HDFC Diners Black Credit Card Annual Fee increased to Rs.10,000

By | May 19, 2021

Yes, you heard it right. The annual charges for India’s most rewarding credit card HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card is increasing from Rs.5,000+GST to Rs.10,000+GST from 1st Jan 2020. That makes this card to be treated in par with Infinia which is more of an invite only card.

Further, you no longer get the 5000 welcome bonus points on joining/renewal, rather you get the membership benefits that has been recently introduced.

Does this change matter?

Well, for most who hold this card, they can spend well above Rs.5L in a year to get the annual charges waived off, so it doesn’t matter for most.

But yes, it is indeed a bad news for those who can’t reach that spend, especially a problem when you have multiple Diners Black in the family.

Even then, remember that the fee is very much acceptable when you get 10X rewards. And of course, You may even redeem your points to offset your fees.

That aside, if you’re holding the card as Lifetime Free, this change won’t affect you.

My Thoughts

I think it makes sense for HDFC to increase the fee, as this card has improved a lot since its launch. Just incase if you don’t know, the card actually had 10K annual fee but it got reduced to 5K recently and now they’re only switching back to what it was before, probably because they got enough # of customers now.

What do you think about this move? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks to Sharathkumar Anbu for sharing the update.

Author: Siddharth

Helping Indians to choose right credit cards, pick right offers and enjoy luxury vacations for less. Day & night exploring the spiritual reality of our human existence.

185 thoughts on “HDFC Diners Black Credit Card Annual Fee increased to Rs.10,000

  1. Ganga prasad

    The new features on the upgraded card are wonderful , And its fair to increase the joining fee of the most rewarding card in india.

    Reply
  2. Surya

    World over, renewal benefits isnt a common thing. You get a welcome bonus and then you pay the fee for the annual benefits. Hell I would gladly pay a much higher fee for this golden card!

    Reply
  3. Sharad

    If they are increasing fee and making this at par with infinia then ideally they should increase the 10x limit to 25000 points from 15000 points presently.

    Reply
  4. Abhijeet

    Most of us will exit from this card if their spend on the card is not 42000 per month.. This move will cause reduction in liabilities for the bank. For those chosen few who have net income as 1.75 lacs and 42k inr monthly card spend on diners network and for those who have it ltf, this card is still a gold.
    There are many people in this forum from the bank itself and may throw some light on what is the objective.

    Reply
  5. Chintan

    Fees isn’t a problem, i can easily cross 5l spend, but what if i doesn’t, they have not mentioned it anywhere that payment of renewal fees makes you eligible for memberships, i guess the feature is limited to welcome benefit only.

    Reply
  6. Mudit

    For the Lifetime free card holders, will the benefits be renewed when the card is renewed after an year for free ?
    I guess the benefit might get renewed only if the annual fees is paid even for the LTF cards.

    Reply
      1. Ankit

        I called again and this time they confirmed that the fee is increased to Rs. 10,000 + GST. However, he also mentioned that there would not be any membership benefit. These benefits will only be provided if the cardholder has spent 8L in the year.
        I won’t be surprised if i get a different response by calling them again. HDFC really needs to improve on this aspect, maybe learn a bit from Amex.

        Reply
      1. Vijay

        If you are an Imperia customer, there is a very good chance of getting DCB as LTF. However this alone is not the criteria. Having a good relationship with the bank definitely helps. DCB LTF are given on a case to case basis. There is no ‘One Size Fits All’ rule here.

        Reply
    1. Mudit

      even For LTF cards, the annual benefit (subscriptions) is not applicable without paying the renewal fees.

      Reply
      1. GTMAX

        Mudit,

        From 2nd year onwards for a new DCB card holder or on completion of DCB card anniversary for existing card holder after 1st Dec 2019, a person will get the renewal benefit of those free memberships only on achieving 8L spends in the preceding year. Now it does not matter whether the card holder has a free or a paid variant as DCB fees are anyways waived off on achieving spends of 5L

        Reply
    2. devender kumar

      Hi Vijay,

      How did you get it for lifetime free? My relationship manager is saying no such thing exists.

      Reply
  7. Aditya Date

    Hi Siddharth,
    I’m not sure if this had been posted before, but recently hdfc is offering ltf dcb for premium college graduates. Namely ISB, IIMs , XLRI, MDI, IIT B and IIT M. Moreover it has an embossing of the institute you are from.
    I am myself an ISB graduate and have confirmed news of this from my school body as well as alumni. Can send a pic to you that is being floated. Just applied to convert my paid dcb card to ltf card. did my application offline through an hdfc agent. Will confirm and share a pic once I get my card with the ISBAA ( Indian school of Business alumni association) embossing.

    Reply
  8. Nirav

    1. Does this move affects cards issued with old pricing i.e. 5k+GST?
    2. For new DCB card, if person spend less than 5 Lac per year and pay 10k+GST, will s/he get annual subscription benifits or not?
    As per their info, annual benefits only on spending 8 Lacs.
    So person who pay10k+GST will get nothing in return?

    Reply
  9. SG

    With all these changes being applicable on the old DCB as well, I’m wondering what’s the point of the “new” DCB anyway?

    Sid, are you planning to get the new DCB with the new Bin?

    Reply
  10. Varun

    I got updated to Diners black 2 months before from Diners Premium. How do i know if the card is LTF? Do they give some information with the welcome kit?

    Reply
    1. Shubhendu

      Even this should be LTF. This is what the customer care informed me. To be extra sure, attach some insurance payments, postpaid bills etc. This would help further your case in changing Diners Black to LTF as well

      Reply
  11. Maheem

    I want to go for a HDFC DCB but the bank is only offering Regalia LTF for now.
    They said they will push for a DCB upgrade after 6 months. I am confused between which way to go for DCB
    via the Regalia upgrade or Diners Club Privelege way.

    Reply
  12. Chintan

    Hi, my card is first year free and is issued to me on 09th November,
    today as i visited hdfcbankdinersclub . poshvine . com portal i am able to login and can see Claim offer in all the welcome benefits. i called customer care, they said as the card is issued after 1st Nov i am eligible

    Reply
    1. Gagan

      Hi @Chintan,

      So, you gt any message/mail with this page link to go and activate? I got the card issued last week and have done transactions. Also statement is generated – the card was issued like 2 days before billing date.

      But still when I got to this portal it says mobile no. not yet registered/active.

      Reply
      1. Chintan

        Try after a week or two, the hdfcs mail and sms communication is never on time. When i received my communication i had already claimed all the benefits.

        Reply
    2. PRATEEK

      I got my DCB card on Dec 16, 2019. Till date I have not got the welcome benefits.

      Reply
    1. Chintan

      Claimed all the Welcome privileges.
      Amazon prime is not there to claim yet.

      Reply
    2. Yog

      Same with me. Got everything else except amazon prime. Did you speak to Customer care about it ? As in by when can we claim Amazon Prime ? Thanks.

      Reply
  13. Archit

    Yes, got the text alert from HDFC confirming the changes. This is what it says.

    Attention, HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Cardholders. From 1st January 2020, your revised annual membership fees will be
    Rs 10,000 + GST, and the current 5,000 Reward Points benefit will be discontinued.

    Reply
  14. Nakul Kedia

    I have just applied for a DCB. Just curious to know if the points can be redeemed against the statement ? As in can they be used as cash to settle the statement ?

    Reply
  15. Bhairav

    This can be LTF if you’ve graduated from a premier management institute.
    IIMs, FMS, MDI, NMIMS etc.
    Check with your RM – all they want is a copy of your degree certificate.

    Reply
    1. Priyansh

      Are all such cards LTF?
      Got my card delivered today itself with institute name, but not aware if it’s LTF and if I have any joining benefits.

      Upgraded from clubmiles.

      Reply
  16. Mr. Verma

    Sid,
    Please do a review now between HDFC Infinia and DCB ?
    IF a person has to select one, which one should we go for.- considering if both are LTF or both are paid.

    Reply
    1. Neo

      Mr Verma,
      I would strongly advise you to go through the Infinia & Diners threads & go through the comments. Both of them are wonderful cards & there isnt a standard response to the same.

      Reply
  17. sagar chatterjee

    So is it a better card than Citi Prestige? I have a limit of 6.5 lakh. Can i apply it against that?

    Reply
  18. Sid S

    Now that the fees for DCB is increased, payzapp should be included as 10x partner.

    Reply
  19. Shail J

    Updated on Diners portal:

    Attention: With effect from 1st January 2020, the Annual / Renewal Fees will be Rs 10,000/- + GST, and the current 5,000 Reward Points benefit towards payment of card fees will be discontinued.
    – Spend Rs. 5 Lakhs in 12 Months and get Renewal Fee waived for next renewal year
    – Spend Rs. 8 Lakhs in 12 Months and get complimentary Annual Membership Benefits at the time of card anniversary
    – Customers currently on LTF pricing, will continue to be on LTF

    Reply
  20. Palguna Rao

    Hi Guys,

    Out of the topic question, I’ve spent 25k around on Book my show in the month of September. I’ve called the cc as I didn’t get the 9x rewards for these txns, CC guy asking me for the Invoice of the txns. Unfortunately, I’ve delered those mails and as I bought gift cards this won’t be tracked on the BMS account also.

    PS: in the statement, these txns its clearly showing BOOK MY SHOW as the merchant.

    Please share your thoughts guys, how to proceed?

    Reply
    1. Saveri Pal

      I think they take around 90 days as to give the 10x rewards after the calender month is over. So these should be reflected in Jan Statement. Meanwhile you can send them screenshots of the transaction from your credit card bill

      Reply
  21. Samudra Mukherji

    I got this card lifetime free my submitting my XLRi MBA certificate.

    Reply
      1. Sukant

        I also got the card LTF by submitting my IITM certificate. I got an email from IITM alumni association with the contact details for all the location. The person collected certificate, aadhaar copy, salary slips and the upgrade form though it was DCB to DCB LTF. Now it has IIT MAA embossed in it.

        Reply
        1. Devansh Patel

          Any chance you still have the email/contact details? I don’t think I got any such email

          Reply
        2. AMIT

          I Sukant , please share the contact details, would like to know if Its available for BITS Pilani too

          Reply
  22. Dishant Kuberwala

    I am Dishant having preferred saving account with hdfc for a long time. I have given money back card just after opening an account. Then by i have given upgrade to regalia first within 2 years. Meanwhile very good Smartbuy use they have upgraded my card to Regalia after using first for 2-3 years. The limit of regalia is 3,78,000. I have pre approved Jumbo loan of 7,50,000 (just fo you consideration). I want know that may I get infinia card within next 2-3 months of i have to wait like I frequently gets upgrades. Do I have any particular limit on my existing card to get invited for infinia? Do they give only to their Imperia customers? Please clear my doubts. I have 9 others cards with average 1.5lac limit each.

    Reply
  23. Vikram

    Not sure if it’s just me but I believe that HDFC is kind of themselves not sure what they’re trying to achieve. Firstly they’ve got to the first bank to have 2 versions of the same card in circulation. They’re also the first to offer an upgrade on a card to itself at the payment of a premium. And not all can do that upgrade. Only after December 1, 2019 the current DCB holders will get to know if they’re eligible to this upgrade. Well, if both the cards are on par then what does this eligibility mean? If they’re not the same then what makes them think that their customers would pay the same fee for the lesser variant too? Off late I am kind of upset with HDFC. I’ve been their customer for over 9 years now and at this point I am beginning to feel that they could have treated me better. Their logic behind upgrades and eligibility calculation could easily enter the Guinness book of world records for the most stupidest logic on the face of planet Earth.

    Reply
  24. Vikram

    And to add to that, I have had the DCB card since March 2016. The first year fees was 10K and from second year onwards it has been 5K. Never once have got the joining/renewal benefits. A couple of months before saw a huge deal of points being lapsed from my account. Questioned them and they said that they wrongly credited me joining benefits and are removing it now.

    Reply
  25. Vic

    I would say not the best move for new customers, bound to lose some customer (old and prospective ones)
    1) Renewal benefits gone, though 5L spend would make card free, but need 8L for membership benefits. ( Will infinia continue to give renewal benefits?)
    2) Some can’t regularly spend 5L or 8L per year.
    3) I think Hdfc doesn’t give points for wallet load, emi.
    4) Diners acceptance still lower than visa/master worldwide (now that the fee is like infinia, which is invite only)
    5) Still high rewards, 10x program, redemption on flights, hotels 100% and 50% on statement.

    Was thinking of upgrading to diners.
    What I want to see is what’s the competition going to come up with?
    SCB ultimate is an option, redemption is the biggest problem right now for it.

    Reply
  26. Mickey

    @ Vikram –

    you forgot to mention that HDFC card also has the distinction of the WORST + rudest phone customer care who I believe have been specially trained to behave like this

    Reply
    1. Abhijeet

      Disagree with you about customer care. If you hold dcb or infinia the customer care will practically answer your questions. You just need to be rightly asking them with specific data.

      Reply
    2. Vikram

      Sad to hear about your experience. I haven’t faced any rudeness from them but most of the time they sound clueless. Not just the customer care but the bank itself seems clueless some times. For example the say that the Infinia is an invite only card. But if you go to the “Forms Center” in their website you can download an credit card upgrade form and apply for an upgrade to Infinia. It may get rejected but still if you call a card invite only and the customer care and your RM say it’s indeed invite only then why have a form for the upgrade and waste the time of your own customers? I’ve heard a lot of bad things about their concierge. I don’t have much experience with respect to their Diners Black/Infinia concierge but their Diners Rewards concierge kind of bewildered me but that was over 6 years ago. Their customer care has definitely improved over the years in my personal experience but they still have a long way to go especially since they’re the leaders in the credit card segment.

      Reply
  27. Srikkanth

    HDFC net banking gave option to upgrade the existing dcb to new dcb under credit card upgrade tab by showing fee of 5k

    Reply
  28. M s murty

    Just gone through my net banking, wherein found upgradation to new diners black, with an annual fee of Rs.5000/-. Not yet opted for

    Reply
  29. Hussain

    Hey Bro , I am getting new upgrade option
    DINERS BLACK CARD INTL To NEW DINERS BLACK INTL
    is it still the same ?

    Reply
  30. Kiran

    I think, we need to evaluate the spends vs rewards vs annual fees to atleast offset the fees. I got Amex MMRC so that I can earn at least 18000 points and get a statement credit of 7500.00 every year. this alone strategy would help me to manage DCB and Amex both.
    But with the recent increase in the annual fees, by DCB, not sure, how to maximize the benefits out of diners.

    Also, please can someone advise, any way to get DCB for life time free.

    Additional information-
    1. I have a good relationship with HDFC (my salary and my wife’s savings account)
    2. Have been using HDFC credit card since 10 years. (Current ones- DCB)
    3. My wife has opted for an FD and MF.
    4. I already have a housing loan and a top up loan going on in HDFC.
    5. Cibil score- I have excellent cibil score.
    6. I have not done my education in a premier business school.
    7. I was able to cross 5L last year, but won’t be able to cross this year.

    Reply
  31. Ramesh Kumar

    Now upgrade to new diners black is shown, but fees shown as 5K+GST. Not sure, where it’s bug or really it’s 5K only.

    Reply
    1. Shail J

      It’s 5k now and will increase to 10k starting 1 Jan, ’20. So if you opt for a priced card, you will pay 5k now and 10k upon renewal 2nd Yr onwards if the spend threshold isn’t met.

      Reply
    2. Amit Attry

      HDFC is giving the following options to existing DCB holders to get new welcome benefits.

      For existing HDFC Bank Diners Club Black customers:
      1) You can avail complimentary annual membership benefits by:On achieving annual spend milestone of Rs. 8 Lakhs at the time of card anniversary on your existing Diners Black card.
      (Card anniversary is 12 months from card open month)
      2) You can avail complimentary welcome membership benefits immediately by:
      a) Upgrading to a new HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card with joining/ renewal fees of Rs. 5000/- (To upgrade visit NetBanking or call PhoneBanking after 1st December 2019)
      or
      b)Introductory offer: Upon achieving spend milestone of Rs 2.50 Lakhs in the period Aug to Oct 2019 or Nov to Jan 2020, your card will be eligible for new Diners Club Black upgrade after 1st December 2019 (under current pricing of your card)

      Reply
    3. Jambui

      fees increase is effective 1st jan so still 5k for anyone new or renewal for benefits

      Reply
    4. Chintan

      The fee is going to increase from 1st Jan, claim the upgrade in December :p

      Reply
  32. Vikram

    Guys, I think they 5k annual fee they’re mentioning for the upgrade is because you’ve probably already paid 5k for your current DCB card. HDFC is notorious for leaving customers guessing most of the times. So beware. It maybe just 5K now but I don’t think it will last even a year. During renewal, the time of which I suppose they’ll calculate based on your current DCB card (which in my case is in March), they’re likely to charge 10K again. I would recommend you to talk to customer care but I am not sure how much of a help that would be. I remember a few months ago I spoke to customer care asking if there’s any way I could upgrade to Infinia from my DCB. They told me “Sorry sir. The Diners Black is an invite only card and you can’t apply.” I was taken aback. I told them that I already have one for over 3 years now and what I wanted to know was if I could upgrade to Infinia. They offered upgrade to Regalia. Not sure if I was wrong in thinking that the Regalia was below DCB or if they are wrong in thinking that the Regalia is above the DCB.

    Reply
  33. SG

    I’m not getting the option to upgrade to new DCB in NetBanking 😞. Phonebanking isn’t able to do much.

    Reply
  34. Vikram

    Honestly, I think HDFC is incapable of handling the number of customers they’ve accumulated and are trying different ways to trim off a some.

    Reply
  35. Jatin Poptani

    Now upgrade to new diners black is shown, but fees shown as 5K+GST. I have spend more than 2.5 lacs during the period Aug’19-Oct’19. Called Customer care, they are telling me that i need to still pay 5k+GST in order to get this upgrade.
    What was the point of spend condition as i can anyways get this card by paying 5k joining fees?
    Can anybody explain if you fall in the similar condition.

    Reply
  36. Dr.Hardik Patel

    But I already spent 2.5L during aug to oct 2019 but my netbanking still shows upgrade to new diners black with 5000 fees…so i want to ask if I already spent required amount then if I upgrade do i have to pay 5000 fees? Please immediately reply…

    Reply
    1. Pragyan

      I am having same issue. Called the customer care and they couldn’t provide a suitable response. My take is to wait for sometime and try calling the customer care again. In the mean time lets hope HDFC intimate those users who falls in this 2.5 lacs upgrade category.

      Reply
      1. Sam

        So my existing DCB was (according to customer care), first year free and then 5L spends would waive off the renewal fee. I’ve had this for 2 years now. I called customer care and asked for the upgrade to the new DCB with the new benefits, based on their 2.5L spend offer. They upgraded me to the new DCB under the same terms – first year free, next year onwards, 5L spend would waive renewal fee. And 8L spend will let me keep annual memberships.

        Reply
    2. SG

      2.5 lac thing is only beneficial for people who are currently using LTF DCB as it allows them to retain current pricing after upgrade.

      Reply
      1. Mouli

        SG,
        Mine is LTF and spent 2.5 also but not seeing any option to upgrade,do you find any ?

        Reply
        1. AshishR

          mouli, can you pls mention full diners card name printed on ur netbanking/mobile app

          example “diners black intl”

          Reply
    3. kiran amruthavaakkula

      It shows Rs.5000/- fee, but you can apply and you will get the card for free, I confirmed with customer care, Got the card for free and using it now.

      Reply
  37. Shivi

    It’s not only the card fees that has gone up from December for DCI cards; their MDR for merchants has also gone up by 0.5-0.75% which makes them more expensive than even Internationally issued Visa/Mastercard!

    Reply
  38. Prashant Gupta

    Has anyone got the voucher for spending 80K in a month. When do we get it? when do we go to the link for redemption : after statement generation?

    Reply
    1. Mouli

      Prashant

      Checked with CC they said after 30 days you will get sms with voucher,but they are sure about that,when I asked how you will send voucher before I select the options then they said will get sms for option selection
      After we select the options then they will send the respective vouchers

      Reply
  39. Kiran

    I think having infinia is better than Diners black. Because with 10k+gst on diners, you get nothing. However, with infinia you can still get 10k reward points.

    Assuming that someone ends up spending below 5L. The cardholder has to pay the renewal fees , be it diners or infinia.

    Hence I think if infinia can give renewal benefits it works for me.

    Can someone shed some light on this.

    Reply
    1. Prashant Gupta

      In current case i was also thinking the same plus with visa infinite version you get bookmyshow 1+1 offer. There might be later on some changes in infinia too as most will opt for infinia now.

      Reply
      1. Ramesh Kumar

        For me still DCB better compared to infinia, because of 10x partners. Yes agree, there is less limit on Smartbuy compared to infinia.

        Visa infinite program(VIP as shown on BookMyShow) is 50% off upto Rs.500 on booking more than ticket(I have booked 3 tickets and got 50% off on total amount using SCB ultimate and Axis vistara infinite) + 100% off on food & beverages upto Rs.200. But daily quota limit is there mostly booking done before 8 or 9 AM will work.

        Reply
        1. Ramesh Kumar

          Correction: 50% off upto Rs.300 on tickets, no cap on number of tickets.

          Reply
      2. Mudit

        I guess that Infinia is Invite Only. You cannot “Opt” for Infinia.
        And those who are spending less than even 5l per annum, I doubt if they will get the invite. (Imperia and HNI may be exceptions, but then ideally they wud also have spends >5lpa)

        Reply
  40. Kiran

    @Mudit, Ramesh and Prashant-

    Last year i did spend more than 5 lakhs on DCB. I have mentioned some additional points in comments, as well regarding my status and relationship with the bank and i can get one or two more account opened in HDFC with my references.

    If i directly send mail to chennai address with proper reasoning and documents, what are my chances of getting infinia approved.

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      There is an option in new upgrade form(maybe from 2019) to select infinia, maybe you can give it a try by sending form to Chennai address, if you feel infinia adds more value to based on your spending pattern compared to DCB. If your spending is continuously high and having long relationships with HDFC then mostly they’ll honour your request. In my case, I got upgrade from HDFC moneyback card to DCB with ~300% credit limit enhancement.

      Reply
  41. Points Pandit

    So I was eligible for DCB upgrade basis 2.5 lakh spends in Aug-Oct series. I called the customer care on 3rd December asking for upgrade to new DCB as per the T&C. Customer care checked on the system and confirmed that I m eligible for free upgrade. They did DoB and Address verification along with OTP on IVR. Got a confirmation message within 24 hours with new card number. On 5th Dec, I have received the card.

    Will get the membership benefits after card activation.

    Reply
    1. Sam

      Did you have an LTF card, or first year free? And did they upgrade you LTF, or only waive the first year fee? I had a first-year free DCB, and they upgraded me under the same terms.

      Reply
  42. GCA

    Well i was holding on to Diners Club Miles since November Last Year. Was expecting only Limit Enhancement Offer but to my surprise was offered Diners Club Black in Netbanking (Was not expecting untill 2 more years) with 5K Joining Fee. I applied for upgrade on 4th and received upgraded card today (in less than 36 hours) but surprisingly they sent the old black card design and not the new one although the letter clearly mentions new membership benefits. Strange! Don’t know what HDFC is up to. I guess even they themselves don’t know what they should do with the new design.
    BTW has anyone even got the newly designed card or is it just available as design on the website and the physical card is same as the old one? Or are they currently replenishing the old card stock? 😂

    Reply
  43. Vikram

    Here’s more info about the cluelessness of HDFC and it’s employees about their own products and features. Spoke to my RM on Wednesday. Asked him what sense it makes to have 2 different versions of the same card with same annual fee but one having lesser privileges than the other. He said that’s not even possible and there’s only one DCB. I told him that I know a lot of people who’ve got the option to upgrade from their old DCB to the new one and he was still in denial. He was trying to convince me that they should’ve had Regalia or some other card before and not a DCB. I asked him to open the HDFC Diners Club website while I was still on the call and asked him to read the info in that page. He himself was shocked at the info about possibility to upgrade from DCB to DCB. He promised to get back to me with more information soon. As you can see it has been more than 2 days and he hasn’t gotten back to me yet. Generally when he wants to contact me he calls me multiple times a day. This time it’s kind of clear that no one he has approached has an answer either. I have never been given 5k points for the renewal fee. I kind of feel that this is where it should end between me and HDFC. I still have a home loan with them and I wish to limit to just that and sever other ties with HDFC. Problem is that I am not a traveller. So most other top of the line cards are not useful to me. Already have SCB Ultimate which I use quite extensively. Still looking at other options.

    Reply
  44. simplyBazinga

    Wanted to check if Amazon Prime Now purchases are included for 10X rewards

    Reply
  45. ND

    Got same upgrade offer (Introductory Offer for 2.5L spend) as Points Pandit and same procedure. In my case CC called me directly. Took the upgrade.

    Few imp things for everyone’s benefit:
    1. Enjoy benefits for 12 months complimentary
    2. Achieve 8L spend in following year and these benefits will get renewed.
    3. Paying fees won’t get you complimentary benefits. It’s strictly 8L spend based.
    4. For LTF cards, same 8L rule applies for upgrade.

    Reply
  46. Vikram

    Guys, I see the option to upgrade to new Diners Black and the annual fee is listed as 10k (no info on GST) and reward conversion is 100%. I called up customer care and asked them and they say fee will be charged within 90 days of the card issuance. Not sure why I have to pay 10k while others get it for 5k. Customer care as usual is clueless. Can someone here explain? Is anyone else experiencing the same?

    Reply
  47. Vikram

    Spoke to customer care again and asked why while others are getting the upgrade option for 5k I alone have to pay 10k. I was told that the annual charge has been revised and so it’s 10k. Then I reminded them that it’s only from 1st Jan 2020 that the revised rate applies and why I should pay that now. They told me that the fee will charged only after 90 days of the card issuance which would be in Feb 2020 if I chose to upgrade now itself and so the revised fee will be applicable. So it might be the same for the other folks mentioning here that their fee is just 5k. I mean you might be in for a surprise when the actual charge is levied. So be wary of that.

    Reply
    1. Neo

      HDFC is funny. I had my DCB renewal this November. My DCB is LTF & the spends > 8L, got the message from poshvine to avail the complimentary memberships. Checked netbanking today & there was an offer to upgrade to a “New Diners Black” card. I am scratching my head over what that means.
      Bright side, they had some limit enhancement offer which is availed. Love HDFC & their systems

      Reply
    2. Captain Bishuddha Bharatiya

      It’s showing Rs. 10k now in my and my wife’s ac. Earlier in my ac. it was 5k.

      Reply
    3. SG

      Same here, annual fee showing as 10k and customer care has no clue why. I’ve asked the RM if I can be upgraded to Infinia and then I’ll evaluate my options.

      Reply
      1. SG

        While my RM is looking into possibility of upgrading to Infinia, I will wait and watch till Jan to see how Diners 10X and Smartbuy Instant Vouchers hold till then.

        If SmartBuy Vouchers continue to keep popular merchants like Big basket, Big bazaar, Uber etc. then there’s no real need for Diners 10X. Ofcourse if HDFC decides to remove 10k RP benefit on Infinia then I’ll keep my DCB.

        Reply
    4. DD

      I too see the upgrade to New Diners Black offer on NetBanking. I called the Cust Service. As per the rep, the first year charge is levied only if the spends are lesser than 1 lakh in the first 120 days; and the advertised memberships are provided.
      On asking whether he was sure about it, he said that he has confirmed the above with his manager.

      Reply
  48. vaibhav

    I got a supplemntary card of my wife on my diners black card. But the card no and CVV no is same as mine. This mean when she transacts the OTP will come on my mobile? How to solve this. I want the OTP to comer on her mobile ?

    Reply
    1. Amit

      Hi, when you applied for the add on card, in the terms and conditions it is mentioned that OTP will come on primary card holders mobile no. only. I am also facing the same issue and it seems there is no solution for this

      Reply
  49. Vikram

    Today my RM got back to me (I’d mentioned in a previous post that he promised to get back to me with more details regarding the DCB both old and new). He promised me that even the old card had all the benefits of the new card and that I need not worry. He still couldn’t answer why 2 cards existed when they’re equal. Then I queried him regarding the annual fee being listed as 10k for me but 5k for many others. He immediately denied that saying that the fee has increased and that it will be 10k for everyone. I told him that my sources are impeccable and that there is indeed a discrepancy in the charges. He had no answer. Finally I asked him why never once in the 3 years that I have been holding the card that I was given 5k points for payment of the renewal fee. He said that there’s no such offer from HDFC at all. I told him that I know people who have been receiving it. I pointed him to the HDFC Diners Club website where it clearly mentions that there was indeed such an offer and that is being withdrawn from 1st Jan 2020. He then told me that those people must have got the card during some special offer of that sort. I really didn’t have anything else to say. They seem to be in complete denial of all the issues that customers report.

    Reply
  50. sksahoo

    The offer to upgrade my Diner black to New diners black is showing up now but with Rs 10000 fees, not Rs 5000.
    I am having this card for last 4 months, anyway I have applied for LTF based on my Institute.

    Reply
  51. Rohit

    I made the spending of more than 2.5L in Aug-Oct 2019. However, I converted one transaction out of it to EMI. Now HDFC is denying me 1st year free upgradation of Diners card.

    Reply
  52. Rka

    I got my old diners club card upgraded for new diners club as LTF for spending 2.5l

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      No only first year free, renewal fees will be waived if you spend Rs.5 lakhs before renewal date. For users already having LTF DCB card will get new card also as LTF.

      Reply
    2. Tejas Ghongadi

      Was your old DCB LTF?

      If no, I suggest you to recheck after 3 Months. The new card is LTF only who already had the old Card as LTF. So if your old card was not LTF, then with the 2.5 Lacs spends criteria, only the first year is free.

      Reply
  53. mohit

    What is the difference between the new DCB and old DCB?

    I read a lot of questions on people trying to upgrade their DCB but I am not sure what is the difference? Why should I pay 10k or 5k for an upgrade when the card is the same?

    Reply
    1. Amann

      You’ll have to pay Rs. 10,000 /- annual fees even for the old card wed 1st Jan 2020.

      Reply
    2. Ankur

      Hdfc personal themselves don’t know it yet. Better wait and watch, what happens in end instead of rushed decision.

      Reply
    3. Tejas Ghongadi

      The reason they are calling it new DCB is that there has been a major revamp in the features of the card.

      For the old DCB holders, all these new features are still very much applicable. Even the fee increase is applicable to old DCB card holders w.e.f. 01-Jan-2020.

      The only key difference here is people who upgrade to New DCB right now, will get the Welcome Benefits (Which are also annual benefits on crossing 8 Lac spends). People who don’t upgrade right now will get the annual benefits in the Card Anniversary Month on crossing 8 Lacs spends in a year.

      Reply
  54. Vikram

    Alright. Got the upgraded card today. It looks exactly like the version I was holding. The blue in the HDFC and Diners Club logos is slightly darker and matte. And the chip looks different. It has NFC now. That’s it. No changes to the visuals of the card at all. HDFC has gone completely insane. What else can I say.

    Reply
  55. CCFreak

    I have an option to upgrage under 2.5L spend offer and my card is going to renewed this March and i had already crossed 8L purchase worth. So i just wanted to know is it make sense to go for upgrade now or wait till renewal that is going to happen in 3 months

    Reply
    1. Neo

      Double check with CC as to which option makes it free for you.
      Also, IMO the new memberships arent that enticing ( most of is would have a majority of them already) . And with bated breath, pray that 10x doesnt cease to exist come 010120.

      Reply
  56. CCFreak

    Any one got the email from HDFC with below subject

    “You’ve unlocked exclusive Annual benefits on your HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card!”

    I didn’t upgraded the good but still I got this offer email valid till 10th feb
    i did more than 8 lakh purchases in last 9 month and my card is due for renewal in the month of March 2020.

    Not sure is anyone else got this email,if yes please share your experience.

    I would like to redden this offer in new year as my Prime membership is valid this year end.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      You got it as you’ve crossed 80K monthly spend. Its given to both old & new variants. You don’t get prime with this.

      For Prime, you need to fulfil this criteria.

      Reply
      1. Amit Handa

        I got Prime without getting 80K spending. There was a bug which helped in receiving this offer.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          Interesting. But I don’t see Prime inside my login. Used a different link?
          And sure that you didn’t fulfil the spend criteria for upgrade too in the past?

          HDFC seems to be messing up this bigtime in every way!

          Reply
          1. Amit Handa

            I didn’t fulfill the criteria and my Spending was less than 2 lacs in last three months.. But When I connected with Mobile Device then in Search Bar option I was able to see Prime and Other Paid Subscriptions.
            I was able to successfully avail Club Marriott, Times Prime, Amazon Prime and etc.
            I already received Marriott Kit with Card details.

            And one more thing I was able to successfully avail all three Tata Cliq, BMS and Ola Select as well without spending 80K. I hope they keep this back door entry open for sometimes.

    2. Neo

      I did. But the best part is , got an email from them in Nov end & availed all the memberships i could. There is some issue with redeeming Times Prime. Anyone else facing the same ?
      Also, what do i do with this new mail :p

      Reply
      1. Amit Handa

        I faced same issue while redeeming times prime. I go though T&C then then only I realize it is only applicable if you are new to times prime.

        Reply
  57. CCFreak

    Sid, I got Annual benefits emails not for monthly and also in Nov/Dec month i didn’t crossed 80k spend.
    I see Amazon prime, MMT Black,Marriott,Times Prime,Forbes offers.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Ah okie. Maybe they enabled it for select cards as I see the link to redeem is same for available annual/monthly benefits. Still its confusing why they enabled on old cards!

      Reply
  58. Saurav

    I have recently received HDFC regalia. How do I possibly update to DCB and is it worth the update with fees of 10k?

    Reply
  59. Vyom Aggarwal

    Got email last night.
    When i tried to enter my number it didn’t accept. I tried my father’s number( both of hold separate dcb cards). Tried sending otp multiple times but it would not come. Later I found otps on my email( not my father’s). Anyways went through the whole process again with my father’s number and the coupon codes for subscriptions were sent to my email id. Something is really wrong with hdfc systems

    Reply
  60. Mouli

    Sid,

    I also received the monthly 80k spend coupons but still my card is not upgraded instead of achieving the mentioned target in june to august,when contacted CC they asked me to wait till this month end.Mine is LTF

    Reply
  61. Divs

    Since they have increased the annual fee to 10k, i hope they increase the cap on 10x points through smartbuy to 25k every month again
    but this card with all the new features is brilliant.
    for an existing cardholder who will upgrade to the new card, does he get mariott club membership etc,?

    Reply
  62. Dr Patil

    I received the card on dec 5. I have swiped it multiple times. Also i have exceeded Rs 80000 usage. But still I havent received the email from poshvine for memberships benefits as well as those vouchers. IS there any procedure to activate?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      I received SMS for Nov spending on Dec 13th, so wait for 2 weeks from 31st of Dec but as per customer care, they told it’ll take a month times.

      Reply
    2. Chintan

      I called customer care, they said one can avail monthly benefit after 30 days of the month end.

      Reply
  63. Vikram

    Guys, a word of caution. After the upgrade from the old to the new DCB my points didn’t carry forward. I noticed it and called up customer care and they said it was a miss and apologized. They’ve taken a complaint to get the points from my old card transferred to the new one. Should have happened automatically they say and they weren’t sure why it didn’t. So make sure you check the points balance in the first bill after the upgrade. If points are missing then call up customer care immediately.

    Reply
    1. Vikram

      They didn’t provide any response and so I called back yesterday. I was told that they had raised a ticket and the backend team responded saying that the points were already transferred. I was thinking that these points were all earned in the month. But 10X points usually get credited later and so maybe they’re right. Will wait for a month or so and check.

      Reply
  64. ManzB

    I have received the new Upgraded card few weeks back, but it seems that Poshvine is still not activated against my card /Regd mobile number despite few transactions. I have tried the concierge and they are clueless and have promised me a callback. But so far they have not called back. Any other way I can get it activated?

    Also it seems there is no way to activate the PIN for add on card. They have mentioned that for the add-on card it will be mailed to me, but not recd so far.

    All my points and transactions moved to the new card.

    Reply
    1. Shail

      What’s the diff between old card and the new one with respect to look and feel, by the way?

      Reply
    2. Sudheer

      First you have to call the customer service to get activation code for add-on card and then through any HDFC ATM, select the new PIN generation option and then enter the activation code and new credit card PIN to be set.

      Reply
  65. abhijeet

    I called up the customer care and asked for an upgrade as I will cross the required limit. I was told that the upgrade will happen automatically when the anniversary year ends. Also since it is an old card, it will continue to be old card and I will not receive another card ( and other add on cards ) . So nothing will change for me except for the fact that I will get the upgrade benefits… which I will get within 30 days of new anniversary year.

    Reply
  66. Bhavin Shah

    I applied for this card in November when fees were Rs 5000. My first statement got generated today and they have not charged fees. Any guidance on when do they normally charges annual fees ? On generation of 1st statement or subsequent statements. Does it mean they have deliberately not charged in this statement so that they can recover Rs 10000?

    Reply
  67. GTMAX

    Fees will be charged in the statement that is generated after the first 90 days from issuance date. The same would not be charged in case you manage to spend more than 1 Lac in the first 90 days from the card issuance date.

    Reply
    1. Bhavin Shah

      That’s great news for me as I have already spent more than 1 lac. But I have not come across this condition of spend based no fee condition. Can you share more details where can it be verified?

      Reply
      1. Bhavin Shah

        Thanks a lot Gtmax, Aman for responding to my query. I called and checked with customer care and they have confirmed what Gtmax mentioned. Once again thanks for your guidance. Also thankful to Siddharth Sir for this platform which is helping all of us to reap benefits in current challenging time

        Reply
  68. Amann

    Bhavin

    You are probably on First Year Free. Still you can email / call customer care and confirm.

    Reply
    1. Bhavin Shah

      The person who collected my documents told me it will be 5000+ Gst. So I am not first year free for sure. I thought of calling customer care but if they have not charged fees by mistake then I don’t want to alert them by calling.

      Reply
      1. Chintan

        The fee is charged after 3 months of card activation, you can still call customer care and ask if your card is first year free.

        Reply
  69. Rohit

    Hi,

    Any idea if the no cost EMI purchases from Amazon/electronic stores are counted for annual/monthly milestones?

    Reply
    1. Bhavin Shah

      I spoke to cc, according to my conversation EMIs are not considered for spend based milestones

      Reply
      1. Rohit

        I had a discussion with them, they said no cost EMIs will be included, full random replies.

        Reply
  70. Vatsal

    Can someone tell me if lounge access is available even on Add-on cards? The website says that it does, but I have heard contradictory views. Are there any terms and conditions associated with it? If both of us visit the same Lounge at the same time, will both of us be eligible for lounge access?

    Reply
  71. Ankit

    Do you think the annual fee increase and all these new benefits is a way to appease customers while HDFC starts a path to profitability on Diners Black? Enough customer acquisition might have happened with the lure of 33% points and the elite college alumni program.

    I am praying that the 10x benefits get renewed in Jan, have a bunch of flight bookings coming up. Anybody has any idea if there are hints of renewal?

    Reply
  72. Prashant Gupta

    A New year gift from HDFC. My card is upgraded to new DCB LTF. Thanks to the people here. The process was very fast this time. Less than 10 days. No follow ups first time, infact HDFC was responding fast this time.

    Reply
    1. Santosh

      Yes, HDFC offered me DCB for LTF. Took some persuasion thought.

      New year gift! Hope they don’t cut down on the 10X offers any time soon.
      Also, I did not get any welcome benifits as my car was LTF. Will be getting them in case my annual spends cross 8L. Same with you as well @prashant?

      Reply
    2. ab

      Hi prashant
      Can you share the procedure. which card you own before upgradation.

      Reply
  73. Santosh

    Hi,
    Is there any different customer care number for DCB? Or just the regular one?

    Reply
  74. Ajesh

    Based on the Nov to Jan spend based introductory offer for upgrade , I had to call Diners Customer care and requested for upgrade . They verified my spends and initiated the upgrade to new card and once I use the card first time, the welcome benefits will be received in 30 days.

    Reply
  75. Amit Prabhudesai

    Hello,

    I am a regular reader of this forum and thanks Sidharth for sharing a lot of valuable information. I am holding DCB since couple of years now and have also utilised lot of benefits. I did not have any other relationship with HDFC bank apart from Credit Card and Forex Card.

    Recently I got the call from HDFC (and also email) for opening the savings bank account with them. They have an offer going on where any customer who holds super premium credit card and does not have Savings/Current Account with HDFC will be offered the Credit Card for Lifetime free and will also get 5000 reward points and I took the offer 🙂

    Reply
  76. abhay kr

    Hi Siddarth
    I have diners clubmiles with 15L limit. Please suggest how to proceed to ugrade the same to DCB Black or infina. I asked my RM for same but he is saying wait for 2-3 month offers will come to netbanking. Now its more than 6 month but still no auto upgradation received.

    any one please suggest the correct procedure please.

    Reply
    1. Sharathkumar Anbu

      Hi Abhay,

      Just fill the upgrade form available in hdfc website and drop in a drop box of any HDFC branch or drop an email to pnohdfcbank at hdfcbank dot com. They will review your request and ask for a scanned copy of upgrade form.

      Reply
  77. Jagath

    If I pay my electricity bill through Amazon+ smart buy.will I be able to get 10x reward points?my electricity bill is approx 1lac per month & if not which is the best credit card for electricity bill?

    Reply
  78. ManzB

    My card is up for renewal in Dec. Considering the current situation, the spending has been just around 3lac+ so far and at best may be another 50-60k in next 2 months. Basis that it seems there is a big chance that I may be charged 10K annual fees. I have used the card extensively in last 3 years or so (more that 8-10 lacs per annum). Just want to know my options
    1. Request for waiver basis previous years record plus the corona factor
    2. Pay 10K and request for some benefits like equivalent points or some other useful vouchers
    3. Discontinue (considering that the card has been continuously devalued)
    4. Pay 10K and get nothing but expecting a better rewards going ahead.

    Please share your suggestion.

    Reply
  79. Skywaller

    Hi,

    I have a CC limit of 4.5l on my Diners club privilege card,

    Should I try to upgrade to Diners black? Or should I wait for the limit to be increased more? And to what amount?

    Thanks

    Reply
  80. Dnyaneshwar patale

    Hello everyone
    I got my dinners black card 2 days back. I am hdfc bank preferred banking customer and while applying fees shown on page was 0 zero but in card documents it’s no where written.
    Just to confirm regarding fees I called customer care but to my surprise card is chargable.
    Please advise should I start using the card or reject the card. I am already holding 6 card and 2-3 card are premium card. Can’t spend 5 lac on this card to get fee waver

    Reply
  81. Nish

    Hi Sid.. I have been offered for the DCB upgrade FYF. Is there any way of getting it LTF?? Currently I am holding diners privilege.

    Reply

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