The HSBC EveryMile credit card was first introduced in 2021 and has since been known for its air mileage rewards — with a rate as low as HK$2 per mile. In fact, it may be more accurate to call the EveryMile card a “cash-back” credit card rather than a pure mileage credit card.
Now let’s take a closer look at the key features and terms of this card, including whether the welcome offer, eligibility criteria, and other perks make it a worthy addition to your wallet.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Is it worth applying?
MoneySmart credit card rating
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card—Is it money smart? | ||
Overall: ★★★☆☆ | ||
Best for: Earning miles | ||
Category | Our rating | Explanation |
Earn rates: Air miles | ★★★★☆ | – HK$2/mile or 2.5% rebate on selected daily spending merchants – “Travel Guru” members can enjoy as low as HK$0.6/mile |
Earn categories | ★★★☆☆ | – 1% RewardCash rebate for other local and overseas purchases – 0.4% cash rebate on Octopus (auto) top-up, PayMe top-up, or online bill payments |
Annual fees and charges | ★★★☆☆ | – HK$2,000 annual fee (first year waiver) – Annual fees waived for $80k+ spend |
Accessibility | ★★★☆☆ | – Annual income of HK$240,000 is required |
Extras/periphery rewards | ★★★★☆ | – Up to 15% off hotel bookings through Agoda – 7 complimentary access to Plaza Premium Lounge worldwide – No miles conversion fee – Complimentary multi-trip travel insurance by AXA |
Welcome offer | ★★★★☆ | – Up to HK$1,000 reward cash if you spend HK$8,000 (=HK$0.4/mile) – Extra HK$200 reward cash if you successfully apply for a Cash Installment Plan |
Table of contents: HSBC EveryMile Credit Card Review
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card Ratings
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Reward Cash Programme
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Miles earning rate
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Annual fees and charges
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Accessibility
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Perks
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Welcome offer
- HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Eligibility
- Best Air Miles Credit Card Alternatives: Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard / American Express Explorer Credit Card
- Final Verdict: Is the EveryMile Credit Card Worth It?
- Related articles
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card Ratings
The HSBC EveryMile Credit Card offers various benefits and features, including:
- HK$2/mile (or 2.5% cash-back) on selected daily spending categories and merchants
- 1% RewardCash rebate for other local and overseas purchases
- 0.4% cash rebate on Octopus (auto) top-up, PayMe top-up, or online bill payments
- Up to 15% off hotel bookings through Agoda
- Up to HK$300 rebate when booking through Cathay Pacific
For more information and the latest promotions, visit MoneySmart.
HSBC Credit Card Cash Rebate Programme: How Does It Work?
HSBC credit cards operate under a “RewardCash” (RC) cash rebate programme. RewardCash is earned with every card transaction.
The basic cash rebate rate for HSBC credit cards is $1 RewardCash ($1 RC) for every HK$250 spent, which equates to a basic 0.4% cash rebate.
The earned RewardCash can be redeemed as cash at a rate of $1 RC = HK$1. Alternatively, it can be converted to airline miles at a basic rate of $1 RC = 10 miles.
Different HSBC credit cards offer varying cash rebate rates for different spending categories. Some cards provide bonus rebates, while others only earn the standard 0.4% rate. This is what differentiates the features of each HSBC credit card.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Miles earning rate
One of the biggest selling points of the HSBC EveryMile card is how easy it is to earn air miles. In comparison to other HSBC credit cards, it offers an exceptional exchange rate of $1 RC=20 miles. For spending in selected categories and merchants, you can earn 2.5% RC rebate, and it can be translated to 1 mile for every HK$2 spent. There’s no cap on how many miles you can earn, so the more you spend, the more you earn!
As for the designated everyday spend merchants, they cover a wide range of mainstream options that can easily take care of your daily needs. These include taking the bus, fueling up at gas stations, buying coffee at Starbucks or Pacific Coffee, and paying your monthly Netflix or Spotify subscriptions. If you’re into gaming, you can also earn miles on purchases from the App Store, Google Play, Nintendo, and PlayStation. Essentially, earning miles every month should be a breeze.
HK$2 = 1 mile merchant list | |||
Local transportation | Driving-related | Cafe and light meals | Online entertainment platform |
|
|
|
|
However, note that payments for Autotoll are not eligible for earning miles, and neither are purchases or top-ups of fuel cards.
Spending category | Reward Cash earns | Miles earned |
General Local and Overseas Spending | 1% | HK$5/mile |
Selected Merchants | 2.5% | HK$2/mile |
Octopus AAVS, top-up, reload to PayMe | 0.4% | HK$12.5/mile |
Online Bill Payment | 0.4% | HK$12.5/mile |
General local or overseas spending earns 1 mile for every HK$5 spent, equivalent to a 1% rebate. Topping up Octopus cards (manual or auto) or PayMe, and online bill payments only earn a basic rebate of 0.4%, which is HK$12.5 per mile.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Annual fees and charges
HSBC EveryMile credit card has an annual fee for the first year. After that, you are required to pay HK$2,000 for the annual fee. You can also enjoy the annual fee waiver when you spend HK$80,000 with the credit card annually.
Annual Principal Fee | HK$2000 (first-year annual fee waiver) |
Supplementary Annual Fee | N/A |
Annual Interest Rate | 35.42% |
Late Payment Fees | Minimum Payment Due or HK$300, whichever is lower |
Minimum Monthly Repayment | The highest of the following three amounts:(i) (a) Total fees and charges currently billed to the card statement plus 1% of the statement balance (excluding any fees and charges currently billed) as at the statement date, or (b) HKD300, whichever is higher; plus (ii) Overdue or overlimit due, being the overdue minimum payment amount from the previous card statement or amount exceeding the credit limit on your card |
Foreign Currency Transaction Fee | 1.95% |
Note that there is a 1.95% foreign currency transaction fee whenever you pay in foreign currency.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Accessibility
The HSBC EveryMile credit card requires applicants to have an annual income of HK$240,000, which is not too high compared to some premium credit cards.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Perks
Many perks of EveryMile credit card are travel-related, designed for those who love to travel and want to make the most of their spending. With generous reward schemes and travel-related benefits, it’s a solid choice for frequent flyers and those looking to maximise their travel experiences:
“Travel Guru” Members Can Enjoy HK$0.6/Mile on Overseas Spending
The “Travel Guru” membership is divided into three tiers. To reach the highest tier, “GURU Traveller,” members need to spend HK$70,000 in foreign currency and make six flight or hotel transactions within the membership year. GURU Travellers receive an HK$500 Trip.com electronic voucher, a Hong Kong Harbour View Horizon Suite voucher, an upgrade voucher, and an additional 6% rebate on foreign currency spending. The last two benefits are exclusive to EveryMile cardholders.
Additionally, EveryMile cardholders earn a basic 1% rebate on overseas spending and an extra 1.5% rebate on eligible foreign currency transactions. Combined with the 6% rebate from the Travel Guru Membership, cardholders can enjoy a total rebate of 8.5%, effectively translating to just HK$0.6 per mile.
(Membership registration ended in April 2024.)
Use Reward Cash to book flights & hotels
As mentioned at the beginning, EveryMile credit card should be considered as a “cash-back card” rather than a miles card. So instead of earning miles directly, you first earn RC points, which you can then convert into miles.
The reward cash you earn can be exchanged through HSBC Reward+ at a preferential rate to miles or points across over 15 frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes. You can also redeem free flight tickets from over 110 airlines, making it one of the most versatile cards available.
Eligible frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes for converting RC | |
Frequent flyer programmes | Hotel loyalty programmes |
|
|
Most frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes allow you to instantly convert your reward cash into miles or points. However, for British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Accor Live Limitless, the conversion process takes about two weeks.
Discounts on bookings through Agoda and Cathay Pacific
Many perks of EveryMile credit card are travel-related, one of which is up to 15% off worldwide hotel bookings through a designated Agoda page. Additionally, Agoda offers exclusive monthly flash deals for EveryMile cardholders, providing instant discounts on single transactions over a specified amount.
Furthermore, if you book a flight departing from Hong Kong through the Cathay Pacific app using Apple Pay / Google Pay with your EveryMile card, you can earn up to HK$300 rebate if the transaction is over HK$5,000 (including taxes and fees). This offer is available up to 12 times a year and also applies to Visa Signature users.
Free Airport Lounge Access Up to 7 Times
If the comfort of airport lounges is something you look for, EveryMile cardholders can enjoy free access to airport lounges in Hong Kong and overseas up to 7 times during the promotional period (from now until December 31, 2024). The promotional period is divided into two phases:
Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
1 July 2024 to 31 August 2024 | 1 September 2024 to 31 December 2024 |
|
|
EveryMile’s lounge service covers most Plaza Premium Lounges, including those at Hong Kong International Airport, Taipei Taoyuan Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Sydney and Melbourne Airports, London Heathrow Airport, and Vancouver Airport. At designated restaurants in Hong Kong Airport, you can also enjoy complimentary food and beverages. Click here to see the full list.
Free Multi-Trip Travel Insurance by AXA
One of my favourite features of HSBC EveryMile is its complimentary travel insurance, which covers not only the cardholder but also their spouse and children. This means one less product to buy when travelling with the family.
From now until September 30, 2024, if you use EveryMile to pay for or redeem flights, hotels, or any transportation to and from Hong Kong—whether by sea, land, or air—plus overseas hotel stays or travel tour fees, AXA will cover your travel insurance for free. This deal is good for multiple trips throughout the year, so you won’t need to buy travel insurance for each trip.
EveryMile Credit Card Travel Insurance Sum-Insured (HK$) | ||
Coverage | Individual Travel
(per insured person) |
Family Travel
(per family) |
Personal Accident | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
Medical and Other Expenses | $600,000 | $1,200,000 |
Emergency Assistance | Fully covered | Fully covered |
Hospital Cash (overseas) | $3,000 ($500 per day) | $6,000 ($500 per day) |
Baggage and Personal Effects | $6,000 | $6,000 |
Delayed Baggage | $1,000 | $2,000 |
Personal Money and Travel Documents | Personal money: $1,000
Travel documents: $3,000 |
Personal money: $2,000
Travel documents: $6,000 |
Personal Liability | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 |
Travel Delay (over 6 hours) | $2,000 ($200 each 6 hours) | $4,000 ($200 each 6 hours) |
Trip Cancellation and Trip Curtailment | $20,000 | $40,000 |
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Welcome offer
The right welcome offer can give you a leg up in earning points and miles that are worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. That’s why many savvy credit card users pay close attention to welcome offers when deciding whether to get a card or not.
In this regard, EveryMile is quite enticing. New customers who spend HK$8,000 within the first 60 days of card issuance can earn up to HK$1,000 in reward cash, while existing customers can get HK$200, which is on par with other HSBC card offers.
Here’s how it works: New customers need to accumulate HK$8,000 in eligible spending within 60 days of card issuance to receive up to HK$800 in welcome reward cash, plus an additional HK$200 reward cash rebate (the HK$8,000 is all spent on “designated everyday spending” categories), totaling up to HK$1,000 in reward cash. Using the exchange rate of HK$1 reward cash = 20 miles, this equates to earning 20,000 miles.
In other words, spending HK$8,000 can earn you 20,000 miles, translating to just HK$0.4 per mile, which is quite a bargain!
Other welcome offers include:
- Extra $200 RewardCash for new credit card customers who successfully apply for a Cash Installment Plan
- Enjoy an “Interest-free Payment Holiday” for the first two months
- First-year annual fee waiver
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Eligibility
To apply for the HSBC EveryMile credit card, there is an annual income requirement of HK$240,000. As long as you meet the following criteria, you are eligible to apply for the card:
- You are 18 years of age or older.
- You are a resident or citizen of Hong Kong or Macau.
- You have an annual income of HK$240,000.
Best Air Miles Credit Card Alternatives: Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard / American Express Explorer Credit Card
Apart from HSBC EveryMile credit card, the Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard and the American Express Explorer Credit Card are also top choices for frequent flyers. The former requires a minimum annual income of HK$96,000, while the latter requires HK$300,000.
Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Key Features:
- HK$2 = 1 mile on eligible Cathay Pacific and HK Express transactions
- HK$4 = 1 mile on eligible dining, online, and overseas transactions
- HK$6 = 1 mile on other eligible transactions in Hong Kong dollars
- 10% discount on hotel stays, car rentals, travel experiences, and dining rewards when redeemed
American Express Explorer Credit Card Key Features
- Convert points to miles with 10 airline partners free of charge
- HK$3.6 = 1 mile on eligible spending with airlines, selected travel, and daily expense websites (5 American Express points per HK$1)
- HK$6 = 1 mile on local spending (3 American Express points per HK$1)
- HK$4.8 = 1 mile on foreign currency spending (3.75 American Express points per HK$1)
Final Verdict: Is the EveryMile Credit Card Worth It?
The HSBC EveryMile Credit Card is all about earning miles. You can get as low as HK$2/mile with selected merchants and HK$5/mile on everyday spending. New cardholders only need to spend HK$8,000 to earn $1,000 reward cash (RC). Even existing customers get welcome offers, and the income requirement is quite reasonable, making it a solid choice.
These days, everyone loves staying in nice hotels, and EveryMile offers 16 frequent flyer or hotel reward programmes, including Marriott points, which is a big draw. Plus, you get discounts and rebates on Agoda hotel bookings and Cathay Pacific tickets, free annual travel insurance, and six free airport lounge visits. For travel enthusiasts, this card is definitely worth considering.
One of the key strengths of HSBC credit cards is that they focus on reward cash. So, even if you’re not into collecting miles, you can still use the rewards for bill payments or other expenses, offering more flexibility than other miles cards. However, note that EveryMile doesn’t offer supplementary cards, so you can’t get an additional card for someone else.
Related Articles
MoneySmart analysed 7 credit cards for high-income earners that not only provide diverse benefits but also come with unique exclusive perks and maximise their financial advantages while meeting their quality-of-life needs.
Discover the most enjoyable happy hour bars and pubs in Hong Kong.
Embark on a cultural journey through the vibrant streets of Hong Kong as we explore the city’s top museums.
Wanna stay ahead of the herd? Let’s check out the MoneySmart blog for more financial tips!
MoneySmart—Your One-Stop Financial Products Platform
Homepage: www.moneysmart.hk/en/