Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

HSBC 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.

Live+
Wealth

The short answer

Verdict

Pick Live+ for rewards.

Pick Wealth for travel, spending abroad and lounge access.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics
  • Annual fee
    Live+ ₹999 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend
    Wealth ₹0
    Wealth saves ₹999/yr
  • Forex markup
    Live+ 1.99%
    Wealth 1.5%
    Wealth saves ~₹490 per ₹1L abroad
  • Domestic lounge
    Live+ 2/year
    Wealth 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
    Wealth: +2 lounge visits/yr

Reward earning explained

Per card
Live+

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

Strong data
Wealth

1.5 pts / ₹100 · 5 points/₹100 on eligible travel, dining, and international

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 Wealth: ₹0), forex markup (1.99% vs 1.5%), or lounge access (2/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)).

  • 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).

  • 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%).

  • 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.

  • 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.