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.

 

[VPS]

correct! In VPS’s case it kind of nicely aligns with the membership year

But sadly I won’t get the spend

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But sadly I won’t get the spend

I’m confused… in an earlier post you said you can easily make the 48k spend… I thought you meant as in the whole of 2026 you’d be able to spend $48k in total?

 

[N860CR]

OK so I've just checked my statement and it said I started on the 11/12/24 so I have to spend $7k in the next month which I don't think is possible.

Well you can easily spend $7000 on something, and then maybe decide in December (after you’ve already hit the 48K on the statement) that you didn’t really want to, and return it.

 

[enigma76]

I received my card on the 10th of Nov 2025, and my plan is to meet the 4K spend in the first few days of Jan 2026. I have a few questions for which I would really appreciate some expert advice:

1) Once I hit the spend, I aim to select Aeroplan. I assume it will be activated within the next two weeks? I would like to use the Gold status during a few upcoming trips starting late Jan onwards.

2) From what I understand, Gold status will be active from Jan 2026 till Dec 2027, as long as I pay the annual fee in 2027, right?

3) If my timeline is as per above, I would need to meet the 48K spend between Jan 2027 to Dec 2027 in order to continue being Gold in 2028, is that right?

Thanks a lot!

 

[kpc]

I received my card on the 10th of Nov 2025, and my plan is to meet the 4K spend in the first few days of Jan 2026. I have a few questions for which I would really appreciate some expert advice:

1) Once I hit the spend, I aim to select Aeroplan. I assume it will be activated within the next two weeks? I would like to use the Gold status during a few upcoming trips starting late Jan onwards.

2) From what I understand, Gold status will be active from Jan 2026 till Dec 2027, as long as I pay the annual fee in 2027, right?

3) If my timeline is as per above, I would need to meet the 48K spend between Jan 2027 to Dec 2027 in order to continue being Gold in 2028, is that right?

Thanks a lot!

Yes x3

 

[MEL_Traveller]

1) Once I hit the spend, I aim to select Aeroplan. I assume it will be activated within the next two weeks? I would like to use the Gold status during a few upcoming trips starting late Jan onwards.

Once you hit the $4k spend you get an email from star alliance asking you to nominate your star carrier for gold.

You have 14 days to do so. You can’t cut that 14 days down, even if you nominate Air Canada on day 1.

So on day 15 you get the status. I think it was updated pretty close, either same day or day after alllwing for time zone chances and stuff.

But if timing is tight, allow 16 days to get your fully activated status.

 

[enigma76]

The actual 48k spend is calculated over a Star Alliance Rewards membership year, though, right? So from the date you got the card?

@MEL_Traveller - just confused reading this. In my case, the HSBC card was activated on 10 Nov 2025 - this is not the SA rewards membership year, correct? I am assuming my SA membership year would begin once I hit the 4K spend on this card, hopefully in early Jan 2026?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

@MEL_Traveller - just confused reading this. In my case, the HSBC card was activated on 10 Nov 2025 - this is not the SA rewards membership year, correct? I am assuming my SA membership year would begin once I hit the 4K spend on this card, hopefully in early Jan 2026?

Your star alliance gold will start from the day it is granted. So for programs with a monthly expiry, if you got gold in Feb, it would run out 31 Jan the year after.

For programs such as Aeroplan with a multi year/annual expiry, if you qualified in Feb you get the whole rest of the year and the year after.

That’s diffferent from the annual fee, which runs annually based on the first transaction (according to the Ts and Cs, but in my case was actually the month after )

 

[kkl]

Can anyone confirm the points are only swept per statement period? Unlike Amex or Citi where the points show up after 2-3 of transactions settling

 

[VPS]

So this is where I find it very confusing - this is at the bottom of my last statement but I wasn't awarded Aeroplan gold until 18/1/25 and I still think I need to spend $48k before the 11/12/25 and not before 18/1/26 to maintain gold. I hope I'm wrong though

 

[Coops1]

So this is where I find it very confusing - this is at the bottom of my last statement but I wasn't awarded Aeroplan gold until 18/1/25 and I still think I need to spend $48k before the 11/12/25 and not before 18/1/26 to maintain gold. I hope I'm wrong though

View attachment 482185

Because you went with Aeroplan, your current will last until 31 Jan 2027 (nearly 25 months) You need to spend $48k between say 11 Dec 25 and 11 Dec 26, to renew your status to 31 Jan 2028

 

[VPS]

Because you went with Aeroplan, your current will last until 31 Jan 2027 (nearly 25 months) You need to spend $48k between say 11 Dec 25 and 11 Dec 26, to renew your status to 31 Jan 2028

Cheers thanks

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So this is where I find it very confusing - this is at the bottom of my last statement but I wasn't awarded Aeroplan gold until 18/1/25 and I still think I need to spend $48k before the 11/12/25 and not before 18/1/26 to maintain gold. I hope I'm wrong though

View attachment 482185

Not sure we can provide any more assurance for you over and above the numerous posts from me and Coops1?

Aeroplan is different from some other star alliance carriers in that status runs for up to 24 months. Don’t worry about what is says on your statement. I fell well short of any qualifying spend for year 2… like I spent $12k in total on the card. But my status, as expected, continued into year 2.

When you log in to your aeroplan account it should clearly tell you when your status is valid through to.

If it says Dec 2025 only, then somehow you must have qualified and nominated gold, and been granted gold in 2024.

 

[VPS]

Not sure we can provide any more assurance for you over and above the numerous posts from me and Coops1?

Aeroplan is different from some other star alliance carriers in that status runs for up to 24 months. Don’t worry about what is says on your statement. I fell well short of any qualifying spend for year 2… like I spent $12k in total on the card. But my status, as expected, continued into year 2.

When you log in to your aeroplan account it should clearly tell you when your status is valid through to.

If it says Dec 2025 only, then somehow you must have qualified and nominated gold, and been granted gold in 2024.

Thanks - @Coops1 was much clearer than anything else I had read but then I may have misread it.

So Aeroplan says to end of 2026 so I think I'll push and try and spend that $7k in the next month. My credit card is getting quite a battering at the moment for various reasons and much of it is going to the medical profession

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks - @Coops1 was much clearer than anything else I had read but then I may have misread it.

So Aeroplan says to end of 2026 so I think I'll push and try and spend that $7k in the next month. My credit card is getting quite a battering at the moment for various reasons and much of it is going to the medical profession

If it’s to end 2026, what’s the benefit of spending $7k in the next month?

 

[prozac]

Not sure we can provide any more assurance for you over and above the numerous posts from me and Coops1?

Aeroplan is different from some other star alliance carriers in that status runs for up to 24 months. Don’t worry about what is says on your statement. I fell well short of any qualifying spend for year 2… like I spent $12k in total on the card. But my status, as expected, continued into year 2.

When you log in to your aeroplan account it should clearly tell you when your status is valid through to.

If it says Dec 2025 only, then somehow you must have qualified and nominated gold, and been granted gold in 2024.

@MEL_Traveller
1. What is qualifying income requirement ?
2. Does Gold Status on say Aeroplan give preferential points upgrade if say Y ticket bought and use points to upgrade to J?
3. Is this worthwhile or better simply purchasing a J ticket?
4. Have I missed the whole point of this thread?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

@MEL_Traveller
1. What is qualifying income requirement ?
2. Does Gold Status on say Aeroplan give preferential points upgrade if say Y ticket bought and use points to upgrade to J?
3. Is this worthwhile or better simply purchasing a J ticket?
4. Have I missed the whole point of this thread?

Not sure if the income requirements. That’s with HSBC.

Upgrading is either via bidding, or with eUpgrades which elite members earn. Not sure where status sits in the process as I’ve never redeemed one!

The purpose of this thread is how people can maximise the HSBC *A offer according to their needs.

 

[VPS]

If it’s to end 2026, what’s the benefit of spending $7k in the next month?

Oh bloody hell I misread Coops again. I won’t bother then