You could earn 2.0 mpd on public transport with your HSBC Revolution card

UOB announced yesterday that holders of its UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard would be able to earn 1.4 mpd on their public transport journeys effective immediately. That’s certainly a welcome move, considering such transactions were previously ineligible for points.

As good as that is, I was reminded by reader Rio yesterday that there exists another way of earning even more miles on your public transport trips. If you hold a HSBC Revolution card, you can sign up for EZ-Reload, an automatic top-up service that bills your credit card for EZ-link top ups. Whenever your EZ-link balance falls below a pre-determined amount, your card is recharged with an amount of your choice. You can read more about it here.

This service incurs a $0.25 service fee for every top up, but the HSBC Revolution offers 5X points (2 mpd) on the first $200 spent on EZ-reload every month (see T&C here, B(4)).

$200 is probably more than sufficient for most people’s public transport spending, and remember that your EZ-link balance can be used to pay for more than just rides (eg it’s accepted as a form of payment at convenience stores). If you do this regularly, you’re looking at 4,800 additional miles each year just on public transport top ups alone.

Remember that if you don’t have a dedicated dining card, the HSBC Revolution is one of the better options available out there, offering 2 mpd on spend at local restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets. It’s true that the 2 mpd rate is inferior to the Maybank Horizon’s 3.2 mpd on dining, but

(1) The Maybank Horizon has an income requirement of $50,000 versus $30,000 for the Revolution
(2) The HSBC Revolution has a wider definition of dining than the Horizon, covering fast food, drinking places and caterers which the Horizon does not
(3) Maybank TREATS points expire after 1 year whereas HSBC points last 3 years

In addition to this, you’ll also earn 2 mpd on the rest of your online transactions (including insurance premiums) and local entertainment.

If you don’t already hold a HSBC Revolution card, you can consider applying for one using any of the affiliate links in this article. Until 31 October, new customers can earn either $120 of cashback or a set of luggage when they spend $600 within a month of card opening. You could also earn an additional $20 for signing up for a supplementary card, and a further $20 if you sign up online. Read the T&C here.

Existing customers of HSBC are also eligible, provided they’ve not applied for a HSBC card within the past 24 months nor cancelled any HSBC card within the past 12 months.

I’m sure one question that will get asked is- is it possible to get 10X on public transport rides? To my knowledge, no. But let’s hope that UOB’s move to offer points on public transport encourages other banks to follow suit.