HSBC India has introduced a new feature called Travel With Points inside the mobile app’s Redeem Points section for credit cards. The feature resembles initiatives like HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy 10X rewards or ICICI Bank’s iShop accelerated rewards, but HSBC’s implementation is powered by Hopper rather than a traditional booking engine.
Through Travel With Points, HSBC credit cardholders can now earn accelerated points and redeem them directly on flights, hotels and car rentals. Below is a clear summary of how the program works for notable HSBC credit cards.
Earn Rate
HSBC offers accelerated rewards on travel categories across cards that participate in the rewards program. For a quick comparison, here are the headline earn rates for hotel and flight bookings on two noteworthy offerings: the HSBC Premier and HSBC Travel One credit cards.
| Card Type | Hotels | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| HSBC Premier | 12X (36%) | 4X (18%) |
| HSBC Travel One | 6X (24%) | 4X (16%) |
- Fulfilment: within 10 days of transaction
These rates make the HSBC Premier card particularly competitive versus other premium cards in the market. In addition to strong earn rates on travel bookings, Premier does not impose the same redemption restrictions seen on some competitor products.
An important advantage is the ability to transfer HSBC points to Accor at a 1:1 ratio. That transfer option effectively boosts the hotel reward return on the HSBC Premier card to an exceptional 72% effective reward rate when used optimally.
Max Cap
Accelerated points are subject to a monthly cap of 18,000 points per calendar month. In practical terms, that cap corresponds roughly to the following monthly travel spend thresholds:
| Card | Hotels | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| HSBC Premier | 50,000 INR | 100,000 INR |
| HSBC Travel One | 75,000 INR | 112,500 INR |
Additional Benefits
Alongside accelerated earning and direct redemption, the Travel With Points booking experience includes additional protections and conveniences such as a best price guarantee and price drop protection as optional add-ons during booking.
Price Drop Protection can be valuable for hotel bookings where rates fluctuate close to check-in dates. Because Hopper frequently identifies competitive fares and rates, HSBC’s partnership may reduce the rate inconsistencies that users sometimes encounter on other platforms.
Bottom line
The launch of accelerated rewards through HSBC’s Travel With Points expands travel-focused earning opportunities for cardholders. For those who meet eligibility, the HSBC Premier card delivers the strongest returns, particularly when combined with transfer options such as Accor. That said, eligibility criteria for Premier are strict, so many premium travelers will find the HSBC Travel One card to be the best practical travel card through the rest of 2025 and beyond.