Is the HDFC PIXEL Play 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 ₹25,000 a month income
- ₹590 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹8,333 a month
- 1% on most spends; 5% only at partner merchants
- Pays in cashback
- online shopping only at Chosen cashback packs, BookMyShow & Zomato, MakeMyTrip & Uber, Blinkit & Reliance Smart Bazaar, Croma & Reliance Digital, or Nykaa & Myntra: 5% back, up to ₹500 a month
- online shopping only at HDFC SmartBuy, IGP, Flights, Hotels, Bus, Rail, Instant Vouchers, Apple Imagine Tresor: 5% back, up to ₹500 a month
- spending ₹8,333 or more a month: the ₹590 fee is waived
- you spend less than ₹8,333 a month (₹1,00,000 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 rarely spend on Chosen cashback packs, BookMyShow & Zomato, MakeMyTrip & Uber, Blinkit & Reliance Smart Bazaar, Croma & Reliance Digital, or Nykaa & Myntra or HDFC SmartBuy, IGP, Flights, Hotels, Bus, Rail, Instant Vouchers, Apple Imagine Tresor: the 5% rate applies only there, everything else earns 1%
- 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: 1% on all other spends including UPI (RuPay), capped 15,000 CashPoints a calendar month, no longer unlimited since 15 Apr 2026. No CashPoints below ₹100 a transaction. Fuel, rent, EMI, wallet and gift-card loads, vouchers, government payments and cash advances earn nothing.
Also earns nothing on: Gift cards.
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) | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Online shopping | 1% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 5% | ₹500, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: Chosen cashback packs, BookMyShow & Zomato, MakeMyTrip & Uber, Blinkit & Reliance Smart Bazaar, Croma & Reliance Digital, or Nykaa & MyntraTerms: 5% on any TWO of five packs you select, sharing one 500-CashPoint monthly cap. ⚠ You must pick the packs, and they are swappable only every 3 months. Blinkit, Reliance Smart Bazaar, Croma and Reliance Digital qualify on OFFLINE/in-store purchases, not online. | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 5% | ₹500 | Only at: HDFC SmartBuy, IGP, Flights, Hotels, Bus, Rail, Instant Vouchers, Apple Imagine TresorTerms: 5% on SmartBuy under its own 500-CashPoint monthly cap. Cannot be combined with the 5% pack or 3% platform cashback on the same transaction. | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 3% | ₹500 | Only at: One chosen e-commerce platform, Amazon, Flipkart or PayZappTerms: 3% on a single platform you nominate, under its own 500-CashPoint monthly cap. | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| School and college fees | 1% | 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 | 1% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 1% | 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.
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