HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Metal Edition Credit Card review
The closest thing to Infinia that you can actually apply for: same 3.3% travel value, unlimited lounges and good milestones. It suits high earners who spend ₹8 lakh or more a year and redeem points for travel. Carry a Visa or Mastercard as backup, because Diners Club acceptance is patchy.
Fees
₹10,000 a year + GST. Renewal fee waived if you spend ₹8 lakh in the 12 months before renewal. Forex markup 2%.
Rewards
Cashback pays up to ₹0.30 a point, products and vouchers up to ₹0.50. SmartBuy flights and hotels pay ₹1 (points can cover up to 70% of the booking), and airline miles transfer at up to 1:1. No redemption fees.
- Dining out: 1% – Base rate on weekdays. On Saturdays and Sundays, standalone restaurants earn 2X (10 points per ₹150, about 2% at base value).
- Groceries: 1% – Grocery points capped at 2,000 a month
- Fuel: 0% – No points on fuel and no fuel surcharge waiver
- Flights & hotels: 1% – Base rate when booked directly. SmartBuy pays 10X on hotels and 5X on flights; extra SmartBuy points are reportedly capped at 10,000 a month.
- Bills: 1% – Utility points capped at 2,000 a month; telecom bills have a separate 2,000-point cap
- Rent: 0% – No points on rent; 1% fee capped at ₹3,000
- Insurance: 1% – Insurance points capped at 5,000 a month
- Education: 1% – Earns only when paid directly to the institution; third-party apps earn nothing
- UPI with a credit card: 0% – Diners Club card, so it can't be used for UPI payments
- Foreign currency: 1% – Earns base points; 2% forex markup. Diners Club is not accepted everywhere abroad.
- Everything else: 1%
On a typical spending pattern this card gives back about ₹4,200 a year.
What’s good
- 5 points per ₹150, worth about 3.3% when redeemed for flights, hotels or air miles
- 10,000 bonus points each quarter you spend ₹4 lakh
- Unlimited lounge access in India and abroad, for add-on cardholders too
- 6 free golf games a quarter and a 24x7 concierge
- Double points on weekend restaurant bills
What’s not
- Diners Club isn't accepted at some Indian shops and many places abroad
- Points are worth only ₹0.30 as cashback; full value needs SmartBuy travel or airline transfers
- No points or surcharge waiver on fuel
- ₹10,000 fee and an income bar of ₹2.5 lakh a month
Lounge access
Domestic: Unlimited, for primary and add-on cardholders. International: Unlimited, for primary and add-on cardholders (1,300+ lounges in India and abroad; no guests).