[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Does it have any Annual fees?

No it does not. I have so far received 5% cashback from the following merchant transactions:
- HPCL
- BPCL
- Shell
- Airtel
- Vodafone
- Maharasthra State Electricity Distribution Company

So far I haven't noticed any "ceiling" for the cashback value. The "floor" is Rs.500 i.e you have to spend Rs.500 at the eligible merchants to get the cashback. (If your Airtel bill is Rs.300 and you pay it using this card you will get Zero cashback)

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by UKR

@Rajesh1868: Where can I see the list of shops which qualify for cashback? I tried their website but no luck.

They havent listed this anywhere. Basically if the business is listed as retail shop then the transaction is eligible. Never had any issues with all big malls. Also use in local stores as well.

[CRV2010]

I am holding a SBI Credit Card for more than a year now and HSBC Credit Card from past 8 months both has very low credit limit of just 1lakh. Please people having SBI & HSBC can let me know when do these banks increase credit limit of their own normally. I called both banks customer care for requesting increase in limit but they refused and asked me to visit the bank with Income Proof and submit a request, which i don't want to.

HDFC & AMEX increased the credit limit just after a year for me automatically without any income proof request.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by bblost

I received a letter from HDFC that I don't need to pay my May and June bills till July.
Its some sort of an interest free period.

So whats the catch?

I went through this twice in last one year with recent being March and April bill to be paid in May'12

Its just a good gesture for your business to them and also for your prompt payments

HDFC credit cards are the best of all

[999]

Originally Posted by CRV2010

I am holding a SBI Credit Card for more than a year now and HSBC Credit Card from past 8 months both has very low credit limit of just 1lakh. Please people having SBI & HSBC can let me know when do these banks increase credit limit of their own normally. I called both banks customer care for requesting increase in limit but they refused and asked me to visit the bank with Income Proof and submit a request, which i don't want to.

HDFC & AMEX increased the credit limit just after a year for me automatically without any income proof request.

I also have an SBI and HSBC card. They are more conservative in their credit limits. They look closely at your spending pattern and repayment schedules to arrive at a credit limit. So if your payment schedules are fine they increase your limits in every 6 months period. At least that is what I had.
Regards

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by mobike008

HDFC credit cards are the best of all

You have to say that otherwise ------ghar me hi problem.

[UKR]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

They havent listed this anywhere. Basically if the business is listed as retail shop then the transaction is eligible. Never had any issues with all big malls. Also use in local stores as well.

@rajesh1868: I had thought the same and tried it in Spar but didn't receive any cash back even though the transaction was above 500 so thought of looking up their list of shops. This card as of now is not looking as beneficial as it is made to look because a good percentage of the cash back received would have to be given back as annual fees. Also there is no reward points for the transactions that qualify for cash back. Citibank Indian oil platinum I feel is a better bet as we can directly convert points to fuel and one point is equivalent to 1 rupee worth of fuel. I think I would most probably discontinue Manhattan after a year.

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

The best credit card, i have used so far is American Express. I don't know many people would agree with me, but its certainly the best, espically the customer services. The only down side, its only accepted its selected places else one has to pay some extra charge

@amitpunjani: I was also looking at Amex cards but couldn't find any card for which the benefits would atleast offset the yearly charges they were demanding. Would really appreciate if you could elaborate on the features apart from customer service which you found beneficial.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by bblost

I received a letter from HDFC that I don't need to pay my May and June bills till July.
Its some sort of an interest free period.

So whats the catch?

There is no catch. It is a genuine offer from HDFC bank, provided to customers with good repayment history.

I made use of this offer to purchase LCD TV, and paid off the amount over a duration of 3 months without any interest or extra charge. I used it like an EMI scheme. I could also have used it to delay the payment by 3 months.

The only catch is that the credit card holder gets tempted by such offers to make big purchases, which he/she has been postponing for want of funds.

Rohan

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by UKR

@rajesh1868: I had thought the same and tried it in Spar but didn't receive any cash back even though the transaction was above 500 so thought of looking up their list of shops. This card as of now is not looking as beneficial as it is made to look because a good percentage of the cash back received would have to be given back as annual fees. Also there is no reward points for the transactions that qualify for cash back. Citibank Indian oil platinum I feel is a better bet as we can directly convert points to fuel and one point is equivalent to 1 rupee worth of fuel. I think I would most probably discontinue Manhattan after a year.



@amitpunjani: I was also looking at Amex cards but couldn't find any card for which the benefits would atleast offset the yearly charges they were demanding. Would really appreciate if you could elaborate on the features apart from customer service which you found beneficial.

Hi Buddy,

The customer services representatives are really professional and well spoken. On one occasion, i paid about Rs 1,200 extra as the retailer said they charge extra for using Amex. I spoke to the CR of Amex and the same day they credited back to my card.

Yes, these guys do charge a annual fees which is about Rs 5,000/annum but worth it for the kind of services they offer.

[UKR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I went through this twice in last one year with recent being March and April bill to be paid in May'12

Its just a good gesture for your business to them and also for your prompt payments

HDFC credit cards are the best of all

I found them good in terms of EMIs and payment flexibility. But their statements are not that user friendly and I don't really find anything useful in their smartbuy site. Also their points don't carry much value.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by UKR

@rajesh1868: I had thought the same and tried it in Spar but didn't receive any cash back even though the transaction was above 500 so thought of looking up their list of shops. This card as of now is not looking as beneficial as it is made to look because a good percentage of the cash back received would have to be given back as annual fees. Also there is no reward points for the transactions that qualify for cash back. Citibank Indian oil platinum I feel is a better bet as we can directly convert points to fuel and one point is equivalent to 1 rupee worth of fuel. I think I would most probably discontinue Manhattan after a year.

I have tried Manhattan in Reliance, HyperCity, and smaller shops as well. Also This is free for first 2 years and will be charged from 3rd year. Im not planning to go beyond 2 years
I am already using Citibank Indian Oil Card

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

The best credit card, i have used so far is American Express. I don't know many people would agree with me, but its certainly the best, espically the customer services. The only down side, its only accepted its selected places else one has to pay some extra charge

In terms of service I agree they are the best. There membership rewards is also the best.

I now have 2 Amex cards and any interaction with customer care just makes your day.

ps: I am an Amex Employee.

[UKR]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

I have tried Manhattan in Reliance, HyperCity, and smaller shops as well. Also This is free for first 2 years and will be charged from 3rd year. Im not planning to go beyond 2 years
I am already using Citibank Indian Oil Card

Even I have been using Citibank Indianoil card . I thought of resting it for sometime to try Manhattan. But looks like the resting period won't last long. I was under the impression that it was free for one year only, thanks for letting me know.

[amtak]

My experience tells me that HSBC and Sbi cards are the best.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

You have to say that otherwise ------ghar me hi problem.

Originally Posted by UKR

I found them good in terms of EMIs and payment flexibility. But their statements are not that user friendly and I don't really find anything useful in their smartbuy site. Also their points don't carry much value.

Been using a HDFC World card from more than 6 years now and my monthly spend between two cards is roughly 30K-35K. And, I pay entire amount on due date, each time. I have used Standard Charter, HSBC, SBI in the past.

I also use an ICICI Card regularly

SBI : Always had problems in statements and reaching the call center was a painful process

HSBC : They made the maximum mistakes in statements. Even after denouncing their card by informing the call center people. I used to get a statement for nearly 2 years with some meagre amount listed in the statement and then once a year annual fee was also included in statements. I chose to ignore them and finally they stopped sending those statements.

Standard Charter : It was a good card but, my experience with their call center people was horrible as i found them cold and non-helpful for minor requests. So in a fit of rage, i cancelled the card one day. That was a mistake but, i am not complaining

ICICI : I am using this card from 7 years. They are good but, unheeding to your requests and getting through to their call center is a nightmare. Punch in practically a thousand numbers before you connect to a LIVE person

HDFC Cards

1. Any issue, I call my personal banker and she gets me on a con-call with the CC department and resolves my query/issue

2. I get connected to their LIVE person in call center in exactly 10 secs.

3. Till date, never a wrong statement

4. Couple of times due to travel, I missed paying them on due date and paid after a week. I call them to waive off late fees. They gladly oblige

5. I get 0% interest on 3 EMI's at all times

6. I agree their reward points arent the best but, i never made use of reward points in my life.

7. Receive an SMS on phone even before my card has completed its full swipe. Same thing goes for HDFC ATM withdrawals. Even before the cash is dispensed an SMS lands on your phone

8. I receive a call from their Risk department for any purchase made on or above Rs.20,000 to confirm if i really made that purchase.

Going by above, I dont think any other bank provides such tremendous customer service which goes to prove that HDFC Bank is the No.1 Retail Bank in the country in almost all retail products.

During recession some 3-4 years ago, all banks had stopped issuing new credit cards. HDFC Bank was the only bank that used to issue brand new cards to customers.