Infinia What's the big deal about the Infinia?

[d3rvish]

I'm not trying to be provocative, just genuinely puzzled about why this card is held in such high regard and so many people seem to think it's some kind of endgame card.

Just to break the benefits down:

1. 3.3% reward rate on regular spends (with a whole bunch of exclusion categories). This is hardly best in class, even if you take the Magnus party to be over.

2. Unlimited Priority Pass. Meh. Been there, got that.

3. Get one night's stay free on a two-night paid stay (at best available rate, I assume). Decent, but limited to ITC hotels. Ditto for the buy one-get one on buffets. Also, few five-star buffets are all that great, and I don't think most ITC restaurants make that cut. I'd rather take the Magnus Eazydiner 40% off up to Rs 1000 at a large number of restaurants (of which a large number are very good) once a month instead.

4. Club Marriott membership. Overrated and you end up spending a fair amount if you try to optimise this membership. And its for just the first year.

5. "Global Personal Concierge". Yeah, right. Bollocks. I think just about every so-called credit card concierge available in India below the level of the Amex Centurion one, probably, is rubbish.

6. "Metallic card". Ergo, a heavier wallet. A truly stunning benefit.

7. Forex mark-up of just 2%. Cancelled out by the lack of a points accelerator on forex spends.

8. Good Food Trail Programme. I do not know what this is and don't care enough to find out.

9. Overseas travel insurance. Appreciated, but you need to yell at them to actually get a valid policy document

10. Smartbuy travel portal for accelerated rewards. I'd rather book directly with airlines and hotels because when things go wrong, you're most likely screwed if you've booked with an OTA, particularly those like Yatra and whoever, who are Smartbuy's vendors. But yeah, I can see this is a solid benefit for those who don't mind booking via OTAs. Though with the caps on points earning per day/transaction, the rewards are not as good as they used to be.

11. Gyftr vouchers whatever blah. Okay. A valuable benefit.

I don't know if I've missed something major, but if you look at that list, it's wildly disproportionate to the awestruck talk this card inspires. Truly a marketing case study of demand created by artificial scarcity and social media buzz. If the restrictions about how many points you can earn a day did not apply and the terms and conditions were the same as they were some 3 years ago, this card would be a clear winner, but the way it is now, I don't think it is quite that?

 

[deepcards]

That's the point uitlimately best use comes with travel 🙂 if you don't travel often infinia will be less useful
since we get only 1% cashbcak

Sorry, i don't get the "1% cashback" part of your post. can you please elaborate?

 

[Tirajat]

No, apart from some infrequent promotions where they used to have something like "spend X amount in forex and get y points" and stuff along those lines, almost none. But there is and always has been a 2X on all forex spends, which makes it good for travel (though, of course, the mark-up nearly cancels the benefit out).

If you had a Citigold banking account, there was a hefty points multiplier applied. I forget exactly how much, but I think you could get over 20% of your yearly points accrual as a bonus.

They don't have a voucher platform like Gyftr, as far as I'm aware, and their promotions are kind of like Amex's - spend a minimum of X on such and such brand and get 10-15% off. And the same kinds of brands that Amex runs promotions for. Which is pretty pedestrian.

For the longest time, they also had 15% off at Mumbai Duty Free (and Delhi as well, if I'm not wrong) on minimum spends of Rs 5k. Don't know if that's still running.

Note that the 100k value for airport transfers was a loose estimate of value over the lifetime of holding the card, in case that was misleading. They used to offer two complimentary transfers per year per card, and if you used it in places like Hong Kong, Tokyo or Sydney, you got a lot of mileage out of it.

For a 20k fee card, it was pretty solid. Not so much anymore, but I'm waiting to see what card in their portfolio Axis moves Prestige holders to.

I have been a user of Citi Cards for nearly 15 years, starting with the basic Gold card (which I got as a student), followed by Jet Co-branded one, Premier Miles (LTF) which I migrated to Prestige. I have always liked the simplicity in CITI’s offering - 1x on everything and 2x on forex, and latter has been extremely helpful as majority of my official spends are overseas (so mark up doesn’t hit me directly). Prestige has been devalued quite a bit, but it’s probably the only high end card that still provides points on rent payments (that too without any charges).

 

[Tirajat]

No, apart from some infrequent promotions where they used to have something like "spend X amount in forex and get y points" and stuff along those lines, almost none. But there is and always has been a 2X on all forex spends, which makes it good for travel (though, of course, the mark-up nearly cancels the benefit out).

If you had a Citigold banking account, there was a hefty points multiplier applied. I forget exactly how much, but I think you could get over 20% of your yearly points accrual as a bonus.

They don't have a voucher platform like Gyftr, as far as I'm aware, and their promotions are kind of like Amex's - spend a minimum of X on such and such brand and get 10-15% off. And the same kinds of brands that Amex runs promotions for. Which is pretty pedestrian.

For the longest time, they also had 15% off at Mumbai Duty Free (and Delhi as well, if I'm not wrong) on minimum spends of Rs 5k. Don't know if that's still running.

Note that the 100k value for airport transfers was a loose estimate of value over the lifetime of holding the card, in case that was misleading. They used to offer two complimentary transfers per year per card, and if you used it in places like Hong Kong, Tokyo or Sydney, you got a lot of mileage out of it.

For a 20k fee card, it was pretty solid. Not so much anymore, but I'm waiting to see what card in their portfolio Axis moves Prestige holders to.

Duty free discounts and cash backs are still there - I can confirm based on my usage just 2 weeks back.

 

[deepcards]

Ya Citi used to be good, but alas, it's now owned by the shitty Axis bank. I know so many people migrating their old Citi accounts to other banks, just because they are so frustrated with Axis, for them it's like a sarkari bank- Burgundy or any shit they can offer.

Axis, can buy Citi, but it's no where close to 1% of Citi's services. Even I heared so many employees of old Citi are leaving Axis, and it's all so much a mess there, which was expected given there's no match between a sarkari UTI Axis bank and the good old Citi.

 

[bigbrain]

I'm not trying to be provocative, just genuinely puzzled about why this card is held in such high regard and so many people seem to think it's some kind of endgame card.

Just to break the benefits down:

1. 3.3% reward rate on regular spends (with a whole bunch of exclusion categories). This is hardly best in class, even if you take the Magnus party to be over.

2. Unlimited Priority Pass. Meh. Been there, got that.

3. Get one night's stay free on a two-night paid stay (at best available rate, I assume). Decent, but limited to ITC hotels. Ditto for the buy one-get one on buffets. Also, few five-star buffets are all that great, and I don't think most ITC restaurants make that cut. I'd rather take the Magnus Eazydiner 40% off up to Rs 1000 at a large number of restaurants (of which a large number are very good) once a month instead.

4. Club Marriott membership. Overrated and you end up spending a fair amount if you try to optimise this membership. And its for just the first year.

5. "Global Personal Concierge". Yeah, right. Bollocks. I think just about every so-called credit card concierge available in India below the level of the Amex Centurion one, probably, is rubbish.

6. "Metallic card". Ergo, a heavier wallet. A truly stunning benefit.

7. Forex mark-up of just 2%. Cancelled out by the lack of a points accelerator on forex spends.

8. Good Food Trail Programme. I do not know what this is and don't care enough to find out.

9. Overseas travel insurance. Appreciated, but you need to yell at them to actually get a valid policy document

10. Smartbuy travel portal for accelerated rewards. I'd rather book directly with airlines and hotels because when things go wrong, you're most likely screwed if you've booked with an OTA, particularly those like Yatra and whoever, who are Smartbuy's vendors. But yeah, I can see this is a solid benefit for those who don't mind booking via OTAs. Though with the caps on points earning per day/transaction, the rewards are not as good as they used to be.

11. Gyftr vouchers whatever blah. Okay.

I don't know if I've missed something major, but if you look at that list, it's wildly disproportionate to the awestruck talk this card inspires. Truly a marketing case study of demand created by artificial scarcity and social media buzz. If the restrictions about how many points you can earn a day did not apply and the terms and conditions were the same as they were some 3 years ago, this card would be a clear winner, but the way it is now, I don't think it is quite that?

You get a cashback of 1% (upto ₹1000 per billing cycle) on Forex spends if you enroll to global value program (₹199 per year). Effectively reducing forex markup charges to 1%.

I know that is a great value but wanted to add.

 

[d3rvish]

You get a cashback of 1% (upto ₹1000 per billing cycle) on Forex spends if you enroll to global value program (₹199 per year). Effectively reducing forex markup charges to 1%.

I know that is a great value but wanted to add.

Thanks for bringing this up. This is one I keep forgetting, and it is a solid benefit.

 

[shubhamosy]

Ya Citi used to be good, but alas, it's now owned by the shitty Axis bank. I know so many people migrating their old Citi accounts to other banks, just because they are so frustrated with Axis, for them it's like a sarkari bank- Burgundy or any shit they can offer.

Axis, can buy Citi, but it's no where close to 1% of Citi's services. Even I heared so many employees of old Citi are leaving Axis, and it's all so much a mess there, which was expected given there's no match between a sarkari UTI Axis bank and the good old Citi.

Axis is overhyped for the sole purpose of the Magnus award, in my opinion, while HDFC provides considerably superior service.
I have been a Burgundy customer, in past two months they debited 100-150 rupees from my account in total for consolidation fees, and despite 20 days on the mail trail, they haven't yet reversed the transaction.

 

[MartianManhunter]

Apart from Infinia offers, HDFC is very aggressive with campaigns with other companies, with Swiggy Dineout and Infinia, I get 25%(dine out) + 15% with Infinia(10% with DCB) on participating restaurants making the 5-star bills come down to fine-dine restaurant level.

 

[d3rvish]

Apart from Infinia offers, HDFC is very aggressive with campaigns with other companies, with Swiggy Dineout and Infinia, I get 25%(dine out) + 15% with Infinia(10% with DCB) on participating restaurants making the 5-star bills come down to fine-dine restaurant level.

How does this work, please? Book and pay through the Dineout app?

 

[MartianManhunter]

How does this work, please? Book and pay through the Dineout app?

Just go to the restaurant and pay the bill via Dineout. Sometimes you also get flat 150 off on top of this.

 

[vinrey287]

You get a cashback of 1% (upto ₹1000 per billing cycle) on Forex spends if you enroll to global value program (₹199 per year). Effectively reducing forex markup charges to 1%.

I know that is a great value but wanted to add.

How to enroll? email to customer care enough to activate?

 

[d3rvish]

Just go to the restaurant and pay the bill via Dineout. Sometimes you also get flat 150 off on top of this.

Ah yes, think I've used this once or twice actually. So there's an additional 15% off for Infinia this way? Good to know.

 

[d3rvish]

In my last few statements for the Infinia, there has been a line in the points breakdown section:

Reward Points_on_Grocery

I don't know what this means, whether it is for spends on all MCCs coded as groceries/supermarkets or something more restrictive.

Similarly, one lesser known benefit of the Diners Black, which I had before the Infinia, was that there was some kind of booster (2X perhaps) on spends on restaurants on weekends. I think that was applicable on the Infinia as well for a while but not anymore?

 

[shuperman]

You get a cashback of 1% (upto ₹1000 per billing cycle) on Forex spends if you enroll to global value program (₹199 per year). Effectively reducing forex markup charges to 1%.

I know that is a great value but wanted to add.

Never knew this

 

[NOOBY]

Apart from Infinia offers, HDFC is very aggressive with campaigns with other companies, with Swiggy Dineout and Infinia, I get 25%(dine out) + 15% with Infinia(10% with DCB) on participating restaurants making the 5-star bills come down to fine-dine restaurant level.

I dont think Dineout is available from 2nd year
I too got Dineout membership with card (which I activated before merger and so got remaining Swiggy Dineout) but once that ends, you would only get 15% off if I am not wrong

 

[vaibhav111vaibhav111 is verified member.]

I'm not trying to be provocative, just genuinely puzzled about why this card is held in such high regard and so many people seem to think it's some kind of endgame card.

Just to break the benefits down:

1. 3.3% reward rate on regular spends (with a whole bunch of exclusion categories). This is hardly best in class, even if you take the Magnus party to be over.

2. Unlimited Priority Pass. Meh. Been there, got that.

3. Get one night's stay free on a two-night paid stay (at best available rate, I assume). Decent, but limited to ITC hotels. Ditto for the buy one-get one on buffets. Also, few five-star buffets are all that great, and I don't think most ITC restaurants make that cut. I'd rather take the Magnus Eazydiner 40% off up to Rs 1000 at a large number of restaurants (of which a large number are very good) once a month instead.

4. Club Marriott membership. Overrated and you end up spending a fair amount if you try to optimise this membership. And its for just the first year.

5. "Global Personal Concierge". Yeah, right. Bollocks. I think just about every so-called credit card concierge available in India below the level of the Amex Centurion one, probably, is rubbish.

6. "Metallic card". Ergo, a heavier wallet. A truly stunning benefit.

7. Forex mark-up of just 2%. Cancelled out by the lack of a points accelerator on forex spends.

8. Good Food Trail Programme. I do not know what this is and don't care enough to find out.

9. Overseas travel insurance. Appreciated, but you need to yell at them to actually get a valid policy document

10. Smartbuy travel portal for accelerated rewards. I'd rather book directly with airlines and hotels because when things go wrong, you're most likely screwed if you've booked with an OTA, particularly those like Yatra and whoever, who are Smartbuy's vendors. But yeah, I can see this is a solid benefit for those who don't mind booking via OTAs. Though with the caps on points earning per day/transaction, the rewards are not as good as they used to be.

11. Gyftr vouchers whatever blah. Okay.

I don't know if I've missed something major, but if you look at that list, it's wildly disproportionate to the awestruck talk this card inspires. Truly a marketing case study of demand created by artificial scarcity and social media buzz. If the restrictions about how many points you can earn a day did not apply and the terms and conditions were the same as they were some 3 years ago, this card would be a clear winner, but the way it is now, I don't think it is quite that?

's the Lifestyle Card, and during the Magnus period, it wasn't needed. Now, after Magnus is done, it's still the first choice card because of its 3.3% regular reward rate, along with the SmartBuy 15-16% reward rate. Additionally, you receive 12,500 reward points upon renewal, while the new Magnus card won't provide any renewal benefits. Furthermore, you need to spend 25 lakhs compared to 15 lakhs for Magnus.

Regarding exclusions, use some other credit card. I don't use Marriott, so I'm not including that. It's simple; it's once again the best credit card until the next devaluation or the launch of the upcoming HDFC Reserve card. The invite-only feature works well, as seen with Magnus. Axis itself shot itself in the foot by offering a 24% reward rate, and people took advantage of Magnus, whether it was good or bad. The reward structure wasn't sustainable. Plus, I have the plastic Infinia card LTF. so nothing beats this card in my portfolio. Even with the SBI Cashback card, I don't have to check if cashback will be provided or not before spending. So, if you use Amazon or spend online on popular marketplaces, then this card is a must Look at your spending in the last 2/3 years and see how you can extract good value using this credit card."

 

[Heehaahee]

I'm not trying to be provocative, just genuinely puzzled about why this card is held in such high regard and so many people seem to think it's some kind of endgame card.

Just to break the benefits down:

1. 3.3% reward rate on regular spends (with a whole bunch of exclusion categories). This is hardly best in class, even if you take the Magnus party to be over.

2. Unlimited Priority Pass. Meh. Been there, got that.

3. Get one night's stay free on a two-night paid stay (at best available rate, I assume). Decent, but limited to ITC hotels. Ditto for the buy one-get one on buffets. Also, few five-star buffets are all that great, and I don't think most ITC restaurants make that cut. I'd rather take the Magnus Eazydiner 40% off up to Rs 1000 at a large number of restaurants (of which a large number are very good) once a month instead.

4. Club Marriott membership. Overrated and you end up spending a fair amount if you try to optimise this membership. And its for just the first year.

5. "Global Personal Concierge". Yeah, right. Bollocks. I think just about every so-called credit card concierge available in India below the level of the Amex Centurion one, probably, is rubbish.

6. "Metallic card". Ergo, a heavier wallet. A truly stunning benefit.

7. Forex mark-up of just 2%. Cancelled out by the lack of a points accelerator on forex spends.

8. Good Food Trail Programme. I do not know what this is and don't care enough to find out.

9. Overseas travel insurance. Appreciated, but you need to yell at them to actually get a valid policy document

10. Smartbuy travel portal for accelerated rewards. I'd rather book directly with airlines and hotels because when things go wrong, you're most likely screwed if you've booked with an OTA, particularly those like Yatra and whoever, who are Smartbuy's vendors. But yeah, I can see this is a solid benefit for those who don't mind booking via OTAs. Though with the caps on points earning per day/transaction, the rewards are not as good as they used to be.

11. Gyftr vouchers whatever blah. Okay.

I don't know if I've missed something major, but if you look at that list, it's wildly disproportionate to the awestruck talk this card inspires. Truly a marketing case study of demand created by artificial scarcity and social media buzz. If the restrictions about how many points you can earn a day did not apply and the terms and conditions were the same as they were some 3 years ago, this card would be a clear winner, but the way it is now, I don't think it is quite that?

Yeah, SB moh maaya hai, UPI bank transfer is the best..

 

[LIIT]

In my last few statements for the Infinia, there has been a line in the points breakdown section:

Reward Points_on_Grocery

I don't know what this means, whether it is for spends on all MCCs coded as groceries/supermarkets or something more restrictive.

Similarly, one lesser known benefit of the Diners Black, which I had before the Infinia, was that there was some kind of booster (2X perhaps) on spends on restaurants on weekends. I think that was applicable on the Infinia as well for a while but not anymore?

My dear sir I'm convinced of your genuine curiosity. I assure you, the amount of efforts you've put to analyse the two cards itself seems more than the efforts some people replying here are putting to read the thread properly.

I'm sure Citi wouldve been a very strong underdog, and something the newer card collectors would've aimed and promoted.

 

[bigbrain]

How to enroll? email to customer care enough to activate?

Call customer care and they will activate in a day or two.
After enrolling you will get a voucher of ₹ 500 for first Forex transaction. Additionally you will get another voucher of Rs1000 if you spend 1.5 lakh in a year.

 

[deepcards]

In my last few statements for the Infinia, there has been a line in the points breakdown section:

Reward Points_on_Grocery

I don't know what this means, whether it is for spends on all MCCs coded as groceries/supermarkets or something more restrictive.

Similarly, one lesser known benefit of the Diners Black, which I had before the Infinia, was that there was some kind of booster (2X perhaps) on spends on restaurants on weekends. I think that was applicable on the Infinia as well for a while but not anymore?

So it's across all grocery spends whether done online or at supermarkets. You have a capping of 2k for this.