HSBC Live+ Credit Card benefits
- Rewards10%
cashback on dining, food delivery, groceries, shopping and utilities
up to ₹1,200 a month
- Rewards1.5%
cashback on most other spends
with no limit
- Rewards₹1,000
cashback on spends of ₹25,000 within 30 days, after logging on to the mobile app
- Lounge2
domestic and 1 international lounge visits a year
Good to know
- 1.99% forex markup on international transactions
- Annual fee reversed on spends above ₹2,00,000 a year
HSBC Live+ Credit Card rewards and cashback
| Where you spend | Rate | Monthly limit |
|---|---|---|
| Dining and food delivery10% on dining and food delivery. The ₹1,200 monthly limit is shared with groceries, shopping and utilities. | 10% back | 1,200 |
| Groceries10% on groceries. The ₹1,200 monthly limit is shared with dining, shopping and utilities. | 10% back | 1,200 |
| Bills and utilities10% on utilities. The ₹1,200 monthly limit is shared with dining, groceries and shopping. | 10% back | 1,200 |
| Online shopping10% on shopping, within the same ₹1,200 monthly limit. HSBC decides this by the merchant's category code (MCC), not by brand, and publishes no list of brands. Categories include clothing, shoes, department stores, electronics and cosmetics. Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra earn only 1.5%, so our maths counts online spends at 1.5%. | 10% back | None |
| Everything else | 1.5% back | None |
No rewards on: These earn no cashback: fuel, insurance, education and government, rent, jewellery, hospitals, financial institutions, gambling, charity, business-to-business spends, tolls and local bus travel. International spends do not earn the 1.5% cashback.
All reward rules
- There is no separate rewards programme on this card, only cashback.
- From 1 September 2026, international spends no longer earn the 1.5% cashback.
- 1.5% cashback has no limit on eligible spends.
- Welcome benefit: ₹1,000 cashback if you download and log on to the HSBC India Mobile Banking app and spend ₹25,000 within 30 days of getting your card.
- You can get ₹250 cashback on contactless fuel purchases when you spend ₹10,000 a quarter.
What the HSBC Live+ Credit Card gives back in a year
Say you spend ₹30,000 a month, like our “a bit of everything” pattern. Worked out with the same maths as the calculator above.
| Spending | A month | Back | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | ₹6,000 | 10% | ₹7,200 |
| Dining and food delivery | ₹3,000 | 10% | ₹3,600 |
| Online shopping | ₹8,000 | 1.5% | ₹1,440 |
| Travel | ₹3,000 | 1.5% | ₹540 |
| Fuel | ₹3,000 | 0% | ₹0 |
| Bills and utilities | ₹3,000 | 10% | ₹3,600 |
| Everything else | ₹4,000 | 1.5% | ₹720 |
| Total | ₹30,000 | ₹17,100 | |
| Renewal fee with GST | Waived | ||
| You keep | ₹17,100* |
That is ₹10,380 a year more than the Cashback SBI Card on the same spending.
HSBC Live+ Credit Card annual fee and charges
- Joining fee
- ₹999
- Annual fee
- ₹999
- Fee waiver
- ₹2,00,000 a year
- Foreign currency markup
- 1.99%
The annual fee is fully reversed if eligible spends across the primary and add-on cards exceed ₹2,00,000 in the anniversary year. Fees are before GST. The 1.99% forex markup applies from 1 September 2026.
HSBC Live+ Credit Card eligibility
- Age
- 18 to 65
- Salaried income
- ₹6,00,000 a year
- Self-employed income
- ₹12,00,000 a year
Self-employed applicants must be at least 25 years old.
The bank alone decides approval and your credit limit.
HSBC Live+ Credit Card lounge access
2 domestic and 1 international visits a year. Banks often set a spend condition, so read the reward rules above.
From 1 September 2026: 2 domestic visits a year, limited to one every 6 calendar months, and 1 international visit a year.
Is the HSBC Live+ Credit Card right for you?
A card with a ₹999 fee that spending can waive, paying 10% on dining and food delivery and an above-average 1.5% elsewhere.
Worth its fee if you spend about ₹3,000 a month or more. Below that, the ₹999 fee costs more than the card gives back on spending like the example above.
Good for you if
- You spend a lot on dining and food delivery: the card pays 10% back there, against 1.5% on most other spends.
- You spend ₹2,00,000 a year or more (about ₹16,700 a month), so the ₹999 renewal fee is waived.
- You pay in foreign currency, abroad or on foreign websites: the markup is 1.99%, against a typical 3.5% on the cards we list.
- You fly a few times a year: it includes 2 domestic and 1 international airport lounge visits a year.
Not for you if
- You spend less than about ₹16,700 a month: you would pay ₹1,179 a year with GST.
Check the latest fees and terms on the bank's page before you apply.
Alternatives to HSBC Live+ Credit Card
Two similar cards to weigh up before you apply. The last column shows what each may be worth on ₹30,000 a month of mixed spending, after the renewal fee with GST. Rates paid only at named brands are not counted, so a brand card can earn more if you shop there.
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards up to | You keep a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSBC Live+ Credit Card | ₹999 | 10% | ₹17,100* |
| Cashback SBI Card | ₹999 | 5% | ₹6,720* |
| BOB Cashback Credit Card | ₹499 | 5% | ₹5,771* |
*Estimate only, not a promise. We work it out from the bank's published terms and the spending you enter. What you actually get depends on the bank, your transactions and any change in its terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the annual fee of the HSBC Live+ Credit Card?
The joining fee and annual fee are ₹999 each before GST. The annual fee is reversed if your eligible spends exceed ₹2,00,000 in the anniversary year.
Is the HSBC Live+ Credit Card lifetime free?
No. It has a ₹999 joining fee and a ₹999 annual fee, and the annual fee can be reversed on spends above ₹2,00,000 a year.
What is the cashback limit on HSBC Live+?
The 10% cashback is limited to ₹1,200 a month across dining, food delivery, groceries, shopping and utilities. The 1.5% cashback has no limit.
Do Amazon and Flipkart earn 10% cashback on HSBC Live+?
No. Shopping on Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra earns 1.5% and is left out of the 10% category.
What is the eligibility for the HSBC Live+ Credit Card?
Salaried applicants must be 18 to 65 years old with an income of at least ₹6,00,000 a year. Self-employed applicants must be 25 to 65 years old with an income of at least ₹12,00,000 a year.