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SBI Card ELITE vs HDFC Regalia Gold

Verified 25 sources

Your monthly spend

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹3,800 a year at ₹30,000 a month: ₹3,000 against −₹800, after fees

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹18,100 a year at ₹75,000 a month: ₹29,800 against ₹11,700, after fees

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹22,600 a year at ₹1.5 lakh a month: ₹43,600 against ₹21,000, after fees

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹41,800 a year at ₹3 lakh a month: ₹71,200 against ₹29,400, after fees

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹67,200 a year at ₹5 lakh a month: ₹1,07,900 against ₹40,700, after fees

SBI Card ELITE credit card

SBI Card

SBI Card ELITE

Our verdict: Keep

HDFC Regalia Gold credit card

HDFC Bank

HDFC Regalia Gold

Our verdict: Keep

HDFC Regalia Gold vs SBI Card ELITE: which should you pick?

The two lounge-and-lifestyle cards every 'first premium card' thread weighs, and the fee runs the wrong way. ELITE costs ₹4,999 and waives only at ₹10,00,000 of spend; Regalia Gold costs ₹2,500, waived at ₹4,00,000. Regalia Gold out-earns ELITE at every spend level the page tests: ELITE pays 0.5% and 2.5% on dining, departmental stores and grocery, in SBI points fixed at four to the rupee that reach no airline, where Regalia Gold's points move to 22 HDFC transfer partners at 2:1 or worse. What ELITE sells is the lounge: eight domestic visits a year and six international on Priority Pass, against Regalia Gold's three domestic a quarter on ₹60,000 of the previous quarter's spend and six international. Forex is 1.99% against 2%.

At every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month, HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE, and its lead widens from ₹5,700 to ₹67,200 a year as spend climbs. At ₹75,000 a month the gap is mostly what each card earns on your spend: HDFC Regalia Gold returns ₹19,800 a year in rewards to SBI Card ELITE's ₹4,200. On the rows below, SBI Card ELITE has no clear edge over HDFC Regalia Gold.

SBI Card ELITE review HDFC Regalia Gold review

Side by side

SBI Card ELITE and HDFC Regalia Gold, fact by fact
FactSBI Card ELITEHDFC Regalia Gold
Can you get itOpen to applyOpen to apply
Fee (joining · annual, + GST)₹4,999/yr₹2,500/yr✓ Better
Fee waiverSpend ₹10,00,000 a yearSpend ₹4,00,000 a year
Reward rate on everyday spend0.5%1.6%✓ Better
PointsSBI Reward PointsHDFC Reward Points
Our value per point₹0.25₹1.00 †
Transfer partnersNone22✓ Better
Lounges it gets you into726 of 792✓ Better720 of 792
Forex markup1.99% + GST✓ Better2% + GST
Welcome benefite-Gift voucher worth ₹5,000 (Yatra, Bata/Hush Puppies, Pantaloons, Aditya Birla Fashion, Shoppers Stop) on joining-fee paymentComplimentary Swiggy One + MMT Black Gold memberships, on ₹1L spend in the first 90 days

✓ Better marks the side that wins a row; rows that compare unlike things are not scored. HDFC Regalia Gold is ahead on 10 of the 12 rows we can call.

More facts 8 rows
Rank, verdict, lounge visits and fine print
FactSBI Card ELITEHDFC Regalia Gold
Our rank#77#6✓ Better
Our verdictKeepKeep
Lounge visits in India8/year (2/quarter) — full SBI network list, not the Set A/B restriction3 visits/quarter
Lounge visits abroad6/year (Priority Pass, max 2/quarter, outside India; US$27+tax per visit thereafter)6 visits/yr (Priority Pass, outside India only)
Forex, in the bank’s words1.99% + GST (SBI names ELITE in the 1.99% exception list; DCC markup also 1.99%)2% + GST
Interest (APR)up to 3.75%/mo (45%/yr)3.75%/mo (45%/yr)
Income needed (salaried)not published₹1.5L+/month net (private); ₹1L+/month (govt)
Income needed (self-employed)not publishedITR ₹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.

Our value per point is what we think a point is worth when you use it well; every currency's figure and its reasoning is on points values.

What each is worth to you

A year of rewards and bonuses, after the fee
Monthly spendSBI Card ELITEHDFC Regalia Gold
At ₹30,000 a month−₹800₹3,000✓ Better
At ₹75,000 a month₹11,700₹29,800✓ Better
At ₹1.5 lakh a month₹21,000₹43,600✓ Better
At ₹3 lakh a month₹29,400₹71,200✓ Better
At ₹5 lakh a month₹40,700₹1,07,900✓ Better
Pays for itself from₹36,000 a month₹14,000 a month✓ Better

On an everyday mix of spending (groceries, bills, travel, fuel and the rest), using each card's own rules for each kind of spend. The same figures as each card's own page.

Every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh 20 steps
SBI Card ELITE and HDFC Regalia Gold at each ₹25,000 step
Monthly spendSBI Card ELITEHDFC Regalia GoldAhead
₹25,000−₹3,600₹2,100✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹5,700
₹50,000₹6,600₹14,200✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹7,600
₹75,000₹11,700₹29,800✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹18,100
₹1 lakh₹18,100₹34,400✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹16,300
₹1.25 lakh₹19,600₹39,000✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹19,400
₹1.5 lakh₹21,000₹43,600✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹22,600
₹1.75 lakh₹22,400₹48,200✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹25,800
₹2 lakh₹23,800₹52,800✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹29,000
₹2.25 lakh₹25,200₹57,400✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹32,200
₹2.5 lakh₹26,600₹62,000✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹35,400
₹2.75 lakh₹28,000₹66,600✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹38,600
₹3 lakh₹29,400₹71,200✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹41,800
₹3.25 lakh₹30,800₹75,800✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹45,000
₹3.5 lakh₹32,200₹80,400✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹48,200
₹3.75 lakh₹33,700₹84,900✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹51,200
₹4 lakh₹35,100₹89,500✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹54,400
₹4.25 lakh₹36,500₹94,100✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹57,600
₹4.5 lakh₹37,900₹98,700✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹60,800
₹4.75 lakh₹39,300₹1,03,300✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹64,000
₹5 lakh₹40,700₹1,07,900✓ BetterHDFC Regalia Gold by ₹67,200
How we work out the yearly value

We put each card through the same everyday mix of spending, apply that card's own rules for each kind of spend (some earn nothing on fuel or bills), add its milestone and renewal bonuses at our value per point, and take off the fee unless that spend waives it. Bonus categories that need you to shop a certain way are not counted. Your own mix will differ: try your numbers in the calculator, or read how we value cards.

Before you choose

Transfer partners 0 and 22

SBI Card ELITE's SBI Reward Points cannot be moved to any airline or hotel; HDFC Regalia Gold's HDFC Reward Points move to 22.

Only HDFC Regalia Gold: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Finnair Plus (Avios), Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios).

Every partner and ratio is on each card's page; the best value for your points is on the transfer optimizer.

Watch out 6 points

SBI Card ELITE

  • Reward Points are fixed at 4 RP = ₹1 and transfer to NO airline or hotel programme — there is no award-ticket path here
  • 0.5% base earn; even the 5X dining / departmental-store / grocery rate lands at 2.5%
  • ₹10 lakh a year to dodge the ₹4,999 renewal — the steepest waiver bar in SBI's lifestyle range

3 more on its page

HDFC Regalia Gold

  • 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%

5 more on its page

Common questions 5 answered

Which is better, SBI Card ELITE or HDFC Regalia Gold?

At every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month, HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE, and its lead widens from ₹5,700 to ₹67,200 a year as spend climbs. At ₹75,000 a month the gap is mostly what each card earns on your spend: HDFC Regalia Gold returns ₹19,800 a year in rewards to SBI Card ELITE's ₹4,200. On the rows below, SBI Card ELITE has no clear edge over HDFC Regalia Gold.

SBI Card ELITE or HDFC Regalia Gold: which is worth more at ₹3 lakh a month?

HDFC Regalia Gold beats SBI Card ELITE by ₹41,800 a year at ₹3 lakh a month. Both figures are a year's rewards and bonuses on an everyday spending mix, after the fee.

Which costs less to get, SBI Card ELITE or HDFC Regalia Gold?

HDFC Regalia Gold: ₹2,500/yr against ₹4,999/yr. SBI Card ELITE waives its fee if you spend ₹10,00,000 a year; HDFC Regalia Gold waives its fee if you spend ₹4,00,000 a year.

Which gets you into more airport lounges, SBI Card ELITE or HDFC Regalia Gold?

SBI Card ELITE: 726 of the 792 lounges we track, against 720 for HDFC Regalia Gold. Visit limits and guest charges differ by card; each card's page lists them.

How current is this comparison?

SBI Card ELITE was last checked against its bank's own documents on 11 Oct 2026, HDFC Regalia Gold on 24 Oct 2026. Every figure here is worked out again from those records each time the site is built, so a change to either card shows up the day we log it.

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Sources

SBI Card ELITE was last checked against its bank's own documents on 11 Oct 2026, HDFC Regalia Gold on 24 Oct 2026. Every fact above comes from these 25 documents; the banks' own are marked official. A fact a bank does not publish shows as "not published", never as zero.

The documents 25 sources
  1. Official Product page — 5X on dining/departmental stores/grocery and 2 RP per ₹100 otherwise (fuel excluded), 4 RP = ₹1 read
  2. Official SBI's own product record behind the ELITE page — "Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999 + taxes" read
  3. Official Bank of Maharashtra SBI Card ELITE — one of five partner-bank editions carrying identical fee, forex, lounge and earn read
  4. Official MITC — ₹4,999 joining/renewal, waived at ₹10L preceding-year spend read
  5. Official Key Fact Statement — fee and waiver table read
  6. Official Airport Lounge Access — participating domestic lounge lists (w.e.f. 10 Jan 2026) read
  7. Community CardInsider review (note: still lists the retired Club Vistara / Trident Privilege perks) read
  8. Official Allahabad Bank SBI Card ELITE product page (archived 09-Jul-2019) — ₹4,999 joining and renewal, the same ₹5,000 welcome voucher, 50,000 milestone points and 1.99% forex as this card read
  9. Official SBI Card ELITE American Express edition (archived 24-Nov-2020) — the same ₹4,999 fee, welcome voucher, milestones and 1.99% forex as the Visa and Mastercard issues read
  10. Official SBI Card earning-reward-points FAQ — no points on e-wallet loads (MCC 6540/6541), EMI-converted spends, rent (MCC 6513) or government (MCC 9399/9311) on listed cards read
  11. Official Product page — "5 Reward Points on every Rs. 200 spent", and the redemption table that prices this card's points, "Exclusive Gold Catalogue ₹0.65 · Flights and hotel bookings ₹0.5" read
  12. Official HDFC Bank Key Fact Statement cum MITC, version 4.15 dated October 2026 — clause I(x) prices a Regalia Gold point at 15 paise against the statement balance, with effect from 1 November 2025 read
  13. Official Product-feature-change notice PDF — Boarding Edge and "Earn 5 Reward Points for every ₹200 spent" both effective 15th May 2026 read
  14. 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" read
  15. Official SmartBuy core-offer T&C (window 01-10-2026 to 31-10-2026) — the Regalia tier earns 5X on flights, 10X on hotels, 5X on brand vouchers, capped 4,000 RP a month read
  16. Official Product page (AMP mirror) — ₹4L waiver, 5X brands, milestones, redemption grid read
  17. Community CardInsider — May-2026 revision (5 RP/₹200, ₹60k lounge gate w.e.f. 1-Jul-2026, DCC 1.75%) read
  18. Community CardExpert — 3 visits/qtr behind ₹60k gate, PP 6/yr unchanged, Boarding Edge read
  19. Community CardInsider — RuPay Select variant launch (9-Oct-2025) read
  20. Community TechnoFino — issued on both Visa Signature and Mastercard World read
  21. Community CardInsider forex table — Regalia Gold 2% forex markup (below the 3.5% norm) read
  22. 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" read
  23. Official HDFC's BANK-WIDE 15-May-2026 revision notice — its accrual table names "Regalia Gold | 5 | 200", corroborating the card-specific product-feature-change PDF read
  24. Official HDFC Bank consolidated fees & charges PDF (KFS/MITC, v2.5, Mar-2025) — the fees, charges and terms this card's MITC row is read from read
  25. Official HDFC Bank Rewards Points Program T&C — the fuel, rent, government, wallet and EMI exclusions and the monthly category caps read

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