Some credit cards reward you for dining, some are geared towards shopping rebates, and others are all about your entertainment spending. But what if you want all 3?
Enter the freshly launched HSBC Live+ Credit Card, a lifestyle card that currently gives you 8% cashback at dining, shopping, and entertainment merchants. The latter includes streaming subscriptions like Disney+, Netflix, and Spotify, making the HSBC Live+ Credit Card the highest rebate earner for streaming services among other credit cards in Singapore. On top of that, you’ll also earn 5% cashback when you fill up at Caltex and Shell petrol stations in Singapore. Yup, this credit card packs quite a punch!
At first glance, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card sounds like a winner for its relatively high cashback rate across a range of spend categories. But after 31 Dec 2024, its highest cashback categories will have their cashback rates reduced to 5% (assuming HSBC doesn’t extend the promotion rates). Is the card worth getting in 2024 if we know it won’t be as good in 2025? Do its minimum spends and cashback caps make sense? How does the cashback work? Let’s find out.
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HSBC Live+ Credit Card—Is it MoneySmart? |
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 Overall: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5) |
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Pros—What we like |
Cons—What we don’t like |
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– Generous 8% cashback rate (till 31 Dec 2024) on dining, shopping and entertainment |
– 15% off dining under the Live+ Dining Programme: Restaurants in Singapore are limited to 35 (when we counted) and tend to be more expensive establishments you’d only visit on special occasions. Plus, some are subject to minimum spends of up to $200 for the 15% discount to be applicable. |
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HSBC Live+ Credit Card at a glance |
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Category |
Our rating |
The deets |
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Earn rates: Cashback |
★★★★★ |
– 8% cashback (includes 3% limited-time additional cashback) on dining, shopping, and entertainment from now till 31 Dec 2024 |
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Earn categories |
★★★★☆ |
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Annual fees and charges |
★★★★☆ |
$196.20 (first year waived, waived for subsequent years if you spend more than $12,500 with the card per year) |
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Accessibility |
★★★★☆ |
Minimum income requirement: |
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Extras/periphery rewards |
★★★★★ |
– Up to 17% upfront fuel savings and additional 5% cashback at Caltex and Shell |
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Sign-up bonus |
★★★★☆ |
For new HSBC cardholders: |
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See our credit card ranking rubric to find out how we rank credit cards.
HSBC Live+ Credit Card MoneySmart Review (2024)
1. HSBC Live+ Credit Card: Cashback rate and categories
Online Promo
HSBC Live+ Card
More Details
Key Features
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Enjoy up to 8% cashback* when you dine, shop and live your life, both locally and overseas.
– 8% cashback* on dining, shopping and entertainment
– 5% cashback on fuel at Caltex and Shell gas stations in Singapore
– 0.3% cashback on other spends
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Savour sweet deals of 15% discount at over 200 restaurants through our curated Live+ Dining Programme
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Enjoy 1-for-1 dining, travel and lifestyle partners through your complimentary ENTERTAINER with HSBC app
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Enjoy savings when you purchase movie tickets and HSBC’s Movie Cards at any Golden Village multiplexes in Singapore.
*Min. spend and other terms and conditions apply. Valid till 31 Dec 2024.
The HSBC Live+ Credit Card is a lifestyle credit card. Its chief benefit is its 5% cashback on a number of lifestyle categories:
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Dining: Restaurants, fast food outlets, bakeries and more (but supermarkets are not included)
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Shopping: Includes departmental stores, clothing shops, shoe stores and more
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Entertainment: Includes movie tickets and subscriptions such as Disney+, Netflix, and Spotify
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Petrol: Shell and Caltex
From now till 31 Dec 2024, HSBC is sweetening the deal with a bonus 3% additional cashback on the first 3 categories above. That means you’ll earn a generous 8% cashback on dining, shopping, and entertainment.
On other spending, you’ll earn the base cashback rate of 0.3%.
Here’s a full list of the merchant category codes eligible for the 5%/8% cashback:
2. HSBC Live+ Credit Card: How does the cashback work?
The HSBC Live+ Credit Card’s cashback programme works on a quarterly basis. So firstly, you’ll need to spend a minimum of $600 per month on the card for all 3 months in a calendar quarter.
If you fulfil this requirement, you’ll receive your 5% or 8% cashback within 2 months after the end of the quarter. Yeah, that means you may only see the cashback you earned in July in as late as November—that’s 5 months of waiting time!
Cashback will be credited into your card account. It doesn’t come in the form of rewards points or miles.
You can earn a maximum of $250 cashback per quarter, which works out to a spend amount of $3,125 (assuming 8% cashback) or $5,000 (assuming 5% cashback).
Earning cashback with the HSBC Live+ Credit Card in your first quarter
Since the HSBC Live+ Credit Card’s cashback programme works on a quarterly basis, does that mean I have to wait for the start of a quarter to apply for the card? Otherwise, I can’t hit the minimum monthly spend for all 3 months in a quarter, right?
Wrong. HSBC will ignore the $600/month minimum spend only for your first quarter. All you have to do is hit a $1,000 minimum spend during the first quarter to be eligible for the 8% (till 31 Dec 2024) or 5% (after 31 Dec 2024) cashback. You’ll still only receive your cashback within 2 months after the quarter ends, but the spend requirement is much easier to fulfil.
3. HSBC Live+ Credit Card: Deals and offers
On top of the cashback you’ll earn, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card will also give you discounts and deals in each of the 3 bonus lifestyle categories it targets. I’m listing some examples of what you can expect below, but you can also click on the respective links to see the full lists.
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Dining: 15% at over 200 restaurants across Asia under their Live+ Dining Programme. For example in Singapore, you can get 15% off à la carte food at Alma by Juan Amador, Dancing Crab, Lao Beijing, Sarnies Cafe, TungLok restaurants, and more
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Shopping: Deals are available both online and in-store. Examples include 15% off regular price items at Far East Flora, 20% off with minimum $80 spend at Laneige, up to 3% cashback + $7 bonus cashback at lululemon via ShopBack, and 15% off regular priced items with a minimum spend of S$300 at Swarovski
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Entertainment: Get discounts at Golden Village—enjoy $2 off movie tickets and purchase a Weekdays Movie Card at $80 or an All-Days Movie Card at $115 (worth 10 movie tickets). Movie Cards are also available for Gold Class.
4. Should I get the HSBC Live+ Credit Card?
While the HSBC Live+ Credit Card comes with a nice set of deals and privileges, its biggest draw is still its fat 8% cashback rate being offered till the end of 2024.
If you’re big on dining out, shopping (mainly clothes and shoes) and/or watching movies, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card is a great card to add to your wallet. It’s both comprehensive and, thanks to the 8% limited-time cashback, generous. I can’t think of any other card on the market right now that offers the same cashback rate on 3 lifestyle categories.
When I say you’re “big” on dining, shopping and/or movies, I mean you should at least be spending at least $600 a month on these categories for this card to make sense for you. This is the minimum you need to be eligible for the 8% cashback. To maximise it, charge an average of $1,042 a month to the card—this will yield the maximum cashback of $250 per quarter.
Are you sold? Get the HSBC Live+ Credit Card sooner rather than later, while its 8% cashback rate and welcome gift of up to $300 cashback still apply. After 2024, if HSBC doesn’t extend the 8% cashback offer, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card isn’t as impressive.
5. HSBC Live+ Credit Card: Sign-up promotion
Online Promo
HSBC Live+ Card
More Details
Key Features
-
Enjoy up to 8% cashback* when you dine, shop and live your life, both locally and overseas.
– 8% cashback* on dining, shopping and entertainment
– 5% cashback on fuel at Caltex and Shell gas stations in Singapore
– 0.3% cashback on other spends
-
Savour sweet deals of 15% discount at over 200 restaurants through our curated Live+ Dining Programme
-
Enjoy 1-for-1 dining, travel and lifestyle partners through your complimentary ENTERTAINER with HSBC app
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Enjoy savings when you purchase movie tickets and HSBC’s Movie Cards at any Golden Village multiplexes in Singapore.
*Min. spend and other terms and conditions apply. Valid till 31 Dec 2024.
For new HSBC cardholders, you get 2 sets of welcome gifts when you sign up for the new HSBC Live+ Credit Card:
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$100 cashback when you make at least one qualifying spend from Card Account Opening Date to the end of the following month.
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Samsonite ZELTUS 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale (worth $680) or $200 cashback when you spend at least $500 from Card Account Opening Date to the end of the following month and provide marketing consent.
If you’re an existing HSBC cardholder, you can get $50 cashback when you spend at least $500 from Card Account Opening Date to the end of the following month and provide marketing consent.
Valid till 30 Sep 2024.
6. Alternatives to the HSBC Live+ Credit Card
Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card: Earn 6% cashback on fast food dining, coffee and toast, digital subscriptions and your daily commute (Bus/MRT). If HSBC doesn’t renew the additional 3% cashback that brings the HSBC Live+ Credit Card’s 5% cashback to 8%, the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card will be the highest cashback earner for subscription services like Netflix and Spotify.
MoneySmart Exclusive
Up to 6% Cashback
Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card
MoneySmart Exclusive:
Earn 1,890 SmartPoints or up to S$230 Cash via PayNow when you apply and spend a min. of S$1,000 in eligible transactions within 60 days from card approval date. T&Cs apply.
Use 1,890 SmartPoints to fully redeem a product from our Rewards Store. If the product costs more, redeem with your points and top up the rest by purchasing additional SmartPoints e.g. get an Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) at only S$214 on top of your earned SmartPoints.
Valid until 30 Jun 2024
More Details
Key Features
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6%* cashback on your everyday spend at your favourite merchants across fast food dining, coffee and toast, digital subscriptions and on your daily commute (Bus/MRT). No minimum spend requirement. *T&Cs apply.
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No Annual Fees ever
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3-month interest-free instalments with no service fees
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Enjoy dining and shopping discount privileges at over 3,000 outlets in Asia with Standard Chartered’s The Good Life Program
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Complimentary travel medical insurance – Have a peace of mind when you travel with complimentary travel insurance coverage of up to S$500,000. Simply charge your full travel fare to your card before you go abroad. Terms and conditions apply.
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At MoneySmart, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different from what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider, or specific product site. MoneySmart shall not be liable to compensate the Customer should the information is not as updated as our Partner.
UOB One Card: If you spend $2,000 a month, you can get 10% cashback on McDonald’s (including McDelivery®), Shopee, DFI Retail Group (Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Giant, Guardian, 7-Eleven and more), Grab (including GrabFood) and SimplyGo (bus and train rides).
Online Promo
Up to 10% Cashback
UOB One Card
More Details
Key Features
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Up to 10% cashback on McDonald’s (including McDelivery®)
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Up to 10% cashback at Shopee Singapore (excludes ShopeePay)
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Up to 10% cashback at DFI Retail Group (Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Giant, Guardian, 7-Eleven & more)
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Up to 10% cashback at Grab (including GrabFood, excludes Grab mobile wallet top-ups)
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Up to 10% cashback (bus and train rides)
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Up to 10% cashback on UOB Travel
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Up to 4.33% cashback on Singapore Power utilities bill.
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Up to 3.33% cashback on all retail spend (based on S$500, S$1,000 or S$2,000)
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Fuel savings of up to 22.66% at Shell and SPC
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Exclusions and T&Cs at uob.com.sg/onetncs
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At MoneySmart, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different from what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider, or specific product site. MoneySmart shall not be liable to compensate the Customer should the information is not as updated as our Partner.
Citi Cash Back Card: With a $800 minimum monthly spend, enjoy 8% cashback on petrol and private commute spend, and 6% cashback on dining and groceries spend.
MoneySmart Exclusive
FLASH DEAL | Up to 8% Cashback
Citi Cash Back Card
MoneySmart Exclusive:
[FLASH DEAL | FASTER GIFT FULFILMENT]
Earn 5,040 SmartPoints or S$300 Cash via PayNow, in as fast as 5 weeks from meeting the S$500 spend criteria! T&Cs apply.
OR get a COMPLIMENTARY GIFT UPGRADE to a ECOVACS DEEBOT T20e OMNI Robot Vacuum Cleaner (worth S$1,199) when you are the first 5 customers to submit the claim form at 2PM & 9PM daily!
Use 5,040 SmartPoints to fully redeem a product from our Rewards Store. If the product costs more, redeem with your points and top up the rest by purchasing additional SmartPoints e.g. get an Apple 10.9-inch iPad Wi‑Fi 64GB (10th Generation) at only S$110 on top of your earned SmartPoints.
Valid until 21 Jun 2024
More Details
Key Features
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8% cash back on petrol and private commute spend
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6% cash back on dining and groceries spend
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0.2% cash back on all other retail spend
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20.88% savings at Esso and Shell
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Up to S$1,000,000 coverage when you charge your travel tickets to the card
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With Citi PayAll, you can earn and accumulate Citi Miles, Citi ThankYou PointsSM or Cash Back quickly when you pay your big-ticket bills such as rent, insurance premiums, education expenses, taxes, utilities and more
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At MoneySmart, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different from what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider, or specific product site. MoneySmart shall not be liable to compensate the Customer should the information is not as updated as our Partner.
P.S. Here’s our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric
In case you’re wondering, here’s how we decide on our credit card rankings.
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Is that credit card MoneySmart? Our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric |
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Category |
Our rating |
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Overall |
The average rating for the credit card on the whole, calculated from the ratings for the individual categories below. Plus, we’ll give you a one-liner on who we think the credit card is best suited for. |
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Earn rates: Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points |
Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points. This category looks at the depth rather than breadth of earn rates.
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Earn categories |
This category looks at the breadth rather than depth of your earnings.
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Annual fees and charges |
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Accessibility |
Minimum income requirements:
Exclusivity: We dock 1-2 stars if there is/are another category/categories that make the card exclusive and very specific to a certain clientele. |
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Extras/periphery rewards |
These include:
We count the number of benefits and award between 0.5 to 2 stars for each, depending on how good the perk is. |
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Sign-up bonus |
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Check out our ultimate list of credit card reviews for the low-down on credit cards in Singapore.
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About the author
Vanessa Nah is a personal finance content writer who pens articles on the ins and outs of buying your first home, the T&Cs of credit cards, and the ups and downs of alternative investments. She’s a researcher at heart and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to breaking down complex finance concepts and making them easy to understand for the everyday Singaporean. When Vanessa’s not debunking finance myths, you’ll find her attending dance classes, fingerpicking a guitar, or (most impawtently) fulfilling her life mission to make her one-eyed cat the most spoiled and loved kitty in the world.
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Original article: HSBC Live+ Credit Card: With 8% Cashback on Dining, Shopping, and Entertainment, is this the Ultimate Lifestyle Credit Card?.
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