HDFC Bank RuPay IRCTC Credit Card
HDFC Bank · RuPay · Entry card
Adds a railway-specific option with useful IRCTC booking rewards, executive-lounge access and a reachable quarterly-spend voucher.
Frequent train travelers who book through IRCTC and can redeem points against future rail tickets.
Terms checked 13 Sept 2026
- Annual fee
- ₹500 + GST
- Joining fee
- ₹500 + GST
- Base reward rate
- 1%
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
Reward rates by spending category
Published catalogue rates before caps and merchant-category exclusions.
| Category | Recorded rate |
|---|---|
| Online shopping | 1% |
| Groceries & essentials | 1% |
| Dining & delivery | 1% |
| Travel & hotels | 1% |
| Bills & utilities | 1% |
| Beauty & wellness | 1% |
| Entertainment & movies | 1% |
| Healthcare & pharmacy | 1% |
| Subscriptions & streaming | 1% |
| Offline store shopping | 1% |
| International spending | 1% |
| Insurance premiums | 1% |
| Other miscellaneous | 1% |
| Gold & jewellery | 1% |
| Fuel & commute | 0% |
| Education & family | 0% |
| House rent | 0% |
Caps and fee waiver
- Reward caps
- SmartBuy train cashback: ₹1,000/month · SmartBuy train cashback: ₹12,000/calendar year
- Annual fee waiver
- At ₹1,50,000 annual spending
- Monthly income requirement
- Approx. ₹12,000/month salaried · ₹50,000/month self-employed
Airport lounge access
No complimentary airport lounge access recorded
Benefits & conditions
Expand a category to see recorded benefits, fees and eligibility, with conditions and links to the sources. Categories without recorded details are grouped below; missing information does not mean a benefit is unavailable.
Rewards and cashback · 6 items
IRCTC rail-booking bonus points
Usage-based valueFour incremental points plus the one-point base produce 5 points per ₹100 on eligible IRCTC website or Rail Connect bookings.
Conditions: Four incremental points plus the one-point base produce 5 points per ₹100 on eligible IRCTC website or Rail Connect bookings.
SmartBuy IRCTC rail-booking bonus points
Usage-based valueFour incremental points plus the one-point base produce 5 points per ₹100 on eligible SmartBuy IRCTC train bookings.
Conditions: Four incremental points plus the one-point base produce 5 points per ₹100 on eligible SmartBuy IRCTC train bookings.
Additional SmartBuy train cashback
Usage-based valueAn additional 5% cashback applies only to eligible train bookings through the HDFC SmartBuy route.
Conditions: An additional 5% cashback applies only to eligible train bookings through the HDFC SmartBuy route.
Base reward points
Usage-based valueOne reward point per ₹100 on other eligible purchases; the base component remains separate from the capped IRCTC accelerator.
5 reward points per ₹100 on eligible IRCTC bookings
Shown without a cash valueAn additional 5% cashback on eligible SmartBuy train bookings
Shown without a cash value
Fees · 2 items
Annual card fee
Cost ₹500₹500 annual fee before applicable tax.
Joining fee
Cost ₹500₹500 one-time joining fee before applicable tax.
Fee waiver · 1 item
Annual fee waiver
Usage-based · up to ₹500Annual fee may be waived after ₹1,50,000 of eligible annual spending.
Conditions: Reach ₹1,50,000 eligible annual spending
Exclusions: fuelCommute · educationFamily · rent
Welcome benefits · 1 item
₹500 welcome gift voucher
Recorded value ₹500Fixed-value voucher after activating the card with an eligible transaction.
Conditions: Complete one transaction within 37 days of issuance · Issuer fulfilment and voucher-validity terms apply
Spend milestones · 1 item
₹500 quarterly voucher at ₹30,000
Recorded value ₹500Unlocked after ₹30,000 of eligible spending.
Conditions: Reach ₹30,000 per calendar quarter
Exclusions: fuelCommute · educationFamily · rent
Airport lounge access · 2 items
Eight IRCTC Executive Lounge visits per calendar year, maximum two per quarter
Shown without a cash valueEight IRCTC Executive Lounge visits yearly, capped at two per quarter
Shown without a cash value
Fuel benefits · 1 item
1% fuel surcharge waiver on ₹400-₹5,000 transactions, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle
Shown without a cash value
Foreign-currency charges · 1 item
Foreign-currency markup
Usage-based value3.5% foreign-currency markup before applicable tax.
Conditions: Applies to eligible foreign-currency transactions
Eligibility and availability · 1 item
Application eligibility
Shown without a cash valueApplication availability: open. Published minimum monthly income: ₹12,000. Self-employed threshold derives from the published annual ITR above ₹6 lakh.
Other benefits · 1 item
1% IRCTC transaction-charge reversal
Shown without a cash value
Other categories (8)
These categories have no detailed entries. We distinguish confirmed absences from information that still needs review.
Card tiers
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Movies and entertainment
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Travel privileges
Details not yet availableThe reviewed issuer sources publish this benefit; its exact conditions are retained in the card benefit profile.
Official source ↗Dining
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Golf
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Insurance and protection
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Memberships
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗Concierge
Not offeredThe reviewed issuer sources do not publish this benefit for the card.
Official source ↗
What stands out
- ✓ 5 reward points per ₹100 on eligible IRCTC bookings
- ✓ An additional 5% cashback on eligible SmartBuy train bookings
- ✓ Eight IRCTC Executive Lounge visits yearly, capped at two per quarter
- ✓ ₹500 voucher each calendar quarter after ₹30,000 eligible spend
What to watch
The 5-point rail rate is capped monthly and yearly, SmartBuy cashback has separate caps, points can fund at most 70% of a rail ticket, and each redemption carries the published ₹99 plus GST fee.
Recorded exclusions
Fuel Commute · Education Family · Rent · Wallet load · Gift card load · Cash withdrawal · Balance transfer · Fees charges · Government payments · Emi
How GainFair evaluates this card
The personal card advisor applies your monthly spending to category rates, limits rewards at the applicable caps, adds eligible movie, milestone and lounge value, and subtracts annual fees plus foreign-currency markup and GST. It can recommend keeping your current cards when a new card does not create enough incremental value.
Affiliate disclosure: Affiliate link · GainFair may earn a commission if you complete a qualifying action. You pay nothing extra, and compensation never affects recommendations or rankings. Read the full disclosure.
Compare against
These cards have the closest mix of purpose, reward style, fee model and tier. They are suggestions for comparison, not rankings.
Issuer sources
Open the sources used for this card's product details, rewards, fees and eligibility.
Sources checked 13 Sept 2026