High-income earners can apply for credit cards with higher income requirements, offering more choices. MoneySmart analysed 7 credit cards, including Visa Infinite, World Elite Mastercard, and UnionPay Prestige cards. These cards not only provide diverse benefits but also come with unique exclusive perks, such as higher cashback rates and premium privileges. This allows high-income individuals to maximise their financial advantages while meeting their quality-of-life needs.
Premium Credit Cards for High Earners in Hong Kong
- Credit Card Tiers Summary
- 7 Credit Cards for High Earners
- American Express Platinum Card
- Citi Prestige Card
- BOC Cheers Card Visa Infinite
- DBS Eminent Visa Signature Card
- American Express Explorer Credit Card
- HSBC Visa Signature Card
- CCB (Asia) UnionPay Diamond Prestige Credit Card
- Visa Infinite Benefits
- World Elite Mastercard Benefits
- UnionPay Diamond Prestige Card Benefits
Credit Card Tiers Summary
| Credit card level | Annual Income | VISA | MasterCard | UnionPay | American Express |
| Student/Entry | HK$0 – <150,000 | Classic/Gold/
Platinum |
Classic/Gold/Platinum | Platinum | Green/Gold |
| Medium | >HK$150,000 | World | |||
| Premium | >HK$300,000 | Signature / Infinite | World Elite | Diamond | Platinum |
| Ultra Premium | By-invitation | – | – | Diamond Prestige | Centurion |
7 Credit Cards for High Earners
| Card | Annual Income | Type of Card | Mileage/Rebate Rate | Exclusive Offers |
| American Express Platinum Card | Settled by annual fee | American Express | Local: HK$9/mile
Overseas: HK$6/mile HK$4.5/miles (with “Membership Rewards® Turbo program”) |
|
| Citi Prestige Card | HK$600,000 | World Elite Mastercard | Local: HK$6/mile
Overseas: HK$4/mile |
|
| BOC Cheers Card Visa Infinite | HK$600,000 | Visa Infinite | Dining & travel spending starts at HK$1.5/mile / 4% rebate |
|
| DBS Eminent Visa Signature Card | HK$360,000 | Visa Signature | Dining, fitness centre, sportswear, and medical services: 5%
Local: 1% |
|
| American Express Explorer Credit Card | HK$300,000 | American Express | Local: HK$6/mile
Overseas: HK$4.8/mile Airlines, selected online merchants, cafés and eateries: HK$3.6/mile |
|
| HSBC Visa Signature Card | HK$240,000 | Visa Signature | “Red Hot Rewards of Your Choice”
Earn up to 3.6% cashback / HK$2.78/mile |
|
| CCB (Asia) UnionPay Diamond Prestige Credit Card | By-invite only | UnionPay | HK$8/mile
HK$200 = 200 points = RMB/HKD 1 rebate |
|
American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum Card, commonly known as the “Small Head Card,” because of the logo on the card face, does not specify annual salary or asset requirements, but cardholders must pay an annual fee of HK$9,500. Benefits include unlimited free access to The Centurion Lounge, gold membership at world-renowned hotels, and comprehensive travel insurance throughout the year. Both the primary cardholder and two supplementary cardholders can enjoy various perks, offering rewards in everyday dining and travel.
The American Express Platinum Card’s benefits also include additional American Express points for overseas spending and purchasing tickets from designated airlines, dining discounts at selected restaurants and bars under Dining Concepts, free global travel insurance, and an annual travel spending rebate of HK$2,200 through American Express Travel Online. Additionally, cardholders receive an annual total of HK$2,000 in dining rebates at over 1,400 restaurants worldwide.
On Fridays, enjoy buy-one-get-one-free tickets for 3D, 2D, and IMAX movies at Broadway Circuit cinemas in Hong Kong, and a 20% discount on other days.
Supplementary cardholders also receive access to airport lounges, travel insurance, and movie ticket discounts.
- Miles Conversion (Overseas Spending)
- HK$6 = 1 Mile
- Miles Conversion (Local Spending)
- HK$9 = 1 Mile
- Discount at designated restaurants
- 40%
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5. HK$3,500 PARKnSHOP Supermarket Voucher or
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Terms & Conditions Apply.
Citi Prestige Card
The Citi Prestige Credit Card requires an annual salary of up to HK$600,000, making it suitable for high-income individuals who frequently travel or go on business trips. Cardholders can use Priority Pass to enjoy free access to airport lounges. Through the Citi Mobile App or by calling the Citi Prestige Concierge, cardholders can have experts arrange hotel bookings, reservations at top-tier restaurants, and entertainment activities. One of the standout benefits is that when booking four consecutive nights, the fourth night is free!
The miles redemption rate for this card is HK$6 spent locally = 1 mile, and HK$4 spent overseas = 1 mile. Despite the annual fee of HK$3,800, cardholders receive 20,000 miles upon paying the fee, making it more advantageous than purchasing miles through other means. Additionally, the points have no expiration date and can be redeemed freely.
Furthermore, cardholders enjoy tenure rewards—the longer you hold the card, the more substantial the additional rewards! Other benefits include up to an extra 30% tenure reward, local and overseas spending rates as low as HK$5.22 per mile and HK$3.64 per mile respectively, dining privileges at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, a buy-2-get-2 buffet offer at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Citi VIP Box (on designated race days only), complimentary green fees at selected golf courses worldwide, and exclusive World Elite MasterCard perks.
BOC Cheers Card Visa Infinite
The BOC Cheers Card Visa Infinite has a high income requirement for applicants, up to HK$600,000, and an annual fee of HK$3,800, though the fee is waived for the first year. This card is tailored to Hong Kong residents who enjoy dining and travel, offering a 4% rebate or HK$1.5 per mile on spending in these categories.
Cardholders receive two free visits to the Plaza Premium Lounge each year. Additionally, for every HK$15,000 spent in a quarter, cardholders earn two more lounge visits, which can be shared with accompanying guests. When using the card to pay for transportation, accommodation, and/or travel packages, cardholders benefit from personal accident coverage of up to HK$7.8 million during their trip. Moreover, bookings of four or more nights on Hotels.com receive a 25% discount. For airport transfers, cardholders enjoy a 50% discount on chauffeur services for both departures and returns.
In the dining category, the card offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal on designated set menus at selected high-end restaurants.
DBS Eminent Visa Signature Card
The DBS Eminent Visa Signature Card offers a 1% cashback on the first HK$20,000 of retail spending each month. Additionally, for single net transactions of HK$300 or more in specified categories, including dining, sports apparel, fitness centres, and medical services, you can earn up to 5% cashback.
This card also provides notable dining, health, and wellness benefits, such as:
- Up to 30% off at the 8 Degrees Restaurant in Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees Hotel
- 15% off at Three on Canton in Gateway Hotel
- 15% off at Café Marco in Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel
- Up to 10% off at the Conrad Hong Kong
- Up to 10% off at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
- A 7-day free pass for PURE Yoga and PURE Fitness
- Discounts of up to 52% on selected health check-up plans
- Min. Annual Salary
- HK$360,000
- Rebate on designated spending categories
- 5％
- Rebate on other retail spending
- 1%
From now until 31 July 2024, customers who apply for designated cards through MoneySmart (Eminent Visa Platinum Card/ DBS Eminent Visa Signature Card) successfully, can get HK$200 Apple Store Gift Card or HK$200 Klook Gift Card or HK$200 ParknShop Voucher!
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American Express Explorer Credit Card
The American Express Explorer Credit Card offers a first-year annual fee waiver. Cardholders can flexibly use American Express points to redeem air miles from 9 partner airlines or opt for cash back, with designated spending yielding rates as low as HK$3.6 per mile or up to 1.67% rebate. Additionally, cardholders enjoy 8 free visits to the Plaza Premium Lounge each year.
The American Express Explorer Credit Card’s welcome gifts are particularly enticing. Both new and existing customers who are new to the AE Explorer Credit Card can receive generous rewards for spending in the first 3 months. For instance, spending HK$7,000 earns 7,000 miles or HK$420 in rewards (redeemable with 126,000 points). Moreover, foreign currency spending during the welcome period can earn rates as low as HK$2 per mile.
Other benefits include complimentary travel insurance when paying for overseas travel expenses with the card, a HK$120 rebate for accumulating net dining expenses of HK$800 or more each quarter at BaseHall, and a 15% discount. Additionally, cardholders enjoy a range of purchase protections, including online shopping safety, return guarantee, extended warranty service, price protection, and a 45-day purchase assurance.
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- Min. Annual Salary
- HK$300,000
- Complimentary Plaza Premium Lounge Access
- 8 times per Calendar Year
- Miles Conversion (Eligible Foreign Currency Transaction)*
- HK$1.68 = 1 Mile
HSBC Visa Signature Card
The HSBC Visa Signature card requires an annual income of HK$240,000, making its application threshold lower than other premium credit cards, yet its rewards and benefits remain impressive. The standout feature of this card is the ability to earn a total of 9X RewardCash in the “Red Hot Rewards” categories.
For all spending, cardholders earn a basic 1X RewardCash. Additionally, there are five “Red Hot Rewards” categories—”Dining,” “Health & Leisure,” “Home,” “Lifestyle,” and “Overseas and Mainland China Spending”—where you can earn an extra 5X RewardCash. On top of this, the HSBC Visa Signature card offers an additional 3X RewardCash in these categories, amounting to a total of up to 9X RewardCash, which is equivalent to a 3.6% rebate or 1.6% cash back.
When allocating the extra multipliers for “Red Hot Rewards,” you can choose based on your spending habits. For example, if you primarily spend on dining, you can select the “Dining” category. For everyday expenses (such as at designated supermarkets, home and furniture stores, electronic appliances shops, or telecom companies), you can choose the “Home” category.
- Min. Annual Salary
- HK$240,000
- RewardCash Rebate
- Up to 3.6%
- Miles Conversion (local spend)
- HK$2.78 = 1 Mile
CCB (Asia) UnionPay Diamond Prestige Credit Card
The CCB (Asia) UnionPay Diamond Prestige Credit Card is available by invitation only. Cardholders earn 1 credit card point for every HK$1 spent, with no expiration on points. Points can be redeemed at a rate of 8 points for 1 Asia Miles or at a rate of 200 points = RMB/HK$1 for cashback. Additional benefits include a buy-one-get-one-free offer and free upgrades on handcrafted beverages at Pacific Coffee.
Cardholders can also access the UnionPay Prestige Concierge Service Hotline, which offers personalised concierge services such as travel planning, shopping, art appreciation, health consultancy, dining reservations, international gourmet experiences, and other leisure and lifestyle perks.
Visa Infinite Benefits
Visa Infinite: VISA Concierge Service
The VISA Concierge provides a complimentary phone service, available 24 hours a day to assist cardholders. Simply go to Visa Concierge website, register your card number, and you can make dining reservations, and book staycations, flights and activities. You can reach out to their team via phone, email, live chat and third-party chat channels like WhatsApp.
Visa Infinite: 50% Off Hong Kong Airport Limousine Service
Visa Infinite cardholders can enjoy a 50% discount on reservations for pickup services to and from Hong Kong International Airport, provided by King’s Limousine.
Visa Infinite: Global Airport Fast Track
With the yQ (meet & assist) service, you can enjoy fast-track services at over 450 airports worldwide. Service personnel will greet inbound travellers at the boarding bridge or wait for departing travellers at the kerbside of the airport, providing assistance and services. Visa Infinite cardholders can enjoy a 25% discount on this service.
World Elite Mastercard Benefits
World Elite Mastercard: Flight Delay Pass
The “Flight Delay Pass” service provides access to airport lounges for cardholders facing flight delays. At least 6 hours prior to departure, cardholders can register their details and those of up to 3 companions on a designated website. If the flight is delayed by 2 hours or more, the cardholder will receive an email with an attached PDF file containing a LoungeKey pass, allowing free access to airport lounges for waiting.
UnionPay Diamond Prestige Card Benefits
UnionPay Diamond Prestige Card: Hong Kong Disneyland Exclusive Experience
By booking through the UnionPay Concierge Service Hotline, cardholders can enjoy the “Mickey and The Wondrous Book” VIP experience at Hong Kong Disneyland. This exclusive experience includes priority seating and a meet-and-greet with Disney characters after the show.
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