mia

In which country is your HSBC card issued? I am thinking UK based on the URL in the brochure.

ExpatExp

Yes, correct.

Could get one in the US I suppose but haven't bothered as it doesn't seem to be worth the effort…

mia

I asked because the promotion is most likely specific to the country where your card is issued, and it helps others to know the location.

We have both USA and UK-issued cards. The USA version has just been refreshed and differs from the UK version:

• No foreign transaction fee (vs 3% on the UK card)
• Chip & Signature EMV (vs Chip & PIN UK)
• Contactless chip which works in UK (vs no Contactless on UK credit card)
• One mile per USD (vs one mile per GBP)

TravelinSperry

I finally received my first email offer from HSBC. It's not a great one (only at food places and capped at $2k) - but at least I am getting offers again - and my first via email. Prior offers were via mail solely, which I never received in time to participate. However, I do intend to participate at use this card for all restaurants when traveling internationally.

You can see the offer here: http://www.us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/pers.../premierbonus?
Although the offer is targeted as I was provided with a unique code to register. You will need one to enroll. The offer is as follows:

Enroll today and you'll earn 3X Rewards Program Points when you use your HSBC Premier World MasterCard® credit card to make purchases at your favorite coffee shops, restaurants and movie theaters - around the corner and across the globe.

As long as you enroll by March 15, 2015, every eligible purchase you make January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015 will qualify.

T&C's:
3X Rewards Program Points are inclusive of standard Rewards Program Points (i.e., one Rewards Program Point and two promotional Rewards Program Points). Receive 3X Rewards Program Points, up to $2,000, when you make new, net eligible retail purchases using your HSBC Premier World MasterCard® credit card from 01/01/15 through 03/31/15 ("Promotional Period"). 3X Rewards Program Points for coffee shops, restaurants and movie theaters are based on the merchant code category under which the merchant processes the transaction. Your promotional code must be correctly entered on the enrollment site to be considered fully enrolled. The enrollment period runs through 03/15/15. Transactions during the Promotional Period will be eligible for the promotional offer upon enrollment. The 3X Rewards Program Points offer does not apply to balance transfers, credit card checks, cash advances or overdrafts. Promotional Points will be fulfilled by 05/31/15.

jrlevine

Yup, I got that one, too.

The points are worth .0166 if you redeem 24K points for $400 off a plane ticket. Their travel agent isn't great (no open jaws, just OW or RT) but that's a pretty good value. $1200 for 75K points is the next best, .016

ExpatExp

Still no such emails for me. Not complaining; It's just odd that it's so inconsistent.

agerstla

Does anybody here have the HSBC Platinum Rewards (Cash or Fly) card, i.e. not the Premier one? I am trying to find out what the differences are, as I really don't want to commit to Premier status (but would like to have a card with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and chip&PIN EMV). Is there something like a Guide to Benefits for the Platinum card somewhere?

For example, is any sort of car rental coverage (CDW) included? The HSBC web page doesn't explicitly list anything, but if it is a platinum MasterCard it should cover that.

Likewise, how exactly does the rewards program work, i.e. what (and how) can points be redeemed for. Likely not the same as the Premier program, is it?

mia

HSBC cards issued in the USA are Chip & Signature

agerstla

Chip & Signature priority, but fall-back to Chip & PIN for unattended transactions. At least according to the "USA EMV cards" thread (and Google Doc) here on FT?! (some people there claim they ran the card through a reader to check). Pretty much all cards in the US do Chip&Signature first, but some support PIN fallback, so I want at least that.

agerstla

Or what about the Advance card, anybody has that one? If so, same questions, what are the differences, details of benefits (car rental coverage?) and rewards (redemption)? It seems that the earning side is even better than with the Premier card (2 pt/1$ for dining and entertainment vs. just 1pt/$ overall)?!

jrlevine

It would be odd for the Advance card which needs a $10K deposit balance to be better than the Premier card which needs a $100K balance. The reward programs are surely different.

With the Premier card, the reward values are rather incoherent but the best reward is $400 off a domestic OW or RT ticket for 24K points. You have to book through their agent, but the agent is OK if you know what you want. It says free ticket, but it's really free up to $400 and pay the difference. Or, for the innumerate, there is also $400 off any ticket for 25K points.

mia

The best rewards is to transfer to BA CX or SQ because the miles should be easily worth more than $0.016 each.

agerstla

It would be odd, yes. There must be a catch somewhere. But would be good to know exactly where and how...

TravelinSperry

Just an fyi for you fellow Internationally traveling cardholders:

This card gives two add'l benefits that I find helpful when traveling abroad:

7% off hotel bookings at Agoda (immediately applied - must book through their link here: http://www.homeandaway.hsbc.com/1/2/...er/tl/agoda/pr)

15% off Europcar bookings - must book using the proper code found here: http://www.europcar.com/partners/hsb...-visa-platinum

Although their customer service still leave a lot to be desired these offers coupled with the promos they give from time to time that can get you to 24,000 miles (good for $400 off a flight) or transferring those miles to British Airways (another good redemption option) make this card a must bring when traveling internationally.

mia

My current favorite feature is that the Contactless chip is compatible with London Underground and other UK retail POS terminals, eliminating the need to use an Oystercard.