Hi everyone,

I recently approached HDFC to get the Regalia Gold credit card because my primary redemption goal is international Accor hotel stays via the 2:1 transfer partner option. With Regalia Gold, buying gift vouchers on SmartBuy / partner brands yields an accelerated ~12.5% return for Accor redemptions, making daily spends extremely rewarding. Domestic flight/hotel portals aren't my priority as I can manage domestic travel out-of-pocket without using points.

However, HDFC declined Regalia Gold directly because my in-hand salary of ₹1.04 Lakhs/month falls short of their ₹1.5 Lakhs/month net salary requirement.

Context & Key Hesitations:

1. Travel Pattern: I travel internationally once every 1 to 2 years, so my goal is to accumulate Accor ALL points consistently on routine expenses over 12–24 months and redeem them for high-value hotel stays during these international trips.
2. Passed on DCP LTF earlier: About a month ago, HDFC offered me Diners Club Privilege (DCP) as Lifetime Free (LTF). I passed on it because DCP doesn't support Accor transfers, and features like movie offers don't fit my redemption strategy.
3. Current Paid DCP Offer: Now, DCP is no longer LTF for me—it carries a ₹1,000 + GST annual fee. Paying a recurring fee for a card that doesn't align with my international hotel redemption goal feels like a compromise.
4. Fear of the Millennia "Upgrade Loop": If i take HDFC Millennia first as DCP doesnt fit my spending pattern or redmeption pattern. My concern is HDFC's rigid upgrade hierarchy: if I take Millennia, I'm worried their automated system will later force an upgrade to DCP instead of Regalia Gold, keeping me stuck in a multi-step upgrade loop for years.
5. SmartBuy Amazon Pay Voucher Removal: A huge chunk (~30%–40%) of my routine online spending was planned around purchasing Amazon Pay gift vouchers via SmartBuy/Gyftr. With HDFC removing/restricting Amazon Pay vouchers on SmartBuy recently, I'm questioning whether chasing Regalia Gold is still as lucrative as before for everyday milestone/reward accumulation.

The Options Suggested by the Bank:

1. FD-Backed Regalia Gold: Place ₹3.5 Lakhs in an HDFC FD to get a card with a 90% limit. Once my salary crosses ₹1.5L in the future, redeem points, close the FD card, and re-apply fresh on a salary basis.
2. Take Paid other paid card Millennia or DCP (₹1,000 + GST): Use it regularly and wait for HDFC’s system to trigger a pre-approved upgrade directly to Regalia Gold based on spend history.
3. Wait it Out: Wait until my salary naturally touches ₹1.5 Lakhs via appraisals/switches before applying.

My Math & Financial Impact:

• The FD Timeline & Opportunity Cost: For reference, I could accumulate and arrange the ₹3.5 Lakhs over a period of 1 to 2 year. However, locking ₹3.5L in an HDFC FD (~6-7% interest) instead of investing in Small Finance Banks (~8.25% returns) creates a lost interest gap of ~₹4,000–₹5,000/year just to hold a credit card. Is waiting a full year just to block liquidity for a card financially worth it for an international trip every 1–2 years?
• Why HSBC TravelOne isn't quite the same: I looked at alternatives like HSBC TravelOne. While TravelOne offers a direct 1:1 transfer ratio to Accor ALL, its base earn rate is 2 points per ₹100 (~2% return for Accor). It lacks the massive voucher-driven multiplier route (like Regalia Gold's 5X / SmartBuy vouchers giving ~12.5% return on daily spends). So for non-travel daily expenses, Regalia Gold still seems much higher yielding for Accor.

Questions for the Community:

1. Given that I travel internationally once every 1–2 years and can accumulate ₹3.5L over 1-2 year for an FD, is the FD-backed Regalia Gold route worth waiting for, or does the ~8.25% SFB opportunity cost make it a poor move regardless?
2. How are current Regalia Gold users maximizing Accor points on daily spends post-Amazon Pay voucher removal on SmartBuy?
3. For those focused purely on Accor, and travel once a year internally, is HSBC TravelOne (1:1 direct transfer) a practical alternative, or does its lack of high-multiplier daily spend options make Regalia Gold far superior despite HDFC's approval headaches?
4. Has anyone successfully bypassed DCP and upgraded directly from Millennia to Regalia Gold, or does HDFC strictly force the step-by-step path (Millennia > DCP > Regalia Gold)?
5. Has anyone forced a manual upgrade from DCP to Regalia Gold via limit enhancements (crossing ₹3L limit) or emailing Grievance Redressal (escalation.cc@hdfcbank.com) with a ₹1.04L salary? as HDFC upgrade path pdf says 3 Lakh limit with 3 lakh spends on last 6 month and 1.5 Lakh salary then we can expect upgrade, if i have 1.5 salary why to spend 3 lakh then directly upgrade me.

Appreciate any insights, workarounds, or past experiences!

Hey guys,

With the recent tax updates allowing meal card tax exemption up to ₹8,800/month under the New Tax Regime, I opted for my company's HDFC Food/Prepaid Meal Card to save on income tax.

However, I'm hitting a dilemma with reward optimization.

I am a heavy user of cashback credit cards (like SBI Cashback / Swiggy HDFC / Airtel Axis) for my monthly food and grocery orders. By spending ₹8,800 every month directly through this HDFC Prepaid Meal Card, I miss out on 10% cashback or instant instant discounts I would usually get on platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket or Dining.

A few questions for the community:

1. Is there any legitimate workaround or hack to liquidate/cash out the meal card balance?
2. For those holding an HDFC Meal Card along with premium/cashback credit cards, how are you balancing the two without letting your meal card balance pile up?
3. Are there specific platforms or stacks (e.g., Tata Neu NeuCoins, local supermarkets, buying for friends/family) that help soften the loss of credit card reward points?
4. Can we Buy gold coins from it and sell later to make it no profit and no loss or profit depending on situation?

Would appreciate any insights or strategies you guys are using!

Hi everyone,

Has anyone tried paying at Zudio or Trends using the Jupiter Edge+ Credit Card via UPI on the Jupiter app?

Do these transactions trigger the 10% cashback (Shopping category) or default to the 1% base rate? 

Trends: Since Reliance Trends is an eligible partner for the 10% shopping tier on Edge+, does scan-and-pay at physical Trends stores via Jupiter UPI properly trigger the 10% rate? 

Zudio: Does Zudio's MCC count under the accelerated 10% shopping tier, or is it treated as regular offline UPI (1%)?
If anyone has recently transacted at either store using Jupiter UPI, please share what cashback rate / Jewels you actually received!

Thanks!