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HDFC Freedom Card
HDFC Freedom Card is an entry-level, first-card-friendly option that trades a low base reward rate for strong 10X accelerated CashPoints on a curated list of popular everyday apps — BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy and Uber. Its ₹500 fee is one of the easiest in the HDFC lineup to waive, and the accessible ₹12,000/month income bar makes it a reasonable starter card, though the near-45% APR is a strong incentive to always pay in full.
Annual fee
₹500
Joining fee
₹500
Reward type
cashback
Base reward rate
0.075%
Card network
Visa
Card tier
Entry
Who this card fits
Best suited to applicants with a credit score of roughly 650+ whose spend is concentrated in online shopping. Its annual fee waives if you can comfortably clear the spend threshold.
Rewards & benefits
- Movie & dining: Up to 15% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants booked through the Dineout platform
- Rewards rate: 0.075% base rate
Benefits by category
- 🍽️ Dining & food delivery
Up to 15% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants booked through the Dineout platform
- ⛽ Fuel
1% fuel surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹250 of waiver value per statement cycle
- 🌍 Forex / international spend
3.5% forex markup on international transactions
Eligibility
- Minimum credit score: 650
- Minimum monthly income: ₹12,000
- Employment: salaried, self-employed
- Age: 21–60
Fees & charges
- Spend-based waiver: Waived on annual spend of ₹50,000
- Rewards redemption fee: CashPoints redemption as statement credit is free; a nominal fee applies only for catalogue/voucher redemptions
- Foreign currency markup: 3.5%
- Interest rate: 45% p.a.
- Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waived on transactions between ₹400 and ₹1,00,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle
- Cash advance charges: 2.5% of the withdrawn amount or ₹500, whichever is higher; interest accrues from the date of withdrawal with no interest-free period
Benefits
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on fuel transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹250 of waiver value per statement cycle
- 10X Reward Points (10 per ₹200 spent, worth up to ₹0.15 each) on BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy and Uber, capped at 2,500 bonus points per month across these merchants combined
- 5X CashPoints on EMI conversions done at merchant point-of-sale terminals
- Up to 15% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants booked through the Dineout platform
Pros
- + 10X CashPoints on five popular everyday apps — BigBasket, BookMyShow, OYO, Swiggy and Uber
- + Low, easily-waived ₹500 annual fee on ₹50,000 of yearly spend
- + 5X CashPoints on EMI conversions, useful for planned big-ticket purchases
- + Accessible eligibility (₹12,000/month income) that suits first-time credit card applicants
- + Up to 15% off dining via Dineout adds everyday lifestyle value
Cons
- − Base reward rate of about 0.075% (1 Reward Point per ₹200, worth ₹0.15) outside the bonus merchant list is far below other entry cards
- − 3.5% forex markup is above average and makes this a poor choice for travel spends
- − Steep ~45% APR means any revolved balance quickly outweighs the reward value earned
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