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HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card

4.9Best for travel

PremiumVerifying

Joining fee incl. GST: ₹14,750
Renewal fee incl. GST: ₹14,750
Conditional welcome value: Up to ₹3,750
Forex markup: 2%
Interest p.a.: 23.88%
Min income (salaried): —

Welcome benefits depend on the actual offer and qualifying conditions; points and vouchers are not an automatic cash refund. Credited after joining fee is realised and card is activated

Read our editorial review. The verdict, the working behind the numbers, and who should skip it.Read the review ↓

How this card earns

Reward rates with their qualifying conditions and caps. Use the calculator for a combined estimate.

Calculation coverage is still under review for this card. A recorded benefit does not mean every condition has been included in the estimate.

What still needs confirmation

SmartBuy offer caps remain offer-specific; conditional renewal points and retention eligibility are not inferred automatically.

Spend category	Reward rate	Reward limit
Travel Only the qualifying merchants or payment route below Illustrative SmartBuy offer value; the multiplier, bonus-point ceiling and eligible spend depend on the specific merchant and offer. A bonus-point cap is not necessarily a cap on total points. The earlier fixed monthly spending ceiling has been withdrawn pending verification of the exact offer.	10%	Unverified
Online shopping Only the qualifying merchants or payment route below Illustrative SmartBuy offer value; the multiplier, bonus-point ceiling and eligible spend depend on the specific merchant and offer. A bonus-point cap is not necessarily a cap on total points. The earlier fixed monthly spending ceiling has been withdrawn pending verification of the exact offer.	10%	Unverified
Other eligible purchases Base earn: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 spent. Valued at our typical ₹0.30/RP = 1.0% value-back; 3.33% only at ₹1/RP via SmartBuy flights/hotels.	1%	Unverified
Groceries Category ceiling from HDFC MITC September 2026, valued at ₹0.30/point.	1%	₹60,000 spend / month
Utilities & bills Category ceiling from HDFC MITC September 2026, valued at ₹0.30/point.	1%	₹60,000 spend / month
Insurance Category ceiling from HDFC MITC September 2026, valued at ₹0.30/point.	1%	₹3,00,000 spend / month

Excluded from ordinary earning: Fuel, Rent. Specific qualifying offers, if any, are listed above.

Overall ceiling: ₹60,000 of reward value per statement at this valuation. Rates apply only to the merchants and conditions described. Shared ceilings cannot be added across rows. Points and vouchers are valued at the stated redemption assumption; use the spending calculator for a combined estimate.

Fees & charges

Joining fee₹12,500

Annual fee₹12,500

Annual fee waiverRenewal fee waived on spends of ₹10 lakh or more in the preceding 12 months

Foreign currency markup2%

Finance charge (p.a.)23.88%

Fuel surcharge waiver1%, up to ₹1,000/mo

Key benefits

Unlimited complimentary domestic and international lounge access via Priority Pass (primary + add-on)
Complimentary Club Marriott membership (1 year)
Global Personal Concierge 24x7
SmartBuy up to 10X Reward Points on travel and shopping
Comprehensive travel and accident insurance cover
Reward Points redeem at Rs 1 each for flights/hotels via SmartBuy; ~Rs 0.30 for products or cashback (our published typical valuation)
Low 2% foreign currency markup
At most 2,00,000 Reward Points can be earned in a statement cycle
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India on transactions between Rs 400 and Rs 1,00,000, capped at Rs 1,000 a statement cycle. Fuel transactions themselves earn no Reward Points (HDFC Bank, Infinia product page, read 9 September 2026).
No Reward Points on rent payments (every HDFC card, from 1 January 2023)
12,500 renewal Reward Points require renewal-fee payment and activation; this conditional award is excluded from the ongoing estimate.

What we like

+Very strong reward rate: 5 RP per Rs 150 on eligible purchases — 1% at our typical Rs 0.30/RP, up to 3.33% redeemed against SmartBuy travel at Rs 1/RP, and up to ~33% on SmartBuy accelerated categories at the same redemption
+Unlimited domestic and international lounge access via Priority Pass
+Low 2% foreign currency markup
+Premium concierge, Club Marriott and travel insurance benefits

What to watch

−Invite-only — not openly available
−High ₹12,500 joining/annual fee
−₹10 lakh annual spend needed for fee waiver
−Ongoing programme eligibility now tied to high spend/relationship value (from Apr 2026)

Our full review

Infinia’s 5 points per ₹150 can produce about 3.33% on eligible ₹1-per-point travel redemption, but only 1% at our ₹0.30 comparison value. Fee waiver, reward value and retention are three different tests.

Reviewed by Thompson Cherian · how we rate cards · all card reviews

Who this is for, and who should skip it

An invited customer who uses the eligible redemption routes and meets HDFC’s relationship or spending conditions. Someone who only wants uncomplicated cash returns should compare lower-fee cashback cards before paying for this premium package.

What the issuer terms say

HDFC’s Infinia page and MITC distinguish earning from redemption. At 5 points per ₹150, ₹10,000 of ordinary eligible purchases produces about 333 points before transaction rounding: around ₹100 at ₹0.30 per point, or ₹333 on an eligible ₹1 travel redemption. The 12,500-point welcome benefit is worth ₹3,750 at ₹0.30; it is not automatically ₹12,500 cash.

What it earns you — the maths

These are total monthly budgets, not necessarily amounts charged entirely to this card. They repeat for a full year, with card bills paid in full. UPI is separate from the other categories; a non-RuPay card earns nothing on that part. No specific shopping app, bill-payment channel or travel portal is assumed. Select those in the calculator if you use them. Annual reward value is expressed in rupees, not in points.

Profile	Monthly budget	Annual reward value (₹)	First-year net value	Renewal-year net value
Everyday spender	₹35,000	₹3,120	₹-11,630	₹-11,630
Online-first shopper	₹55,000	₹5,640	₹-9,110	₹-9,110
Frequent traveller	₹1,10,000	₹10,440	₹-4,310	₹10,440

Reading the table: a negative net value is a cost. First year = rewards + eligible first-year milestones − joining fee including GST. Renewal year = rewards + eligible annual milestones − renewal fee including GST, with a modelled spend waiver where earned. Welcome offers are excluded until their conditions are confirmed. Milestone vouchers are assumed usable at face value; reduce their value if you would not use them.

Everyday spender, renewal year: ₹3,120 reward value + ₹0 milestones − ₹14,750 fee = ₹-11,630.
Online-first shopper, renewal year: ₹5,640 reward value + ₹0 milestones − ₹14,750 fee = ₹-9,110.
Frequent traveller, renewal year: ₹10,440 reward value + ₹0 milestones − ₹0 fee (spend waiver met) = ₹10,440.

The monthly splits, in the order groceries / online shopping / dining / fuel / travel / bills / UPI, are:

Everyday spender: ₹9,000 / ₹7,000 / ₹4,000 / ₹3,000 / ₹2,000 / ₹4,000 / ₹6,000.
Online-first shopper: ₹8,000 / ₹22,000 / ₹8,000 / ₹3,000 / ₹4,000 / ₹5,000 / ₹5,000.
Frequent traveller: ₹12,000 / ₹15,000 / ₹12,000 / ₹6,000 / ₹40,000 / ₹8,000 / ₹17,000.

Points are converted at the comparison values, which can differ from cash redemption. These estimates exclude redemption fees, transaction rounding, refunds, financing costs and benefits such as lounges or insurance. Merchant exclusions and transaction timing can change the result.

Provisional calculation: some earning conditions or ceilings for this card remain under review. The figures are a comparison estimate, not a complete forecast or a guaranteed saving.

The fee and renewal decision

The standard joining fee is ₹12,500 + GST = ₹14,750. The standard renewal fee is ₹12,500 + GST = ₹14,750. Renewal fee waived on spends of ₹10 lakh or more in the preceding 12 months A welcome voucher is a restricted benefit, not an automatic refund of the fee or GST. Compare the first-year cost separately from the cost of renewal. Check your own offer if it says lifetime free or first year free.

The important conditions

The renewal fee waiver requires ₹10 lakh of qualifying annual spending. The retention condition recorded from April 2026 is ₹18 lakh annual spend or ₹50 lakh relationship value; failing the spend route alone does not establish that every customer will lose the card. SmartBuy multipliers and bonus caps must be checked for the particular offer. Do not treat the maximum travel redemption value as cash.

Alternatives

Diners Club Black Metal costs less but requires Diners acceptance. Axis Magnus has a different monthly earning threshold; compare both at consistent redemption assumptions.

How we verified this

This is a desk review of issuer material, not a claim of first-hand card ownership. We have removed unsupported generalisations about what other holders report. This review was corrected on 10 September 2026 for the claims discussed above. A review update is not certification of every benefit or future offer. Unresolved calculation coverage is labelled in the examples. Use the issuer’s dated notice or your specific offer where it differs from a general product page.

The linked issuer material above supports the key earning or eligibility claims. The card’s full details and source list include its other published terms. Our methodology separates editorial opinions from calculated estimates. No customer-review average is claimed.

That is our full read on the HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card. The terms are HDFC Bank's to change — check the current ones on their page before you apply.

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If you apply through our link, we may earn a commission from the issuer at no extra cost to you. It never affects our ratings — how we make money.

Frequently asked

Does ₹31,250 monthly spending recover the annual fee?

That earlier figure omitted GST. Ignoring transaction rounding, at a 3.33% eligible travel redemption value the ₹14,750 fee needs about ₹4,42,500 annual spending, or ₹36,875 a month. This simplified fee-only example excludes waivers and benefits, and does not apply to ₹0.30 cash-style valuation.

Do these examples include GST and welcome benefits?

Standard joining and renewal fees include 18% GST in the calculations. First year deducts the joining fee once; renewal year deducts the renewal fee after a modelled spend waiver. Unconfirmed welcome offers are excluded.

Are reward values the same as cash in my bank account?

Not necessarily. Statement cashback, Amazon Pay balance, points, miles and vouchers have different redemption rules. Use the value of the redemption you will actually make, and subtract its charges.

Can I rely on the example to predict my exact statement?

No. It is a monthly estimate with stated assumptions, not a transaction-by-transaction simulation. Merchant codes, caps, excluded payments, refunds, statement dates and rounding can change the result. Use the calculator with your own spending and confirm the issuer’s current terms before applying or renewing.

Eligibility

Current eligibility not verified

By invitation; no universal income threshold verified. Continued programme access from 1 April 2026 depends on ₹18 lakh annual card spending or ₹50 lakh relationship value, subject to the issuer’s assessment period and terms.

Check HDFC Bank's current criteria and the source notes. Meeting a published minimum is not approval — the issuer decides every application on its own criteria, including your credit history. How we source this

Verification

Record last checked 2026-09-10 — being re-checked against the issuer's latest pages.

This date does not certify every article or calculation. Read the specific product terms below.

Head-to-head

All matchups →

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card head-to-head

The matchups this card is most often weighed against, each settled on net annual value computed for three real spending patterns.

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card vs Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card

The super-premium heavyweight bout — points engines, lounges and ₹12,500 fees.

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card vs HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Metal Edition Credit Card

HDFC's own super-premium decision — the same 10X SmartBuy engine, but Infinia gets 5,000 more accelerated points a month for ₹2,500 more a year.

HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card vs Axis Atlas Credit Card

Miles-first against points-first at the top end — Infinia's 10X stops at ₹45,000 of SmartBuy spend a month, and Atlas's 1.6% base beats Infinia's 1% on everything past it.

All head-to-head matchups →