Which card has a lower forex fee: HSBC Live+ Credit Card or IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card?

Both cards have the same forex markup (1.99%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: HSBC Live+ Credit Card or IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card?

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card has a lower annual fee (No joining or annual fee currently listed vs ₹999 annual fee).

Which card offers better lounge access?

HSBC Live+ Credit Card: 2 domestic + 1 international lounge visits/year. IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

HSBC Live+ Credit Card has higher conservative base reward value (~1.5% vs ~0.38%).

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

HSBC India Live+ vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the HSBC India Live+ and the IDFC FIRST Bank Select. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Live+

Select

The short answer

Verdict

Pick Live+ for rewards.

Pick Select for lounge access.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics

Annual fee

Live+ ₹999 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend

Select ₹0

Select saves ₹999/yr
Forex markup

Live+ 1.99%

Select 1.99%
Domestic lounge

Live+ 2/year

Select 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)

Select: +2 lounge visits/yr

Reward earning explained

Per card

Live+

1.5% · 10% on eligible dining, food delivery, grocery, and utilities

Strong data

Select

3 pts / ₹200 · 10 pts / ₹200 on eligible dining, international, and travel

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

4 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (HSBC India Live+: ₹999 vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select: ₹0), forex markup (1.99% vs 1.99%), or lounge access (2/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)).

Travel Tie

Both cards are similar for travel

Forex markup is 1.99%.
Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 1.99%.
Lounge access IDFC FIRST Bank Select wins

IDFC FIRST Bank Select is better for lounge access

IDFC FIRST Bank Select is stronger here. IDFC FIRST Bank Select offers 4 domestic lounge visits per year versus 2.
Rewards HSBC India Live+ wins

HSBC India Live+ is better for rewards

HSBC India Live+ is stronger here. HSBC India Live+ conservative base value ~1.5% vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select's ~0.4%.

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

HSBC Live+: ~₹750/month at base rate
IDFC FIRST Select: ~₹190/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field	Live+ HSBC India	Select IDFC FIRST Bank
Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹1 crore
Insurance — Personal accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹5 lakh
Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹50,000
Insurance — Underwriter Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	Insured by New India Assurance
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 2/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)	2/year	4/year (1 per quarter)
International lounge visits 1 per year vs Not included	1 per year	No international lounge access
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	1.99%	1.99%
Fees
Recurring annual fee ₹999 vs ₹0	₹999	₹0
Annual-fee waiver Only available for HSBC Live+	₹2,00,000	Not specified
Interest-free period Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	Up to 45 days
Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month vs 0.71%–3.85% per month	3.75% / month	0.71%–3.85% per month
Fuel benefit Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	1% surcharge waiver · ₹200–₹5,000 transactions · ₹300/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded
Rewards
Base earn Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison. 1.5% vs 3 pts / ₹200	1.5%	3 pts / ₹200
Conservative base value ~1.5% vs ~0.4%	~1.5%	~0.4%
Earn ceiling ₹1,200 per month — shared across Dining, Food delivery, Grocery, Shopping & Utilities vs Rewards apply only to spend up to your credit limit each statement cycle — shared across General spend, Dining, International spend, Travel, Insurance & Utilities	₹1,200 per month — shared across Dining, Food delivery, Grocery, Shopping & Utilities	Rewards apply only to spend up to your credit limit each statement cycle — shared across General spend, Dining, International spend, Travel, Insurance & Utilities
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹0.25
Point validity Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	2 years

Notes

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card: Condition: ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.

HSBC India Live+

Verify with issuer

IDFC FIRST Bank Select

Verify with issuer