HDFC Bank SmartBuy Offers October 2023 Update

Launched in 2015, HDFC Bank SmartBuy is the bank’s proprietary aggregator portal where you’ll find all the deals and offers that the bank is currently offering on its various credit and debit cards under one roof. It saves you from the hassle of visiting every merchant’s website individually to find the deals they are offering with HDFC cards.

Apart from the deals and offers from third-party merchants on the HDFC Bank SmartBuy portal, what attracts most HDFC credit card customers is SmartBuy’s 10X Rewards Program, where you have an opportunity to earn up to 10x Rewards on your Infinia, Diners Black, Regalia and Diners Club Privilege cards and a cashback of up to 10% on all other HDFC credit and debit cards (with a few exceptions).

October 2023 Update

In the month of September, there were no changes. But, there have been a few changes in the month of October 2023. The offer on Tata Neu Cards is no longer valid; they have expired as of 30/09/303. Read on below to find out all about the new partners (Nykaa & Jockey) that have been added and other changes.

HDFC Bank SmartBuy Offer – August 2023 Update

The daily capping of 7,500 Reward Points on the Infinia credit card has been removed and just the monthly capping of 15,000 reward points is there now. Also, ZoomCar has been added as a partner now and you can earn 5x reward points on it.

MakeMyTrip is not a standalone merchant anymore on the SmartBuy portal and is now a part of the Compare & Stay option that includes Yatra, Cleartrip, and MakeMyTrip. You earn 10x Reward Points on MakeMyTrip spends on SmartBuy with the HDFC Infinia, Diners Club Black, Regalia, and Privilege credit cards, and 5% cashback on other cards.

Earlier, you were redirected to a standalone MakeMyTrip merchant portal and had to make the bookings there. However, now you can book MakeMyTrip hotel stays directly from the Compare & Stay section on the SmartBuy portal.

HDFC Bank SmartBuy Offer Key Highlights

HDFC Bank has made a few major changes in the SmartBuy 10x Reward Program. These changes that are applicable with effect from February 2022 are as follows-

• You get accelerated Reward Points (2 times to 10 times the regular Reward Points)on the HDFC Infinia, Diners Black, Regalia and Diners Club Privilege credit cards and a 10% cashback on most other HDFC credit and debit cards on travel-related expenses (like hotel/flight/bus/train bookings), Instant Vouchers and on shopping from e-commerce sites like Flipkart.
• HDFC Regalia and HDFC Diners Club Privilege Credit Cards that used to earn cashback until now will also earn accelerated Reward Points on spends via Smart Buy.
• The accelerated reward rate as applicable for Regalia and Diners Club Privilege Credit Cards is the same as that for the Infinia Credit Card.
• The accelerated reward rate on flight and bus ticket bookings via SmartBuy has been reduced to 5x (from 10x earlier).
• The accelerated reward rate on rail ticket bookings via SmartBuy has been decreased to 3x (from 5x earlier).
• The accelerated reward rate on Apple store and Instant Vouchers has been reduced to 3x for the HDFC Diners Club Black Card, while it is the same as earlier (5x) for the Infinia Credit Card.
• The accelerated reward rate on Flipkart has been reduced to 2x (from 3x earlier) for Diners Club Black HDFC Credit Card, while it remains the same for the Infinia Credit Card.
• Reward Points or Cashback is posted within 90 days from the transaction month’s last date.
• The reward rate on the various HDFC Credit Card on Smart Buy as applicable w.e.f. 1st February 2022 is as per the following table-

Reward Rate on SmartBuy for Infinia and HDFC Diners Club Black Credit Cards-

Reward Rate on SmartBuy for other HDFC Credit Cards-

Apart from the monthly capping, a daily capping is also applicable on the maximum Reward Points that can be earned on Infinia/Diners Black/Regalia/Diners Privilege Credit Card in a given month/day (read on for details). However, there is no daily max capping on the cash back earned on other HDFC Bank Credit Cards.

HDFC SmartBuy offer for HDFC Infinia/Diners Black/Regalia/Diners Privilege Credit Cards

The Infinia and the Diners Black credit cards earn you 5 Reward Points for every Rs. 150 while HDFC Diners Club Privilege/Regalia credit cards earn 4 Reward Points per Rs. 150 spent on all regular purchases. You get bonus Reward Points (due to accelerated rate of earning RPs) each time you use your Infinia/Diners Black/Regalia/Diners Privilege card for hotel reservations, booking flight/bus/train tickets, shopping from Flipkart, and for purchasing Instant Vouchers (these are gift vouchers redeemable on online stores and offline retail outlets) via the HDFC Bank SmartBuy portal.

Using HDFC Credit Cards on SmartBuy for Maximum Benefit

Now, in order to get the most out of your credit card, i.e. to earn the maximum number of bonus Reward Points possible, you must spend a certain minimum amount in a given month with them— these minimums differ depending upon what category of expenditure they fall under.

Using HDFC Infinia Credit Card on SmartBuy

For Infinia Card, you may refer to the following table to get an idea of how much you need to spend in a month/day to get the maximum benefit:

A similar calculation can also be done for other HDFC credit cards that earn accelerated Reward Points on SmartBuy:

Using HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card on Smart Buy

In order to make the most of your HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card on SmartBuy, you must spend a certain minimum amount with your card as per the following table-

Using HDFC Regalia/Diners Club Privilege Credit Cards on SmartBuy

To earn maximum Reward Points on your HDFC Regalia or Diners Club Privilege credit cards, you must spend a certain minimum amount with the card as per the following table-

Cashback on all other credit/debit cards

As far as all other credit and debit cards are concerned, you get a cashback of 5% (2.5% platform + 2.5% bonanza cashback) on hotel reservations, flight/bus/rail ticket bookings, and on Instant Vouchers; while shopping on Flipkart earns you only 1% cashback (no bonanza cashback in this case). A max capping of Rs. 1,000 is applicable on the cashback that can be earned in a given month.

It is worth noting that the cashback and the Reward Points earned on these credit/debit cards are calculated for a given calendar month (not on the per billing cycle basis). Another point that you must keep in mind is that you don’t get any cashback with the Infinia and the Diners Black credit cards that earn you accelerated Reward Points.

Minimum Spends Required for Maximum Benefit

As mentioned earlier, only a maximum of Rs. 1,000 can be earned as cashback on other HDFC credit cards at 5% rate, while there is no daily max capping on the cashback that can be earned in a given day. So, in order to earn the maximum cashback in a month (i.e. Rs. 1,000), you must spend a minimum of Rs. 20,000 in that month with your card.

How to Avail of This SmartBuy Offer

Flights Categories

– Via Cleartrip, Goibibo, Yatra, and EaseMyTrip

• Step 1: Go to the Flight booking section of the SmartBuy Portal.
• Step 2: Select the origin and destination airports.
• Step 3: Compare the prices of the different flights and choose your desired flight.
• Step 4: Complect the selection and checkout with your HDFC credit/debit card.
  Note: You cannot book multi-city flights on the SmartBuy portal. For booking multi-city flights you need to call a concierge, and they will book the same.

Bus Categories

• Step 1: Go to the bus booking section on the SmartBuy portal.
• Step 2: Compare the timings and the prices of all the available options.
• Step 3: Checkout using your HDFC credit/debit card.

Rail Categories

• Step 1: Go to the rail booking section of the Smart Buy Portal.
• Step 2: Select your train, and enter your IRCTC username and password.
• Step 3: Complete your booking and use your HDFC credit/debit card for payment.

Hotels Categories

– Via Cleartrip, Yatra, MakeMyTrip

• Step 1: Go to the hotel reservation section on the SmartBuy portal.
• Step 2: Choose your destination and compare the prices of different hotels.
• Step 3: Checkout using your HDFC credit/debit card and complete the payment.

Instant Vouchers

• Step 1: Select the Instant Vouchers option on the Smart Buy website/app.
• Step 2: You’ll see a list of vouchers from different brands. Choose your desired voucher.
• Step 3:Proceed to the payment page and complete the payment with your HDFC credit/debit card.

Apple Imagine| Tresor

• Step 1: Select the Apple Imagine| Tresor option on the Smart Buy Website. You will be redirected to the Apple Website.
• Step 2: Add the item(s) to the cart that you would like to purchase
• Step 3: Checkout using the HDFC Bank debit/ credit cards.

You have to land on the Apple Website via the Smart Buy portal if you wish to take advantage of cashback and reward points.

IGP.com

• Step 1: Go to the IGP option on the SmartBuy portal
• Step 2: Select the item(s) that you want to purchase and add them to your cart.
• Step 3: Checkout using HDFC Bank debit/credit cards.

Flipkart:

• Step 1: Go to the Flipkart tab on the SmartBuy portal.
• Step 2: Select the item(s) you wish to purchase.
• Step 3: Checkout using your HDFC credit/debit card.

Nykaa

• Go to HDFC Bank SmartBuy Nykaa tab under Shop,
• Select the product of your choice and checkout,
• Use HDFC Bank Credit Card to avail of the offer.

Zoomcar

• Visit the HDFC Bank SmartBuy Zoomcar tab,
• Make your purchase and proceed to checkout,
• Avail the offer with your HDFC Bank Credit Card.

Jockey

• Go to the SmartBuy Jockey tab under Shop,
• Please select your product and proceed to checkout,
• Use your HDFC Bank Credit Card to avail of the offer.

Best Practices to follow for the Flipkart Offer

In order to make sure that you get bonus Reward Points/cashback when shopping on Flipkart, it is advisable to follow certain best practices.

• Using SmartBuy desktop site. Avoid using the mobile app.
• It is better to clear your browser’s cache and cookies before you click on the SmartBuy link that redirects you to the Flipkart page. It is important because you get the Reward Points or cashback only if you land on the Flipkart page via the SmartBuy link; to verify this, your browser’s cookies are used. Clearing the cache and cookies ensures that the cookies are tracked properly.
• You should not have any extension installed on your browser. Even better, use incognito mode while you make the transaction.
• It is advisable to have the desired items already added to your Wishlist on Flipkart. This will speed up the process.
• Don’t open multiple tabs/windows at the time of checkout.
• Make sure that you select your HDFC credit/debit card as the payment method.

How to track your Reward Points

HDFC Bank has recently improved how customers can track their bonus Reward Points. Earlier there was no system in place to track the Reward Points and the points earned were posted randomly after 3 months; now, for every transaction that is eligible for bonus Reward Points, an SMS confirmation is sent to the cardholder’s mobile number. Furthermore, these bonus Reward Points are posted at the end of each month. The bank also just added the option in the credit card statement where it displays what extra bonus points have been earned last month—giving customers more control over their accounts!

The following SMS is sent at the end of each month with regards to the Reward Points earned in that month:

“2000 bonus Reward Points credited to your HDFC Bank Credit Card ending XXX on 31/JAN/2023 for SmartBuy Jan 23.”

The Reward Points earned are displayed in the card’s statement as shown in the image below:

There is still some scope for improvement in HDFC’s Reward Points tracking system. It would be even better if HDFC displays the bonus Reward Points for each individual transaction.

Bottom Line

HDFC’s SmartBuy 10X rewards program used to be even more rewarding until a couple of years ago, it is still one of the most attractive reward programs in the Indian credit card market. Earlier, you used to get 10X Reward Points even on Flipkart, which they have now reduced to just 5X and 3X points.

Also, the maximum cap on Reward Points used to be 25,000 points on Infinia and 15,000 points on the Diners Black credit card per calendar month, and you could earn a maximum cashback of Rs. 2,000 on all other credit and debit cards. Now the maximum cashback has also been capped at Rs. 1,000, except for Regalia and Diners Privilege credit cards that now earn accelerated Reward Points on SmartBuy.

Anyway, without a second thought, at least as far as the credit card market is concerned, HDFC continues to be the leader, and rightly so, as, despite all the devaluations and reward cuts by almost all the card issuers (including HDFC obviously), they continue to offer some of the most rewarding cards, particularly so, in the premium category.

FAQs

1. How to check HDFC Smartbuy points?
You can check your HDFC SmartBuy points simply by logging in to your SmartBuy account with the mobile number that is registered with your HDFC Credit Card.

2. How do I redeem my HDFC SmartBuy voucher?
The gift vouchers that you get through HDFC SmartBuy, can be redeemed on the respective brands’ official websites/apps. The gift voucher will mostly be in the form of a code that you can enter at the time of payment to the respective merchant and the eligible discount/cashback will be provided to you.

3. How do I use HDFC SmartBuy on Amazon app?
If you want to make a purchase on Amazon under a Smartbuy offer, just click on the Amazon icon on Smartbuy, add the product of your choice to the cart, and pay for it using your HDFC Bank Credit Card.

4. How to use HDFC Smartbuy on Flipkart?
If you want to avail of a Smartbuy offer on purchase from Flipkart, make sure to get redirected to the app from the Smartbuy portal only. Login to HDFC Smartbuy, click on the Flipkart or on the Flipkart offer that you want to avail of, add the items of your choice to the cart and make the payment using your HDFC Bank Credit Card.

5. Do I always earn Reward Points or cashback whenever I shop from Flipkart using my HDFC credit/debit card?
Certain credit/debit cards including Corporate credit cards, Commercial credit cards, Dealer Credit Cards, Distributor credit cards, Value Plus credit cards, Virtual cards, Jet Privilege debit card, and Times Points debit card are excluded from the offer.

6. Do I earn bonus Reward Points on EMI transactions?
Yes, you do earn bonus Reward Points on EMI transactions under this offer. The bonus Reward Points or cashback are calculated on the EMI amount levied that given month.

7. Is the offer applicable on all the purchases from Flipkart?
Certain categories are excluded from the offer. You don’t earn Reward Points or cashback on the following categories on Flipkart-

Flight Bookings, Prepaid / Gift Cards, Bill Payments & Recharges
Purchase of Video Gaming Consoles & Hardware
Jewelry / Gold coins or its equivalent

8.  What is the maximum cashback that I can get on other credit/debit cards (except Infinia, Diners Black, Diners Privilege, and Regalia cards)?
A maximum of Rs. 1,000 can be earned as cashback in a given month on all other credit cards.

9. Is this offer applicable on all HDFC credit/debit cards?
Certain credit/debit cards including Corporate credit cards, Commercial credit cards, Dealer Credit Cards, Distributor credit cards, Value Plus credit cards, Virtual cards, Jet Privilege debit card, and Times Points debit card are excluded from the offer.