HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card Review

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Last Updated 22nd May 2024.

HDFC Regalia must be the most common card among HDFC credit cardholders and is offered as a super-premium offering from HDFC Bank positioned just below the HDFC luxury twins HDFC Infinia Credit Card and HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card. However, I would like to rate it as a mid-range premium card. Here’s everything you wish to know about the card.

Charges and Welcome Benefits

Reward Points/Cashback Accrual

*Except EasyEMI, Wallets, Rent, Property Management, Packers & Movers, and Government transactions.

• Reward points are valid only for 2 years from the date of accumulation.
• Reward points accrued for Insurance and Grocery transactions will have a maximum cap of 2,000 Reward Points per day each.

HDFC SmartBuy

HDFC Bank has a dedicated portal named SmartBuy with which we get some extra rewards and cashback. The strategy for maximizing gains via SmartBuy has been shared later in the article. 

• It supports merchants like MakeMyTrip, Apple Tresor, and IRCTC likes. It also supports multiple partners for travel bookings.

TechnoFino Tip

Align your billing cycle of the HDFC Credit Cards as much as possible with the calendar month by asking the bank to shift your billing cycle date to the 2nd of every month to minimize the calculations related to the capping of CashPoints and SmartBuy cashback. HDFC doesn’t allow the first and last two days of the month as your billing cycle date.

Reward Points Redemption

HDFC Regalia gives the most value when redemption is done for flights and hotel bookings and not for cashback. We would highly recommend you go for travel redemptions instead of cash. And if your points are near expiry and you don’t have a travel plan in the near future then redeem them for Amazon vouchers which is equivalent to cash instead of going for a statement credit.

• Customers can redeem up to a maximum of 70% on travel bookings (Flights, hotels and experiences) using Reward Points. The balance amount will need to be paid via credit card.
• Airmiles Conversion is another good option since it has Club Vistara and KrisFlyer as the transfer partners which can give quite a good value for your Regalia Points
• Statement credit makes no sense the value provided is quite low.

Milestone Benefits

Regalia rewards highly only high spenders who can reach at least ₹5L spend milestone. Below that threshold reward rate is really poor. I wish they had given a standard reward rate of 2% on all spending for a card of this category. 

• Earn a Bonus of 10,000 Reward Points when you spend ₹5L in the anniversary year. (Additional ~0.4% to ~1%)
• Earn an additional 5,000 Reward Points when you spend ₹8L in the anniversary year. (Additional ~0.33% to ~0.83%)
• The anniversary year is defined as 12 months from card setup or last upgrade/downgrade date.
• Bonus Reward points will be posted within 2 days of the milestone achievement by the customer.

Other Benefits

Airport Lounge Access

Access Via – Credit Card
Domestic Limit – 2 Visits/ Calendar quarter within India on spending ₹1Lakh in previous calendar quarter (Shared between Primary & maximum 3 Add-on cardholders but both cards cannot be used for the same lounge, same day).
Network – Visa Signature/ MasterCard World

Access Via – Priority Pass
Complimentary International Limit – 6 Visits/ Calendar year (Shared between Primary & Add-on cards)

• You can apply for a Priority Pass for yourself and 3 add-on members once you complete a minimum of 4 retail transactions on your HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card.
• If you exceed the 6 Complimentary visits, you will be charged at US $27 + GST per visit. 

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India. (On minimum transaction of ₹400 & maximum transaction of ₹5,000. Maximum waiver of ₹500 per statement cycle).

Insurance Coverage

• Accidental air death cover worth Rs. 1 Crore
• Emergency overseas hospitalization: up to Rs. 15 lakhs​​​​​​​
• Lost Card Liability Cover: Upto Rs 9 lakhs  

24×7 Concierge

Enjoy the exclusive 24/7 Concierge Services on your HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card. Simply call the bank toll-free on 1860 425 1188 (India) / Email ID: regalia.support@smartbuyoffers.co

Forex Markup

• FCY Markup Fee: 2%+GST
• Reward Rate: 1.3%
• Net: –1% (loss)

But with the Global Value Program of HDFC Bank which is offered on Regalia, you can get 1% cashback on all international spends and thus you spend at no loss no gain. I will be covering this later in detail in an article.

Eligibility

Officially the bank has the following criteria but can vary as per your relationship with the bank.

For Salaried Indian national

• Age: Min 21 years & Max 60 Years
• Net Monthly Income > Rs 1 Lakh

For Self Employed Indian national

• Age: Min 21 years & Max 65 Years
• ITR > Rs 12 Lakhs per annum.

Unofficially, If you are an existing HDFC Credit Cardholder then you can ask for an upgrade if there is a 3L limit on your existing card.

TechnoFino Recommends

HDFC Regalia Credit Card is a highly rewarding and lifestyle credit card. Though some people find this card a tad bit expensive but the value it offers, over its younger avatar called HDFC Millennia Credit Card, justifies the fee as the ceiling of the HDFC SmartBuy rewards gets higher plus the reward points become uncapped. But the card’s real worth can only be realized if you can go for travel redemptions. Although racking up reward points is a bit difficult now compared to the olden days since its devaluation twice but still, its charm is not all lost.

Also, the shared domestic and international lounge access is unique to a card of this price range and will make your international travels comfortable plus save you a lot of money on the expensive meals you may have with your family while hopping airports. As of now HDFC is not issuing this card openly and only HDFC Regalia Gold is being pushed to new customers.

What has been your strategy for minting points on this card? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Bhavye Goel

Chief Editor, TechnoFino.
Personal finance nerd! Physics enthusiast and trainer. When not into Physics, he is minting points and hunting for the next best credit card for himself.