marcusboy

Payment of USD spending will be in HKD. So I guess instead of spending the required HKD20k for extra 10k AM for issuance of Citi Prestige (get 30k AM for issuance and payment of fee), it is better to spend the HKD20k using Hsbc MC choosing payment in HKD instead of USD. Is the normal conversion for HSBC MC or is because there is an 'offer'?

Would there be any difference for local sending? As I know Citi Premiermiles is HKD8 to 1 AM.

Thank you as always.

percysmith

Wait. The Prestige 10K AM for $20K spend and the $2.145/mile offer stacks (that's why I held up a boat in the Maldives - I was using stacked offer)

Let's use $10,000 spend.

Citi Prestige:
Normal miles: 2,500
Extra miles: 1,875
10K for 20K miles (pro-rated): 5,000
Total miles: 9,375 ($1.06/mile)

HSBC (I'm going to assume HSBC Premier HK here):
Normal RewardCash: 40RC
Extra Rewardcash: 500RC
Total RC earned: 540RC
Total miles: 8,100 ($1.23/mile)



Actually if you have both Prestige with a welcome offer and a HK-issueed Premier, you enjoy a number of mutually-inclusive earn offers.

1. Citi Prestige welcome offer plus "Up to $2.145" overseas spend offer: 18,750 for $20,000 overseas spend (must hit $20,000 - all or nothing)
2. HSBC Premier HK overseas earn offer: $1.23/mile up to $10,000 (rounded to nearest $20)
3. Citi "Up to $2.145" overseas spend offer up to $37,000 (first 5,000 spending ignored so $4/mile only, remainder spending $2/mile)

If I were you, I would:
Overseas spend <HK$10K: Forget about the Citi Prestige welcome offer, spend on HSBC Premier HK only
Overseas spend 10K-20K: HSBC Premier HK to 10K, Citi Prestige the remainder
Overseas spend 20K-30K: Citi Prestige to 20K, HSBC Premier HK the remainder
Overseas spend 30K-47K: HSBC Premier HK to 10K, Citi Prestige the remainder

If I'm just short of 20K, I'll put a bit of local spending to make sure Citi Prestige reaches 20K.

P.S. If I'm not crystal clear, by paying HKD in the US I mean you charge USD on your HK-issued cards, let MC do the conversion and repay in HKD (at around 7.90-7.91). *Do not* accept DCC offered by the US merchant.

And since you plan to repay your US spending in HKD I suggest not using your HSBC Premier USA MC at all

Yes. Citi PM is $8/mile basic and Citi Prestige is $6/mile. The miles you earn can be used to redeem the same programs for Prestige and PM. So use Prestige if you have it.

marcusboy

Ok. Thanks Percysmith for the advice. FYI, I don't have Hsbc Premier USA MC but HSBC Premier Hk MC. Will take yr advice for overseas spend 10k-20k - 10k to Hsbc Premier MC and 10k to Citi prestige. Thank you again.

percysmith

Try and budget and see how far you're short - with a 10K for 20K Prestige welcome offer (in effect a $2/mile offer, but you must hit 20K) try and think of things you can buy or pay in advance with your Citi Prestige.

Examples:
- supermarket and pharmacy (Mannings/Watsons*) coupons, even if you don't trade them (use them yourself later)
- Broadway and Fortress* also has coupons if you have upcoming phone/camera/appliance purchases
- (I'm sticking my neck out a bit here but) Smartone over-the-counter, 3HK at Watsons and online https://www.three.com.hk/appCS2/eng/...d=appCSPostpay , HKBN over-the-counter (they only have one counter though - at Fortress Hill)
- (really sticking my neck out) PRU premium payments at their Gateway office cashier

(unlike CCB, you cannot cash advance to make up Citi welcome offer shortfall http://www.citibank.com.hk/global_do...dc-master.html )

* buying coupons at Hutchison Whampoa chains is bit of a dark art

marcusboy

Thank you. Much appreciated.

percysmith

I've deleted the above post, because there's been a report (which I myself have verified seperately with BEA CS) that Plat BEAs to be upgraded to Flyer World *will not* enjoy dining 3X.

http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...?id=12312&p=13 #121

Nothing in their 3X dining flyer really suggests this http://www.hkbea.com/pdf/tc/p1405i.pdf but since two CS have said this I have to disclaim this earn strategy until someone can prove the CS are wrong.

percysmith

Oh shxt. The Citi $2.145 overseas/$5.085 local isn't accepting new registrations anymore "out of [10,000] registration quota" http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...p?id=12488&p=1 #3 (just confirmed it myself by putting a dummy card number into 8226 8626)

Well it's HSBC $1.23/mile vs Citi Prestige $1.33/mile with welcome offer.

marcusboy

Thanks. I managed to register for the promo.

marcusboy

Hi percysmith, sorry for the bother again. Just received a call from Hsbc to collect my MC. I was looking at the website and reading some posts here - we have 6 categories to register our card to get RC. How many categories can we choose and can we change the categories after selection? I suppose the categories are more or less the same just depending where u tend to spend more money on?

Thank you.

percysmith

You can allocate the extra 5X to any of the six categories one at a time, though I think the common practice of serious miles gatherers here is to allocate all 5X to one category.


No


That and the availability of ongoing substitutes.

6X in HSBC is really $250/15/6 or $2.78/mile spending. I'll discuss each category in turn:

Entertainment: probably no-one puts it here. Or I don't talk to enough local brat students.
Overseas: can be approximated by Fubon $3/mile. If you don't mind the $250 conversion fee which you have to pay per year.
China: not easilly replaceable, but are you really gonna splash $180K in China? Just note the earn rate is RMB2.78/mile if you choose this.
Lifestyle: can largely be replicated by Citi Rewards $3/mile (Department Store category)
Home: can also largely be replicated by Citi Rewards $3/mile (Supermarket category)
Dining is the very hard to replace category in my book

So is it slam dunk Dining? I used to think so, but I've been having second thoughts (thanks to LchChester):
- HSBC runs a Mannings purchase (Home category) promo pretty consistently every half year. There's one going on right now https://www.redhotoffers.hsbc.com.hk...ival/mannings/ .
- *** If you manufacture spend by trade coupons ***, you can essentially earn 6X on your Mannings trading for the trading cost you're going to spend anyway.
- put dining on the next best card (possibly Citi Prestige/DBS Black MC plus SCB AE Worldmiles). And take advantage of dining promos from time to time.

I've recently started a lot of my colleagues on Mannings trading (by offering to sell all their coupons at 95 cents on the dollar). And put 6X on Home.

But I dine out a lot. At what point is it worth putting 6X on Dining over Home?

HSBC Mannings promo trading volume: Winter 2013/14 $23,333.33, Summer 2014 $12,000.
Extrapolate for 2014-2015: $70,666
Next best dining card: assume it earns $5/mile

"Free" extra 5X: $21,200 miles
Breakeven dining spend 2014-15 to make Dining more worthwhile: $132,500 or more.

I've had occassion to throw a number of banquets this year so I've already blown $97K of my 180K 6X quota. I don't see it very hard to dine 36K in the next 18 months.

So my use of dining is justified. Maybe I'll change to Home in 2016-7.

But if you're a new arrival here and not up to dealing with local coupon traders then perhaps using Dining is easiest.

percysmith

I've been told BEA Marketing is aware of cardholders trying to earn dining 3X this way and told BEA CS to tell cardholders that this will be allowed moving forward.

This 3X will be applicable so long as the Flyer World card remains unactivated, which will leave the to-be-upgraded Plat card valid.

flyformiles have reposted this earn strategy today https://www.facebook.com/FlyForMiles...if_t=notify_me .

I have to post some warnings though - until first rebates come in August, use this strategy at your own risk because of controversy earlier this week.

marcusboy

Thank you percysmith. Am digesting the info you provided

percysmith

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...l#post23221553

twonga

Does anyone here have a link available for 5000 or 7500? I would like to apply for a DBS card today so a link would be much appreciated

derek2010

I can help you to apply DBS card, although the link only got 1000 miles, 20 quota remains intact:
http://media.tinyboxing.com/dbsblack...ode=6800110770