This is our review of the HSBC Revolution Credit Card.
HSBC Revolution Card: Introduction
The HSBC Revolution Credit Card has been around for some time. However, it hasn’t always had the reputation it has today.
Previously, the card was marketed as a lifestyle credit card which earned a measly 2 miles per dollar (mpd) on bonus categories. There wasn’t much to be excited about if you were a cardholder.
All that changed when the card went through a revolution (pun intended) on 1st August 2020, where it started earning 4 mpd on online and contactless purchases. This was an overwhelmingly positive change which put it in the same league as crowd favourites like the UOB Preferred Platinum Card.
Since then, this card has gained a permanent spot in many miles chasers’ wallets. In this article, we’ll walk through the benefits of the HSBC Revolution Card and determine if this is the right card for you.
Sign up for the HSBC Revolution Card here!
Earning Miles
Miles Earn Rate
- 4 miles per S$1 for online and contactless payments for selected categories, up to S$1,000 per calendar month.
- 0.4 miles per S$1 on everything else
The HSBC Revolution card goes by a whitelist approach for the bonus points categories and it is fairly comprehensive. Do remember that you’ll only be awarded the bonus points if you make your purchase online or through contactless payments in the categories. If you’re inserting a chip, you’re out of luck.
| Category |
|---|
| Travel (Airlines, Car Rentals, Lodging, Cruise Lines, Travel Agencies) |
| Department Stores, Retail Stores |
| Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery |
| Transportation, Membership Clubs |
For details on the specific Merchant Category Codes (MCC) of the transactions, you can check out HSBC’s official list.
HSBC Revolution Points Expiry
Points earned from the HSBC Revolution card last for 37 months from the time you earned it. This is reasonable and you wouldn’t constantly worry about it expiring.
Airline Transfer Partners
| Airline | Frequent Flyer Program | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Airlines | Krisflyer | 25,000 : 10,000 |
| Cathay Pacific | Asia Miles | 25,000 : 10,000 |
HSBC has one of the shortest number of transfer partners out there. You are limited to just the standard Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways.
There is value in having more transfer partners as you’ll have more flexibility in terms of your redemption. Some airlines require much fewer points to travel to the same location, as well as possibly more availability.
Therefore, although the points are relatively easier to earn, I wouldn’t value HSBC points as much as points from the other banks.
Sign Up Bonus
| Deals Available |
|---|
| Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale |
| S$150 Cashback |
On top of the above deals, there’s an additional S$40 cashback when you sign up now. So you can potentially get S$190 cashback in total for signing up for the HSBC Revolution Card.
Free The Entertainer Subscription
The Entertainer is a lifestyle subscription that gives you 1-for-1 deals at many restaurants around Singapore. You’ll receive a free annual subscription as long as you remain an HSBC cardholder. As advertised on their site, there are over 1,000 deals available around the world to choose from.
If you’re familiar with The Entertainer, know that this is not exactly the “full” version. The HSBC Entertainer is watered down, with fewer selections and fewer copies of discounts available at each restaurant.
I’ve used the discounts several times over the course of owning the card and I’d say that this is a great perk to have! Although I would say it’s not worth the hassle of applying for the card just to get it.
Extra Savings on Petrol
| Payment Type | Fuel Type | Fuel Discounts |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor & Outdoor Payments | Diesel, Regular 92, Regular 95 | 14% |
| Indoor & Outdoor Payments | Platinum 98 | 16% |
| CaltexGo | Diesel, Regular 92, Regular 95 | 16% |
| CaltexGo | Platinum 98 | 16% |
For car owners, there is an ongoing promotion where you can get additional discounts when using your HSBC Revolution card to pay for fuel. However, you will not be receiving 4 mpd on the purchase as the gas station is not one of the categories for the bonus points.
Therefore, in my opinion, there are better cards to use if you’re trying to optimise your car fuel spending.
Eligibility
The HSBC Revolution Card is eligible for anyone earning more than S$30,000 annually.
Fees
There is no annual fee for being a primary cardholder of the HSBC Revolution Card. This is very useful as you do not have to remember to call in to waive the fees every so often.
In addition, you can get 5 supplementary cards for free. This makes it really convenient if you want to share the card with your family members and rack up points faster. Supplementary cardholders do not get their own copy of The Entertainer.
My Verdict – Should you get the HSBC Revolution Card?
In one word, absolutely. If you’re serious about earning a ton of airline miles, you’ll definitely need to have the HSBC Revolution Card in your wallet (or device). This is mainly because of the ease of earning bonus miles through contactless payments on a wide variety of categories. There is also the free Entertainer which is a nice cherry on top.
I would like to caution that keeping track of the bonus categories can be quite difficult in my experience. In my head, I’ll keep thinking that it covers almost everything. In reality, I find myself earning far fewer miles than expected every month.
Despite the downsides, this card earns a spot in my wallet as mentioned in my credit card strategy for the year and I aim to maximise the bonus miles achievable every month.
