Meet my next new credit card

Not all credit cards are created equal. A quick check inside my wallet shows I have six credit cards. I like my Citibank card for its Asia Miles and free movie tickets, and just like the Eastwest card, it has a high credit limit.

I use Diners for groceries. Metrobank for the children.

There are two BDO cards — one I haven’t used and one that’s just for online orders.

Recently a lot of local credit card companies have been offering instant rewards, mostly in the form of food and drink. But this can cause issues as some shoppers try to break their purchases into multiple swipes in order to avail of more giveaways, or it can result in expanding waistlines.

Frankly, I prefer the air miles that I accumulate in order to redeem air tickets. Now, what if you could just get plane tickets straightaway?

HSBC president and CEO Tony Cripps said at the press briefing that HSBC has achieved global and local success “by really listening to our customers and then developing products and solutions that address their specific needs.”

HSBC, or Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, understands that traveling consistently ranks high in people’s dreams and favorite things to do.

For most people however, traveling is really a luxury. Financial constraints can limit how often we get to hop on a plane and visit our dream destinations.

Enter HSBC’s new Platinum Visa. Through a special tie-in with Cathay Pacific you can get free plane tickets just by using your credit card. And you can fly in confidence, knowing that Cathay Pacific is only one of the world’s best and safest airlines.

Now you can get a free round-trip ticket to Hong Kong with five charge slips of at least P10,000 each.

Show 10 charge slips of at least P10,000 each to get a free round-trip ticket to Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Saigon and many other cities.

With 15 charge slips of at least P10,000 each, HSBC Platinum Visa cardholders can also get free round-trip tickets to other destinations such as the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and the Middle East

It sounds too good to be true, but I was there.

Metro’s Geolette Esguerra, Lifestyle Asia’s Anna Sobrepena, and PDI’s Glenna Aquino take down notes as HSBC CEO and president Tony Cripps talks about HSBC Platinum Visa Instant Rewards feature.

To generate awareness of these exciting new travel offers, HSBC and Cathay Pacific flew some media guests to Hong Kong on business class and hosted lunch for us at Cuisine Cuisine at the IFC Mall.

At a fast press briefing, HSBC president and CEO Tony Cripps said: “HSBC is the world’s local bank and Asia’s strongest banking brand. We’ve achieved this kind of global and local success by really listening to our customers and then developing products and solutions that address their specific needs.

“You told us you wanted to travel more, and we listened. And we’re particularly proud to partner with Cathay Pacific, the largest foreign airline in the Philippines, to offer some great international travel rewards.”

What’s more, with five charge slips of at least P3,000 each, HSBC Platinum Visa cardholders get a P1,000 travel gift certificate from Cebu Pacific.

Charge slips of at least P2,000 each entitle the cardholder to free Starbucks or a P100 gift certificate at either Caltex, SM (including all SM retail affiliates), Chi Spa, Blue Water Day Spa, or Bench Fix Salon.

HSBC has a tie-up with Cathay Pacific, one of the world’s best and safest airlines.

I have a feeling this is going to be my next favorite credit card. What about you?

HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations; the HSBC Group has been doing business in the Philippines for 135 years. The Bank currently has a 24-strong total branch network (including 16 branches of the locally incorporated HSBC Savings Bank) located in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.

For more information and/or to apply for your HSBC Platinum Visa, go to http://www.hsbc.com.ph or call 85-800.