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HDFC Diners Club Black (Metal Edition)
HDFC Diners Club Black Metal Edition matches Infinia-level lounge access, golf and dining benefits at a somewhat lower fee, aimed at frequent diners and travelers who value the Diners Club prestige positioning. It leans heavily on SmartBuy for travel redemption value and rewards weekend dining at 2X, but the Diners Club network's narrower merchant acceptance in India — especially outside metros — is a real trade-off; HDFC was also not accepting fresh applications for the older non-metal Diners Club Black as of this review, making the metal edition the current live product.
Annual fee
₹10,000
Joining fee
₹10,000
Reward type
points
Base reward rate
3.33%
Card network
Diners Club
Card tier
Super-premium
Who this card fits
Best suited to applicants with a credit score of roughly 760+ whose spend is concentrated in dining, travel. Its annual fee waives if you can comfortably clear the spend threshold.
Rewards & benefits
- Movie & dining: 2X reward points on weekend dining at participating restaurants; up to 40% off dining via Swiggy Dineout
- Rewards rate: 3.33% base rate
- Domestic lounge access: Unlimited complimentary domestic lounge access for primary and add-on cardholders
- International lounge access: Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ international lounges via Priority Pass
- Golf: 6 complimentary golf games or lessons every calendar quarter at courses in India and abroad, resetting each quarter
- Insurance benefits: Air accident cover of ₹2 crore; emergency overseas hospitalisation up to ₹50 lakh; baggage delay cover; credit liability cover up to ₹9 lakh
Benefits by category
- 🍽️ Dining & food delivery
6.66% reward rate · 2X reward points on weekend dining and up to 40% off dining via Swiggy Dineout, plus up to 10X on hotels and 5X on flights via SmartBuy
- ✈️ Travel
Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ lounges in India and around the world for both the primary cardholder and add-on cardholders, via the card's own network plus Priority Pass
- 🏨 Hotel
2X reward points on weekend dining and up to 40% off dining via Swiggy Dineout, plus up to 10X on hotels and 5X on flights via SmartBuy
- 🌍 Forex / international spend
2% forex markup on international transactions
Eligibility
- Minimum credit score: 760
- Minimum monthly income: ₹2,50,000
- Employment: salaried, self-employed
- Age: 21–65
Fees & charges
- Spend-based waiver: Waived on annual spend of ₹8,00,000
- Rewards redemption fee: No fee for redeeming Reward Points via SmartBuy against flights/hotels or for statement credit; nominal fee for catalogue redemptions
- Foreign currency markup: 2%
- Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waived on transactions between ₹400 and ₹1,00,000, capped at ₹1,000 per statement cycle
- Cash advance charges: 2.5% of the withdrawn amount or ₹500, whichever is higher; interest accrues from the date of withdrawal
Benefits
- Complimentary annual memberships to Club Marriott, Amazon Prime, and Swiggy One, unlocked once the cardholder spends ₹1.5 lakh within the first 90 days of card issuance
- Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ lounges in India and around the world for both the primary cardholder and add-on cardholders, via the card's own network plus Priority Pass
- 6 complimentary golf games or lessons every quarter at courses worldwide, resetting each quarter regardless of prior usage
- 10,000 bonus Reward Points awarded every calendar quarter in which spends reach ₹4 lakh, on top of the regular points earned on that spend
- 2X reward points on weekend dining and up to 40% off dining via Swiggy Dineout, plus up to 10X on hotels and 5X on flights via SmartBuy
Pros
- + Unlimited lounge access to 1,300+ domestic and international lounges, comparable to Infinia at a lower entry fee
- + 6 complimentary golf games or lessons every quarter, refreshed each quarter
- + 2X points on weekend dining plus up to 40% off via Swiggy Dineout — a good combo for frequent diners
- + Generous 10,000-point quarterly milestone bonus on ₹4 lakh of spend
- + Complimentary Club Marriott, Amazon Prime and Swiggy One memberships once the ₹1.5 lakh spend threshold is hit
Cons
- − Diners Club network has meaningfully lower merchant acceptance than Visa or Mastercard, particularly for in-store and overseas transactions
- − ₹2,50,000/month income requirement keeps it out of reach for most applicants
- − Several headline perks (memberships, milestone points) are gated behind spend thresholds rather than automatic from day one
Best for
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