HSBC Live+ Sign Up Promo:
- Receive Dyson Micro 1.5kg Vacuum (worth S$599) or Apple Watch SE (GEN 2) GPS 44mm (worth S$389) or Apple Bundle: Apple Airpods 4 w/ ANC + AirTag 4 Pack (total worth S$398) or Flujo SmarTrax Standing Desk (worth S$739) or S$199 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by end of the following calendar month from the card account opening date + provide marketing consent
- Valid until 01 December 2024
- Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
- Remember to check for SingSaver email to secure your rewards after you have applied!
HSBC Live+ Card Overview:
With this newly launched card, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card offers a tiered cashback program rewarding up to 8% cashback. This 8% cashback is made up of 5% cashback on dining, entertainment, and shopping, with an additional 3% bonus cashback on those categories until the end of 2024. After which, it will be purely 5% cashback. There is a minimum spend required monthly of S$600 in each quarter.
Eligibility & Fees:
Minimum Age: 21 years old
Minimum Annual Income: S$30,000 (locals/PRs); S$40,000 (foreigners)
Annual Fee: S$196.20 (first year waived)
Key Benefits:
- Earn 5% + 3% cashback on Dining, Entertainment and Shopping with a minimum spend of S$600 per calendar month, in a calendar quarter
- +3% cashback on the above categories are only available until 31 Dec 2024
- Earn 5% cashback on Shell/Caltex Gas Stations
- Earn 0.3% cashback on other spendings
Qualifying Period:
Quarter | Qualifying Period per Quarter |
1st Quarter | Between 1 January and 31 March, both dates inclusive |
2nd Quarter | Between 1 April and 30 June, both dates inclusive |
3rd Quarter | Between 1 July and 30 September, both dates inclusive |
4th Quarter | Between 1 October and 31 December, both dates inclusive |
How to Best Optimise it:
- Dining Merchants are under these MCCs:
*”Hotel Dining” and Bars/Clubs that serve alcohol may not be included
- Shopping Merchants are under these MCCs:
MCC Code | Examples |
5262 (Marketplaces) | Shopee, Qoo10, Konyo Konyo Market, Oppo Intel |
5309 (Duty Free Stores) | KrisShop, iShopChangi, Lotte Duty Free |
5310 (Discount Stores) | Lotte Mart, Main Street Deli |
5311 Departmental Stores | Lazada, Takashimaya, Taobao (App), Daiso, Metro, Isetan, BHG, heymax |
5331 (Variety Stores) | Muji, Mustafa Centre |
5611 (Men’s and Boys’ Clothing and Accessories Stores) | Steve Madden, Benjamin Barker, Mr Porter, The Assembly Ground |
5621 (Women’s Ready to Wear Stores) | Zara, Lovebonito, Sheike, Petal & Pup, Mango, Mothercare |
5631 (Women’s Accessory and Specialty Stores) | Louis Vuitton, Celine, Longchamp, La Senza, Lovisa |
5641 (Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores) | Ergobaby, Gentle Armour, Mums Club, Pupsik Studio |
5651 (Family Clothing Stores) | Uniqlo, Armani Exchange, Desigual, Dolce & Gabbana |
5655 (Sports and Riding Apparel Stores) | Nike, Lululemon, JD Sports, Adidas |
5661 (Shoe Stores) | Skechers, Aldo, Pedro, Bata, Timberland |
5691 (Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores) | Chanel, Dior, G2000, Prada |
5699 (Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops) | YSL, Bottega Veneta |
5941 (Sporting Goods Stores) | Decathlon, Evolve Skateboard, The WOD Life |
5948 (Luggage or Leather Goods Stores) | Samsonite, Rimowa, Tumi, Goyard |
- Entertainment Merchants are under these MCCs:
MCC Code | Example |
4899 (Cable, Satellite and Other Pay Television/Radio/Streaming Services) | Netflix, HBO, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu |
5735 (Record Stores) | Wolfgang, Tunes, iTunes, Coastal Rhythm Cafe & Bar |
5815 (Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Digital artwork/images, Music) | Spotify, Patreon |
7832 (Motion Picture Theaters) | Cathay Cineplexes, Shaw Theaters, Golden Village, WE Cinema |
- Petrol Merchants are under these MCCs:
MCC Code | Notes |
5541 (Service Stations) | Caltex and Shell service stations only |
5542 (Automated Fuel Dispensers) |
- Since heymax‘s MCC is coded 5311, it qualifies for the 5% cashback (plus 3% cashback until 31st Dec 2024). You can buy FairPrice online vouchers, Amazon.sg, TADA, Grabgifts, Courts, IKEA, Best Denki Vouchers and even Klook vouchers on heymax then redeem them on the merchant website.
- Pro-tip: you should sign up for a heymax account first to receive 200 miles upon signing up and 500 miles upon completing onboarding tasks before doing so.
- If you just signed up for the card, refer to the fixed quarter calendar below:
Quarter | Qualifying Period per Quarter |
1st Quarter | Between 1 January and 31 March, both dates inclusive |
2nd Quarter | Between 1 April and 30 June, both dates inclusive |
3rd Quarter | Between 1 July and 30 September, both dates inclusive |
4th Quarter | Between 1 October and 31 December, both dates inclusive |
- The bank has a clause that allows new cardholders to spend S$1,000 to qualify for the entire quarter’s spend requirement to get 8% cashback (as long as the spending is posted within the quarter) when you apply mid-quarter.
- Assuming you applied for the card on a date that is within the third quarter (1 Jul to 30th Sep), whether you apply for the card on 1 Jul or 28th Sep, you have from that card approval date till 30th Sept to hit the spending requirements of just S$1K for that quarter. So you should probably take that into consideration when applying for the card.
- To earn the maximum cashback of S$250 per quarter, you need to spend a total of S$3,125 throughout the quarter. However, you don’t have to spend this amount evenly each month. You can spend S$600 in July, S$1,000 in August, and S$800 in September and still receive the full 8% cashback on your total spending, as long as you hit the minimum spend of S$600 per month for all three months. In addition, there are no subcategory caps – you can earn the maximum cashback on any category of spending.
What to Avoid:
Exclusion List:
Is it Worth it:
- high 8% cashback until the end of 2024
- relatively lower minimum spend as compared to similar cashback cards in the market
- Easy to achieve cashback via heymax
- Easy S$1,000 to achieve in the first quarter
- limited to spend on the MCCs listed above (but there are workarounds)
- need to hit consistent $600 and above in a quarter to achieve quarterly cashback
Frequently Asked Questions:
When will the bonus cashback be credited: It will be credited within 2 months, after the end of each calendar quarter.
Final Thoughts:
For Singaporeans who value high cashback and who spend a lot on dining out or already have a high value item in mind to purchase from the above MCCs or heymax workaround, the HSBC Live+ card is a very appealing choice for the next 6 months!
Credit cards change their T&Cs every so often and it is difficult to stay updated. That’s why I created a Telegram Broadcast where you can receive timely bite-sized updates to get the most out of your spending.
HSBC Live+ Sign Up Promo:
- Receive Dyson Micro 1.5kg Vacuum (worth S$599) or Apple Watch SE (GEN 2) GPS 44mm (worth S$389) or Apple Bundle: Apple Airpods 4 w/ ANC + AirTag 4 Pack (total worth S$398) or Flujo SmarTrax Standing Desk (worth S$739) or S$199 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by end of the following calendar month from the card account opening date + provide marketing consent
- Valid until 01 December 2024
- Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
- Remember to check for SingSaver email to secure your rewards after you have applied!
We believe in always paying our credit card bills on time and in full. It is only by doing that, can we fully maximise our credit card benefits.
