Of course only a few hours after we posted our Top 5 Credit Card sign up offers for October a new offer gets released that should be in that list! No matter, it gets its own post since it is a really good offer and will no doubt be on the list for November.
The offer is from HSBC for their relatively new World Elite Mastercard. This is not their ‘Premier World Elite’ which is meant for people who bank at HSBC but rather this card is for any Canadian and it is essentially the same as the Premier version. When HSBC launched this card earlier this year it became obvious they didn’t want to only market their credit cards to those who bank with them, rather they now want to get into the entire lucrative Canadian credit card market. It is about time they did as Canadians, slow as they may have been to adapt, are learning they don’t have to get credit cards from the bank they bank with, rather they can get whatever card they like and HSBC wants part of that pie.
Now enough backgrounder and on to the details of this great offer!
Up until the end of the year you can apply for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard and get up to 75,000 bonus HSBC Rewards Points along with having the first year $149 annual fee waived. The bonus is awarded as follows:
- 20,000 Welcome Bonus
- Earn additional points when you charge the following amounts to your card within 120 days of account opening :
When you charge : You will earn an additional : $1,000 to $4,999 + 5,000 Points3 $5,000 to $9,999 + 25,000 Points3 $10,000 or more + 25,000 Points3
The 75,000 points once achieved are worth $375 in travel rewards but this card isn’t just a travel points card, it is actually a Hybrid Card. This means points can also
be converted to partners outside of HSBC Rewards. In this card’s case, they can be transferred to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia
Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. The points convert as follows:
- 2.5 points to 1 Avios
- 3 points to 1.35 KrisFlyer Miles
- 3 points to 1.2 Asia Miles
This means the sign up bonus is worth 30,000 Avios in British Airways Executive Club which if you have followed us for sometime now know that is a good amount for a lot of various redemptions. Here are some options to check out
- How to get select Canada to U.S. award flights faster by utilizing British Airways’ Executive Club
- How you can easily get a free flight between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland (pre taxes/fees) or 4 flights for $240+fees
The sign up bonus isn’t the only good feature about this card however. It is one of only eight cards in Canada that has No Foreign Transaction fees, it also comes with a $100 annual travel enhancement credit (to use on bag fees, seat selection etc) and like most World Elite Mastercards in Canada it has airport lounge access membership via LoungeKey.
Overall an amazing new offer from HSBC to get people to try out their card and services!
Also note the first year free waiver option is not available for Quebec residents so instead they offer up to 105,000 bonus points for getting the card and simple holding on to it!:
- Earn up to 75,000 Bonus HSBC Rewards Points when you apply for and are approved. 20,000 points awarded upon approval. Then spend the following within 120 days to earn bonuses as follows: $1,000 – $4,999 = 5,000 bonus points, $5,000 -$9,999 = 25,000 bonus points, $10,000 or more = 25,000 points
- Annual Fee: $149 (Waived in the first year)
- Earn 3% in travel rewards on all eligible travel purchases (6 Points per $1) and 1.5% in travel rewards on all other eligible purchases (3 Points per $1).
- No Foreign Transaction Fee
- Transfer your HSBC Rewards points towards other eligible
loyalty programs (British Airways Executive
Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles) - Complimentary membership in Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey
- $100 annual travel enhancement credit (to use on bag fees, seat selection etc)
