Team Infinia here. Had all three at different points.

Infinia wins hands down if you:
• Use SmartBuy regularly (this is KEY)
• Travel 6+ times a year
• Value flexibility in redemptions

My SmartBuy strategy alone recovered the AF:
• Flight bookings: ₹3L annually = 30K points = ₹10K value
• Amazon purchases: ₹1L annually = 10K points = ₹3.3K value
• Hotel bookings: ₹1.5L annually = 15K points = ₹5K value

That's ₹18K in rewards vs ₹12.5K fee. Profit: ₹5.5K

Plus the Priority Pass saved me ₹15K+ in lounge fees last year. The math is simple.

Reserve is a trap. Looks cheap but reward rate is trash. You'll regret it.

Emeralde is for show. Great if you want a metal card for flexing. Not for serious value maximization.

Unpopular opinion: SBI Reserve is underrated.

Yes, SBI service sucks. Yes, the card feels cheap. But hear me out:

The Math:
• AF: ₹4,999 (vs ₹12,500 for Infinia)
• Savings: ₹7,500 upfront
• Club Vistara Gold membership alone worth ₹5,000
• 10X on travel bookings matches Infinia
• Milestone benefits at ₹2L, ₹5L, ₹10L

Real scenario (my actual usage):
• Annual travel spend: ₹8L
• 10X rewards: 80K points = ₹16K value (at 0.2 per point)
• Milestone vouchers: ₹15K total
• Total benefit: ₹31K
• Net gain: ₹31K - ₹5K = ₹26K

With Infinia same spend:
• 3.3% on ₹8L = ₹26.4K in rewards
• AF: ₹12.5K
• Net: ₹13.9K

Reserve wins for high travel spends. Fight me.

(Just avoid calling their customer care. Ever.)

I have both Infinia and Emeralde. Here's the honest take:

Use Infinia when:
• Booking through SmartBuy (10X is insane)
• International transactions (lower forex markup)
• Want to transfer to airline partners
• Need Priority Pass for international lounges

Use Emeralde when:
• Meeting clients (metal card impression matters)
• Domestic airport lounges (separate queue benefits)
• Large purchases for milestone benefits
• Gemstone program purchases (accelerated rewards)

The Emeralde "premium" experience is real:
• Separate Priority customer care number
• Faster credit limit increases
• Better upgrade offers
• The card FEELS expensive (sounds stupid but clients notice)

For pure value maximization: Infinia
For lifestyle + some value: Emeralde
For budget optimization: Reserve

I'd say get Infinia first. If you find yourself wanting more premium treatment, add Emeralde later. Skip Reserve unless you're REALLY price sensitive.

Current Reserve holder here. The Club Vistara membership is CLUTCH.

What others aren't mentioning:
• Priority check-in at Vistara counters (saves 30 mins)
• Extra baggage allowance (saved me ₹4K twice)
• Lounge access even on economy tickets
• Complimentary seat selection
• Earn premium points on Vistara flights

If you fly Vistara even 4-5 times a year, Reserve makes sense just for this.

That said, Infinia's SmartBuy is more versatile. Reserve locks you into Vistara ecosystem.

Am I the only one who thinks all three are overrated?

Axis Magnus gives better value:
• 12 Edge miles per ₹200 (better than all three on travel)
• Transfer to 10+ airlines at 5:4 ratio
• 25K welcome bonus
• Better milestone structure

The Infinia hype is real but check if Magnus suits you better. Especially if you're transferring to partners anyway.

Infinia gang represent!

Three years with this card. Never looking back. The SmartBuy portal has become my default for:
• All flight bookings (even low-cost)
• Amazon shopping (10X vs 5X direct)
• Insurance premiums (10X is FREE money)
• Hotel bookings obviously

Plus the Diners Global acceptance has improved DRASTICALLY. Used it across Europe, US, Singapore with zero issues.

One tip: Set SmartBuy as your browser homepage. You'll be surprised how much you can route through it.

Also the Priority Pass covers guests. Took my parents to international lounge - their reaction alone was worth the AF.

Everyone sleeping on the ICICI Emeralde benefit no one talks about: relationship manager.

Got a dedicated RM who:
• Processed my home loan in 3 days (during COVID)
• Arranged forex at better rates than market
• Priority wealth management access
• Even helped with my startup's current account

The card is a gateway to premium banking. Not just a credit card.

For pure rewards: Infinia wins.
For banking relationship: Emeralde wins.
Choose based on what you value.

Here's what I did: Applied for Infinia, got rejected, settled for Reserve.

No regrets actually. The rejection was income-based (₹18 LPA not enough for Infinia apparently).

Reserve is perfect for mid-tier income folks:
• Easier approval (₹12 LPA+)
• Decent benefits
• Affordable AF

Once I hit ₹25 LPA, I'll upgrade to Infinia. Till then Reserve does the job.

Don't let FOMO push you into cards you can't easily get approved for.

Hot take: None of these are worth it for 90% of people.

HDFC Regalia + Axis Atlas combo gives you:
• Lower combined AF (₹2.5K + ₹0 with milestones)
• Better diversified rewards
• Atlas for travel (10 Edge miles per ₹200)
• Regalia for SmartBuy (5X is good enough)

The super-premium segment is for either:
• Very high spenders (₹30L+)
• Status seekers
• People who travel weekly

If you're debating this hard, you probably don't need super-premium. Just my 2 cents.

Final answer: Get Infinia.

I've been down this rabbit hole. Researched for 6 months. Had spreadsheets. The answer is always Infinia for Indian cards.

Why?
• Proven ecosystem (10+ years)
• Easy redemptions (this matters MORE than reward rate)
• Transfer partners cover most needs
• SmartBuy optimization potential is huge

Emeralde is too new. Reserve is SBI (enough said).

Apply for Infinia. If rejected, get Magnus instead (better than Reserve/Emeralde).

Stop overthinking. I wasted 6 months researching when I should've just applied.

Reserve user perspective:

Look, I know SBI service is trash. But:
• Applied on Saturday
• Approved Monday
• Card delivered Wednesday
• Activated same day

Compare this to HDFC where people wait MONTHS for Infinia approval.

Sometimes fast mediocrity > slow excellence.

Plus the Vistara Gold is legit valuable. Used it 8 times this year. Saved on baggage, got lounge access, better seats.

AF recovered in 2 months of usage.

Emeralde + Infinia combo user here.

This is the actual holy trinity strategy:
• Infinia for SmartBuy (10X capped)
• Emeralde for direct bookings (no caps)
• Keep both for different use cases

Annual spends:
• ₹5L on Infinia SmartBuy (max out cap) = 50K points
• ₹15L on Emeralde direct = 30K points
• Total rewards: ₹26.5K
• Total AF: ₹24.5K
• Net: ₹2K positive + all the lifestyle perks

Yes you need to manage two cards but the optimization is beautiful.

My Infinia journey (timeline for reference):

• Applied online: Rejected (insufficient income docs)
• Visited branch: They said need ₹35L ITR
• Showed ₹28L ITR + existing HDFC relationship: Rejected again
• Got Diners Black upgrade offer: Accepted
• Used Diners Black for 1 year
• Auto-upgrade to Infinia offer received
• Accepted immediately

Lesson: Diners Black is the stepping stone to Infinia. Get that first if direct Infinia is difficult.

Took me 18 months total but worth it.

To the concierge question: Used it twice, both times disappointed.

1st time: Book restaurant in Mumbai. Concierge took 2 hours to confirm. I booked myself on Zomato in 2 minutes.

2nd time: Help with international hotel booking. They quoted higher rates than Booking.com.

It's a call center in Philippines reading from a script. Not actual concierge service like Amex Plat has.

Don't factor concierge into your decision. It's mostly useless.