Axis Horizon vs HSBC TravelOne (2026)
HSBC TravelOne vs Axis Horizon: which wins?
₹89,200ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to HSBC TravelOne
Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for
Two starter transfer hubs: Horizon's halved 1:1 miles at ₹3,000 vs TravelOne's fifteen 1:1 routes, which out-earn it from ₹75k a month.
Axis Horizon wins under ₹0.75L/month; HSBC TravelOne takes over above it.
Every metric, row by row — 12 compared
Head to head
| Axis Horizon | Metric | HSBC TravelOne |
|---|---|---|
| #29 | Our rank | #13 — wins this row |
| ₹3,000/yr — wins this row | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹4,999/yr |
| None | Fee waiver | ₹8,00,000 spend |
| 3.5% + GST. Dynamic currency conversion markup 3.5% since 28 August 2026, up from 1.5%, per the bank-wide revision notice. | Forex markup | 3.5% + GST |
| 3.75%/mo (55.55%/yr, compounded as quoted by Axis) | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr), computed from transaction date |
| 2.0% | Headline earn rate | 2.0% |
| Axis EDGE Miles | Currency | HSBC Reward Points |
| ₹2.00/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt |
| 5,000 EDGE Miles on ₹1,000+ cumulative spends within 30 days (paid cards only) | Welcome benefit | ₹1,000 cashback + ₹3,000 Postcard voucher + 3-mo EazyDiner Prime on ₹25k in 30 days |
| 22 of 793 | Lounge doors opened | 43 of 793 — wins this row |
| not published | Income — salaried | ₹6L+/yr; age 18–65 |
| not published | Income — self-employed | ₹12L+/yr; age 25–65 |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
The ₹ face-off at ₹1L/₹3L/₹5L a month
Ranking-value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. This is the ranking model, the one that orders the board; each card page prints the earn-rate-only net annual value instead, which reads lower for any card with an accelerator (both models, side by side). Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
Axis Horizon wins under ₹0.75L/month; HSBC TravelOne takes over above it.
Where the lead changes hands — a 20-step sweep from ₹0.25L to ₹5L/month
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹0.75L a month: Axis Horizon is ahead by ₹3,799 at ₹0.25L, HSBC TravelOne by ₹5,500 at ₹5L.
HSBC TravelOne pays one annual spend milestone, at ₹12,00,000 a year, and Axis Horizon pays none; Axis Horizon pays a renewal bonus whatever you spend, and HSBC TravelOne pays nothing to stay.
Axis Horizon draws above the line, HSBC TravelOne below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | Axis Horizon | HSBC TravelOne | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹5,400 | ₹1,601 | Axis Horizon by ₹3,799 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹12,300 | ₹8,201 | Axis Horizon by ₹4,099 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹19,200 | ₹19,800 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹600 |
| ₹1L | ₹26,100 | ₹36,400 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹10,300 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹33,000 | ₹43,000 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹10,000 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹39,900 | ₹49,600 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹9,700 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹46,800 | ₹56,200 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹9,400 |
| ₹2L | ₹53,700 | ₹62,800 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹9,100 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹60,600 | ₹69,400 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹8,800 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹67,500 | ₹76,000 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹8,500 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹74,400 | ₹82,600 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹8,200 |
| ₹3L | ₹81,300 | ₹89,200 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹7,900 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹88,200 | ₹95,800 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹7,600 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹95,100 | ₹1,02,400 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹7,300 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,02,000 | ₹1,09,000 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹7,000 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,08,900 | ₹1,15,600 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹6,700 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,15,800 | ₹1,22,200 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹6,400 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,22,700 | ₹1,28,800 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹6,100 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,29,600 | ₹1,35,400 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹5,800 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,36,500 | ₹1,42,000 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹5,500 |
Transfer reach — 27 vs 20 live routes
Transfer reach
3 shared routes · 3 only Axis Horizon · 3 only HSBC TravelOne — the full partner lists
Both reach
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 1:1
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) 2:1 vs 1:1
- The British Airways Club (Avios) 2:1 vs 1:1
Only Axis Horizon
- Finnair Plus (Avios)
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Cathay Asia Miles
Only HSBC TravelOne
- Marriott Bonvoy
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for — 6 points
What to watch out for
Axis Horizon · 4 more →
- Half of Atlas's transfer ratio on the standard partners — 1:1 vs 1:2. Miles & More is the exception: both cards convert 1:1
- The punished set converts at 2:1 for Horizon too — BA, Finnair, Qatar, Vietnam, IndiGo, Cathay, and the returned Accor
- Marriott is still gone and ITC left the 25 Sep 2026 grid; Accor came back at Horizon's 2:1, not the old 1:2, and Qatar's return stays at 2:1
HSBC TravelOne · 4 more →
- Fee waived only at ₹8L annual spend; forex back to 3.5% since Jul-2026 (promo over)
- Base earn is a modest 2X outside travel/forex
- HSBC's eligibility and branch footprint are narrow
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, HSBC TravelOne nets ₹36,400 against ₹26,100 — a ₹10,300 gap. At ₹5L/month, HSBC TravelOne nets ₹1,42,000 against ₹1,36,500 — a ₹5,500 gap. Lounge chasers: HSBC TravelOne opens 43 of 793 tracked doors to Axis Horizon's 22.
Our standing verdicts: Axis Horizon — Keep; HSBC TravelOne — Keep. HSBC TravelOne takes 5 of the 6 rounds we can score — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Common questions — 5 answered
Straight answers
Which is better, Axis Horizon or HSBC TravelOne?
HSBC TravelOne. HSBC TravelOne takes 5 of the 6 rounds we can score. Axis Horizon wins under ₹0.75L/month; HSBC TravelOne takes over above it.
Axis Horizon or HSBC TravelOne — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, HSBC TravelOne nets ₹89,200 against ₹81,300 — a ₹7,900 gap. Those are ranking-value figures: everyday spend at the card's base rate plus a realistic slice at its best accelerator, net of the fee.
Which costs less to hold, Axis Horizon or HSBC TravelOne?
Axis Horizon — ₹3,000/yr against ₹4,999/yr. Axis Horizon waives its fee at no spend level — there is no waiver; HSBC TravelOne at ₹8,00,000 of spend.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, Axis Horizon or HSBC TravelOne?
Lounge chasers: HSBC TravelOne opens 43 of 793 tracked doors to Axis Horizon's 22. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Card records last re-verified against their issuers' own documents: Axis Horizon on 2026-09-25, HSBC TravelOne on 2026-08-15. Every figure on this page — the ranking values, the fee rows, the lounge counts, the transfer ratios — is recomputed from those records each time the site builds, so a devaluation changes the call the day we log it.
Verified against Axis Bank and HSBC's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point
Every document behind this page — 17 of them, each with the day we read it
- official Horizon T&C PDF
- official Axis Bank Horizon product page — 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on Travel EDGE and direct airline sites, 2 elsewhere; ₹3,000 joining and annual, Nil on a qualifying Burgundy Savings Account
- official Axis Bank Key Fact Sheet, updated 12-Aug-2026 — Horizon joining ₹3,000 / annual ₹3,000 (Nil for customers with a Burgundy Savings Account opened on or after 1 Jul 2026)
- official Axis Bank Domestic Airport Lounge Access Program — Horizon sits in Set B at 6 visits per calendar quarter for Mastercard World and 8 for Visa Signature
- official Axis Bank Points/Miles Transfer ratio table — "Horizon Credit Card: 1 EDGE Mile = 1 Partner Point", a quarter of Olympus's 1:4 and half Atlas's 1:2
- official Travel EDGE Points/Miles Transfer T&C — the full per-card conversion grid effective 2-Apr-2026 (Horizon column: 1:1 to every standard partner)
- official Axis Bank-wide MITC — Horizon joining/annual ₹3,000 (Nil^ for a Burgundy Savings Account opened on or after 1 Jul 2026), APR 3.75%/month (55.55% p.a.)
- official Axis bank-wide revision notice (published 27-Jul-2026) — effective 28-08-2026 the DCC markup goes 1.5% → 3.5%, a ₹1,300 late-payment slab appears above ₹50,000 outstanding
- community CardInsider review
- community CardMaven review (partner groups + caps)
- official Product page (₹4,999 joining and annual fee, free above ₹8,00,000 of yearly spend, welcome ₹1,000 cashback + ₹3,000 PostCard + 3-mo EazyDiner Prime on ₹25k/30d; issued in 21 cities)
- official Transfer-partner table — 15 airlines + 5 hotels; AirAsia 1 pt = 3 miles (official wording), Hainan/Turkish/United 2 pts = 1 mile, Shangri-La 5:1, the other 16 at 1:1
- official TravelOne MITC / tariff sheet — ₹4,999 joining, ₹4,999 annual waived only above ₹8,00,000 of primary-card spend in the FY
- official Service Guide (11-Dec-2025) — confirms the 2X accelerator on airlines/travel agencies/foreign currency carries a 50,000 accelerated-RP calendar-month cap
- official Milestone Offer T&C — 10,000 reward points for ₹12,00,000 of net eligible spend in an ANNIVERSARY year from the card-open date; primary cards only, add-ons have no separate eligibility
- community CardExpert review (4X 50k-RP/mo cap, forex promo end)
- community Magnify review — full 20-partner table (15 airlines incl. AirAsia 1:3, Turkish/United/Hainan 2:1; 5 hotels incl. Shangri-La 5:1)