HDFC Bank has silently launched Diners Club Privilege Credit Card today. Feature wise, Diners Club Privilege Credit is placed in between Diners Club Black and Diners Club ClubMiles. This card borrows the annual membership feature from Diners Club Black and provides reward rate similar to Diners Club ClubMiles.
HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege Credit Card borrows its design from Diners Club Black Credit Card. Only major differences being the color scheme and prominent “Privilege” marking at the front.
Eligibility Criteria
Since Diners Club Privilege is placed a level below Diners Club Black, the income bar is relatively lower.
- Age: 21 to 60 Years for salaried, 21 to 65 Years for self employed
- Salaried: Net Monthly Income > Rs. 40,000 per month
- Self Employed: ITR > Rs. 6 Lakhs per annum
Fees
HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card comes with following fees:
- Joining fee: Rs. 2,500 + GST
- Renewal fee: Rs. 2,500 + GST
Renewal fee is waived off if spend in previous year is more than Rs. 3 Lakhs.
Features
HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card packs a nice set of features including, but not limited to, Annual Memberships, Golf Program, Airport lounge access, Concierge etc. Let’s look in to the details of each of those features.
Welcome & Annual Benefits
HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card comes with following complimentary annual memberships:
- Zomato Gold
- Amazon Prime
- MakeMyTrip Double Black
- Times Prime
- BB Star
Above annual memberships are part of welcome benefits and can be availed upon completing the first transaction within the first 90 days from card open date. The welcome benefits will be communicated on HDFC bank registered Mobile Number via SMS and Email ID within 30 days from date of first transaction.
Also these memberships would be renewed for card members who achieve an annual spend milestone of Rs. 5 Lakhs at the time of card anniversary (card anniversary is 12 months from card open month). Customers eligible for annual membership benefits will be communicated on HDFC Bank registered Mobile Number via SMS and Email ID within 30 days from the date of card anniversary.
It’s quite evident that HDFC Bank is luring the card members for spending more by keeping the spending criteria for complimentary annual memberships higher than renewal fee waiver.
Reward Points
- 1 reward point = Rs. 0.50 if used for booking hotels and air tickets at dedicated portal
- 1 reward point ~ Rs. 0.20 if used for redeeming from reward catalogue or cash
- 4 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.3% reward rate
- 10X rewards on Smartbuy (Amazon, Flipkart, Instant Vouchers, Hotels & Flights) and partner brands (Myntra, Swiggy, BookMyShow, Zoomcar, Godrej Nature’s Basket, Ola & FirstCry), 13% reward rate
- Maxcap on bonus reward points
- 5,000 bonus reward points on Smartbuy
- 10,000 bonus reward points on partner brands
- 2X rewards on weekend dining, 2.6% reward rate
- Minimum transaction: Rs. 150
- Maxcap on weekend dining reward points: 2,000
- Maxcap reset: Calendar month
- Reward points can be converted to AirMiles across British Airways Executive Club (Avios), Jet Airways (JPMiles), Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer Miles) or Club Vistara in 2:1 ratio (2 Reward Points = 1 Air Mile)
- Rewards Points are valid only for 2 years from the date of accumulation
10X rewards, though temporary, keeps on getting extended every month. 13% reward rate is quite decent and Instant Vouchers broaden the reach to many more brands.
Monthly Benefits
Card members can select one of following vouchers on achieving a monthly spend of Rs. 40,000:
- Ola Select membership
- BookMyShow voucher worth Rs. 500
- TataCLIQ voucher worth Rs. 500
Customers eligible for Monthly Milestone benefit will be communicated on HDFC bank registered Mobile Number via SMS and Email ID within the following month with instruction on how to avail it.
That’s additional 1.25% reward rate in addition to 1.3% regular reward rate making overall reward rate of 2.55% which is quite good. This reward rate is even better than HDFC Bank’s most popular card, HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card.
Airport Lounge Access
- 12 Airport lounge access to 1000+ Lounges in India and worldwide
- Lounge access is complimentary for both primary and add-on card holders
Unlike other cards, you can just swipe your HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Card for international lounge access. No need to carry those extra Priority Pass/Dreamfolks DragonPass.
Golf Program
- 2 Complimentary Golf games (Green fee waiver) per quarter around 18 golf courses in India and 144 golf courses around world
- 24-hour Golf Concierge Assistance services
The Golf Program will certainly please the Golf lovers and HDFC Bank has given a nice surprise by providing Golf Privileges on card with relatively lower annual fee.
Concierge
24/7 Concierge Services for following requests:
- Golf Course Referral and Reservation Assistance
- Dining Referral and Reservation Assistance
- Flower and Gift Delivery Assistance
- Car Rental and Limousine Referral and Assistance
- Hotel Referral and Reservation Assistance
- Business Services
- Courier Service Assistance
Protection
- Air Accident Cover of Rs. 1 Crore
- Emergency Medical Expenses Cover of up to Rs. 25 Lakhs
- Credit Liability Cover of up to Rs. 9 Lakhs
- Travel Insurance Cover of up to Rs. 55,000 on baggage delay (Capped to $10 per hour restricted to 8 hours)
Finance Charges
- Low Foreign Currency Markup of 1.99%
- Revolving credit at interest rate of 3.49% per month
- Convenience fee waiver of 1% on all fuel transactions
Wellness Benefits
- Exclusive discounts at Spa, Salon, Gym, Resorts etc.
| Category | Partners |
|---|---|
| Spa/Salon | Tattva Spa, Enrich Salons & Academy, VLCC, O2 Spa, Four Fountains De-Stress Spa, Jean Claude Biguine |
| Spa Resort | RedEarth Kabini, Tree of Life, Kairali- The Ayurvedic Healing Village, Shreyas Retreat Bangalore, Neemrana Fort Palace Rajastan, Tijara Fort Palace Rajastan, NaturOville Vedic Retreat Rishikesh |
| Fitness | Cult.fit, Anytime Fitness, Kris Gethin, Golds Gym |
| Nutrition | Calorie Care, Gympik, Healthie, Grow Fit |
| Doctor Consultation | DocsApp |
The discount and benefits varies across partners and more information can be found at official website.
Other benefits
- 15% discount at partner restaurants
- 1% cashback on international transactions using Global Value Program (annual fee of Rs. 199)
Drawbacks
Though HDFC Diners Club Privilege credit card provides host of benefits and features, it has some drawbacks too:
- Limited acceptability: Though coverage of Diners Club is expanding day by day, it’s not as good as Visa/Mastercard. You need to keep a backup card handy always, especially outside India.
- No renewal benefits: There are no renewal benefits if your spend is less than Rs. 3 Lakhs. I wish HDFC Bank should have compensated for renewal fees by providing reward points of equivalent value.
Verdict
HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege Credit Card bridges the gap between Diners Club Black and Diners Club ClubMiles. It’s a good card for those who are not able to get hold of Diners Club Black. The annual memberships and golf privileges with relatively lower annual fee is certainly a welcome move. HDFC Bank has disrupted the market yet again by launching another credit card with exciting features and benefits.
PS: HDFC Bank has introduced new benefits on Diners Club Black Credit Card making it even better. Read about the new benefits here.
What do you think of new HDFC Bank Diners Club Privilege Credit Card? Let me know in comments below.
