Who are the HSBC Premier credit card airline and hotel transfer partners?
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18 months ago, HSBC Premier undertook a substantial upgrading of its credit card transfer partners.
What was a bit of a laughing stock – although Avios was also partner – suddenly became a real contender, at least for the airline partners.
Even better, transfers to airline and hotel partners are instant and there is no minimum points transfer.
The only snag is that the HSBC Premier credit card is a faff to get. You need to sign up for free to HSBC’s Premier current account (£75,000 income and a HSBC investment product required) in order to apply for the free Premier credit card and the paid-for Premier World Elite credit card.
The two HSBC credit cards earn as follows:
The free HSBC Premier card, reviewed here, earns 1 HSBC point per £1 spent, which translates to 0.5 airline miles or hotel points.
The representative APR is 23.9% variable.
The £195 HSBC Premier World Elite card, reviewed here, earns 2 HSBC points per £1 spent, which translates to 1 airline mile or hotel point. There is a sign-up bonus of 80,000 points, worth 40,000 airline miles or hotel points, albeit this is spread over two years.
The representative APR is 59.3% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 18.9% variable.
How to transfer points to travel partners
Annoyingly, it is not possible to make points transfers via the HSBC app. You need to log in to the HSBC UK website using your HSBC Premier details.
One bit of positive news is there are no transfer minimums.
2 HSBC points will get you 1 airline mile or 1 hotel point.
Transfers to some partners are instantaneous
Yes, instant. In the UK points market, this is still rare.
You aren’t at risk of missing out on a redemption by waiting for your HSBC points to go across.
Who are the HSBC Premier credit card travel partners?
Here are the HSBC airline transfer partners:
Here are the hotel partners:
Are these transfers good value?
There are two ways of looking at this:
- Are airline and hotel scheme transfers good value compared to redeeming for shopping gift cards etc?
- If they are, are any of the airline or hotel options significantly better or worse?
Are miles and points transfers good value compared to the alternatives?
Yes. Unlike many credit cards, airline miles are excellent value compared to taking shopping vouchers which is the only other option.
1,500 HSBC points gets you 750 airline miles or £5 of vouchers (Amazon, Costa, M&S, John Lewis, Tesco etc) so you are ‘paying’ just 0.66p per airline mile.
Are any of the airline or hotel options significantly better or worse?
Since we always value airline miles at around 1p, at least as long as they are used for premium cabin flight redemptions, we can say that they are a good use of your HSBC points. Compared to taking shopping vouchers, you are ‘paying’ 0.66p per mile which is a great deal.
However, the hotel transfer ratios stink.
The exchange rate from HSBC to hotel points is 2:1 – the same rate as used for airline miles. This is shocking value because, using a very broad generalisation, airline miles are worth double what hotel points are worth.
For example, I value an IHG One Rewards point at 0.4p. This means that 2 HSBC points gets you 0.4p of IHG One Rewards points – but would also get you 0.66p of shopping vouchers! Avoid – unless you need the points immediately, since the transfer to IHG is instant.
Conclusion
HSBC Premier has now established itself as the clear leader in the Visa / Mastercard space for anyone who wants a ‘convertible currency’ that could be moved to multiple travel rewards schemes.
For 10 of the 11 partners (Avios being the exception) it is the only way of earning these points from Visa or Mastercard spend.
(If you DO want Avios, which as this is HfP is likely, then forget HSBC Premier. You are far better off with the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard or the paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard which has a 25,000 Avios bonus.)
The snag is that you need a HSBC Premier current account to apply for these cards, which requires a £75,000 income and the holding of a HSBC mortgage, insurance or investment product – albeit Premier has decent benefits, including full travel insurance, and is free.
Our full review of the free HSBC Premier credit card is here.
Our full review of the HSBC Premier World Elite credit card is here.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – September 2024 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 26th September 2024, sign up for FREE Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios. This is double the usual bonus! You only need to spend £1,000 within 90 days. Our full review is here. Click here to apply.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
10,000 Avios (to 26th September) for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Up to 80,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Get up to 40,000 points as a sign-up offer and FREE for a year Read our full review
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
10,000 points bonus – plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.
Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card
1% cashback uncapped* on all your business spending (T&C apply) Read our full review
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