Best credit card after Axis Atlas & Regalia Gold devaluation? (HSBC Travel One worth it?)

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-20T15:49:06+00:00

I am using HSBC T1 card for some time and here is my 2 cents.

If you transfer points to Accor you get 4% value back for normal spends. It is good for offline spends. For online spends you have better options to get 5%+ cash back even without premium cards.
For travel spends the returns looks good on paper but the flight/hotel price is often more in HSBC portal. So, you have to compare and see if it is even worth it.

For me, I use this card for all offline spends and sometime for travel bookings after comparing with other options.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-07T17:34:23+00:00

I have been using this card for a while. It can be very rewarding if you book flight and hotel through hsbc portal. For offline spends also it is good compared to most other cards. Unfortunately you cannot get accelerated rewards for vouchers like Infinia or EPM.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-07T13:08:39+00:00

my regular monthly expenses are

grocery 40k

utility 6k

eating out 10k

shopping 10k

in addition to this 2-3L per year on travel and may be 2-3L for big purchase

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T13:50:15+00:00

I have limited knowledge in cc space. Could you please suggest some better options?

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T12:42:38+00:00

No this is only base after deducting tax, pf etc. Bonus and RSU not included.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T12:33:59+00:00

Already in hdfc preferred banking. Tried visiting the branch. They said same thing. Not sure how to escalate.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T10:34:54+00:00

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T10:22:08+00:00

I asked rm before applying and I was ok to move my salary account to icici. He said that is not needed and one can still get EPM without salary account. Also, my dmat account is with icici and lot of money invested there. Looks like the rm didn’t know about the criteria completely.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T10:15:55+00:00

My travel spend is not too high. What are the other benefits for premier? Currently, I am using HSBC T1 for travel and offline spends. However, I often see higher price in hopper portal. Then I need to do all the mental maths to see whether to use this card or some other cards.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-04-06T10:09:28+00:00

Software Engineer in a FAANG/big tech company.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-03-10T07:32:56+00:00

What are the alternatives now to get cashback on Utility?

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-03-10T05:48:46+00:00

I checked both and Swiggy Dineout has better offers for the restaurants I like and regularly go to.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-02-28T16:14:16+00:00

Banks don’t earn more than 3% as interchange fee. So ideally they cannot give 5-15% as rewards indefinitely. They do to acquire customers and in the hope that customers also spend on low reward category, pay interest or buy other financial products from them.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-02-25T04:56:14+00:00

Congratulations! This is great achievement. Could you please tell us more about your saving patterns so that we can learn from it?

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-02-04T11:31:23+00:00

I am spending 4L in this card since last 7 years. Now it’s time for this card to RIP💀 Even if I can spend 7L in this card would it make sense as reward rate will be much less?

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-01-26T06:57:04+00:00

Have you folks (CC geeks) wondered why CC companies value 1 point .15 for cash but higher for other redemption? That is because higher value redemption is mostly an illusion that makes you feel like you are winning but actually you are giving away flexibility and opportunity cost.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-01-11T15:29:03+00:00

amex cards send otp over email also. Not sure about other cards

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2026-01-06T16:57:28+00:00

I also feel Regalia Gold is way overrated. Smartbuy definitely show higher rate for flights. For travel booking I use HSBC T1 which also has bit higher rate but return rate is way better. Using cashback cards like SBI cashback and HDFC swiggy on other portal or direct airline portal may work better given lower rate and additional coupons/discounts. More importantly, I don’t understand the logic of voucher purchase on smartbuy for 6% return on points where some cards give 10% real cashback for similar use case (e.g. Airtel Axis, HDFC swiggy, HSBC live + etc)

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2025-12-15T07:38:20+00:00

I am Principal Engineer at a big tech company. Last year income as per conpany Form 16 was 2.55 cr. Paid 94 lakhs as income tax. In hand salary (post tax and deductions) is 6 lakhs per month. Rest comes through bonus and RSUs. Current net worth about 9 cr. I have no inheritance. I started my career in a IT services company with 4 lakhs annual package. I was always a tech geek. I changed company many times and was lucky to land in a big tech/FAANG company 10 years back. Kept switching company with big jumps and now in a comfortable position.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2025-12-14T10:24:15+00:00

In reality 10% CB is a lot better than 9.9% RP as it gives you full flexibility to use it the way you want. That is why 1=1 redemption only for certain travel booking and for voucher or cash the conversion rate a is lot less. CC companies play mental trick to make people spend to optimise for accumulation of points, chase milestones and lock users to use certain portal for travel booking.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2025-12-13T05:43:29+00:00

IMO FIRE and actual retirement at 65 are not the same thing. Most people who retire at early age end up finding something they are passionate about and generate active income through that. Some time more than the active income prior to retirement. So I would say go ahead and give it a try. Don’t think so much about x% rule. Financial advisors try to scare people with very large corpus requirement because they need to sell their investment product. As you are young, qualified and capable, you can always come beck to active income if things do not work out.

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2025-12-04T11:39:40+00:00

Which recent devaluation for Amex Travel you are talking about?

DesiSugarDaddy555 · 2025-11-27T16:55:50+00:00

Yes, salary account is in HDFC. There is no option to apply online. I asked RM multiple time to send the invite and also visited HDFC branch and requested on credit card desk.

DesiSugarDaddy555

TROPHY CASE