2 pts / ₹100 · 4 points/₹100 on eligible airlines, travel aggregators and foreign-currency transactions
Strong data Pairwise comparison
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HSBC India TravelOne vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex
Side-by-side comparison of the HSBC India TravelOne and the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
VerdictPick Sapphiro Mastercard for lounge access.
Head-to-head
Three core metrics- Annual fee Sapphiro Mastercard saves ₹1,499/yrTravelOne ₹4,999 Waivable at ₹8,00,000 spendSapphiro Mastercard ₹3,500 Waivable at ₹6,00,000 spend
- Forex markup TravelOne 3.5%Sapphiro Mastercard 3.5%
- Domestic lounge Sapphiro Mastercard: +2 lounge visits/yrTravelOne 6/yearSapphiro Mastercard 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)
Reward earning explained
Per card2 pts / ₹100 · Up to 4 pts / ₹100 on international spend
Strong dataPick based on what matters
3 dimensionsStart with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (HSBC India TravelOne: ₹4,999 vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard: ₹3,500), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (6/year vs 8/year (2 per quarter)).
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Forex markup Tie Both cards are similar for forex
Forex markup is 3.5%.
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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 2 per quarter.
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Rewards Insufficient data Insufficient data to compare rewards
Available evidence is incomplete: HSBC India TravelOne is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value). ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard conservative base value ~0.5% per ₹100.
All fields
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.
| Field | TravelOne HSBC India | Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for Sapphiro | Not specified | ₹3 crore · Requires at least one card use during the preceding 60 days |
| Insurance — Lost card liability cover ₹3 lakh vs ₹50,000 | ₹3 lakh | ₹50,000 |
| Insurance — Purchase protection Only available for HSBC TravelOne | Not specified | Not specified |
| Insurance — Underwriter Only available for Sapphiro | Not specified | Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited |
| Lounge Access | ||
| Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 6/year vs 8/year (2 per quarter) | 6/year | 8/year (2 per quarter) |
| International lounge visits 4 per year vs 2 per year | 4 per year | 2 per year |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹4,999 vs ₹3,500 | ₹4,999 | ₹3,500 |
| Annual-fee waiver ₹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 |
| Monthly interest rate | 3.75% / month | 3.75% / month |
| Fuel benefit Only available for Sapphiro | Not specified | 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded |
| 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% |
| Earn ceiling Calendar-month cap: 50,000 points shared across Airlines and travel aggregators & Foreign-currency transactions vs Eligible spend capped at ₹80,000 per statement cycle | Calendar-month cap: 50,000 points shared across Airlines and travel aggregators & Foreign-currency transactions | Eligible spend capped at ₹80,000 per statement cycle |
| 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 |
| Point validity Only available for Sapphiro | Not specified | 3 years |
Notes
- ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card: Condition: ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)
- Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.
HSBC India TravelOne
Verify with issuer , opens external siteICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard
Verify with issuer , opens external site