Is the HSBC TravelOne Credit Card 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.
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- FreeCost
- Travel card
- Needs ₹50,000 a month income
- ₹5,899 fee a year (with GST)
- Fee waived from ₹66,667 a month
- 2% base, up to 4% on foreign spends; 24% only at partner merchants
- 10 lounge visits a year
- Pays in air miles
- travel only at Flights · travel aggregators: 4% back, up to ₹50,000 a month
- foreign spends: 4% back, up to ₹50,000 a month
- spending ₹66,667 or more a month: the ₹5,899 fee is waived
- flyers: 10 airport lounge visits a year
- you spend less than ₹66,667 a month (₹8,00,000 a year, rent and wallet loads not counted): the ₹5,899 fee is then charged
- most of your spending is fuel, utility bills, rent or insurance: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you rarely spend on Flights · travel aggregators or foreign spends: the 4% rate applies only there, everything else earns 2%
- you often pay in foreign currency: 3.5% is added to every foreign spend
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 3.75% a month (45% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 2 reward points per ₹100 on all other eligible spends (utilities, fuel, insurance, education, government, rent and wallet loads earn nothing)
Also earns nothing on: Money transfer, Financial institutions.
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 | 2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Groceries | 2% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 2% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 24% | ₹18,000, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: HSBC Travel with Points · hotelsTerms: Hotels booked via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 6X, 24 pts/₹100; 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 | 16% | ₹18,000, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: HSBC Travel with Points · flightsTerms: Flights booked via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 4X, 16 pts/₹100; 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 | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains, only at listed merchants | 4% | ₹50,000, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: Flights · travel aggregators (airline and travel-agency MCCs)Terms: 4 reward points per ₹100 on flights and travel aggregators (airline + agency MCCs); direct hotel bookings earn the base 2 RP/₹100. Accelerated cap 50,000 pts a month SHARED with forex, confirmed by the dedicated HSBC Rewards T&C (archived 2026-08-07) over the service guide's stray 15,000 | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| School and college fees | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Wallet top-ups | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Taxes and government payments | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 4% | ₹50,000, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 4 reward points per ₹100 on international/forex spends (3.5% forex markup still applies); accelerated cap 50,000 pts a month SHARED with travel, confirmed by the dedicated HSBC Rewards T&C (archived 2026-08-07), superseding the service guide's stray 15,000 figure | - |
| Everything else | 2% | 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.
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