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A Complete Guide to Using Your HDFC Credit Card: Everything You Need To Know

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Atul opened an HDFC Savings Account and received his very first Credit Card. Since he has never owned a credit card, he is overwhelmed by the numerous processes associated with card usage. How to activate an HDFC credit card? How to set credit card PIN? How to pay the HDFC credit card bill? How are the reward points accrued and how to redeem them? Perhaps, a quick HDFC credit card usage guide would have been a great help for Atul.

If you are also using an HDFC credit card for the first time like Atul, here is a walkthrough of all the common processes related to your HDFC credit card. 

Related Article: 10 Best HDFC Credit Cards- Eligibility, How to Apply?

Table of Contents

Before we understand more about using your HDFC card, here are a few general terms and conditions you must know about a credit card. 

Credit Card Terms and Conditions You should be aware of

Basically, you can borrow money (up to the given credit limit) using your credit card and pay it back as and when due. Your credit card can be used to make bill payments, shopping, travel bookings, and many more transactions. When you use your credit card for a certain transaction, the amount gets deducted from your credit limit and is added back to it when you pay the amount back. 

Here are some terms associated with the credit card that you should know:

  • Interest: When you fail to pay your credit card bill in full by the due date, certain interest is levied on outstanding credit card bills, compounded daily. Also, any new transactions you make on your card (while having unpaid dues) will carry interest right from the day of the transaction. Thereby, it is very important to make your credit card bill payments on time and avoid such interest charges. 
  • Credit Limit: Every credit card comes with a pre-set credit limit beyond which you cannot spend. Transactions beyond your credit limit may get rejected by the credit card issuing company or carry hefty over-limit charges. With time, banks usually offer increased limit to the users based on their usage history
  • Billing Cycle: Credit cards have a one-month billing cycle It is the period between two billing dates. Your credit card statement will be generated on the last day of your billing cycle. Both debits and credits during this time will be included on the credit card statement. Any transactions made after statement generation will be included in the next billing cycle.
  • Due Date: Though a credit card statement is generated on the last day of your billing cycle, the due date is usually 15-20 days after the statement date. For example, if your statement date is the 20th of every month, your due date may be the 5th of the next month. This gives you 15 additional interest-free days.

To learn more about credit card billing cycle, click here.

Now that you have a fair idea about how a credit card works, let us help you with your new HDFC credit card.

How to activate HDFC Credit Card?

You need to activate your HDFC card before it can be used for transactions that require a PIN. HDFC Credit Cards can be activated online via internet banking or through an ATM.

To activate your credit card via NetBanking, you need to login to the HDFC Net Banking portal with the help of your User-ID and password. After that, go to the ‘Credit Cards’ section and select the ‘Register New Card’ option. If you do not have a savings account with HDFC Bank, you can still register your card and use the HDFC credit card net banking feature. 

If you want to activate your credit card from an ATM, you will need to call HDFC Phone Banking number and select the ‘Generate Credit Card PIN’ option. After that, you will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number. Now you can head to the nearest HDFC ATM, select the ‘Create new ATM PIN using OTP’ option and enter the OTP received. Create a New PIN and then your card will be ready for use.

Related Article: How To Activate HDFC Credit Card?

How to make payments using your HDFC credit card?

Your HDFC Credit Card can be used for offline as well as offline transactions. After you have made your purchases, you can choose a Credit Card as your payment method (online) or give your credit card to be swiped at the POS machine (offline)

How to complete an online transaction with HDFC Credit Card?

When you use your HDFC Credit Card for a transaction online, you will be required to provide your card details such as your credit card number, expiration date, CVV and the name on your card. After you have entered all the details, you will be required to validate the transaction using an OTP sent to your registered mobile number. The transaction can be completed successfully after entering the OTP correctly

How to Check HDFC Credit Card Balance?

HDFC Credit Cardholders can check their card balance via mobile app, SMS banking, net-banking, ATM, or by contacting the customer service number. You can log-in to HDFC MobileBanking or net-banking and go to the ‘Cards’ section to view your credit card balance.

To check HDFC Credit Card balance via SMS, you can send CCBAL<space>XXXX (last 4-digits of your credit card) to 5676712. You can also dial the HDFC customer care helpline number (Local/STD Code) 6160 6161 to know your card balance.

To view all the ways to check HDFC Credit Card balance, click here.

How to Redeem HDFC Credit Card Reward Points?

HDFC Credit Card reward points can be redeemed online via net-banking and/or offline by submitting the reward redemption form. 

Via HDFC Net-banking

You can log in to HDFC Netbanking by using your customer ID and password. Now, go to the ‘Credit Cards’ section and choose ‘Redeem Reward Points’. After that, you can choose your points range and item category to find the rewards catalogue. Agree to the terms and conditions to redeem points.

Via Reward Redemption Form

Download the reward redemption form, fill it and mail at the customer care address of HDFC Bank.

Click here to know more about HDFC Reward Redemption.

How to get HDFC credit card statement?

At the end of a billing cycle, you will receive an official statement containing a proper record of all the transactions carried out via HDFC Credit Card on your registered email ID. You can get access to your HDFC Credit Card Statement via NetBanking, Mobile Application, or by visiting an HDFC branch. 

To view your Credit Card statement via NetBanking, you need to register your credit card with HDFC net banking. Once you have registered, you can log in to HDFC NetBanking Portal and navigate to the ‘View Credit Card Statement’ option under the ‘Enquire’ tab on the menu

You can also view and download your HDFC credit card statement via mobile banking application. For that, you can log-in to your mobile app and select the ‘Download Billed Statement’ option under the ‘Cards’ option

Besides, you can also request for a copy of the HDFC credit card statement by directly visiting the HDFC Bank branch. 

For detailed steps regarding HDFC Credit Card Statement, Click Here.

How to pay the HDFC credit card bill?

  • For HDFC Bank account-holders:

HDFC Bank account-holders can make credit card payments via:

  1. NetBanking: Register with the HDFC Bank NetBanking Service and make credit card payments online.
  2. Standing Instructions: You can set up the auto-pay feature for HDFC credit card bill payment on your HDFC savings/current account. Each month, the amount you have selected (total due or minimum due) will be deducted from your account to pay off the bill. 
  3. Mobile Application: The process is the same as net banking. Login to the HDFC Mobile App, go to the ‘Cards’ section and pay the bill directly using your account balance.
  • For All Customers: 

Bill Desk: If you do not have an HDFC bank savings/current account, you can use other bank’s net banking service to pay your HDFC credit card bills. This can be done via Bill Desk. Visit this link, enter the card details and proceed with payment via the selected method.

DropBox Option: You can make your HDFC Credit Card bill payments by writing a cheque for the respective amount and dropping the same at the bank’s drop-box.

For more options to pay the HDFC credit card bill, click here.

How to block HDFC Credit Card?

In case you have lost your credit card or noticed an unauthorized transaction, you should immediately block your card. HDFC Credit Cards can be blocked via net-banking, mobile banking, or by visiting the bank branch.

You can log in to your HDFC net banking account and select the ‘credit cards’ option. After that, select the ‘Credit Card Hotlisting’ option and choose your reason for hotlisting.

You can also dial the HDFC Customer Care number and proceed with the credit card hotlisting option. For Ahmedabad / Bangalore / Chennai / Delhi & NCR / Hyderabad / Kolkata / Mumbai / Pune, Dial 61606161. For Chandigarh / Cochin / Indore / Jaipur / Lucknow, Dial- 6160616

You can also visit your nearest HDFC bank branch and apply for Credit Card hotlisting.

To know more about HDFC Credit Card hotlisting, click here.

How to close HDFC Credit Card?

Cardholders can choose to cancel or close their existing credit card. Banks allow credit cards to be closed at the discretion of the customer.

HDFC Bank round-the-clock helpline programs help to close consumer credit card accounts anytime they choose. Simply call the city-specific number and ask to cancel your credit card account at any time. You can also download the form to close the HDFC credit card, fill it in and email it to the address below.

HDFC Bank Cards Division,

P.O.Box No.8654, Thiruvanmiyur P.O. 

Chennai – 600041

Read more: How to close HDFC Bank Credit Card?

More About Credit Cards

Tips to use your Credit Card Responsibly
Understanding the Perks on Your Credit Card
HDFC Bank Credit Card Fees
Tips to use your Credit Card Responsibly

Credit cards are known as one of the costliest forms of borrowing if not used wisely. But, what is the wise way of using a credit card? Let’s find out:

  • You should make timely bill payments: Always make sure that your credit card bill is paid on time. With this, you will be able to avoid interest charges, late payment fees, and penalties. You can use autopay or auto-debit features provided by the bank to debit recurring bills automatically.
  • Make complete bill payments: If possible, pay the total amount due on your card. When you pay the minimum amount due and carry the balance to the next billing cycle, it carries interest on the unpaid balance and also on the new transactions you make. You should always pay your complete bill to avoid interest levied on the outstanding billed amount. Outstanding bills and interests can also negatively affect your credit score.
  • Keep a track on your spendings: With a credit card, you will get rewards on your spending but overspending or over-budgeting can push you down the debt-well. A simple rule of thumb is to spend just what you can afford to pay at the time of purchase. In this way, you know that you can pay off the debt. Even, if you have a card that earns you rewards, don’t spend too much trying to collect points, so the interest you accumulate would counteract the incentives.
  • Keep checking your monthly statements: You should check your monthly statements properly to make sure that there are no fraudulent transactions. Most of the companies issue alerts if they suspect a fraudulent transaction, but only you can review every case of questionable activity.
  • Use your card only on trustworthy websites: Never enter your card details on a website which seems suspicious. Otherwise, your card details may get recorded by unauthorized bots for frauds.
Understanding the Perks on Your Credit Card

Each credit card offers a set of benefits in the form of reward points, cashback, and discounts. These benefits are either applied to a single category (say Travel, Lifestyle, Shopping, Bill Payments, etc.) or to a bunch of different categories, depending on the card that is chosen by you. For instance, HDFC Regalia Credit Card offers benefits on shopping and travel, and HDFC Diners Club Privilege Card offers rewards on lounge access, travel, and golf.

Thereby, a beginner needs to understand the features and benefits of a credit card, before getting started. Given below are some common benefits provided by the best credit cards in India.

  • Sign-up Bonus: This bonus refers to the benefits or rewards that an individual receives after activating his/her credit card. Usually, you are required to spend a certain amount within a given period of time to receive the sign-up bonus.
  • Rewards: Most of the credit cards provide reward points that can earn you cashback on the different types of transactions. So, the more you spend, the more reward points you can earn.
  • Milestone Bonus: This refers to the benefits or rewards you can enjoy after spending a certain amount over a period of time. For example, in the case of HDFC Diners Club Privilege Card, you can choose any one monthly voucher worth Rs.500 of Ola Select membership or BookMyShow or TataCliq, On spending Rs.40,000 every month.
  • Complimentary Benefits: Some Credit Cards provide complimentary airport lounge access and dining benefits. Only a limited number of complimentary visits are valid for one card. Travel-centric cards and premium cards especially offer these benefits.
  • Other Benefits: Benefits such as fuel surcharge waiver, smart EMIs, Cyber Fraud Protection, etc. are also provided in some cases.
HDFC Bank Credit Card Fees

No service comes for free! There are different fees and charges levied by HDFC Bank on its Credit Cards. Here are some details that you must keep in mind:

  1. Annual/Renewal Fee: This is the yearly charge paid to avail credit card services. This fee varies from one card to another. This fee is credited to the credit card account and is expressed in the account statement of the month in which it was paid.
  2. Cash Advance Fee: In the case of emergencies, cardholders can withdraw money from domestic as well as international ATMs. 2.5 per cent shall be paid on the complete withdrawal which shall be invoiced to the consumers in the statement of the next month. The minimum amount paid as the advance payment is Rs. 500.
  3. Finance Charges: Finance Payments shall be charged at a monthly percentage rate on all transactions from the day on which the transaction is made to the day on which the entire amount is refunded. Financial costs shall be counted from the date of advance deposit of cash until the date of final payment.

Also Read: HDFC Bank Credit Card Fees and Charges

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