[binand]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I am with HDFC Bank for about 15 years now and theirs is the only credit card I use. The one that I now have is the Visa Platinum plus, which is expiring next month. Whilst I did know about its expiry and the bank did intimate me about the same, what I wasn't prepared for was the bank deciding that I need an upgrade and deciding that an "All Miles" card is what works best for me, which I got to know only after I received my new all miles credit card.

They pulled exactly the same stunt on me. My Visa Signature wasn't even expiring; they just gratuitously sent me a Jet Privilege card and arbitrarily cancelled the older one. All reward points in the old card were converted into JP miles in the new one.

I very patiently went through their escalation matrix and it took about two months, but in the end I got them to (a) cancel the JP card, (b) reissue me with a new Visa Signature card, and (c) toughest of all - restore all my reward points in the new Signature card.

So here is the process:

1. Write to customer care explaining the situation and your desired outcome clearly.
2. They will respond with some bromide; refuse anything that is not as per your desired outcome.
3. After one or two exchanges, escalate to the Grievance Redressal Cell.
4. Most likely the GRC will also respond the same way as the customer care.
5. Escalate to Nodal officer.
6. At this stage, HDFC Bank knows you are serious about the complaint and are willing to follow through, and the next escalation point (Banking Ombudsman) is outside the bank's control. They will go all-out to solve the issue at this level.
7. Stick to your desired outcome. They will offer you meaningless perks like free insurance, discount vouchers etc. Refuse everything. Insist on restoration of status to pre-new card days.
8. Eventually they'll do it.

As a bonus, I got a JP number which has some miles on it (I haven't even activated it). The downside was that during this period, I couldn't avail of the old card's no-fuel-surcharge-at-all-pumps perk.

Edit: HDFC Bank Escalation Procedure

[Jaguar]

I have found that going through the exact escalation procedure is just waste of process. If I don't receive any favourable response from the initial couple of strongly worded email interactions with the customer care, I directly escalate to the Ombudsman and copy the Nodal officer and customer care. This usually solves the issue in a fast manner.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

If I don't receive any favourable response [...], I directly escalate to the Ombudsman and copy the Nodal officer and customer care.

The thing is, if you don't go through the bank's escalation process the ombudsman can require you to do so, or even reject your complaint.

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I am with HDFC Bank for about 15 years now and theirs is the only credit card I use. The one that I now have is the Visa Platinum plus, which is expiring next month. Whilst I did know about its expiry and the bank did intimate me about the same, what I wasn't prepared for was the bank deciding that I need an upgrade and deciding that an "All Miles" card is what works best for me, which I got to know only after I received my new all miles credit card.

HDFC did exactly the same thing to me. I too was on the Visa Platinum Plus and then have sent me MoneyBack card (got it yesterday). I am yet to find out the pros and cons and I am thinking to revert to the older one or cancel it all together. One thing I found is that there are lot of conditional waivers in the new card - for fuel surcharge, annual fees and so on. The points are not yet transferred and not sure how it transpires.

[rkg]

I was using a platinum plus for three years. During that period they waived off first year annual fee after i have reached the spending threshold. Second year they did not levy it at all, as i have spent more than stipulated limit.
Third year they have put annual fee and waived it only after three months after i have spent specified amount in that three months. I have thought of canceling the card.
But next year they offered me Superia card with life time free offer in writing
They very next year, they upgraded it to Regalia card with life time free offer

Every time i had en cashed my points before card up gradation. Hence did not loose much in terms of points.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by binand

The thing is, if you don't go through the bank's escalation process the ombudsman can require you to do so, or even reject your complaint.

What has happened is that even before the ombudsman took any action or respond, the bank themselves rectified the issue, just due to the fact that a complaint has gone to the higher ups.

[Jaguar]

I have been using Manhattan from Standard Chartered for 10 years now and haven't missed any payment. Intentionally kept the credit limit less at around 40k since I use this card primarily for online transactions.

I am a priority banking customer with Standard Chartered with my salary account also being with them and am eligible for their Visa Infinity Card. But I am not able to go for the upgrade since the process is to first increse the limit of my existing card to 3l plus. And to increase the card limit, I need to wait for an offer from Standard Chartered, and currently they don't have any offers

So basically I can't upgrade to a card for which I am eligible. I don't understand who comes up with these idiotic policies.

[Engine_Roars]

I have a HDFC Money back card and for some strange reason I could not find a way to convert my rewards points to cash. Help please!!

[Oxy]

Does any card exist that gives you fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps without having a monthly cap on it?

ICICI/Amex can be used only at HP while Citibank only at IOC.

I currently have a Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium which gives me a 2.5% cash back too along with the surcharge waiver, but the total monthly cashback is limited to Rs.200. So when I reach this limit, I end up paying the surcharge.

SBI has this limit capped to Rs.100.

And I am reluctant to go for HDFC as I do not want my card to be randomly "upgraded" without my consent.

Anyone else in the same boat?

[rajesh1868]

Heads up on free Rubyx card offer

I was offered ICICI Rubyx card for free a few weeks back. Looked like a very good offer and I accepted. Before the verification call, they called me again and told that the customer care will say this is a card with annual fee but we assure you that this wont be charged. I said OK

The customer care person calls for verification and informs me that this card carries an annual charge. I replied that I know that but I was offered this free. The call drops
(I should have understood the issue here. But assumed this is the normal voda connectivity issue)

He calls again and this time i just say yes to this charge info.

Received the card with the (online)welcome kit mentioning that this carries annual charge.

Called up customer care to cancel the card but I was asked to pay the annual charge and the tax. I protested and they agreed to reverse the charge without much argument.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

Called up customer care to cancel the card but I was asked to pay the annual charge and the tax. I protested and they agreed to reverse the charge without much argument.

So it seems Aisa-Waisa bank hasn't changed one bit in all these years. They still penny pinch this way or that.

Reminds me of the time I got rid of my ICICI Bank credit card many years ago. I asked them to cancel the card on the phone, a month later it was still active and they tell me that they cannot close the card account because it has a positive (credit) balance of less than a rupee. They asked me to courier a letter to forgo the balance. A month later, the card was still not canceled, this time due to a few paltry loyalty points and I had to courier one more letter to forgo that.

I for one will not be taking an ICICI Bank credit card even if they pay me for it.

[tud]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

I have a HDFC Money back card and for some strange reason I could not find a way to convert my rewards points to cash. Help please!!

The cash back is an offline process - fill a form and you get the cash back in a couple of days. You need to contact your RM for the same. Or you can reach the CC helpline.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Does any card exist that gives you fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps without having a monthly cap on it?

SBI Visa Signature Card gives Rs. 250 Surcharge Waiver per month valid across any petrol pump.

I doubt any other card gives more than that or unlimited Surcharge Waiver.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

The customer care person calls for verification and informs me that this card carries an annual charge. I replied that I know that but I was offered this free. The call drops

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

So it seems Aisa-Waisa bank hasn't changed one bit in all these years. They still penny pinch this way or that.

Absolutely. I picked up the Ferrari Platinum card recently and they charged me 499/- for it. This despite me having multiple savings accounts, demat, FDs and what not with them.

They also insisted that I go through the entire "verification" process despite me linking it to my salary account of 15 years! And at the end of it, they didn't even link my new card to the account. I had to do this manually by placing a service request through my online banking.

So much for CRM!

Unrelated: Is this card protection program a scam? Today somebody called me from CPP and tried to elicit my other credit card numbers to add to my list of cards to protect. I said I am not doing it over the phone. Will look at my CPP welcome kit and apply for it myself. He insisted but I stood firm and finally huffily rang off.

Suspicious.

[JohnyBoy]

Originally Posted by tejas08

SBI Visa Signature Card gives Rs. 250 Surcharge Waiver per month valid across any petrol pump.

I doubt any other card gives more than that or unlimited Surcharge Waiver.

Tejas, HDFC Regalia cards give this. Valid across all pumps. I'm using this for few years now.

From their website:
Enjoy 0% surcharge on all your fuel purchases (Minimum transaction of INR 400. Maximum cash back of INR 500 per statement cycle)