Do you know that Octopus AAVS (Automatic Add Value Service) with credit cards can earn you cashback, rewards, miles, and more generous promotions? Check out our curated selection of credit cards for your Octopus AAVS top-ups here on MoneySmart. Keep reading to learn more, and apply now to start enjoying the benefits!
Table of contents: Best Octopus AAVS Credit Cards
- What is Octopus AAVS?
- What benefits can you enjoy by using Octopus AAVS credit card?
- Which Octopus AAVS credit card should you choose? Octopus AAVS credit card rewards overview
- How to apply for Octopus AAVS?
- What to do if you lose your Octopus card with AAVS?
- Frequently asked questions: Octopus AAVS credit card
- Related articles
What is Octopus AAVS?
The Automatic Add Value Service (AAVS) is the automatic top-up service. Whenever your Octopus runs out of value, the AAVS is activated automatically. With over 20 financial institutions offering AAVS, you can get your AAVS without much hassle.
What benefits can you enjoy by using Octopus AAVS credit card?
Using Octopus AAVS will earn you the usual credit card benefits like cash rebates, air miles, etc.
Earning credit card cash rebates
By using a credit card to add value to your Octopus automatically, you can earn cash rebates that can offset your credit card spending. Don’t forget to compare the various options available with the highest cash rebate.
Earning air miles rebate
With designated credit cards, you can earn air miles when you automatically add value to your Octopus card. For example, adding value with a Citi Prestige credit card can earn you HK$6 for every 1 mile, which can be used to redeem flights, hotel stays, car rentals, and more.
Which Octopus AAVS credit card should you choose? Octopus AAVS credit card rewards overview
While the best credit card for Octopus AAVS rebates may vary, it’s important to note that most credit cards limit automatic top-ups to once per day.
Here is the Octopus AAVS credit card rewards overview:
| Credit Card | Octopus AAVS Cash Rebate | Octopus AAVS Air Miles Conversion Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Chartered Simply Cash Visa Card | 1.5% | – |
| Citi Prestige Card | 1% | HK$6/mile |
| Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard | – | HK$6/mile |
| Prime Credit EarnMore UnionPay Diamond Card | 1% | – |
| Standard Chartered Smart Card | 0.56% | – |
| Citi Octopus Platinum Card | 0.5% | – |
Citi Octopus Platinum Card: 15% discount on transportation
Looking for a way to save on your daily commute? The Citi Octopus Platinum Card has got you covered! While it may not offer much cash back on Octopus AAVS, this card gives you a 15% discount on CTB, NWFB, KMB, LWB, railway, green minibus, ferry, and tram fares when you spend HK$3000 or more per month. Get on board with Citi and start saving on your daily travels!
- Min. Annual Salary
- HK$120,000
- Rebate on transportation fare payments
- 15%
- Tunnel tolls and parking fee rebate
- 5%
Citi Prestige Card: Great flexibility between cashback and air miles
The Citi Prestige Card is a great option for earning rewards on Octopus AAVS. You’ll earn a 1% cash rebate and a conversion rate of HK$6 per air mile. Plus, you can easily switch between the two rebates as needed. With this card, you’ll have the flexibility to earn the rewards that work best for you.
- Minimum Income Requirements
- HK$600,000
- Miles Conversion (local spend)
- HK$6 = 1 Mile
- Miles Conversion (overseas spend)
- HK$4 = 1 Mile
Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard
The Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard offers the lowest air miles conversion rate in town at HK$4/mile. As for the Octopus AAVS, you can earn an add-on of HK$6/mile to your mile-earning journey.
- Miles Conversion(Eligible spending on Cathay and HK Express)
- HK$2=1 mile
- Miles Conversion (Eligible spending on dining, hotels and overseas category)
- HK$4 = 1 mile
- Bank Welcome Offer
- 60,000 miles
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Prime Credit EarnMore UnionPay Diamond Card: 1% cash back on Octopus top-up service
Topping up your Octopus card with Prime Credit EarnMore UnionPay Diamond Card can earn you 1% cash back. Plus, you can earn 2% cash back on all eligible transactions. This is the card you want to keep in your wallet for its straightforward cashback mechanism.
- Min. Annual Salary
- HK$0
- Cash back on overseas spend
- 2%
- Cash back on local spend
- 2%
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Standard Chartered Smart Card: HK$1,200 welcome offer
As a substitute, although Standard Chartered Smart Card doesn’t have as high a rebate as the Simply Cash Visa Card, we suggest first applying for Standard Chartered Smart Card to get a HK$1,200 welcome offer (spending HK$4,000 within 1 month of getting the card).
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- Cash back on spending at designated stores of HKTVmall
- 5%
- Cash back on local spend
- 5%
- MoneySmart Exclusive Offer
- HK$2,798
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Standard Chartered Simply Cash Visa Card: Highest cash rebates, but with no welcome offers
Standard Chartered Simply Cash Visa Card has the highest Octopus AAVS cashback of 1.5%, but at the moment, there’s no welcome offer for such a card.
How to apply for Octopus AAVS?
There are two ways to add value to your Octopus card using a credit card in Hong Kong:
- through an automatic banking top-up service, or
- by adding Octopus to your iPhone, Apple Watch, Huawei Pay, or Samsung Pay.
Through the automatic banking top-up service
With over 20 financial institutions offering automatic top-up services, applying for Octopus AAVS with a credit card is easy and convenient. You only need to be 18 years old or older and hold a valid credit card from a financial institution that offers automatic top-up service. You can apply online, and expect the approval process to take 2 to 3 weeks.
Here are the financial institutions available for AAVS:
- AEON Credit Service
- Bank of East Asia (BEA)
- Bank of China Credit Card
- Bank of Communications Hong Kong Branch
- China Construction Bank (Asia)
- Chong Hing Bank
- Citibank
- CITIC International Bank
- Dah Sing Bank
- DBS Bank
- Fubon Bank
- Hang Seng Bank
- HSBC
- ICBC (Asia)
- Manhattan Credit Card
- Shanghai Commercial Bank
- Standard Chartered Bank
- CMB Wing Lung Bank
Once you’ve picked your credit card option for Octopus AAVS, head to the Octopus official website’s bank list to find out how to apply.
Adding Octopus to your iPhone, Apple Watch, Huawei Pay, or Samsung Pay
To top up your Octopus card on your iPhone or Apple Watch,
- Simply open the Octopus app and click “Top Up” next to your Octopus card.
- Input the desired top-up amount and select “Top up with Apple Pay” or another payment method.
- Choose your preferred credit or debit card and confirm the payment.
With a maximum stored value of HK$3,000, your Octopus on your iPhone or Apple Watch can be used for a variety of purchases at retail stores, restaurants, and convenience stores.
What to do if you lose your Octopus card with AAVS?
If you lost your AAVS Octopus card, don’t panic. Here is what you can do:
- Fill out your personal information on the MTR website, Octopus Lost Card Reporting Service, or call the Octopus Lost Card Hotline at 2266 2266 to report the loss.
- After the successful report, the system will provide a report number for future follow-up records, and the report instruction cannot be withdrawn.
- You only need to bear the loss within 3 hours after the successful report.
- Follow all instructions from the phone system; otherwise, you will not be able to report the loss successfully.
- After you have successfully reported the loss, MTR will arrange a refund for you. If you report a lost personal Octopus, you can also request a new personal Octopus when you report the loss.
The fees for losing different types of Octopus
| Type of Octopus | Fee for Lost Card |
| Personal Octopus/Ordinary Octopus with automatic top-up service | HK$50 (including the handling fee and the cost of the card) |
| Tourist Octopus (Sold version) with automatic top-up service | HK$20 |
| Octopus in iPhone or Apple Watch/Huawei Pay Octopus/Smart Octopus in Samsung Pay with automatic top-up service | HK$20 |
Frequently asked questions: Octopus AAVS credit card
Is there a handling fee for applying for an automatic top-up for Octopus with a credit card?
There is no handling fee for the first-time application for your Octopus, but a fee of about HK$20 will be charged for each subsequent card transfer.
How to cancel automatic top-up service?
Octopus card holders need to call the Octopus customer service hotline at 2266 2222 to cancel. After Octopus receives the instructions, it will send a confirmation letter. Octopus cardholders must bring the letter and Octopus to any MTR Customer Service Centre within 10 days of the date of the letter to complete the cancellation procedure.
How to apply for an automatic top-up for Octopus with a credit card?
The application methods of each bank are different; some have online applications, and some even require paper forms. After selecting the credit card, go to the bank list classified by Octopus official website to find out the application methods.
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Wanna stay ahead of the herd? Let’s check out the MoneySmart blog for more financial tips!
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