HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card Related Queries

hfwangau on 24/04/2023 - 14:23

Recently I got approved the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card
https://www.hsbc.com.au/credit-cards/offers/campaigns/star-a…

From the offer, it looks if you spend 4k in 90 days, you will get Star Alliance gold status - given the fact you have the Star Alliance ID and linked to one of the mileage programs from the Star Alliance members.

After I got the card, I also received an email from Star Alliance that provided me my Star Alliance id，so I followed the link to register the ID and linked to a mileage programs from the Star Alliance members, I selected Air Canada (they will give you Aeroplan 50K for rest of the calendar year and next year), their Aeroplan 50K will have all benefits of Star Alliance gold.

"
Once you have reached Aeroplan Elite Status for a given year, you will enjoy it through to the end of the next calendar year.
"
https://princeoftravel.com/guides/aeroplan-elite-status-guid…

So just to confirm my understanding being correct:
1.
As long as I spend 4k in 90 days, HSBC will notify Air Canada to upgrade my membership to Aeroplan 50K so that will trigger Star Alliance Gold benefits？

Then as long as I hold my Air Canada membership card (like the digital one in app), if I purchase the flight from Star Alliance, I can use any lounge from members of Star Alliance? For example, at airport when I am about flying with Singapore Airlines, I can use KrisFlyer Gold Lounge?

2.
How about if I close my HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card after half a year after getting the Star Alliance gold status/Aeroplan 50K? Will Star Alliance gold status/Aeroplan 50K also be cancelled as well or they will last to the end of 2024?

Thanks

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Comments

  • deme on 24/04/2023 - 14:46
    +1

    The person is asking for clarification on the benefits they will receive from the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card offer, which includes Star Alliance Gold status if they spend $4,000 AUD in 90 days and link their Star Alliance ID to a mileage program like Air Canada's Aeroplan. They want to confirm that they will have lounge access with Star Alliance Gold status and whether their Aeroplan 50K membership will be affected if they close the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card after half a year.

    • brendanm on 24/04/2023 - 16:15
      +1

      Not sure why you are getting negged, I think this is a valuable service you are providing.

      • Bargainitis on 24/04/2023 - 17:41

        Cos the fool just put the post through a bot summarising it providing no insight.

        • brendanm on 24/04/2023 - 18:19
          +1

          I'm well aware what he did, it made it actually readable and concise, rather than 5 paragraphs of incomprehensible drivel.

          • Bargainitis on 24/04/2023 - 19:43

            @brendanm: was it "drivel" though?

            I certainly made sense of it and it wasn't even particularly long either….

  • Drakesy on 24/04/2023 - 16:06

    I spent the $4k, received the email, nominated Singapore Airlines, was granted gold status a couple of days later then it was taken away and demoted to silver after about 4 weeks.

    Classic shithousery.
    Put in a complaint with SIA.

    • hfwangau on 24/04/2023 - 16:14

      Oh, so you closed HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card after being granted gold status? Maybe that the reason it was taken away?

    • burningrage on 24/04/2023 - 21:38

      Did you close the card? The T&C did say you will lose that benefit immediately if you close the card and lucky you still have Silver.

  • Bargainitis on 24/04/2023 - 17:46
    +1

    OP, you need to read the T&Cs properly. Some of these cards / alliances are interrelated so canceling the card may also result in withdrawal of the partnership status

    For example, with citi’s prestige card, cancelling the card means priority pass access is also cancelled despite the fact that you have paid for a full year’s annual fee.

    I haven’t read the T&C but you should do that as responsible card holder.

    Side note, I thought the first year annual fee was free anyway so why bother cancelling within the first year?

    On your other question, yes as long as it’s Star alliance flight, you can use their lounge.

    • hfwangau on 24/04/2023 - 19:11
      +1

      Thanks!

      I got it here

      '
      Your membership of the HSBC Star Alliance
      Rewards program is automatically cancelled if your
      account is closed. You should check the Star
      Alliance Rewards terms and conditions for
      important information in relation to the expiry of
      (accumulated) Star Alliance Points, as well as
      changes to any other benefits earned through the
      HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card as a result of your
      account closure.
      "

      https://www.hsbc.com.au/content/dam/hsbc/au/docs/pdf/star-al…

      "
      Membership in the Program: Your membership in the Program may commence once you become the holder of a Card acting in accordance with these Terms and the HSBC Card Terms.
      …
      Immediate Termination of Status: If you cancel your membership in the Card, any Star Alliance Premium Status you may hold because of this Program will also be cancelled and withdrawn automatically at that time. "

      https://www.staralliance.com/en/web/rewards/au/tnc

      So in summary:
      Close credit card account - > cancellation of membership of the HSBC Star Alliance Rewards program - > Star Alliance Gold Status eliminated.

      Unless you pay full annual fee the 2nd year for the credit card to retain the status.

      • Bargainitis on 24/04/2023 - 19:50
        +1

        the question for you is - once you have the gold status, what miles do you need to retain the gold for the following year.

        From memory, HSBC requires a minimum $ spend to retain gold the following year plus their annual fee. If you could fly enough to retain gold without the credit card then you are also good. Btw, having gold is helpful as you could also try to status match with another alliance.

        I think the HSBC SA card is good if you dont have status and the first year fee is waived. Second year… i'm not convinced there is value there but yeah.

        • hfwangau on 24/04/2023 - 19:58

          thanks mate, based on my situation I believe I will only have the 'gold' status for a year.

        • burningrage on 24/04/2023 - 21:45

          For Krisflyer, you would have to spend $60k per annum by next anniversary to retain the Gold AND pay the Annual Fee of the card itself.

          This is quite high and I agree the value is at best probably borderline not worth it.

          • daft009 on 25/04/2023 - 12:10

            @burningrage: $60k is easy for me personally but the points earn rate is also tiered which turned me off

            • burningrage on 25/04/2023 - 13:31

              @daft009: That's true. To add, there is also international transaction fee as well to what essentially should be seen as a travelling credit card.

        • ashz on 09/05/2024 - 14:55

          Hello! When you mean the following year, do you mean calendar year or a year after anniversary date? If I am applying now, I would only need to consider the minimum spend and annual fee after my anniversary date of card approval correct e.g. after sometime May 2025, is that correct? Thank you!

  • ilovefood12345 on 22/07/2023 - 21:16

    Hi guys, just opened it last week, spent the $4000 today. How long do I wait to have to be granted gold status?
    Thanks!

    • Kroftyy on 04/11/2023 - 17:35

      Hate to awake an old post but how long did you end up waiting for your gold status after spending the $4K?

      • abcdefcuk on 06/11/2023 - 16:55
        +1

        Going by memory, 14 days from an email SA will send you informing of your eligibilities to Gold.

        • Kroftyy on 06/11/2023 - 17:13

          Fantastic, thank you. Came across this deal and hoping to have the status by mid Jan for my honeymoon. Fingers crossed it arrives soon and I get the status in time!

          • eminemkh on 21/11/2023 - 14:07

            @Kroftyy: I am still waiting for the status and AC points since 17/11

            • Kroftyy on 22/11/2023 - 10:02

              @eminemkh: @eminemkh

              Thanks for updating. My timeline is currently as follows:

              7 Nov: Approved for card
              9 Nov: Card received in mail
              10 Nov: Immediately hit spend requirement with big purchases I had lined up
              12 Nov: Received email saying I was eligible for Star Alliance Gold, and to nominate a Status Airline by 25 Nov.

              Currently waiting to see how quickly the status comes through after that point!

              • eminemkh on 22/11/2023 - 10:50

                @Kroftyy: Damn I wonder why my email hasn't come through

                • Kroftyy on 22/11/2023 - 10:55

                  @eminemkh: @eminemkh How many days has it been since you hit the 4k spend? Has it all cleared in your account or still pending? Otherwise possibly check spam maybe? Email may have gotten trapped there.

                  • eminemkh on 22/11/2023 - 10:59

                    @Kroftyy: HSBC said last Friday so it's been 3 days? Looks like all pending transactions are cleared too. I tried to contact Star Alliance too but they blamed HSBC lol

  • abcdefcuk on 25/07/2023 - 18:29

    Could anyone with experience or has this card share any tricks/hacks on common or "life's unavoidable" expenses that would easily help with the $60K min. spent? I assume mortgages are totally out of the question?

  • Anna8 on 15/06/2024 - 18:28

    Could I choose Singapore airlines as my gold status airline (min $4k in 90 days spent), but redeem my points with differen airlines, like Thai and United? or once I select Singapore, all the points will automatically go to Singapore airlines?

  • Tokz666 on 07/07/2024 - 21:25

    Anyone managed to get the reduced fee for the second year? I am thinking if I want to keep or cancel.

    • abcdefcuk on 08/07/2024 - 12:51

      would be interested in this too as coming up my renewal and still deciding to keep or cancel(more likely scenario)

  • ErlichBachman on 13/07/2024 - 21:34

    I'm trying to decide which airline partner to go with for this

    I'll be flying va domestically a lot

    United has 20k bonus miles ATM but they don't seem to be worth much

  • abcdefcuk on 17/07/2024 - 15:58

    Just had my council rate sent through. Probably just a wishful thinking, but i presume the usual payment via Council's website BPAY will not count towards the card's points earnings (or spent?)

    what if the payment is done via AusPost (eg: going to Auspost office terminal and put on the physical card there)? Wouldnt this comes through as a transaction with Auspost rather than a council as the receiving merchant?

  • mathemagician on 18/07/2024 - 23:06

    Hey guys, those of you who already have Star Alliance Gold Status, did you ever receive a separate Star Alliance Gold membership card in the mail? I got Gold on 12 June but never got a Star Alliance card.

    I am flying on Sunday and it says here under "Star Alliance Gold Customers travelling in any class of travel" that "If your boarding pass does not carry the Star Alliance Gold indicator, you will need to also show your valid Star Alliance Gold card."

    Since at the time of booking my tickets I didn't add my Star Alliance membership number I am now thinking that I might not get lounge access since the HSBC credit card doesn't show my status. Unless they can somehow link it at the lounge counter? Or just manually look up my status using my membership number?

    EDIT: Downloaded the Star Alliance app but it's useless… No option to log in to see your status.
    EDIT 2: Downloaded the Air Canada (my status airline) app and logged in - it shows there that I have Star Alliance Gold, but not the Star Alliance membership number. Hope that's accepted at lounge entrances…

  • bawlingonabudget on 22/08/2024 - 14:34

    Out of curiosity, I'm about to enter my 2nd year on this card (reached the 60k spend).

    Is there much difference if I decide to switch from Air Canada FF to KrisFlyer?

    Does anyone have any insight into this?

  • XJX on 15/09/2024 - 20:45

    I set up my card with an Air Canada / Aeroplan account and was properly credited the 50k points, but my monthly spend isn't converting to points as per the spend per dollar so after almost a year my points are still at 50k flat. Does anyone know what issue this is / how to fix it?

  • sydney1506 on 08/10/2024 - 12:30

    Trying to figure out whether my partner:
    1) Keeps card
    2) Cancels before $450 renewal
    3) Cancel 1-2 months after renewal in December

    Conditionally approved: 21 October 2023
    Officially approved: 28 October 2023
    Card received and activated: 6 November 2023

    Hit the $60k spending requirement in March 2024.

    If (3), will the $450 fee be refunded prorata?
    I know the status is lost instantly when closing the card, but assuming nothing stops using the status during this time?

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