If you’re looking for a credit card that offers great value for your spending, reward points may be one factor that you may want to consider.
Most banks in Singapore offer great reward points systems and choosing the best for you would highly depend on your spending habits.
Both HSBC Revolution and Citi Rewards offer reward points for all transactions, with increased points for certain transactions.
Here’s what you need to know about these 2 cards:
Contents
The difference between HSBC Revolution vs Citi Rewards
Both HSBC Revolution and Citi Rewards offer 10X reward points, equivalent to 4 miles, for specific transactions. However, the cards differ in terms of the transactions that are eligible for these 10X reward points.
Rewards Points
HSBC and Citi both offer reward points, where $1 spent = 1 reward point for any type of spending. Furthermore, both cards offer 10X reward points for certain transactions.
HSBC offers 10X reward points for online and contactless transactions
For HSBC Revolution, you can earn 10X Reward Points for the following transactions:
| Online Transactions | Transactions made over the internet |
| Contactless Transactions | Transactions made through a contactless terminal via Visa payWave, Apple Pay, or Google Pay |
You may want to note that there are certain transaction categories that are not eligible for rewards as listed in HSBC’s Terms & Conditions.
Here are the online/contactless transactions eligible for 10X Reward Points:
- Travel-related such as airlines, car rental, lodging, cruise lines, and travel agencies
- Department stores and retail stores
- Supermarkets, dining, and food delivery
- Others such as transportation and membership clubs
Citi offers 10X reward points for online and in-store transactions and ride-hailing services
For Citi Rewards, the following are the transactions where you can earn 10X ThankYou Points from:
| Online Retail Transactions | Transactions made over the internet, excluding travel-related and mobile wallet transactions |
| In-Store Shopping | Transactions made in-store for merchants that sell shoes, bags, and clothes as the main business activity |
| Ride-Hailing Services | Transactions made for rides booked using Grab and Gojek |
Citi specifies that transactions such as airline/cruise bookings, hotel accommodations, car rental agencies, travel agencies, and other travel-related transactions are excluded from the 10X ThankYou Points offer.
In contrast, HSBC gives you 10X rewards for these online travel-related transactions.
For a complete list of travel-related transactions excluded from Citi’s 10X rewards offer, you can view Citi’s Terms & Conditions.
If you frequently use your card to shop for fashion items such as shoes, bags, and clothes in-store, Citi is surely a great option for its 10X rewards for these transactions.
Here is a summary of the transactions where you can earn 10X reward points for either card:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards |
| Online Transactions | Online Transactions (excluding travel-related and mobile wallets) |
| Contactless Transactions | In-store Shopping |
| Ride-Hailing Services |
Miles per Dollar
Both HSBC Revolution and Citi Rewards offer the same miles per dollar rewards:
- 4 miles/$1 (mpd) for transactions eligible for 10X rewards
- 0.4 miles/$1 for all other transactions
Here is a summary of the miles per dollar that you can earn for either card:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Retail Transactions | 4 miles/$1 | 4 miles/$1 |
| Online Travel Related Transactions | 4 miles/$1 | 0.4 miles/$1 |
| Contactless Transactions | 4 miles/$1 | 0.4 miles/$1(4 miles/$1 for in-store shopping) |
| Ride-Hailing Services | 0.4 miles/$1 | 4 miles/$1 |
Citi offers a wider range of partners where you can transfer your Citi Miles to. In contrast, the HSBC Mileage Program only allows transfer to Asia Miles or Krisflyer Miles.
Here is a list of partners for cards:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards |
|---|---|
| Asia Miles | Asia Miles |
| Singapore Airlines Krisflyer | British Airways Executive Club |
| Etihad Guest | |
| Eva Air Infinity MileageLands | |
| Flying Blue | |
| IHG Rewards Club | |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
For both HSBC and Citi, you can convert 25,000 reward points to 10,000 miles of the partner’s mileage program.
Minimum Spend
Earning rewards for HSBC Revolution and Citi Rewards is relatively easy as they do not require a minimum spend amount for their 1X- and 10X-reward transactions.
This is great as you can be rewarded for the 10X rewards even with smaller purchases!
Maximum Reward Cap
Both HSBC and Citi have the same points system:
- For transactions eligible to receive 10X rewards, you will earn 1 base point and 9 bonus points for every $1 spent, totalling to 10 points per dollar
- For all other transactions, you will earn 1 base point for every $1 spent
Both cards have a cap of 9,000 bonus points per calendar month, with no cap for base points earned. This means that you can only earn rewards for $1,000 spent each month.
If you’ve exceeded the cap for bonus points for the month, you will only earn base points for the remaining amount.
Reward Points Expiry
Citi offers a significantly longer redemption period for its ThankYou Points than that of HSBC’s Reward Points:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards |
|---|---|
| 37 months | 60 months |
You do not need to worry about your Citi Rewards points expiring, at least for the next 5 years!
Reward Points Redemption Rate
With either HSBC Revolution or Citi Rewards, you can use your points to redeem vouchers or pay for your transactions.
HSBC offers a lower points-to-dollar conversion as opposed to Citi, but it also requires a higher number of points to redeem:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Points to redeem for $1 | 400 | 440 |
| Minimum points to redeem | 4,000 | N/A |
In addition to redeeming vouchers and paying using your reward points, Citi also offers ThankYou Points redemption in the form of cash rebates. To redeem a $10 cash rebate, you will need 4,400 ThankYou points.
Eligibility
Although HSBC and Citi require the same minimum annual income for employed Singaporeans and permanent residents, HSBC requires a higher minimum annual income for self-employed Singaporeans which is equivalent to its requirement for foreign nationals:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 21 years old | 21 years old |
| Minimum Annual Income (Singaporeans/PR) | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Minimum Annual Income (Singaporeans/PR – Self Employed/Commission-Based) | $40,000 | $30,000 |
| Minimum Annual Income (Foreign Nationals) | $40,000 | $42,000 |
Other Rewards
Both HSBC and Citi offer an extensive list of partners from the following categories where you can redeem your rewards points:
- Dining
- Shopping
- Home & Electronics
- Travel
- Charity
- Annual Fee Credit
If you have an HSBC Everyday Global Account, you may also be eligible for 1% cashback on eligible transactions when you use your HSBC Revolution credit card, on top of the earned Rewards Points.
This is subject to HSBC’s Terms & Conditions.
If you are applying for a Citi Rewards card, Citi currently has an ongoing promotion offering 27,000 bonus ThankYou Points if you spend $3,000 within the first three months of your card approval. That’s a total of 30,000 points (3,000 base points + 27,000 bonus points)!
You may view the Terms & Conditions for more details on this promotion.
Fees
HSBC Revolution requires no annual fee, while Citi Rewards offers a one-year waiver of annual fees.
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee – Principal Card | None | $192.60 |
| Annual Fee – Supplementary Card | None | $96.30 |
| Waived Annual Fee | N/A | 1 year |
HSBC offers a lower interest rate for credit card transactions, while Citi offers a lower rate for cash advance transactions.
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Interest – Card Transactions | 25.90% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
| Interest – Cash Advances | 28% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
Final Verdict
Both HSBC Revolution and Citi Rewards offer 10X reward points for eligible transactions with no minimum spend amount. They also have the same miles per dollar rate and monthly rewards cap, but they have different rewards expiries, redemption rates, annual fees, and interest rates.
Here is a summary of what each card offers:
| HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Miles per Dollar | 0.4 miles/$1 | 0.4 miles/$1 |
| Monthly Rewards Cap | None for base points 9,000 for bonus points | None for base points 9,000 for bonus points |
| Reward Points Expiry | 37 months | 60 months |
| Redemption Rate | 400 points/$1 (min. 4,000 points) | 440 points/$1 |
| Annual Fee | None | $192.60 – Principal $96.30 – Supplementary |
| Annual Fee Waiver | N/A | 1 year |
| Interest Rate – Card Transactions | 25.90% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
| Interest Rate – Cash Advances | 28% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
| Transactions eligible for 10X reward points | Online Transactions Contactless Transactions (including mobile wallets) | Online Transactions (excluding travel-related and mobile wallets) In-Store Shopping Ride-Hailing Services |
If you are a traveller at heart, choose HSBC Revolution
If you love to travel – go on cruises, purchase airline tickets, book hotel accommodations, rent cars – HSBC Revolution may be the best option for you as these travel-related transactions are eligible for 10X Reward Points.
Moreover, HSBC Revolution offers 10X Reward Points for contactless transactions via credit card or mobile wallets, including dining and supermarket transactions, whereas Citi only includes online groceries, shopping, and food deliveries.
If you regularly use your card for travel-related transactions or for paying contactless, you would not have trouble meeting the minimum of 4,000 points for rewards redemption.
With no annual fee, this is a great card for travellers and online/contactless shoppers.
If you are a fashion trend-setter, choose Citi Rewards
If you love spending time shopping for clothes, bags, and shoes in retail stores, Citi Rewards may be best for you since in-store retail purchases for these commodities are eligible for 10X ThankYou Points.
You can also earn 10X ThankYou Points for using your card in booking rides from Grab and Gojek.
With the longer expiration of ThankYou Points, you can collect more points which you can also redeem as cashback!
You may want to note that if you are looking to use this card for a longer period, Citi Rewards only has a one-year annual fee waiver.
However, if you earn enough points, you may be eligible for annual fee credits that you can use to pay your annual fee.
👉🏻 Credit Card Deals
Are you interested in signing up for a credit card? Check out some of the deals below!
Citi Rewards Card
HSBC Revolution
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