One of the easiest ways to generate miles and points is to pay your lease on your credit cards. It also brings the added convenience to people like me, who are forever on the road, to not have to remember to remit to our landlords, rather have them get an electronic transfer in their account.
RedGirraffe is one of the pioneering players, who offered C2C rent payments, allowing you to set up your rent payments on your credit cards from HDFC Bank, SBI Card, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank and others. You upload your agreement, the receiving bank account, and your credit card details and they will debit from your credit card every month, including a minimal charge of INR 39+GST for every INR 10000, and then transfer to the bank account of your landlord every month. I have been using them since 2017, and largely satisfied with their service.
Now, HDFC Bank is trying to promote the use of this service to their card user base, and have set up a promotion, where Infinia/Regalia/Business Regalia customers, who set up their accounts for rent debits, will be able to get a cashback if they set up their rent agreements by the end of this month.
You get a flat INR 1000 Cashback on your first transaction through Infinia Credit cards for Rental Payment via SmartPay. You need to set up your rental transactions by May 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, and the first debit from your credit card should happen by July 31, 2019. Once done, INR 1,000 would be posted to your card account within 45 days of the first rent payment being debited. Details here.
You get a flat INR 500 Cashback on your first transaction through Business Regalia/Business Regalia First/Business MoneyBack/Regalia/Regalia First Credit cards for Rental Payment via SmartPay. The rest of the terms remain as above. Once done, INR 500 would be posted to your card account within 45 days of the first rent payment being debited. Details here/here.
Not just that, for first time SmartPay registrants, you will further get a 5% CashBack for the first 12 months up to a maximum of INR 100/cycle), valid through March 31, 2020.
Bottomline
This is a great opportunity to earn miles on a monthly basis from your credit cards, for a transaction you would anyways make in the first place if you make rent payments. The RedGiraffe HDFC tie-up allows you to pay rent not just for your personal residences but commercial properties too.
Have you used RedGiraffe before? What do you think of rent payment by cards?
I have been paying rent via red giraffe for over three years now and so are many in my office. Have also started to pay my son’s school fees. Found the service quite price effective and efficient. I was based in US for over 15 years and while such a service would have been hugely welcome there then, we never had one then.
I did register for this service and had a very disappointing experience with Redgiraffe team.
They did not pay the rents on time and the tendency was to the pass the blame to the bank while bank blames Redgirrafe !! And I had to face the embarrassment with the landlord for no fault of mine. There is no clarity on the process itself !!
Found Redgiraffe team’s attitude highly unprofessional, quite arrogant and rude.
They do not even have a customer care no. to raise or discuss any issues. The no. listed on the website sends you an email to write back to them !!!! While on the chat, some nonsense is replied and they disappear after some time without any response – basically arrogant and not accountable (a typical attitude displayed by general graduates working for MNCs – some sort of superiority complex !)
Even HDFC’s team (and I am an infinia card holder) response was pathetic which was not so surprising.
Do this at your risk only.
My overall rating – hyped services, pathetic experience.
My experience was very similar.
I am an infinia customer HDFC and though my payment has been deducted, the same has not been paid to the landlord. Very embarrassing infront of my landlord. Redgiraffe is blaming the bank. I have shared the statement also but till date they have not paid the amount. I will need to lodge an FIR against HDFC BANK and Redgiraffe for all this nonsense.
RBI should probe such delays and should cancel the arrangement.
What is the normal earn rate at of of points in HDFC Infinia if rent being paid through redgirrafe. Is 10x earn rate applicable here ?
HDFC sent me a mail for this service and there was nothing mentioned about the charges. I pay high rent and the charges are 50rs per Rs 10,000/-. I would suggest customer should be careful when they read banks message and get enticed with the credit card points scheme the bank mentions.
The links says valid till june 30th
Hi sir is diners card also included ?
@Narayana, no