HSBC credit cards in Singapore come in three kinds: cashback cards paying 1.5% to 5%, a points card earning 10 Reward points per S$1 on online and contactless spend, and miles cards earning up to 1.2 miles per dollar locally. The detail that catches most applicants is income: new HSBC customers need $65,000 a year, as at November 2026.
Below are the rates, caps, fees and conversion rules from HSBC’s own pages, with the catches spelled out.
How We Put This Page Together
Each figure comes from HSBC Singapore’s card pages, programme terms and its 2026 tariff. We list the five cards HSBC currently promotes to new applicants.
We leave out the HSBC Visa Platinum card, which HSBC’s reward terms say became the Live+ card from 21 June 2024, and the HSBC Visa Infinite card, where HSBC says applications are temporarily paused. We do not quote sign-up gifts, and we are not paid by HSBC or any issuer.
HSBC Credit Cards Compared
| Card | Type | What it earns | Cap | Minimum spend | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSBC Revolution | Points | 10 points per $1 on eligible online and contactless spend; 1 point elsewhere | 9,000 bonus points a month | None | None |
| HSBC Live+ | Cashback | 5% dining, shopping, entertainment, Caltex and Shell petrol; 0.3% other | $250 a quarter | $600 in every month of the quarter | $196.20; first year waived, then waived above $12,500 annual spend |
| HSBC Advance | Cashback | 1.5%, or 2.5% when monthly spend exceeds $2,000 | $70 a month | None for 1.5% | $196.20; first year waived, then waived above $12,500 annual spend |
| HSBC TravelOne | Miles | 3 points per $1 local, 6 per $1 foreign currency (up to 1.2 and 2.4 miles) | Not stated | None | $196.20 from year one; waived from year two above $25,000 annual spend |
| HSBC Premier Mastercard | Miles | Up to 1.4 KrisFlyer miles per $1 local, 2.3 overseas | Not stated | None | $708.50; waived with $200,000 held at HSBC |
Minimum income, all five cards: $65,000 a year for new HSBC customers, for existing customers holding less than $50,000 with the bank, and for foreigners. Singaporeans and permanent residents holding $50,000 or more with HSBC need $30,000 if salaried or $40,000 if self-employed. The Premier Mastercard is only for HSBC Premier customers.
What Each Card Does, and Who It Does Not Suit
HSBC Revolution earns 10 points per dollar on online and contactless payments at listed travel, retail, dining and transport merchants, for the first $1,000 a month. It has no annual fee. It does not suit spending at supermarkets or fast food outlets, which are not on the bonus list. Details are in our HSBC Revolution Card review.
HSBC Live+ pays 5% in four categories, but only if you spend $600 in each of the three months of a calendar quarter. Miss one month and the quarter pays 0.3%. See the HSBC Live+ Card review.
HSBC Advance pays 1.5% with no minimum spend. The 2.5% rate needs more than $2,000 in a calendar month, and cashback stops at $70 a month, which is reached at $2,800 of spend. It does not suit very large monthly spenders, who hit the cap, or households below $12,500 a year who may face the fee from year two.
HSBC TravelOne charges its $196.20 fee from the first year. Its headline miles rates assume a partner that converts at 25,000 points for 10,000 miles. For KrisFlyer, at 30,000 points for 10,000 miles, the same spend gives 1 mile per dollar locally and 2 overseas. HSBC’s page lists four airport lounge visits a year for the primary cardholder.
HSBC Premier Mastercard is tied to a Premier banking relationship. Without the $200,000 balance that waives it, the fee is $708.50.
A worked example: the Advance card’s two tiers
An illustrative cardholder spends $1,500 a month on the HSBC Advance card.
- $1,500 × 1.5% = $22.50 a month, or $270 a year.
Raise that to $2,100 a month and the rate becomes 2.5%:
- $2,100 × 2.5% = $52.50 a month, or $630 a year.
At $3,500 a month, 2.5% would be $87.50, but the cap holds it at $70. That is an effective 2%.
Spending more to cross $2,000 is not a saving. The higher tier only helps if your normal spending is already there. Illustration only, using HSBC’s published rates as at November 2026.
The short version: HSBC’s higher rates all come with a condition: a monthly cap on Revolution, a three-month spending streak on Live+, a $2,000 threshold on Advance. And unless you already bank with HSBC, the income bar is $65,000.
How HSBC Reward Points Work
Revolution, TravelOne and Premier Mastercard earn HSBC Reward points. The Live+ and Advance cards pay cashback instead.
Conversion. HSBC’s rewards page lists 16 airlines and 4 hotel groups. The ratio depends on the partner:
| Partner | HSBC points for 10,000 miles |
|---|---|
| Asia Miles, British Airways, Qantas, Flying Blue, Etihad, EVA Air, Vietnam Airlines, airasia | 25,000 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Thai Airways | 30,000 |
| Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, United, Air Canada, Hainan Airlines | 35,000 |
| Japan Airlines | 50,000 |
So “4 miles per dollar” on the Revolution card is 3.33 KrisFlyer miles per dollar.
Conversion fee. HSBC’s 2026 tariff shows the airline miles and hotel points redemption fee as waived until HSBC decides otherwise.
Expiry. Points expire at the end of a 37-month period that begins the month after they are awarded.
Cash instead. Pay with points starts at 4,000 points for $10, then 400 points for each further $1. That is 0.25 cents a point. Our cashback or miles guide shows how to compare that with a flight redemption.
Annual Fees and Fee Waivers
HSBC’s waivers are mostly rule-based:
- Revolution: no annual fee, according to the 2026 tariff.
- Live+ and Advance: first year waived, then waived when you spend more than $12,500 in the year.
- TravelOne: charged from the issue date. From the second year, waived above $25,000 of annual spend. HSBC notes that the annual-fee Reward points are not given when the fee is waived.
- Premier Mastercard: waived while you keep a Premier relationship with at least $200,000.
Supplementary cards carry no annual fee on these cards, according to the tariff. If you fall short of a spend threshold, you can still ask HSBC for a waiver, which is at the bank’s discretion.
The Cost of Carrying a Balance
HSBC’s card pages and tariff state a finance charge at an effective rate of 27.8% a year, with a $100 late payment charge. On a $3,000 unpaid balance that is roughly $70 a month in interest.
MoneySense points out that once you do not pay in full, interest also applies to new purchases. A 5% category rate does not come close. If you are carrying a balance, the debt payoff calculator shows the cost of each repayment plan.
Foreign currency transactions cost 2.25% of the amount, plus up to 1% charged by the card scheme. Our guide to overseas card fees explains both parts.
What To Do Next
- Check which income tier you fall into before applying, since it decides eligibility for every HSBC card.
- Confirm current rates on HSBC’s credit card pages. Terms and promotions change.
- If you collect KrisFlyer miles, redo any “miles per dollar” figure at 30,000 points for 10,000 miles.
- Compare across banks on our best credit cards in Singapore hub, the cashback cards comparison and the rewards cards comparison.
- Test your own spending in the cashback vs miles calculator.
