HSBC Premier raises its income requirements

As part of an overhaul of its ‘premium’ proposition, which will also see the HSBC Premier World Elite credit card relaunched, HSBC Premier has changed its entry requirements.

This is important for anyone thinking of getting one of the HSBC Premier credit cards to earn airline miles, because you need the current account first.

The old requirements for HSBC Premier were:

• £50,000 invested with HSBC, either in a savings account or via an investment product, or

• you earn over £75,000, paid into your HSBC Premier account, AND have a HSBC mortgage or an investment or insurance product

This was always a bit messy, especially for those qualifying via salary. The new system is cleaner:

• £100,000 invested with HSBC, either in a savings account or via an investment product, or

• you earn over £100,000, paid into your HSBC Premier account

The removal of the need to hold another product will make it easier to apply via salary. Whilst the jump from £75,000 to £100,000 seems steep, I suspect that it is in line with inflation since the last change.

To learn more about the credit cards, our review of the free HSBC Premier Mastercard is here and our review of the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is here.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

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Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

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Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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Capital on Tap Visa

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British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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