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Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card vs HSBC TravelOne Credit Card
On net annual value, Axis Bank Horizon comes out ahead for everyday spenders and online shoppers (by up to ₹792 a year), and HSBC TravelOne for frequent travellers and high spenders (by up to ₹48,766 a year). Axis Bank Horizon costs ₹3,000 a year against ₹4,999. Figures as of .
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Who comes out ahead — by how you spend
Estimated net annual value for four typical spend profiles: the rewards each card earns on that spend (a merchant or portal bonus only on the share of spend it plausibly reaches), plus the perks and milestone bonuses that spender would use, less any annual fee the spend does not waive (with GST) and the forex markup on spending abroad. Lounge access carries no rupee value here.
| Spender | Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card | HSBC TravelOne Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
Everyday spender ≈ ₹40k/mo across groceries, bills, dining and fuel | ₹5,521/yr✓ +₹792/yr | ₹4,729/yr |
Online shopper ≈ ₹60k/mo, mostly e-commerce and subscriptions | ₹11,041/yr✓ +₹792/yr | ₹10,249/yr |
Frequent traveller ≈ ₹1.2L/mo with heavy travel and forex spend | ₹18,022/yr | ₹47,656/yr✓ +₹29,634/yr |
High spender ≈ ₹2.5L/mo across every category | ₹38,550/yr | ₹87,316/yr✓ +₹48,766/yr |
Not in these numbers: both include airport lounge access — real perks that can outweigh a small gap.
Illustrative profiles, not a personalised result — your categories decide the real winner. Run these two on my spending →
What your points are actually worth
A point's headline value means little without the earn rate behind it. Here's the real math — the value of a point by how you redeem it, the resulting return by category, and the net rupees for your own spend.
| Value of one point, by route | Axis Bank Horizon Credit CardAxis EDGE Miles | HSBC TravelOne Credit CardHSBC Reward Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cash / statement credit | ₹0.20 | ₹0.25 |
| Gift vouchers | — | ₹0.25 |
| Travel portal | ₹1.00BEST | — |
| Airline / hotel transfer | ₹1.001:1BEST | ₹2.001:1BEST |
Return by categoryearn rate × point value
Headline reward rate per category, before monthly caps. Switch the redemption strategy above to see how the picture shifts.
Your spend, head to head
Enter your monthly spend — net value is the annual rewards after the card fee, at each card's best realistic redemption (our recommender's model, caps and fee-waivers included).
Total ₹60,000/mo · ₹7,20,000/yr
Want the money-first pick across your whole wallet? Run the recommender →
| Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card | HSBC TravelOne Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||
| Joining fee | ₹3,000 | ₹4,999 |
| Annual fee | ₹3,000/yr ✓ | ₹4,999/yr |
| Annual fee — all-in (incl. 18% GST) | ₹3,540 ✓ | ₹5,899 |
| Fee waiver at | — | ₹8,00,000/yr spend |
| Welcome benefit | ~₹5,000 | ~₹4,000 |
| Rewards | ||
| Best everyday reward | 2% on everyday spends | 4% on International ✓ |
| International | 2% | 4% ✓ |
| Base rate — other spends | 2% | 2% |
| Travel | 2% | 2% |
| Charges | ||
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Finance charge | 3.75% p.m. | 3.75% p.m. |
| Cash advance | — | — |
| Add-on card | — | — |
| Perks | ||
| concierge | — | ✓ · 4 chauffeur airport transfers a year (once per quarter) have been reported for 2026 but remain unverified on any HSBC source as of 2026-08-07 — confirm with HSBC before counting on this; valued at ₹0 until confirmed |
| golf | — | ~₹6,000/yr · 4 complimentary golf rounds + 12 lessons a year (max 1 lesson/month); 50% off additional green fees |
| lounge access | ~₹24,000/yr · Up to 32 domestic (6-8 per quarter) and 8 international airport lounge visits a year | ~₹7,000/yr · 6 domestic + 4 international airport lounge visits a year |
| milestone bonus | ~₹1,500/yr · 1,500 EDGE Miles on every renewal (the 5,000-mile welcome benefit is a one-off joining bonus, counted separately) | ~₹10,000/yr · 10,000 bonus reward points on ₹12,00,000 of annual spend (per HSBC's official TravelOne page) |
| Eligibility | ||
| Min income | — | ₹50,000/mo |
| Min age | 18+ yrs | 18+ yrs |
| UPI linked | — | — |
| Expert rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 ✓ |
Reward rates above are the realistic value you keep — points earned × what a point is worth at each card's own best redemption, before monthly caps — so cards with different point values compare fairly. Bank-portal accelerators (earned only by booking through the issuer's own portal, on a slice of spend) are bounded upside, listed separately here rather than blended into the everyday rates.
Bonus via the bank's own portal
- 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on the Axis Travel EDGE portal and direct airline bookings — hotels and online travel agencies earn the base 2 per ₹100. Miles transfer 1:1 to most partners, 2:1 to British Airways, Finnair, IndiGo BluChip, Vietnam, Qatar, Cathay and Accor.
- Hotels booked via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 6X — 24 pts/₹100; cap 18,000 pts/month SHARED with flights (accelerated-points cap per cardholder per calendar month, verified against the HSBC Rewards T&C, archived 2026-08-07)
- Flights booked via HSBC's Travel with Points portal (Hopper) earn 4X — 16 pts/₹100; cap 18,000 pts/month SHARED with hotels; ₹300 domestic/₹700 international fee per leg. Split, cap and fees verified against the HSBC Rewards T&C, archived 2026-08-07
Which should you pick?
Choose the Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card if you want strong rewards on everyday spends at a lower annual fee. Consider the HSBC TravelOne Credit Card if you spend more on international. Your actual best card depends on how you spend — run your numbers below.
Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card vs HSBC TravelOne Credit Card — FAQs
Which has a lower annual fee, Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or HSBC TravelOne Credit Card?
As of 11 Oct 2026, Axis Bank Horizon has the lower annual fee: ₹3,000 (₹3,540 with 18% GST), against ₹4,999 (₹5,899 with 18% GST) on HSBC TravelOne. HSBC TravelOne waives its fee after ₹8,00,000 of spend in a card year; Axis Bank Horizon has no spend-based waiver.
Do Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card and HSBC TravelOne Credit Card offer airport lounge access?
As of 11 Oct 2026, Axis Bank Horizon and HSBC TravelOne both include airport lounge access, on different terms. Axis Bank Horizon lists up to 32 domestic visits a year and 8 international visits a year at airport lounges. HSBC TravelOne lists 6 domestic visits a year and 4 international visits a year at airport lounges. For spending abroad, Axis Bank Horizon and HSBC TravelOne both add a 3.5% forex markup.
Which card has lower forex markup, Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or HSBC TravelOne Credit Card?
As of 11 Oct 2026, Axis Bank Horizon and HSBC TravelOne charge the same 3.5% forex markup. With 18% GST on the markup, each foreign-currency transaction on Axis Bank Horizon or HSBC TravelOne costs about 4.13% extra, roughly ₹4,130 on ₹1,00,000 spent abroad.
For a frequent traveller, is the Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or HSBC TravelOne Credit Card better value?
On figures as of 11 Oct 2026, HSBC TravelOne comes out ahead for a frequent traveller (about ₹1.2 lakh a month with heavy travel and forex spend), with a net annual value (rewards, perks and milestones, less the annual fee and forex markup) of ₹47,656 against ₹18,022 on Axis Bank Horizon, a ₹29,634 gap. At this spend HSBC TravelOne waives its ₹4,999 annual fee.
For everyday spending, which returns more: Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or HSBC TravelOne Credit Card?
On figures as of 11 Oct 2026, Axis Bank Horizon comes out ahead for an everyday spender (about ₹40,000 a month across groceries, bills, dining and fuel), with a net annual value (rewards, perks and milestones, less the annual fee and forex markup) of ₹5,521 against ₹4,729 on HSBC TravelOne, a ₹792 gap. Best everyday rates: 2% on everyday spends for Axis Bank Horizon, 4% on international spends for HSBC TravelOne.
Which is better, Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or HSBC TravelOne Credit Card?
As of 11 Oct 2026, Axis Bank Horizon earns 2% on everyday spends outside merchant or portal bonuses, paid as Axis EDGE Miles, and HSBC TravelOne earns 4% on international spends outside merchant or portal bonuses, paid as HSBC Reward Points. Axis Bank Horizon comes out ahead on net annual value for everyday spenders and online shoppers, and HSBC TravelOne for frequent travellers and high spenders. Axis Bank Horizon costs ₹3,000 a year against ₹4,999.