HSBC TravelOne vs IndiGo SBI Card ELITE

Reviewed by Chandan Kumar Dash

Both have the same annual fee, ₹4,999. HSBC TravelOne waives its fee on ₹8,00,000 of spend a year; IndiGo SBI Card ELITE has no spend waiver. For spends abroad, IndiGo SBI Card ELITE charges the lower forex markup (1.99% plus GST). On all three sample spends below, HSBC TravelOne comes out ahead after fees. The Saifu app works it out on your own spends, on your phone.

Feature	HSBC TravelOneHSBC India0 wins	IndiGo SBI Card ELITESBI Card2 wins · ahead
Annual fee	₹4,999	₹4,999
Joining fee	₹4,999	₹4,999
Fee waiver	Waived on ₹8,00,000 spend a year	No spend waiver
Rewards	4 reward points per INR 100 on flights, travel aggregators and foreign currency; 2 points per INR 100 on other spends	7% on IndiGo spends
Airport lounges	6 a year domestic, 4 a year international	More8 a year domestic, 6 a year international
Forex markup	3.5% plus GST	Lower1.99% plus GST
Points	HSBC Reward Points, about ₹1 a point	IndiGo BluChips, about ₹1 a point
Published minimum income and age	Salaried ₹6,00,000 a year, self-employed ₹12,00,000 a year, age 18 to 65	Not published
Network	Mastercard	Mastercard
Apply	ApplyAffiliate link	Bank page

Badges mark the lower fee, waiver spend or markup, and more lounge visits. Rewards are not scored here because they depend on where you spend. Affiliate link, costs you nothing extra, we may earn a commission, never changes how cards are ranked. Figures come from each bank's page and can change; check before you apply.

What each card earns in a year

Sample spender	HSBC TravelOne	IndiGo SBI Card ELITE
Everyday spender₹30,000 a month	More₹881 a year₹5,880 rewards, less ₹4,999 fee	₹761 a year₹5,760 rewards, less ₹4,999 fee
Online shopper₹50,000 a month	More₹6,521 a year₹11,520 rewards, less ₹4,999 fee	₹6,281 a year₹11,280 rewards, less ₹4,999 fee
Frequent traveller₹1,00,000 a month	More₹34,800 a year₹34,800 rewards, no fee to pay	₹26,321 a year₹31,320 rewards, less ₹4,999 fee

The sample spends and how this is worked out

Everyday spender, ₹30,000 a month: DMart ₹6,000, BigBasket ₹2,000, Swiggy ₹2,000, Zomato ₹1,500, Amazon ₹3,000, Flipkart ₹1,500, Bills paid on Google Pay ₹2,500, Airtel ₹1,000, Indian Oil ₹3,000, Restaurant (in person) ₹2,500, Uber ₹1,000, Other spends in shops ₹4,000.
Online shopper, ₹50,000 a month: Amazon ₹10,000, Flipkart ₹8,000, Myntra ₹3,000, Swiggy ₹4,000, Zomato ₹3,000, Blinkit ₹4,000, BookMyShow ₹1,500, Uber ₹2,000, Bills paid on Google Pay ₹3,000, Jio ₹1,000, Netflix ₹500, Restaurant (in person) ₹3,000, Other spends in shops ₹7,000.
Frequent traveller, ₹1,00,000 a month: MakeMyTrip ₹10,000, Cleartrip ₹5,000, IRCTC ₹2,000, IndiGo ₹10,000, Marriott Bonvoy hotels ₹8,000, Spends abroad ₹15,000, Uber ₹4,000, Restaurant (in person) ₹8,000, Amazon ₹10,000, Swiggy ₹5,000, DMart ₹8,000, Bills paid on Google Pay ₹4,000, Indian Oil ₹5,000, Other spends in shops ₹6,000.

Worked out with the same reward rules and caps the Saifu app uses. Points are counted at the cash value in the table above. The annual fee counts as waived when the spend reaches the waiver. Joining fees, welcome gifts and milestone vouchers are not counted. Your own spends will give different figures.

Common questions

Which is better, HSBC TravelOne or IndiGo SBI Card ELITE?

On all three sample spends below, HSBC TravelOne comes out ahead after fees. It depends on where you spend: compare the figures for the sample spender closest to you, or add your own spends in the Saifu app.

Which has the lower annual fee?

Both charge ₹4,999 a year.

Add a third card HSBC TravelOne IndiGo SBI Card ELITE

More comparisons

Spot a mistake on this page? Tell us