Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

HSBC Premier vs ICICI Times Black

Side-by-side comparison of the HSBC India Premier and the ICICI Bank Times Black. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Premier
Times Black

The short answer

Pick Premier for spending abroad.

Head-to-head

  • Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie.
    Premier ₹20,000 Annual-fee waiver not offered
    Times Black ₹20,000 Waivable at ₹25,00,000 spend
  • Forex markup Forex markup outcome: Premier wins.
    Premier 0.99%
    Times Black 1.49%
    Premier saves ~₹500 per ₹1L abroad
  • Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: tie.
    Premier Unlimited
    Times Black Unlimited
  • Rewards Rewards outcome: insufficient data to compare.
    Premier Not safely INR-comparable
    Times Black ~0.8%
    conservative base value
    Premier: Strong data Times Black: Strong data

Reward earning explained

Premier

3 pts / ₹100 · Up to 36 pts / ₹100 on Hsbc Travel With Points Hotels

Strong data
Times Black

2 pts / ₹100

Strong data

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • Times Black ICICI Bank: ~₹400/month at base rate
  • HSBC Premier: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

All fields

Field Premier HSBC India Times Black ICICI Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits Unlimited Unlimited
International lounge visits Unlimited Unlimited
Forex / International Use
Forex markup
Same forex; compare fee and lounge rows.
0.99% vs 1.49%
0.99% 1.49%
Fees
Recurring annual fee ₹20,000 ₹20,000
Annual-fee waiver
Not offered vs ₹25,00,000
Not offered ₹25,00,000
Interest-free period
Only available for Times Black ICICI Bank
Not specified Up to 48 days
Monthly interest rate
2.99% / month vs 3.75% / month
2.99% / month 3.75% / month
Late-payment charge
Only available for Times Black ICICI Bank
Not specified ₹100–₹1,300 depending on outstanding balance
Fuel benefit
1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions vs 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions
1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions
Rewards
Points per ₹100
3 pts / ₹100 vs 2 pts / ₹100
3 pts / ₹100 2 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value
Not safely INR-comparable vs ~0.8%
Not safely INR-comparable ~0.8%
Earn ceiling
18,000 points per month — shared across Hsbc Travel With Points Cars, Hsbc Travel With Points Flights & Hsbc Travel With Points Hotels vs Not stated
18,000 points per month — shared across Hsbc Travel With Points Cars, Hsbc Travel With Points Flights & Hsbc Travel With Points Hotels Not stated
Point value (headline channel)
Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid.
Only available for Times Black ICICI Bank
Not specified ₹0.4
Point validity
Only available for Times Black ICICI Bank
Not specified 3 years
Insurance — Air accident cover
Only available for Times Black ICICI Bank
Not specified ₹3 crore
Insurance — Lost card liability cover
₹3 lakh vs ₹50,000
₹3 lakh ₹50,000
Insurance — Underwriter Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited

Notes

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