Amid several recent devaluations affecting HDFC Diners Rewardz and HDFC Diners Premium cards, the advantages of holding a Diners Club International card had been diminishing. HDFC Bank has reduced benefits across many of its credit card products, with a few exceptions such as HDFC Infinia, Diners Black and JetAirways Diners. Still, the bank has introduced a new promotion that will be welcome news for customers who frequently make foreign transactions.
HDFC is offering accelerated reward earnings through a 10X program for international spends on Diners Club cards, allowing cardholders to earn up to 10,000 reward points depending on the card and statement cycle.
10X RPs on all International Spends with Diners Cards
Earn 10X RPs on International Spends with Diners Cards
- Offer validity: 1 September 2017 – 31 December 2017.
- Earning cap per statement cycle:
- HDFC Diners Black: Up to 10,000 RPs (1 RP = ₹1).
- HDFC Diners Premium: Up to 5,000 RPs (1 RP = ₹0.50).
- HDFC Diners Rewardz: Up to 2,500 RPs (terms and conditions PDF indicates a maximum of 2,000 RPs). (1 RP = ₹0.30).
- The offer applies only to foreign transactions. The bank did not explicitly separate online versus point-of-sale transactions; both are likely to qualify.
- Bonus RPs will be credited within 90 days from the relevant statement cycle.
- This 10X bonus is in addition to existing 10X rewards on preferred partners such as Amazon.in, Uber and others.
Additional earning through the Global Value Program (annual fee ₹199)
- Any HDFC Bank credit card can opt into the Global Value Program by calling phone banking.
- The program is activated within five days of the request, with SMS confirmation sent to the cardholder.
- There is an annual fee of ₹199.
- Cardholders receive 500 bonus RPs within 60 days after their first international transaction following activation.
- The program provides a 1% cashback on foreign transactions up to ₹1,000 per statement cycle.
- On reaching ₹1.5 lakh in international spends within a year, cardholders receive a Yatra voucher worth ₹2,000 within 30 days of achieving the threshold.
There are also a few merchant-specific discounts for international spends in the USA listed on the Diners privilege pages.
Overall, this combination of bonus points and cashback makes Diners Club cards attractive again for international use. Although mark-up fees vary—3% for Diners Rewardz and 2% for Diners Premium and Black—the additional 1% cashback and the 10X reward acceleration can offset those charges for many cardholders.
Even accounting for relatively unfavorable foreign exchange rates on Diners cards, the amplified rewards can make them worthwhile for frequent international spenders.
You can effectively save a significant amount on international spends with Diners Black when the 10X rewards and cashback are applied.
- Update: A later update to this program was posted in March 2018; please consult the latest notices from HDFC for any changes to eligibility, caps or credit timelines.
If you frequently transact abroad, this offer presents a chance to accumulate rewards quickly. Consider how the earning caps, redemption values and markup fees interact with your typical spending pattern to determine if enrolling in the Global Value Program or using a Diners card for international transactions will be beneficial for you.