Standard Chartered Ultimate vs HSBC TravelOne (2026)
HSBC TravelOne vs Standard Chartered Ultimate: which wins?
₹1,14,880ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to Standard Chartered Ultimate
Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for
A guaranteed ₹1 per point vs a transferable maybe — certainty against upside at the same ₹5,000.
It swings with spend: HSBC TravelOne at ₹1L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹3L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹5L/month.
Every metric, row by row — 12 compared
Head to head
| Standard Chartered Ultimate | Metric | HSBC TravelOne |
|---|---|---|
| #17 | Our rank | #13 — wins this row |
| ₹5,000/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹4,999/yr — wins this row |
| None | Fee waiver | ₹8,00,000 spend |
| 2% + GST (Ultimate-specific; 3.5% on other SC cards) — wins this row | Forex markup | 3.5% + GST |
| 3.75%/mo (45%/yr APR), same rate on cash advances | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr), computed from transaction date |
| 3.3% — wins this row | Headline earn rate | 2.0% |
| StanC 360° Reward Points | Currency | HSBC Reward Points |
| ₹1.00/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt |
| 6,000 reward points (₹6,000) on fee payment | Welcome benefit | ₹1,000 cashback + ₹3,000 Postcard voucher + 3-mo EazyDiner Prime on ₹25k in 30 days |
| 689 of 793 — wins this row | Lounge doors opened | 43 of 793 |
| ~₹2L+/month (community) | 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.
It swings with spend: HSBC TravelOne at ₹1L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹3L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹5L/month.
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 ₹1L and ₹1.25L a month: Standard Chartered Ultimate is ahead by ₹3,389 at ₹0.25L, Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹52,800 at ₹5L.
HSBC TravelOne pays one annual spend milestone, at ₹12,00,000 a year, and Standard Chartered Ultimate pays none; HSBC TravelOne runs a 4.0% booster on Flights, travel portals & forex, where Standard Chartered Ultimate earns one flat rate.
Standard Chartered Ultimate draws above the line, HSBC TravelOne below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | Standard Chartered Ultimate | HSBC TravelOne | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹4,990 | ₹1,601 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹3,389 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹14,980 | ₹8,201 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹6,779 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹24,970 | ₹19,800 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹5,170 |
| ₹1L | ₹34,960 | ₹36,400 | HSBC TravelOne by ₹1,440 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹44,950 | ₹43,000 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹1,950 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹54,940 | ₹49,600 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹5,340 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹64,930 | ₹56,200 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹8,730 |
| ₹2L | ₹74,920 | ₹62,800 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹12,120 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹84,910 | ₹69,400 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹15,510 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹94,900 | ₹76,000 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹18,900 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹1,04,890 | ₹82,600 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹22,290 |
| ₹3L | ₹1,14,880 | ₹89,200 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹25,680 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹1,24,870 | ₹95,800 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹29,070 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹1,34,860 | ₹1,02,400 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹32,460 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,44,850 | ₹1,09,000 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹35,850 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,54,840 | ₹1,15,600 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹39,240 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,64,830 | ₹1,22,200 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹42,630 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,74,820 | ₹1,28,800 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹46,020 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,84,810 | ₹1,35,400 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹49,410 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,94,800 | ₹1,42,000 | Standard Chartered Ultimate by ₹52,800 |
Transfer reach — 0 vs 20 live routes
Transfer reach
0 shared routes · 0 only Standard Chartered Ultimate · 3 only HSBC TravelOne — the full partner lists
Only HSBC TravelOne
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
- The British Airways Club (Avios)
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
Standard Chartered Ultimate · 2 more →
- No transfer partners — the ceiling is exactly ₹1/point
- Utilities, supermarkets, insurance, rent, govt cut to 2% since Apr 2023
- ₹99 + GST per redemption; points lapse about 3 years after you earn them, in quarterly batches
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 ₹34,960 — a ₹1,440 gap. At ₹5L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate nets ₹1,94,800 against ₹1,42,000 — a ₹52,800 gap. Lounge chasers: Standard Chartered Ultimate opens 689 of 793 tracked doors to HSBC TravelOne's 43.
Our standing verdicts: Standard Chartered Ultimate — Keep; HSBC TravelOne — Keep. Standard Chartered Ultimate takes 5 of the 8 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, Standard Chartered Ultimate or HSBC TravelOne?
Standard Chartered Ultimate. Standard Chartered Ultimate takes 5 of the 8 rounds we can score. It swings with spend: HSBC TravelOne at ₹1L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹3L/month, Standard Chartered Ultimate at ₹5L/month.
Standard Chartered Ultimate or HSBC TravelOne — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, Standard Chartered Ultimate nets ₹1,14,880 against ₹89,200 — a ₹25,680 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, Standard Chartered Ultimate or HSBC TravelOne?
HSBC TravelOne — ₹4,999/yr against ₹5,000/yr. Standard Chartered Ultimate 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, Standard Chartered Ultimate or HSBC TravelOne?
Lounge chasers: Standard Chartered Ultimate opens 689 of 793 tracked doors to HSBC TravelOne's 43. 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: Standard Chartered Ultimate on 2026-08-17, 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 Standard Chartered and HSBC's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point
Every document behind this page — 13 of them, each with the day we read it
- official Product page (₹5,000 joining and ₹5,000 renewal fee, 6,000-pt welcome on fee payment, 5 RP/₹150 = ₹1/pt, 4/quarter domestic + 1 PP/month int'l on ₹20k prior-month spend)
- official Revision FAQ — the Apr-2023 cuts only: from 2 Apr 2023 utilities, supermarkets, insurance, property management/rent, schools and government earn 3 RP/₹150 (was 5)
- official Tariffs & charges
- official Rewards-points expiry FAQ — points lapse roughly three years after they are earned and are written off in quarterly batches; exact dates only in the rewards portal
- official Federal Bank migration FAQ — the card relationship (credit limit, reward points, outstanding) transfers after 31 Jul 2026; consent via I Agree / SMS ACCEPT / continued use
- community CardInsider — Visa Infinite variant discontinued
- 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)