Update 10/20/24: Bonus now 50,000 points.
(Update 8/24/24: There’s now a $95; only private banking clients get the annual fee waived.)
HSBC offers their Premier World card for Premier relationship members with no annual fee and a $350 signup bonus. (This is a different card than the Premier World Elite card which has a $395 annual fee.)
Card Details
Direct Link to HSBC Premier Card
- Card comes with 35,000 points signup bonus when spending $3,000 within the first 3 months. These points are worth either $350 as cash or $400 (possibly a little more) toward air travel. Points can also be transferred 1:1 to British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Emirates, Singapore, Turkish, Wyndham, Accor and others. Points can also be used through their travel portal (goes through Priceline) at a value of 1.25cpp.
- $0 annual fee for Premier clients (card is only available for signup to Premier clients)
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2x points on travel; 1x on everything else
- Enjoy complimentary unlimited premium Wi-Fi at over a million secure hotspots worldwide with Boingo. Get simultaneous access for up to four devices.
- Experience expedited airport screening with TSA Precheck. Receive a statement credit of $85 every five years as reimbursement for the application fee.
- Standard Mastercard benefits.Â
Our Verdict
Some people will find the $350/$400 signup bonus worthwhile given the no annual fee; some might also like the points transfer value even more. This could work well for those who signed up for the HSBC checking bonus and are already Premier members.
Hat tip to reader Bruce
Does anyone know what credit bureau HSBC pulls from?
Equifax. Experian if Equifax is frozen.
Note that they also waive annual fees for military, according to their customer support.
Which does require active-duty military status. Doesn’t apply for National Guard/Reserves. Amex also waives the annual fee on the platinum card. (I’d assume all others, but not sure)
P2 has a Premier checking account so is eligible to apply. But, we were planning to close her account soon. Does anyone know if you can still hold this card after closing your qualifying Premier account? Or will the card be automatically closed once you’re no longer Premier?
It will be closed once you’re no longer a Premier client.
Thanks. In that case I don’t think we’ll apply for this. Too many other comparable cards that don’t require jumping through the hoops needed to maintain Premier status.
Previously no annual fee but $3,000 spending for 30k points ($300)
Now with $95 annual fee but $40,000 spending for 50k points ($500)
Both at about 10% rebate
Had prev accts. Site let me log in but then errored out. I doubt you can app via phone has anyone been successful?
You can’t apply unless you’re a current Premier client.
I just called and you are correct. The agent immediately said must have checking. Wasn’t sure since some comments below implied you could just apply out of the blue.
This card recently got completely revamped. In addition to the SUB, it now earns 3x points on gas & groceries and receives $5 a month in streaming credits.
the bonus is 50,000 points now.
guess you need Premier checking account though.
To apply for a Premier checking account, you need to have at least one of the following:
At least $100,000 in total deposits and/or investments4Footnote link 4
At least $5,000 in total direct deposits6Footnote link 6 per month
An HSBC U.S. residential mortgage loan serviced by HSBC
You don’t need that to apply, just to have the $50 service fee waived.
If anyone is looking to sign up for Premier, there’s a referral program worth $1.5-2.5K if you are interested. Feel free to email me at [email protected].
Well theres also the $495 annual fee Elite. 60,000 points $400 travle portal. has some other goodies too, some people might like it.
https://www.us.hsbc.com/credit-cards/products/elite/
is the travel portal any good?
not for me. “You will receive an automatic $100 Travel Credit for every $2,000 spent in cumulative travel purchases (minus returns, credits and adjustments) booked through HSBC Travel powered by Priceline, up to a maximum of $400 in total statement credits per calendar year.”
I have the Elite card and I love it. 5x on nearly every travel category imaginable, $120 in rideshare credits per year, and $400 back after $8k in travel portal spend make the card completely free. The portal itself is just your basic Priceline-based portal, so no surprises there.
Updated thx
Added those three, thanks
They added even more, those just stood out to me.
Also points are now worth a straight. 1.25cpp when using their portal (which is throughout priceline)
Added thanks
hi – just got this card and had accidentally forgotten about it and then signed up for a chase card bonus – oops – so anyone know if i can buy visa gift cards with staples with this card and hold them till i finish the Chase offer? will they allow the purchases as valid for the bonus? thanks!
checked with HSBC and gift card purchases are AOK.