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The Eternal SBI Card is the closer fit if you spend across Zomato, Blinkit, District or Bistro; the Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card is built around eligible spending in the Swiggy app. Neither card is automatically the better deal: compare the apps you actually use, the reward caps and their reset periods, excluded transactions, and whether you will pay the annual fee. The rates below are issuer-published terms, not a guarantee that every purchase made in a named app will qualify.
At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Free plan / price | Platforms | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal SBI Card | Eligible spending across Zomato, Blinkit, District and Bistro | 10% instant discounts on several app categories; a cumulative ₹2,000 cap across Zomato, District and Blinkit | ₹499 joining and renewal fee plus applicable taxes; renewal waived at ₹2 lakh preceding-year spend | Zomato, Blinkit, District, Bistro; eligible partner brands and other eligible spending | November 2026 |
| Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card | Eligible Swiggy app orders and services | 10% cashback on eligible Swiggy app spending, capped at ₹1,500 per billing cycle | ₹500 joining and renewal membership fee; renewal waived at ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend | Swiggy app and eligible online and other categories | November 2026 |
Terms and caps can change. This comparison reflects the issuers’ published card disclosures available in November 2026; check the live terms before applying or making a purchase.
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Eternal spreads its app benefits across several services and uses different discount rates for different Blinkit categories. Swiggy HDFC concentrates its top cashback tier on eligible purchases in the Swiggy app. That makes your own app mix more important than comparing the headline 10% figures in isolation.
The Eternal card’s offer is not one uniform reward on every transaction in its ecosystem. Its Zomato, District and Bistro offers are instant discounts; Blinkit has a 10% tier for beauty and electronics and a 5% tier for grocery and other categories. The issuer describes a cumulative ₹2,000 cap across Zomato, District and Blinkit, including grocery. Its other cashback tiers and their caps are separate.
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Swiggy HDFC advertises 10% cashback on eligible Swiggy app spending, including food ordering, Instamart and Dineout, up to ₹1,500 per billing cycle. It also lists 5% cashback on eligible online categories, up to ₹1,500 per billing cycle, and 1% on other eligible categories, up to ₹500 per billing cycle. The 10% rate is therefore not a blanket rate for all online purchases—or necessarily every transaction placed through Swiggy.
There is also a difference in how the benefit is delivered. Eternal’s listed app offers are instant discounts, while its other eligible spending earns cashback credited to the card statement. Swiggy HDFC’s listed rewards are cashback. Do not compare an instant reduction at checkout with statement cashback as though they were necessarily applied in the same way or at the same time.
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Use the table as a map of the issuers’ published categories, then check the exact terms for the transaction you plan to make. A cap limits the amount of reward, not the amount you can spend.
| Reward area | Eternal SBI Card | Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Food-delivery app | 10% instant discount on Zomato food orders; six-month complimentary Zomato Gold membership on activation | 10% cashback on eligible Swiggy food-ordering spend, within the ₹1,500 billing-cycle cap for the Swiggy tier |
| Other app services | District: 10% instant discount on dining, events, movies, shopping and play; Bistro: 10% instant discount on orders | 10% cashback on eligible Instamart and Dineout transactions, within the same published Swiggy-app tier |
| Grocery and other quick-commerce categories | Blinkit: 5% on grocery and other categories; 10% on beauty and electronics. The issuer lists a cumulative ₹2,000 cap across Zomato, District and Blinkit, including grocery. | Eligible Instamart spending is listed in the 10% Swiggy-app tier, subject to the applicable terms and ₹1,500 billing-cycle cap. |
| Online spending beyond the named app | Up to 5% cashback on eligible partner brands Uber, Urban Company, Ixigo and Apollo 24|7, capped at ₹1,000 a month | 5% cashback on eligible online categories, capped at ₹1,500 per billing cycle |
| Other eligible purchases | 1% cashback, capped at ₹500 a month | 1% cashback on other eligible categories, capped at ₹500 per billing cycle |
| Fuel | 1% surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000, capped at ₹200 per statement cycle per card account; fuel is not an eligible cashback category | Fuel is among the categories excluded from cashback |
The Eternal card’s official benefits page sets out its discounts and cashback caps. HDFC Bank’s product page describes the Swiggy card’s reward tiers. Terms can distinguish an app benefit from a transaction’s merchant category, so the app name alone is not proof of eligibility.
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Why the cap period matters
Eternal’s stated caps use monthly periods, while the Swiggy card’s top-tier cap is per billing cycle. Those periods may not line up exactly with your calendar-month budget. If your card statement period crosses two calendar months, a monthly cap and a billing-cycle cap can constrain rewards on different dates. Read the current card terms for how a period is defined and when its allowance resets.
The Eternal ₹2,000 limit is cumulative across the named Zomato, District and Blinkit offers, rather than a separate ₹2,000 allowance for each service. SBI Card also lists ₹1,000 a month for cashback at eligible partner brands and ₹500 a month for other eligible spending. Do not add the headline maximums together as if every category’s cap were interchangeable or guaranteed to be fully available to every cardholder.
For Swiggy HDFC, the issuer lists separate caps for the 10% Swiggy tier, 5% eligible online categories and 1% other eligible categories. A shopper who spends heavily in more than one tier should check how the terms classify each transaction and apply each cap. The cap limits cashback within its category and billing-cycle period; it does not imply that all spending will earn the maximum rate.
Which card is likely to suit your spending?
Choose based on where eligible purchases actually happen, not simply where you have an account or which rate looks larger. If one app dominates your food and grocery spending, a card aligned to that app may be easier to use; if your spending is spread among services, the breadth of Eternal’s named partners and apps may be relevant.
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- Choose Eternal for consideration if you regularly use Zomato, Blinkit, District or Bistro and can make use of the applicable discount categories before their shared or category-specific limits apply.
- Consider Swiggy HDFC if eligible Swiggy food-ordering, Instamart or Dineout purchases make up a meaningful part of your spending and the billing-cycle cap suits your purchase pattern.
- Compare the online-spend tiers if your spending outside food delivery is substantial. Eternal names four eligible partner brands for its up-to-5% tier; Swiggy HDFC lists a broader-sounding eligible-online category at 5%, but its terms determine what counts.
- Do not count excluded transactions as rewards just because they occur in an otherwise eligible app. EMI, wallets and merchant classification can change the result.
- Value welcome memberships only if useful to you. Eternal lists six months of Zomato Gold on activation; HDFC lists three months of Swiggy One on activation. A membership you would not otherwise use should not be treated as cash savings.
A practical way to estimate your value
- List eligible spend by category. Use a typical month or, for Swiggy HDFC, your actual billing cycle. Separate app food orders, grocery, dining, online partner spending and ordinary eligible purchases.
- Apply the right rate, not the headline rate. For example, the Eternal card lists 5% rather than 10% for Blinkit grocery; a Swiggy purchase outside the eligible app tier may fall under a different category or exclusion.
- Stop counting rewards when the relevant cap is reached. For Eternal, account for the cumulative ₹2,000 cap across Zomato, District and Blinkit as well as its separate cashback caps. For Swiggy HDFC, use the relevant billing-cycle caps.
- Subtract the fee if it will not be waived. Compare the annual fee plus applicable charges with the rewards you expect to realize, rather than treating the fee waiver threshold as automatic.
- Assign a conservative value to membership perks. Count Zomato Gold or Swiggy One only if you will activate and use it under the current offer terms.
This calculation is an estimate, not a promise of savings. Actual eligible amounts depend on how the issuer and merchant classify transactions and on the card terms in force when the transaction posts.
What are the fees and renewal-waiver rules?
Both cards have a joining fee and a renewal fee close to ₹500, and both list a ₹2 lakh spending threshold for waiving the renewal fee. Their exact fee wording and the spending rules matter; do not assume every rupee charged to the card counts toward the threshold.
| Fee detail | Eternal SBI Card | Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹499 plus applicable taxes | ₹500 membership fee plus applicable charges |
| Renewal fee | ₹499 plus applicable taxes | ₹500 membership fee plus applicable charges |
| Renewal waiver | Waived when preceding-year annual spends reach ₹2 lakh | Waived if eligible annual spending reaches ₹2 lakh before the renewal date; issuer exclusions apply to the waiver calculation |
Fees checked November 2026. SBI Card’s current Eternal page and its MITC fee table list ₹499 and the ₹2 lakh waiver threshold. The MITC page says its information is correct as of 22 July 2025 and subject to change, so the live product page should also be checked. HDFC Bank’s card page lists a ₹500 joining and renewal fee and the ₹2 lakh eligible-spend waiver condition.
A fee waiver is a renewal benefit, not a reduction in the joining fee. For the HDFC card, the issuer explicitly says that exclusions apply to the spend calculation; the relevant terms should be checked before assuming a purchase contributes. For either card, spending more just to cross a waiver threshold can cost more than paying the fee. Compare the fee with purchases you would make anyway and with rewards you can reasonably expect to receive.
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What purchases are excluded?
Exclusions are a central part of this comparison because a transaction may appear to be an app purchase yet fail to qualify for the advertised reward. The issuers’ terms name categories that earn no reward or are treated differently; exact eligibility is also subject to merchant categorisation and current terms.
Eternal SBI Card exclusions
SBI Card’s published exclusions include fuel; wallet and prepaid-card loads; gift cards and vouchers; cash advances; rent; government and utility payments; education fees; insurance; jewellery; gaming; EMI transactions, including EMI transactions on Zomato, Blinkit, District and Bistro; Flexipay; card dues and fees; baby food and feeding essentials; and tobacco or Paan Corner products. The exclusion of EMI transactions on named apps is especially important: an order placed through an eligible app does not necessarily earn the app reward if it is converted to EMI.
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Fuel has a separate listed benefit: a 1% surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹500 and ₹4,000, subject to a maximum of ₹200 per statement cycle per card account. That is not the same as cashback on fuel, which is excluded. The transaction amount and cycle cap both matter for that waiver.
Swiggy HDFC exclusions
For the Swiggy-app tier, HDFC’s terms exclude Swiggy Money Wallet, Swiggy Liquor and Swiggy Minis. The card’s broader cashback exclusions include wallet transactions, rent, government transactions, fuel, jewellery, EMI, cash advances and other named categories. Check the linked Swiggy card terms and conditions for the full and current list rather than relying on the short summary on a product page.
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How to avoid a surprise at statement time
- Check whether the transaction is a direct eligible purchase or a wallet/prepaid load, voucher, EMI or another excluded payment type.
- Do not infer eligibility from the app name alone. Merchant categorisation and the card’s terms govern the reward treatment.
- Review the latest issuer terms before using a new payment method or a newly added app service.
- Check the statement to see whether an expected reward was credited or an instant discount applied, then contact the issuer through its official support channel if the treatment appears inconsistent with the current terms.
What activation memberships and extras are included?
The Eternal card’s listed activation benefit is a complimentary six-month Zomato Gold membership. District also lists one monthly buy-one-get-one movie-ticket voucher, up to ₹200. HDFC Bank lists a complimentary three-month Swiggy One membership on card activation, subject to the latest RBI guidelines stated on its product page.
These benefits should be treated as conditional extras, not guaranteed cash equivalents. The value depends on activation, current eligibility and whether you would use the membership or voucher. Check the relevant issuer or partner terms for the activation process and any conditions in effect when you apply. Do not add the full retail value of a membership to your expected savings unless you would otherwise pay for it and can use it.
What should you verify before applying?
Card terms, exclusions and promotions can change, and the transaction details matter. Before applying, review the live issuer page and terms rather than relying on an old comparison or a rate shown without its conditions.
- Confirm the current joining and renewal fees, applicable taxes or charges, and the exact spend eligible for a renewal waiver.
- Check whether the app or service you use is named in the current reward terms and which subcategories are excluded.
- Confirm whether the app reward is an instant discount or cashback, the relevant cap, and whether it resets monthly or by billing cycle.
- Read exclusions for EMI, wallet loads and merchant categories, including exclusions specific to the app.
- Verify activation instructions and current terms for any complimentary membership or voucher.
The product terms used here come from the official Eternal card page, SBI Card’s Eternal page, and HDFC Bank’s product page and linked terms. They establish card benefits, not independent measurements of what an individual cardholder will save.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Cleartrip offer on the Swiggy HDFC card permanent?
No. The HDFC terms PDF published on 22 May 2026 describes a Cleartrip offer as limited-period and refers to a start date of 17 April 2026. Its continued availability and coupon conditions should be confirmed with HDFC before relying on it.
Are the cashback rates independently verified savings?
No. The percentages and caps are issuer-published card terms, not results from an independent survey or a guarantee of an individual’s realized return. Your actual benefit depends on eligible transactions, the applicable caps and the terms in force.
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Can I count a complimentary membership as money saved?
Only to the extent that you activate it, can use it under its conditions and would otherwise have paid for the membership. If it does not replace a purchase you would have made, assigning it its full listed value can overstate the card’s benefit.
