When it comes to dining, choosing the right card depends on your preferences and spending habits. While co-branded dining credit cards are valuable for consumers who are loyal to a specific brand, cashback credit cards are suitable for consumers seeking direct value-back without any brand restrictions.
Two popular cards in the market for frequent diners are HDFC Swiggy and HSBC Live+. While HDFC Swiggy is designed for loyal Swiggy users who frequently order food online or dine out, HSBC Live+ card offers broader savings across categories without being tied to a single brand.
Let’s compare both cards across dining, cashback, and other benefits to help you decide which one suits you better.
Dining Benefits
| Particular | HDFC Swiggy | HSBC Live+ |
| Cashback on Dining | 10% cashback, up to Rs. 1,500 per month on Swiggy food ordering, Instamart, Dineout, and Genie | 10% cashback, up to Rs. 1,000 per month, on dining, grocery, & food delivery spends |
| Other Dining Benefits | Complimentary 3 months Swiggy One Membership | Up to 15% off on dining bills at partner restaurants via Live+ Dining Programme |
While both are cashback credit cards offering accelerated benefits on dining expenses, Swiggy HDFC restricts the 10% cashback to transactions made across Swiggy food ordering, Instamart, Dineout, and Genie. Whereas, HSBC Live+ offers 10% cashback on dining, groceries, and food delivery across platforms without any brand restrictions, making it a preferable option for consumers who are not loyal to a single brand.
However, both cards come with a monthly capping on accelerated categories. With Swiggy HDFC, the accelerated cashback is capped at Rs. 1,500 per month, whereas HSBC Live+ restricts its monthly value-back to Rs. 1,000 on accelerated categories, which impacts its overall savings potential.
Apart from cashback, both cards offer additional dining benefits. With a complimentary Swiggy One Membership, HDFC Swiggy cardholders can save on their dining bills at partner restaurants. Similarly, HSBC Live+ also offers an additional 15% dining discount at partner restaurants via Live+ Dining Programme.
Overall, HDFC Swiggy is a suitable pick for Swiggy loyalists who frequently spend on groceries, dining, and food delivery via Swiggy. Meanwhile, HSBC Live+ is a preferable option for consumers looking to save on these categories without being tied to a specific brand.
Cashback Benefits
HDFC Swiggy:
- 5% cashback, up to Rs. 1,500 per month on online merchant spends
- 1% cashback, up to Rs. 500 per month on other spends
HSBC Live+:
- Unlimited 1.5% cashback on other spends
Apart from dining spends, HSBC Live+ Card offers unlimited 1.5% cashback on all other spends. Whereas, HDFC Swiggy Card offers a base cashback of 1%, capped at Rs. 500 per month on non-partner categories, which limits its overall value-back.
However, despite being a co-branded credit card, HDFC Swiggy extends its accelerated cashback to select online spends across categories such as departmental stores, entertainment, apparel, medical stores, and more, enhancing its value for everyday expenses.
When it comes to non-dining spends, HDFC Swiggy Credit Card holds an edge because of its accelerated cashback on partner online categories, even though its base cashback rate is lower than HSBC Live+.
Other Features & Benefits
HDFC Swiggy
- Renewal fee waiver on annual spends of Rs. 2 Lakh
- 4 complimentary rounds of green fees and 12 free golf lessons/sessions with 50% off on green fee beyond complimentary sessions for users with Mastercard variant
HSBC Live+
- Renewal fee waiver on annual spends of Rs. 2 Lakh
- 1,000 cashback on spending Rs. 20,000 within the first 30 days of card issuance
- Up to 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year, max. 1 per quarter
Which One Should You Pick?
Choosing between these two dining credit cards largely depends on your spending pattern and brand preferences. HDFC Swiggy Credit Card is a compelling choice for consumers who prefer to make dining, grocery, and food delivery spends via Swiggy and its associated platforms. On the other hand, HSBC Live+ Credit Card is ideal for consumers seeking accelerated value-back on these everyday spends without any brand restrictions.
However, do keep a note that HSBC Live+ only offers accelerated cashback on dining, food delivery & grocery spends, whereas HDFC Swiggy also offers 5% accelerated cashback on select partner merchant categories such as departmental stores, apparel, medical stores, and more.
Beyond dining, both cards offer different additional lifestyle benefits. While Swiggy HDFC offers complimentary golf games through its Mastercard variant, HSBC Live+ comes with complimentary domestic lounge visits.
Choose Swiggy HDFC if:
- You are a loyal Swiggy user who frequently orders food, groceries, or dine out
- You want accelerated cashback on partner online categories like departmental stores, entertainment, apparel, medical spends, etc.
- Your monthly spends on Swiggy are high enough to fully utilize the Rs. 1,500 monthly cashback capping
Choose HSBC Live+ if:
- You want to earn accelerated cashback on dining, groceries, and food delivery without being restricted to Swiggy or any single brand
- You frequently dine out and can benefit from the 15% extra discount at partner restaurants under the Live+ Dining Programme
- You want a card with lounge access and lifestyle benefits in addition to cashback
