Credit Card Offers HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card: Fast-Track to Star Alliance Gold Status

Fast track to Star Alliance Gold status with the HSBC Star Alliance credit card!​

Learn more and apply for this card:

HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card Guide

The HSBC Star Alliance credit card is the first of its kind, allowing Australian cardholders to earn Star Alliance Points and Gold status.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

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What are the main benefits of this card?

1. Signup bonus: Fast Track to Star Alliance Gold Status, when you spend $4,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 90 days from account opening
2. Keep your Star Alliance Gold status each subsequent year that you spend at least $60,000 on your card
3. Earn 1 Star Alliance Point per $1 on eligible purchases, up to $3,000 per statement period and 0.5 Star Alliance Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases thereafter, uncapped
4. No annual fee in the first year and $499 p.a. thereafter

Why we like the HSBC Star Alliance credit card

Launched in 2022, the HSBC Star Alliance credit card is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. You'll earn Star Alliance Points which are transferable to a choice of seven Star Alliance member airlines at a time of your choosing. You can also earn Star Alliance Silver or Gold status just by spending on the card, with no flying required!

Once you qualify for the welcome offer and are fast tracked to Star Alliance Gold status with any of the seven participating carriers, you’ll soon be enjoying perks like airport priority lanes and lounge access when flying across the whole Star Alliance network. It is the largest airline alliance in the world with 25 member airlines, including Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, United and Turkish Airlines.

Please note that the welcome offer is not available to existing HSBC customers transferring from another HSBC credit card, or if you have previously held a HSBC Star Alliance credit card within the last 18 months. Refer to the full T&C’s for more information:

HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card Guide

The HSBC Star Alliance credit card is the first of its kind, allowing Australian cardholders to earn Star Alliance Points and Gold status.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

AFF members are welcome to discuss this card in this thread.

 

[kpc]

As I don't trust anything that HSBC says moving forwards, I just TFd all my Star A rewards points to KrisFlyer bar an orphaned 28 pts.

 

[Oubline]

From my count it seems that there were at least 4 airlines that offered a bonus points deal (Singapore, Air Canada, United and EVA Air) late last year/early this year that is contingent on a first year spend. Hopefully there is still some mechanism for those part way through that first year spend to get the bonus points. Although I strongly suspect that the 1 year spend target will just be brought forward to 17th November, and if you haven’t spend $48k by then, you’ll be out of luck.

This is a really good point. E.g. the terms for the Aeroplan promotion included: “Earn 20,000 renewal bonus Aeroplan points (the “Renewal Bonus”) when you spend $48,000 AUD or more on Eligible Purchases within 12 months from account opening and pay your annual fee for your second year of card membership.”

If the $48k has been met will they nonetheless say that we’re not eligible due to the annual fee for second year of membership not being paid. It won’t be possible for many of us to pay that fee as HSBC has ceased charging any from now on. Not sure how AFCA would view that.

 

[Nate-Dawg]

This is a really good point. E.g. the terms for the Aeroplan promotion included: “Earn 20,000 renewal bonus Aeroplan points (the “Renewal Bonus”) when you spend $48,000 AUD or more on Eligible Purchases within 12 months from account opening and pay your annual fee for your second year of card membership.”

If the $48k has been met will they nonetheless say that we’re not eligible due to the annual fee for second year of membership not being paid. It won’t be possible for many of us to pay that fee as HSBC has ceased charging any from now on. Not sure how AFCA would view that.

I’m currently in that Aeroplan offer, and might have been able to crack the $48k spend at the end of my first year in February, but won’t be able to by November.

My guess is that under the terms of the offer, without any mechanism to actually pay the second year fee or make a choice of which airline to get Gold status with, they won’t be obliged to offer the bonus points regardless of if the $48k is spend. However, I think most likely the bonus points will be tied to the implementation of Gold statue. So if HSBC decide to treat every account as if it hit the $48k spend (also giving Gold status for a subsequent to those on at least their second year with the card), then the bonus points will follow. As per the FAQ document, they haven’t announced any plan for the Star Alliance status yet.

While I agree that the AFCA wouldn’t look favourably on this, I don’t know wha they would be able to do in the situation, as I don’t think they can get anything from any of the airlines, or the remains of HSBC in Australia,. It would be great if they could though.

 

[kamchatsky]

This is a really good point. E.g. the terms for the Aeroplan promotion included: “Earn 20,000 renewal bonus Aeroplan points (the “Renewal Bonus”) when you spend $48,000 AUD or more on Eligible Purchases within 12 months from account opening and pay your annual fee for your second year of card membership.”

If the $48k has been met will they nonetheless say that we’re not eligible due to the annual fee for second year of membership not being paid. It won’t be possible for many of us to pay that fee as HSBC has ceased charging any from now on. Not sure how AFCA would view that.

I don't think AFCA can do much as HSBC is actually winding down the operations.

 

[Oubline]

I’m currently in that Aeroplan offer, and might have been able to crack the $48k spend at the end of my first year in February, but won’t be able to by November.

My guess is that under the terms of the offer, without any mechanism to actually pay the second year fee or make a choice of which airline to get Gold status with, they won’t be obliged to offer the bonus points regardless of if the $48k is spend. However, I think most likely the bonus points will be tied to the implementation of Gold statue. So if HSBC decide to treat every account as if it hit the $48k spend (also giving Gold status for a subsequent to those on at least their second year with the card), then the bonus points will follow. As per the FAQ document, they haven’t announced any plan for the Star Alliance status yet.

While I agree that the AFCA wouldn’t look favourably on this, I don’t know wha they would be able to do in the situation, as I don’t think they can get anything from any of the airlines, or the remains of HSBC in Australia,. It would be great if they could though.

You’re probably right, unfortunately. I do agree the trigger for the renewal bonus points is likely to be related to whether the status continues for another year.

This is especially likely in my opinion as the bonus points were awarded by Air Canada directly and presumably the renewal ones would be too.

 

[Kangol]

As I don't trust anything that HSBC says moving forwards, I just TFd all my Star A rewards points to KrisFlyer bar an orphaned 28 pts.

I was gonna say the *A Rewards is independent of HSBC, however there are no other cards/partners that earn *A rewards points except this one

 

[SheikYerbouti]

Blergh. I got this card in Dec 2025, hit the gold spend requirement early Jan 2026, and got Aeroplan Gold till Dec 31 2027.... with 2 OS trips in 2027 scheduled, if my Aeroplan/SA Gold is removed at the end of 2026 it'll be a massive disappointment.

 

[Nate-Dawg]

You’re probably right, unfortunately. I do agree the trigger for the renewal bonus points is likely to be related to whether the status continues for another year.

This is especially likely in my opinion as the bonus points were awarded by Air Canada directly and presumably the renewal ones would be too.

Yep, I think all the renewal bonus offers were awarded by their respective airlines. I think the best hope is that there is a reasonable mechanism for the bonus points to be awarded, as all these airlines fly to Australia and may want to protect against whatever reputational damage the may suffer (however small that may be).

Hopefully the reason that we didn’t hear anything in the most recent FAQ document is because there is something going on in the background to get to a reasonable resolution for this. If it was going to be all bad news, then they likely would have announced it already.