HDFC Updates: New Diners 10X Partner added, New 2X rewards Program

By | December 2, 2020
HDFC new diners 10x partner - NNNow

Here are couple of updates from HDFC for Dec 2020 on the 10X rewards program and even more.

10X Rewards Update

  • Validity: Its further extended till 31st Dec 2020
  • New Diners 10X Partner: NNNOW.com (which includes brands like (Arrow, Gap, Calvin Klein, Sephora, Tommy Hilfiger, U.S. Polo Assn., Flying Machine, The Children’s Place and many more…)

NNNow is a very good addition as it covers a lot of brands, its a mini-amazon for apparels.

I’ve been using NNNow for a while and it is perhaps one of the best when it comes to service like returns and speed of refunds, comparable with Amazon.

But the problem is sometimes I feel they are low quality products. I recently cancelled few t-shirts as they neither look good nor had good packaging.

New: 2X Rewards

After playing with 10X rewards for few years HDFC has now added 2X rewards on online spends with select merchants to the Diners platform. Here are the offer details,

  • Offer: 2X rewards on online spends with select partners, as below
  • Validity: 1st December, 2020 to 31st January 2021
  • Max. Cap: 2000 Bonus points per calendar month (Eff. spend: 60K INR)
  • Fulfilment: Not clear, but expect within 90 days as usual.
  • Brands: as below
  1. NoBroker
  2. Spicejet
  3. Ferns N Petals
  4. Tanishq
  5. Adani Electricity

Among the list NoBroker and Adani Electricity makes me wonder how it got into the list. Anyway, happy savings upto 6.6% for those holding Diners Black.

Bottomline

Overall a good addition and the new 2X rewards program is good too. Though, I just hope they don’t switch from 10X to 2X in the long run πŸ˜€

Feel free to share your thoughts about the latest HDFC updates in the comments below.

73 thoughts on “HDFC Updates: New Diners 10X Partner added, New 2X rewards Program

  1. Prashant Gupta

    NNOW is a welcome addition, but 2x partners need to be revisited not good in my opinion.

    Reply
  2. Fagun

    I’m surprised. I’ve had a rubbish experience with nnnow. They sent the wrong size. I also didn’t get a refund for 2 garments returned by me. It happened a few months into the lockdown and I expected delays but I have not received any communication from them.

    Reply
  3. Rishabh

    Fulfilment is 90 days confirmed as per Offer terms displayed on NoBroker app.

    Reply
  4. Akshat

    FIrst time i have heard about NNNow

    “I recently cancelled few t-shirts as they neither look good nor had good packaging.”
    @Sid,
    Is this a brand specific issue? A number of brands listed seem good and i wonder if NNNow has a role in quality of branded products, them being only facilitators in the sale.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Not sure.. but they usually pack most of my products in a poor quality used plastic cover. Haven’t ordered premium brands like Tommy, CK though.

      Reply
      1. Akshat

        I understand now what you meant

        Although refunds are good with NNNOW they are very bad with the logistics timeline and inventory management

        Especially CK, many items get cancelled after 3-4 days of placing the order

        In terms of packaging TataCliq Lux wins hands down
        I wonder if one can save 1000rs per order over those though-brilliant looking but unnecessary boxes

        Reply
      1. Abhimanyu Khandare

        Many thanks for the post. This is helpful.
        Am using infinia for about 3 years and have been reaching the reward points cap every month since a year.
        Do you think I can get a diners black as well to accumulate more points? If so, pls could you suggest how?

        Reply
        1. Varun

          Yes you can apply and talk to your relationship manager. I hold both Infinia and Diner LTF.

          Reply
          1. Balpreet Singh

            Hi Varun,

            How did you get both Infinia and Diners together ( that too LTF). I have DCB ( its LTF) and my RMs tells me that I can only get one of these. I have tried 3 different RMs over last 18 months but story remains the same.
            Any suggestions on how to get both.. and that too LTF.

            Regards,
            Balpreet

  5. Digant Nandu

    Just to add or share, hdfc has started charging 1% convenience fee on insta vouchers purchased on smartbuy which fetch 10x points.

    Reply
  6. Vikas Singh

    So with the addition of Nobroker in the 2x rewards, for rents beyond 17000 INR/month, wouldn’t it be better to make rent payments directly from DBC/Infinia, than go through Payzapp?

    Reply
  7. Ayush Agrawal

    One excellent addition by HDFC recently is updating the bonus point credit via SMS. For eg, I rec’d this message just now: “1485 Reward Points credited to your Credit Card ending xxxx on 01/DEC/2020 for SmartBuy 1889. Ask EVA for details, ”
    Will go a long way in improving trust and transparency.

    Also, thanks for this update, Sid. Will pay next month’s rent via NoBroker.

    Reply
    1. Abhimanyu Khandare

      True, definitely a very good step towards building trust and transparency!

      Reply
    2. Mahesh

      What is smartbuy 1889. Even i got this sms. Even with this we wont know for which month transaction is this credited for.

      Reply
    3. Ajay

      This is great. I also received similar sms. Wonder what is the Smartbuy 1889 here? I got a separate sms saying reward points credited for Aug month.

      Reply
      1. Ayush Agrawal

        It’s the transaction reference number. When you do a Smartbuy transaction, you’ll see the relevant reference number on your statement.

        Reply
    4. vg

      Even i received such messages, but it doesnt reflect in my total points visible on smartbuy portal. I was wondering if these messages sent out by mistake/testing and has anything to do with the data center issue they are facing?!

      Reply
      1. Mathew Puthoor

        In smartbuy portal, it gets reflected only after end of current statement cycle. But you should be able to see the updated points in HDFC netbanking/app

        Reply
    5. akhi

      I received two such messages with different code numbers 1889, 1881. CC clarified that one of the message was for addtional points for smartbuy transactions and another one was for addtional points for amazon transactions.
      Even though there was 10x offer for 9 to 11 Nov for amazon, I received only 4X (not 9X) for amazon. After highlighting this to CC, I was asked to wait for stanard 90 days for remaining points.
      Anybody received 9X points for amazon transactions between 9 to 11 nov?

      Reply
  8. Varun

    Hey Sid, why not do a write-up on the RBI notification halting HDFC from issuing new CCs?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Don’t have enough info other than what you’ve already seen on news. It sounds bit fishy to see RBI taking actions on not so well known issue.

      Reply
      1. Siva

        Cmon Sidharth.. It was not for one issue. Recall the issue not many months ago, where there was a 2-3 day outage of internet banking. They simply haven’t been concentrating on their infrastructure. In fact, RBI has taken a late but good step.

        Note that I am a HDFC preferred customer, use DCB and all my family have HDFC accounts and I have been sick of being taken granted by HDFC.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          But why would they put a hold on CC applications due to that. Maybe they could put a overall penalty. I feel something else is cooking, apart from what is being said.

          Reply
          1. Nihar

            On fresh CC applications, I feel there is lapses in administration, break down of operational framework, not addressing the Customer grievances anything could be the issue.
            But its a very strict notice , journalists got to do some legwork on this , specially after such high level changes at the top.

            But big opportunity for Amex , Axis and SBI to play catch up !!

  9. Srikkanth

    Received smart buy points for the months of August & November, September and October were still pending , anybody got November points ?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      Yes, I received for Nov for both 10x on smartbuy and diners partner. But there is change in calculation of 9x posting, in past they’ll calculate 9x on net(sum of all spend(in multiples of Rs.150) – refund). But now they’re calculating like credit 9x for spend and then debit 9x for refunds, this only affects if there is refund transaction and you’re spending more than 9x limit(>Rs.25K).

      In my case, I spent 26,500 and 1 transaction refunded for Rs.1,500, so net is Rs.25,000 under 10x smartbuy and in the past they’ll credit 7,500 reward points(RP), but now they’re crediting 7,500 RP- 450 RP(debiting 9x for 1 refund transaction). So if there is case like refund of Rs.25,000 then it’ll result in no points(75000-7500), I have raised this concern they told will check with backend team.

      Reply
  10. Suchi

    Havent been able to see the status of my reward offers on the rewards portal on HDFC – the menu itself does not exist anymore. Anyone else facing the same issue ? THis was the best way to keep a track of monthly and yearly spends on my Diner Black

    Reply
    1. Arnab Chaudhuri

      If you’re talking about spend promo details tab..its still visible for me.

      Reply
    2. AbhiKohli

      Vanished somewhere in November for my DCB. But it is still there for my wife Diner’s Millennia card (not useful for Millennia though)

      Reply
  11. Arun

    So I have been offered an upgrade to infinia, which is something I have been wanting to get a hold of for a few years now. But with the benefits being reduced is it still advisable to upgrade to Infinia from Regalia which is LTF. I spend around only 2-4lakhs a year using card. The cards I hold currently are Citi Rewards, Icici Amazon pay & Regalia.
    Would be great if you could give a suggestion Sid.
    Thanks

    Reply
  12. Aditi

    Well HDFC has been banned from issuing new Credit Cards
    Many won’t be able to use it

    Reply
  13. Arnab Chaudhuri

    HDFC didnt implement basic RBI guidelines like cards management ie modifying limit…temporarily blocking…disable/enable online,pos or tap n pay features…neither in net banking..nor in mobile app. Their mobile app is a piece of garbage. They silently implemented it in whatsapp banking for credit cards. But that too with very few options.

    ‘Some of our strategic digital initiatives to improve the front end digital experience, improve digital origination, straight through processing, next generation of mobile and internet banking, APIs based banking on the edge etc would now be readied and launched post the approval and clearance from regulator.’

    This excerpt is from their notice. Goto app store or playstore barring the fake reviews. Everybody was complaining for an app for credit card only customers. Their app didnt have basic feature like EMI conversion. Anyways Hopefully we will now see a world class mobile app and netbanking.

    Reply
    1. AbhiKohli

      Limits, online limits, international blocking etc is all there in netbanking (for both debit/credit cards) Not sure if CreditCard only customers see different version of the menu ?

      Reply
  14. Mudit

    I received my DCB card just yesterday. Upgraded from Regalia. its been almost 11 years of association with the bank and have been using CC for past 3.5 years only. Within this duration moved from Regalia First to Regalia and then to DCB. My RM tells me this is LTF. I am pretty stoked because I neither fall in their income criteria nor have large deposits with bank. Don’t know what the algorithms are but I consider it just plain ‘lucky’

    How do you see this situation?

    Reply
    1. nicky

      How did you get updated from Regalia to DCB? I am also having Regalia and like to get upgraded to DCB.

      Reply
  15. Ankit Saraf

    I received points for August on 30th Nov. all good. Then received another message on 3rd for smartbuy 1889 on 3rd dec saying the points were credited on 2nd. i checked the balance points, it doesn’t match(2745 in sms, 1005 added) The points mentioned in sms are total due for november. Something is screwed up on hdfc side and i know there is no point fighting.

    Reply
  16. Sahil

    Will we get 2X on Nobroker if Diners Black is used via payzapp and not directly?

    Reply
    1. Ramesh Kumar

      Mostly no, because Tncs mentioned it should be directly paid by diners card.

      Reply
  17. Manzb

    My new DCB has been renewed today and got a message saying that I have unlocked special benefit for crossing 8 lacs spend in 1 year, which is not true. May be it is around 3.5 to 4 lacs this year against 10-12 lacs in last 2-3 years. It seems they have given last year’s benefit automatically applied to this year as well considering that there are hardly any spending avenues available for majority customers to reach 8 lacs target. Let me see whether annual fees also waived off or not.

    Reply
    1. ManzB

      Update:
      They just added annual fees to my account. Spoke to CC and they have confirmed that they will try to waive the annual fees considering that this year spend was affected by Covid and also I am closer to 4.5 lacs anyway. But they will not refund the GST charged (1800/-). Let me see how it unfolds.

      Reply
  18. Anand

    Is anyone able to book a hotel in HDFC Smartbuy site through points? Whenever I try to book, I get an error “Sorry we can’t process your request. Please try again after sometime”

    Reply
    1. Rohit

      @Anand
      How did you get the voucher equivalent points ? I meant how to convert points into 70% voucher and then book flights and hotel ?

      Reply
  19. yashodhan

    Can anY one tell me how to load money in yes pay BHIM app via diners card.
    Whenever I try to load money via credit card and input my diners card number app does not recognize it, is there any workaround

    Reply
    1. MT

      BHIM app is a UPI app , will only work with bank accounts as UPI does not support credit cards , its a P2P transfer ecosystem

      Reply
      1. AbhiKohli

        Yes pay BHIM app is actually a wallet also. You can use it as UPI, BharatQR, Wallet, CreditCard interface etc. It gives a RuPay card for wallet usage.

        Reply
      2. Shivi

        UPI supports credit card through other platforms/apps like FlexPay. Even GPay is now working with credit cards of SBI

        Reply
    2. AbhiKohli

      Diners is not directly supported for Yes pay load. However in past I was able to load using a flaw in the system. I enter AmEx card in payment then it gives error on payment processor’s page where if I enter Diners number it accepts πŸ™‚ But it has been an year since I used this flaw, maybe they have fixed it.

      Reply
  20. carpe

    Hi Sid,
    Always useful to check out your website, thanks for the good work. Can you suggest best way to redeem hdfc diners (black) miles since travel currently is out of the question so the usual flight redemption which is best value is not possible. Other redemption options e.g. convert to statement credit are at 33% of point value. Similarly gift vouchers etc are best case 50% but that too for brand vouchers not marketplaces (amzn/fkart) which is again poor value since most brands are always available at some or other discount anyway. How about conversion to airmiles? intermiles has a 40% bonus for larger conversions, miles dont expire and ratio is 1:1 (+40% bonus). I’d normally value intermiles at INR0.33/mile so no worse than statement credit but with 40% bonus it works out to INR 0.46/mile. Do you think one can get even better value from intermiles? How?

    Reply
    1. Ayush Agrawal

      Amazon vouchers are at 50%. Sid has an article on how to redeem the miles for Amazon vouchers

      Reply
  21. Shawn

    Are the 2X reward points for dining on Diners Black only for weekend dining or dining all week? I was checking the website and there is no reference to indicate that it is only for weekend dining.

    Reply
  22. Ashoka

    Can someone help me understand this given that we want to maximize our benefits.
    I buy an amazon voucher from gyftr say for 5K for which I pay 5059 INR as per 29 DEC 2020.
    Paying via DCB card will fetch me 5059/150 ~= 33 points for which I get a coupon to add as gift card on amazon pay.
    1. How are remaining 9X points added ? Since I have only bought via amazon
    2. Paid fees of 59 extra will saving of only 33 INR.
    3. Even If I get 10x then effective saving is 33*10 = 330 INR which is 6.5%. where people are claiming it to be much higher. How is that ?

    Also when should one use payzapp app vs when to use smartbuy if I own DCB.

    Reply
    1. FrequentFlyer15

      There is a small correction in your calculation. For every Rs 150 spent, you get 5 points. So for a transaction of Rs 5059, you will get 168 points.

      Reply
    2. Roshan

      Normal point = 5 per 150 spend = 3.3%
      9x point = 5×9 per 150 spend= 45 per 150 spend = 30%
      Total points = 50 per 150 spend = 33%

      Reply
    3. Anshul

      Wrong calculation
      For every 150 you get 5 points, so it is 5*33*10 = 1650 point for spend of 5059

      Reply
    4. AbhiKohli

      You probably need to understand a slight bit more about your card’s reward πŸ™‚ Go through articles on this site πŸ˜‰
      Coming to your question, You’ll not get any additional for Rs 33 (maybe occasionally there could be something extra, but not to be counted) What you get is reward points (mostly abbreviated as RP) on on your cards. These reward points can be accumulated & redeemed against many gifts (including your favorite Amazon gift card πŸ™‚ )
      Coming to value, you get 5 RPs for every 150 Rs spent on DCB. So 5059/150*5=165 RPs. (Redeeming RPs to amazon voucher curently give you a conversion rate of 2:1 so you can get Rs 82.5 in value for Amazon gift card. Though there is a fixed quantum for which vouchers can be bought for example Rs 500. Rs 1000 etc)
      Now 10x mean you get 1485 more RPs later (mostly 2-3 months of this transaction, your mileage may vary. So for this transaction you get total 1650 RPs. Converting to Amazon gift cards you get 825 Rs. So 825/5059 approx 16% benefit. If you redeem RPs against travel voucher you get 1:1 conversion. So 1650 RPs give you value of 1650 Rs hence around 33% saving.

      Reply
  23. Chintan

    I received a msg saying 2000 RPs are credited to my credit card account fforSummer Treat transactions done in may June 2020

    Reply
  24. Abhi

    Cred shop and travel, by the way, is now a Diners Black 10X partner brand.
    Cred rentpay remains 2X partner.

    Reply
  25. Chintan

    Hi,

    I have amazon business account and I have been availing 10x benefit for all my purchases with DCB card. I read the new terms and conditions saying “Offer is not applicable on Amazon and Flipkart on following categories – Amazon for Business”. I don’t understand, to avail 10x benefit do I have to convert my account to standard account OR if I just avail for non GST invoice I will get 10x.

    Reply
  26. Saurav

    Hi,

    anyone facing issues in using diners black card with Swiggy? I have been facing issues since last week or so.
    I had made good use of the 10X rewards on twiggy for the last few months, but since last week, the payment is continuously failing.

    Reply
  27. Sharad bengani

    I use Swiggy vouchers purchased through smartbuy and add them to Swiggy Money. Usually get better value in terms of reward points than using the card to make payment directly.

    Reply

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