Is the HDFC Bank Infinia Metal Credit Card Worth It?
Enter what you spend where this card pays more, and the benefits you would use. See what it is worth to you in rupees, after its fee.
- 207Cards to check
- FreeCost
- Shopping card
- ₹14,750 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹83,333 a month
- 3.3% on most spends; 16.5% only at partner merchants
- Unlimited lounge visits
- Pays in reward points
- spending ₹83,333 or more a month: the ₹14,750 fee is waived
- frequent flyers: unlimited airport lounge visits
- spending abroad: 2% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹83,333 a month (₹10,00,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹14,750 fee is then charged
- most of your spending is fuel, rent, wallet top-ups or government payments: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 1.99% a month (23.88% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 on all spends (~3.3%); 1 point = ₹1 on SmartBuy flight/hotel redemptions. Grocery, utility and insurance now carry their own capped rows above; telecom has no SpendCategory to carry it. The card as a whole earns at most 2,00,000 points a cycle.
Also earns nothing on: Education paid via third-party apps, Property management and maintenance.
Total on the card: ₹0 a month
Abroad and benefits
Every rate on this card, and what your spend earns
| Spend category | Rate | Monthly cap | Where it applies | Your spend earns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPI payments (scan and pay) | Earns nothing | - | a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI | - |
| Online shopping | 3.3% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 16.5% | ₹3,000 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuy brand vouchers (GyFTR, Woohoo)Terms: 5X Reward Points on GyFTR/Woohoo brand vouchers bought on SmartBuy (~16.5%). The accelerated points cap at 3,000 a month, inside the 15,000 SmartBuy cap; base points keep earning after that. | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 3.3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 3.3% | ₹2,000 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 (~3.3%), capped at 2,000 points a calendar month on grocery since 1 Jan 2023 (HDFC Infinia rewards T&C §12b) | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 3.3% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 16.5% | ₹15,000 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuyTerms: 5X Reward Points on SmartBuy flights and buses (~16.5%), 10X on hotels (~33%); 1 point = ₹1. HDFC caps the accelerated points at 15,000 a month across all SmartBuy, vouchers included; base points keep earning. Brand vouchers have their own row. | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 3.3% | ₹2,000 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 (~3.3%), capped at 2,000 points a month on utility bills since 1 Sep 2024 (HDFC Infinia rewards T&C §15a) | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 3.3% | ₹10,000 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 5 Reward Points per ₹150 (~3.3%), capped at 10,000 points a month on insurance since 1 Jul 2025 (HDFC Infinia rewards T&C §5) | - |
| School and college fees | 3.3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Wallet top-ups | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Taxes and government payments | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 3.3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 3.3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
Card data sourced via CardAdvisor.in, India Credit Card Facts, CC BY 4.0, adapted by SkyloFin.
Common Questions
When is a credit card worth its annual fee?
When the rewards you actually earn in a year are more than the fee plus 18% GST, or when you spend enough for the bank to waive the fee. This calculator works out both from the card's own published terms.
Why is GST added to the fee?
Card fees carry 18% GST, so a ₹1,000 fee costs ₹1,180. Where the bank already quotes the fee with GST, it is not added twice.
What does 'capped' mean?
Many cards limit the reward you can earn in a month in a category. Spending above the cap earns nothing extra, so the calculator stops counting there.
Is a lifetime free card always better?
Not always. A paid card with higher rewards can leave you with more once you spend enough. The break-even line shows the monthly spend where that starts.
Guides in Plain Words
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