HDFC SmartBuy cuts Amazon Pay to 1X — 5X accelerated earnings ends

HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy has moved Amazon Pay gift cards to 1X under Insta Deals. The Amazon Pay Gift Voucher previously sat in SmartBuy’s accelerated tier, offering ‘up to 5X Reward Points or 5% cashback’. Now, it offers ‘1 % Instant Discount + 1X Reward Points’ under the Insta Deals tile. This change was effective as of 1 September 2026, with the Insta Deals offer already live on the page’s data on 31 August 2026 and the reward line changing from 5X to 1X between archive captures on 1 September 16:26 UTC and 2 September. The Amazon Fresh voucher still carries an ‘Accelerated Rewards — Upto 5X Reward Points RPs / 5% Cashback’ block, indicating this is a brand-specific change rather than the tier closing. Brand vouchers were already sub-capped at 3,000 accelerated points a month from 1 July 2026, and Amazon Pay vouchers had disappeared from the portal entirely for stretches of July and August before returning in this shape. Flipkart and Amazon Fresh vouchers still pay the accelerated rate. The ₹10,000-a-month Amazon Pay lane now pays base earn plus the 1% instant discount. HDFC Bank has announced nothing, and no SmartBuy page carries a notice. The change affects users who previously maximized their points earnings through Amazon Pay gift cards on SmartBuy. With the new 1X rate, these users will see a significant reduction in their points earnings from this specific voucher type. The impact is notable given the previous accelerated rate and the existing sub-cap on brand vouchers. Our take: users should reassess their SmartBuy usage, focusing on other voucher types like Flipkart and Amazon Fresh that still offer accelerated earnings. The 1% instant discount on Amazon Pay gift cards may still provide some value, but the reduced points earnings will likely lead users to explore alternative options for maximizing their rewards.