Playing the points and miles game is not limited only to super-premium credit cards. We have many entry-level credit cards which can help in earning miles for your dream vacation. HSBC Visa Platinum card is one of them that comes with some good transfer partners. In this post, we review the HSBC Visa Platinum credit card with its rewards and benefits.
Eligibility
- Age: Between 18 and 65 years
- Minimum Annual Income for salaried individuals: 4 LPA
- City of Residence: Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, or Pune
HSBC does not provide the Visa Platinum card to self-employed individuals. There are some rare exceptions if there is an existing saving account with a high balance but I have not seen this working for some time now. You need a very high NRV for this to work.
Fees and Charges
The HSBC Visa Platinum credit card is Lifetime Free (LTF) with zero joining and annual fee.
We get some good welcome benefits on this card. We need to make a single transaction worth Rs 1000 or more within 30 days of card issuance to get below benefits. Total value of the welcome rewards is more than Rs 2500.
- Rs 500 Amazon gift voucher
- 3 complimentary airport lounge access or 3 meal vouchers (for airport restaurants in India)
- 50% discount (up to Rs 100) on the first Google Pay transaction with the card
- 10% cashback up to Rs 2000. To get this, use the card at least 5 times and spend at least Rs 10000 within 60 days from the card issuance date.
Rewards
The standard earn rate on the HSBC Visa Platinum is little low at 2 RP/Rs 150 but the 5X RP on incremental spends make it a good deal.
- 2 Reward Points/Rs 150 ~ 1.3% Return
- Rs 250 cashback on Rs 50000 spends in a calendar month ~0.5% Return. This used to be a Rs 500 worth of BMS vouchers but changed during the COVID duration.
- 5X RP on incremental spends above Rs 4 Lakhs in a membership year. Maximum 15000 RP. We hit this cap on incremental spends of Rs 2.25 Lakhs.
We get a total of 20333 RP (5333 regular RPs + 15000 accelerated RPs) on spends of Rs 6.25 Lakhs in a membership year. The best part is the redemption options that we get for these reward points.
Spend Offers
HSBC also runs good spend offers during Diwali and New Year. Below is one of the cashback offers that was sent out in 2020.
Pretty sweet offer to get an extra 3% cashback on spending.
Rewards Redemption
The HSBC Visa Platinum card has multiple redemption options in the reward redemption catalog. We can get Amazon, Flipkart and other gift vouchers as well. But, the value of 1 RP is around 20 paise in these cases. I would not recommend using these redemption options.
The best redemption options are when we opt for one of the transfer partners for airlines or hotels.
| TRANSFER PARTNER | CONVERSION RATIO |
|---|---|
| InterMiles | 2 RP = 1 InterMile |
| Singapore Airlines | 1 RP = 1 Kris Flyer Mile |
| British Airways | 1 RP = 1 Avios Mile |
| Taj Inner Circle | 1 RP = 1 Taj Inner Circle Point |
Except InterMiles, all other transfer partners get a 1:1 transfer ratio. So we get 20333 Kris Flyer/Avios miles on Rs 6.25 Lakhs spend. This makes it 3.25 Miles/Rs 100, a very good earn rate for an entry-level LTF credit card.
Taj Inner Circle points are now NeuCoins. We can transfer reward points to TIC and those will reflect as NeuCoins on the Tata Neu app. 1 NeuCoin = Rs 1 and can be used on BigBasket, Croma etc. This is like cashback redemption but with a better value.
Offers and Benefits
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver upto Rs 250 in a calendar month (For transactions between Rs 400 and Rs 4000 and only after 90 days of credit card issuance)
- BookMyShow BOGO upto Rs 250 on the second ticket. Valid once per calendar month and for transactions done on a Saturday.
Final Thoughts
If you are eligible, I would suggest getting the HSBC Visa Platinum credit card. For a LTF card, the earn rate is pretty decent and becomes even better if we get into 5X RP zone. From time to time, HSBC also runs good spend offers that help in getting extra savings.
