HSBC Credit Card

I have been with HSBC for about 7 years now since I was in high school, from a basic bank account with a Solo card to a standard bank account upgraded to a Maestro card. During the summer of 2007 before i went to uni I wanted to open a student account but I went with Lloyds TSB but at the same time I opened up a credit card with HSBC. Now the credit card looks like any other card plastic with a red background, a picture of flat earth and embossed raised font. Not that this matters but to some it may look bit more respectable (not comparing against gold/platinum, AMEX or other super rich cards). It is by Mastercard. Now the limit I wanted was a ...  Read the complete review

Ah the world of credit cards. You get them sent out to you in the post whether you like them or not and each tries to convince you they are better than the other. When you work for the bank, its hard to be objective. My first rule of thumb is through personal experience. When I was a student I got myself into some serious trouble with credit cards.....Easy money to fund all of those late night outs on the town! Now I have only just managed to get away from using them and paying them back, almost! Dont juggle with balances on multiple cards. One thing that we hear a lot of in banks is of people making balance transfers. This is a great idea to keep your interest ...  Read the complete review

I have a number of credit cards, but this is the only one I use. I mention this so you don't think I've stuck with the HSBC student card simply because they're the only people who will offer me credit. They're not, but I still prefer them to their competitors. HSBC are my main bank and so it seemed sensible to stick with them. That wouldn’t be enough to make me stay with them if their service wasn’t up to scratch though, but luckily it almost always has been. The application process is easy. If you’re 18 as most new uni students are (though not all those from Scotland, or some who have skipped years in school), when you open a ...  Read the complete review

Well this is just a warning to any students out there. As most students i applied for an HSBC student bank account during my first year at university and it was COMPULSARY to take out a credit card also. Didn't use the card because i was being all responsible then in the summer holiday after my first year i went to france and bought about £50 worth of petrol as my switch wasnt accepted over there or something. Forgot all about this and never recieved any bills. Then one day in september my HSBC overdraft stops working and i go to the branch to find out why, and they tell me that my credit card is the problem. Inquiring as to why i havent ...  Read the complete review

I acquired a HSBC Combined card while as a student and I found the bank help and couteous. The card does not carry an annual fee or other charges but neither does it offer any benefits. Differ from many other cards, HSBC does not automatially increase the credit limit on the card even though you have good payment history unless you asked for it. This is not good as you will need the credit limit in order to move on to HSBC gold card which will offer better benefits. Therfore, one should really ask for credit limit incease every six month even though you don't need the extra credit. Citing "more flexibility" is usually a good enough reason. ...  Read the complete review