HSBC Live+ Credit Card
HSBC
A genuinely well-rounded mid-tier card — real cashback breadth plus lounge access, competitive forex rate.
₹999
Joining fee
₹999, waived at ₹2L spend
Annual fee
Waived if annual spend exceeds Rs 2,00,000 (official, Rs 999 fee).
1.99%
Forex markup
4.3 / 5
Rating
Eligibility
Estimated minimum income: ₹50,000+/month
Estimated — not officially confirmed by the bank.
Estimated minimum CIBIL score: 700+
Estimated — not officially confirmed by the bank.
Age: 18–65
Salaried min Rs 6,00,000/year; self-employed min Rs 12,00,000/year, age 25-65
Restricted to Indian residents in specified cities: Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and others (full city list not exhaustively captured in this fetch)
Sources disagree: Forex markup DISCREPANCY: official states 1.99%, Paisabazaar states 3.5% — unusually large gap. Lounge DISCREPANCY: official states 2 domestic + 1 international visits/year, Paisabazaar states up to 4 domestic visits/year (max 1/quarter) with no international mention.
Lounge access
2 domestic / 1 international visits per year
Note: Direct conflict between official page and Paisabazaar on lounge visit counts, not reconciled. Paisabazaar separately advertises its own 'unlimited & free' lounge promotion, consistent with a pattern of third-party PB Pass add-ons being presented as card features.
Domestic Per Year: 2
International Per Year: 1
International: not mentioned
Domestic Per Year: 4
Domestic Per Quarter: 1
Key features
- 10% cashback on dining/food delivery/grocery/shopping/utilities (cap ₹1,200/month)
- 1.5% unlimited elsewhere
- 2 domestic + 1 international lounge visits/year
- Low 1.99% forex
Reward details
1.5% unlimited cashback on other eligible purchases (official); 0% cashback on fuel
- 10% cashback on Dining and food delivery, groceries and shopping, utility payments — Rs 1,200/month combined (official); one Paisabazaar user complaint instead cites a Rs 1,000/month cap
Redemption
Cashback credited to the card account within 45 days of the statement date (official)
- Live+ Reserve dining program (with DineWithTimesPrime); Visa Infinite benefits (hotel discounts, concierge); complimentary 1GB global eSIM with 20% top-up discount; entertainment/lifestyle offers (cinema tickets, spa discounts)
Real-world feedback
Sourced from user reviews and comparison sites (aggregator/user-sourced), not confirmed by the bank.
Praise
- High cashback on everyday categories (dining, groceries, food delivery); simple statement-credit redemption; low, achievable fee-waiver spend threshold (Rs 2 lakh) — Paisabazaar
Complaints
- Monthly cap on accelerated-category cashback (cited as Rs 1,000 by this source) seen as too low relative to the Rs 999 annual fee; limited benefits beyond dining, with no accelerated cashback on travel or online shopping; a long list of spend exclusions cited — Paisabazaar
Sources
- Official — fees, eligibility, forex, lounge, rewards
- Aggregator — forex, lounge, rewards, sentiment