Is the HDFC Diners Club Black Metal Edition 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
- Travel card
- Needs ₹2,50,000 a month income
- ₹11,800 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹66,667 a month
- 3.33% base, up to 4.33% on dining; 33.33% only at partner merchants
- Unlimited lounge visits
- Pays in reward points
- online shopping only at HDFC SmartBuy brand vouchers: 10% back, up to ₹3,000 a month
- dining: 4.33% back
- spending ₹66,667 or more a month: the ₹11,800 fee is waived
- frequent flyers: unlimited airport lounge visits
- spending abroad: 2% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹66,667 a month (₹8,00,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹11,800 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 rarely spend on HDFC SmartBuy brand vouchers: the 10% rate applies only there, everything else earns 3.33%
- 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 Diners Club Reward Points per ₹150 (~3.3%) on all retail spends, the real everyday rate. Utility, telecom and grocery each cap at 2,000 points a calendar month and insurance at 5,000; the card as a whole earns at most 75,000 points per statement cycle.
Also earns nothing on: Education at select merchants.
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 | 3.33% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 16.5% | ₹10,000 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuyTerms: Myntra earns 5X on SmartBuy (~16.5%, the rate modelled here); IGP, Jockey, PharmEasy and FernsNPetals earn 10X (~33%). Brand vouchers have their own row. General online spend earns the 3.3% base. | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 10% | ₹3,000 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuy brand vouchers (GyFTR, Woohoo)Terms: 3X points on GyFTR/Woohoo brand vouchers bought on SmartBuy (~10%). The accelerated points cap at 3,000 a month, inside the 10,000 SmartBuy cap; base 5 RP per ₹150 keeps earning after that. | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 4.33% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 2X points (10 RP per ₹150, ~6.7%) at standalone restaurants on Saturdays and Sundays only (MCC 5812/5813/5814, min ₹150). Weekday dining earns the 3.3% base; EMI and wallet payments excluded. | - |
| Groceries | 3.33% | No cap | The card's normal rateTerms: the base rate's terms cap this category separately; the cap is not counted | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 3.33% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 33.33% | ₹10,000 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuyTerms: 10X points on hotels booked via HDFC SmartBuy (~33%); flights and buses earn 5X (~16.5%) and trains 3X (~10%). General travel earns the 3.3% base. | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 3.33% | No cap | The card's normal rateTerms: the base rate's terms cap this category separately; the cap is not counted | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 3.33% | No cap | The card's normal rateTerms: the base rate's terms cap this category separately; the cap is not counted | - |
| School and college fees | 3.33% | 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 | 3.33% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 3.33% | 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.
