When is the bonus paid?

After you meet the spend condition, often within a few weeks to a few months. Each card shows the condition as the bank states it.

Best sign-up bonus credit cards

These cards give new cardholders bonus points, miles or rebates once a set spend is met. Compare the bonus, what you need to do to get it and the annual fee, with every figure from the bank's own pages.

Bonus points, miles or rebates for new cardholders
Some offers need only a small spend
Earn the usual rate on top

Written by Vidhu BajajReviewed by Nilooka Dissanayake

Featured

Citi PremierMiles Card

240,000 bonus points
Complimentary airport lounge access

Application

Compare 24 sign-up bonus credit cards

Credit card comparison table with rates, fees, rewards and apply links.
Card	Name and rating	Rewards program	Sign-up bonus	Earn rate	Annual fee
	Hang Seng enJoy Visa Platinum Card	yuu Points	140,000 pts	4 pts per HK$1Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	BOC Cheers Visa Infinite Card	BOC Gift Points	225,000 pts	1 pt per HK$1Capped	HK$0	Application
	Citi PremierMiles Card	Citi ThankYou Rewards	240,000 pts	12 Points per HK$8Uncapped	HK$1,800	Application
	Dah Sing MyAuto Credit Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard	Asia Miles	40,000 pts	1 Asia Mile per HK$6Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	HSBC Premier Mastercard®	HSBC RewardCash	800 pts	0.4 RewardCash dollars per HK$100Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	BOC "HK GO" Credit Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	DBS Black World Mastercard®	DBS$ (as Asia Miles)	32,000 pts	1 mile per HK$6Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	Hang Seng MMPOWER World Mastercard	+FUN Dollars	700 pts	1 +FUN Dollar per HK$250Uncapped	HK$0	Application
Bank of China (Hong Kong)Platinum •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card Compare	BOC Hospital Authority Credit Card	BOC Gift Point Rewards Program	—	1 pt per HK$1Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	HSBC Visa Signature Card	HSBC RewardCash	800 pts	1.6 RewardCash dollars per HK$100Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	HSBC Red Credit Card	HSBC RewardCash	650 pts	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC CMHK Dual Currency Diamond Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC Hong Kong Airlines Visa Card	Fortune Wings Club Points	13,000 pts	1 FWC Point per HK$5Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	BOC Esso World Mastercard	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC Taobao World Mastercard	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC HKMU Dual Currency Platinum Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	Citi Rewards Card	Citi ThankYou Rewards	—	1 pt per HK$1Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	DBS Live Fresh Card	DBS$	500 pts	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC HKUST Platinum Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC GOOD DAY Platinum Card	BOC Gift Points	—	1 pt per HK$1Uncapped	HK$0	Application
	BOC Chill World Mastercard	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
	BOC Bliss Card	—	—	—	HK$0	Application
American Express •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareAmerican Express	Blue Cash® Credit Card from American Express	—	—	—	HK$0	Application

Sign-up bonus by the numbers

Cards compared

63,041 pts

Average sign-up bonus

4 pts per HK$1

Top earn rate

Hang Seng enJoy Visa Platinum Card

HK$3,600

Highest-value sign-up bonus

Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard

HK$75

Average annual fee

What are sign-up bonus cards?

Sign-up bonus cards give new cardholders a welcome offer, such as bonus miles, a rebate or a gift, once they meet a condition. The usual condition is a minimum spend in the first one to three months.

Banks often count you as a new customer only if you have not held one of their cards recently. The exact rule is in the offer terms.

Things to check

Offers change often, and many have an end date or a limit on the number of gifts. Count only the spend you would make anyway. For the ongoing earn, compare rewards cards and Asia Miles cards.

Sign-up bonus credit card FAQs

Usually only new cardholders. Many banks exclude anyone who has held one of their cards in the last year or so; the bank's terms set the rule.

Pros

Sign-up bonuses can be sizeable, often enough to cover a return flight or kick-start a rewards balance once you meet the spend.
Earn points on everyday spend, so the shopping you do anyway builds toward flights, gift cards or cashback instead of earning nothing.
Plenty of cards here charge no annual fee, so they cost nothing to hold as a backup or low-use card.
Some cards keep purchase rates well below the market average, softening the cost in any month you carry a balance.

Cons

Sign-up bonuses require hitting a minimum spend in a set window, so the points only land if you would spend that much anyway.
The premium cards here carry high annual fees, so they only pay off if you use enough of the perks to cover the cost.
Higher-end cards can ask for a substantial income, so not every card here suits every applicant.

Questions and answers

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Related card types

Rewards credit cards

Sources

Credit Card Compare: Credit card statistics for Hong KongHow CardIQ scores cards