Compare HSBC Live+ and Airtel Axis: eligible rewards, fee waivers, exclusions and lounge conditions. See dated issuer sources and a spending scenario.
HSBC Live+ has a ₹1,200 shared accelerated monthly cap in the currently checked product page. Airtel telecom and utility caps depend on base cashback from the same statement month.
HSBC Live+ is a paid card focused on straightforward cashback, dining rewards and shopping rewards, charging ₹999 annually before GST.
Apply for HSBC Live+ →
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is a paid card focused on straightforward cashback, online spending and shopping rewards, charging ₹500 annually before GST.
Apply for Airtel Axis →Issuer MITC link checked: HSBC Live+: retrieval not confirmed, Airtel Axis: 2026-10-29 | No Sponsored Ranking. Issuer record checked: HSBC Live+: 2026-10-09, Airtel Axis: 2026-10-09. Link checks confirm document availability, not a complete re-audit of every product rule.
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Illustration: equal eligible spending in each of 12 months / statement cycles, no refunds and no prior cap usage. Different merchant baskets may apply to each card; read both assumptions. Rewards are cash-equivalent estimates, not profit or guaranteed savings.
Dining/grocery scenario means eligible accelerated purchases only; ₹1,200 monthly shared cap. No other accelerated purchases are assumed.
Utility scenario assumes no 1% base-category purchases, so the current base-linked utility cap is zero. Partner-wallet benefits are excluded; online means eligible base-category purchases.
Excludes borrowing interest, redemption charges, extra transaction fees, vouchers, welcome gifts, lounge valuations, FX conversion and paid plans. Selecting Travel / Forex does not assume every travel booking is an overseas transaction. Waiver-eligible spend can differ from reward-eligible spend: this simplified scenario assumes all entered spend counts toward the displayed renewal threshold. Confirm the issuer's exact threshold boundary.
Not verified means unknown, not eligible or excluded. The sourced wording below distinguishes reward exclusions from waiver and lounge rules.
| Condition | HSBC Live+ | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Joining fee + GST | ₹999 + GST · ₹1,178.82 incl. GST | ₹500 + GST · ₹590.00 incl. GST |
| Renewal fee + GST | ₹999 + GST (waived on over ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend) · ₹1,178.82 incl. GST before waiver | ₹500 + GST (waived on over ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend) · ₹590.00 incl. GST before waiver |
| Annual spend for renewal waiver | Not verified / not applicable; see fee wording. | Not verified / not applicable; see fee wording. |
| Base and accelerated rewards; caps | 10% cashback on eligible dining, food delivery and grocery purchases; 1.5% on other eligible purchases Accelerated 10% cashback capped at ₹1,200 per month; exclusions apply to base cashback. Additional shopping promotions are time-limited and not included in the evergreen reward rate. | Airtel monthly cashback cap is twice base cashback earned that statement month; utility cap equals base cashback. Without eligible base spending, these categories earn no cashback. 1% base cashback on other eligible spends; excluded merchant categories do not qualify. 10% value-back at Zomato, Blinkit and District Movies is capped at ₹200 per partner per month; Zomato and Blinkit require a ₹499 minimum order. Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| Domestic/international lounges and spend conditions | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Complimentary domestic lounge access was discontinued in April 2026. |
| Forex markup (+ applicable GST) | 1.99% foreign-currency markup plus applicable taxes. | 3.5% of the foreign-currency transaction value, plus applicable taxes. |
| Annual interest rate | Not verified; consult the linked issuer MITC and your personal offer. | Not verified; consult the linked issuer MITC and your personal offer. |
| UPI Scan & Pay | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. |
| Utility bills & telecom | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | 25% on eligible Airtel bills and 10% on other utilities via Airtel Thanks Airtel monthly cashback cap is twice base cashback earned that statement month; utility cap equals base cashback. Without eligible base spending, these categories earn no cashback. Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| Insurance premiums | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| Government / NPS / tax payments | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| Fuel & rent | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. Rent and wallet loads do not count toward the annual fee waiver. |
| Gold / jewellery | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| School / education | Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. | Cashback excludes utilities/telecom outside Airtel Thanks, EMI, cash advances, fuel, rent, wallets, jewellery, insurance, education, government payments, gift cards, tolls and card fees. |
| Official issuer MITC / reward documents | Direct MITC PDF not verified. Official product page and terms | Issuer MITC PDF Issuer benefit / terms PDF Issuer benefit / terms PDF Issuer benefit / terms PDF |
HSBC Live+ has a ₹1,200 shared accelerated monthly cap in the currently checked product page. Airtel telecom and utility caps depend on base cashback from the same statement month.
HSBC Live+: ₹999 + GST (waived on over ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend); renewal threshold not verified / not applicable. Airtel Axis: ₹500 + GST (waived on over ₹2 lakh eligible annual spend); renewal threshold not verified / not applicable.
HSBC Live+: Not verified in the maintained record. Check the linked issuer terms. Airtel Axis: Complimentary domestic lounge access was discontinued in April 2026.
The answer depends on eligible merchants, payment app, caps and reward redemption. Use a modelled scenario only where both cards have verified inputs. Unknown categories are not treated as zero rewards.
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