1.5% · 10% on eligible dining, food delivery, grocery, and utilities
Strong dataHSBC India Live+ vs IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex
Side-by-side comparison of the HSBC India Live+ and the IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
VerdictHead-to-head
Three core metrics- Annual fee Wealth saves ₹999/yrLive+ ₹999 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spendWealth ₹0
- Forex markup Wealth saves ~₹490 per ₹1L abroadLive+ 1.99%Wealth 1.5%
- Domestic lounge Wealth: +2 lounge visits/yrLive+ 2/yearWealth 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
Reward earning explained
Per card1.5 pts / ₹100 · 5 points/₹100 on eligible travel, dining, and international
Strong dataPick based on what matters
4 dimensionsStart with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (HSBC India Live+: ₹999 vs IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth: ₹0), forex markup (1.99% vs 1.5%), or lounge access (2/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)).
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Travel IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth wins IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is better for travel
IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is stronger here. IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is cheaper for international spend (1.5% vs 1.99% forex).
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Forex markup IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth wins IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is better for forex
IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is stronger here. IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth has a lower forex markup (1.5% vs 1.99%).
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Lounge access IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth wins IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is better for lounge access
IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth is stronger here. IDFC FIRST Bank Wealth offers 4 domestic lounge visits per year versus 2.
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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 Wealth's ~0.4%.
All fields
Example usage at this monthly spend
At ₹50k/month spend:
- HSBC Live+: ~₹750/month at base rate
- IDFC FIRST Wealth: ~₹190/month at base rate
Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.
| Field | Live+ HSBC India | Wealth IDFC FIRST Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | ₹1 crore |
| Insurance — Personal accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | ₹10 lakh |
| Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | ₹50,000 |
| Insurance — Underwriter Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | 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 1 per quarter | 1 per year | 1 per quarter |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup Source agreement differs — verify both. 1.99% vs 1.5% | 1.99% | 1.5% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹999 vs ₹0 | ₹999 | ₹0 |
| First-year cost Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | ₹0 |
| Annual-fee waiver Only available for HSBC Live+ | ₹2,00,000 | Not specified |
| Interest-free period Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | Up to 45 days |
| Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month vs 3.85% / month | 3.75% / month | 3.85% / month |
| Fuel benefit Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | 1% surcharge waiver · ₹200–₹5,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded |
| Rewards | ||
| Base earn Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison. 1.5% vs 1.5 pts / ₹100 | 1.5% | 1.5 pts / ₹100 |
| 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 ₹20,000 per month | ₹1,200 per month — shared across Dining, Food delivery, Grocery, Shopping & Utilities | ₹20,000 per month |
| Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | ₹0.25 |
| Point validity Only available for IDFC FIRST Wealth | Not specified | 2 years |
Notes
- IDFC FIRST Wealth 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 , opens external siteIDFC FIRST Bank Wealth
Verify with issuer , opens external site