Flexible airmiles card

HSBC TravelOne Credit Card Review

Reward points that transfer instantly to 20 airline and hotel programmes at near 1:1 ratios, paired with 10 lounge visits a year and no minimum spend to unlock them.

₹4,999 + GSTAnnual fee
4.4/5Editorial rating
Credit CardCard type
Check Eligibility & Apply
At a glance

Quick facts

₹4,999 + GSTJoining fee
₹4,999 + GST (100% waived on ₹8 lakh annual spend)Annual fee
Frequent flyers who want flexible airmiles transfers without needing an HSBC Premier banking relationshipBest for
3.5% currency conversion mark-upForex mark-up

Existing HSBC cardholders get a 50% discount on the joining fee. The annual fee is waived in full if you spend ₹8 lakh or more on the card in the preceding 12 months.

Cost & earn rate

Fees and reward rates

An Amazon e-gift voucher, ₹1,000 cashback, a ₹3,000 PostCard Hotels voucher and a 3-month EazyDiner Prime membership on spending ₹1 lakh within 90 days.

Fees & charges
ChargeAmount
Joining fee₹4,999 + GST
Annual/renewal fee₹4,999 + GST
Renewal fee on ₹8 lakh+ annual spend100% waived
Add-on card feeNil
Existing HSBC cardholder joining fee50% off
Forex mark-up3.5% of transaction value
Reward rate by category
Spend categoryReward rate
Flights, hotels, travel aggregators & forex spends4 RP per ₹100, capped at 50,000 RP/month
All other eligible spends2 RP per ₹100
HSBC Rewards Marketplace travel bookingsUp to 12X points on selected hotel and flight bookings
Card benefits

What else you get

Reward points transfer instantly, mostly at 1:1, to 20 airline and hotel partners including Air India, British Airways, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Accor and Marriott

6 domestic lounge visits a year via the HSBC TravelOne Lounge Programme (50+ lounges) and 4 international visits via LoungeKey, with no minimum spend required

4 complimentary chauffeur-driven airport transfers a year

USD 20,000 purchase protection cover per year

Discounts on Yatra, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip, Paytm and StayVista bookings

Buy-one-get-one movie offer on the District app and up to 20% off duty-free via AdaniOne

Who can apply

Eligibility

Eligibility
CriteriaRequirement
Age18 to 65 years (salaried)
Income (salaried)₹4 lakh annual income and above
Income (self-employed)Assessed individually; broadly comparable to the salaried threshold
Credit historyCIBIL score of 750 or above
ResidencyResident of Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kochi, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and a few other listed cities

HSBC issues credit cards only to residents of its serviceable cities — mainly Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and other large metros — confirm current city availability and exact fee terms on the official HSBC India website before applying.

Our take

Verdict

What works

  • Genuinely flexible points transfer to 20 partners at near 1:1 ratios, rare in the Indian market
  • Lounge access has no spend gate, unusual for a sub-₹5,000 travel card
  • Achievable ₹8 lakh spend threshold for a full fee waiver
  • Accelerated Rewards Marketplace can push travel-booking returns up to 24%

What to watch for

  • 3.5% forex mark-up undercuts the value of earning accelerated points on international spends
  • 4 RP/₹100 accelerated rate excludes fuel, rent, utilities, insurance and jewellery
  • No guest access on lounge visits
  • Card is relatively new, so long-term partner terms could still shift
Common questions

FAQs

Spend ₹8 lakh or more on the card in the preceding 12 months and the ₹4,999 renewal fee is waived in full. Existing HSBC cardholders also get a 50% discount on the joining fee.
Around 20 airline and hotel loyalty programmes, including Air India, British Airways, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Accor and Marriott, with most transfers completed instantly or within a day at close to a 1:1 ratio.
No, all 10 complimentary lounge visits a year (6 domestic, 4 international via LoungeKey) are available with no spend-based condition, which is unusual for a card at this fee level.
It's good for earning points on international travel, but the 3.5% forex mark-up is on the higher side, so the net benefit of accelerated points on overseas spends is smaller than it first appears.

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