HDFC Regalia Gold
HDFC Bank · Mastercard
Best for: Frequent domestic travellers who want lounge access without an ultra-premium fee
- Joining fee
- ₹2,500 + GST
- Annual fee
- ₹2,500 + GST
- Fee waiver
- Waived on ₹4 lakh annual spend
- Welcome bonus
- ₹2,500 gift voucher plus complimentary lifestyle memberships on fee payment
Rewards
Earns 4 reward points per ₹150 on regular spends and 5X on brands like Myntra, Nykaa, Marks & Spencer and Reliance Digital, with strong flight and hotel redemptions via SmartBuy.
| Regular spends | 4 reward points per ₹150 |
|---|---|
| Myntra, Nykaa, M&S, Reliance Digital | 20 reward points per ₹150 (5X) |
| SmartBuy flights/hotels | Points worth up to ₹0.65 each |
| Milestones | Vouchers at ₹1.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh annual spend |
Features & benefits
Airport lounge access
Complimentary domestic lounge visits each year, plus a Priority Pass membership for international lounges as per the prevailing program.
5X partner brands
Accelerated 5X reward points on Myntra, Nykaa, Marks & Spencer and Reliance Digital purchases.
SmartBuy redemptions
Points are worth up to ₹0.65 each against flights and hotels on HDFC SmartBuy, well above catalogue redemption values.
Milestone benefits
Brand vouchers at ₹1.5 lakh annual spend and a flight voucher at ₹5 lakh, on top of regular earning.
Welcome memberships
Joining benefits have included a ₹2,500 voucher and complimentary tiers of partner travel and lifestyle programs; offers vary over time.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Complimentary domestic lounge visits plus Priority Pass for international lounges
- 5X reward points on Myntra, Nykaa, Marks & Spencer and Reliance Digital
- Reward points stretch further on flights and hotels booked via SmartBuy
- Milestone vouchers at ₹1.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh annual spend levels
- Welcome voucher effectively offsets most of the first-year fee
Cons
- ₹4 lakh annual spend needed to waive the renewal fee
- Point value drops sharply on cashback-style redemptions
- 3.5% forex markup is high for a travel-positioned card
Fees & charges
| Joining fee | ₹2,500 + GST |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹2,500 + GST (waived on ₹4 lakh annual spend) |
| Interest rate | Around 3.6% per month (approx. 43.2% p.a.) |
| Forex markup | 3.5% on international transactions |
| Late payment fee | Up to ₹1,300 depending on outstanding amount |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 per redemption request |
Eligibility & documents
| Age | 21 to 60 years |
|---|---|
| Income | Around ₹1 lakh+ per month salaried, or ₹12 lakh+ annual ITR |
| Credit score | 750+ recommended |
| Documents | PAN, address proof, and income proof (salary slips or ITR) |
In-depth review
Overview
The HDFC Regalia Gold sits in the sweet spot between everyday cards and true premium metal: a ₹2,500 + GST fee buys lounge access, brand accelerations and travel-friendly redemptions without Magnus-level commitment. It replaced the long-running Regalia as HDFC's mid-premium flagship and remains a popular upgrade path for Millennia users.
Rewards and benefits
You earn 4 reward points per ₹150 on regular spends and 5X on Myntra, Nykaa, Marks & Spencer and Reliance Digital. The real trick is redemption: routed through HDFC's SmartBuy portal, points are worth up to around ₹0.65 each on flights and hotels, which turns the base earn into a respectable return on travel. Milestones add brand vouchers at ₹1.5 lakh annual spend and a flight voucher at ₹5 lakh. Lounge coverage is the other pillar — complimentary domestic visits plus a Priority Pass for international travel, which at this fee level is genuinely competitive.
Fees and fine print
The renewal fee is waived at ₹4 lakh annual spend, a bar a travelling household clears without much thought. Interest runs around 3.6% per month, and the 3.5% forex markup is the card's weakest point for a travel product — for heavy international spending, pair it with a low-forex card. Catalogue and cashback-style redemptions value points well below the SmartBuy rate, so discipline in how you redeem matters.
Verdict
The Regalia Gold rewards people who book their own domestic travel a few times a year and shop the partner brands. If you will use SmartBuy for redemptions and clear the fee-waiver spend, it delivers premium-adjacent benefits at a mid-market price. If your spending is mostly offline groceries and utilities, a simpler cashback card will serve you better.
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