physixfan      2025-07-02     2025-07-02 26 Comments

HSBC Premier Checking Account Review

2025.7 Update: The new welcome offer is $1,500, which requires both DD and $100k deposit. The official website says $3,000 offer, but the last part $1,500 bonus requires mortgage, which is not something most people would consider. Therefore it’s better just ignore that part.

2025.2 Update: The new account opening bonus is $1,000/$2,000/$3,000, you need to open a premier relationship savings account and deposit $100k/$250k/$500k. The APY of this savings account is 3.75% currently, so it’s not a terrible deal for putting your money here.

2024.7 Update: The new account opening bonus is $1,500/$2,500, the required deposit is $100k/$250k. No DD requirement.

Application Link

• HSBC Premier Checking

Features

1. Welcome offer: $1,500-$3,000! See below for conditions. Offer ends on Sep 30, 2025.
2. Monthly Fee: $50, methods to avoid this fee are detailed below.
3. A $25 early termination fee is required if the account is closed within 180 days.
4. HSBC Premier’s International Banking and Global Transfer features might be useful for some. HSBC allows opening bank accounts in another country (only in countries with HSBC branches). For people who frequently transfer money between China and the U.S., transferring money between HSBC Premier accounts in both countries is free of charge.
5. Wire transfer fees are $0, including incoming and outgoing, even for international wires. This account is a must-have for those who frequently make international transfers.
6. Although HSBC offers zero fees for transfers between different countries, the exchange rate for currency conversion by HSBC is notably unfavorable. Therefore, it’s recommended to use other banks for currency exchange and use HSBC solely for international transfers.

Bonus Requirements

1. This account opening bonus is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: “Customers who have a current or past HSBC account in the U.S. on file are not eligible for this offer.”
2. $500 Direct Deposit (DD) bonus: set up recurring monthly direct deposits of $10,000 or more for 3 consecutive months. The DD qualification for HSBC is very flexible, as referenced on DoC.
3. $1,000 New Money bonus: deposit or invest $100,000 or more and maintain balances for 3 consecutive months. You can put the money into a brokerage account to invest, or into the premier relationship savings account to get a better APY.
4. $1,500 Mortgage bonus: complete a new HSBC U.S. residential mortgage application by September 30, 2025, with mortgage funding by December 31, 2025, AND deposit or invest $200,000 or more and maintain balances for 3 consecutive months. Customers who qualify for the $1,500 cash bonus will automatically qualify for the $1,000 cash bonus. The last part $1,500 bonus requires mortgage, which is not something most people would consider. Therefore it’s better just ignore that part.
5. Friendly Reminder: Be sure to leave at least $1 in the checking account and not transfer all the money to savings, as the checking account will be automatically closed after 30 days without funds, and you’ll miss out on the bonus.

Types of HSBC Checking Accounts

• HSBC Basic Banking
• HSBC Choice Checking
• HSBC Advance
• HSBC Premier

Currently, HSBC only offers its premier account in the United States, as the lower-tier accounts have been phased out of the U.S. market.

How to Avoid Monthly Fees (meeting any one of the following)

For HSBC Premier Checking, the monthly fee is $50. The requirements to avoid this fee are:

• Maintain an average monthly balance of at least $75,000;
• Or have at least $5,000 in monthly Direct Deposit (DD) (The DD qualification for HSBC is very flexible, as referenced on DoC).

The above balances include checking, savings, and investment combined.

Summary

HSBC’s IT level is vastly inferior to that of American banks and is very poor. There are still some cumbersome processes with HSBC, such as the steps to use online banking after opening an account, which involve first receiving an email with a temporary account number, followed by a physical letter with a temporary password. According to everyone’s experience, their regular service is also very poor. In short, don’t have high expectations in terms of ease of use.

Despite this, the account opening bonus is very generous and worth considering.

Fee-free wire transfers are also a major feature of the HSBC Premier. Although many banks’ high-end accounts offer this feature, the threshold for HSBC Premier is actually very low. You just need to use a $5,000 fake Direct Deposit (DD) to meet the requirement, which is virtually no barrier for those willing to spend some time figuring it out.

Application Link

• HSBC Premier Checking

 

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