HDFC Bank Millennia Credit Card Review: 10-Brand Cashback for Young Online Shoppers

Reward structure

Millennia pays 5% cashback -- credited as CashPoints, redeemable 1:1 against your statement balance -- on ten named partner brands: Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber, and Zomato. All other eligible spends earn 1%.

The monthly cap, precisely

The 5% and 1% categories have separate monthly caps of 1,000 CashPoints each, for a combined ceiling of roughly Rs.2,000 cashback per calendar month (tracked by calendar month, not statement cycle). On the 5% partner-brand rate, that cap binds at approximately Rs.20,000 of eligible spend in a month -- beyond that, no more CashPoints accrue on those brands until the next month.

Fee and eligibility

Joining and annual fee is Rs.1,000 + GST, credited back as 1,000 CashPoints (effectively refunding the fee in value) after payment, and waived on renewal if you spend Rs.1,00,000 or more in the preceding year. Eligibility is pitched at early-career professionals: Indian residents aged 21-40, salaried applicants need a minimum monthly income of Rs.35,000, self-employed applicants need annual ITR above Rs.6 lakh, and a CIBIL score of 750+ meaningfully improves approval odds.

Lounge access has changed

Millennia used to include complimentary lounge access simply for holding the card -- that was removed in December 2023. As of 2026, lounge access is spend-gated: one complimentary domestic visit per quarter, unlocked only by spending Rs.1,00,000 in that quarter (or, alternatively, cardholders can choose a Rs.1,000 brand voucher instead of the lounge visit as the quarterly milestone reward).

Redemption mechanics

CashPoints redeem 1:1 against the statement balance via HDFC NetBanking or phone banking, but HDFC charges a Rs.50 fee per redemption request -- worth waiting until you've accumulated at least 2,000 CashPoints before redeeming, rather than redeeming small amounts repeatedly. Points expire two years after accrual. Note the card is not currently available on the RuPay network, so it can't earn UPI cashback the way RuPay variants of other cards can.

How it compares

Against SBI Cashback (flat 5% on any online merchant, no brand whitelist) Millennia's ten-brand list is narrower but includes categories SBI excludes, like BookMyShow and Cult.fit. Against HSBC Live+ (10% on dining/grocery/food delivery), Millennia's 5% is lower but spans a broader set of platforms including shopping and OTT.

Bottom line

One of the more consistently recommended first or second cards for young, online-shopping-heavy spenders -- the fee is nearly self-funding through the welcome CashPoints, and the ten-brand list covers a lot of typical digital spending. The loss of automatic lounge access and the Rs.50 redemption fee are the two changes worth knowing about before assuming this behaves like the "old" Millennia some reviews still describe.

Fees, reward rates, caps, and benefits verified against issuer pages and multiple comparison-site listings as of August 2026, including recent 2026 devaluations and rule changes noted above -- confirm current terms on the issuer's official page/MITC before publishing or applying, as card terms change without notice.