sxc

Is that cakculation correct? From my understanding of the scb infinite card, you earn 2 points per dollar spent so that would be $120k to earn 240k points?

KO2546

tedhl is talking about SCB Visa Infinite, whereas ChrisLi is talking about SCB Amex overseas spending which gives 6 points/HKD.

ChrisLi

Actually I have a mis-calc in my reply, which should work out, regardless it means 10K miles for 200 HKD when you do similar spending pattern

For 2 point per HKD local transaction, I suggest you to skip all the trouble to go straight ahead with DBS amex which gives you the same at no fee, or when compared with Citibank

SCB Visa Infinite : 120K Spending = 240 K points = 20K miles (+200 HKD)
Citi PremierMiles : 120K Spending = 180 K points = 15K miles

So effectively you are paying 200 HKD for 5K miles ..

Which Asiamiles.com charge you 60 USD / 480 HKD for 2K miles for top-up or

So the maths is quite easy. I will go for the 200 HKD for 5K miles deal if I am using it for long haul upgrade. If I am doing short haul TPE trip in Y I will save my money at bank

percysmith

Update post-Nov 09: new SCB redemption is $15 spending per mile and $300 fee per conversion with no limit.

So SCB Visa Infinite will now be : 120K Spending = 240 K points = 16K miles (+300 HKD)

So you're only getting 1K for 300 HKD now. Even compared to the CX top-up offer it's not worth it (I never thought the top-up offer was value for money anyway).

theworld

Just saw that on the SCB website, not great at all. Will need to re-evaluate my cards yet again.

kaka

it's been a while, and i'm wondering if anyone has registered for the double miles promotion for SCB

theworld

Yep, it was my fault really, I had other things going on in my life, so I wasn't paying attention to all the changes with SCB, so didn't get round to change any when they were at 12 points to 1 AM.

OK, now it seems the best is as follows:

Local spend - DBS Amex @ $6 = 1AM (when no Amex, SCB Visa Infinite @ $7.5 = 1AM + $300 fee or Citibank Visa @ $8 = 1AM)
Local dining - DBS Visa / MC @ $4 = 1AM
AAVS - SCB Visa Infinite @ $7.5 = 1AM + $300 fee or Citibank Visa @ $8 = 1AM

Foreign spend - SCB Amex @ $2.5 = 1AM + $300 fee, with c.2.5-3.5% currency conversion charges for non USD and c.2% conversion charges if USD (when no Amex, DBS Visa / MC @ $4 = 1AM, with c.2% conversion charges)

I think that is correct, obviously let me know if my numbers are off, or I've got the wrong cards.

percysmith

I've registered for the initial promotion and have earned eligible spending under it.

I had a negative points bank at the end of the promotion cos I reversed a pre-promotion transaction during the promotion.

SCB said they will not credit bonus miles to a negative points bank; however, they gave me until 15 April to make good the points bank. I'm almost done (I do have a grudge with them having to make good the points bank in such a short period of time).

I'm waiting for the notification letter (per clause 7 of promotion T&C) to register my AM number (even though the registration site is already up up). Has anyone received that letter?

alan945

I just noticed Bank of Communications has a VISA card with Asia Miles, anyone got this? Never used them before so if anyone has any feedback on them that would be great.

cy1978hk

There is currently a promotion for the Bank of Communications Visa Platinum card. You will earn 3x bonus points on every retail purchase, so effectively HK$4 = 1 miles.

There had always been promotion on this card too! Last time in Nov - Dec 2009, there was a 5x bonus points promotion so effectively you are earning HK$2.4 = 1 mile. ^^^

percysmith

I've been using that card since Sep 09 when they handed out the 6,000 AM sign-on bonus (have to use the cathaypacific.com form to get 6,000).

They had quite a few promotions since I signed up - a double miles promotion in Sep-Oct 09, the 3X-5X promotion in Mid Nov-Dec 09 and now the 3X promotion from mid-Feb to mid-Mar.

It's been a good card to use so far for promotions. Their T&C are relatively straightforward (unlike SCB's...) and they exclude few items. They didn't even exclude online bill payment for the last two promotions (***but they wised up and are excluding it for the current does exclude***).

However their infrastructure is a bit behind:

1. have to go to branch to get the card

2. internet banking must be set up at the branch. Maybe they'll allow you to set up internet banking at the same time as your card pick-up; however, I wasn't aware of that when I signed up so I took two trips.

3. Unless you have a banking account with Bankcomm (i.e. a normal deposit account), your internet login username is your credit number. They won't let you copy and paste the whole number.

4. Magstripe card still - they still don't have chip cards (but all Amex cards are magstripe - and no one's whinged about that, so maybe it's not a real whinge).

5. (Maybe as a result of (4)) All me and my friends' Bankcomm cards have one year validity only

6. Their customer service hotline is the worst-manned in HK -I've been held for 45 mins without being answered.

6a. There's no lost card emergency option in the hotline to connect you to an operator straight away.

percysmith

Their "normal" offer is pretty standard - $12:1 mile.

No conversion fees until 31 Mar, and $20 flat fee per conversion thereafter (that's right, twenty, not three hundred that SCB/HSBC charges).

But with the promotions, they beat even the DBS Black/DBS Platinum/Citi Premiermiles "combo" above. The Bankcomm is best for paying everything - both dining and non-dining Visa, and all AE spending.

Now that there's a promotion, my wallet's gotten so much lighter as I can put the "combo" away.

around the world

Any update to this thread? I notice that CX has a number of credit card tie-ins with numerous credit card issuers - both big and small. Are there any lucrative sign up bonuses or ongoing promotions at the moment w/ any of these banks? Are the popular issuers like AE, DBS, and Bankcomm still the most attractive?

Percysmith: Do you still find your Bankcomm Visa is the best for paying everything? What promotions do they have now?

percysmith

Bankcomm promotions have lapsed. I've put my Bankcomm away.

(I am risking potential FT treason here but) I've been going for a Bank of East Asia 4% cash back offer of late: http://www.hongkongcard.com/discussi...8&bank_id=0008. My threshhold is only HK$1,500 and I get 4% plus normal points on any spending over that in "eligible categories" (which includes dining, supermarket, department store, non-HKD - this covers most of my spending except medical!).

I'm also going for the Fubon "Sure Win Spending Rewards" if the transaction is slightly above $500 cos I get 2X normal points + a min 2,000 point one-off reward (meaning a $500 transaction in any category would guarantee 250 miles http://www.fubonbank.com.hk/web/html...isald01_e.html). But only if the transaction is between $500-$600 is the Fubon offer better than the BEA offer.

christep

Not sacrilege as far as I am concerned - I'm definitely open to cashback/rebate offers as well - 4% is pretty good - I wish I'd seen that earlier. Although I am loath to have more than about 4 credit cards in my wallet.

I'm waiting to see if Citibank will waive my annual fee when it becomes due shortly on the PremierMiles card - if not them I'll be looking for a new Visa card. Regrettably the BEA offer closes about the time I'll find out. Is anyone aware of any Visa cards with good offers (cash or miles) which run to, say, the end of 2010?