HDFC SmartBuy: earn rates, monthly caps, point values and the 70% rule

What is HDFC SmartBuy and who runs it?

SmartBuy is HDFC Bank's portal for HDFC card and account holders, at offers.smartbuy.hdfc.bank.in. Its site terms say it is powered and maintained by Reward360 on behalf of HDFC Bank. You book flights, hotels, trains, buses and vouchers through it, or follow its links to partner stores, and HDFC adds bonus Reward Points or cashback on top.

The same terms say HDFC Bank does not sell any of the listed products and only facilitates payment. Flights are compared across Cleartrip, Yatra, Goibibo and EaseMyTrip. Instant Vouchers sit on GyFTR's HDFC storefront and on Woohoo, run by Pine Labs. Myntra, Nykaa, Jockey, IGP, PharmEasy and Apple Imagine Tresor are reached through SmartBuy links, and the bonus applies only when you go in through SmartBuy and pay with an HDFC instrument.

Which HDFC cards earn SmartBuy rewards?

Every HDFC credit card gets something, but only some earn bonus Reward Points. HDFC's accelerated earn rules name Infinia, Diners Black, Regalia and Diners Privilege for the Reward Point offer, say Regalia First is not included, and list Diners Black Metal, BizBlack Metal and BizPower in the same columns. Other credit cards get cashback instead.

The rules exclude Dealer, Distributor, Value Plus and Virtual credit cards. They say the offer may not apply to Tata Neu and Tata Neu Infinity cards, which have a separate offer page, and that the IRCTC co-brand card gets only its core 5% cashback on IRCTC bookings made through SmartBuy. The offer covers retail, business, corporate and commercial credit cards, on full payment and on Credit Card Easy EMI, and is open to Indian residents and citizens only. HDFC's Regalia Gold page lists SmartBuy benefits for that card, and the SmartBuy home page groups it with Regalia.

How much does SmartBuy pay on each category?

From 3X to 10X Reward Points, or 1% to 10% cashback, depending on the category and the card. Hotels, IGP, Jockey and PharmEasy pay 10X on the Reward Point cards, flights and most shopping pay 5X, and trains booked through ConfirmTicket pay 3X. The table is from HDFC's accelerated earn rules, valid 1 December 2025 to 31 March 2027.

Two documents differ on flights. The rules list flights at 5X for every Reward Point card, while HDFC's Regalia Gold page says up to 10X on hotels and flight bookings. Reward360's SmartBuy FAQ lists two more offers: 10X Reward Points or 10% cashback on Adani One Duty Free from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, paid in two halves within 7 and 120 working days, and 5% instant cashback on MyEMIShop up to Rs 5,000 on full payment or Rs 10,000 on EMI.

From HDFC SmartBuy's accelerated earn rules, read 9 November 2026. The rules do not say what the multiple is applied to. Myntra pays nothing on an order that includes any gold or silver product. Weekly Deals pay an instant discount plus the card's own benefits instead.

What are the SmartBuy monthly and daily caps?

Infinia can earn at most 15,000 bonus Reward Points a calendar month, Diners Black Metal and BizBlack Metal 10,000, Diners Black 7,500, Regalia, Diners Privilege and BizPower 4,000, and other credit cards Rs 1,000 of cashback. Each also has a daily cap. These caps cover all SmartBuy categories together.

At Infinia's flight and hotel value of Re 1 a point, the 15,000 cap is worth Rs 15,000 a month. A floater card's benefit is capped together with the primary card, and the rules say spends on two HDFC cards cannot be combined to qualify. HDFC's MITC also sets a fair usage limit on all earning in a statement cycle: 2,00,000 points on Infinia, 75,000 on Diners Black and Diners Black Metal, and 50,000 on Regalia Gold, Regalia and Diners Privilege.

From HDFC SmartBuy's accelerated earn rules, read 9 November 2026. The Infinia daily cap has been 15,000 since 1 August 2023.

What is an HDFC point worth on SmartBuy?

It depends on the card and on what you redeem for. On Infinia and Diners Black a point is worth Re 1 on SmartBuy flights and hotels. On Regalia Gold it is Rs 0.50, and HDFC's accelerated earn page puts Regalia, Diners Privilege and BizPower at Rs 0.50 and other credit cards at up to Rs 0.35. Products, vouchers and statement credit pay less on every card listed below.

Infinia also gets Re 1 a point on Apple products and Tanishq vouchers bought through SmartBuy. From 1 October 2024 HDFC's MITC caps that on Infinia at 50,000 points a calendar quarter for Tanishq and one Apple product a quarter. On Regalia Gold, the Exclusive Gold Catalogue on SmartBuy pays Rs 0.65 a point. For statement credit, Regalia Gold's product page still shows up to Rs 0.20, while the MITC sets 15 paise from 1 November 2025.

Infinia, Diners Black and Regalia Gold rows from each card's HDFC page or redemption document. The last two rows are from the SmartBuy accelerated earn page and HDFC's MITC version 4.18, October 2026. Read 9 November 2026.

How much of a SmartBuy booking can points pay?

Up to 70% of a flight or hotel booking on most premium cards and 50% on the rest, with the balance paid on the same card. HDFC's MITC sets 70% for Infinia, Infinia Metal, Diners Black, Diners Black Metal, BizBlack Metal, BizPower and other business cards from 25 July 2020, and for Regalia, Regalia First, Regalia Gold, Regalia Activ and the other Diners cards from 25 November 2019. All other cards get 50%, from 10 June 2019.

There is a monthly ceiling as well. From 1 January 2023 the MITC caps points used on flights and hotels at 1,50,000 a calendar month on Infinia, 75,000 on Diners Black, Diners Black Metal and Biz Black, and 50,000 on all other cards. Reward360's SmartBuy FAQ adds a limit of 20 redemptions a month on the 50% cards. Its own list of the cards that can redeem on SmartBuy omits Regalia Gold, while HDFC's Regalia Gold document describes that card redeeming there, so ask SmartBuy if your card does not show points.

The documents disagree on products. The MITC says the 70% limit on select products and vouchers, from 1 February 2023, does not apply to Infinia, Diners Black or BizBlack Metal. Infinia's own page says points pay up to 70% on Apple products and Tanishq vouchers. Expect the 70% limit at checkout.

What fees apply on SmartBuy?

The flight convenience fee comes from the travel partner, and it is not refunded if you cancel. Reward360's FAQ says Cleartrip, Yatra, Goibibo and EaseMyTrip set it, and neither Reward360 nor HDFC Bank charges it. On redemption, the FAQ charges Rs 99 plus GST for each points voucher it generates, except on Infinia and Diners Black.

HDFC's MITC words its Rs 99 plus GST fee for catalogue redemption requests, and waives it on a longer list: Infinia, Diners Black, Biz Black and their Metal Editions, Tata Neu Infinity and Plus, and the PhonePe Ultimo and Uno cards. Other charges in the FAQ: Rs 199 plus GST on any SmartBuy credit card EMI, with a Rs 3,000 minimum order and 15% a year interest for 3 to 12 months, and an IRCTC service charge of 1% plus GST on most credit cards, 2.25% plus GST on commercial and business cards.

What are the catches on SmartBuy?

The bonus is slow and conditional. HDFC posts it within 90 working days from the end of the transaction month, if the account is active, so a November booking can take until the end of February. Returned purchases, disputed transactions, Smart EMI and card fees do not count, and a delinquent account gets nothing. HDFC can change or withdraw the offer without notice, and no two SmartBuy programmes can be combined.

The terms carry an unheaded list under Transaction Eligibility that names Flight Bookings, Prepaid / Gift Cards, Bill Payments, Insurance and Recharges, gaming consoles, Prime membership and jewellery, while flights and Instant Vouchers are listed as eligible. The rules do not say what the list is for. HDFC's MITC also says points earned on a transaction with an HDFC instant discount or cashback are invalid and debited within 120 days.

On cancellations, Reward360's site terms say any discount taken at booking is deducted when a flight is cancelled, and partner convenience fees are not refunded. Vouchers bought through SmartBuy cannot be cancelled, according to both the GyFTR and Woohoo answers in the FAQ. See gift cards and vouchers for voucher validity and caps.

How do you log in and redeem points on SmartBuy?

Go to offers.smartbuy.hdfc.bank.in and sign in with your email ID or mobile number and an OTP. Reward360's FAQ says four wrong OTPs block the account for 24 hours. Instant Vouchers on GyFTR need a separate login at gyftr.com/hdfcsmartbuy.

To pay with points, pick Pay with Reward Points at the payment step of a flight or hotel booking. The FAQ asks for the first 9 and last 4 digits of the card, your registered mobile number and date of birth, then an OTP. It needs points worth at least Rs 100. The points become a voucher code valid for 30 days, and an unused code returns the points to the card at the rate on the refund date. A failed booking puts the amount back on the code the next day. For fees and expiry across banks, see points redemption.