How can a cardholder maximize CashPoints earnings on a Millennia Credit Card?
- Use for Online Shopping – Earn 5% cashback on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato & more.
- Pay Bills & Other Online Spends – Get 2.5% cashback on other online transactions.
- Use for Daily Expenses – Earn 1% cashback on offline spends & wallet reloads.
- Hit Milestone Benefits – Spend ₹1L/quarter to get a ₹1,000 voucher or lounge access.
- Avoid Wallet Loads – Cashback is lower (1%), so prioritize direct payments.
Smart spending = Maximum rewards! 
Use the card for all major online purchases on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, etc.
Ensure transactions are ₹2,000+ for 5% cashback.
Use for daily offline spending to earn 1% cashback.
Track quarterly spending to get extra vouchers.
Redeem CashPoints smartly against your card bill.
When I first got the Millennia card,
I thought “5% cashback on merchants = max value always.”
But over time I saw there are caps, minimum transaction sizes, category exclusions, redemption rules, etc. Once I mapped out where I spend most (e-commerce, food delivery, streaming, etc.)
I adjusted a few habits—shopping via certain portals, avoiding non-eligible spends—and that boosted my effective cashback significantly.
How Millennia Credit Card’s CashPoints Work
Here are the key rules/features (so you know what to optimize around):
• 5% CashBack (CashPoints) on certain partner online merchants — Amazon, Flipkart, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber, Zomato.
• 1% CashBack on all other eligible spends (online/offline), except certain excluded categories.
• There are monthly caps on how many CashPoints you can earn per category (5% category and 1% category), so beyond a point, additional spending may not give extra cashback in that percentage.
• Minimum transaction size applies for certain cashback perks (for example in the 5% category you might need minimum spend of ~₹2,000 for that portion)
Redemption options:
Redeem CashPoints against statement balance (1 CashPoint = ₹1 for that use)
Alternatively, redeem for flights/hotels or via product/voucher catalogues via HDFC SmartBuy etc — there, each CashPoint is worth less (often ~₹0.30 per point) in those categories.
Validity: CashPoints expire after 2 years from when they are credited.
Redemption minimums & limits: Some minimums (e.g. 500 CashPoints needed for statement balance redemption), some caps on how many points you can redeem in a calendar month etc.
Tips to Maximize Your CashPoints:
1. Prioritize spends in the 5% partner categories
Since 5% is much higher than 1%, push as much of your online shopping and food-delivery / streaming etc. into those 10 partner merchants. But remember the monthly cap—so beyond that, extra spending gives only the base rate.
2. Meet the minimum transaction size thresholds
For the 5% category, if your purchase is below the required ₹2,000 (or whatever the threshold is), you may not get the higher rate. So try bundling small spends (when possible) to cross thresholds.
3. Track when caps are reached
Each category has a cap (number of CashPoints) per calendar month. Once you hit it, further eligible spends in that category won’t give the elevated rate until the next month. So reorient those spends into other categories or save them for the next cycle.
4. Use SmartBuy / PayZapp / HDFC portals when they give bonus offers
Extra deals or cashback boosts via HDFC’s own portals can sometimes stack or yield extra CashPoints or bonuses. Always check for offers before making large purchases.
5. Redeem wisely
If your goal is pure “reduce credit card bill,” then redeeming against the statement balance (1 point = ₹1) is best. Using CashPoints for flights, hotels, or catalog vouchers gives lower value per point (~₹0.30), so those are only good if that’s what you want rather than bill reduction.
6. Don’t let points expire
Since validity is 2 years, keep a reminder to check your CashPoints balance and redeem before expiry. Even if you don’t use them immediately, converting them to statement balance is safer.
7. Use the quarterly milestone/fee waiver benefit
Millennia often has offers where if you spend a certain amount (e.g. ₹1,00,000 in a quarter), you get voucher/gift benefits + sometimes waive the renewal/annual fee. Making sure you hit that makes your effective cost lower and adds value.
Things to Watch Out For / Avoid
Spending in excluded categories won’t earn CashPoints: fuel, rent, government payments, some wallet loads, EMIs etc. Keep an eye on those.
Redemption fees: Sometimes there is a small redemption processing fee for converting CashPoints to behaviour-against statement balance. Factor this in.
Caps & ceilings: Once you hit the monthly cap in 5% category, the rest of your spending in that category loses “extra” benefit. Plan accordingly.
My Recommendation / Strategy
If I were you, and using this card often, here’s how I’d structure usage:
Use it for all online shopping, streaming, food delivery / dining with partner merchants → this gives me high-value 5% CashPoints.
Use another card (lower fee or with better offline acceptance) for spends in non-partner merchants / everyday offline spending beyond a threshold so that Millennia doesn’t become overused in low return areas.
Keep a budget so that I always reach the spend required to waive fees or unlock quarterly voucher benefits.
Every few months, check the CashPoints balance and redeem whatever is “safe” (doesn’t drop value, doesn’t expire) so I don’t lose them.
Here’s the official HDFC page for the Millennia Credit Card so you can see all terms & features directly: