

And the cherry on top? I acquired Eterna as a Lifetime Free Card (LTF)! Who would've thought that a card often dismissed as 'not an Ace' could deliver such value?

So here's to Eterna – the card that proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations.
shed some light how did you get eterna LTF ?
 
I don't understand what is so great in BOB Eterna, when the highest return is only 3.75%, that too only in 4 categories --online shopping, travel, dining and international spends
1% extra points if you touch 5 lakhs.

Magnus Burgundy even after devaluation gives a minimum of 4.8% and it can even go to 14% for spending over 1.5 lacs/month

Atlas gives 10 to 11.33% for direct hotels and direct flights, and 4.00 to 5.33% on other categories even after devaluation.

Infinia gives around 12.95% for buying Amazon pay on Smartbuy and 15.55% on flights on Smartbuy.

AU Lit give more than 9% on grocery and apparel, even after deducting the subscription fees.

Yes Reserve 5x gives 9%/7.5% on 4 categories.
Yes Reserve 3x gives 6%/4.5% on most categories.

SBI cashback give 5% on most online spends.
 
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As a seasoned credit card user, I've always been on the lookout for cards that offer more than just flashy perks. And boy, did Eterna surprise me!

Over the past year, I've casually been earning and redeeming reward points with Eterna without giving it much thought. But recently, spurred by curiosity, I decided to crunch some numbers. To my amazement, I discovered that I had redeemed a staggering 97,584 reward points accumulated over the preceding 12 months until March 2024.

What's even more jaw-dropping is the real cash value I reaped from these points – a whopping Rs. 24,396! And here's the kicker: most of these points were earned incidentally, including a generous 30,000 points from joining and annual spend milestone benefits.

Now, let me set the record straight: Eterna wasn't my go-to card for major expenses. In the last year that honor typically went to heavyweights like Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde, and HDFC Diners Club Black (of course - Infinia being a late entrant). However, when I reflected on utility and rewards combined, Eterna emerged as the unsung hero of my wallet.

But the perks didn't stop at cashback. Eterna also came bundled with a FitPass membership, which I fully utilized for 3-4 glorious months in New Delhi. Picture this: mornings at the gym, evenings by the swimming pool, and weekends sparring in boxing classes – all thanks to the unlimited access granted by my FitPass.

And the cherry on top? I acquired Eterna as a Lifetime Free Card (LTF)! Who would've thought that a card often dismissed as 'not an Ace' could deliver such value?

So here's to Eterna – the card that proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations.
Congrats. Mind sharing the spending areas ?
 
I don't understand what is so great in BOB Eterna, when the highest return is only 3.75%, that too only in selected categories.

Magnus Burgundy even after devaluation gives a minimum of 4.8% and it can even go to 14% for spending over 1.5 lacs/month

Atlas gives 10% for direct hotels and direct flights, even after devaluation.

Infinia gives around 12.95% for buying Amazon pay on Smartbuy and 15.55% on flights on Smartbuy.

AU Lit give some more than 9% on grocery and apparel, after deducting the subscription fee.
Mb makes no sense if not salary/current account. It requires 10L cash balance/30L fd ( which is way crazier than taking 1.5L ulip for infinnia) & most importantly dealing with axis which is more unstable than inmates at arkham asylum.

When there is a fight, some people say," Kyun maar raha Hai." Some people say," kya maar raha Hai." People from 1st category shouldn't watch ufc. They should go & watch marathon of Boston, especially when they have already decided nothing worth watching other than mb.
 
Mb makes no sense if not salary/current account. It requires 10L cash balance/30L fd ( which is way crazier than taking 1.5L ulip for infinnia) & most importantly dealing with axis which is more unstable than inmates at arkham asylum.

When there is a fight, some people say," Kyun maar raha Hai." Some people say," kya maar raha Hai." People from 1st category shouldn't watch ufc. They should go & watch marathon of Boston, especially when they have already decided nothing worth watching other than mb.
There are many other cards mentioned which give much higher returns than Eterna, not only Magnus Burgundy
And there are still some cards with higher returns which I have not even mentioned
 
I don't understand what is so great in BOB Eterna, when the highest return is only 3.75%, that too only in selected categories.

Magnus Burgundy even after devaluation gives a minimum of 4.8% and it can even go to 14% for spending over 1.5 lacs/month

Atlas gives 10% for direct hotels and direct flights, even after devaluation.

Infinia gives around 12.95% for buying Amazon pay on Smartbuy and 15.55% on flights on Smartbuy.

AU Lit give more than 9% on grocery and apparel, after deducting the subscription fee.

Yes Reserve 5x gives 9%/7.5% on 4 categories.
Yes Reserve 3x gives 6%/4.5% on most categories.

SBI cashback give 5% on most online spends.
Eterna is a great card for offline purchases if used through payzapp wallet. Adding the yearly bonus, the return would be 4.75%.
No issues of categories or mcc's.
Easy statement credit redemption.
 
As a seasoned credit card user, I've always been on the lookout for cards that offer more than just flashy perks. And boy, did Eterna surprise me!

Over the past year, I've casually been earning and redeeming reward points with Eterna without giving it much thought. But recently, spurred by curiosity, I decided to crunch some numbers. To my amazement, I discovered that I had redeemed a staggering 97,584 reward points accumulated over the preceding 12 months until March 2024.

What's even more jaw-dropping is the real cash value I reaped from these points – a whopping Rs. 24,396! And here's the kicker: most of these points were earned incidentally, including a generous 30,000 points from joining and annual spend milestone benefits.

Now, let me set the record straight: Eterna wasn't my go-to card for major expenses. In the last year that honor typically went to heavyweights like Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde, and HDFC Diners Club Black (of course - Infinia being a late entrant). However, when I reflected on utility and rewards combined, Eterna emerged as the unsung hero of my wallet.

But the perks didn't stop at cashback. Eterna also came bundled with a FitPass membership, which I fully utilized for 3-4 glorious months in New Delhi. Picture this: mornings at the gym, evenings by the swimming pool, and weekends sparring in boxing classes – all thanks to the unlimited access granted by my FitPass.

And the cherry on top? I acquired Eterna as a Lifetime Free Card (LTF)! Who would've thought that a card often dismissed as 'not an Ace' could deliver such value?

So here's to Eterna – the card that proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations.
Please don’t make efforts in making eterna devalued.. if something is good , just share in private groups…
There are people who literally make this viral and make eterna , eternally extinct
 
Congrats. Mind sharing the spending areas ?
OK, I will try to answer one by one.

Except around 2.5 Lacs on other miscellaneous categories and merchants, the majority of my expenses were channeled through PZ.

None of the spending involved manufactured expense and all of it was utilized for air travel bookings and payment of children's school fees (Eterna > PZ > Air Tickets/School Fee).

Despite the availability of other prominent cards lying in my wallet, I opted for Eterna, and this choice may seem peculiar given potential alternatives with higher rewards.

However, it's essential to note that my workplace policy mandates booking all travel tickets through Balmer Lawrie or DTTDC. I always use Balmer Lawrie, as it provide online booking portal and has a very simple interface and smooth booking experience.

Unfortunately, it being a PSU and due to its MCC classification as a government entity, this means no card rewards are accrued for these transactions. Therefore, I opted the Eterna > PZ route, for some of my travel bookings which has given this much of cashback.
 
There are many other cards mentioned which give much higher returns than Eterna, not only Magnus Burgundy
And there are still some cards with higher returns which I have not even mentioned
True but people have different priority/reasons.

Some like no-nonsense cards like eterna/ emerald/amex without worrying about so many different exceptions. Some don't want to track spends across categories. Some track spends and know they have exhausted rewards possibility in other cards. Some dont want to put too much spend on a specific card to avoid itd notice( which can be resolved, still an unwanted stress).

With recent group wise limit limit, atlas/mb wouldn't be as rewarding anymore. There has been mass cancellation of atlas from both side.
 
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As a seasoned credit card user, I've always been on the lookout for cards that offer more than just flashy perks. And boy, did Eterna surprise me!

Over the past year, I've casually been earning and redeeming reward points with Eterna without giving it much thought. But recently, spurred by curiosity, I decided to crunch some numbers. To my amazement, I discovered that I had redeemed a staggering 97,584 reward points accumulated over the preceding 12 months until March 2024.

What's even more jaw-dropping is the real cash value I reaped from these points – a whopping Rs. 24,396! And here's the kicker: most of these points were earned incidentally, including a generous 30,000 points from joining and annual spend milestone benefits.

Now, let me set the record straight: Eterna wasn't my go-to card for major expenses. In the last year that honor typically went to heavyweights like Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde, and HDFC Diners Club Black (of course - Infinia being a late entrant). However, when I reflected on utility and rewards combined, Eterna emerged as the unsung hero of my wallet.

But the perks didn't stop at cashback. Eterna also came bundled with a FitPass membership, which I fully utilized for 3-4 glorious months in New Delhi. Picture this: mornings at the gym, evenings by the swimming pool, and weekends sparring in boxing classes – all thanks to the unlimited access granted by my FitPass.

And the cherry on top? I acquired Eterna as a Lifetime Free Card (LTF)! Who would've thought that a card often dismissed as 'not an Ace' could deliver such value?

So here's to Eterna – the card that proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations.

Thanks for sharing. Can we use Eterna -> Payzapp wallet route for paying advance tax for getting rewards then?
 
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