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HSBC India Premier vs ICICI Bank Times Black Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

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

Verdict

Pick Premier for travel and spending abroad.

Pick Times Black for lounge access.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics
  • Annual fee
    Premier ₹20,000 Annual-fee waiver not offered
    Times Black ₹20,000 Waivable at ₹25,00,000 spend
  • Forex markup
    Premier 0.99%
    Times Black 1.49%
    Premier saves ~₹500 per ₹1L abroad
  • Domestic lounge
    Premier 24/year (6 per quarter)
    Times Black Unlimited
    Times Black has unlimited domestic visits

Reward earning explained

Per card
Premier

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

Strong data
Times Black

2 pts / ₹100

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

4 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (HSBC India Premier: ₹20,000 vs ICICI Bank Times Black: ₹20,000), forex markup (0.99% vs 1.49%), or lounge access (24/year (6 per quarter) vs Unlimited).

  • Travel HSBC India Premier wins

    HSBC India Premier is better for travel

    HSBC India Premier is stronger here. Forex markup is 0.99%.

  • Forex markup HSBC India Premier wins

    HSBC India Premier is better for forex

    HSBC India Premier is stronger here. Forex markup is 0.99%.

  • Lounge access ICICI Bank Times Black wins

    ICICI Bank Times Black is better for lounge access

    ICICI Bank Times Black is stronger here. ICICI Bank Times Black offers unlimited domestic lounge visits versus 24 per year.

  • Rewards Insufficient data

    Insufficient data to compare rewards

    Available evidence is incomplete: HSBC India Premier is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value). ICICI Bank Times Black conservative base value ~0.8% per ₹100.

    Premier: Strong data Times Black: Strong data

All fields

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.

Field Premier HSBC India Times Black ICICI Bank
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
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
24/year (6 per quarter) vs Unlimited
24/year (6 per quarter) Unlimited
International lounge visits
2 per year vs Unlimited
2 per year 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
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

Notes

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