[GTX+]

Originally Posted by Night Raven

I have been holding an HDFC Regalia/business regalia for over 5 years. With the recent changes in the airport lounge access rules I am facing a problem. As per the smartbuy regalia webpage, I am eligible for 2 lounge access vouchers if I spend 1lakh in a quarter. When I login the page always says "benefit not eligible". Is it an error on their part or am I missing something? Anybody here has a similar experience?

I would suggest you double check your statement to confirm that you have actually spent 1 lakh between 1st day of the quarter and the last day. I had a similar confusion recently where I thought my spend was high enough, but after talking to the cust care I realised that I was relying on the statements, which include few days of previous month of the previous quarter and of few days of the next month of the next quarter (due to my statement date being mid month).

On removing all such entries and calculating, my spend was less than the required amount.

If yours is not the same case then my advise would be to immediately speak to cust care and sort this out.

[SGK]

I've been using the SCAPIA Credit Card from Mar'24, and I must say, it's been a game-changer for my international transactions. One of the most appealing features of this card is its zero forex charges, making it incredibly cost-effective for anyone who frequently makes purchases in foreign currencies. What's even better is that the conversion rate is on par with what you'd find on Google, ensuring transparency and fairness in every transaction.

However, there's one limitation worth mentioning. While the card allows you to make transactions up to your approved credit limit, it doesn't permit spending beyond that, even if you make additional deposits. For instance, if your credit limit is 1 lakh INR and you deposit an extra 1 lakh, you'll still only be able to spend up to the original 1 lakh limit. This can be a bit restrictive, especially for those looking to make high-value purchases.

[uchun]

+1 for Scapia. I've been using it since the launch. I do a lot of international transactions via PayPal monthly and yearly. This card has definitely saved me some cash till now.

The absence of DCC (dynamic currency conversion) is a huge benefit as it reduces conversion charges. However, they lowered card limit recently for almost everyone. I was one of the victims. It could be a hassle especially when you are traveling abroad and this happens.

[Karan_n8]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Does Amex Platinum Travel card give lounge access to supplementary card holders? Most likely no based on what i read in other places, but wanted to confirm here if anyone has first hand experience. Received my card today, was wondering if i should apply for add-on.

Works with the Amex Platinum and you can take a plus one as well. Not sure about the Platinum Travel, a quick call to the CC should be good.

[iamswift]

Originally Posted by SGK

I've been using the SCAPIA Credit Card -- a game-changer for my international transactions. -- zero forex charges-- purchases in foreign currencies.

Originally Posted by uchun

international transactions via PayPal monthly and yearly.

Interesting. Seems they have tie up only with Federal bank as of now.
I guess this is INR card. Have you tried this while travelling abroad? How does the coversion rate works in that case?

[SGK]

Originally Posted by iamswift

Interesting. Seems they have tie up only with Federal bank as of now.
I guess this is INR card. Have you tried this while travelling abroad? How does the coversion rate works in that case?

Yes, this is INR card and I have used this card extensively in SG during my SG trip in Apr'24 and it works the same way. For e.g: if you swipe 100 SGD, it would reflect as INR 6175( that days conversion rate) in your statement. Infact I carried only 200 SGD as cash and rest of my spending was entirely from this card. Please do note that your will not get any reward points for forex txn.

[grshnehete]

Originally Posted by SGK

Yes, this is INR card and I have used this card extensively in SG during my SG trip in Apr'24 and it works the same way. For e.g: if you swipe 100 SGD, it would reflect as INR 6175( that days conversion rate) in your statement. Infact I carried only 200 SGD as cash and rest of my spending was entirely from this card. Please do note that your will not get any reward points for forex txn.

Same here. Had extensively used the Scapia card during my trip to Singapore in May 2024 and it worked everywhere. Not a single issue . And the conversion rates at par with what we find on Google.

[Night Raven]

Originally Posted by GTX+

On removing all such entries and calculating, my spend was less than the required amount.

If yours is not the same case then my advise would be to immediately speak to cust care and sort this out.

I had thought there might be something in the fine print that I have missed, but what you mentioned doesn’t seem to be the case for me. In March I had a medical emergency in the family and a few financial year end payouts. I have spend more than 1 lakh between March 1st and 31st itself. I have emailed the support team, waiting for their response. Will update afterwards.

[GTX+]

Originally Posted by Night Raven

I had thought there might be something in the fine print that I have missed, but what you mentioned doesn’t seem to be the case for me. In March I had a medical emergency in the family and a few financial year end payouts. I have spend more than 1 lakh between March 1st and 31st itself. I have emailed the support team, waiting for their response. Will update afterwards.

Good luck mate. Hopefully they are able to resolve your issue.

[s4ch]

Looking for some advice on whether I should get the HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card.

My spends are prioritised as follows:

- Amex Plat Travel - 4L
- Axis Atlas - Wherever Amex is not accepted and anything after 4L has been crossed on Amex
- HDFC Tata Neu Infinity - All UPI spends
- HDFC Marriott Bonvoy - For the Annual Free Night + spends at all Marriott hotels
- A whole host of other bank LTF CC's that I hardly use but have kept for bank offers / emergencies

I was thinking of getting the Diners Club Privilege Credit Card only as a pathway to getting the Diners Black or Infinia in the future, but at 2500 per year is it worth it considering my current portfolio? Any ways of getting it LTF? Besides the 2 HDFC CC's above I have no other relationship with HDFC.

Also if I were to get it, how do I maximise SmartBuy to make the 2500 per year worth it?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[DK_accord]

Originally Posted by s4ch

I was thinking of getting the Diners Club Privilege Credit Card only as a pathway to getting the Diners Black or Infinia in the future, but at 2500 per year is it worth it considering my current portfolio? Any ways of getting it LTF? Besides the 2 HDFC CC's above I have no other relationship with HDFC.

Also if I were to get it, how do I maximise SmartBuy to make the 2500 per year worth it?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

I have the same card. If we spend 3L in a year, then fee gets waived for that year. You can use smartbuy for all the flight, train tickets booking,you will get 5x & 3x reward points respectively. If you spend 1.5L in a quarter, you will get a voucher of 1500 for decathlon, Marriott, O2, barbeque nation. It has 2 free airport lounge access in a quarter with minimum spend criteria. I'd say in your case, it won't add any additional value at 2500 per year. For diners black and infinia, they have minimum salary requirements, if you're meeting the criteria, I believe you can check with HDFC directly even though you don't have any account with them.

[Noctis]

Originally Posted by s4ch

I was thinking of getting the Diners Club Privilege Credit Card only as a pathway to getting the Diners Black or Infinia in the future, but at 2500 per year is it worth it considering my current portfolio? Any ways of getting it LTF?

Given the cards you already have, it's hard to see much benefit for Diners Privilege other than potential boost to your upgrade chances to DCB/Infinia.

In that case why not consider Regalia Gold? For the same fees it's higher up the hierarchy and therefore easier to get an upgrade to the big two. Also you get lounge access on par with Infinia upto 12 visits a year.

As for smartbuy you can get 6.5% on flights and 13% on hotels with both Regalia Gold and DCP. RG also has 6.5% on some online stores like Myntra, Nykaa, Reliance Digital etc. Caps are not very high though for either of these cards.

[ksaurabh21]

Originally Posted by Noctis

Given the cards you already have, it's hard to see much benefit for Diners Privilege other than potential boost to your upgrade chances to DCB/Infinia.

In that case why not consider Regalia Gold? For the same fees it's higher up the hierarchy and therefore easier to get an upgrade to the big two. Also you get lounge access on par with Infinia upto 12 visits a year.

As for smartbuy you can get 6.5% on flights and 13% on hotels with both Regalia Gold and DCP. RG also has 6.5% on some online stores like Myntra, Nykaa, Reliance Digital etc. Caps are not very high though for either of these cards.

I have Regalia Gold at 2500 annual fee. It offers 12 lounge visits per year and there is no minimum spend required for that. How do you avail 6.5% on flights. Is there any discount code that needs to be applied?

Also wondering if anyone managed to get Regalia gold as ltf!

[Noctis]

Originally Posted by ksaurabh21

How do you avail 6.5% on flights. Is there any discount code that needs to be applied?

Also wondering if anyone managed to get Regalia gold as ltf!

You just have to use HDFC's smartbuy portal to avail the bonus points. Regalia Gold by default gives a return of around 1.3% (when redeemed for flights/hotels). When booking flights or buying vouchers from smartbuy you get 5x that, and hence the 6.5% return.

However there is a points cap of 2000/day and 4000/month and you can only cover upto 70% of the flight cost at a time when redeeming.

And yes, Regalia Gold LTF is possible. You can check with your RM and see if there are any employer based offers. But in my experience the best way to get an upgrade or ltf card from HDFC is to negotiate with your RM on the basis of an investment/deposit/loan.

[turbospooler]

Guys & Gals, please check your Swiggy App to see if you are eligible for LTF Swiggy HDFC card.
I saw that I was eligible, took the screenshots and started the application process.
As I am an existing HDFC customer, it asked me to sign in into my account. No video-KYC, no home/office visit. Then, HDFC being HDFC, they declined my application. I didn't think of this anymore. Exactly after a week, I got mail from HDFC informing my credit card application is approved and the E-Credit card is ready to be downloaded.
This becomes the 3rd card from HDFC, the other 2 being Infinia (Visa platform) and Tata Neu Infinity (Rupay platform).
With the Swiggy HDFC being a Mastercard, I think I am covered on all fronts.
I am thinking of applying for the Marriott card too and get the DCB platform from HDFC.