Why the HDFC-Swiggy card is about loyalty, not rewards

Co-branded playing cards promote spending, but in addition provide nice rewards and advantages geared toward making certain model loyalty amongst clients. To make certain, additionally they include their very own set of issues. Take for example, the HDFC-Swiggy bank card, which can be utilized for ordering meals, groceries and extra. A letter, accompanying the cardboard and signed by Swiggy’s co-founder and a senior official from HDFC Bank, lists the assorted options of the cardboard however fails to say all of the exemptions — till one digs out the phrases and circumstances. Swiggy, nonetheless, insists that customers can name HDFC Bank to seek out out the up to date record of exclusions.

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The entry-level bank card boasts of 10% cashback on Swiggy meals orders and Instamart orders (groceries, home items, electronics), apart from utilizing it for Genie companies (hyperlocal supply of things from one level to a different), and DineOut (which permits customers to make bookings at eating places), each through the app. This cashback reward programme, although, has been a bone of competition between dissatisfied customers and the meals supply app. For one, it’s deposited as Swiggy Money within the person’s Swiggy account and may solely be redeemed on its app.

Spends on the cardboard made on meals orders or DineOut are randomly categorized underneath ‘Bundl Technologies’, Swiggy’s guardian firm. Shockingly, customers obtain solely a nominal 1% cashback on these orders, as a substitute of the promised 10%.

Features and caveats

An applicant must be no less than 21 years previous with a month-to-month earnings of ₹25,000. The self-employed must furnish a duplicate of their earnings tax return, with earnings of no less than ₹6 lakh within the earlier monetary yr. The becoming a member of charge is ₹500, which is waived off on annual spends of ₹2 lakh.

The complete cashback for bills originating on Swiggy is capped at ₹1,500 per thirty days. This implies that after spending ₹15,000 a month on Swiggy with the HDFC card, a person is just not eligible for additional cashback advantages.

The Swiggy card additionally gives 5% cashback on e-commerce spends and 1% for all the pieces else. These, too, are capped at ₹1,500 and ₹500, respectively, per thirty days. As a welcome bonus, the meals supply app additionally provides its customers a 3-month membership of Swiggy One for ₹1,299. Users who go for this get reductions on meals orders or deliveries.

As for on-line spends, Swiggy’s app has a piece that shows logos of e-commerce websites Amazon, Myntra, and Nykaa, journey hailing app Ola, apart from on-line pharmacy 1mg, and film ticketing app BookMyShow, nudging customers to spend on these platforms. Yet, neither Swiggy nor HDFC mentions these names anyplace in its phrases and circumstances.

The redressal mechanism

As is the case with essentially the most firms, grievance redressal is a serious difficulty with the cardboard. Swiggy’s app doesn’t enable a person to boost any dispute associated to bank card billing, whereas HDFC’s helpline will get disconnected 4 out of the 5 instances when contacted. Some customers, who lastly obtained by way of to an government, have been requested to ship emails to resolve the difficulty.

Many customers complain in regards to the difficulties in getting a card, regardless of being eligible for one. Syed Abrar Ahamed, a 24 year-old entrepreneur dealing in {hardware} from Kolkata, stated he utilized for the cardboard since he ceaselessly transacts on Swiggy. “As against different apps, I can order principally all the pieces on Swiggy. Food, groceries, and even medicines on Genie. And in contrast to Zomato, it’s all out there on one app,” Ahamed stated.

Calling Swiggy a “one-stop store” for all ordering wants, Ahamed stated he would transact on Swiggy no less than 5 instances every week, and was inspired to use for this bank card. Despite the cap on rewards, he was assured he might handle his spends higher .

Ahamed confronted points even whereas making use of for the bank card. This was regardless of Swiggy mentioning that customers might apply for this card even when they’ve one other HDFC bank card. The lender, nonetheless, informed him that he was ineligible to obtain it as a result of he already had considered one of its different playing cards. After watching some movies by finfluencers on YouTube, Ahamed discovered a technique to attain out to the shopper care government on the financial institution. Soon after, he was issued with the cardboard.

But that was not the top of it. Ahamed was unable to hyperlink his new card to the Swiggy app, disqualifying him for the ten% cashback. HDFC’s buyer assist directed him to Swiggy; regardless of repeated calls and mails, Ahamed nonetheless hasn’t been in a position to hyperlink his card.

Another person, Surya Mathur, stated he, too, has additionally not been in a position to hyperlink his card to the app.“The whole course of is sort of complicated. First I used to be informed it (the appliance for the bank card) was rejected, after which abruptly I obtained the cardboard. But now I can’t hyperlink it (on the app), so it’s ineffective,” stated Mathur, a resident of Pune who has written to Swiggy’s buyer assist and is awaiting a response.

In response to Mint’s queries, the companies admitted to the complaints raised by customers. In a joint assertion issued on behalf of each companies, a spokesperson for Swiggy stated: “Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit card continues to scale this system to each Swiggy & HDFC Bank customers, for the reason that launch of the co-branded bank card two months in the past. We are excited by the constructive suggestions and the worth which, the cardboard permits for our clients. The difficulty with cashbacks was recognized within the early weeks of the launch and has been resolved for transactions transferring ahead. The platforms throughout which the 5% money again is accessible, embody Myntra, Nykaa, Amazon, Flipkart , Ola, Netmeds and plenty of extra”.

The rival expertise

Currently, the HDFC-Swiggy card is the one plastic out there that gives above-average rewards for ordering by way of a meals supply app. Swiggy’s primary rival, Zomato, had a short-lived tie-up with RBL Bank that launched with lots of related options, which have been slowly devalued over time.

RBL’s Zomato Edition card provided limitless 5% cashback on the Zomato app and on any transaction at a restaurant. It additionally gave you 10% cashback in your birthday spends. Like Swiggy, Zomato’s cashback was credited solely within the Zomato pockets— but it surely was credited immediately, versus the once-a-month cycle that HDFC-Swiggy follows. To make certain, RBL modified this later, solely crediting it as soon as, solely after the month-to-month invoice was generated.

The cashback was capped at ₹500 a day, and the ten% slab for birthday spends was discontinued as nicely. Ultimately, the cardboard was discontinued in April this yr.

When it was first launched, customers have been fairly enthusiastic in regards to the Swiggy bank card. However, many customers have been disenchanted with the low cap on rewards and the shortage of readability on the character of spends eligible for the cashback programme. The largest difficulty for customers was that the promised 10% cashback didn’t materialize. Customer care has been one other sore level.

These points usually are not restricted to the Swiggy card, however plague different co-branded playing cards as nicely. However, past these points, the HDFC-Swiggy card is basically useful, particularly for many who use Swiggy for each meals and grocery deliveries repeatedly. If the Bundl Technologies difficulty is resolved, the cardboard turns into a extra enticing proposition.