HDFC Regalia Credit Card and SBI Card PRIME are among the most popular rewards-focused credit cards in the market. Both the credit cards offer generous reward points on all purchases along with benefits across other categories such as travel, shopping, and more. However, they also differ in several aspects. So, if you are confused between HDFC Regalia and SBI Card PRIME, read this detailed comparison to find out the key differences between the two and decide which one would better match your requirements.
| Basis of Difference | HDFC Regalia Credit Card Vs SBI Card Prime | |
|
Credit Card |
 |
 |
|
Annual Fee |
Rs. 2,500+ G.S.T |
Rs. 2,999+ G.S.T. |
|
Monthly Income Eligibility |
Net Monthly Income > Rs 1 Lakh (if you are a salaried employee) |
Rs. 32,000 (if you are a salaried employee) |
|
Welcome Benefit |
No welcome benefit |
Welcome e-gift voucher worth Rs. 3,000 on brands like Bata/Hush Puppies, Pantaloons, Aditya Birla Fashion, Shoppers Stop and Yatra.com |
|
Reward Points |
4 Reward Points per Rs. 150 on all retail spending including insurance, utilities, education and rent
|
20 Reward Points per Rs. 100 spent as birthday benefit 10 reward points will be credited on every Rs. 100 spent on dining, groceries, departmental stores, and movies |
|
Milestone Benefit |
10,000 bonus reward points (Rs. 5,000) on spending Rs.5 lakhs in the anniversary year. Additional 5,000 bonus reward points (Rs.2,500) on spending Rs.8 lakh in the anniversary year |
Pizza-hut gift voucher worth Rs.1,000 on spending Rs. 50,000 in a calendar quarter and Yatra/Pantaloons gift voucher worth Rs. 7,000 on achieving annual spends of Rs.5 lakh |
|
Spend Based Annual Fee Waiver |
Rs. 3 lakh |
Rs. 3 lakh |
|
Accidental Air Death Cover |
Rs. 1 Crore |
Rs. 50 lakh |
|
Other Privileges |
An exclusive portal for Regalia cardholders where you can use the accumulated points directly for airline ticket booking or for hotel stays |
4 complimentary rounds on Green Fees per year and 1 complimentary golf lesson per month at select courses in India |
Multiple Welcome Benefits
When it comes to welcome benefits, SBI Card Prime is clearly a winner as you will get a voucher worth Rs. 3,000 which makes up for the joining fee of Rs. 2,999 whereas HDFC Regalia Credit Card does not offer any welcome benefit. Following are the benefits that you can avail:
- Bata/ Hush Puppies, Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop: Vouchers can be redeemed by showing the code at the respective brand store
- Yatra and Shoppers Stop: Voucher can be redeemed online at the time of purchase
- Aditya Birla Retail Voucher: Redeemable at select brands including Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England, Planet Fashion, and Simon Carter
However, as you can see that the brand options offered are limited and could have been better.
Complimentary Lounge Access with Priority Pass Membership
Both HDFC Regalia Credit Card and SBI Card Prime offer complimentary lounge access with priority pass membership to its cardholders. Take a look at the table below to know which card provides the best travel deal:
| SBI Card Prime | HDFC Reglia Credit Card |
| 8 complimentary lounge visits per calendar year to domestic lounges in India. (maximum 2 visits per quarter) | 12 complimentary visits to airport lounges per calendar year within India, at both domestic and international terminals (6 each) |
| 4 complimentary lounge visits per calendar year to international priority pass lounges, outside India. Maximum 2 visits in a quarter available | 6 complimentary lounge access in a calendar year, outside India |
When it comes to travel perks, HDFC Regalia Credit Card is definitely a winner for international travelers due to its low foreign currency markup which stands at 2% as compared to 3.5% for SBI Card Prime. If you are a frequent traveler, HDFC Regalia Credit Card provides you with priority pass membership, 12 airport lounge access along with 24×7 concierge services. On the other hand, if you apply for SBI Card Prime, you can avail of 8 complimentary lounge access in India. You will also get a complimentary Privilege Red Tier Membership, and Club Vistara Membership but with Regalia you cannot enjoy such complimentary memberships. So, you will have to decide as per your need and requirement which card suits the best.
Excellent Reward Points
When we look at the reward points, using HDFC Regalia Credit Card you can avail 4 reward points per Rs.150 on all retail spends, including insurance, utilities, education, and rent. The card does not provide extra rewards on select categories, but the basic reward rate itself is quite decent.
Whereas, using SBI Card Prime, you will get a 5% reward rate as your birthday benefit i.e. 20 points per Rs. 100 spent; 4 points = Rs. 1. You will also enjoy a reward rate of 2.5% (10 points per Rs. 100 spent) on dining, groceries, departmental stores, and movies. Clearly, SBI Card Prime has a more rewarding programme as compared to HDFC Regalia Credit Cards.
Milestone Benefits
HDFC Regalia and SBI Card Prime offer milestone benefits in the form of bonus reward points and gift vouchers, respectively. With HDFC Regalia Credit Card, you can avail 10,000 bonus reward points (Rs. 5,000) on spending Rs.5 lakh in the anniversary year. Apart from this, you can also avail additional 5,000 bonus reward points (Rs.2,500) on spending Rs.8 lakh in the anniversary year.
We can clearly see that the milestone benefits offered by both cards are quite significant when compare to the annual fee. We also understand this becomes a restriction for a lot of customers in availing these cards as they are not sure whether they will be able to meet the spending limits set by the banks. Therefore, only apply when you are sure that you will be able to achieve these milestones to avail the bonus reward points and gift vouchers.
Income Eligibility Criteria
Both credit cards have attractive benefits and cater to the specific needs of their customers. When we talk about the eligibility criteria, it is much easier to apply for SBI Card Prime when compared to HDFC Regalia as income eligibility to apply for the card is just Rs. 32,000 per month whereas your net monthly income must be more than Rs.1 Lakh for HDFC Regalia Credit Card. So, this helps you decide which card to opt for depending on your income.
Our Suggestion
Hence, the choice of credit card will depend on the needs of the user. If you want a comparatively lower annual fee, HDFC Regalia Card is better but if you look at the overall cost of holding the credit card, SBI Card Prime would be better. If you travel frequently internationally, HDFC Regalia is a good option due to its low forex markup fee. If you want to earn reward points across multiple categories, SBI Card Prime is a better option.
Now that we have compared the two cards in detail, what do you think about these two credit cards? Which one would you prefer? Let us know in the comments section below.
