HSBC Live+ Credit Card review

HSBC India · Visa · cashback Official sources Checked 30 Oct 2026

At a glance

Annual fee: ₹999
Joining fee: ₹999
Fee waiver: ₹2,00,000 a year
Base return: 1.5% base
Point value: ₹1 per point
Domestic lounge: 2 domestic visits a year, limited to 1 visit every 6 calendar months (official page)
International lounge: 1 international visit per calendar year via Thriwe platform (official page)

Estimated net value a year

Profile	Net	% of spend
First card, light spender ₹15k a month	₹10,845	6.1%
Metro salaried ₹60k a month	₹22,320	3.1%
Family household ₹80k a month	₹25,200	2.6%
Frequent flyer ₹1.5L a month	₹36,540	2.0%
Online shopper ₹50k a month	₹21,240	3.5%
Rent-heavy ₹90k a month	₹18,072	1.7%

Fee maths: The ₹999 annual fee is waived at ₹2,00,000 a year of eligible spend, about ₹16,700 a month. Of our 6 profiles, 5 clear it; on first card, light spender you would pay the fee, which is 8% (₹11,844) of what that profile earns before the fee. On our 6 profiles it nets from ₹10,845 (first card, light spender) to ₹36,540 (frequent flyer), equal to 1.7% to 6.1% of spend across the profiles. Without a waiver, the metro salaried category mix earns back the fee from about ₹3,000 a month of total spend.

After fees and caps, best-case redemption. Use your own spend.

Our take: HSBC lists 10% cashback on dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spends, but with one shared cap of ₹1,200 a month, plus 1.5% on everything else. That cap is reached at ₹12,000 a month of spend in those categories, so the card is strongest for light-to-moderate spenders. Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra are carved out at 1.5% from July 2026 (HSBC lists a 10% Myntra cashback among its welcome gifts until 31 October 2026; confirm what applies afterwards). Fuel earns nothing.

From the card's terms: strengths

Capped category-wide rate: about 10% on dining & food delivery, groceries, bills & utilities, other online shopping
2 domestic lounge visits a year

Reward rates and caps

Spend category	Points per ₹100	Value per ₹100	Cap	Notes
International (foreign currency)	0	₹0	No cap found	International spends: the 1.5% cashback on them ended from 26 Jul 2026 (HSBC page); we model them as earning nothing.
Dining & food delivery, Groceries, Bills & utilities, Other online shopping	10	₹10	₹1,200 a month	Official page: 10% on dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spends, up to ₹1,200/month in total (one shared cap). From 26 Jul 2026 Amazon and Flipkart earn 1.5% instead (HSBC page footnotes); a 10% Myntra cashback is listed among the welcome gifts 'until 31 October 2026' (page re-read 31 Oct 2026, still showing it that day; what Myntra earns afterwards is not stated on the page).
Amazon, Flipkart	1.5	₹1.5	No cap found	Carved out of 10% shopping tier
Everything else, Flights & hotels, Entertainment & OTT	1.5	₹1.5	No cap found	No cap
Fuel, Rent	0	₹0	No cap found	No rewards; international spends also earn nothing

Point value: Auto-credited to statement at ₹1 per ₹1

Excluded or reduced

Fuel (MCC 5541, 5983, 5172, 5542, 5552)
E-wallets (MCC 6540)
Rent, property management fees, rental commissions (MCC 6513, 7012, 7349)
Business-to-business MCCs
Education and government (MCC 9399, 8299, 8220, 8211, 8241, 9311, 8244, 8249, 9222, 9402, 9211, 9405, 9950, 9223, 8351)
Insurance (MCC 6300, 5960)
Jewellery and antiques (MCC 5944, 5094, 5932, 5937)
Gambling (MCC 7995); tolls and bridge fees (MCC 4784)
Cash withdrawals, credit repayments, foreign currency, crypto/liquid assets (6011, 6010, 6012, 6051); security brokers (6211); collection agencies (7322); charity (8398, 8641); money transfers (4829); wholesale clubs (5300); hospitals (8062); local bus/subway transit (4111)
International spends: no 1.5% from 26 Jul 2026

Other benefits

Welcome: ₹1,000 cashback on HSBC app login + ₹25,000 spend in 30 days; ₹750 voucher (Amazon Pay/Zomato/Swiggy) on first ₹300+ txn; ₹250 Amazon voucher for online apply + video KYC (1 Jan 2026-31 Mar 2027); 10% Myntra cashback, stated to end on 31 Oct 2026 (so likely over by the time you read this); ₹200 off Starbucks (official page)
₹250 fuel cashback per quarter on ₹10k contactless fuel spend
BOGO movies
Forex 1.99% (official MITC); '0% promo till 31 Oct 2026' is aggregator-only, unconfirmed
1GB global eSIM; Live+ Reserve dining programme from 1 Aug 2026
Rent payments: 1% processing fee (MITC)

Eligibility

Salaried 18-65 min ₹6L/yr; self-employed 25-65

Reported rule changes

26 Jul 2026: HSBC Live+: 10% category cap shared, international spends stop earning official

Where it ranks

#2 in Best credit cards for online shopping
#1 in Best cashback credit cards
#1 in Best credit cards for groceries

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FAQ

What is the annual fee of the HSBC Live+ Credit Card?

₹999 a year, waived at ₹2,00,000 annual spend. Fees exclude 18% GST.

How do HSBC Live+ Credit Card rewards work?

1.5% base, up to 10% on dining & food delivery/groceries/bills & utilities/other online shopping. Auto-credited to statement at ₹1 per ₹1

Does the HSBC Live+ Credit Card give airport lounge access?

Domestic: 2 domestic visits a year, limited to 1 visit every 6 calendar months (official page). International: 1 international visit per calendar year via Thriwe platform (official page).

Who is the HSBC Live+ Credit Card best suited to?

HSBC lists 10% cashback on dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spends, but with one shared cap of ₹1,200 a month, plus 1.5% on everything else. That cap is reached at ₹12,000 a month of spend in those categories, so the card is strongest for light-to-moderate spenders. Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra are carved out at 1.5% from July 2026 (HSBC lists a 10% Myntra cashback among its welcome gifts until 31 October 2026; confirm what applies afterwards). Fuel earns nothing. The ₹999 annual fee is waived at ₹2,00,000 a year of eligible spend, about ₹16,700 a month. Of our 6 profiles, 5 clear it; on first card, light spender you would pay the fee, which is 8% (₹11,844) of what that profile earns before the fee. On our 6 profiles it nets from ₹10,845 (first card, light spender) to ₹36,540 (frequent flyer), equal to 1.7% to 6.1% of spend across the profiles.