Which card has a lower forex fee: HSBC TravelOne Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

Both cards have the same forex markup (3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: HSBC TravelOne Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹3,500 vs ₹4,999).

Which card offers better lounge access?

HSBC TravelOne Credit Card: 6 domestic + 4 international lounge visits/year. ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card: 4 per quarter domestic + 2 per year international.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Base reward rates are not fully available for both cards in the current snapshot.

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

HSBC India TravelOne Visa vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the HSBC India TravelOne Visa and the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Lounge ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

TravelOne Visa HSBC India

Annual fee ₹4,999 Waivable at ₹8,00,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 6/year

Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank

Annual fee ₹3,500 Waivable at ₹6,00,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 16/year (4 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 4/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter

Reward earning explained

Per card

TravelOne Visa

2 pts / ₹100 · Up to 4 pts / ₹100 on international spend

Limited data

Sapphiro Mastercard

2 pts / ₹100 · Up to 4 pts / ₹100 on international spend

Limited data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (HSBC India TravelOne Visa: ₹4,999 vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard: ₹3,500), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (6/year vs 16/year (4 per quarter)).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard wins

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard is better for lounge access

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 4 per quarter.
Rewards Insufficient data

Insufficient data to compare rewards

Available evidence is incomplete: HSBC India TravelOne Visa is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value). ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard conservative base value ~0.5% per ₹100.

TravelOne Visa: Limited data Sapphiro Mastercard: Limited data

HSBC India TravelOne Visa

Confidence: Low (limited information available)

Verify with issuer

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard

Confidence: Low (limited information available)

Verify with issuer

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

Sapphiro: ~₹250/month at base rate
HSBC TravelOne: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	TravelOne Visa HSBC India	Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits 6/year vs 16/year (4 per quarter)	6/year	16/year (4 per quarter)
International lounge visits 4/year vs 2/year	4/year	2/year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee ₹4,999 vs ₹3,500	₹4,999	₹3,500
Joining fee ₹4,999 vs ₹6,500	₹4,999	₹6,500
Fee waiver spend ₹8,00,000 vs ₹6,00,000	₹8,00,000	₹6,00,000
Interest-free period Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	Up to 48 days
Rewards
Points per ₹100	2 pts / ₹100	2 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value Not safely INR-comparable vs ~0.5%	Not safely INR-comparable	~0.5%
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	₹0.25

Notes

Some data has low confidence — verify with the issuer before relying on it.
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.