Ready to turn your credit card points into Singapore Airlines First Class Suites and Ritz-Carlton Reserve villa stays in Bali?

In this episode of The Great Indian Points & Miles Show, we sit down with four power users who’ve mastered the art of luxury travel using Indian credit cards—especially the iconic HDFC Infinia. They’ve cracked redemptions like:

1. ✈️ Singapore Airlines First Class Suites 🌴
2. Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Mandapa Bali on points🚗
3. Business class redemptions to New Zealand on the iconic Singapore Airlines
4. 🍽️ Maximizing SmartBuy 5X and 10X and vouchers to earn 16.5% and 33% returns
5. 💳 And we pit Infinia vs. ICICI Emeralde Private Metal in a head-to-head battle of India’s best cards.
6. We also bust myths like:“Is redeeming points for Apple products a sin?”
7. “Should you ever settle for 90K over 58,500 KrisFlyer miles?”
8. “Can cashback cards ever make sense in a miles-first world?”

👉 Whether you’re a newbie starting with Regalia or a veteran eyeing the Suites at 35,000 ft, this episode is your blueprint to booking first class experiences without first class prices.

Cards mentioned in this episode (some of these are affiliate links):

HDFC Bank Cards:

HDFC Infinia / Diners Club Black (DCB)

HDFC Regalia / Regalia Gold

HDFC Swiggy Credit Card

Tata Neu HDFC Bank Credit Card (Plus/Infinity)

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card

ICICI Bank Cards:

ICICI Emeralde Private Metal (EPM)

ICICI Bank Amazon Pay Credit Card

Axis Bank Cards:

Axis Magnus Credit Card

Axis Atlas Credit Card

HSBC Bank Cards:

HSBC Travel One Credit Card

HSBC Live Plus / Cashback Credit Card

Others:

SBI Cashback Credit Card

Timestamps:

00:00 Flying Business Class on HDFC Infinia

03:50 Intro to HDFC Infinia and luxury travel discussion

04:25 Prakhar’s introduction and Phuket travel anecdotes

07:00 How Prakhar got the HDFC Infinia Credit Card and started using it

10:15 Singapore Airlines First Class Suites experience via HDFC Infinia points

13:00 Singapore Airlines Saver vs. Advantage fare discussion and value of flexibility

17:00 SQ mobile app advantages and booking tips

18:05 Top 3 highlights of Singapore Airlines First Class Suites and Private Room dining

22:50 Ameya’s journey to Infinia and redemption philosophy

24:30 Dhimant's bumpy relationship with HDFC and his Infinia acquisition

28:10 How Prakhar and Ameya use Infinia today and their spend strategies

32:00 Cashback vs. travel cards: value and tradeoffs

35:00 Vouchers, and Amazon stacking tips

39:00 HSBC Cashback and SBI Cashback pros and cons

43:00 Redemption styles: flights, hotels, or Apple products

48:00 The ‘sin’ of redeeming for Apple products

50:00 Step-by-step journey from Regalia to Infinia

53:00 Income thresholds to qualify for Regalia, Diners Club Black, and Infinia

57:00 Wrap up of Apple product redemption debate

58:00 Ritz-Carlton Reserve Mandapa, Bali: redemption details and experience

1:04:00 5-night stay at Ritz-Carlton Reserve Mandapa using Amex to Marriott transfer

1:07:00 Service experience at Ritz-Carlton Reserve Mandapa and property highlights

1:13:00 Al Maha Dubai: desert redemption using Amex points

1:18:00 JW Marriott Mauritius and luxury redemption reflections

1:20:00 New Zealand flights on Singapore Airlines Business Class using HDFC Infinia Credit Card

1:23:00 New Zealand trip: hotels, farm stays, and road trip

1:24:30 Time vs. value vs. complexity of travel card redemptions

1:25:00 Truth bombs:HDFC Infinia Credit Card vs. ICICI Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card

1:27:00 Roundtable views on EPM as a challenger to Infinia

1:30:00 Final takes and analogy: Infinia vs. EPM = India vs. Pakistan