Liv Cashback+ vs HSBC Live+: which is better in the UAE? (2026)

Liv Cashback+ and HSBC Live+ both compete for everyday UAE spend, and searchers usually land here trying to work out which one keeps more of it. The figures below are computed from each card's live reward rules at AED 9,000 a month, net of annual fees — not from headline rates, which rarely survive contact with real category caps. Perks like lounge access and cinema tickets are valued separately in the calculator's total rather than folded into these figures, since what they are worth depends entirely on whether you use them.

On an AED 9,000-a-month profile Liv Cashback+ comes out ahead by AED 166 a year — AED 1,334 net against AED 1,168 for HSBC Live+. That gap is after each card's annual fee, so it is the number to judge them on rather than the advertised rate.

Neither card sweeps. Liv Cashback+ takes 1 of the spend categories above and HSBC Live+ takes 3, which means the right answer depends on where your money actually goes — a profile weighted toward the categories the runner-up wins can flip the total. Enter your own spend in the calculator above rather than trusting the default split.

Both charge an annual fee — AED 735 on Liv Cashback+ and AED 314 on HSBC Live+ — so both need to earn their keep. The net figures above already account for that.

Eligibility separates them too: HSBC Live+ opens at AED 5,000 a month against AED 15,000 for Liv Cashback+. If you sit between the two thresholds the comparison is settled for you regardless of which earns more.