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MoneyHero has partnered with the most trusted banks and financial institutions in Hong Kong to help you find the right financial products for you. Through our comparison engine, you can compare credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, medical insurance, travel insurance, HK stock accounts, US stock accounts, payroll accounts and other financial products. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and an unbiased overview of financial products in Hong Kong so that you can make the best choice, saving your time and money.

Most Hong Kong credit card providers require applicants to be of legal age and a permanent resident/citizen of Hong Kong.

You would also need to have stable employment and meet minimum salary requirements, which vary according to the type of credit card.

The main types of credit cards in Hong Kong are VISA and MasterCard, followed by American Express and JCB.

In order to choose the best credit card, you can consider the popularity and offers of the card types, and also the reputation of banks, class of the credit cards, etc. Many people own several credit cards to meet different needs nowadays. Also, you can consider your spending habits and choose Cash Back Credit Cards, Airmiles Credit Cards, Dining Credit Cards, Online Shopping Credit Cards, Premium Credit Cards, Corporate Credit Cards, Entry Level / Student Credit Cards, UnionPay Credit Cards, or Welcome Offers Credit Cards. You can also make use of MoneyHero comparison pages, and compare latest offers of credit cards.

For exclusive offers from MoneyHero, current customers are unfortunately not eligible to enjoy. For welcome offer from banks or institutions, various terms and conditions apply, subject to different banks and institutions. You may refer to the following:

American Express 
Welcome offers do not apply to current customers. Their welcome offers only apply on applicants who have not held or cancelled American Express credit cards in the past 12 months.

Citibank 
Welcome offers do not apply to current customers. Their welcome offers only apply to applicants who have not held or cancelled Citibank credit cards in the past 12 months.

DBS 
Current and new customers are eligible for welcome offers. New customers refer to card holders who have not held or cancelled Citibank credit cards in the past 12 months. For more details of welcome offers, please click here.

PrimeCredit 
Welcome offers do not apply to current customers. Their welcome offers only apply to applicants who have not held or cancelled PrimeCredit credit cards in the past 6 months.

CITIC 
Welcome offers do not apply to current customers. Their welcome offers only apply to applicants who have not held or cancelled CITIC credit cards in the past 12 months.

HSBC 
Current and new customers are eligible for welcome offers. For more details of welcome offers, please click here. 

BEA 
Welcome offers do not apply to current customers. Their welcome offers only apply to applicants who have not held or cancelled BEA credit cards in the past 6 months.

Credit card rewards come in many forms, the two major incentives are air miles and cash back. Many card issuers have different credit card rewards programs, cardholders can earn reward points for their spending and redeem the points for cash back, air miles, gift vouchers or free gifts.

Certain banks promote cash back rewards which their credit cards can earn, cardholders can enjoy 1-4% cash rebate for eligible local / overseas spending or shopping online.

If you travel and use your credit card to book flights and hotels frequently, you can earn more air miles using air mile credit cards. You may redeem miles for award flights, hotel stays and other travel offers.

In addition to daily spending, you may also earn rewards by using the Octopus Automatic Add-value Service and paying utilities, tax, tuition and insurance bills with your credit card and redeem reward points, cash back and air miles.

Banks in Hong Kong such as HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Standard Chartered Bank issue different types of credit cards with generous rewards and their eligibility requirements are also different. Hence, the processing time varies depending on the card issuer, but as soon as your application has been approved, it normally takes 7 to 10 working days until you receive your card. Make sure that you submit all the relevant documents so that your application can be processed as quickly as possible.

The requirements to get different credit cards may vary and some may even have a minimum income requirement. Of course, applicants with a proper job or have income proof are more likely to be successful with their application, but it does not mean that a self-employed or unemployed person will not able to apply for a credit card.

The annual fee, which is generally charged HK$200-HK$6,000, depends on the bank and the type of credit card. One- to three-year annual fee waiver is usually offered to attract users, and cardholders get their fee waived if they can meet the minimum spending. Some card issuers even advertise credit cards with no annual fee, so please be sure to check the terms before applying. You can request annual fee waiver by calling the card issuer's hotline. Furthermore, many banks charge an early termination fee of more than HK$100; other common fees and charges include replacement fee, late charge, over-limit fee, cash advance fee and foreign transaction fee. In addition to credit card welcome offers, you should also check with your provider to see the fees and charges of your credit card.

Banks look at your credit score and income to determine the maximum credit amount they would extend to you. If your application is approved, the credit limit a bank gives you may be lower or higher than what you indicated in your application. If your credit score is satisfactory, banks may give you the maximum credit limit. If you think your limit is too high, you can talk to your provider and ask them to reduce it. Know more about credit score by reading our credit card application guide.

There are many ways to pay credit card bills, the easiest way is to apply for the bank?s autopay service, which will automatically deduct the monthly payment from the bank account on the due date, so that you won't overlook the payment. Other methods that cardholders can choose to pay the bills include PPS, ATM, e-banking, cheque or convenience stores.

Making only the minimum payment is not the best way to pay the bills! If you just make the minimum payment on the credit card, the bank would charge you compound interest, which means you might owe more and more money and carry long-term debt. Cardholders are recommended to assess their repayment ability before using their credit cards, and pay off all outstanding debt as soon as possible.

In the past, most people think we should not own too many credit cards, as it might lead to over-consumption or missing payment. With the development of modern society and more credit card offers, many of us own several credit cards for various purposes, such as one for overseas spending, one for earning Asia Miles, and the other one for monthly instalments.

Please note that if you always pay your credit card bill after the due date while owning many credit cards, your credit score could drop, which is likely to affect your credit card, mortgage and loan application.

To protect yourself from credit card fraud, you should keep your credit card and personal information (including credit card numbers and security code) safe and never disclose your passwords or personal information to anyone. You should also keep record of all credit card transactions and check bank statements regularly. Report any suspicious transactions to your financial institution or bank immediately to avoid financial loss.