HSBC India · researched credit card
HSBC Live+ Credit Card
A cashback-led HSBC card combining a capped 10% accelerator, 1.5% base cashback, annual lounge visits and a 1.99% forex markup.
First-party evidenceActiveReviewed September 12, 2026
Annual fee₹999; the current product page states it is waived when annual spend exceeds ₹2 lakh.
Joining fee₹999 under the current HSBC product page.
NetworkVisa Infinite under the current HSBC Live+ proposition.
Last reviewedSeptember 12, 2026
Research processPublished by littleden.blog
Structured from first-party bank/issuer evidence. This page does not claim personal hands-on product use unless that experience is explicitly stated.
2 first-party sources
Last checkedSeptember 12, 2026
Recorded source review date, not a claim that the product changed that day.
Maintenance stateWithin scheduled review window
Target recheck: October 27, 2026.
Decision brief
Start with fit before chasing headline benefits.
The card may be attractive for a specific use case while still being a poor fit once fees, spending thresholds, exclusions or travel conditions are considered.
- The headline 10% rate shares a ₹1,200 monthly cap across eligible accelerated categories.
- Cashback exclusions matter for the 1.5% base rate; fuel is shown as non-earning in HSBC's current example.
- Eligibility and city sourcing are issuer-controlled and do not guarantee approval.
Four critical factors
Read these four fields before anything else.
They usually determine whether the card's published proposition survives contact with your actual spending and travel pattern.
Published terms
Exact decision fields from the maintained profile.
These fields preserve source wording and conditions rather than reducing the card to a single score.
Joining fee₹999 under the current HSBC product page.
Annual fee₹999; the current product page states it is waived when annual spend exceeds ₹2 lakh.
Fee waiverAnnual fee is waived when spend exceeds ₹2 lakh per year under the current HSBC product page.
Rewards10% accelerated cashback on eligible dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spend, capped at ₹1,200 per month across those categories; 1.5% unlimited cashback on most other eligible spend, subject to exclusions.
NetworkVisa Infinite under the current HSBC Live+ proposition.
Lounge access2 domestic and 1 international complimentary airport-lounge visits per year under the current product page.
Forex markup1.99% forex markup on international transactions under the current HSBC product page.
Value interpretation
Separate published mechanics from personal value.
The same card can produce very different value depending on where you spend, whether you hit thresholds and whether caps or exclusions matter.
Annual-cost test
Treat the annual fee as a cost that must be recovered from benefits you would have used anyway.
Reward-value test
Cashback is easier to value than points, but caps and excluded merchant categories can materially reduce the headline rate.
Travel-benefit test
Treat lounge access, transfer partners and travel vouchers as conditional value. Check spend thresholds, visit caps and redemption rules.
Approval reality
Published eligibility is not a promise of approval. Issuers can apply internal underwriting, documentation and credit-limit policies.
Decision checklist
Five questions to answer before applying.
These questions turn the researched terms into a personal decision without estimating approval odds.
Would you pay the stated annual fee if you did not hit the waiver?
₹999; the current product page states it is waived when annual spend exceeds ₹2 lakh. · Annual fee is waived when spend exceeds ₹2 lakh per year under the current HSBC product page.
Does your normal spending actually fall into the card’s rewarded categories?
10% accelerated cashback on eligible dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spend, capped at ₹1,200 per month across those categories; 1.5% unlimited cashback on most other eligible spend, subject to exclusions.
Are the lounge and international-use terms useful for your real travel pattern?
2 domestic and 1 international complimentary airport-lounge visits per year under the current product page. · 1.99% forex markup on international transactions under the current HSBC product page.
Can you realistically track the caps, channels and exclusions behind the headline benefit?
The headline 10% rate shares a ₹1,200 monthly cap across eligible accelerated categories. Cashback exclusions matter for the 1.5% base rate; fuel is shown as non-earning in HSBC's current example.
Does the application route fit your profile without assuming approval?
Current page: resident Indian; salaried age 18–65 with minimum annual income ₹6 lakh, or self-employed age 25–65 with minimum annual income ₹12 lakh, in listed sourcing cities; approval remains at HSBC discretion.
Eligibility & underwriting
Published eligibility is not an approval prediction.
Income, bureau history, geography, documentation, existing relationship and the issuer's internal underwriting can all change the outcome.
Published eligibility
Current page: resident Indian; salaried age 18–65 with minimum annual income ₹6 lakh, or self-employed age 25–65 with minimum annual income ₹12 lakh, in listed sourcing cities; approval remains at HSBC discretion.
Maintained comparisons
Compare this card against exact researched alternatives.
Pairs are curated only where the engine has enough decision value to justify a maintained comparison page.
Decision checks
Annual feeFee waiverReward rules
Decision checks
Annual feeFee waiverReward rules
Research next
Alternatives without pretending one card is universally better.
These routes help you inspect related cards, the same issuer's portfolio and—where mapped—the wider bank relationship.
Related research
Closest category alternatives
PNB LUXURA RuPay Metal Credit CardPunjab National Bank · ₹7,500 + GSTPNB LUXURA Visa Metal Credit CardPunjab National Bank · ₹1,999 + GSTSimplySAVE SBI CardSBI Card · ₹499 + applicable taxes from the second year under the current SBI Card MITC.SBI Card PRIMESBI Card · ₹2,999 + taxesBrowse Cashback Credit Cards →
Same issuer
HSBC India portfolio
First-party evidence ledger
Verify the card against the documents behind the profile.
Source links, reviewed fields and unresolved verification gaps remain visible. Research freshness is not a guarantee that the issuer has not changed terms after the stated review date.
Evidence statefirst party verified
ReviewedSeptember 12, 2026
Issuer documents2
Terms confirmed in the profile
Joining feeAnnual feeFee waiverRewardsLoungeForexEligibilityStatus
Issuer evidenceDocument typeOpen
Primary sourceIssuer product pageView ↗
Supporting source 2Issuer product pageView ↗
Verification means these published terms were checked against the linked first-party issuer material on the review date. It does not mean the issuer guarantees approval, a credit limit or that terms cannot change later.