For a business person, self-employed professional, freelancer, etc., certain business-related expenses must be made regularly. Some of these include utility bill payments, Income Tax/Advance Tax, GST payments, spends on business productivity tools, travel spends on flights and hotel bookings, etc. But what if a credit card could give you a 16.5% value back on all these spends? Yes, it is possible. The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card can give you a 16.5% value back on all the above spends and a lot more.Held in a sophisticated metal construction, it offers a tangible sense of premium quality and exclusivity, appealing directly to the aspirational, high-net-worth individual. In this article, we will do a HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card review, understand its features and benefits, and evaluate whether you should take this card.
HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card
- Welcome Benefit:
Get Club Marriott Annual Membership + Taj Stay voucher worth ₹ 5000 on spends of ₹ 1.5 lakhs within first 90 days.
- Renewal Benefits:
Spend Rs. 7.5 Lakhs in an anniversary year (12 billing cycles) and get Renewal Fee waived for next renewal year. Spend Rs.1.5 Lakhs in first 90 days of card issuance to get First Year Joining Fee waived off
- Usps:
Business Insurance Benefit, Concierge Services, Golf Games Benefit, Lounge Benefit
5X Rewards on Business Govt Tax/Bill Payments
================================
Overview Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Card type | Rewards card |
| Reward range | Up to 16.5% value back on specified business spends and up to 33% value back on specified spends on SmartBuy. |
| Joining fee | Rs. 10,000 + Taxes |
| Welcome bonus | Club Marriott Annual Membership and a Taj Stay voucher worth Rs. 5,000 |
| Renewal fee | Rs. 10,000 + Taxes |
| Renewal benefit | NA |
| Best for | Earning up to 16.5% value back on business spends like bill payments, taxes, travel, business tools, etc. |
| USP | Good welcome benefits, good base and accelerated reward rate on business spends, complimentary airport lounge access, spend-based waiver on annual renewal fee, etc. |
Fees & Benefits
The joining fee for the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card is Rs. 10,000 + Taxes.
The cardholder gets welcome benefits of Club Marriott annual membership and a Rs. 5,000 Taj Stay gift voucher on spending Rs. 1.5 lakhs within the first 90 days of card issuance.
For qualified cardholders, the welcome benefits will get unlocked once the required spends are completed. A qualified cardholder must visit the BizBlack Milestone Redemption Portal to redeem the welcome benefit. The benefit must be redeemed within 270 days.
The annual renewal fee for the card is Rs. 10,000 + Taxes.
There are no annual renewal benefits on this credit card. If the cardholder spends Rs. 7.5 lakhs in a card anniversary year, the annual renewal fee for the next year is waived.
Rewards Structure
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card provides a base reward rate of 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent. The cardholder can get a redemption value of up to Rs. 1 per reward point, translating into a base reward rate of 3.3%.
Accelerated 5X reward points on Business Essential spends
The cardholder can earn 5X accelerated reward points (25 reward points) for every Rs. 150 spent on select business spends. These include:
Bill payment through PayZapp and SmartPay
Income Tax and Advance Tax payments through the Government’s Income Tax portal (https://eportal.incometax.gov.in/)
GST payments through the Government’s GST portal
Flight and hotel bookings through the SmartBuy BizDeals portal (https://offers.smartbuy.hdfcbank.com/business), with benefits like a 4% discount on flights and hotel bookings through the MakeMyTrip MyBiz portal, discounted fares, free meals and seat selection, low cancellation fees, etc.
Business Productivity tools like Tally, Office 365, AWS, Google, Credflow, Azure and more through SmartBuy BizDeals – Nuclei (https://bizdeals.gonuclei.com/), with discounts on various business software.
The cardholder must spend a minimum of Rs. 50,000 (subject to exclusions) in a statement cycle to earn 5X reward points on the above spends. The accelerated 5X reward points on Business Essential spends are capped at 7,500 RP per statement cycle. All PayZapp transactions will be eligible for 5X reward points except spends on clubs, housing, rent, hospital, education, donation, mutual funds, loans, credit card payments, and wallet loads.
Accelerated up to 10X reward points on spends through the SmartBuy portal
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card is eligible for up to 10X reward points for spends through the SmartBuy portal. The cardholder can earn 3X to 10X accelerated reward points through the SmartBuy portal as follows.
| Merchant | Reward rate | Reward points/Rs. 150 spent |
|---|---|---|
| IGP | 10X RP | 50 |
| Flights | 5X RP | 25 |
| Hotels | 10X RP | 50 |
| Trains | 3X RP | 15 |
| RedBus | 5X RP | 25 |
| Instant vouchers | 3X RP | 15 |
| Imagine Tresor | 3X RP | 15 |
| ZoomCar | 5X RP | 25 |
| Myntra | 5X RP | 25 |
| Jockey | 10X RP | 50 |
| MMT holiday packages | 5X RP | 25 |
| Pharmeasy | 10X RP | 50 |
On the SmartBuy portal, there is a monthly limit on the amount of gift vouchers of specific brands that can be purchased in a calendar month. For example, a cardholder can buy a maximum of Rs. 1,500 Bigbasket gift vouchers and Rs. 10,000 Amazon Pay gift vouchers in a calendar month. There is a convenience fee on the purchase of gift vouchers of specific brands like Amazon Pay, Amazon Shopping Voucher and Flipkart.
On the SmartBuy portal, the cardholder can earn a maximum of 10,000 accelerated reward points daily and in a calendar month. There is no capping on the 1X base reward rate. The accelerated reward points are credited within 90 working days from the late date of the transaction month.
A maximum of 1,50,000 reward points can be earned in a statement cycle. The validity of reward points is 3 years.
Milestone benefits
The cardholder can get a Rs. 5,000 SmartBuy flight or a Taj Stay gift voucher on every Rs. 5 lakhs spent. The cardholder can get gift vouchers worth Rs. 20,000 on spends of Rs. 20 lakhs in a calendar year.
For qualified cardholders, the milestone benefits will get unlocked once the required spends are completed. A qualified cardholder must visit the BizBlack Milestone Redemption Portal to redeem the milestone benefit. The cardholder can select a voucher of their choice and redeem it within 90 days.
Capping on earning reward points
| Category | Monthly capping on reward points |
|---|---|
| Insurance | 5,000 reward points per month |
| Grocery | 2,000 reward points per month |
| Utility transactions | 2,000 reward points per month |
| Telecom transactions | 2,000 reward points per month |
Exclusions
Spends on the following categories will not earn any reward points.
- Fuel transactions
- Rent payments
- Education-related transactions
- Wallet loading
- EasyEMI
- Online skill-based gaming
Reward Points accrued will be reversed if a retail transaction is converted into SmartEMI.
Fees on specific transactions
- Rent: A 1% fee on the transaction amount
- Fuel transactions: 1% fee on transactions exceeding Rs. 15,000
- Utility transactions: 1% fee on all spends if the spends exceed Rs. 50,000 in a calendar month (insurance premium payments excluded from this fee)
- Education transactions: 1% fee on transactions through 3rd party apps; no fee if the card is used directly on the school/college website or POS machine
- Online skill-based gaming: 1% fee on all spends if the spends exceed Rs. 10,000 in a calendar month
- Wallet loading (excluding PayZapp): 1% fee on all spends if the spends exceed Rs. 10,000 in a calendar month
Rewards Redemption
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card can redeem their reward points in the following ways.
| Redemption option | Redemption value |
|---|---|
| Flight or hotel booking on SmartBuy | 1 reward point = Rs. 1 |
| Business Catalogue through net banking and SmartBuy | 1 reward point = Up to Rs. 1 |
| Product Catalogue through net banking and SmartBuy | 1 reward point = Up to Rs. 0.50 |
| Cashback against statement | 1 reward point = Rs. 0.30 |
Flights and hotel bookings
The cardholder can use reward points to book flights and hotels on the SmartBuy portal. The booking options include domestic and international flights and hotels. The redemption value is 1 reward point = Rs. 1.
Suppose you spend with a merchant like IGP, Jockey, Pharmeasy, or do a paid hotel booking through the SmartBuy platform. You will earn 10X reward points (50 reward points) for every Rs. 150 spent for all these transactions. It means you will earn 33 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on these transactions on the SmartBuy platform.
Now, when you redeem these 33 reward points for flights or hotel bookings on the SmartBuy platform, you will get a redemption value of Rs. 1 for each reward point. Thus, your 33 reward points earned on spending Rs. 100 will get you redemption benefits worth Rs. 33. It translates into a 33% value back for flight and hotel booking redemptions through the SmartBuy platform.
For travel bookings (flights, hotels, and experiences), a maximum of 70% of the transaction value can be paid with reward points. The balance must be paid with the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card. The cardholder earns 5X accelerated reward points on the balance 30% or higher amount paid with the HDFC Bank credit card.
Product catalogue/gift vouchers
The reward points can be redeemed against products and gift vouchers through the SmartBuy portal or net banking. The redemption value is up to Rs. 0.50 per reward point. A cardholder can redeem up to 70% of the product or voucher value with reward points and pay the remaining amount with the credit card.
Cashback against statement
The cardholder can redeem reward points for cashback. The redemption value is 1 reward point = Rs. 0.30. A minimum of 2,500 reward points is needed for redemption against the statement balance.
Transfer to an airline partner
The reward points can be transferred to KrisFlyer, the Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) of Singapore Airlines. The transfer ratio is 1:1.
A maximum of 75,000 reward points can be redeemed in a calendar month.
Additional Features
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card offers the following additional features.
Airport lounge access
The card offers unlimited complimentary lounge access to domestic and international airports outside India. The lounge access is complimentary for primary and add-on cardholders.
The unlimited airport lounge access is valid only for active cardholders from the 5th of the current month. To stay active, the cardholder must have done at least 1 transaction in the last month.
Golf access
The cardholder can enjoy 6 complimentary golf games per quarter at participating courses in India and across the world.
Concierge services
The cardholder can enjoy 24×7 global personal concierge services.
Diners exclusive benefits
The BizBlack credit card is issued on the Diners network. The cardholder can enjoy Diners exclusive benefits like fast-track airport experience, dining offers, health and wellness benefits, special offers for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), etc.
Business insurance benefit
The cardholder can secure their business with a specially curated business insurance package. There are 4 insurance plans to choose from, depending on the plan features and benefits.
Additional Premium Features
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card offers the following high-end, lifestyle features:
Enhanced Travel Benefits (Lounge Access)
The card offers unlimited complimentary lounge access to domestic and international airports outside India, for both primary and add-on cardholders.
Lounge Access Caveat: The unlimited access is valid only for active cardholders (must have completed at least 1 transaction in the last month).
Golf Program
The cardholder can enjoy 6 complimentary golf games per quarter at participating courses in India and across the world. This is a top-tier golf benefit compared to similar cards.
Diners Exclusive Ecosystem
Issued on the Diners network, the card provides Diners exclusive benefits, which include:
- Fast-track airport experience (where available)
- Exclusive dining offers and privileges
- Health and wellness benefits
- Special offers tailored for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Business Insurance Benefit
To secure your professional life, the card provides access to a specially curated business insurance package with 4 different plans to choose from, offering customizable protection for your business.
Concierge Services
Enjoy 24×7 global personal concierge services for assistance with travel, dining reservations, or gift arrangements.
How to Apply
The eligibility criteria for the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card includes the following.
- The applicant must be self-employed and aged between 21 to 65 years.
- The applicant must have an Income Tax Return (ITR) of above Rs. 30 lakhs.
Optimal usage
The HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card is best suited for business spends. These include bill payments, Income Tax and GST payments, business-related travel spends, and spends on business productivity tools. The cardholder can earn 5X reward points (up to 16.67% reward rate) on spends.
On the SmartBuy portal, the cardholder can earn up to 10X reward points (up to 33% reward rate) on specific merchants (IGP, Jockey, PharmEasy) and hotel bookings.
When the reward points are redeemed against flights/hotel bookings on the SmartBuy portal, the cardholder can get a redemption value of up to Rs. 1 per reward point. The cardholder has the option to transfer the reward points to KrisFlyer FFP in a 1:1 ratio.
The cardholder can earn maximum reward points (5X to 10X) on specific business and SmartBuy spends, and earn maximum redemption value on flights/hotel bookings on SmartBuy.
Tips to Maximise Rewards
Hit the Minimum Business Spend: Ensure your monthly business essential spends (Taxes, Bills, Business Tools) exceed Rs. 50,000 to unlock the 5X accelerated reward points.
Redeem for Travel: Always redeem your accumulated Reward Points for Flights or Hotel bookings on the SmartBuy portal, as this provides the maximum 1 RP = Rs. 1 value. Avoid product catalogue or cash redemption where possible.
Transfer to KrisFlyer: If you are a frequent international traveller, the 1:1 transfer ratio to Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer FFP can offer even higher value than the Rs. 1 per point, depending on your flight booking.
Target 10X SmartBuy Merchants: Maximise your purchases on merchants like IGP, Jockey, and Pharmeasy via SmartBuy to earn 50 RP per Rs. 150, translating directly into the highest value back.
Hit the 7.5 Lakhs Waiver: Strategically plan your business and personal spending to ensure you reach the Rs. 7.5 lakhs annual spend, thereby completely waiving the Rs. 10,000 renewal fee.
Eligibility & Documents
To qualify for the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card, applicants must be self-employed professionals or business owners, aged between 21 to 65 years. Given the card’s premium status, the primary financial requirement is a substantial Income Tax Return (ITR) of above Rs. 30 lakhs.
Prospective cardholders will be required to furnish standard Know Your Customer (KYC) documents (Aadhaar, PAN) along with comprehensive business proofs, which typically include GST registration details, recent Business ITR filings, and the latest audited financial statements to confirm eligibility.
Expert Verdict/Conclusion
Are you a self-employed professional or a business person with high regular business spends? If yes, you may consider the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card. It can provide you with opportunities to earn up to 10X reward points (50 reward points/Rs. 150 spent) on specific spends and earn a redemption value of 1 reward point = Rs. 1 (up to 33% value back).
With strong business-focused rewards, milestone vouchers, unlimited lounge access, and the ability to convert points to KrisFlyer miles, the card is highly compelling for high-spend business owners who want both rewards and lifestyle benefits from a single metal credit card.
FAQ
1. How is the annual renewal fee waived for the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card?
The annual renewal fee of Rs. 10,000 + Taxes is waived if the cardholder spends Rs. 7.5 lakhs in the preceding card anniversary year.
2. Is there a fuel surcharge on this credit card?
Yes, a 1% fee is charged on fuel transactions that exceed Rs. 15,000. Spends on fuel do not earn any reward points.
3. How do I apply for the HDFC Bank BizBlack Metal Edition Credit Card online?
You can apply online by visiting the official HDFC Bank credit card application page. You will need to fill in your personal and business details, and upload the required KYC and Income Tax Return documents for the Rs. 30 lakhs income eligibility check.
4. What is the value of 1 Reward Point?
The value depends on the redemption method:
- Rs. 1: For Flights/Hotels on SmartBuy portal.
- Up to Rs. 0.50: For Product Catalogue/Gift Vouchers.
- Rs. 0.30: For Cashback against statement.