HSBC Australia Visa Debit Card for travel. The fees, rates & info

These days, travelling overseas has become much easier and more accessible. What can get tricky is accessing your own cash overseas if you don’t have a debit card that allows it. Knowledge is power, and knowing what is out there can make sure you have a card suitable for all your upcoming adventures.

This article will get to know whether the HSBC Australia Visa Debit card can be used abroad, and introduce you to some of its features

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The HSBC Australia Visa Debit Card

The HSBC Australia Visa debit card is for personal use that can be applied for to be linked with a range of HSBC accounts. You could link to¹:

• HSBC transaction accounts
• Home Smart Account
• Home Equity Account
• Offset Accounts

This debit card does not have any credit facility, so you’ll only be accessing your own available funds.

Who is this card for?

This card is useful for those who want a debit card that can be used in Australia, online and abroad. There are also extra perks attached with this card that sit outside a typical debit card arrangement depending on which account you link it with.¹

The main features and benefits of the Visa Debit Card

The main features of the HSBC Visa debit card include¹:

• No ATM fees from eligible ATMS
• Contactless payments up to $100
• Use worldwide and online
• Fraud protection with Visa Zero Liability

Depending on which account you link with your HSBC debit card can open up further benefits. When your HSBC Visa debit is linked with the Everyday Global Account, you’ll get 2% cashback on all eligible purchases.²

HSBC Australia Visa Debit Card rewards

With the HSBC Visa Debit card, you get access to Visa offers and perks. Offers range from discounts on car rentals, hotels, flights, and various lifestyle subscriptions.³ Separately, you get further access to reward offers with HSBC home&Away.⁴

The card limits you get

For ATM withdrawals, the standard daily limit is $2000 per day, with a maximum of $5000.

For transactions, there is a $10,000 standard daily limit or a maximum of $20,000.

To access higher daily limits up to the maximums mentions, you’ll need to change them by contacting HSBC directly.⁶

What are the fees for this card

The fees for this card will depend on which account it is linked to. The following will outline the fees to use your debit card when it is connected a Everyday Global account.

Fees*	Everyday Global account with Visa debit card⁷
Maintenance fees	No fee
Points / cash back	Cashback of 2% on purchases under $100 (eligible linked account)
International Transaction fees	None
Local/Foreign ATM fees	No fees for HSBC ATM withdrawals. For all other ATMS, fees may be displayed at time of withdrawal based on the provider

*As seen on 7 June 2024

HSBC Australia Visa Debit Card exchange rate used

There are different exchange rates applied based on the type of transaction made using the HSBC Visa Debit card. The exchange rate could vary between the Visa exchange rate or the HSBC Daily Exchange Rate which includes a margin.⁶

To see how much of a margin is applied, we’ll do a comparison for a 1000 AUD to GBP conversion using the two rates applied by HSBC for debit payments.

Visa Exchange rate⁸	HSBC Daily Exchange Rate ⁹
The rate is $1 AUD = 0.5217 GBP If you want to spend $1000 AUD in GBP, you’ll get 521.70 GBP	The rate is $1 AUD = 0.5352 GBP If you want to spend $1000 AUD in GBP, you’ll get 535 GBP.

*As seen on 7 June 2024

From the above, you can see that the exchange rates applied all vary with both rates utilised by the HSBC Visa Debit card including a margin in the conversion.

How do you get a HSBC Australia Visa Debit Card

Getting HSBC Australia Visa Debit card will depend on if you are a new customer to HSBC or an existing customer.¹

New Customer to HSBC Australia

You’ll first need to apply for a new HSBC account. For a transaction account such as the Day to Day or Everyday Global account, the easiest way to apply is online. Otherwise you can manually fill out a personal accounts form and bring it to a branch.¹¹

Existing Customer

As an existing customer, you can easily apply for a HSBC Visa Debit card through the online banking portal.¹

What are the eligibility requirements for getting this card

To apply for an HSBC Visa Debit Card, you'll need¹²:

• An existing HSBC account
• Be 16 years or older
• Have an Australian address
• A valid passport or drivers licence

If you meet these requirements, you can begin your application for a card.

How long does it take to get the card

It takes around 5 business days to receive your new card after your application has been approved.¹¹

How do you activate your card?

Once you receive your new card, you’ll need to activate it before you can start making purchases. You can do this via HSBC Online Banking or by calling HSBC by¹¹:

1. Choosing “activate debit card” under “My Banking.”
2. Inputting your 12 digit account number
3. Inputting your new card number.

If you call HSBC, you’ll also need your 6 digit phone banking access code.

What else do I need to know?

There are a few extra things to know about the HSBC Visa debit card. These relate to digital wallets and earning cashback rewards.

Digital Wallets

It is possible to add your card to a digital wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. Then you can use this digital card to pay for your purchases. Its important to know that you may be required to enter your PIN or any other authentication code attached to digital wallet purchases.⁵

Eligibility for Cashback rewards

To be eligible for cashback on everyday purchases when you have a HSBC Visa Debit card linked with an Everyday Global Account, you’ll need to deposit at least $2000 a month. There is a maximum of $50 to receive each month from cashback rewards.⁵

Contacting HSBC Australia

To contact HSBC Australia, you can

• call 1300 131 605 from within Australia
• call +612 9005 8114 from overseas.

Phone lines are open between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.

The Wise Account and Debit Card

With a Wise Account you can hold money in 40+ currencies and spend it in 150+ countries. You can also order local account details in popular world currencies like AUD, NZD, USD, EUR, GBP to receive local and/or international payments like a local.

Whenever you exchange currencies it’s done using the mid-market rate with a transparent conversion fee shown upfront.

To make everyday spending easier you can order a Wise Debit card for your Wise Account and generate virtual cards as needed. If you have the local currency in your Wise Account the Wise card will use it. If you don’t have local currency converted, it uses smart technology to auto-convert your money at the mid-market rate, for a conversion fee.

The Wise card may suit you better if you’re to spend money that you’ve stored in different currencies within an existing Wise Account, and benefit from 2 or less free cash withdrawals under $350 AU, or foreign equivalent, per month (keep in mind that ATM providers may charge their own fees). You can see our full fee breakdown for ATM withdrawals here.

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

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Sources:

1. HSBC Visa Debit
2. HSBC Everyday Global
3. Visa offers and perks
4. HSBC Home&away
5. HSBC transaction terms
6. HSBC Personal Banking
7. HSBC fees
8. Visa conversion
9. HSBC Daily rate
10. Wise conversion
11. HSBC FAQ
12. HSBC Apply

Sources checked on: 07 June 2024