Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Who are the HSBC Premier credit card airline and hotel transfer partners?

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

18 months ago, HSBC Premier undertook a substantial upgrading of its credit card transfer partners.

What was a bit of a laughing stock – although Avios was also partner – suddenly became a real contender, at least for the airline partners.

Even better, transfers to airline and hotel partners are instant and there is no minimum points transfer.

The only snag is that the HSBC Premier credit card is a faff to get. You need to sign up for free to HSBC’s Premier current account (£75,000 income and a HSBC investment product required) in order to apply for the free Premier credit card and the paid-for Premier World Elite credit card.

HSBC airline and hotel credit card partners

The two HSBC credit cards earn as follows:

The free HSBC Premier card, reviewed here, earns 1 HSBC point per £1 spent, which translates to 0.5 airline miles or hotel points.

The representative APR is 23.9% variable.

The £195 HSBC Premier World Elite card, reviewed here, earns 2 HSBC points per £1 spent, which translates to 1 airline mile or hotel point. There is a sign-up bonus of 80,000 points, worth 40,000 airline miles or hotel points, albeit this is spread over two years.

The representative APR is 59.3% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 18.9% variable.

How to transfer points to travel partners

Annoyingly, it is not possible to make points transfers via the HSBC app. You need to log in to the HSBC UK website using your HSBC Premier details.

One bit of positive news is there are no transfer minimums.

2 HSBC points will get you 1 airline mile or 1 hotel point.

HSBC airline and hotel credit card partners

Transfers to some partners are instantaneous

Yes, instant. In the UK points market, this is still rare.

You aren’t at risk of missing out on a redemption by waiting for your HSBC points to go across.

Who are the HSBC Premier credit card travel partners?

Here are the HSBC airline transfer partners:

Here are the hotel partners:

HSBC Premier credit card hotel partners

Are these transfers good value?

There are two ways of looking at this:

  • Are airline and hotel scheme transfers good value compared to redeeming for shopping gift cards etc?
  • If they are, are any of the airline or hotel options significantly better or worse?

Are miles and points transfers good value compared to the alternatives?

Yes. Unlike many credit cards, airline miles are excellent value compared to taking shopping vouchers which is the only other option.

1,500 HSBC points gets you 750 airline miles or £5 of vouchers (Amazon, Costa, M&S, John Lewis, Tesco etc) so you are ‘paying’ just 0.66p per airline mile.

Are any of the airline or hotel options significantly better or worse?

Since we always value airline miles at around 1p, at least as long as they are used for premium cabin flight redemptions, we can say that they are a good use of your HSBC points. Compared to taking shopping vouchers, you are ‘paying’ 0.66p per mile which is a great deal.

However, the hotel transfer ratios stink.

HSBC premier airline and hotel credit card partners

The exchange rate from HSBC to hotel points is 2:1 – the same rate as used for airline miles. This is shocking value because, using a very broad generalisation, airline miles are worth double what hotel points are worth.

For example, I value an IHG One Rewards point at 0.4p. This means that 2 HSBC points gets you 0.4p of IHG One Rewards points – but would also get you 0.66p of shopping vouchers! Avoid – unless you need the points immediately, since the transfer to IHG is instant.

Conclusion

HSBC Premier has now established itself as the clear leader in the Visa / Mastercard space for anyone who wants a ‘convertible currency’ that could be moved to multiple travel rewards schemes.

For 10 of the 11 partners (Avios being the exception) it is the only way of earning these points from Visa or Mastercard spend.

(If you DO want Avios, which as this is HfP is likely, then forget HSBC Premier. You are far better off with the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard or the paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard which has a 25,000 Avios bonus.)

The snag is that you need a HSBC Premier current account to apply for these cards, which requires a £75,000 income and the holding of a HSBC mortgage, insurance or investment product – albeit Premier has decent benefits, including full travel insurance, and is free.

Our full review of the free HSBC Premier credit card is here.

Our full review of the HSBC Premier World Elite credit card is here.

Comments (27)

  • JPK says:

    I’ve had the World Elite card for years and it reaps a reasonable number of points and the lounge access is good. Does anyone know if I cancel, how long after can I reapply and if that would make me eligible for the introductory bonus points?

  • Bernard says:

    Not to forget a fully functioning Priority Pass too – not like the Amex one. So lots of £15 restaurant/bar credit options when the lounges are filled up with easyJet/on the beach trash.

  • The Original David says:

    If i have the free card, can i upgrade to the World Elite card and get the sign up bonus, or do i need to cancel and wait?

    • Nico says:

      You can upgrade, but points come within 60 days after the 3 months collection period for the bonus, so not fast.

  • hugo r says:

    Are HSBC actually strict when it comes to the premier account and terms , as in I have the Barclays premier account , I don’t earn 75k however each month I transfer money from my savings so that I have the equivalent coming in each month like 4K and then transfer back out….

    Would this work with HSBC as long as there is activity to the equivalent of 75k per Ann and you also have the other product with them

    • JD Beds says:

      IME yes

    • zapato1060 says:

      When you signed up to the Barclays? Did the ask for your wages? Did you put 75k? Going by what ive experienced with Barclays with IT issues, people still fighting for their 100k bonus. I would presume HSBC to be smarter and more on the ball.

    • Josh B says:

      One significant note of caution re HSBC – even if you successfully game their system to obtain the card you better not be relying on the travel insurance. Because trust me, one big claim and the loss adjusters will be all over every detail and you likely will end up uninsured. (See for example recent case where somebody renewed a travel policy while still abroad and then got declined on a six figure claim).

      • The Original David says:

        Interesting, do you have any more info on this case that you refer to? I don’t understand what you mean by “renew” – as I understand it, the travel insurance starts when you open the card and continues until you close it… Or are you referring to a separate HSBC insurance product (in which case, having to get the insurance before leaving the UK is a standard term on almost every travel insurance product on the market for UK residents).

        • Josh B says:

          It wasn’t HSBC – just an example of an insurer turning down a claim on a technicality (policy bought in country, person travelled out on it and then mom renewed policy when they stayed in longer.) Point being is that if you obtain the policy here by a false declaration of income then you stand the risk of being declined should a claim become necessary.

  • exp70 says:

    Debating this over the Platinum card – the lack of full coverage for families is a tough point. Plus HSBC really should get card points featured in their banking app. I’d guess it’d still be difficult to see what volume of points are expiring when too.

    • aseftel says:

      NB one key distinction (for me) between the Amex Platinum and HSBC Premier travel policies is that the Amex policy can reimburse you for the cost of postponing travel, rather than just getting your money back if you don’t travel, in the event of illness.

      • exp70 says:

        I’m seeing it as:
        + Instant transfer for some partners
        + 1:1 for all airlines
        + Smaller annual fee
        – PP doesn’t cover larger families
        – Arcane points system
        – Amex has better customer service

        • Bernard says:

          In my experience the HSBC service, when it matters, knocks Amex for six.
          Trying being stuck somewhere trying to get the last few seats out, and HSBC delivered – staying on the phone throughout dealing with an unusually complex airline. They didn’t need to do that, but they took 40 minutes to ensure their customer got out.
          The Amex customers at the airline counter weren’t so lucky.

      • JDB says:

        Other key differences are that the HSBC policy comes with a free bank account not an expensive card. Also, HSBC covers many of the most common pre-existing conditions, plus has proper travel disruption / travel inconvenience cover which Plat doesn’t. There is also no requirement with the HSBC policy to use any particular card avoids that lottery or unintentional but potentially costly error.

        On the negative side HSBC doesn’t offer car hire cover.

  • Nico says:

    At times, HSBC was giving a 25% bonus for avios transfers, is there anything similar for other programs?

    • Rob says:

      No. However, Etihad often does ‘back door’ HSBC bonuses, eg it tells its members that any transfers in from HSBC will be boosted, but there is no deal with HSBC and HSBC itself does not promote it.

  • numpty says:

    The application process for the HSBC card is so slow its impressive, I think it took nearly a month from application to approval to receiving the card.

    Has any applied for a companion card with the HSBC card? Do you really need to fill in a form declaring partners income etc – it looks like a whole new credit application. Such a different approach from Amex.

    • JDB says:

      HSBC has always been an extremely conservative organisation which has generally worked well for them and after some bad experiences, they are very compliance driven. Amex is very gung-ho about most things although they have recently had to slam on the brakes after the credit losses they have suffered.

      • memesweeper says:

        “Very gung-ho” is probably a bit strong: they are less risk averse, that’s all. Amex are not a bank, and frankly I don’t care how much risk they take, they won’t need bailing out if they go under, unlike HSBC.

        • JDB says:

          American Express is a bank. It was obliged to convert to that status in the 2008 financial crisis in order to obtain funds from the TARP bailout. Credit loss provisions in 2023 were $4.9billion vs $2.22billion.

          It’s true Amex is less averse, partly because it is so obsessed about customer acquisition / retention metrics, whatever the cost. Even within the small HfP universe people are amazed at the credit limits they get vs other cards, so it’s no wonder Amex’s bad debt experience is bad.

          • Josh B says:

            Great points and I think you get at something very important – the relentless use of points to drive customer acquisition that is creating an unsustainable set of demands in an industry that’s already not in great shape

    • Nico says:

      Totally agreed on the companion card, they insisted on partner’s income and bank details, whereas you are the only one responsible for paying the balance and you need to print the form, nothing electronic.

  • TS77 says:

    Someone please correct me if no longer valid, but from memory the points expire 36 months from being earned, this was definitely the case 2 years ago.

    • Rob says:

      Yes, I believe so.

    • Polly says:

      Probably best to convert as many of them as possible to avios or whatever soon as. Especially when they run the BA or other 25% uplift usually late summer. Less risk of expiry. It used to show expiry dates, can’t see them now.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please click here to read our data protection policy before submitting your comment

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.