When it comes to cashback credit cards, some of the popular options are SBI Cashback, Flipkart Axis, Axis Ace and AU Xcite Ace. But, we have some other good options as well like the Airtel Axis Bank credit card and the HSBC Live+ credit card. HSBC Live+ credit card offers 1.5% cashback on retail spends. But the USP is the 10% cashback on select categories like dining, food delivery and grocery spends. All three are essential spends and this is where the HSBC Live+ credit card is useful.
Key Benefits of HSBC Live+ Credit Card
- 10% cashback on essential categories: dining, groceries, and food delivery
- 1.5% unlimited cashback on all other eligible retail spends
- Cashback credited within 45 days of statement generation
- Domestic airport lounge access (4 visits/year)
- BookMyShow Buy One Get One offer on Saturdays
Fees & Charges
| Joining Fee | ₹999 + GST |
| Welcome Benefit | ₹1000 cashback on spending ₹20,000 within 30 days + Using HSBC Mobile Banking app |
| Online Application Bonus | ₹250 Amazon Gift Voucher for video KYC completion |
| Annual Fee | ₹999 + GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Spend ₹2 Lakh in a membership year |
| Renewal Benefit | None |
Note: The joining fee is effectively recovered through the welcome benefits.
Cashback Structure
| Type of Spend | Cashback | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Spends | 1.5% | None |
| Dining, Food Delivery (Swiggy/Zomato), Grocery (offline and online) | 10% | ₹1000/statement |
| Fuel, Wallets, Rent, Property Management, Education, Government, Insurance, Jewelers, Tolls, Financial Institutions, Wholesale Clubs | None |
That is quite an exhaustive list of exclusions for 1.5% cashback. But, the HSBC Live+ credit card it is still a good option as other retail spends still get unlimited 1.5% cashback.
Real-Life Usage Examples
We tested the HSBC Live+ Credit Card across:
- DMart, Reliance Fresh, Blinkit all gave 10% cashback
- Swiggy food & Instamart: 10% cashback applied
- Zomato: 10% cashback confirmed
You can easily earn up to ₹12,000 per year by maxing out the 10% categories.
Cashback Redemption Process
Cashback earned in a billing cycle is credited within 45 days from the statement date directly to your card account.
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access & Other Benefits
- Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 4 visits per calendar year
- International Airport Lounge Access: Not available
- Movie Offer: BookMyShow BOGO offer on Saturdays (Max free ticket value: ₹250)
- Fuel Surcharge Waiver: Not available
- Foreign Currency Markup Fee: 3.5% + GST (~4.13%)
HSBC Live+ Credit Card Eligibility Criteria
- Age: 18 to 65 years
- Income Requirement: Minimum ₹4 Lakh per annum (salaried only)
- City of Residence: Available in select cities: Bangalore, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Pune, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad
- Self-Employed: Not eligible unless you have a high-balance HSBC savings account (high NRV)
HSBC does not provide the Live+ credit card to self-employed individuals. There are some rare exceptions if there is an existing saving account with a high balance. You would need a high NRV for this to work.
HSBC Live+ Credit Card vs Other Cashback Cards
If you have multiple cashback credit cards and want to know which is the best one for your spends, refer to our handy chart below. It has cashback percentage comparisons across multiple cashback credit cards to find the best one for your spends.
Who Should Get the HSBC Live+ Credit Card?
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Final Thoughts
SBC Live+ is one of the top cashback credit cards for essential everyday spends. With up to 10% cashback on food and groceries and 1.5% on all other retail spends, it delivers strong value. The Rs 2L annual fee waiver threshold is quite reasonable, making it easy for regular users to keep the card free.
Highly recommended if your spend pattern aligns with the bonus categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
HSBC Live+ Credit Card
12 thoughts on “HSBC Live+ Credit Card Review: 10% Cashback on Dining, Grocery & Food Delivery”
is it give 10% cashback if we load milkbasket wallet with any amount?
Yes
Using this card from Sept 2024.
I would say they best non non-sense card you can have. I get cash back from groceries 1000Rs every month.
The only con that I found is it doesn’t show breakup from which transaction you get 10%. So its just guess.
Also cashback is credited within 2 days only. I think this is best card in market right now, no stupid reward points stuff.
1. I currently hold an hsbc visa platinum cc. Can I still apply for this and hold two hsbc cards ?
2. If we fall short of 2L spend; Does hsbc provide annual fee waiver via requesting their cc team (like we can do in amex cards) ?
Need your valuable suggestion..
1. Yes, we can.
2. No idea on this.
Will my spends on grocery/dining over 10k in a statement cycle earn 1.5 % cashback ?
No cashback for grocery/dining spends beyond 10K
Further there is no clarity on cashback is applied for which spends listed in the statement, it happens to be some restaurants are not added to their Merchant list so 10% CB not applied for it. In Nov’24 my spending on Dining was Rs.5038.82 + other expenses were Rs.15500, but Cashback credited against these spends was just Rs.509 which doesn’t give any clarity on expenses that were omitted for CB. Even if we consider 10% spends on Dining & Stationary the CB should be Rs.503.
No. Whatever you spend on Dining & Grocery above 10K doesn’t gain 1.5% unlimited cash back. Last month 1 spent 22K on Dining & Grocery but, got cashback of Rs.1000 only. That’s the main disadvantage of this card.
I recommend you use SMS expense manger like Axio (I’ve been using for past 10 years) to track card expense so that you can spend card wisely and thereby maximize savings!!
When cashback will be posted on statement? Any redemption fee associated ?
The earned cashback in a billing cycle is credited to the card account within 45 days of the card statement date. No redemption fee.