HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card
UPI RuPayVerified · September 17, 2026
4.8/5.0
Updated on September 17, 2026
🎖️Reward Rate
1 Reward Point per ₹150 spent (base)
Overview
HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card by HDFC Bank provides premium value tailored for Entry Level cardholders.
Rewards
Reward Type
Reward Points
Reward Rate
- • 1 Reward Point per ₹150 spent (base)
- • 5X Reward Points on Dining, Movies, Groceries, Railway and Taxi bookings, capped at 1,500 points/statement cycle
- • 25X Reward Points on birthday spends, capped at 3,000 points
- • 10X Reward Points via PayZapp/SmartBuy
Welcome Benefit
500 Reward Points on fee realisation (applicable only on payment of the Joining/Membership Fee)
Milestone Benefit
Gift Voucher worth ₹1,000 on crossing ₹90,000 annual spend
Redemption
- • 1 Reward Point = up to ₹0.15 (Product Catalogue, SmartBuy, CashBack) or 0.15 airmiles
- • Minimum 2,500 Reward Points (in multiples of 500) required for CashBack redemption
Benefits
- Interest-free period of up to 50 days from date of purchase
- Monthly interest rate of 3.49% (1.99% if card issued against Fixed Deposit)
- Fuel surcharge waiver of 1%, minimum transaction ₹400, maximum transaction ₹5,000, max waiver ₹250 per statement cycle
- Contactless payments enabled, ₹5,000 max per transaction without PIN
- Zero Lost Card Liability if reported immediately to HDFC's 24-hour call centre
- Revolving credit at a nominal interest rate
- PayZapp Rewards: additional cashback plus ₹1,000 cashback on shopping via 200+ brands in-app
- 'Swipe to Pay' without OTP
Things to Know Before you apply
HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card Eligibility Criteria
- Age: 21–65 years
- Salaried: net monthly income above ₹12,000; Self-employed: income above ₹2 Lakh per annum (as per ITR)
- Salaried, Self-Employed
- Indian national
Fees & Charges
| Particulars | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining Fee | ₹500 |
| Annual Fee | ₹500 |
| Foreign Currency Mark-up Fee | 3.5% |
| Cash Advance Fee | 2.5%, minimum ₹500 |
Fee waiver: Spend ₹50,000 or more in a year for the fee waiver on the next year
PaisaSimple Review
Overall Rating
4.8/5What do we like about this card?
HDFC Bank Freedom Credit Card issued by HDFC Bank is one of India's leading credit cards for Entry Level spends, featuring competitive reward earning and verified travel perks.
Pros
- • Base Rewards: 1 CashPoint per ₹150 (1 CashPoint per ₹150 on retail spends)
- • Forex markup rate of 3.5%
- • Airport lounge and lifestyle dining privileges
- • Value-packed milestone rewards on annual spend
Cons
- • Annual renewal fee of ₹500
- • Reward exclusion on fuel purchases and wallet load transactions
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Best Suited for
UPI RuPay
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UPI RuPay
Fee Details
Joining Fee
₹500
Annual/Renewal Fee
₹500
Joining Fee
₹500
Annual/Renewal Fee
₹500
Joining Fee
₹500
Annual/Renewal Fee
₹500
Welcome Benefit
- • 500 Reward Points on fee realisation (applicable only on payment of the Joining/Membership Fee)
- • 2,000 bonus Reward Points upon spending ₹5,000 within first 60 days
- • Qualification Criteria: ₹5,000 retail spend within 60 days of card setup
- • Fulfillment Timeline: 45 days
- • Welcome Benefit: SonyLIV Premium annual subscription worth ₹1,499 free with first purchase within 30 days
- • voucher via SMS within 45 days of issuance OR within 60 days of annual fee payment for eligible customers
Reward/Cashback Rate
- • 1 Reward Point per ₹150 spent (base)
- • 5X Reward Points on Dining, Movies, Groceries, Railway and Taxi bookings, capped at 1,500 points/statement cycle
- • 25X Reward Points on birthday spends, capped at 3,000 points
- • 10X Reward Points via PayZapp/SmartBuy
- • Base Rewards: 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 (2 points per ₹100 spent at HPCL fuel stations)
- • 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 (2 points per ₹100 spent on general retail)
- • Accelerated Rewards: Up to 5% savings on HPCL fuel purchases (2.5% cashback + 2 Reward Points per ₹100 + 1% surcharge waiver via ICICI POS)
- • Excluded Categories: Non-HPCL petrol pumps
- • Base Reward Rate: 4 EDGE Reward points for every ₹200 spent using the card
- • Reward-Excluded Categories: Movie, Fuel, Insurance, Wallet, Rent, Utilities, Jewellery, Education, Government Institutions, and EMI transactions all earn zero reward points
Pros
- • Base Rewards: 1 CashPoint per ₹150 (1 CashPoint per ₹150 on retail spends)
- • Forex markup rate of 3.5%
- • Airport lounge and lifestyle dining privileges
- • Value-packed milestone rewards on annual spend
- • Base Rewards: 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 (2 points per ₹100 spent at HPCL fuel stations)
- • 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 (2 points per ₹100 spent on general retail)
- • Forex markup rate of 3.5%
- • Airport lounge and lifestyle dining privileges
- • Value-packed milestone rewards on annual spend
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Cons
- • Annual renewal fee of ₹500
- • Reward exclusion on fuel purchases and wallet load transactions
- • Annual renewal fee of ₹500
- • Reward exclusion on fuel purchases and wallet load transactions
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