As others have pointed out, both are clever marketing methods to access cheap funding for the banks but also do provide benefits. With HSBC I get:
- fee free credit cards already in 3 countries (and they are happy to open similar ones in others for you)
- global transfers of funds
- discovering their lounges at airports and accessing them is a pleasant surprise.

I tried to give Citibank a chance in each of the 3 countries (including the US) and quite frankly they couldn't organise their way out of a paper bag. YMMV.