The travel and tourism industry has grown rapidly in the last few years. Taking note of the travel boom, some banks have partnered with airline and hotel programs to provide their credit cardholders with a reward points redemption option. Banks like HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, American Express, etc., have multiple airline and hotel transfer partners for their credit cards.
HSBC India is the latest bank to add 20 airline and hotel transfer partners to its credit card rewards program. In this article, we will understand the various reward points transfer partners that HSBC has added, and how its credit cardholders benefit from it.
Addition of transfer partners
From 1st April 2025, HSBC India has gone live with the addition of 20 transfer partners to its credit card rewards program. These include 15 airlines and 5 hotel transfer partners. The bank credit cardholders have these additional redemption options along with the earlier reward points redemption options. The more reward points redemption options that credit cardholders have, the better.
The reward points can be transferred to the transfer partner in a specified ratio based on the credit card variant held. For example, for the HSBC Premier Credit Card and TravelOne Credit Card, the airline frequent flyer program (FFP) transfer partners and the transfer ratio is as follows.
| Airline | Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Air India | Air India Maharaja Club | 1:1 |
| Air Asia | Airasia Rewards | 1:3 |
| Air France – KLM | Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| British Airways | The British Airways Club | 1:1 |
| Etihad Airways | Etihad Guest | 1:1 |
| EVA Air | Infinity Mileage Lands | 1:1 |
| Hainan Airlines | Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 2:1 |
| Japan Airlines | JAL Mileage Bank | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore Airlines Krisflyer | 1:1 |
| Qantas Airways | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Thai Airways | Royal Orchid Plus | 1:1 |
| Turkish Airlines | Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 2:1 |
| United Airlines | United MileagePlus | 2:1 |
| Vietnam Airlines | Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles | 1:1 |
For the HSBC Premier Credit Card and TravelOne Credit Card, the hotel transfer partners and the transfer ratio is as follows.
| Hotel group | Programme name | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Accor | Accor Live Limitless (ALL) | 1:1 |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | IHG One Rewards | 1:1 |
| Marriott International | Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 |
| Shangri-La | Shangri-La Circle | 5:1 |
| Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 |
Similarly, to know the reward points transfer ratio for the HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card, please refer to the HSBC India website.
The above table shows the conversion of reward points into airline FFPs or hotel loyalty programs. For example, the conversion ratio for the HSBC Premier Credit Card reward points into the United MileagePlus program is 2:1. It means that 2 credit card reward points will be converted into 1 airmile.
Please note that HSBC India may update the above transfer partner list from time to time. New partner(s) may be added, existing partner(s) may be removed, the transfer ratio may be changed, etc.
How to transfer reward points?
HSBC has moved to a new rewards platform to make it easier for credit cardholders to claim reward points. From 1st April 2025, credit cardholders can redeem reward points through the HSBC India Mobile Banking App only. The cardholder can log into the app, select the credit card, go to the ‘Rewards Marketplace’, and place an order for reward points redemption.
The credit cardholder must first register with the airline FFP or hotel loyalty program to transfer reward points to it. At the time of reward points transfer, they need to enter the program membership number along with the other details.
For Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club and Air India Maharaja Club, the reward points transfer will be completed within five working days of placing the request in the HSBC India Mobile Banking App. For JAL Mileage Bank, the points transfer request will be completed within ten working days. For all other airlines, the reward points will be transferred instantly or within one working day of placing the redemption request.
For most hotel loyalty programs, the credit card reward points will be transferred instantly or within one working day of placing the redemption request in the HSBC India Mobile Banking App.
The credit card reward points can be converted into airmiles and hotel loyalty points for the HSBC Premier, Visa Platinum and TravelOne credit cards.
How to use transferred points?
Once you transfer credit card reward points from your HSBC credit card, the points will reflect in the partner program as per the transfer ratio. From the partner program, the points can be further used to make a travel booking. For example, suppose a credit cardholder has transferred credit card reward points to the Maharaja Club. The Maharaja Club points can then be used to book Air India flights. Air India has the second-largest domestic flight network after Indigo.
Similarly, suppose a credit cardholder has transferred reward points to the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) hotel loyalty program. The ALL points can then be used to book hotel accommodation at various Accor properties. Accor has 60+ hotels in India spread across brands like Novotel, Ibis, Raffles, Grand Mercure, Pullman, Fairmont, etc. The ALL points can also be used to make an international hotel booking at any participating Accor property across the globe.
Planning a vacation with credit card reward points
Usually, flight tickets and hotel accommodation are two of the biggest expenses during a vacation. These can be taken care of with credit card reward points. You can transfer your HSBC credit card reward points to an airline FFP and hotel loyalty program of choice. You can then use the loyalty points to book your flight tickets and hotel accommodation for your vacation.
Some hotel programs like Accor Live Limitless (ALL) allow you to bill your meal expenses to your hotel room charges. They can then be paid for with loyalty points at the time of checkout. Meal expenses usually form the third biggest expense after flight tickets and hotel accommodation during a vacation. Thus, with some thoughtful planning, you can cover even these expenses with points, making most of your vacation free with credit card reward points.
Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.