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Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank vs IDFC FIRST Ashva (2026)

IDFC FIRST Ashva vs Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank: which wins?

The call

IDFC FIRST Ashva takes it. IDFC FIRST Ashva takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score.

Verified · 12 documents

₹1,19,805

ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to IDFC FIRST Ashva

Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for

The answer flips at ₹1.5L a month: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank below it, IDFC FIRST Ashva above.

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank wins under ₹1.5L/month; IDFC FIRST Ashva takes over above it.

#4 Keep
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank credit card
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank
0.9 %
headline earn rate
₹56,305 ranking value a year at ₹3L/month
2 of 8 rounds won
Full review →
#14 Keep
IDFC FIRST Ashva credit card
IDFC FIRST Ashva
1.3 %
headline earn rate
₹1,19,805 ranking value a year at ₹3L/month
6 of 8 rounds won
Full review →
Every metric, row by row — 12 compared

Head to head

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank versus IDFC FIRST Ashva, metric by metric. The metric runs down the centre; each card's values face it from its own side, and a gold edge on the centre line marks the round winner.
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Metric IDFC FIRST Ashva
#4 — wins this row Our rank #14
₹3,000/yr Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) ₹2,999/yr — wins this row
None Fee waiver None
3.5% + GST Forex markup Nil — bank-wide MITC dated 9 Sep 2026 prints NIL on foreign-currency and DCC/SCC transactions — wins this row
3.75%/mo (45%/yr) APR Dynamic 0.71%–3.85%/mo (8.5%–46.2%/yr); overdue rate 3.99%/mo (47.88%/yr) on MAD non-payment
0.9% Headline earn rate 1.3% — wins this row
Marriott Bonvoy Currency IDFC FIRST Reward Points
₹0.65/pt House value ₹0.25/pt †
Free Night Award (up to 15,000 pts) on fee payment — joining and every renewal Welcome benefit 7,500 RP — 2,500 on fee payment + 2,500 each on ₹20k in cycles 2 and 3 (once per customer)
91 of 793 Lounge doors opened 129 of 793 — wins this row
₹1L+/month net Income — salaried not published
ITR ₹15L+/yr Income — self-employed not published

† IDFC FIRST Ashva: Ashva redeems the same IDFC points at ₹0.40 on app travel bookings and ₹0.25 — the house value — everywhere else. It is the shallowest rung on IDFC's travel ladder: Mayura and WOW! Black get ₹0.50, Gaj and FIRST Private a full rupee. earn.base marks the points up to that ₹0.40, so the rate below assumes you book travel in the app.

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.

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank IDFC FIRST Ashva
at ₹1L/month
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank: ₹38,205 wins
IDFC FIRST Ashva: ₹37,800
at ₹3L/month
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank: ₹56,305
IDFC FIRST Ashva: ₹1,19,805 wins
at ₹5L/month
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank: ₹59,468
IDFC FIRST Ashva: ₹2,01,811 wins

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank wins under ₹1.5L/month; IDFC FIRST Ashva takes over above it.

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 ₹1.5L a month: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank is ahead by ₹5,691 at ₹0.25L, IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,42,343 at ₹5L.

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank's ongoing earn stops at ₹1,50,000 of spend a month, where IDFC FIRST Ashva's doesn't; Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank pays a renewal bonus whatever you spend, and IDFC FIRST Ashva pays nothing to stay.

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank draws above the line, IDFC FIRST Ashva below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
Ranking value for each card at every ₹25,000 step of monthly spend, with the gap between them and the card in front at that level.
Monthly spend Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank IDFC FIRST Ashva In front
₹0.25L ₹9,739 ₹4,048 Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹5,691
₹0.5L ₹22,478 ₹14,298 Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹8,180
₹0.75L ₹35,217 ₹27,550 Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹7,667
₹1L ₹38,205 ₹37,800 Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹405
₹1.25L ₹50,945 ₹48,051 Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank by ₹2,894
₹1.5L ₹53,933 ₹58,301 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹4,368
₹1.75L ₹54,328 ₹68,552 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹14,224
₹2L ₹54,724 ₹78,803 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹24,079
₹2.25L ₹55,119 ₹89,054 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹33,935
₹2.5L ₹55,514 ₹99,304 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹43,790
₹2.75L ₹55,910 ₹1,09,555 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹53,645
₹3L ₹56,305 ₹1,19,805 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹63,500
₹3.25L ₹56,700 ₹1,30,057 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹73,357
₹3.5L ₹57,096 ₹1,40,307 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹83,211
₹3.75L ₹57,491 ₹1,50,558 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹93,067
₹4L ₹57,886 ₹1,60,808 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,02,922
₹4.25L ₹58,282 ₹1,71,059 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,12,777
₹4.5L ₹58,677 ₹1,81,310 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,22,633
₹4.75L ₹59,072 ₹1,91,561 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,32,489
₹5L ₹59,468 ₹2,01,811 IDFC FIRST Ashva by ₹1,42,343
Transfer reach — 0 vs 0 live routes

Transfer reach

0
live transfer routes from Marriott Bonvoy — no transfers; its own redemption value is the ceiling
Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank
0
live transfer routes from IDFC FIRST Reward Points — no transfers; its own redemption value is the ceiling
IDFC FIRST Ashva

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

IDFC FIRST Ashva · 1 more →

  • ₹0.40/pt is the ceiling — Ashva points are worth 20% less than Mayura's, ₹0.25 outside app travel
  • Closed loop: no airline or hotel transfer partners at all
  • Lounge, golf and movie perks all need ₹20k spend the previous month

The call

For the ₹1L/month spender, Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank nets ₹38,205 against ₹37,800 — a ₹405 gap. At ₹5L/month, IDFC FIRST Ashva nets ₹2,01,811 against ₹59,468 — a ₹1,42,343 gap. Lounge chasers: IDFC FIRST Ashva opens 129 of 793 tracked doors to Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank's 91.

Our standing verdicts: Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank — Keep; IDFC FIRST Ashva — Keep. IDFC FIRST Ashva takes 6 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 IDFC FIRST Ashva?

IDFC FIRST Ashva. IDFC FIRST Ashva takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank wins under ₹1.5L/month; IDFC FIRST Ashva takes over above it.

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or IDFC FIRST Ashva — which earns more at ₹3L a month?

At ₹3L a month, IDFC FIRST Ashva nets ₹1,19,805 against ₹56,305 — a ₹63,500 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 IDFC FIRST Ashva?

IDFC FIRST Ashva — ₹2,999/yr against ₹3,000/yr. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank waives its fee at no spend level — there is no waiver; IDFC FIRST Ashva at no spend level — there is no waiver.

Which gets you into more airport lounges, Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank or IDFC FIRST Ashva?

Lounge chasers: IDFC FIRST Ashva opens 129 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, IDFC FIRST Ashva on 2026-09-25. 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 IDFC FIRST Bank's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point

Every document behind this page — 12 of them, each with the day we read it
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. official Marriott launch press release (24-Aug-2023)
  4. community CardInsider review — the ONLY source we have for this card's 3.5% forex markup
  5. official Product page + FAQs — ₹2,999 joining and annual, no spend waiver; forex superseded to 0% by 9-Sep-2026 MITC + 10-Sep-2026 brochure; Cancel for Any Reason ₹25,000 twice a year
  6. official Lounge programme T&C — the Indian leg runs on EliteAssist and you present the Ashva card; the global leg runs on DreamFolks and you present the DreamFolks card
  7. official Rewards T&C PDF (bonus is ADDITIVE — Base (A) 10 + Bonus (B) 30/15 = Total (A+B) 40/25 RP per ₹150)
  8. official Bank-wide MITC (9 Sep 2026) — ₹2,999 joining and annual; forex NIL on foreign currency and DCC
  9. official Ashva brochure PDF (ModDate 10-Sep-2026) — Zero Forex Mark-Up / "Zero Markup fee on international spends"; fees ₹2,999; 2X on international spends; birthday 10X restored in copy
  10. official Jun-2026 change notice PDF (18-Jun-2026 app 20%/10% Bonus = 40/25 RP per ₹150; ₹0.40 travel value; rewards capped at credit limit; ₹20k prev-month movie gate)
  11. community CardInsider review
  12. official FIRST Digital RuPay add-on (UPI) page

Something stale or wrong? The document wins — tell us →