Why do you need a separate travel credit card? 

While credit cards come in many different kinds, travel credit cards cater specifically to frequent travelers and related spending habits. If your lifestyle involves frequent flying and overseas spending, there’s a lot of value that you can potentially squeeze out of a travel credit card. Travel credit card perks usually include: 

• Miles for redeeming flights, hotels and merchandise 
• Cashback for overseas as well as local spending 
• Travel-related deals 

How do you choose the best travel credit card?

Beyond the usual information such as APR and annual fees, a good travel card should include a flexible Air Miles program and attractive cashback rates for overseas spending, as well as special deals and offers for travel and dining.

Air Miles Program

A good miles program lets you easily redeem miles or points from eligible purchases, to be used for redeeming flights, hotel bookings, and other travel benefits. Air Miles are often expressed as $$ per mile. The lower the cost per mile, the more miles you can collect for the money. 

Cashback Program

Cashback gives a percentage of your spending amount back through statement credits and other means. Some travel credit cards have different cashback rates for local and overseas spending, often encouraging foreign transactions by providing better rates. 

Deals and Offers

Card issuers often have partnerships with various brands, creating countless deals and offers that are catered toward specific cardholder interests. Choosing a card that offers partnership deals with your preferred stores and restaurants enables you to save on a regular basis while still accumulating miles and points. Do pay attention to the terms and conditions of each deal as there may be various limitations such as minimum spending requirements and black-out dates. 

Annual Percentage Rate

APR is the interest you must pay if you fail to clear your statement before the due date. The lower the APR the better. 

Annual Fees

While many cards require annual fees, some waive those fees at least for the first year of card ownership, and some may not require any at all. 

Sign-Up Offers

Lastly, be sure to take advantage of welcome offers to sweeten the deal when you sign up for a credit card. Welcome offers are generally more lucrative with higher-end credit cards, but that is not always the case.

Best for Earning Asia Miles: Mox Credit

Best for Earning Asia Miles: Mox Credit

Mox Credit is the ideal choice for travel deals and cashbacks. Earn unlimited CashBack of 3% on supermarket spending in Hong Kong and 2% on all other expenses with a deposit of HK$75,000 (1% if not fulfilled). Additionally, by placing a Time Deposit with HKD125,000 New Fund with a 6-month tenor, you can receive 25,000 Asia Miles instantly to redeem a round-trip economy class ticket between Hong Kong and Tokyo. With Mox Credit, you can enjoy a rewarding and cost-effective travel experience.

Mox also provides 9% discount on hotel bookings using the promo code “MOXH” on Trip.com. There are even incredible discounts of up to 30% off from 15 selected merchants.

From now until 10 January 2024, open a Mox Account with the invitation code “MOXMH1000” and then successfully apply for Mox Credit, and you can get HK$1,000 in Cash Rewards just by making 5 eligible spendings worth at least HK$100 each with Mox Credit within the first 30 days of your Mox Credit approval!

Eligibility: No Requirement

Annual Fee: Perpetual Annual Fee Waiver

APR: 35.99% for retail purchase, 35.91% for cash advance

Key features:

1. 3% Unlimited CashBack on spending at supermarkets across Hong Kong and 2% Unlimited CashBack on all your spendings with a current deposit of HK$75,000 (1% Unlimited Cashback if not fulfilled)
2. Up to HK$1.33 = 1 AsiaMile by placing a Time Deposit
3. Enjoy a 9% discount on hotel bookings with promo code “MOXH” on Trip.com
4. Enjoy up to 30% off from 15 merchants

Welcome offer: Pick one

• Delsey Air Armour Wheeled 30″ Suitcase (Retail: HK$3,899)
• BRUNO BOE053-BGY Multi-Function Cooker (Retail: HK$1,598)
• Marshall Emberton Portable Speaker (Retail: HK$1,499)
• HK$1,000 Apple Store gift card or HK$1,000 HKTVmall cash voucher

Best for Luxury Travel and Dining: Citi Prestige 

Citibank is no stranger to offering luxury credit card deals. As the top-of-the-line Citibank credit card, Citi Prestige does require a minimum HK$600,000 annual salary as well as a heftier annual fee, but if you can meet those requirements, there’s a lot of incredible value that this card can unlock for you. 

Citi Prestige is best for higher earners who enjoy luxury travel and dining deals. This includes free access to airport lounges around the globe, free travel insurance, as well as up to 30%+ off at many fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong. Citi Prestige cardholders can even enjoy a free night at any hotel around the world for booking a minimum of 4 consecutive nights with no blackout periods at all.  (Terms and conditions apply) 

Those interested in health check-ups should also take advantage of the myriad of discounts that Citi Prestige also offers at multiple clinics and hospitals throughout Hong Kong. 

Eligibility: Minimum HK$600,000 annual salary 

Annual Fee: HK$3,800

APR: 34.28% APR for retail purchase, 35.81% for cash advance, Interest-free up to 58 days

Foreign Transaction Fee: 1.95%

Key features: 

1. Local spending cashback: HK$6 per mile
2. Overseas cashback: HK$4 per mile
3. Free airport lounge access with unlimited access to Plaza Premium Lounge and Priority Pass (no spending limit) 
4. Free travel insurance coverage up to HK$750,000
5. Complimentary night at any hotel when you book a minimum 4-consecutive-night stay
6. Dining deals for 170+ restaurants 
7. From 2nd year onwards, receive 240,000 free points annually, equivalent to 20,000 AsiaMiles 

Welcome offer: Pick one

• Delsey Air Armour Wheeled 30″ Suitcase (Retail: HK$3,899)
• Marshall Stanmore II Bluetooth Home Speaker (Retail: HK$3,499)
• Philips Airfryer HD9743 (Retail: HK$1,998)
• HK$1,600 Apple Store gift card 
• HK$1,600 Wellcome supermarket gift vouchers 

Best for Affordable Luxury: Citi PremierMiles 

Citi PremierMiles also offers a comprehensive suite of travel and dining deals at a much more lenient annual salary requirement of HK$120,000, although some of the travel deals (especially Airport Lounges) do come with more stringent usage conditions. If you can’t meet the requirements of Citi Prestige, PremierMiles is a great alternative that still nets you many of the benefits that Citi Prestige brings you, such as travel insurance, limited free airport lounge access, as well as many of the same amazing deals. Better yet, sign-up offers for Citi PremierMiles are exactly the same as those from Citi Prestige, meaning you won’t be losing out on freebies despite choosing a lower-end card.

Interestingly, while Citi Prestige offers better local spending cashback rates, Citi PremierMiles actually has better cashback rates for overseas spending.

Eligibility: minimum HK$120,000 annual salary 

Annual Fee: HK$1,800 (First year waived) 

APR: 34.28%

Key features: 

• Local spending cashback: HK$8 = 1 Mile
• Overseas spending cashback: HK$3 = 1 Mile
• Free airport lounge access: Maximum 12 times per year (Upon spending HK$5,000 within 30 days since previous visit) 
• Free travel insurance coverage up to HK$750,000 
• Year-round deals from 420+ merchants, including 150+ restaurants 

Welcome offer: Pick one

• Delsey Air Armour Wheeled 30″ Suitcase (Retail: HK$3,899)
• Marshall Stanmore II Bluetooth Home Speaker (Retail: HK$3,499)
• Philips Airfryer HD9743 (Retail: HK$1,998)
• HK$1,600 Apple Store gift card 
• HK$1,600 Wellcome supermarket gift vouchers 

Best for Flying Cathay and HKExpress: Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard

Standard Chartered and Cathay Pacific’s exclusive partnership brings you the Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard for frequent travelers. This card also offers a rich selection of dining, travel, and online shopping deals, and with rates as low as HK$2 spending per 1 Mile when spending on Cathay or HKExpress flights, it also has the lowest salary requirement on our list, making it accessible to almost anyone. 

Eligibility: Minimum HK$96,000 annual salary 

Annual Fee: HK$2,000 (1st year waived) 

APR: 35.7% for retail purchase, 35.93% for cash advance 

Key features: 

• Up to HK$2 = 1 AsiaMile from eligible transactions with Cathay Pacific and HK Express 
• Up to HK$4 = 1 AsiaMile from eligible transactions with dining, delivery platforms, online and overseas spending
• Enjoy up to 30% off from 130+ restaurants in Hong Kong 

Welcome offers: 

• HK$600 Apple Store gift card or HK$600 HKTVmall cash voucher
• Up to 63,000 welcome miles 

Travel and Spend Smarter with the Right Credit Card

To recap, Citi Prestige is the ultimate premium credit card that can bring you incredible deals and perks such as unlimited free lounge access and free night at almost ANY hotel around the world, if you can afford its requirements and fees.

Citi Premiermiles is the little brother to Citi Prestige, retaining many of Citi Prestige’s deals benefits at only a small fraction of the required annual salary. As a bonus, the first year’s annual fee is also waived.

Lastly, Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard is the most accessible of them all with even more competitive cashback rates than Citibank’s 2 cards when it comes to spending on Cathay or HKExpress flights, making it a great choice if you tend to fly a lot with these two airlines. Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard also waives the first year of annual fees.

Think one of these credit cards suits your travel needs? Sign up now through our affiliate links below and receive free welcome offers worth over HK$2,000! New Citi Prestige and Premiermiles cardholders can receive HK$1,600 in Wellcome or Apple store spending vouchers, but if you happen to have a need for a great Bluetooth home speaker that sounds as good as it looks, the Marshall Stanmore II (MSRP HK$3,499) could be incredibly good value as well. 

Sign-up now and receive free welcome offers worth over HK$2,000!

Apply for Citi Prestige

Apply for Citi PremierMiles

Apply for Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard

MoneyHero Sign-up Offer Redemption Process: 

1. Click into one of the links above and enter your email address to receive the MoneyHero sign-up offer redemption form. 

2. You will then be redirected to the relevant card issuer’s credit card sign-up page. Complete and submit the application to the card issuer within the MoneyHero campaign expiry date. 

3. Fill and submit the redemption form to MoneyHero within 7 days.

4. Get approved by the relevant card issuer by January 20th, 2024

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