Best Travel Credit Cards in India (2026): Scapia vs HSBC TravelOne vs Marriott Bonvoy

“Travel credit card” means three completely different things depending on which one you pick. One eliminates forex fees for free. One turns everyday spending into airline miles. One turns hotel stays into hotel status. Here’s which is which.

Quick take

• Scapia: lifetime-free, eliminates the 3-3.5% forex markup on international spends. Best entry point if you just want to stop losing money abroad.
• HSBC TravelOne: mid-premium card for people who actually collect airline/hotel miles and want instant, fee-free point transfers.
• HDFC Marriott Bonvoy: for people who stay at Marriott-family hotels often enough that hotel status and free nights matter more than cashback.

Fees and who each is actually for

	Scapia	HSBC TravelOne	Marriott Bonvoy
Annual fee	₹0 (lifetime free)	₹4,999 + GST (waived at ₹8,00,000/yr spend)	₹3,000 + GST (no waiver available)
Forex markup	0%	Standard (not the main benefit)	Standard (not the main benefit)
Core benefit	No forex fee, ~1-2% reward rate	Points transfer to 20 airline/hotel programs, instantly, free	Marriott status + free night awards
Lounge access	Unlimited domestic, needs ₹20,000 prior-month spend	10 visits/year + airport transfers	12 visits/year (domestic + international)

Scapia: already covered in detail

We wrote a full breakdown of Scapia’s fees, reward structure, and lounge-access condition in our dedicated Scapia review, worth reading first if a completely free travel card is what you’re after.

HSBC TravelOne: for people who actually track airline miles

This is a genuinely different kind of card. Most Indian travel cards give you “points” that are only useful within the issuing bank’s own reward catalog. TravelOne instead transfers its points 1:1, instantly, with no phone call and no transfer fee to 20 different airline and hotel loyalty programs, a real differentiator if you already have (or want to build) a specific airline’s frequent-flyer account.

• 4 points per ₹100 on travel spending (including international transactions)
• 2 points per ₹100 on everything else (capped at 50,000 points/month on the 2x tier)
• Welcome benefit: spend ₹25,000 within 30 days via the HSBC app → ₹1,000 cashback + ₹3,000 travel voucher + 3-month EazyDiner Prime
• Only available in 18 major cities (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, and others); check availability in your city before applying
• The ₹8,00,000/year spend needed to waive the ₹4,999 annual fee is a real commitment. This card only makes sense if you’re already spending that much on a card anyway

HDFC Marriott Bonvoy: for hotel loyalists specifically

This card doesn’t compete on cashback or forex fees at all. Its entire value is Marriott-specific.

• 8 points per ₹150 spent at Marriott properties, 4 points per ₹150 on travel/dining/entertainment, 2 points per ₹150 elsewhere
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status just for holding the card
• 1 Free Night Award (up to 15,000 points) after your first transaction
• Milestone free nights at ₹6,00,000 / ₹9,00,000 / ₹15,00,000 in annual spend
• Important: this card runs on the Diners Club network, which has noticeably lower merchant acceptance in India than Visa/Mastercard. Worth having a second card as backup for places that don’t accept Diners
• The ₹3,000 annual fee has no waiver option at all. Factor that in as a fixed yearly cost, not a “maybe” fee

So which one should you actually get?

• Occasional international traveler, want to stop losing money to forex fees, no annual fee → Scapia
• Frequent flyer who already has airline/hotel loyalty accounts → HSBC TravelOne
• Stay at Marriott-family hotels multiple times a year → HDFC Marriott Bonvoy
• Not sure yet → start with Scapia since it’s free either way, and add a second card once your travel pattern is clearer

None of these replace the basic habit of tracking what you’re actually paying in annual fees across every card you hold. Run your full card lineup through the SubsCut calculator alongside your subscriptions to see the real yearly total.

FAQ

Which travel card should a beginner get first? Scapia. It’s free either way, eliminates forex fees immediately, and doesn’t require the higher spend commitment that HSBC TravelOne or Marriott Bonvoy involve.

Does HSBC TravelOne work in every city? No, it’s only available in 18 major cities (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, and others). Check availability in your city before applying.