HDFC Diners Club Black credit card is a super premium offering from HDFC Bank. This card provides the default reward rate of 3.3% which beats any credit card in Indian market. Also their 10X program accelerates the reward rate to a whooping 33% on select partner merchants. I believe there is no better reward rate for credit cards in whole world than this. Apart from fantastic reward rate, this card offers all other features a super premium credit card is supposed to.
Eligibility Criteria
This card is targeted for HNIs and hence eligibility criteria is tailored to target them.
- Age: 21 to 60 Years for salaried, 21 to 65 Years for self employed
- Salaried: Net Monthly Income > Rs. 1.75 Lakhs per month
- Self Employed: ITR > Rs. 21 Lakhs per annum
HDFC is very strict about the eligibility criteria for issuing new cards. However, the exceptions can be made based on your relationship with bank.
Fees
HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card comes with following fees:
- Joining fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
- Renewal fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
Renewal fee is waived off if spend in previous year is more than Rs. 5 Lakhs. Also joining fee is waived off if you have a good standing relationship with HDFC Bank.
Features
HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card is feature packed and comes with multiple lifestyle and travel benefits.
Welcome & Annual Benefits
HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Card comes with following complimentary annual memberships:
- Club Marriott
- Forbes Digital subscription
- Zomato Pro
- Amazon Prime
- MakeMyTrip Double Black
- Times Prime
Above annual memberships are part of welcome benefits and can be availed upon completing the first transaction on the card. These memberships would be renewed for card members who achieve an annual spend milestone of Rs. 8 Lakhs at the time of Card Anniversary.
It’s quite evident that HDFC Bank is luring the cardmembers for spending more by keeping the spending criteria for complimentary annual memberships higher than renewal fee waiver.
Reward Points
- 1 reward point = Rs. 1 if used for booking hotels and air tickets at dedicated portal
- 1 reward point ~ Rs. 0.30 if redeemed for cash
- 1 reward point ~ Rs. 0.40 if used for redeeming from reward catalogue
- 5 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 3.3% reward rate
- 10X rewards on Smartbuy (Amazon, Flipkart, Instant Vouchers, Train Tickets, Hotels & Flights) and partner brands (Lakme Salon, cure.fit, Dermalogica, Ola & NNNOW.com), 33% reward rate
- Maxcap on bonus reward points
- 7,500 bonus reward points on Smartbuy
- 25,000 bonus reward points on partner brands
- 2X rewards on weekend dining, 6.6% reward rate
- Minimum transaction: Rs. 150
- Maxcap on weekend dining reward points: 1,000
- Maxcap reset: Calendar month
- Reward points can be converted to AirMiles across British Airways Executive Club (Avios), InterMiles, Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer Miles) or Club Vistara in 1:1 ratio
- Rewards Points are valid only for 3 years from the date of accumulation.
10X rewards, though temporary, keeps on getting extended every month. 33% reward rate is unbeatable and this alone makes this card stand out from the crowd.
Monthly Benefits
Card members can select two of following vouchers on achieving a monthly spend of Rs. 80,000:
- Ola Select membership
- cure.fit Live membership
- BookMyShow voucher worth Rs. 500
- TataCLiQ voucher worth Rs. 500
That’s additional 1.25% reward rate in addition to 3.3% regular reward rate making overall reward rate of 4.55% which is simply amazing. This reward rate is even better than HDFC Bank’s most premium card, HDFC Bank Infinia Credit Card.
Airport Lounge Access
- Unlimited 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 Black Credit Card for international lounge access. No need to carry those extra Priority Pass/ Dreamfolks DragonPass.
Golf Program
- 6 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
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. 2 Crores
- Emergency Medical Expenses Cover of up to Rs. 50 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% + GST
- Revolving credit at low interest rate of 1.99% 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 using Good Food Trail dining program
- 1% cashback (limited to Rs. 1,000 per month) on international transactions using Global Value Program (annual fee of Rs. 199)
Drawbacks
Though HDFC Diners Club Black credit card provides unparalleled benefits, it has some downsides also:
- 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. 5 Lakhs. Earlier HDFC Bank used to compensate for renewal fee by providing reward points of equivalent value, which is not the case now.
Verdict
The 33% reward rate beats down any other super premium credit card in world. I won’t be wrong if I say 10X program is best reward program on credit card in the whole world. The annual memberships, golf privileges and unlimited airport lounge access for both primary and add-on card members is cherry on the top. If you’re being offered this card, go for it without giving a second thought.
Update: Starting 1st November 2019, HDFC Bank has introduced new benefits on Diners Club Black Credit Card making it even better. This article has been updated to reflect those new benefits.
How has been your experience with HDFC Diners Club Black credit card? Let me know in comments below.
