I have been using HDFC credit card for more than 10 years now. I have held almost every other bank’s credit card in my wallet, starting with Standard Chartered, Manhattan, ABN Amro, American Express, ICICI Bank, SBI, among others. I would not say I did not have any issues with HDFC credit card. It was a process of learning for me to use credit cards wisely. What I liked the most is their promptness of statements and accuracy of recording transactions.
Once(about 6 years ago) I used the card to take a personal loan that was offered to me as "Cash on Call". This turned out to be a nightmarish experience as the interest rates were very high and I was not aware of the difference between annualized rates and monthly reducing balance rates. I had agreed to the offer initially, but after working out my finance in about 15 minutes, I realized it was a raw deal. I called up immediately to cancel the offer. The request was taken but the amount was however processed and credited to my account. After multiple followups, I was able to repay the amount and close the loan account. The statement did reflect preclosure charges, interest and others but on request and stating the evidences, I was able to get out of it without any charges.
There were not many features initially when the NetBanking started. I did write to them about not having an ATM in Rajarajeshwari Nagar area where I live, Transfer funds, Bill Pay facility etc., which are eventually available now.
I did take a couple of loans on my card after that and have repaid them as well. The interest rates were very low for me(12% p.a. for a PL) compared to the markets. The cards and credit limits have been upgraded constantly. I pay no annual fee or other charges. All I do is repay the full amount within the due date, which is again automatically taken care online. The reward points that I earned over a period of time have been used for purchasing gifts and gift vouchers, equivalent to cash.
The customer service was my concern earlier, but now I see a difference there as well. I do not have to call more than once to follow up. There are not multitude of IVR options before reaching a service representative. Overall, I am a happy customer and user of HDFC World card!