First Star Alliance Credit Card to Launch in Australia

 

Found on the FlyerTalk Forums, the card is now being advertised to the market through alliance partner Singapore Airlines.

 

New Card Features Transferrable Points, Star Alliance Gold Membership and Lounge Access

Hints of the card reveal were first dropped at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Doha, Qatar. Although details on the new card have not been added to the HSBC Bank Australia website, Singapore Airlines is advertising the benefits of the new card for Australian flyers. The Visa co-branded credit card will start with a $0 annual fee for the first year, followed by a $450 annual fee every year thereafter.

 

New users can earn Elite Gold Status across the Star Alliance by spending $4,000 in the first 90 days of card approval. Afterwards, cardholders will have to spend at least $60,000 on eligible purchases each 12-month period to keep their Gold status.

 

Upon opening the card, flyers can nominate one of the Star Alliance carriers as their status airline. Cardholders will earn 1 Star Alliance point for every $1 AUD on purchases, up to $3,000 in spending each month. After that threshold, flyers will earn 0.5 Star Alliance points per purchase for the remainder of the month. The points will automatically convert each month to the airline of the flyer’s choice. In the case of Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer miles, one Star Alliance point converts into 0.8 KrisFlyer miles. It’s unclear how Star Alliance points will convert into other programs.

 

Other benefits of the Australian card include some insurance benefits (including travel insurance and extended warranty insurance), airport lounge access across the Star Alliance network and 0% interest on flight bookings directly through Star Alliance partners using the credit card.

 

The card is not currently available for new applications. It is unclear when HSBC Bank will open up the card for new applicants.

 

Launch Comes as Star Alliance Takes Interest in Australia

Naming Australia as the first test market for the Star Alliance credit card comes as the airline group takes a new interest in the island subcontinent. In December 2021, Star Alliance charter member United Airlines announced a partnership with Virgin Australia, opening the door for the carrier to potentially join the alliance.

 

Share your thoughts on the new Star Alliance credit card at the FlyerTalk Forums

Source: frugal travel guy

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