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American Express Membership Rewards vs HSBC India TravelOne Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the American Express Membership Rewards and the HSBC India TravelOne. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

TravelOne

The short answer

Verdict

Pick TravelOne for lounge access.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics
  • Annual fee
    Membership Rewards ₹4,500
    TravelOne ₹4,999 Waivable at ₹8,00,000 spend
    Membership Rewards saves ₹499/yr
  • Forex markup
    Membership Rewards 3.5%
    TravelOne 3.5%
  • Domestic lounge
    Membership Rewards No complimentary lounge access
    TravelOne 6/year
    TravelOne: +6 lounge visits/yr

Reward earning explained

Per card
Membership Rewards

2 pts / ₹100

Strong data
TravelOne

2 pts / ₹100 · 4 points/₹100 on eligible airlines, travel aggregators and foreign-currency transactions

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (American Express Membership Rewards: ₹4,500 vs HSBC India TravelOne: ₹4,999), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (No complimentary lounge access vs 6/year).

  • Forex markup Tie

    Both cards are similar for forex

    Forex markup is 3.5%.

  • Lounge access HSBC India TravelOne wins

    HSBC India TravelOne is better for lounge access

    HSBC India TravelOne is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 6 per year.

  • Rewards Insufficient data

    Insufficient data to compare rewards

    Available evidence is incomplete: American Express Membership Rewards conservative base value ~0.666% per ₹100. HSBC India TravelOne is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value).

    Membership Rewards: Strong data TravelOne: Strong data

All fields

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • American Express Membership Rewards: ~₹330/month at base rate
  • HSBC TravelOne: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field Membership Rewards American Express TravelOne HSBC India
Insurance — Lost card liability cover
Only available for HSBC TravelOne
Not specified ₹3 lakh
Insurance — Purchase protection
Only available for HSBC TravelOne
Not specified Not specified
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
No complimentary lounge access vs 6/year
No complimentary lounge access 6/year
International lounge visits
Only available for HSBC TravelOne
Not specified 4 per year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup 3.5% 3.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee
₹4,500 vs ₹4,999
₹4,500 ₹4,999
First-year cost
Only available for American Express Membership Rewards
₹1,000 Not specified
Annual-fee waiver
Only available for HSBC TravelOne
Not specified ₹8,00,000
Interest-free period
Only available for American Express Membership Rewards
Up to 48 days Not specified
Monthly interest rate
3.5% / month vs 3.75% / month
3.5% / month 3.75% / month
Fuel benefit
Only available for American Express Membership Rewards
1% surcharge waiver · ₹5,000+ transactions · Fuel rewards excluded Not specified
Rewards
Points per ₹100 2 pts / ₹100 2 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value
~0.7% vs Not safely INR-comparable
~0.7% Not safely INR-comparable
Earn ceiling
Uncapped vs Calendar-month cap: 50,000 points shared across Airlines and travel aggregators & Foreign-currency transactions
Uncapped Calendar-month cap: 50,000 points shared across Airlines and travel aggregators & Foreign-currency transactions
Point value (headline channel)
Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid.
Only available for American Express Membership Rewards
₹0.333 Not specified

Notes

  • Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.