Since Yes Bank entered the credit card market, it has consistently matched competitor offers aggressively. With the flagship Yes First Exclusive Card, the bank has positioned itself against premium products such as HDFC Infinia and Citi Prestige. A major reason many users valued the HDFC Diners Black card was its generous 10X rewards program. Now Yes Bank has launched a rival promotion that directly competes with Diners Black: the Festive Privileges offer, which awards 10X points with select partner merchants and up to 2X points on other spends.
Yes Bank Festive Privileges Offer
- Offer period: 10 October 2017 to 31 October 2017.
- 10X reward points on spends at designated partner merchants. No minimum transaction value required to qualify.
- 2X reward points on spends at non-partner merchants (any other online or offline transactions) provided that total combined spends during the offer period (partner + non-partner) exceed ₹100,000. For Yes First Preferred cards, the threshold is ₹50,000.
- Partner merchants: Amazon, MakeMyTrip, OlaCabs, Shoppers Stop, and Reliance Digital.
- The maximum bonus points that can be earned during the offer period are 100,000 bonus reward points. Bonus points refer to the extra points beyond the normal base earning (for example, the additional 9X or 1X). If bonus points would exceed the 100,000 cap, they are limited to this cap; base reward points are still credited in full.
- Example: If a cardholder spends ₹100,000 at Shoppers Stop using the Yes First Exclusive card, the standard reward points are 10,000 and the bonus is 90,000. If the same cardholder spends ₹200,000 at non-partner merchants, the standard reward points are 20,000 and the bonus is 20,000. Total bonus would be 110,000 but will be capped at 100,000. Total points earned become standard points (10,000 + 20,000) + capped bonus (100,000) = 130,000 reward points.
- Spends on both primary and add-on cards count toward the offer.
- No coupon codes or merchant-specific app requirements are necessary to earn these reward points.
- Reward points fulfillment: by 31 December 2017.
What this means for cardholders
- Yes First Exclusive’s base earning rate equals about 2.5%. Under this promotion, purchases at partner merchants effectively yield a 25% value back (10X), while non-partner transactions can yield about 5% back (2X) once the overall spend threshold is met.
- The 100,000 bonus points cap translates to up to ₹25,000 in bonus value in addition to the base points you would normally earn.
- No coupon codes are required, so you can still use any merchant-specific discounts or promo codes while earning the bonus points. This is an improvement over earlier restrictions some premium cards had, where using coupons sometimes invalidated the higher reward multipliers.
- The promotion also covers offline partner spending (for example, Shoppers Stop), making it suitable for both online and in-store shoppers.
- Ola’s inclusion alongside MakeMyTrip and Amazon gives cab-booking users a valuable option; previously similar programs highlighted Uber as a partner for other premium cards.
- Overall, this is a strong, flexible offer without strict item restrictions at partner merchants. For example, travel-related purchases such as railway tickets booked via MakeMyTrip should also qualify for the bonus multipliers.
Yes Bank cards have been recommended by rewards-focused observers because of how aggressive the issuer has been with promotions. If you haven’t yet explored Yes Bank credit cards, consider reviewing the card features to see if they match your spending patterns.
Are you planning to take advantage of this offer during Diwali? Share how you intend to prioritize spends across partner and non-partner merchants to maximize rewards. Happy Diwali in advance to all readers.
Source: Yes Bank terms and conditions for Festive Privileges offers.