Synopsis: HDFC Regalia Gold has emerged as one of the top travel credit cards, offering premium benefits and unmatched rewards. This article compares HDFC Regalia Gold with some of the most popular travel credit cards and highlights the reasons why it stands out as the winner.
It is tough to choose the best travel credit card as new cards are released annually, and each of them is claimed to be the best travel companion. However, is new necessarily better? We chose to put HDFC Regalia Gold to test against three prevalent and unique travel cards in the market today. Will this all-rounder with a variety of functions still be able to take the throne?
A Closer Look at Each Card
1. HDFC Regalia Gold
- Rating: The standard of an explanation. It is the ideal first card that should be enjoyed by people who appreciate freedom and simple luxury.
- Strengths:
- The main strength of it is unparalleled flexibility.
- The reward points can be used in any airline or hotel on SmartBuy.
- It also has a highly generous 6 international lounge visits as well as a waivable annual fee thus the premium perks given by it are affordable
- Best For: The intelligent traveler who does not wish to be tied to one brand and desires balanced and top-notch benefits.
2. SBI card MILES
- Rating: An excellent place to start, when it comes to venturing into the sphere of air miles accumulation and transfer platforms.
- Strengths:
- It has a reasonable earning rate in terms of earning “Travel Credits” and serves as a decent selection of airline and hotel transfer partners
- Weaknesses: It cannot be used to travel internationally on a serious basis. The simplest is charged 3% on forex and more importantly, visits to international lodges, which is not so convenient when traveling internationally.
3. HDFC Marriott Bonvoy
- Rating: This card is invincible in this world in case you are devoted to the Marriott brand.
- Strengths:
- It has a fantastic reward rate on Marriott’s spend
- an exceptionally high 12 visits to international lounges
- automatic Silver Elite status is given when using.
- Weaknesses: Its strength is its chain as well. Marriott is locked and has high, non-waivable annual fee, as well as high 3.5% foreign exchange mark-up.
Also read: 7 Best FD-Backed Credit Cards in India (2025): Easy Approval & Top Rewards
4. MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Card
- Rating: The card has emerged as a surprisingly formidable competitor particularly to domestic flyers who are loyal to MakeMyTrip.
- Strengths:
- Its outstanding characteristic is the lowest in this comparison in terms of forex markup at 0.99 percent.
- It is also low and waivable annual fee and has good domestic lounge access.
- Weaknesses: It has a weakness in that it is too rigid. Rewards are stored in the form of myCash on MakeMyTrip, and it provides only one visit to an international lounge, which is not enough to regular international travelers.
The Ultimate Travel Card Face-Off
This is a comprehensive analysis that compares the Regalia to its specific competitors.
| Feature | HDFC Regalia Gold | SBI Card MILES | HDFC Marriott Bonvoy | MakeMyTrip ICICI |
| Best For | Flexible, All-Around Travel | Aspiring Miles Collectors | Die-hard Marriott Loyalists | MakeMyTrip Bookings Only |
| Annual Fee | ₹2,500 (Waived on ₹4L spend) | ₹1,499 (Waived on ₹6L spend) | ₹3,000 (No waiver) | ₹999 (Waived on ₹3L spend) |
| Forex Markup | 2% | 3% | 3.5% | 0.99% |
| Reward System | 4 Points per ₹150 on all spends | 2 Travel Credits per ₹200 on travel | 8 Points per ₹150 at Marriott | Up to 6 “myCash” per ₹200 on MMT |
| Reward Flexibility | Excellent (Use points for any flight/hotel on SmartBuy) | Good (Transfer to partners) | Poor (Locked to Marriott Bonvoy) | Poor (Locked to MMT) |
| Int’l Lounge Access | YES (6 free visits/year) | No (Pass access, but visits are paid) | YES (12 free visits/year) | Yes (1 free visit/year) |
The Final Verdict
The specialist cards are appealing to the obsessed Marriott fan or the novice miles collector. However, with its hyperbole of flexibility, assured savings on foreign expenses and the assurance of premium benefits at no extra cost, HDFC Regalia Gold 4 remains the unchallenged leader as far as most tourists are concerned. It is the smartest, all-purpose travelling companion you can keep in your wallet.
Written by Jayanth R Pai