Can the points on the US version still be used through HSBC's travel portal at 1.5c pp? What is the travel portal like and how does it compare to Chase/Citi/Amex in terms of availability and price?

I searched for 1 passenger, 1 way, Business class, LAX->JFK, Oct 3 2020

Google Flights: $479 for Alaska 468 departing at 3:30 PM
Rewards Portal: 31,873 points for the same flight. This would 1.5cpp

Spot checked a few other flights and they were around the same. One AA flight was getting 1.59cpp.

In terms of what is the travel portal like I’d say it’s as good as any other HSBC web interface. Which is to say, not great. Chase and AMEX do have better UIs.

Caveat is I have the World Elite card ($395 AF version). I'm not sure if that is different redemption wise.

The HSBC chat agent sounded confused so thought I might ask here.

If I keep a small amount (say $500) in a Premier Checking and $75k in a Direct Savings will I qualify as Premier without direct deposits?

Everything I'm see seems to say yes. However, HSBC Premier Savings accounts aren't that good (typical 0.1%). I think HSBC Direct (online savings with higher rates) may count as a separate bank for these purposes.

If there happens to be a HSBC branch around you i'd just go in and ask.

HSBC Direct accounts are accessed through the same Username as other HSBC accounts. I do not know if the balance counts for Premier fee waiver purposes. Why not continue to have the direct deposit made to the Premier account, and periodically transfer funds to the Direct saving account?

I was informed by their CS rep that your account balances are aggregated for fee waiver determination.

Email received: The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on your HSBC Direct Savings account will be 1.60%1 starting May 04, 2020.

I also got that. However, it seems HSBC Direct Savings is generally one of the highest earning accounts. I guess I’ll be sticking with it even though it’s getting me less.

Just received Premier Checking sub ($750). I have been doing monthly $5000 DD (real one, from employer) to HSBC but not convinced that I want to continue long term. (Besides, I was pleasantly surprised to find out employer DD is very “nimble” and should bode well for future checking account subs ;)).

So now debating if I should move $75K to be parked at HSBC Direct Savings to keep Premier status. HSBC MasterCards are not as good as BoA cards, at least not for my expenses. SUBs are ok, but will take up 5/24 slots. No Biz cards as far as I can tell. The decrease in APY isn’t surprising but still nudging me to the other direction a little more.

Hgrrr

HSBC Premier seemed to be the best option for me. The 5K direct deposit waiver is solid compared to other banks. I like the no fees on wire transfer (that’s how I move money to my brokerage since it’s free and fast). Other things like no fees on bank checks are nice too. Other accounts with these features often require more money. I know Sapphire Banking and Citi Gold all have some what high minimums.

The one thing I think they’re missing is no ATMs fees international. However, this is a decent trade off since there are HSBC ATMs in many countries anyway.

One of the reasons I signed up for the HSBC credit card was Boingo (I was sad to see AMEX lose this). It seems to work well in Asia with random hotel WiFi. However, I just used my Boingo login on an AA viasat flight. That’s pretty awesome.

Looks like the HSBC World Elite MasterCard is adding 3x at grocery stores through June 30th. I wonder is CVS/Walgreens would count.

I'm curious what people see as being attractive in the HSBC World Elite MC for $395 a year? I'm looking for a replacement for my City National Bank Crystal Infinite card, and will likely go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve once travel resumes. Similarly, the HSBC Premier MC has a few OK perks for no fee with an HSBC funded account, but again, not sure if it's worth moving money for. Just wondering if I'm missing something?

You're not missing anything. Are the cards alright? Yeah. Are they better than AMEX/Chase offerings? Not really. I wouldn't go out of my way to get this card (opening an account just for this). AMEX Platinum is good for perks and Chase Sapprhire Reserve is good for easy (but not the most generous) points earning.

What I like about my HSBC World Elite card

• Boingo benefit (this was removed from AMEX Platinum). This works well in Asia and at a few airports in the US.
• The $100 Uber/Lyft credit and $100 travel credit are straight forward to use. This doesn't require jumping through hoops like with AMEX.
• Not many points transfer partners but they have the ones I use most anyway (SQ and BA).
• Other MasterCard benefits (not unique to HSBC) is the Postmates $5 off $25, $5 Fandago credit when you buy 2 tickets, $10 Lyft credit when you take 5 rides in a month.
• 1.5cpp through their travel portal (see IT comment below)
• I haven't tested this yet but I believe these cards are Chip and Pin (I set up a pin via their phone system). This would in theory let you use things like vending machines for train tickets in Europe.

What I don't like

• HSBC IT is pretty bad. Looks like they haven't updated anything from the early 2000s. This includes their benefit administrator who runs the credit card rewards and travel portal.

Gotta say HSBC has the worst credit card system in the world. They offer different credit cards, but each of those credit cards have different redemption rates so watch up. Meaning it may look great on face value, but the points earned based on the card you have, will be adjusted when you go and transfer to airline partners. Terrible scam, and that's from someone who has mortgages in both US and Canada from them.