MPC hotline - in queue for 95 minutes !
May 9, 2008 | 11:22 am
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX Diamond / SQ Gold / Bonvoy Platinum / Hyatt Globalist / Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,100
May 9, 2008 | 12:19 pm
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: None any more
Posts: 11,017
Talk to your Customer Relationship Manager - he or she can tell you all about this. You can also view all your HSBC bank accounts online in a single view under your home login.
I am HK Permanent Resident and that's my home country for HSBC Premier, but I have recently opened an account in HSBC Jersey (where I have never been) and am in the process of getting one in HSBC Philippines (where my wife comes from). This is all very straightforward.
May 10, 2008 | 12:13 am
#33
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 486
well, at least you actually fly on paid tickets - and you must fly a lot (being a DM is no small feat - you're clocking up at least 120,000 AM by actually flying)! i rarely fly on paid tickets and i've never bought a business/first class ticket on any airline. all my AM are from credit card purchases. but with the credit card spending i'm able to fly 3-4 longhaul flights in business. my job doesn't involve any flying around and so all the trips i make are holiday trips.
your remark about dining is very true - and it is definitely a good way to earn miles. as for the following question
suffice to say that one starts with a letter J and the other starts with a letter P ... i did have to pay a surcharge (to the car dealer) to charge the whole car to my credit card. plus a large deposit of money into the credit card in advance. the surcharge wasn't a small sum, but when you think about all the miles, it's worth it. HK$1.5 million / 6 = 250,000 miles.
your remark about dining is very true - and it is definitely a good way to earn miles. as for the following question
suffice to say that one starts with a letter J and the other starts with a letter P ... i did have to pay a surcharge (to the car dealer) to charge the whole car to my credit card. plus a large deposit of money into the credit card in advance. the surcharge wasn't a small sum, but when you think about all the miles, it's worth it. HK$1.5 million / 6 = 250,000 miles.
Regarding to the brand P,do they accpet AMEX for paying deposit or even the whole car?
May 10, 2008 | 12:15 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 486
Argh, I see you are into Indian cars then 
Assuming the surcharge is 3%, that's HK$45,000! You can buy 2 discounted J tickets to LHR or YVR for that money or one RTW in J, both options would cost ~250,000 miles. But more importantly, you get to earn miles on if you spent the HK$45,000 on revenue tickets. There is no way round it guys, the actuaries in Asia miles's back office always win!!!
I would really like to maximise my mileage earning too (I spend around $1m each year) but it's all too rather complex and time consuming. After spending 10-15 minutes every day on this forum I don't have much spare time to understand credit card earning rules
Assuming the surcharge is 3%, that's HK$45,000! You can buy 2 discounted J tickets to LHR or YVR for that money or one RTW in J, both options would cost ~250,000 miles. But more importantly, you get to earn miles on if you spent the HK$45,000 on revenue tickets. There is no way round it guys, the actuaries in Asia miles's back office always win!!!
I would really like to maximise my mileage earning too (I spend around $1m each year) but it's all too rather complex and time consuming. After spending 10-15 minutes every day on this forum I don't have much spare time to understand credit card earning rules
May 10, 2008 | 12:21 am
#35
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 486
I only paid an extra 1% service charge. Got the (official) dealer to pay the rest out of their pocket. Forgot to say that there was no service charge for the first $300,000 deposit (usually $100,000 but I argued $300,000 ). So the service charge paid was $12000. And the 250,000 miles got me 2 x LHR in J when it used to be 100,000 miles (connected BA Club Europe to other European cities with those) with 50,000 left over.
Called MPO again today regarding my South American flights .... on hold for 45 minutes (called around 2am HK time).
). So the service charge paid was $12000. And the 250,000 miles got me 2 x LHR in J when it used to be 100,000 miles (connected BA Club Europe to other European cities with those) with 50,000 left over.Called MPO again today regarding my South American flights .... on hold for 45 minutes (called around 2am HK time).
. I have to pay the other half by cheque.It is really a pain to call Asia Miles without a status,you might try some off-peak time like early morning (0700-0730??).
I try to call to MPO during the office hour,so I have never spent more than 5sec to speak to the CSOs after being a DM.
May 10, 2008 | 12:28 am
#36
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 486
May 10, 2008 | 12:50 am
#37
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Japan
Programs: NH Diamond, JL JGC Diamond, BA Gold Guest List(Gold for life), CX Diamond
Posts: 1,580
However, Banks require term deposits for credit card issueing.
IMHO, HSBC Premier account in HK requires a term deposit for credit card issueing for a non-resident.
May 13, 2008 | 1:09 am
#38
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 246
I've all but given up on trying to get hold of them. Tried last night at 9:45pm and gave up when 10:45 rolled around and I was on the 100th cycle of "I can fly".
Question for the clever types: How do I book a redemption flight online using two members' airmile numbers? It keeps rejecting me on the grounds that I don't have enough miles, but I want to input two Asiamiles nos in there - one for each passenger.
Question for the clever types: How do I book a redemption flight online using two members' airmile numbers? It keeps rejecting me on the grounds that I don't have enough miles, but I want to input two Asiamiles nos in there - one for each passenger.
May 13, 2008 | 2:10 am
#39
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: None any more
Posts: 11,017
Online you'd need to make two separate bookings. You can only make a redemption booking when logged in as the account that you wish to redeem from. You can't (quite reasonably) pull miles from someone else's account.
May 13, 2008 | 3:52 am
#40
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 246
Fairy nuff. I was hoping that I could do my bookings and my spouse's bookings at the same time, but I guess I'll need to try and get through to them later on tonight.
I wonder if the Asia Miles call centre is outsourced to iCable...
Actually in fairness, the Asia Miles people are extraordinary helpful. It's such a shame that they're so elusive.
I wonder if the Asia Miles call centre is outsourced to iCable...
Actually in fairness, the Asia Miles people are extraordinary helpful. It's such a shame that they're so elusive.
May 13, 2008 | 4:53 am
#41
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: VS G, GA GFF Ex Gold, TG *S; CX Ex MPC GOLD; QF Silver/QC Member ,SPG Ex Gold, HHonors Ex Gold
Posts: 80
Folks, the outsource operator is PCCW. It is no fault of theirs as CX Loyalty Pty Ltd had already detailed them a fixed 5 year budget that they have to work with ie XXXX number of FTE. Assuming that PCCW work with 200 agents 24/7, language split 80% Cantonese 20% English and the monthly call load is 500,000 - the greenies at the back of the bus will have to wait longer for an english speaking agent. In the order of customer loyalty , the call centre CTI will identify DM, GM and SM and GM and route the most valued client to the next available agent. So if you are an english speaking greenie and a DM rings in later, the DM call will be routed first and the Greenie will be pushed backed further in the queue. This is no different from PCL and JCL check-in. So the trick is to move up the ranks to at least G or D and the wait times will disappear.
May 13, 2008 | 7:49 am
#42
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
Does CX really outsource the MPC calling centre? This is the core part of the CX service. The agents can decide on special situations and have to communicate with different CX departments. They also need to have very good knowledge of CX policies and have access to privileged information.
Last edited by cxfan1960; May 13, 2008 at 9:45 am