Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank vs HDFC Regalia Gold (2026)
HDFC Regalia Gold vs Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank: which wins?
₹83,997ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to HDFC Regalia Gold
Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for
A free hotel night on autopilot vs a general-purpose card that just got trimmed — HDFC's two small-fee siblings.
It swings with spend: HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹1L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹3L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹5L/month.
Every metric, row by row — 12 compared
Head to head
| Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank | Metric | HDFC Regalia Gold |
|---|---|---|
| #4 — wins this row | Our rank | #8 |
| ₹3,000/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹2,500/yr — wins this row |
| None | Fee waiver | ₹4,00,000 spend |
| 3.5% + GST | Forex markup | 2% + GST — wins this row |
| 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) |
| 0.9% | Headline earn rate | 1.6% — wins this row |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Currency | HDFC Reward Points |
| ₹0.65/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt † |
| Free Night Award (up to 15,000 pts) on fee payment — joining and every renewal | Welcome benefit | Complimentary Swiggy One + MMT Black Gold memberships, on ₹1L spend in the first 90 days |
| 91 of 793 | Lounge doors opened | 735 of 793 — wins this row |
| ₹1L+/month net | Income — salaried | ₹1.5L+/month net (private); ₹1L+/month (govt) |
| ITR ₹15L+/yr | Income — self-employed | ITR ₹18L+/yr |
† HDFC Regalia Gold: One catch on that ₹1.00: Regalia Gold can't reach it. Its points cap out at ₹0.65 (Gold Catalogue) or ₹0.50 (flights/hotels) — a 35–50% haircut vs the HDFC house value. Our 1.6% reward rate already prices that in.
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
The ₹ face-off at ₹1L/₹3L/₹5L a month
Ranking-value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. This is the ranking model, the one that orders the board; each card page prints the earn-rate-only net annual value instead, which reads lower for any card with an accelerator (both models, side by side). Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
It swings with spend: HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹1L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹3L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹5L/month.
Where the lead changes hands — a 20-step sweep from ₹0.25L to ₹5L/month
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹1L and ₹1.25L and ₹1.75L a month: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank is ahead by ₹6,573 at ₹0.25L, HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹69,860 at ₹5L.
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank's ongoing earn stops at ₹1,50,000 of spend a month, where HDFC Regalia Gold's doesn't; Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank pays a renewal bonus whatever you spend, and HDFC Regalia Gold pays nothing to stay.
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank draws above the line, HDFC Regalia Gold below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank | HDFC Regalia Gold | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹9,739 | ₹3,166 | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹6,573 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹22,478 | ₹22,333 | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹145 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹35,217 | ₹32,999 | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹2,218 |
| ₹1L | ₹38,205 | ₹38,666 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹461 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹50,945 | ₹44,332 | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹6,613 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹53,933 | ₹49,998 | Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹3,935 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹54,328 | ₹55,665 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹1,337 |
| ₹2L | ₹54,724 | ₹61,331 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹6,607 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹55,119 | ₹66,998 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹11,879 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹55,514 | ₹72,664 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹17,150 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹55,910 | ₹78,330 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹22,420 |
| ₹3L | ₹56,305 | ₹83,997 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹27,692 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹56,700 | ₹89,663 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹32,963 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹57,096 | ₹95,330 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹38,234 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹57,491 | ₹1,00,996 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹43,505 |
| ₹4L | ₹57,886 | ₹1,06,662 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹48,776 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹58,282 | ₹1,12,329 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹54,047 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹58,677 | ₹1,17,995 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹59,318 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹59,072 | ₹1,23,662 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹64,590 |
| ₹5L | ₹59,468 | ₹1,29,328 | HDFC Regalia Gold by ₹69,860 |
Transfer reach — 0 vs 22 live routes
Transfer reach
0 shared routes · 0 only Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank · 3 only HDFC Regalia Gold — the full partner lists
Only HDFC Regalia Gold
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Finnair Plus (Avios)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for — 6 points
What to watch out for
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank · 3 more →
- Only worth it if you actually stay at Marriott properties
- Bonvoy's dynamic pricing (2025) keeps devaluing points and free nights
- No fee waiver; Diners acceptance still patchy abroad
HDFC Regalia Gold · 5 more →
- Cashing out to your statement is ₹0.15 a point, down from ₹0.20 — HDFC's MITC dates it 1 Nov 2025, though its own page printed ₹0.20 until Jul-2026 and still does in one place
- Jul-2026: 3 domestic lounge visits/quarter now need ₹60k prior-quarter spend
- May 2026 cut lowered the effective earn ~6%
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, HDFC Regalia Gold nets ₹38,666 against ₹38,205 — a ₹461 gap. At ₹5L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold nets ₹1,29,328 against ₹59,468 — a ₹69,860 gap. Lounge chasers: HDFC Regalia Gold opens 735 of 793 tracked doors to Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank's 91.
Our standing verdicts: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank — Keep; HDFC Regalia Gold — Keep. HDFC Regalia Gold takes 7 of the 8 rounds we can score — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Common questions — 5 answered
Straight answers
Which is better, Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or HDFC Regalia Gold?
HDFC Regalia Gold. HDFC Regalia Gold takes 7 of the 8 rounds we can score. It swings with spend: HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹1L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹3L/month, HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹5L/month.
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or HDFC Regalia Gold — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, HDFC Regalia Gold nets ₹83,997 against ₹56,305 — a ₹27,692 gap. Those are ranking-value figures: everyday spend at the card's base rate plus a realistic slice at its best accelerator, net of the fee.
Which costs less to hold, Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or HDFC Regalia Gold?
HDFC Regalia Gold — ₹2,500/yr against ₹3,000/yr. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank waives its fee at no spend level — there is no waiver; HDFC Regalia Gold at ₹4,00,000 of spend.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or HDFC Regalia Gold?
Lounge chasers: HDFC Regalia Gold opens 735 of 793 tracked doors to Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank's 91. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Card records last re-verified against their issuers' own documents: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank on 2026-08-05, HDFC Regalia Gold on 2026-08-17. Every figure on this page — the ranking values, the fee rows, the lounge counts, the transfer ratios — is recomputed from those records each time the site builds, so a devaluation changes the call the day we log it.
Verified against HDFC Bank and HDFC Bank's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point
Every document behind this page — 15 of them, each with the day we read it
- official Official microsite — ₹3,000 fee and "joining fee or annual fee waiver is not available"; 1 Free Night Award (up to 15,000 points) on joining-fee realisation and on renewal
- official HDFC's 15-May-2026 rewards/fees change notice — the proof this card was NOT touched by the bank-wide ₹150→₹200 accrual cut
- official Marriott launch press release (24-Aug-2023)
- community CardInsider review — the ONLY source we have for this card's 3.5% forex markup
- official Product page — "5 Reward Points on every Rs. 200 spent"
- official HDFC Bank Key Fact Statement cum MITC, version 4.6 dated August 2026 — clause I(x) prices a Regalia Gold point at 15 paise against the statement balance, with effect from 1 November 2025
- official Product-feature-change notice PDF — Boarding Edge and "Earn 5 Reward Points for every ₹200 spent" both effective 15th May 2026
- official Regalia Gold Rewards Points Program T&C — the 50,000 RP/month cap on MILES TRANSFERS, the four named 5X merchants, and the 1.75% dynamic & static conversion markup "W.e.f 15th May, 2026"
- official Product page (AMP mirror) — ₹4L waiver, 5X brands, milestones, redemption grid
- community CardInsider — May-2026 revision (5 RP/₹200, ₹60k lounge gate w.e.f. 1-Jul-2026, DCC 1.75%)
- community CardExpert — 3 visits/qtr behind ₹60k gate, PP 6/yr unchanged, Boarding Edge
- community CardInsider — RuPay Select variant launch (9-Oct-2025)
- community TechnoFino — issued on both Visa Signature and Mastercard World
- community CardInsider forex table — Regalia Gold 2% forex markup (below the 3.5% norm)
- community pointsmath HDFC transfer grid — the eligibility check for our 22 routes; Only Infinia, Diners Club Black and Regalia Gold have "all 21 transfer partners available"