If there are two credit cards that everyone aspires to get – those are Infinia and Diners Club Black. Given that HDFC Bank issues only one super-premium credit card, which one to opt for if we have both options. Here is a detailed comparison of fees, rewards, and benefits for HDFC Bank Infinia vs Diners Club Black.
HDFC Bank Infinia vs Diners Club Black
- Fees and Charges
- Network and Card Acceptance
- Rewards
- Smartbuy Rewards
- Rewards Redemption
- Transfer Partners
- Airport Lounge Access
- Which card is better – HDFC Bank Infinia vs Diners Club Black?
Fees and Charges
| Fee | Infinia | Diners Club Black |
|---|---|---|
| Joining Fees | Rs 12500+GST | Rs 10000+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | Club Marriott membership for the first year 12500 RP if joining fees is paid | Annual memberships of Club Marriott, Forbes India, Swiggy One (3 months), Amazon Prime, MMTBlack, TimesPrime Smart on spending Rs 1.5 Lakhs in 90 days |
| Annual Fees | Rs 12500+GST | Rs 10000+GST |
| Annual Fees Waiver | Rs 10 Lakhs Spend | Rs 5 Lakhs Spend |
| Renewal Benefit | 12500 RP if the renewal fee is paid | Welcome benefit memberships get renewed on spending Rs 8 Lakhs |
| Issued as | Metal | PVC |
The key difference here is that Infinia gets a renewal benefit. On realization of annual fees, HDFC Bank credits 12500 reward points to the card. For low spenders, DCB makes more sense as the waiver is set to a lower limit of Rs 5 Lakhs.
Network and Card Acceptance
The key difference between Infinia and Diners Club Black is the networks on which these are issued. This has an effect on card acceptance both in India and outside India.
| Infinia | Diners Club Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Visa Infinite Mastercard World | Diners Club |
| Domestic PoS Acceptance (Metro/Tier 1 Cities) | Excellent | Very Good – Around 80% |
| Domestic PoS Acceptance (Tier 2/Other cities) | Excellent | Good (Around 60%) |
| International Acceptance | Excellent | Fair (Around 50%) |
Rewards
Both HDFC Bank Infinia and Diners Club Black have a similar rewards system and are eligible for 10X rewards on Smartbuy. All transactions (except wallet load, Easy EMI, and Fuel) earn 5 reward points on every Rs 150/- spend. But, there are some key differences in the additional rewards that the two cards offer.
DCB also offers a monthly milestone benefit. We get 2 monthly vouchers from Ola Select membership or cult.fit Live 1-month membership or BookMyShow or TataCLiQ worth Rs. 500 each every month on spends of Rs 80000.
| Category | Infinia | Diners Club Black |
|---|---|---|
| Base Rewards | 5 RP per Rs 150 spend | 5 RP per Rs 150 spend |
| 2X Rewards on Dining | NA | Weekend Dining only – Maximum 1000 RP per day |
| Insurance Transactions | Maximum 5000 RP per day | Maximum 5000 RP per day |
| Grocery Transactions | Maximum 2000 RP per calendar month | Maximum 2000 RP per calendar month |
| Wallet, Fuel, Rent, and Government Services | No Rewards | No Rewards |
Smartbuy Rewards
The February 2021 changes have completely tilted the scale in favor of Infinia as the top most card in HDFC Bank’s range.
- Infinia has a higher Smartbuy bonus RP cap at 15000 per month vs DCB at 7500 per month
- Infinia also has a higher Smartbuy bonus RP cap at 7500 per day vs DCB at 2500 per day
- Infinia gets a higher Smartbuy bonus RP multiplier for instant vouchers and Flipkart
| Partner | Infinia | DCB |
|---|---|---|
| IGP.com | 10X ~33% | 10X ~33% |
| Flights | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Hotels | 10X ~33% | 10X ~33% |
| IRCTC | 3X ~10% | 3X ~10% |
| Redbus | 5X ~16.5% | 5X ~16.5% |
| Instant Voucher | 5X ~16.5% | 3X ~10% |
| Apple Tresor | 5X ~16.5% | 3X ~10% |
| Flipkart | 3X ~10% | 2X ~6.6% |
Rewards Redemption
Both cards have the same redemption options. HDFC Bank offers a lot of ways to use up the reward points earned on Infinia and Diners Club Black. The preferred way is to use HDFC Smartbuy where we can book flights and hotels at a redemption rate of 1 point = Rs 1. This is also the way to get a good value for RPs. Another option is to transfer reward points to one of the Airmiles programs where we can get more value depending on the sector.
Other options are available in the HDFC Rewards Catalogue where we can order electronics and gift vouchers in exchange for points. The reward point redemption falls to around 20-35 paise in these cases. As with other HDFC Bank credit cards, redeeming for statement credit/cash is not a good option. The value of 1 RP falls to 30p in these cases.
| VALUE OF 1 RP | Infinia | Diners Club Black |
|---|---|---|
| Smartbuy (Flights/Hotels) | Rs 1 | Rs 1 |
| Tanishq Vouchers | Rs 1 | 50 paise |
| Apple Products | Rs 1 | 20 paise to 50 paise |
| Airmiles | 0.5 to 1 Airmiles | 0.5 to 1 Airmiles |
| Rewards Catalogue (Including Vouchers) | 20 paise to 50 paise | 20 paise to 50 paise |
| Cashback | 30 paise | 30 paise |
Transfer Partners
Infinia and DCB gets a whole new set of transfer partners now. Etihad Guest, British Airways, United MileagePlus and AeroPlan get a 2:1 ratio. So, two RP become 1 mile. Everything else is 1:1.
| Transfer Partner | Transfer Ratio RP:Miles |
|---|---|
| Air Canada – AeroPlan | 2:1 |
| Air Asia – airasia rewards | 1:1 |
| ALL – Accor Live Limitless | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 2:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 2:1 |
| Finnair Plus | 1:1 |
| Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| Hainan Airlines – Fortune Wings Club | 1:1 |
| IHG One Rewards | 1:1 |
| Vietnam Airlines – Lotusmiles Program | 1:1 |
| Turkish Airlines – Miles&Smiles | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | 2:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines – KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| Vistara Airlines – Club Vistara | 1:1 |
| InterMiles | 1:1 |
Airport Lounge Access
Both Infinia and Diners Club Black offer unlimited airport lounge access within and outside India for primary and add-on cards. What may differ is the list of lounges to which you are allowed access. In the case of Diners, the card itself doubles up as the lounge access card. Infinia has tied up with Priority pass for lounge access.
Which card is better – HDFC Bank Infinia vs Diners Club Black?
When to choose HDFC Infinia
- Annual spends are greater than 8 Lakhs to get a fee waiver
- The majority spends are on Smartbuy. Infinia gets 2X the cap of DCB for Smartbuy bonus reward points.
- Offline spends are in Tier 2/3 cities. DCB acceptance at PoS terminals is quite low even in metro cities.
- Frequent travel outside India where foreign spends are on the personal credit card.
When to choose HDFC Diners Club Black
- Annual spends are around 5 Lakhs to get the annual fee waiver
- Spends are primarily online and PoS in metro cities in India. DCB acceptance can be challenging sometimes
- No/Less foreign travel and if you have an alternate card for foreign spends when traveling. DCB’s international acceptance is quite less
