percysmith

Yeah

And just as an FYI, even Marriotts in China do not use the same billing system. FTer Moondog over at the FT China forum got a carbon BoC DCC slip like I did http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...cam-8.html#111

percysmith

Just to close this sub-thread the correct contact to 羅啓姸 was delivered to me this afternoon as a "Visa Infinite Concierge" email 52.5 hours after the Platinum Cantonese conceirge called me back (28.5 hours if I don't count Sunday).

VI/Platinum Concierge found me her PA's contact as well. But they weren't able to locate any shop that sells her jewellery without appointment as requested. So they aren't able to really pull the impossible.

percysmith

Read all about it

http://www.boci.com.hk/eng/spec/prom5240/index.php
http://www.boci.com.hk/eng/spec/prom...ds_english.pdf

also http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...ow.php?id=4818

The T&C links don't work on either of the English or Chinese versions. However, I verified what annoymous said in hongkongcard.com directly with BoC Customer Service 2581 5188. They also said they'll send us an updated rewards brochure by mail.

This is going to be a pain cos it's currently the only HK-issued Unionpay card that earns miles. I haven't thought of a way to get around it.

Meanwhile use the old mileage form to redeem your BoCHK points banks using the old rate a week or two before 30 Apr 11 http://www.boci.com.hk/pdf/chi/Mileage_form.pdf

And for those of you who think you'll avoid this by redeeming supermarket coupons using 20,000pts/$100 coupon instead, no such luck. Coupons have been devalued to 25,000pts/$100 coupon unless you've been with them for >10 years http://www.boci.com.hk/eng/spec/prom...am_english.pdf

percysmith

New entry to the best card list (though I do not think it's a particularly good offer):

III. Supermarket, Dept Store:

i. (Supermarket only, to 15 Jul 11) Shacom TVB Platinum Card - 1 mile per $0.8 spent ($100 fee per $10,000 mile redeemed) (on first $1,000 spending per month)

http://www.shacombank.com.hk/bankscb...09_ilovehk.pdf
http://www.shacombank.com.hk/bankscb...b_extra_tc.pdf

There's nothing else attractive about the card. So the offer is like a 6,250 mile welcome offer (given there's roughly only 5 months to run on this promotion) and the condition is that you have to spend 1,000 at supermarkets per month on it. Plus pay the min $100 fee.

Roughly equates to 10% rebate on that 5,000 supermarket spending.

P.S. you cannot pool points from different card accounts (e.g. TVB + Po Leung Kuk) with Shacom for redeeming AM http://www.shacombank.com.hk/bankscb/pdf/en_CRD910.pdf

percysmith

Shacom Unionpay Card
http://www.shacombank.com.hk/scb/b5_...card_card.html
http://www.shacombank.com.hk/scb/b5_...card_gift.html

Still RMB12/mile
But has conversion fee of $100/10,000AM
Points expire in two years

Shacom allows settlement from a Shacom RMB deposit account or cash over the counter, like BoCHK.

But the stumbling block is the fee.
Using $0.1/mile, need to earn 60,000 pts/Shacom 5,000 miles to make the min $100 fee fee worthwhile.

And I only have two years to do it - my average annual spend in RMB is now <RMB10,000 - after years of audit PRC is not my favourite destination.

percysmith

Just updated best cards list - Citibank Rewards 5X merchants include telecommunication bills paid by autopay. Interesting way to earn $3/mile, but most of us are on $6/mile anyway:


http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...ow.php?id=4834
http://www.citibank.com.hk/HKGCB/APP...wards_card.htm

percysmith

10,138 (8,888 basic + 1,250 online application) miles for $12,000 spending (sales slip) in two months

http://www.citibank.com.hk/global_do...dc-master.html

to 31 March

Previously 6,250 for any spending.

12,000 a bit steep! Esp for sales slip spending...have to plan

sxc

What does sales slip mean? What's the catch?

percysmith

Sorry the offer should be 10,138AM not 8,888, I thought 8,888 included the 1,250 online application offer (it did not).

Sales slip means the spending requirement must be met by card-present retail transactions where you get a sales slip in the end i.e. no online purchases, autopay, fax/mail purchases, phone purchases, online bill payment, Octopus AAVS, instalment programs, cash advances etc.

My colleagues and I try to pick out offers where we can meet by internet spending - we have huge accounting associations and examination fees to pay. I think one colleague racked up 30K in CFA exam fees during last year's first application deadline. "Sales slip" stops us from meeting spending requirements that way.

"Sales slip" is quite a strict spending requirement. If a bank stated that and you tried to meet the bonus via non-sales slip purchases and then complained to the bank, the bank can ask you to send it all sales slips you used to come up with 12,000 (SCB did - http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...ow.php?id=4651).

I've seen variants of the rule - SCB for instance requires local sales slip for its Platinum welcome offer. It's $500 for $5,500 spending requires the dining component to be met by local dining sales slips.

Citibank doesn't seem to be picky about the type of sales slips it needs just so long as you can add the posted values up to $12,000.

But essentially "sales slip" offers will make you carry around the card with you for two months, which is what the banks are trying to encourage.

percysmith

Also just to note Citibank is 12 months minimum retention plus 12 months churn after. 7 more months of churn for me.

sxc

*delete*

percysmith

Confirmed card offer details with Shacom CS
Successful card application welcome offer: $300 cash rebate for any one spending of $200
Successful application for i-banking: $100 cash rebate
Can now be applied at branch - internet application to be updated shortly.
CS can mail form in advance: 2818 8236
Applicable to Shacom core Platinum and Titanium only (both $8/1 mile cards)
To 28 Feb

http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...ow.php?id=4847

This is argurably better than the Po Leung Kuk Titanium, which only has the $300 cash rebate for $300 spending welcome offer, plus rounds up your bill to $10.

maya1005

Thanks, Percy. I now understand why you can do all that math about the miles/dollar - you're an accountant!

The 5x points for Citi rewards card is interesting. It is much better than the Citi Premiermiles card, which is supposedly the higher level card!

As I have the Citi PM card already, I won't be eligible for the welcome offer. But do you think it's worth applying for the Citi rewards card and then transferring all my Citi PM spending to that card? I'm primarily thinking about Octopus spending and autopay for my mobile phone operator (Three). The deal with the supermarkets and department stores is good.

Do you know that points earned on different Citi credit cards can be combined together for transfer, or are they treated as separate accounts?

As for Citi rewards compared to Fubon Titanium/Platinum, assuming that Fubon renews its deal with Asiamiles to beyond Feb 2011 (strange it hasn't announced anything up till now - suggests likelihood of non-extension?), would the Citi rewards card be even better as the points should not expire (I'm assuming it's the same as Citi PM) and there is no transfer fee (not really sure about this, but shouldn't be as much as Fubon?)?

Btw, I applied for, and received, the DBS Black card already. Now using it to earn miles faster! Thanks for the rec - you're the best!

Thanks,
Maya

percysmith

Ahahaha. Yes maybe some of my accounting training has gone into it...I used to do accounting for the other side of the transaction (provisions accounting) (though not for miles).

Citi Rewards 5X capped to first $12,500 of eligible spending and phone bill payments/autopays.

Citi PM is the higher grade card - 480K p.a. income requirements vs 150K for Citi Rewards

Citi PM is targeted for people who spend a lot, don't like their cards being rejected (so it better be Visa and not AE), don't care for promotions or their miles earn rate and don't want to spend time filling out conversion forms.

i.e. your typical impatient middle class Hongkie (now upper-middle class Hongkie). My parents are prime examples.

Maybe.
If you spend $12,500 on the Citi Rewards in the 5X, you get 50,000 miles per year.
If you put that on the Citi PM, it's 18,750 miles
Assuming $/miles of $0.1/mile, you will still be approx $2,825 better off (after $300 fee on converting Citi Rewards).

Of course if you can't plunk down $12,500/month on the 5X transactions the the benefit of changing will be much less. For me, I spend <$1,000 on the 5X categories so I am mainly after the welcome offers of Citi cards.


Segregated between Citi PM and Citi Rewards. Citi PM convert on their own anyway.

But pooling between different Citibank cards of the same cardholder that earn points are allowed https://www.citibank.com.hk/global_d...nFormSep09.pdf .

I think pooling's not that relevant to Citibank anyway cos there aren't that many cards besides Citi Rewards that earns normal reward points anyway. And you can't pool those between you and your spouse either (unless one of you is a supplementary of another).

Big *if* whether they'll renew. I've been calling every morning (I'm getting to remember some of the CS's names by now) including this morning and they still haven't announced an extension http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...ow.php?id=4835 . I've neatly rounded my Fubon points bank to 270,001 points (splitting a power bill between Fubon and Aeon) and drafted a form this morn for 25,000AM (I'll fax it on Monday morn so I can time them on how long to process).

But if Fubon does renew after all, I still think you are better off diverting your Citi PM Visa spending to Fubon if you spend >$36,000 per year (you get 6,000 miles on Fubon versus 4,500 miles on the Citi).

Of course there's no point diverting your Citi Rewards 5X eligible spending to the Fubon. $3/mile > $6/mile under any circumstances even taking into account Citi Rewards conversion fee ($50/5,000AM to max of $300).

$6/mile on DBS Black is the only reason I still have anything to do with DBS these days...

TalkFlyer

Just noticed on my ec-banking website of DBS Black Card:
15pt = 1AM but now u can enjoy 20% discount off on redemption,
i.e. 12pt = 1AM... sooner or later the bank will take away the discount!

http://gallery.flyertalk.com/gallery/album94/20_AM