Is the HSBC Premier World Mastercard Worth It?
Enter what you spend where this card pays more, and the benefits you would use. See what it is worth to you in rupees, after its fee.
- 207Cards to check
- FreeCost
- Travel card
- Needs ₹3,00,000 a month income
- ₹23,600 fee a year (with GST)
- 3% on most spends; 36% only at partner merchants
- Unlimited lounge visits
- Pays in reward points
- frequent flyers: unlimited airport lounge visits
- spending abroad: 0.99% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- you spend less than ₹66,000 a month: below that the ₹23,600 fee costs more than the rewards
- most of your spending is fuel: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 2.99% a month (35.88% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 3 reward points per ₹100 (~3% at HSBC's own ₹1/pt ceiling; 1:1 transfers such as Accor ALL can extract more); points never expire and transfer 1:1 to ~20 partners. From Apr 2025 eleven categories share a cumulative monthly cap; fuel earns nothing
Total on the card: ₹0 a month
Abroad and benefits
Every rate on this card, and what your spend earns
| Spend category | Rate | Monthly cap | Where it applies | Your spend earns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPI payments (scan and pay) | Earns nothing | - | a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI | - |
| Online shopping | 3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 3% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 36% | ₹18,000, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: HSBC Travel with Points · hotelsTerms: Hotels via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 12X, 36 pts/₹100, ~36% at ₹1/pt; cap 18,000 pts a month SHARED with flights (accelerated-points cap per cardholder per calendar month, verified against the HSBC Rewards T&C, archived 2026-08-07) | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 18% | ₹18,000, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: HSBC Travel with Points · flightsTerms: Flights via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 6X, 18 pts/₹100, ~18% at ₹1/pt; cap 18,000 pts a month SHARED with hotels; ₹300 domestic/₹700 international fee per leg. Split, cap and fees verified against the HSBC Rewards T&C, archived 2026-08-07) | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 utilities earn 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories (utilities, insurance, education, government, e-wallets, rent, jewellery and more); encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| Rent | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 real-estate/rent payments earn 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories; encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| Insurance premiums | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 insurance earns 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories; encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| School and college fees | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 education earns 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories; encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| Wallet top-ups | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 e-wallet loads earn 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories; encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| Taxes and government payments | 3% | ₹3,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: From 1 Apr 2025 government and tax payments earn 3 RP/₹100 only up to a cumulative ₹1,00,000 a month spend cap SHARED across 11 categories; encoded 3,000 pts a month per row, so combined over-credit is possible | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 3% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
Card data sourced via CardAdvisor.in, India Credit Card Facts, CC BY 4.0, adapted by SkyloFin.
Common Questions
When is a credit card worth its annual fee?
When the rewards you actually earn in a year are more than the fee plus 18% GST, or when you spend enough for the bank to waive the fee. This calculator works out both from the card's own published terms.
Why is GST added to the fee?
Card fees carry 18% GST, so a ₹1,000 fee costs ₹1,180. Where the bank already quotes the fee with GST, it is not added twice.
What does 'capped' mean?
Many cards limit the reward you can earn in a month in a category. Spending above the cap earns nothing extra, so the calculator stops counting there.
Is a lifetime free card always better?
Not always. A paid card with higher rewards can leave you with more once you spend enough. The break-even line shows the monthly spend where that starts.
