Is the HDFC MoneyBack+ 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
- Needs ₹20,000 a month income
- ₹590 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹4,167 a month
- 0.2% on most spends; 2% only at partner merchants
- Pays in reward points
- online shopping only at Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Reliance Smart, BigBasket: 2% back, up to ₹500 a month
- spending ₹4,167 or more a month: the ₹590 fee is waived
- you spend less than ₹4,167 a month (₹50,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹590 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 Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Reliance Smart, BigBasket: the 2% rate applies only there, everything else earns 0.2%
- you often pay in foreign currency: 3.5% is added to every foreign spend
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 3.75% a month (45% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 2 CashPoints per ₹200 (~0.20% at ₹0.20/point) on all other spends. Fuel, rent, government, wallet/gift-card loads and EMI earn nothing. UPI earning applies only to the RuPay variant.
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 | 0.2% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 2% | ₹500 | Only at: Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Reliance Smart, BigBasketTerms: 10X CashPoints (20 per ₹200, ~2.0% at ₹0.20/point), capped 2,500 CashPoints a month. ⚠ HDFC also caps grocery at 1,000 CashPoints a month but prints that rule under the BASE-rate section, so whether it bites BigBasket and Reliance Smart inside the 10X tier is genuinely ambiguous. Assume it can. | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| School and college fees | 0.2% | 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 | 0.2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 0.2% | 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
Short reads that explain how it works before you decide.
Credit CardsTata Neu HDFC Credit Card: Claim Your NeuCoins from 25 November 2026From 25 November 2026, NeuCoins earned on a Tata Neu HDFC Bank credit card no longer reach your Tata Neu account by themselves. You claim them in the Tata Neu App within 12 months, or they expire. Here is what changes, how to claim, and the dates that matter.Read the guide →- GuidesBest Credit Cards Under ₹500 a Year in India (2026)Credit cards with an annual fee of ₹500 or less (before GST) in 2026, ranked by the reward rate each bank states, with fee waivers.Read the guide →
GuidesNo-Cost EMI: What It Really Costs You, With a Worked ExampleNo-cost EMI is not a trick, but it is rarely free. Here is where the money goes: the discount you give up, the processing fee, and GST on the interest, worked out on a Rs 30,000 phone.Read the guide →
