Question 1

What exactly earns 10%?

Accepted Answer

The 10% rate applies to restaurant dining, food delivery through platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, groceries, general shopping, and utility bill payments made within India. One notable exception: purchases on Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra don't qualify for this rate and instead earn the standard 1.5% base. This card's headline return of 10% on dining (subject to a ₹1,200 monthly cap in that shared category) versus 1.5% elsewhere reflects actual redemption value, not a raw points-per-₹100 figure.

Question 2

Is the 1.5% truly unlimited?

Accepted Answer

Largely, yes — the 1.5% cashback rate has no monthly ceiling, though it doesn't apply to fuel, rent, insurance, education, government payments, wallet loads, EMI transactions or international spending. It's the 10% categories, by contrast, that are collectively limited to ₹1,200 a month.

Question 3

Is cashback automatic?

Accepted Answer

Yes, cashback is applied directly as statement credit without any action needed on your part — there's no separate redemption process.

Question 4

Are there lounge visits?

Accepted Answer

You get 2 domestic lounge visits annually, spaced one per six-month period, and starting 1 September 2026 an additional international visit is included each year. Under the card's present benefit terms, that comes to 2 complimentary domestic visits (one every six months) plus 1 international visit a year from that date onward.

Question 5

What is the annual fee waiver?

Accepted Answer

Hit ₹2 lakh in annual spend and the ₹999 fee is waived. If you don't, the renewal charge comes to ₹999 plus 18% GST, or ₹1,179 all-in — that's the figure that lands on your statement. Spread over a year, the ₹2 lakh waiver threshold works out to about ₹16,667 a month.

Question 6

What changed on 26 July 2026?

Accepted Answer

The card underwent a significant revision on 26 July 2026, bringing both gains and cuts. On the plus side: the forex markup fell from 3.5% to 1.99%, the shared monthly cashback cap rose from ₹1,000 to ₹1,200, shopping and utility payments were added to the 10% tier, an international lounge visit was introduced (from 1 September 2026), a ₹250 quarterly fuel cashback appeared, and Visa Infinite benefits were added. On the downside: annual domestic lounge visits dropped from 4 to 2, cashback stopped applying to international, hospital and local-transport spends, and shopping at Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra was excluded from the 10% category.

Question 7

What is the current welcome/joining bonus?

Accepted Answer

Applicants who complete Video KYC receive a ₹250 Amazon eGift voucher, and downloading the HSBC India mobile app plus spending ₹25,000 within 30 days adds another ₹1,000 in cashback — roughly ₹1,250 combined — for anyone applying between 26 July and 31 December 2026. Certain activation offers throw in an extra ₹750 voucher for a first transaction of ₹300 or more. Against the ₹1,179 all-in joining fee (including GST), this ₹1,250 welcome package leaves cardholders about ₹71 ahead in the first year, even before any spend-based rewards are factored in.

Question 8

How has the HSBC Live+ Credit Card changed over time?

Accepted Answer

This page's Value Timeline tracks 4 changes to the card since 2021 — 1 devaluation, 1 improvement, and the remainder neutral events like the launch or a restructure. The latest was the 26 July 2026 update that halved domestic lounge visits while adding new exclusions to base cashback earning. Each recorded change is sourced, allowing every figure to be verified against the issuer's own materials.

Question 9

Has the HSBC Live+ Credit Card been devalued recently?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there's been 1 devaluation in the past 24 months by our count. Effective 26 July 2026, domestic lounge visits were cut in half and several base-cashback exclusions were introduced — annual domestic lounge visits went from 4 (one per quarter) to 2 (one per six months), and cashback was withdrawn from hospital spends, local transport and international transactions. A dated, sourced breakdown of every change appears in the Value Timeline on this page.

Question 10

How did the HSBC Live+ Credit Card change in 2026?

Accepted Answer

This card has had 2 tracked changes in 2026 so far — one cut and one improvement, both effective 26 July 2026: the Live+ upgrade that widened the 10% categories, raised the monthly cap and added Visa Infinite status, alongside the halving of domestic lounge visits and new base-cashback exclusions. Taken together, the earning structure moved from 10% on dining, food delivery and groceries with a ₹1,000 monthly cap, 3.5% forex and Visa Platinum status, to 10% now also covering shopping (excluding Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra) and utility bills, a ₹1,200 cap, 1.99% forex, and Visa Infinite. Full details and sourcing for each change sit in the Value Timeline on this page.

Charge	Amount
Annual fee (incl. 18% GST)	₹1,179
Joining fee (incl. 18% GST)	₹1,179
Finance charge (APR)	3.75% p.m.
Forex markup	1.99%

HSBC Live+ Credit Card

Key features

Full reward structure

Fees & charges

Perks & benefits

Should you get it?

✓ Pros

✕ Cons

Eligibility & documents

How to redeem rewards

What your Cashback are worth

The bottom line

Value timeline

2026 2 changes — 1 cut, 1 improvement

2024 1 change — 1 neutral

2021 1 change — 1 neutral

Frequently asked questions

Check your eligibility for this card

Category	Type	Rate	Monthly cap
Dining	cashback	10%	₹1,200
Groceries	cashback	10%	₹1,200
Online Shopping	cashback	10%	₹1,200
Utility Bills	cashback	10%	₹1,200
Other	cashback	1.5%	—