IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card
The IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card is a RuPay co-brand built for train travellers. It earns 5 Reward Points per ₹100 (~5% at the ₹1 point value) on IRCTC railway ticket bookings via the IRCTC website and Rail Connect app (capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year), with an additional 5% available on IRCTC tickets booked through HDFC SmartBuy — itself capped at ₹1,000 a month — plus a 1% IRCTC transaction-charge waiver, which also stops at ₹1,000 a month and is reversed proportionally if you cancel. Everyday retail spends earn 1 Reward Point per ₹100 (~1%), capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year. Almost every headline on this card has a ceiling, and they are easy to miss. It adds complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge access at select railway stations (8/year, 2/quarter, valid train ticket required plus a ₹2 validation charge), a ₹500 welcome gift voucher, ₹500 milestone vouchers each quarter on ₹30,000 of spend, and a standard fuel surcharge waiver. Being RuPay, it links to UPI. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend. A focused card that pays off if you book rail regularly.
Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹500 in vouchers, points or cashback on card activation
5% on Travel
5 Reward Points per ₹100 (~5%) on IRCTC rail bookings, capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year. The extra 5% via HDFC SmartBuy is itself capped at ₹1,000 a month (₹12,000 a year), and the 1% IRCTC transaction-charge waiver has its own ₹1,000 monthly ceiling.
1% on Other
1 Reward Point per ₹100 (~1%) on other retail spends, capped 1,000 RP a month and 12,000 a year — 1 point ≈ ₹1 on rail/SmartBuy. UPI spends carry their own 500 RP monthly sub-cap, and grocery its own 1,000 RP monthly cap.
️ Airport Lounge Access
8 complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge visits/year (2/quarter) at select railway stations — not airport lounges. You must present a valid, unexpired train ticket at the entrance, and a ₹2 card-validation charge applies per visit. Includes a 2-hour stay and one buffet meal.
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹500 + 18% GST (₹590 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹1,50,000/year
Milestone Bonus
~₹2,000 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
UPI Linked
Link to PhonePe, GPay or Paytm and earn credit card rewards on UPI payments
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | reward points | 5% | ₹1,000 |
| Other | reward points | 1% | ₹1,000 |
Fees & charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹590 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹590 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹4,600/yr in total.
️ lounge access ~ ₹2,000 /yr
8 complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge visits/year (2/quarter) at select railway stations — not airport lounges. You must present a valid, unexpired train ticket at the entrance, and a ₹2 card-validation charge applies per visit. Includes a 2-hour stay and one buffet meal.
milestone bonus ~ ₹2,000 /yr
₹500 gift voucher each calendar quarter on ₹30,000 of spend in that quarter — ₹2,000 a year only if you clear the bar in all four quarters
fuel waiver ~ ₹600 /yr
1% fuel surcharge waiver at fuel stations across India (standard HDFC terms; per-txn band and monthly cap apply)
Spend milestone
· ₹1,20,000 a year ₹2,000 of value
Should you get it?
Best for: Frequent train travellers who book via IRCTC, RuPay/UPI users wanting rail rewards and station lounges
Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
Strongest value if you spend heavily on Travel ( 5% back).
Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- 5% Reward Points on IRCTC rail bookings, plus a 1% transaction-charge waiver
- Railway Executive Lounge access (8/year) and ₹500 quarterly milestone vouchers
- RuPay UPI linkage; ₹500 welcome voucher
- Low ₹500 fee, waived at ₹1.5 lakh annual spend
✕ Cons
- Outside IRCTC rail bookings it earns a plain 1%
- The 5% rail rate is capped at 1,000 Reward Points a month and 12,000 a year
- The 1% base is capped too — 1,000 RP a month, 12,000 a year
- The 1% IRCTC transaction-charge waiver stops at ₹1,000 a month, and is clawed back on cancellations
- Lounges are railway executive lounges, not airport lounges, and need a valid train ticket
- ₹99 + GST per redemption request, on a currency you can only spend on rail via SmartBuy
- Fuel, wallet loads, rent, government payments, education and online gaming earn nothing
Eligibility & documents
Age
21 –60 years
Min. income
₹25,000 /mo
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
🎁 IRCTC rail ticket bookings via HDFC SmartBuy only (₹1/point, up to 70% of ticket fare)
What your HDFC Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Statement credit / catalogue Standard catalogue & cashback
Gift vouchers (SmartBuy) Brand & e-gift vouchers
SmartBuy flights & hotels BEST Up to ₹0.50/pt on travel via SmartBuy
The concern Outside IRCTC railway bookings the card is a plain 1% earner, and every one of its headline benefits carries a ceiling HDFC does not advertise — 1,000 RP a month on the 5%, 1,000 a month on the base, ₹1,000 a month on the SmartBuy bonus, ₹1,000 a month on the transaction-charge waiver. Points also redeem in one channel only, at ₹99 + GST a request.
The bottom line
For anyone who books trains regularly, this card is an easy recommendation — the 5% rate on IRCTC bookings, combined with the transaction-charge waiver and station lounge access, adds up to real savings when rail travel is a genuine part of your routine. Away from IRCTC, though, it behaves like an unremarkable 1% earner, so its entire value proposition hinges on booking frequency. Frequent train travellers will comfortably recoup the ₹500 fee; occasional ones are less likely to.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card are taken from HDFC Bank 's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page . Last verified 5 Aug 2026 . Reviewed by Devchandra Sah . Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for HDFC Bank . All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2023 · 9 changes · last change May 2026
▲ Revaluation ▼ Devaluation ◆ Neutral / reversed
2026 1 change — 1 cut
▼ Fee Effective 15 May 2026
Dynamic currency conversion markup raised to 1.75%
1% markup → 1.75% markup
HDFC's MITC: "Dynamic currency conversion Markup Fee: With effect from 15th May 2026, a Markup fee of 1.75% will be levied on all transactions carried out in Indian Currency at an international location or at merchants which are located in India but registered overseas." This is separate from, and stacks on top of, the card's ordinary foreign-currency markup. It is the charge you pay for accepting a terminal's offer to bill you in rupees while abroad - always decline that offer and pay in the local currency. It also catches India-based purchases from merchants registered overseas, which is easy to trigger without leaving the country. The PIXEL MITC dates the same change 17 May 2026.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2025 5 changes — 5 cuts
▼ Fee Observed 29 May 2025 · Effective 1 Jul 2025
1% fee added on online skill-gaming; per-transaction fee cap raised
No gaming fee; category 1% fees capped at ₹3,000/txn → 1% fee on skill-gaming above ₹10,000/month; category fee cap raised to ₹4,999/txn
The same 1 July 2025 revision added a 1% fee (capped ₹4,999 per transaction) on online skill-based gaming spends above ₹10,000 a month and standardised the per-transaction cap on the rent/fuel/education/wallet 1% fees to ₹4,999. Marginal for a rail-focused card but part of the card's own dated terms.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Fee Effective 1 Jul 2025
1% fee added on rent, wallet loads and online gaming
No category surcharge on rent, wallet loads or gaming → 1% on rent (cap Rs 4,999 per transaction); 1% on wallet loads and on online skill-based gaming above Rs 10,000 a calendar month (cap Rs 4,999 a month)
HDFC's MITC: "Rent Pay Transactions: W.e.f. 1st July 2025, 1% fee on transaction amount will be levied on rental transactions... Fee capped at Rs 4999 per transaction"; "Wallet Loading (excl PayZapp) - W.e.f. 1st July 2025, 1% fee will be levied on Wallet loading spends exceeding Rs 10,000 in a calendar month"; "Online Skill based Gaming - W.e.f. 1st July 2025, 1% fee... exceeding Rs 10,000 in a calendar month". These are charges on top of the fact that most HDFC cards already earn zero reward points on the same categories - you pay to spend, and earn nothing for it. PayZapp wallet loads are exempt from the wallet fee.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Fee Effective 1 Jul 2025
1% fee on utilities above Rs 50,000 and on third-party education payments
No surcharge on utility or education payments → 1% on utility spends above Rs 50,000 a calendar month (cap Rs 4,999 a month); 1% on education paid through third-party apps
HDFC's MITC: "Utility Charges: 1% fee will be levied on utility spends exceeding Rs 50,000 per Calendar month for consumer cards... Fee capped at Rs 4999 per month"; "Education Charges: 1% fee... on Education transactions done through third party applications like (but not limited to) CRED, Nobroker, Cheq etc." Paying school or college fees DIRECTLY to the institution is not charged - only routing them through a third-party app is. A 1% fee also applies to fuel transactions above Rs 15,000.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Reward Effective 1 Jul 2025
Insurance reward points capped, online gaming stops earning
Insurance uncapped on most cards; online skill-based gaming earned points → Insurance capped at 2,000 reward points a month (5,000 on Diners Black, 10,000 on Infinia); online skill-based gaming earns nothing
HDFC's MITC: "With effect from 1st July 2025, Reward Points accrued for insurance transactions will have a maximum cap of... 2000 per month for all other credit cards" and "With effect from 1st July 2025, Online Skill-Based gaming transactions will not earn Reward Points/CashPoints on all the cards." Insurance premiums are a common way to hit a milestone quickly, so the cap matters more than its size suggests.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Reward Observed 29 May 2025 · Effective 1 Jul 2025
UPI-spend reward points capped and skill-gaming earning removed
UPI spends earned uncapped 1 RP/₹100; no gaming carve-out → UPI-spend points capped at 500 RP/month; no points on online skill-based gaming
HDFC's 29 May 2025 revision (effective 1 July 2025) capped Reward Points earned on UPI transactions at 500 per calendar month and stopped points entirely on online skill-based gaming spends. On a RuPay-on-UPI card this caps the everyday 1% earn on UPI at ₹50,000 of spend a month; the core 5X IRCTC rail earning was untouched.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2024 2 changes — 2 cuts
▼ Fee Effective 1 Aug 2024
1% fee on rent, third-party education, utility and wallet-load spends
No 1% category surcharge → 1% fee on rent, third-party education, high-value utility and wallet-load spends
The card's 1 August 2024 terms introduced a 1% fee on rent payments and on education, utility (above ₹50,000/month) and wallet-load transactions made through third-party apps such as CRED, PayTM and MobiKwik, initially capped at ₹3,000 per transaction. Direct payments to institutions stayed fee-free.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
▼ Reward Effective 1 Aug 2024
Rent, government, education, EMI and wallet spends excluded from earning
Non-IRCTC spends broadly earned 1 RP/₹100 → Rent, government, education, EMI and wallet-load spends earn no reward points
From the card's 1 August 2024 terms, HDFC removed reward-point earning on rent, government, education, EMI and third-party wallet-load transactions. On this card the base 1% general earn is thin anyway, so the practical hit is small, but these spends no longer count toward points.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023 1 change — 1 neutral
◆ Launch Effective 1 Mar 2023
IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card launched
IRCTC and HDFC Bank launched their co-branded railway travel card on 1 March 2023 — the first private-bank IRCTC tie-up — on the RuPay network in a single variant. It debuted with 5 Reward Points per ₹100 on IRCTC train bookings, a 1% IRCTC transaction-charge waiver, 1 RP per ₹100 on other spends, complimentary IRCTC Executive Lounge access, ₹500 quarterly milestone vouchers and a ₹500 welcome benefit, at a ₹500 joining/annual fee.
Verification: HDFC Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
↓ Show all 9 changes Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card value timeline — CardAdvisor
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Quick summary
Type Mid credit card
Reward rate 1%
Best for Frequent train travellers who book via IRCTC
Joining fee ₹500
Annual fee ₹500
Reviewed by
Devchandra Sah · Cards tested, miles earned, trips booked — for over a decade
Last verified 5 Aug 2026
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