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HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card Review

Mani Karthik2 min readGetting ready

Reviewed by returnees. Cross-checked with RBI, Income Tax Department and MEA. Editorial policy.

HSBC Visa Platinum is a great cashback credit card for daily shopping, eating out and travel. Here are the reasons why.

Established in 1856, HSBC is the 7th largest bank in the world, with a presence in as many as 67 countries and having served over 38 million customers. The bank is an important, albeit non-aggressive, player in the credit card business in India.

Among its credit card portfolio, the HSBC Visa Platinum Card is the most actively promoted one and offers the most benefits to cardholders.

Btw, here are the best credit cards for NRIs.

HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card Features 

  1. No joining or annual fee
  2. AirMiles conversion on Singapore Airlines and Jet Airways 
  3. Welcome offers include a Cleartrip voucher worth ₹2,000 on your first transaction, 10% cash back up to ₹2,500 if you make 9 transactions amounting to ₹10,000 within the first 90 days and 3X rewards on hotels, dining and telecom in the first year. 
  • Regular offers include 2 reward points for every ₹150 spent, BookMyShow vouchers worth ₹500 on spending over ₹50,000 in a month, 5X rewards up to ₹10,000 on all purchases made after spending over ₹4 lakhs in a year, up to 15% discount on dining at select restaurants (over 1,000 restaurants across major cities of the world) and fuel surcharge waiver up to ₹250 on transactions between ₹400 and ₹4,000 at any petrol pump in India.
  • Reward points can be redeemed through a variety of popular catalogues, Singapore Airlines, British Airways Executive Club, Jet Airways and Taj InnerCircle hotels.
  • HSBC has partnered with many companies to offer additional benefits to cardholders. These include BigBasket, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, BookMyShow, Goibibo, Cleartrip, Treebo Hotels and Samsung.
  • In case your card gets lost, there’s no liability for any transactions made once you report the loss. You are also covered for misuse of the card up to 24 hours prior to reporting the loss, for up to ₹3 lakhs. In such a scenario, you can also get an emergency card issued within 3 days, wherever you are in the world. You can even choose to receive emergency cash in this situation from over 22,000 outlets around the world.
  • Under the perpetual balance transfer facility, you can transfer outstanding amounts above ₹5,000 on your credit cards from other banks to your HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card at a processing fee of 1% and an interest rate of 1%-1.2%, with no pre-defined term. You can also pay this amount via EMIs.
  • Cardholders can get a wide variety of medical, legal and other services through Visa Global Customer Assistance Services.
  • Other benefits include cash advance, global access, additional credit cards, 24×7 customer access via phone banking, online convenience, etc.

    • Limitations

    1. The reward points system can seem a little complicated to those who aren’t into the game. Also, airline & hotel transfers are the only means to get superb returns and that too if you can spend ₹10 lakhs a year.

    Advantages 

    1. No joining/annual fee
    2. A wide range of benefits and offers

    Disadvantages

    1. The reward points may seem complicated to some
    2. You need to spend a lot in a year to earn handsome returns

    What is your opinion about this credit card?

    Written by

    Mani Karthik

    Mani Karthik

    Founder, BackToIndia · Returnee since 2016

    Mani Karthik is an entrepreneur who moved back to India in 2016 after nearly a decade living and working in the US and the Middle East. He started BackToIndia to help other NRIs navigate the move — banking, taxes, schooling, careers and the everyday reality of resettling in India.

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