HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card – Benefits, Fees & Eligibility

HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card

Introduction

The HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card is an entry-level cashback credit card primarily designed for young professionals and millennials who frequently engage in online shopping. It offers a compelling 5% cashback on popular online merchants such as Amazon and Flipkart, along with 1% cashback on other eligible online and offline spends. With an annual fee of ₹1,000, which can be waived based on spending, the card also provides attractive gift vouchers for achieving quarterly spend milestones and versatile redemption options for the accumulated CashPoints. This card is positioned to help users save on their lifestyle expenses and build a strong credit profile.

Welcome Benefits

• Receive 1,000 bonus CashPoints upon successful realization of the joining fee.
• Alternatively, get Reward Points equivalent to the membership fee amount upon payment of the membership fee.

Fees

• Joining Fee: ₹1,000 + Applicable Taxes. (Note: Lifetime Free till 31st October 2025, as per one source.)
• Renewal Fee: ₹1,000 + Applicable Taxes. (Note: Lifetime Free till 31st October 2025, as per one source.)
• Spend-Based Waiver: The renewal membership fee is waived off if you spend ₹1,00,000 or more in the preceding 12 months before your credit card renewal date.
• Rewards Redemption Fee:
  • ₹50 + GST per cash redemption request (effective from August 1, 2024).
  • ₹99 + GST for other redemption requests.
• Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5% + GST.
• Interest Rates: 3.75% per month (45% annually).
• Fuel Surcharge: A 1% fuel surcharge is waived for transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000 at all fuel stations across India. The maximum waiver is ₹250 per statement cycle.
  • For fuel transactions exceeding ₹15,000, a 1% fee will be charged on the entire amount, capped at ₹3,000 per transaction. No extra fee for transactions under ₹15,000.
• Cash Advance Charges: 2.5% of the transaction amount, subject to a minimum fee of ₹500.
• Rent Payments: If using payment services like CRED, PayTM, Cheq, MobiKwik, or Freecharge to pay rent, a 1% fee will be applied to the transaction amount, capped at ₹3,000 per transaction.
• Utility Transactions: For utility transactions exceeding ₹50,000, a 1% fee will be applied to the entire amount, capped at ₹3,000 per transaction. No additional fee for transactions less than ₹50,000.

Rewards

• Cashback on Specific Merchants: Earn 5% cashback on spends at Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber, and Zomato.
  • This 5% cashback is capped at 1,000 CashPoints per statement cycle.
• Cashback on Other Spends: Earn 1% cashback on all other eligible online and offline spends.
  • This 1% cashback is capped at 1,000 CashPoints per statement cycle.
• Quarterly Spend Benefit: Receive ₹1000 worth of gift vouchers on spends of ₹1,00,000 and above in each calendar quarter. Through this offer, you can earn ₹4,000 each year as gift vouchers while spending ₹4 lakh, which also helps waive your annual fee.
• Dining Benefits:
  • Enjoy amazing dining benefits with the Good Food Trail program.
  • Get a 10% additional discount on Swiggy Dineout using coupon code HDFCCARDS.
  • Receive a flat ₹200 discount on Swiggy Dineout (minimum order value ₹2,000), valid twice each month.
• Fuel Surcharge Waiver: A 1% fuel surcharge waiver is available at all fuel stations across India for transactions between a minimum of ₹400 and a maximum of ₹5,000. The maximum waiver is ₹250 per statement cycle.
• Lounge Access:
  • Effective December 1st, 2023, the lounge access feature is revised and integrated into the quarterly spends milestone program.
  • Upon achieving the quarterly spends milestone, users can either opt for a HOI airport lounge access voucher OR a ₹1,000 voucher from the available list of Brands.
• Zero Lost Card Liability: In the event of losing your HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card, on reporting it immediately to the 24-hour call center, you have zero liability on any fraudulent transactions made on your credit card.
• Interest Free Credit Period: Avail up to 50 days of interest-free period from the date of purchase (subject to the submission of the charge by the Merchant).

Rewards Redemption Guide

• CashBack Accrual: Cashback is given in the form of CashPoints.
• Redemption Against Statement Balance: CashPoints can be redeemed against the statement balance upon request. The redemption rate is 1 CashPoint = ₹1. A minimum CashPoint balance of 500 CashPoints is required for this redemption.
  • CashBack redemption is capped at 3,000 reward points per calendar month (effective from February 1, 2023).
• Redemption for Travel and Catalogue: CashPoints can also be used for redemption against travel benefits like Flight & Hotel bookings and Rewards Catalogue at the SmartBuy Rewards Portal. The value for this redemption is 1 CashPoint = ₹0.30.
  • For Flights and Hotels redemption, card members can redeem up to a maximum of 50% of the booking value through Reward Points, with the rest of the transaction amount to be paid via the credit card limit.
  • Reward points redemption for flights & hotels bookings are capped at 50,000 per calendar month (effective from January 1, 2023).
• Redemption for Airmiles: CashPoints can be redeemed for Airmiles at a conversion rate of 1 CashPoint = 0.30 airmiles.
• Redemption for Product/Voucher Value: Cardmembers can redeem up to 70% of product/voucher value through Reward points on select vouchers/products and pay the remaining amount via credit card (effective from February 1, 2023).
• CashPoint Validity: Unredeemed CashPoints will expire/lapse after 2 years of accumulation. For example, CashPoints received in May 2020 will expire in May 2022.
• Exclusion on Rewards Points/Cashback: The following spending categories are not eligible to earn CashPoints:
  • Fuel
  • Rent
  • Government Related Transactions
  • Education
  • EMI Transactions
  • Wallet Loading (effective from September 1, 2024)
  • Cash Advance
  • Payment of Card Fees
  • Smart EMI/Dial an EMI Transactions (effective from September 1, 2024)

Card Eligibility Criteria

• For Salaried Individuals:
  • Indian national
  • Age: Minimum 21 years & Maximum 40 years
  • Income: Net Monthly Income > ₹35,000
• For Self-Employed Individuals:
  • Indian national
  • Age: Minimum 21 years & Maximum 40 years
  • Income: ITR > ₹6.0 Lakhs per annum

Card Review

The HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card is an ideal choice for young professionals and individuals looking to start their credit journey, particularly those with a significant portion of their spending directed towards online platforms. With its lucrative 5% cashback on popular e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart, it offers substantial savings for digital-savvy consumers. The card also provides a respectable 1% cashback on most other spends and a valuable renewal fee waiver for meeting annual spending thresholds. While the accelerated cashback is capped monthly and a minimum of 500 CashPoints are needed for statement redemption, it remains a solid option for building a credit profile and maximizing online spending benefits.

Pros

• High 5% cashback on popular partner merchants including Myntra, Amazon, Zomato, Swiggy, Uber, etc.
• Renewal fee waiver on spending ₹1 Lakh in the card anniversary year.

Cons

• Earns a lower 1% cashback on offline/online spends at non-partner merchants.
• The accelerated 5% CashPoints are capped at 1,000 CashPoints per statement cycle, and the regular 1% CashPoints are also capped at 1,000 per statement cycle (total maximum of 2,000 CashPoints per cycle).
• A minimum of 500 CashPoints are required to redeem against the card statement balance.

Important Product Details

• 1,000 CashPoints as a welcome benefit on card setup (subject to realization of the joining fee).
• Gift vouchers worth ₹1000 on spending ₹1 lakh or above in each calendar quarter.
• 5% cashback at select partner online merchants, including popular e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart.
• 1% cashback on all other eligible spends, except fuel, rental, and government spends.
• Up to 20% discount on partner restaurants via Swiggy Dineout.
• Renewal fee waiver on spending ₹1,00,000 in the previous year.
• CashPoints are given as cashback, convertible to statement balance at 1 CashPoint = ₹1 or to other options at 1 CashPoint = ₹0.30 (or 0.30 airmiles).
• CashPoints are valid for 2 years from the date of accumulation.

Other Details

• Contactless Payment: The HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card is enabled for contactless payments for fast, convenient, and secure transactions. In India, contactless payments are allowed for a maximum of ₹5,000 for a single transaction without a PIN. For transactions equal to or higher than ₹5,000, the cardholder must enter the Credit Card PIN.
• Smart EMI: The card comes with an option to convert your big spends into EMI after purchase.
• Revolving Credit: Available at a nominal interest rate.
• Lost Card Reporting: In case of a lost card, report immediately to the 24-hour call center (Toll-free numbers 1800 1600 / 1800 2600. Customers traveling overseas can reach at 022-61606160).
• Recent Changes/News (March 2025):
  • From September 1, 2024, no Reward Points will be provided for EMI transactions and wallet loading.
  • Beginning August 1, 2024, a redemption fee of ₹50 will be charged if you choose to redeem your rewards for statement credit (CashBack). The redemption rate for the statement balance will be 1 CashPoint = ₹1, and redemption can be completed through Net Banking login, Phone Banking, or a physical redemption form.