Who are the HSBC Premier credit card airline and hotel transfer partners?

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• JPK says:

  26 Jan26 January 06:46

  I’ve had the World Elite card for years and it reaps a reasonable number of points and the lounge access is good. Does anyone know if I cancel, how long after can I reapply and if that would make me eligible for the introductory bonus points?

  • Rob says:

    26 Jan26 January 07:00

    6 months? It’s quite short.

• Bernard says:

  26 Jan26 January 07:34

  Not to forget a fully functioning Priority Pass too – not like the Amex one. So lots of £15 restaurant/bar credit options when the lounges are filled up with easyJet/on the beach trash.

• The Original David says:

  26 Jan26 January 09:12

  If i have the free card, can i upgrade to the World Elite card and get the sign up bonus, or do i need to cancel and wait?

  • Nico says:

    26 Jan26 January 10:33

    You can upgrade, but points come within 60 days after the 3 months collection period for the bonus, so not fast.

• hugo r says:

  26 Jan26 January 09:30

  Are HSBC actually strict when it comes to the premier account and terms , as in I have the Barclays premier account , I don’t earn 75k however each month I transfer money from my savings so that I have the equivalent coming in each month like 4K and then transfer back out….

  Would this work with HSBC as long as there is activity to the equivalent of 75k per Ann and you also have the other product with them

  • JD Beds says:

    26 Jan26 January 10:28

    IME yes

  • zapato1060 says:

    26 Jan26 January 11:05

    When you signed up to the Barclays? Did the ask for your wages? Did you put 75k? Going by what ive experienced with Barclays with IT issues, people still fighting for their 100k bonus. I would presume HSBC to be smarter and more on the ball.

  • Josh B says:

    26 Jan26 January 14:51

    One significant note of caution re HSBC – even if you successfully game their system to obtain the card you better not be relying on the travel insurance. Because trust me, one big claim and the loss adjusters will be all over every detail and you likely will end up uninsured. (See for example recent case where somebody renewed a travel policy while still abroad and then got declined on a six figure claim).

    • The Original David says:

      26 Jan26 January 16:09

      Interesting, do you have any more info on this case that you refer to? I don’t understand what you mean by “renew” – as I understand it, the travel insurance starts when you open the card and continues until you close it… Or are you referring to a separate HSBC insurance product (in which case, having to get the insurance before leaving the UK is a standard term on almost every travel insurance product on the market for UK residents).

      • Josh B says:

        26 Jan26 January 16:31

        It wasn’t HSBC – just an example of an insurer turning down a claim on a technicality (policy bought in country, person travelled out on it and then mom renewed policy when they stayed in longer.) Point being is that if you obtain the policy here by a false declaration of income then you stand the risk of being declined should a claim become necessary.

• exp70 says:

  26 Jan26 January 10:05

  Debating this over the Platinum card – the lack of full coverage for families is a tough point. Plus HSBC really should get card points featured in their banking app. I’d guess it’d still be difficult to see what volume of points are expiring when too.

  • aseftel says:

    26 Jan26 January 12:24

    NB one key distinction (for me) between the Amex Platinum and HSBC Premier travel policies is that the Amex policy can reimburse you for the cost of postponing travel, rather than just getting your money back if you don’t travel, in the event of illness.

    • exp70 says:

      26 Jan26 January 13:50

      I’m seeing it as:
      + Instant transfer for some partners
      + 1:1 for all airlines
      + Smaller annual fee
      – PP doesn’t cover larger families
      – Arcane points system
      – Amex has better customer service

      • Bernard says:

        26 Jan26 January 14:45

        In my experience the HSBC service, when it matters, knocks Amex for six.
        Trying being stuck somewhere trying to get the last few seats out, and HSBC delivered – staying on the phone throughout dealing with an unusually complex airline. They didn’t need to do that, but they took 40 minutes to ensure their customer got out.
        The Amex customers at the airline counter weren’t so lucky.

    • JDB says:

      26 Jan26 January 14:00

      Other key differences are that the HSBC policy comes with a free bank account not an expensive card. Also, HSBC covers many of the most common pre-existing conditions, plus has proper travel disruption / travel inconvenience cover which Plat doesn’t. There is also no requirement with the HSBC policy to use any particular card avoids that lottery or unintentional but potentially costly error.

      On the negative side HSBC doesn’t offer car hire cover.

• Nico says:

  26 Jan26 January 10:35

  At times, HSBC was giving a 25% bonus for avios transfers, is there anything similar for other programs?

  • Rob says:

    26 Jan26 January 11:06

    No. However, Etihad often does ‘back door’ HSBC bonuses, eg it tells its members that any transfers in from HSBC will be boosted, but there is no deal with HSBC and HSBC itself does not promote it.

• numpty says:

  26 Jan26 January 12:43

  The application process for the HSBC card is so slow its impressive, I think it took nearly a month from application to approval to receiving the card.

  Has any applied for a companion card with the HSBC card? Do you really need to fill in a form declaring partners income etc – it looks like a whole new credit application. Such a different approach from Amex.

  • JDB says:

    26 Jan26 January 14:03

    HSBC has always been an extremely conservative organisation which has generally worked well for them and after some bad experiences, they are very compliance driven. Amex is very gung-ho about most things although they have recently had to slam on the brakes after the credit losses they have suffered.

    • memesweeper says:

      26 Jan26 January 14:43

      “Very gung-ho” is probably a bit strong: they are less risk averse, that’s all. Amex are not a bank, and frankly I don’t care how much risk they take, they won’t need bailing out if they go under, unlike HSBC.

      • JDB says:

        26 Jan26 January 17:25

        American Express is a bank. It was obliged to convert to that status in the 2008 financial crisis in order to obtain funds from the TARP bailout. Credit loss provisions in 2023 were $4.9billion vs $2.22billion.

        It’s true Amex is less averse, partly because it is so obsessed about customer acquisition / retention metrics, whatever the cost. Even within the small HfP universe people are amazed at the credit limits they get vs other cards, so it’s no wonder Amex’s bad debt experience is bad.

        • Josh B says:

          26 Jan26 January 18:58

          Great points and I think you get at something very important – the relentless use of points to drive customer acquisition that is creating an unsustainable set of demands in an industry that’s already not in great shape

  • Nico says:

    26 Jan26 January 14:44

    Totally agreed on the companion card, they insisted on partner’s income and bank details, whereas you are the only one responsible for paying the balance and you need to print the form, nothing electronic.

• TS77 says:

  26 Jan26 January 15:44

  Someone please correct me if no longer valid, but from memory the points expire 36 months from being earned, this was definitely the case 2 years ago.

  • Rob says:

    26 Jan26 January 16:05

    Yes, I believe so.

  • Polly says:

    26 Jan26 January 22:39

    Probably best to convert as many of them as possible to avios or whatever soon as. Especially when they run the BA or other 25% uplift usually late summer. Less risk of expiry. It used to show expiry dates, can’t see them now.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.