My association with HSBC has been quite a long one.
In 2001, I got the HSBC Classic credit card (Mastercard). A couple of years later, they issued me another Classic card (Visa), with a separate credit limit. This was rare, as few banks at the time issued multiple primary cards to the same person.
Some years later, HSBC upgraded both cards to Platinum Visa and made them lifetime free. In all this time, the bank didn’t really have much of a credit card portfolio so there were no other choices. Then they launched the Cashback card, and rebranded it as the HSBC Live+ credit card in 2024.
What’s particularly interesting is how HSBC has sort of come out of the shadows. After years of having just a couple of cards with token offers, they have over half a dozen credit cards with a variety of benefits across segments, and are competing strongly with other credit card issuers.
Getting the HSBC Live+ credit card
Since then, I’d been reading about the card and its benefits and decided to get it. The bank had become a bit more aggressive with their outreach, with some very good offers and discounts on food, electronics, travel, and especially live events.
I asked customer support if they could swap one of my Platinum Visa cards with the Live+ card, and they were happy to do so.
A year with the HSBC Live+ credit card, and changes in benefits
It has been a just over a year since then. No mysterious charges, no service issues, no surprises. Card usage was going on as usual, when in the span of a month or so, the bank sent three emails with updates to the card’s features and benefits.
Their email in June mentioned
• a reduction in the forex mark-up fee from 3.5% to 1.99%
• international spends were no longer eligible for 1.5% cashback
• complimentary domestic airport lounge access was changed to 2 visits/year
• they excluded a couple of categories from cashback eligibility; local transportation, and rather surprisingly, hospitals (wonder what prompted that move).
Upgrade to Visa Infinite
On July 03, 2026 they sent another update with enhanced benefits. They were upgrading the card to the Visa Infinite network, along with some other changes as below, to be effective from July 26, 2026:
• 10% cashback includes utility spends along with food, dining, and groceries
• Overall cashback capped at Rs. 1,200/month for 10% cashback
• 1.5% unlimited cashback on other eligible spends remains
• Complimentary lounge benefits include 1 international visit per year (w.e.f September 2026)
• Cashback of Rs. 250/qtr on on contactless fuel spends above Rs. 10,000/qtr
• Visa Infinite privileges, like:
i) Complimentary Airport Meet and Assist services (on spending USD 1,000 abroad in the past 12 months)
ii) Complimentary + discounted stay at ITC Hotels
iii) Complimentary membership to Avis President’s Club and up to 35% off on standard rates with Avis Car Rentals
Their email on July 30, 2026 came with another set of updates, mostly reiterating the same benefits as above, and some new ones:
• BOGO (Buy-one-get-one) offer for movie tickets on District by Zomato
• BOGO offer on BookMyShow as well, including 10% off on live events
• 10% off on online purchases at Sephora
They’ve also added dining privileges via “The Live+ Reserve” powered by DineWithTimesPrime w.e.f August 01, 2026 onwards which provides
• access to top restaurants
• curated chef menus
• complimentary beverages and desserts
• exclusive offers across SONYLIV, Toni & Guy, Uber, and Tumi via Times Prime
HSBC Live+ Eligibility Criteria
The card’s eligibility criteria and fee structure remain unchanged as of now.
You should be a resident of India, and be either a
Salaried individual: age between 18-65, income Rs. 6 lakh/yr
OR
Self-employed individual: age between 25-65, income Rs. 12 lakh/yr
and reside in Chennai, Gurgaon, Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Amritsar, Baroda, Indore, Lucknow, Nagpur or Surat
HSBC Live+ Fee Structure
Joining Fee: Rs. 999 + GST
Annual Fee: Rs. 999+ GST (waived if you spend Rs. 2 lakh in the preceding year)
Welcome Gift:
• 10% cashback on Myntra (till October 31, 2026)
• Rs. 1,000 cashback when you download + log in to the HSBC mobile app and spend Rs. 25,000 within the first 30 days of getting your card
• Rs. 750 voucher for Amazon Pay, Zomato and Swiggy when you activate your card with a single transaction of Rs. 300 or more
• Rs. 250 Amazon Gift Voucher when you apply online and complete video KYC
So is the HSBC Live+ credit card still worth it?
Currently, it isn’t easy to find one single credit card that’s perfect/enough for your wallet. Each has it’s own quirks and limitations along with varying fees, offers and benefits, and this card is no different. A common crib across all cashback cards is that they don’t provide transaction-wise details of cashback in the statement.
Likewise, every cardholder has different use cases and considerations while choosing a credit card. Some may only prefer lifetime free cards. Some prefer rewards, others like no-nonsense cashback. Some need hotel/travel/air miles benefits, others need a card just for everyday spends, and so on. You should define your expectations from a credit card and then decide which combination works best for you.
Despite its huge list of excluded categories for cashback and some of the recent updates, the HSBC Live+ credit card offers a nice bang for the buck and is among the more rewarding cashback cards around, especially for everyday spends.
Agree/disagree?
