For a limited time, HSBC has brought back its very generous S$300 sign-up offer for the HSBC Revolution Card.
This is a great opportunity to get one of the best cards on the market, which earns 4 mpd on groceries, dining, hotels, online shopping, transport and more.
Be advised there’s a concurrent S$200 cashback offer going on, so make sure you apply through the links in this article to be eligible for the S$300 offer.
Get S$300 cashback with a new HSBC Revolution
 HSBC Revolution |
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| Income Req. | Annual Fee |
| S$30,000 | None |
| Apply here | |
| Full Review | |
New-to-bank cardholders who apply by 30 July 2021 will receive up to S$300 cashback when they spend at least S$500 within the qualifying spend period (1-2 months, see below). This consists of:
- S$30 cashback for applying through SingPass MyInfo
- S$50 cashback for charging one qualifying transaction in the first month of card opening
- S$220 cashback for meeting the S$500 minimum spend during the qualifying period
| ⚠️ New-to-bank cardholders are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal HSBC credit card (except the HSBC Visa Infinite), and have not in the last 12 months. |
If you’re an existing HSBC cardholder, you can still get up to S$60 cashback with the same S$500 qualifying spend. This consists of:
- S$30 cashback for applying through SingPass MyInfo
- S$30 cashback for meeting the S$500 minimum spend during the qualifying period
To be eligible, your existing HSBC credit card must have been issued more than 12 months ago, and you cannot have cancelled any HSBC credit card (except the HSBC Visa Infinite) in the past 12 months.
The qualifying spending period depends on when your card was approved, but will be between 1-2 months.
| Card Opening Date* | Qualifying Spend Period | Notification Date |
| 1-31 Jul 2021 | 1 Jul-31 Aug 2021 | By 30 Sep 2021 |
| 1-30 Aug 2021 | 1 Aug-30 Sep 2021 | By 31 Oct 2021 |
| *Remember, your application must be submitted by 30 Jul 2021, but the approval (and card opening date) may come a few days later. | ||
The T&C of this offer can be found here.
What counts as qualifying spend?
The easiest way to hit your S$500 minimum spend is to go out and shop at a supermarket. Since you’ll earn 4 mpd with your HSBC Revolution, there really is no opportunity cost involved; in fact, it’s the card I’d use by default here anyway.
Do note that your transactions must post by the end of the qualifying period. It can take anywhere from 1-3 days from the date of the transaction for it to post to your account, so don’t leave your spending till the last moment.
The minimum spend of S$500 does not include the following:
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The key exclusions to note here are insurance, utilities, education, government transactions as well as CardUp/ipaymy. These were all excluded from 1 July 2020 onwards as part of HSBC’s revised rewards terms and conditions.
What can you use the HSBC Revolution for?
HSBC Revolution cardholders will earn an additional 9 HSBC Points for every S$1 spent on selected online and contactless transactions, whether in local or foreign currency. That’s a total earn rate of 10 HSBC Points per S$1 spent, or 4 mpd. The 4 mpd is capped at a maximum of S$1,000 per calendar month.
The following MCCs are eligible for bonus points:
| 💳 HSBC Revolution Bonus Categories | |
| Category | MCCs |
| Airlines, Car Rental, Lodging, Cruise Lines and Travel Agencies | 3000 to 3350, 3351 to 3500, 3501 to 3999, 4411, 4511, 4722, 7011 |
| Department Stores and Retail Stores | 4816, 5045, 5262, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5655, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732 to 5735, 5912, 5942, 5944 to 5949, 5964 to 5970, 5992, 5999 |
| Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery | 5411, 5441, 5462, 5499, 5811, 5812, 5813, 5814 |
| Transportation and Membership Clubs | 4121, 7997 |
| All transactions must be made online or via contactless payment | |
For those of you who don’t speak MCC, this includes transactions at:
- Airlines, Car Rental, Lodging, Cruise Lines and Travel Agencies: Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, or any other airline, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, or any other hotel
- Department and Retail Stores: Amazon, Book Depository, Courts, Harvey Norman, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee, Taobao
- Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery: Cold Storage, Deliveroo, FairPrice ON, foodpanda, GrabFood, WhyQ, Guardian, Watsons, most restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets
- Transportation and Membership Clubs: Comfort, Grab (excluding GrabPay top-ups), gojek, Fitness First
That’s a very wide range of merchants, and it’s not even a comprehensive list. If you’re curious about which specific merchants fall under what MCC, you can always refer to the Visa Supplier Locator.
Conclusion
The HSBC Revolution is one of the most useful cards to have right now, and what I particularly like is that it awards 4 mpd on both dining and hotels. This solves the age old question of “what card should I use to pay at hotel restaurants?”
It’s also the most straightforward way of earning 4 mpd at Cold Storage (remember: UOB cards will only earn SMART$ here), and paying for staycations.
| HSBC Revolution |
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| Apply here |
The improved sign-up offer represents 60% cashback (S$300/500), which you’ll earn on top of 4 mpd, and there’s very little to dislike here.
Remember that you must apply by 30 July 2021 and be approved by 31 August 2021 to be eligible for the S$300 cashback offer. Cashback will be fulfilled by HSBC, and all enquiries about the offer should be directed to them.
Would one still be considered “New-to-bank cardholder” for the purposes of this offer, if I am holding an existing HSBC supplementary credit card? Did not see any explicit clarification for this in the offer T&C