HSBC just announced that reward points earned through any HSBC credit cards will now pool together for redemption. In addition, you will be able to redeem your hard-earned HSBC Rewards Points from these cards for miles on 21 different loyalty programs. This makes us very excited as we can finally redeem the points earned from our HSBC Revolution Card on many more frequent flyer programs!
This change will take effect on 28 May 2024.
This is a positive change coming from HSBC and one that we have been waiting for.
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What does Points Pooling mean?
Put simply, if you have multiple HSBC Credit Cards, if you wanted to transfer your points to miles from both cards, you had to make multiple transfer requests and pay the transfer fee multiple times. This might result in a suboptimal transfer as you might have orphaned points left over in both cards.
Other than the HSBC TravelOne Card, other HSBC cards cost S$43.60 per year to transfer the points.
With this change, during redemption, theoretically, you’ll only need to pay the fee once and bulk transfer the points accrued from all your HSBC cards. There will be a limited-time promotion for free points transfer from all HSBC cards until 31st January 2025.
What are the Transfer Partners?
Currently, except for the HSBC TravelOne Card, points earned from other HSBC cards can only be transferred to KrisFlyer or Asiamiles. This is one of the HSBC Revolution’s biggest drawbacks, given that it has an amazing 4 mpd earn rate.
After this change, we will be able to redeem points earned from the HSBC Revolution Card on 21 different loyalty programs which is huge. There are exotic programs like Air Canada’s Aeroplan and United MileagePlus programs that are not available from other credit card issuers.
Programs that we are most excited about are Air Canada’s Aeroplan, AirFrance’s Flying Blue and EVA Air’s Infinity Mileageland. There are amazing redemptions to be had in these programs, especially within the Asia Pacific region.
Airline Transfer Partners
| Partner | Conversion Ratio (HSBC points : miles) |
|---|---|
| Airasia Rewards | 25,000 : 20,000 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Cathay Pacific Asiamiles | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| AirFrance FlyingBlue | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Etihad Guest | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Eva Air | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Singapore Airlines Krisflyer | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 30,000 : 10,000 |
| United Mileage Plus | 35,000 : 10,000 |
| Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 35,000 : 10,000 |
| Qatar Privilege Club | 35,000 : 10,000 |
| Hainan Air Fortune Wings Club | 35,000 : 10,000 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 35,000 : 10,000 |
| Air Vistara Club Vistara | 40,000 : 10,000 |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 50,000 : 10,000 |
Hotel Transfer Partners
| Partner | Conversion Ratio (HSBC points : miles) |
|---|---|
| Wyndham Rewards | 30,000 : 10,000 |
| Accor ALL | 25,000 : 5,000 |
| IHG One Rewards | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 25,000 : 10,000 |
An important thing to note here is that the conversion ratios are not all the same. You’ll need more HSBC Points to convert to JAL’s Mileage Bank compared to Singapore Airlines’s KrisFlyer.
For a 4 mpd earning card like the HSBC Revolution, a “25,000:10,000” ratio would mean 4 mpd as you’ll need 25,000 HSBC Reward Points to redeem for 10,000 miles. But a “50,000:10,000” ratio would mean a reduction to an effective 2 mpd earn rate as you’ll now need 50,000 HSBC Reward Points to redeem for 10,000 miles.
Therefore, there will be much more strategising needed before flight redemptions to make sure you get the optimal deal.
Redemption through the HSBC Mobile App
After 28 May 2024, users can only redeem their HSBC Reward Points through the HSBC mobile app. This is much simpler and modern as compared to the website so it’s a welcome change.
Redemption Service Paused
There will be a system upgrade from 20-27 May 2024. During this period, point redemptions for all HSBC credit cards will be paused.
Diminished Value for HSBC TravelOne
Given that all other HSBC Credit Cards will be able to transfer their points to all 21 transfer partners, there’s little reason for people to get the HSBC TravelOne card. It used to be one of the biggest selling points for HSBC TravelOne.
Perhaps the card’s remaining standout features will be its 4 annual complimentary airport lounge visits.
Conclusion
This is a great update coming from HSBC. The HSBC Revolution Card used to be one of our favourite credit cards, easily earning 4 mpd. Its biggest downside was its lack of transfer partners. The HSBC TravelOne Card had an amazing set of transfer partners but was crippled by its low miles earn rate.
With this change, the HSBC Revolution Card‘s value has increased tremendously, despite the recent reduction in bonus categories. Although it now requires more effort to fully maximise the value, the reward is also much greater.
