Travel credit cards: The new winners after reward devaluations
Despite SmartBuy changes, DCB Metal remains one of the most rewarding cards in this segment. It earns 5 RPs per ₹150 spent, translating to a base reward rate of about 3.3%, with 1:1 transfers to most airline and hotel partners. Its biggest attraction remains the quarterly milestone of 10,000 bonus RPs on ₹4 lakh spends, pushing effective rewards close to 6%. However, HDFC’s monthly cap of 3,000 bonus points on SmartBuy vouchers means users can no longer route a large share of household spending through vouchers to reach these milestones.
