Choosing the perfect credit card can feel like a maze, especially with so many options promising fantastic rewards. Today, we're putting two popular travel-focused cards head-to-head: the HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card and the Federal Bank Scapia Credit Card. We'll break down their features, fees, and benefits to help you decide which card deserves a spot in your wallet.
HDFC Regalia Gold: A Deep Dive
The HDFC Regalia Gold is a card marketed toward frequent travelers, but is it worth the hefty fee?
Fees and Welcome Benefits
- Joining and Annual Fee: The card has a joining fee of ₹2,500, plus 18% GST, bringing the total to ₹2,950. The annual fee is also ₹2,500.
- Welcome Gift: You get a welcome gift of gift vouchers worth ₹2,500. However, the value of this benefit is inconsistent. Some users receive valuable vouchers (like Amazon), while others get HDFC's SmartBuy vouchers or reward points. Since one reward point is worth only about ₹0.20 when redeemed for a statement credit, 2,500 reward points would only amount to ₹500 in value, making the "welcome benefit" less than a full refund of the fee.
- Fee Waiver: The annual fee can be waived if you spend over ₹4 lakh in a year.
Rewards and Milestone Benefits
- Reward Structure: You earn just 4 reward points for every ₹150 spent on retail. The value is low:
- Statement Credit: 1 reward point = ₹0.20 (or 0.53% cashback).
- Flights/Hotels: 1 reward point = ₹0.50 (or 1.33% cashback).
- Milestone Benefits: This is where the card tries to shine, but the benefits are conditional.
- Spend ₹1 lakh in the first 90 days: Get a 90-day Swiggy One membership (which is often available for a low price) and a one-year MakeMyTrip (MMT) Black Elite membership. The MMT membership, which offers free cancellations and discounts, is the more valuable perk here.
- Spend ₹5 lakh annually: Get a flight voucher worth ₹5,000.
- Spend ₹7.5 lakh annually: Get another flight voucher worth ₹5,000.
Lounge Access
- Domestic Lounges: You get 12 complimentary lounge access visits per year.
- International Lounges: You get a Priority Pass membership, giving you 6 complimentary international lounge visits per year.
Summary: The HDFC Regalia Gold card is not a good choice for everyday spending due to its high fees and poor reward rate. Its main selling point is the lounge access, but there are better alternatives. The milestone benefits are only useful if you're a high spender and can meet the strict spending targets.
Federal Bank Scapia: The Free Travel Card
The Scapia Credit Card, a collaboration with Federal Bank, is designed for travelers who want rewards without the high costs.
Fees and Benefits
- Zero Fees: The Scapia card has zero joining fees and zero annual fees. This is a massive advantage over the HDFC Regalia Gold.
- Reward Structure: This card offers a much more straightforward and rewarding structure:
- General Spending: Earn 2% cashback on all online and offline spending.
- Travel Bookings: Earn 4% cashback on all travel bookings made through the Scapia app (flights, hotels, etc.).
- Reward Redemption: Cashback is credited as Scapia Coins, with 5 coins equaling ₹1. These coins can be used directly to book travel on the Scapia app, making redemption simple and valuable.
Lounge Access
- Unlimited Domestic Lounge Access: This is a huge perk. You get unlimited complimentary domestic lounge access by meeting a simple spending requirement in the previous month (₹10,000 for Visa, ₹15,000 for Rupay).
- Airport Shopping Benefits: The card also offers a unique benefit of up to ₹1,000 cashback on spending at airport retail outlets in metro cities and up to ₹500 in non-metro cities.
Summary: The Scapia card is an excellent all-rounder. It has no fees and offers a great cashback rate on all spending, especially travel. The unlimited domestic lounge access with an easy-to-meet spending condition makes it a superior choice for frequent flyers compared to the HDFC Regalia Gold.
The Verdict: Which Card Wins?
| Feature | HDFC Regalia Gold | Federal Bank Scapia | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees | ₹2,950 Joining Fee | ₹0 Joining Fee | Scapia 🏆 |
| Daily Rewards | 0.53% - 1.33% | 2% - 4% | Scapia 🏆 |
| Lounge Access | 12 Domestic, 6 Intl. | Unlimited Domestic, 0 Intl. | Scapia (for domestic) |
| Milestones | High-spending tiers | N/A | Regalia (for specific use cases) |
Unless you are a very high spender who exclusively makes large purchases at specific brands like Myntra or Reliance Digital, the Federal Bank Scapia Credit Card is the clear winner for most users.
It provides a transparent and valuable rewards system, has no fees, and offers unlimited domestic lounge access, a benefit that far surpasses what the HDFC Regalia Gold offers for a significant annual fee. While the Regalia Gold might appeal to a select few due to its international lounge access, for the average Indian consumer and traveler, the Scapia card offers a much better value proposition.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The information is based on current card features and terms, which are subject to change. Readers should consult the official bank websites and a financial advisor before making any decisions.
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