HDFC Regalia Credit Card comes with travel, shopping, dining, and other lifestyle benefits. It is best suited for those who want to earn reward points on purchases done through credit cards. It also offers complimentary international as well as domestic lounge access every year along with a low markup fee.
Recently, HDFC launched a new offering i.e. Regalia Gold Credit Card that offers some of the best lifestyle and travel benefits. It is ideal for persons who love a lavish lifestyle. In this article, we will be comparing which card is better HDFC Regalia or HDFC Regalia Gold.
Comparison of Fees
Both Regalia and Regalia Gold credit cards charge INR 2500 as their joining fees. But, in the case of Regalia, there is a waiver of the annual fees when INR 3 lakhs or more are spent, and in the case of Regalia Gold, there is an annual fee waiver when INR 4 lakhs or more are spent.
| REGALIA | REGALIA GOLD | |
| Joining Fee | INR 2500+GST | INR 2500+GST |
| Welcome Membership | None | Complimentary Club Vistara Silver Tier and MMT Black Elite Membership |
| Welcome Benefit | 2500 Reward Points if the joining fee is paid | INR 2500 GV if the fee is paid |
| Annual Fee | INR 2500+GST | INR 2500+GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | INR 3 Lakhs spend in a membership year | INR 4 Lakhs spend in a membership year |
| Renewal Benefit | 2500 Reward Points if the renewal fee is paid | None |
Comparison of Rewards and Benefits
| Category | Regalia | Regalia Gold |
| Base Rewards | 4 RP per INR 150 ~1.3% | 4 RP per INR 150 ~1.3% |
| Spends at 5X Partners | NA | 20 RP per INR 150 ~6.7% |
| Milestone Rewards | Get 10000 Reward Points on INR 5 Lakhs spent in the membership year Get an additional 5000 Reward Points is more than INR 8 Lakhs spent during the anniversary year. | INR 1500 GV on INR 1.5 Lakhs spent in a calendar quarter. The options are Marriott, Myntra, Marks and Spencer, or Reliance Digital. Get an INR 5000 flight voucher on INR 5 Lakhs spend Get an INR 5000 flight voucher on INR 7.5 Lakhs spend |
| Complimentary Lounge Access | 12 complimentary visits to airport lounges per calendar year within India, at both domestic and international terminals (6 each) Complimentary Priority Pass membership with 6 complimentary lounge access in a calendar year, outside of India One add-on member is also allowed with Priority Pass membership | Complimentary Priority Pass Membership on completing 4 retail transactions on the card Avail up to 6 complimentary lounge visits per calendar year (primary + add-on member) 12 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year |
| Redemption Options | Redeem on SmartBuy for: Flights and Hotel Booking Airmiles Products and vouchers Cashback | In addition to SmartBuy redemption options like Regalia, an Exclusive Gold Catalogue is available for redemption against premium brands |
| Waiver of Fees | Get a waiver of fees on spending INR 3 lakhs in the preceding year | Get a waiver of fees on spending INR 4 lakhs in the preceding year |
| Insurance Benefits | Get an insurance cover of more than INR 1 crore as mentioned below: Air accident death cover of INR 1 crore Emergency overseas hospitalization cover of INR 15 lakh Credit liability cover worth INR 9 lakh | Get an insurance cover of more than INR 1 crore as mentioned below: Air accident death cover of INR 1 crore Emergency overseas hospitalization cover of INR 15 lakh Credit liability cover worth INR 9 lakh |
SmartBuy Rewards
Apart from the differences, the Regalia Credit Card and Regalia Gold Credit Card share some common benefits. The bonus rewards SmartBuy cap is 4000 reward points per calendar month and 2000 RP per day.
| SHOPPING CATEGORY | REWARDS | VALUE AT 1RP = 50 PAISE |
| IGP.com | 10X | 13.3% |
| Flights | 5X | 6.6% |
| Hotels | 10X | 13.3% |
| IRCTC | 3X | 3.9% |
| Redbus | 5X | 6.6% |
| Instant Voucher | 5X | 6.6% |
| Apple Tresor | 5X | 6.6% |
| Flipkart | 3X | 3.9% |
Advantages of Regalia Gold over Regalia Credit Card
- 5X reward partners – Marks & Spencer, Myntra, Reliance Digital and Nykaa
- Better milestone benefits with extra return on spending.
- Access to new mile transfer partners like Aeroplane and LifeMiles.
Which is better?
- With Regalia, the cardholders can earn bonus reward points on reaching spending milestones, but with Regalia Gold the cardholders can avail flight vouchers up to INR 10,000.
- Though the reward rate is the same in both cards, HDFC Regalia Gold offers accelerated earnings on certain brands along with the option to redeem the accumulated rewards against the Exclusive Gold Catalogue, which has some premium brands.
Should this card be opted for?
Regalia Gold Credit Card is best suited for high-spenders who love to spend most of their expenses using their credit cards to make the most of its reward program. The rewards accumulated can be used to avail benefits on some premium brands with the help of Exclusive Gold Catalogue or converted into air miles to get travel benefits.
| Opt for HDFC Regalia if: | Opt for HDFC Regalia Gold if: |
| If one travels a few times a year and would like to avail of free lounge access. If one is a high spender and would like to get decent reward points for regular purchases and also get milestone benefits in the form of reward points. If one does not have preferences when it comes to reward redemption. | If one is a high-spender and can accumulate substantial rewards. If one would like the option to redeem his/ her rewards against premium brands in addition to air mile conversion, etc. If one would prefer travel vouchers instead of bonus rewards, as a milestone benefit. |
Bottom Line
The HDFC Regalia range of credit cards is one of the best choices for those who live a lavish lifestyle. This card comes with elite privileges and benefits across multiple categories, travel, dining, movies, etc. even though both of them charge an annual fee of INR 2500, and are best in their own ways, but the Regalia Gold is slightly better amongst the two.
Upgrading to a new card can be beneficial when one has been using a basic card for a long and now has become eligible for more premium cards. Since the features, benefits, and reward redemption, are better in the case of HDFC Regalia Gold. Hence, it is better for the Regalia cardholders to switch over to Regalia Gold.
