Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank vs HSBC Live+: Which Food Card Pays More?

HSBC Live+ pays more on food delivery, restaurants, groceries and utility bills, at 10% with a ₹1,200 monthly cap, while the Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card pays more when your money goes to Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and travel sites, 5% up to ₹1,500 a billing cycle. Ornge is cheaper to hold at ₹500 plus GST and easier to qualify for, with a ₹20,000 net monthly income line against Live+'s ₹6 lakh a year.

By Anjali Bhargawa · Content Writer Updated 5 November 2026 Reviewed by BankCreds Financial Experts

In short

HSBC Live+ wins a month built on food, groceries and bills, Swiggy Ornge HDFC wins a month built on online shopping and travel bookings, and only Ornge comes without a published city list.

Best for

Live+: households spending about ₹12,000 a month on groceries, dining, food delivery and utilities
Swiggy Ornge: online shoppers who use Swiggy, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and travel apps
Swiggy Ornge: first-time applicants earning above ₹20,000 a month net

Skip it if

You spend abroad, since Ornge charges 3.5% forex and Live+ pays no cashback on foreign spends
Fuel, rent or wallet loads are big monthly payments, which neither card rewards
You need lounge access beyond Live+'s 3 visits a year

Highlights

Fees: Swiggy Ornge ₹500 plus GST, Live+ ₹999 plus GST
Swiggy Ornge: 5% on Swiggy and listed online brands up to ₹1,500 a cycle, 1% elsewhere up to ₹1,000
Live+: 10% on dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utilities up to ₹1,200 a month, 1.5% elsewhere
Waivers: ₹1.5 lakh a year on Ornge, above ₹2 lakh on Live+
Lounges: Live+ 3 a year, Swiggy Ornge none stated

Side by side

Every term from the banks' own pages, last verified 5 November 2026.
Term	Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card	HSBC Live+ Credit Card
Bank	HDFC Bank	HSBC India
Joining fee	₹500 + GST	₹999 + GST
Annual fee and waiver	₹500 + GST. Annual Fee starting second Year waived off on spending ₹1.5 lakh / Annum	₹999 + GST. Annual fee, including GST, fully reversed if total eligible spend across primary and add-on cards in the anniversary year exceeds Rs 2,00,000
Base reward	1% cashback on other eligible spends, capped at ₹1,000 per billing cycle (about 1% value)	1.5% unlimited cashback on most other spends (exclusions apply) (about 1.5% value)
Best category	Swiggy app and eligible online merchants and MCCs: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Cleartrip, BookMyShow, Uber, PharmEasy, Croma, Vijay Sales, Reliance Digital, Netflix, SonyLIV, Prime, Hotstar, Paytm Travel, Ixigo, Yatra, EaseMyTrip, ibibo; apparel, pharmacy, pet, personal care, travel and hotel, electronics MCCs: about 5% value	Dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spends: about 10% value
Lounges	Domestic: None stated International: None stated	Domestic: 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year, limited to 1 visit every 6 months International: 1 complimentary international lounge visit a year (from 1 September 2026)
Forex markup	3.5% of the amount	1.99% of the amount
Network	Mastercard	Visa
Published minimum income	₹20,000 a month	₹50,000 a month
Status	Taking applications	Taking applications
Add-on card fee	Nil	Nil
Earned as	Cashback (credited against the card statement balance)	Cashback
Higher-reward categories	Swiggy app and eligible online merchants and MCCs: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Cleartrip, BookMyShow, Uber, PharmEasy, Croma, Vijay Sales, Reliance Digital, Netflix, SonyLIV, Prime, Hotstar, Paytm Travel, Ixigo, Yatra, EaseMyTrip, ibibo; apparel, pharmacy, pet, personal care, travel and hotel, electronics MCCs: 5% cashback, about 5% value (Capping of Rs.1500 per billing per cycle is applicable on eligible 5% Cashback categories, billing cycle)	Dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utility spends: 10% cashback, about 10% value (10% cashback capped at Rs 1,200 a month, ₹1,200, month)
No rewards on	Fuel (MCC 5172, 5541, 5542, 5983) Rent (6513) Wallet (6540) Jewellery (5094, 5944) Government related transactions Gift cards (5947) EMI Gaming (7995) Education (8299) Swiggy Money wallet and Swiggy Liquor (excluded from 5%)	fuel (5541, 5983, 5172, 5542, 5552) e-wallets (6540) rent and property management (6513, 7012, 7349) listed business-to-business MCCs education and government insurance (6300, 5960) jewellery and antiques (5944, 5094, 5932, 5937) gambling (7995) tolls (4784) cash, credit repayments, foreign currency, crypto (6010, 6011, 6012, 6051) security brokers (6211) collection agencies (7322) charity (8398, 8641) money transfers (4829) wholesale clubs (5300) international (foreign currency) spends earn no cashback from 26 July 2026
Value of a point	Statement credit: Cashback is credited against the outstanding balance in the card statement	Cashback: Cashback credited to the card account within 45 days of the statement date
Redemption fee	None stated (cashback auto-credited to the statement)	None (automatic credit)
Expiry	Not published by the bank	Not applicable
Welcome benefits	Complimentary 12-month Swiggy One membership on activation	Rs 1,000 cashback for logging on to the HSBC India Mobile Banking app and spending Rs 25,000 within the first 30 days Voucher worth Rs 750 (Amazon Pay, Zomato, Swiggy) on activation with a single transaction of Rs 300 or more Rs 250 Amazon eGift voucher for online application with video KYC
Milestone benefits	Annual fee waiver from the second year on ₹1.5 lakh annual spends	None published
Fuel surcharge waiver	Fuel surcharge waiver not applicable; no cashback on fuel	No fuel surcharge waiver (KFS: NA); fuel earns no cashback
Insurance cover	Not published by the bank	Not listed on the card page
Interest on unpaid balances	Up to 3.75% a month (45% a year)	Up to 3.75% a month (45% a year)
Late payment fee	Late payment charges (excl. GST), basis the bill amount, w.e.f. 1 Aug 2024: nil up to ₹100; ₹100 for ₹101 to ₹500; ₹500 for ₹501 to ₹1,000; ₹600 for ₹1,001 to ₹5,000; ₹750 for ₹5,001 to ₹10,000; ₹900 for ₹10,001 to ₹25,000; ₹1,100 for ₹25,001 to ₹50,000; ₹1,300 above ₹50,000. Charged when the Minimum Amount Due is not paid; account is reported past due and late fee levied only after 3 grace days from the due date.	100% of the Minimum Payment Due, minimum Rs 250 and maximum Rs 1,200 a month; charged only if the minimum payment does not reach HSBC within 3 days of the payment due date
Cash withdrawal	2.5% of the amount withdrawn or ₹500, whichever is higher, plus finance charges at the revolving rate from the date of withdrawal until full payment.	2.5% of the amount, minimum Rs 500; finance charge from the date of withdrawal
Age (salaried)	21 to 60 years	18 to 65 years
Income (salaried)	Net monthly income above ₹20,000	Minimum Rs 6,00,000 a year
Income (self-employed)	Annual ITR above ₹6 lakh	Minimum Rs 12,00,000 a year
Documents	Identity proof, address proof and income proof (HDFC Bank general guidance; the card page's document list could not be read) Existing HDFC Bank customers may not need to submit them again	Latest salary slip (salaried) Proof of residence Identity proof PAN card
Last verified	5 November 2026	5 November 2026

A Swiggy card against a food and grocery card

Put a Swiggy order on both and you might expect the Swiggy card to win. It doesn't, at least not by the rate. HSBC Live+ pays 10% on food delivery, so a ₹500 Swiggy dinner earn ₹50 there and ₹25 on Swiggy Ornge. Where Ornge pulls ahead is the long list of online brands it puts in the same 5% bucket: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Croma, Cleartrip, Uber, BookMyShow, the streaming apps and more. On Live+, Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra earn only 1.5%.

Who each card is for

Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank: people whose card spend is mostly online, across Swiggy, Instamart, the big shopping sites and travel apps, who want a ₹500 card and earn above ₹20,000 a month net. Since this card replaces the old Swiggy HDFC card, many existing holder will land on it anyway.
HSBC Live+: residents of HSBC's 21 listed cities with ₹6 lakh a year or more, who spend on restaurants, supermarkets, any food delivery app and electricity bills. It also bring 3 lounge visits a year and a lower forex markup.

The verdict in two sentences

If groceries, eating out and bills make up most of your month, Live+ returns more, even on Swiggy itself, because its 10% beats Ornge's 5% up to ₹12,000 of such spends. If online shopping and travel bookings dominate, Ornge returns more, and it costs half the fee.

Both cards are active. Ornge launched in March 2026, and HDFC said on 3 November 2026 that the original Swiggy card is being phased out until March 2027, with holders who don't choose being moved to Ornge. Live+ was revised on 26 July 2026. Read the full Swiggy Ornge review and HSBC Live+ review for knowing each card in more depth.

The fee, the waiver and the other charges

Charge	Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank	HSBC Live+
Joining fee	₹500 plus GST	₹999 plus GST
Annual fee	₹500 plus GST from year two	₹999 plus GST
Waiver	Year-two fee onwards waived on ₹1.5 lakh a year	Annual fee with GST reversed above ₹2,00,000 a year
Add-on cards	Free	Free
Interest	3.75% monthly (45% yearly)	3.75% monthly (45% yearly)
Late payment	Slabs from ₹100 to ₹1,300	The full minimum due, between ₹250 and ₹1,200
Cash advance	2.5% or ₹500, whichever is higher	2.5%, minimum ₹500
Rent	1%, capped at ₹4,999 per transaction	1% plus taxes
Utilities	1% of the total above ₹50,000 a month	No fee listed
Wallet loads	1% of the total above ₹10,000 a month	No fee listed
Forex markup	3.5%	1.99%

Cost of holding

With 18% GST, Ornge costs ₹590 (₹500 plus ₹90) and Live+ costs ₹1,178.82 (₹999 plus ₹179.82). The waiver bars are ₹1.5 lakh a year on Ornge, ₹12,500 a month (₹1.5 lakh divided by 12), and more than ₹2 lakh on Live+, about ₹16,667 a month. Both are reachable for anyone who uses the card for daily spends. Year one is different. Ornge's joining fee is paid regardless, while Live+'s welcome offers, worth up to ₹2,000, more than pay its joining fee.

Charges that differ

Late fees work different. HDFC charges by slab, ₹600 on a ₹4,000 outstanding and ₹900 on ₹20,000, while HSBC charges the full minimum payment due, never less than ₹250 or more than ₹1,200. On rent both take 1%, but HDFC caps it at ₹4,999 per transaction, so a ₹25,000 rent costs ₹250 before tax either way and earns no cashback on either card.

HDFC also charge 1% once your month's wallet loads pass ₹10,000 or utility bills pass ₹50,000, and 1% on any single fuel bill above ₹15,000; HSBC's schedule shows no such fees for Live+. Few users reach those marks, and what matter more on bills is the cashback: Ornge pays 1% on utilities and Live+ pays 10%. Interest is 3.75% a month on both, so either card are an expensive place to keep a balance.

Where each card pays 5%, 10% or less

Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank

The 5% group starts with the Swiggy app itself, food orders, Instamart and Dineout. HDFC then adds shopping sites (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa), electronics stores (Croma, Vijay Sales, Reliance Digital), travel sites (Cleartrip, Yatra, Ixigo, EaseMyTrip, ibibo, Paytm Travel), streaming (Netflix, Prime, Hotstar, SonyLIV), plus Uber, BookMyShow and PharmEasy. Whole merchant types count too: clothing, pharmacies, pets, personal care, travel and hotels, and electronics. HDFC stops the 5% at ₹1,500 per billing cycle, so ₹30,000 of these spends is the most that earns it (₹1,500 divided by 5%).

Other eligible spends earn 1%, capped at ₹1,000 a cycle, and the card's total can't pass ₹2,500 a statement cycle. Nothing is paid on fuel, rent, wallet loads, jewellery, gift cards, gaming, education, EMI or government payments, which is a long list for card of this price, and the Swiggy Money wallet and Swiggy Liquor are kept out of the 5%. Cashback goes straight against your statement balance.

HSBC Live+

On Live+ the 10% rate covers five kinds of spend, eating out, food delivery, groceries, shopping and utility bills, with a ₹1,200 monthly ceiling that ₹12,000 of those spends will fill (₹1,200 divided by 10%). Everything else that qualifies gets an uncapped 1.5%, and that include Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra. HSBC decide the category by merchant type, and it doesn't say whether a category spend over the cap drops to 1.5%, so we count it at zero. Fuel, wallets, rent, insurance, education, government and foreign spends earn nothing. Cashback arrives within 45 days of the statement.

So the two cards rewards different things. Ornge pays half of Live+'s rate on Swiggy and Instamart and a tenth of it on a supermarket bill (1% against 10%), but more than three times Live+'s rate on online shopping and travel sites (5% against 1.5%).

Three monthly budgets on both cards

All three budgets cross both waivers, so the renewal fee is gone on each.

Spending pattern and card	Monthly cashback	Yearly cashback	Fee after year one
₹20,000 food and groceries, Swiggy Ornge	₹720	₹8,640	Waived
₹20,000 food and groceries, Live+	₹1,150	₹13,800	Reversed
₹30,000 online shopper, Swiggy Ornge	₹1,340	₹16,080	Waived
₹30,000 online shopper, Live+	₹875	₹10,500	Reversed
₹60,000 busy household, Swiggy Ornge	₹1,720	₹20,640	Waived
₹60,000 busy household, Live+	₹1,770	₹21,240	Reversed

₹20,000 food and groceries: Swiggy food ₹5,000, Instamart ₹3,000, Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra ₹4,000, streaming ₹1,000, electricity ₹2,000, other shops ₹5,000. Ornge pays 5% on the ₹13,000 of Swiggy, shopping and streaming, ₹650, and 1% on ₹7,000, ₹70. Live+ pays 10% on ₹10,000 of Swiggy, Instamart and electricity, ₹1,000, and 1.5% on the other ₹10,000, ₹150. A ₹2.4 lakh year clear both waivers.

₹30,000 online shopper: Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra ₹16,000, flights and hotels on Cleartrip or Yatra ₹6,000, Swiggy ₹3,000, streaming ₹1,000, utilities ₹2,000, other shops ₹2,000. Ornge pays 5% on ₹26,000, ₹1,300, and 1% on ₹4,000, ₹40. Live+ pays 10% on just ₹5,000 of Swiggy and utilities, ₹500, and 1.5% on ₹25,000, ₹375.

₹60,000 busy household: Swiggy ₹6,000, Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra ₹20,000, travel ₹8,000, Croma ₹4,000, supermarket ₹8,000, utilities ₹4,000, restaurants ₹4,000, other ₹6,000. Ornge's 5% group is ₹38,000, which would be ₹1,900 but stops at ₹1,500, and ₹22,000 at 1% adds ₹220, total ₹1,720. On Live+ the 10% group is ₹22,000, cut from ₹2,200 to ₹1,200, plus 1.5% on ₹38,000, ₹570, total ₹1,770. Very close. Splitting it does better: restaurants, supermarket and other shops (₹18,000) on Live+ give ₹1,200 plus ₹90, and the other ₹42,000 on Ornge give ₹1,500 plus ₹40 on utilities. That's ₹2,830 a month, and each card still clears his waiver.

Published rules side by side

Rule	Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank	HSBC Live+
Age, salaried	21 to 60	18 to 65
Age, self-employed	21 to 65	25 to 65
Income, salaried	Net monthly income above ₹20,000	₹6,00,000 a year
Income, self-employed	ITR above ₹6 lakh a year	₹12,00,000 a year
Where you live	No city list published	One of 21 listed cities
Documents	Identity, address and income proof	Salary slip, residence and identity proof, PAN

Ornge is the easier card to qualify for

HDFC asks salaried applicants for net monthly income above ₹20,000, which is ₹2.4 lakh a year (₹20,000 times 12), and an ITR above ₹6 lakh from the self-employed. HSBC asks for ₹6 lakh a year from salaried applicants, about ₹50,000 a month, and ₹12 lakh from the self-employed. So Live+ need around two and a half times Ornge's salary line, before the city filter even comes into it.

That filter is strict. HSBC sells Live+ only in its 21 listed cities, which run from metros such as Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata down to Kochi, Coimbatore, Amritsar, Baroda, Surat and Trivandrum. HDFC publishes no such list for Ornge. On age, HSBC is accepting salaried applicants from 18, which Ornge does not; HDFC's upper limit for salaried is 60.

Applying and the decision

Ornge can be apply for on HDFC's online application site or at a branch, and existing HDFC customers may not need to send papers again. Live+ is applied for online with video KYC, by phone or at a branch. Under RBI rules each bank must check your own income and other card limits before issuing, and must tell you in writing why if it says no. Meeting the line on paper is only a start; approval is the bank's call. For questions on an HDFC application, HDFC Bank customer care can help.

Pros and cons

Pros

Swiggy Ornge pays 5% on Swiggy and a long list of online brands, up to ₹1,500 a billing cycle
Swiggy Ornge costs ₹500 plus GST and the fee from year two is waived at ₹1.5 lakh a year
Swiggy Ornge asks for net monthly income above ₹20,000 and has no published city list
Live+ pays 10% on dining, food delivery, grocery, shopping and utilities, up to ₹1,200 a month
Live+ adds 3 lounge visits a year, a 1.99% forex markup and up to ₹2,000 of welcome benefits

Cons

Swiggy Ornge's 1% base is capped at ₹1,000 a cycle and total cashback at ₹2,500
Swiggy Ornge charges 3.5% forex, and HDFC states no lounge access for it
Live+ pays only 1.5% on Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra
Live+ is open only in 21 cities and needs ₹6 lakh a year of salary
Neither card has a fuel surcharge waiver or pays cashback on fuel and rent

Frequently asked questions

Which card has the lower fee, Swiggy Ornge HDFC or HSBC Live+?

Swiggy Ornge. It costs ₹500 plus GST, or ₹590, and the fee from the second year is waived on ₹1.5 lakh of yearly spends. HSBC Live+ costs ₹999 plus GST, or ₹1,178.82, and HSBC reverses it, GST included, once a year's spends go past ₹2 lakh. Live+'s welcome offers of up to ₹2,000 can cover its first-year fee.

Does Swiggy Ornge or Live+ pay more on Swiggy orders?

HSBC Live+ pays more on the rate. It gives 10% on food delivery from any app up to ₹1,200 a month, while Swiggy Ornge gives 5% on the Swiggy app, including Instamart and Dineout, up to ₹1,500 a billing cycle. Ornge is stronger once your Swiggy spend is combined with heavy Amazon, Flipkart or travel bookings.

Who can apply for Swiggy Ornge and HSBC Live+?

HDFC asks salaried Swiggy Ornge applicants aged 21 to 60 for net monthly income above ₹20,000, and self-employed applicants for an ITR above ₹6 lakh. HSBC asks Live+ applicants for ₹6 lakh a year of salary (₹12 lakh for the self-employed), and you must live in one of its 21 listed cities. Each bank makes its own decision.

Do these cards give lounge access or low forex charges?

HSBC Live+ gives 2 domestic lounge visits and 1 international visit a year and charges a 1.99% forex markup, though foreign spends earn no cashback. HDFC states no lounge access for Swiggy Ornge, and its forex markup is 3.5%. Neither card waives the fuel surcharge.

What happens to the old Swiggy HDFC Bank credit card?

HDFC is phasing it out. Its notice of 3 November 2026 says the original Swiggy HDFC Bank card cannot be kept, and holders are being moved to Swiggy Ornge or Swiggy BLCK in phases until March 2027. Holders who do not respond are moved to Swiggy Ornge, the ₹500 card launched in March 2026.

Do Amazon and Flipkart orders earn more on Swiggy Ornge?

Yes. Swiggy Ornge puts Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra in its 5% group, capped at ₹1,500 a billing cycle, so a ₹10,000 order earns ₹500. HSBC Live+ keeps those three sites at 1.5%, so the same order earns ₹150. Live+ is the better card for groceries, restaurants and utility bills.

Sources

HDFC Bank: Part I Key Fact Statement cum Most Important Terms and Conditions (MITC), English, Version 4.18; Credit Card Fee Waiver Condition (Pricing MID for Oct 2026); List of Inclusion for 5% Cashback category with Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card; List of Exclusions for 1% Cashback category with Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card; Swiggy Ornge HDFC Bank Credit Card (product page); How to Get a Credit Card in 3 Easy Steps (HDFC Bank blog)
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, India (HSBC India): HSBC Credit Card Key Fact Statement; Important Terms and Conditions - HSBC Platinum Credit Card and HSBC Live+ Credit Card; HSBC Live+ Credit Card; HSBC Live+ Credit Card (footnote)

Last verified: 5 November 2026

Written by Anjali Bhargawa, reviewed by BankCreds Financial Experts

BankCreds does not sell cards or take applications. Fees and rewards change; the bank's own terms on the day you apply are what count, and approval is the bank's decision.