IDFC FIRST Power Plus Credit Card

The IDFC First Power Plus Credit Card is a fuel-focused co-branded card from IDFC FIRST Bank, designed for users who fuel up regularly at HPCL stations. Issued on the RuPay network, it carries a ₹499 joining fee and a ₹499 annual fee, with the annual fee waivable on annual spends of ₹1.5 lakh or more.

The card delivers up to 6.5% savings on HPCL fuel, combining 5% reward points at HPCL pumps with an additional 1.5% Happy Coins via the HP Pay App. This is one of the strongest fuel reward structures in the Indian market, marginally higher than the ICICI HPCL Super Saver and competitive with the BPCL SBI Octane.

Eligibility requires applicants to be between 21 and 65 years of age. The minimum annual income is ₹3 LPA for salaried (₹25,000 monthly) and ₹4 LPA for self-employed. CIBIL score requirement is 750 or above. The broader age range up to 65 years and accessible income threshold make this card available to a wide audience.

Beyond fuel, the card offers 5% savings on IDFC FIRST FASTag recharges (done via the IDFC FIRST Bank Mobile Banking App or FIRST Forward App). This is unusual because most cards exclude FASTag from rewards. The 5% effective return makes the card uniquely valuable for users who pay tolls frequently.

The card also includes 3X rewards on UPI spends and other eligible retail transactions, capped at ₹2,000 per statement cycle (maximum 400 reward points). On other spends, the base rate is 3 reward points per ₹150, with 1 reward point = ₹0.25.

Welcome benefits include a ₹500 welcome gift voucher on the first HPCL fuel transaction of ₹500 or above (for cards set up on or after 10 June 2025), plus 5% cashback up to ₹1,000 on the first EMI conversion. Combined welcome value of ₹1,500 more than covers the joining fee.

Travel benefits are modest but useful: 1 complimentary domestic airport lounge visit per quarter on minimum monthly spends of ₹20,000, and a low forex markup of 1.99% on international transactions. The 1.99% forex rate is significantly better than the 3.5% on most fuel-focused cards.

The IDFC First Power Plus is one of the most well-rounded fuel-focused cards in the Indian market. The combination of 6.5% HPCL savings, 5% FASTag rewards, 1.99% forex markup, and lounge access on a low ₹20,000 monthly spend threshold makes this card unusually versatile for the ₹499 fee tier.

The standout feature is the FASTag benefit. Most cards exclude toll payments entirely, but the Power Plus rewards them at 5%. For users who drive frequently on toll roads, this can save ₹1,000 to ₹2,400 annually with negligible effort.

The low forex markup of 1.99% is another differentiator. Cards in this fee tier typically charge 3.5%, so the Power Plus delivers meaningful savings for occasional international travellers.

The card has limitations. Grocery spends are excluded, which is a meaningful gap for household-heavy budgets. The Happy Coins ecosystem (HP Pay App) is separate from the IDFC Rewards portal, creating slight complexity. The ₹500 cheque payment charge is high.

Our recommendation: get this card if you fuel up at HPCL and pay tolls via FASTag. For pure HPCL users without FASTag spending, the ICICI HPCL Super Saver delivers more value via its daily essentials category. For BPCL fuel users, the SBI Octane is the obvious pick.