MyCardBlog

HSBC is offering great bonus for opening a new business checking account and making some easy banking activities. The bonus is a Dell mini 10v netbook or $150 Staples gift card or 30,000 bonus rewards points which can be redeemed as $250~$300 gift cards. If you want to make money, this is a great chance as long as you are qualified to open a business account at HSBC.

This promotion is available to new-to-bank HSBC business checking account customers who open an ExtraVantage Checking for Business, BusinessSmart for Professionals, or Business Direct from HSBC checking account by November 13, 2009. Other than open a new business account, you also need to open an HSBC Debit MasterCard BusinessCard with PayPass™ and make three purchase transactions within 45 days of account opening to get the bonus.

Fine print:

To be eligible to receive the gift, new to bank customers must open an ExtraVantage Checking for Business or BusinessSmart for Professionals account by November 13, 2009 and open an HSBC Debit MasterCard BusinessCard with PayPass™ and make three purchase transactions within 45 days of account opening. Depending on purchase amount, signature may be required. Transactions from unauthorized card use or made with lost, stolen or fraudulent HSBC Debit MasterCard^® BusinessCard with PayPass™ cards are void. The cost of the gift will be reported on IRS Form 1099 (not applicable to tax exempt businesses). Limit of one nontransferable gift per business customer or business group. Account adjustment transactions/returns are not considered eligible for this offer. Offer not combined, good while supplies last and expires on November 13, 2009. Any gift not redeemed by March 31, 2010 will be forfeited.

Link to the promotion page is here (click me!).

HSBC Direct Online Savings Account owners now have a chance to get $50 bonus for using your HSBC Debit MasterCard. This is a good time to open a new online payment account (in order to use your debit card) and use your debit card to get $50 free money. Following is the rule:

• Promotion page is here at HSBC Direct.
• Open a new online payment account (checking).
• Make 3 debit card transactions to get $50 bonus.

Important notices are highlighted in the fine print:

To earn a bonus, you must open an Online Payment Account by September 30, 2009, and make three debit card purchases with your HSBC Debit MasterCard^® with PayPass^TM by October 31, 2009. ATM transactions and cash withdrawals do not qualify. Bonus will be deposited into your Online Payment Account by December 31, 2009. Account adjustment transactions/returns are not considered eligible for this offer. Transactions from unauthorized card use or made with lost, fraudulent HSBC Debit MasterCard with PayPass cards are void. To be eligible you must have been an existing HSBC Direct Online Savings Account customer as of September 8, 2009. Limit one bonus per household. The $50 bonus will be reported on IRS Form 1099.

Good luck to get the $50 bonus from HSBC!

I want to briefly introduce the AFT+ MasterCard which seems to be a new credit card product from HSBC Bank. Citi just launched a new credit card by partnership with MySpace.com-the new Citi Forward Card. The Citi Forward Card is an upgraded version of the Citi mtvU Card. They both offer the similar rewards thankyou points by the new Citi Forward Card offers 11,000 bonus thankyou points.

This AFT+ MasterCard seems to be different from other popular HSBC issued credit cards. We know that the Household Bank and Orchard Bank MasterCard are offering 2% cash back for everything. This AFT+ MasterCard seems to be a different version of the Blue Cash from American Express Card. Let’s see the cash rewards of the AFT+ MasterCard.

Cash Rewards are earned in tiers and the earnings period is reset annually.

• 0.5% on the first $5,000
• 1.0% on the second $5,000
• 2.0% in excess of $10,000

The cash rewards amounts will be doubled (Double Cash Rewards) on all merchants classified as the following: wholesale clubs, grocery stores, supermarkets, dairy products stores, bakeries, druge stores, pahrmacies, service stations, and automated fuel dispensers. Cash rewards may only be redeemed for the full amount available, and only in $20 increments.

But for this rewards, I would prefer the Blue Cash from American Express which only has one threshold $6,500 for each year.

This credit card claims to have Triple Plus Features: Triple Plus Value, Triple Plus Protection and Triple Plus Service which I think all other credit cards also have. The only good thing is the rates are much lower than other credit cards. There is no annual fee associated with this credit card. You can skip up to 2 regular payments a year with no harm or damage to your credit rating. This skip payment option seems cool to me.

This credit card also  offers 1.99% introductory APR on purchase for the first 6 months. You can also get 5.99% fixed APR on balance transfer for the life of the balance.

More details about this AFT+ MasterCard can be found here.

HSBC Bank is having a great promotion for its Plus Checking Account. The promotion is very simple. Open a new Plus Checking Account with minimum required amount and you will receive a free gift from HSBC Bank. The gift is PowerCost Monitor which is an electricity meter monitor that helps you monitor your kWh power consumption.

Using the information provided by the PowerCost Monitor, you can start to manage your kWh usage to save money. According to the studies, you can save 10% of your power bill simply by monitoring and understanding use! So it’s possible that you can earn more bonus for using it. More information can be found at www.powercostmonitor.com.

The promotion page can be found at this. Here are some of the important points on how to get the bonus:

• Offer valid for opening a new Plus relationship and depositing a minimum of $8,000 in new money to any qualifying personal accounts between 1/12/09 and 2/28/09, and maintaining at least $8,000 in new money in total combined balances through 3/31/09.
• Existing HSBC checking customers can qualify by upgrading to Plus and meeting new money requirements. New money is defined as funds not previously held by any member of the HSBC Group over the past consecutive six months.
• Qualified customers will be notified via mail by 5/31/09; notification will include instructions for redeeming gift of choice. Gifts not redeemed by 9/30/09 will be forfeited.
• The cost of the gift will be reported on IRS Form 1099 ($150 value)

Plus relationship must remain open for 180 days or value of gift will be deducted from account proceeds at closing

Note 3 indicates that there is a $15 monthly fee for balance under $15,000. “To avoid a monthly $15 maintenance fee for a Plus account, you need to maintain $15,000 in total combined balances including personal deposit, investment and qualifying credit balances.”

It seems that all the balances in you accounts at HSBC Bank including savings account, checking account and credit card account can be counted to the $15,000 requirement.

It’s obvious that current banking system is still not stable. National City Bank followed WaMu and Wachovia’s step to be sold to PNC Bank. Smart American consumers concerned about the safety of their money and investments are increasing turning to trusted online banks and high yield savings accounts for the FDIC insurance protection they afford. Current FDIC insured amount has increased to $250K.

This post is trying to give you some advice on where to shop the best and trust online banks with high yields. If you are looking for the best online banks in terms of those that offer the highest interest rates for checking and savings accounts, you’ve come to the right place. It’s well known that online banks always offer higher rates on savings, money market funds and CDs than generally known banks like Citi, BOA, and Chase.

1. Capital One Direct Banking – 3.55%

Capital One Direct Banking offers 3.55% APY on balance over $10,000. If the deposit is under $10,000, the APY is 2.55%. I think this Capital One online savings account offers one of the best savings rates among the top national banks. During the financial crisis period, there is no negative reports about the Capital One, so I think it’s save to deposit money there. I personally have a Capital One Online Savings Account and I like it very much. The easy to use and link other accounts make me feel that Capital One Direct Banking is a really reliable bank. They will keep sending a statement to you even your balance is $0.02 every month.

2. WT Direct – 3.31%

WT Direct always offers top rates on their high yield savings account. There is no monthly service fees, minimum balance requirement but you have to keep your balance over $10,000 to get the high rate. As their website indicates the WT Direct online banking is part of a family of companies with over 100 years of financial strength and stability—Wilmington Trust Savings Bank. There is no related reports about the falling of this bank. WT Direct was rated as “This institution offers good financial security and has the resource to deal with a variety of adverse economic conditions.” by TheStreet.com.

3. Amboy Direct – 3.25%

Amboy Direct eSavings is an FDIC-insured savings account. For account balance higher than $3,000, you can have 3.25% APY! Plus you can get $50 sign up bonus if you open an eSavings account right now. The other interesting feature of this account is the ability to make (3) free Bank-to-Bank withdrawals and unlimited deposits in any calendar month. There is no monthly balance minimums or service fee.

4. HSBC Direct – 3.00%

It’s no doubt that HSBC Direct is one of the safest online banking choices out there with a wide international and national banking presence. (The world’s local bank!) Although the account opening process is a little complicated for new customers, their customer service is generally good and helpful. HSBC direct online savings account also often offer sign up bonuses. If you travel around the world frequently, HSBC is your top choice.

5. E*Trade Savings – 3.00%

Better known for its online discount broker program, E*Trade also runs a traditional banking component. Their complete savings account features high yield rewards and super fast money transfer service. If you are using the E*Trade brokerage service and want to link E-Trade brokerage account and their online savings, E-Trade’s Complete Saving Account is a recommended choice.

6. Emigrant Direct – 3.00%

The Emigrant Direct American Dream Savings Account is the feature banking product from Emigrant Direct which features no monthly fees and no minimum balance. Furthermore, there is no need to change your checking account. Your American Dream Savings Account will be linked to your current checking account. This bank is always chased by customers seeking for safe and high yield savings products.

7.  ING Direct – 2.75%

When it comes to ING Direct, one thing is common – it’s universally agreed upon is that ING Direct is a great online savings bank. When you read a personal finance blog, online journals, or newspapers, ING Direct is often praised for its super customer support and easy-to-use online account. Once you start a relationship with ING, you just don’t want to try others. Their simplified and streamlined website interface that makes it easy for both advanced users and novice online banking customers to use. The famous Orange Savings Account is not only quick and painless to open, the high yield savings account also imposes no monthly fees or account balance minimums.

Today I was notified by a reader about the new promotion from HSBC. According to the promotion page, you can get up to $100 MasterCard gift card for opening a Plus checking account and an HSBC credit card. Although I personally think this promotion is not attractive to all of us, I’d like to mention this promotion at MyCardBlog together with another checking account bonus offer from Wells Fargo.

HSBC usually offers banking bonus for their savings account. But it’s really rare to see the bonus offer for their checking account. To take the chance to get $100 gift card, you have to:

1. Open a Plus Checking Account at HSBC with initial deposit of $4,000 in new money into any HSBC Deposit Account (not include OSA and OPA accounts). If your account is still at good standing after 180 days, a $75 gift card will be sent to you. This offer expires on September 12, 2008.

2. You can get an additional $25gift card if you apply for an HSBC Cash or Fly MasterCard when you open the Plus Checking Account. You have to make the first purchase before September 30, 2008.

The reason why I don’t like the Plus Checking Account offer is: To avoid a $15 monthly maintenance fee, you need to maintain $15,000 in total combined balances including personal deposit, investment and qualifying credit balances.

The HSBC Platinum MasterCard with Cash or Fly Rewards is a decent credit card offer which allows you to choose cash back rewards or fly miles rewards. Currently, this card offers 0% APR on purchase and balance transfer for up to 12 months.

HSBC also offers $25 sign-up bonus for opening a Premium Money Market Plus Savings Account by 9/30/2008. This account features no monthly fees.

Another banking offer is from Wells Fargo. This promotion is available only at local Wells Fargo branches. Although there is no online advertisement about this offer, I was confirmed by the CSR at Wells Fargo at the phone. According to my “Hard Pull and Soft Pull” post, Wells Fargo typically pull your credit report at the process of opening a new banking account. The minimum deposit to open the checking account is $100. My previous post about Wells Fargo can be found here. This one should be similar to that one.

HSBC just added a couple of new account opening bonuses for their checking and savings accounts. If you are planning to open a new account at HSBC, you can take the chance to earn some free money.

Get $25 for opening a new HSBC Interest Checking Account. This promotion can be found at the homepage of HSBC website. You can get $25 bonus if you open a new HSBC Interest Checking Account and deposit at least $2,000 new money in this account. This offer ends June 15, 2008.

HSBC Interest Checking Account features:

• It’s free if you sign up for direct deposit
• Free Personal Internet Banking with Bill Pay
• HSBC Debit MasterCard® with PayPass™ Discounted rates on HSBC’s Home Equity Line of Choice^SM and
  Home Equity Loans
• Discounted rates on personal loans
• Bonus rates on CDs
• Free first order of selected styles of paper checks

Get $50 for opening a Premium Money Market Plus Savings Account with a qualifying deposit. If you open a new HSBC Premium Money Market Plus Savings Account with $1,500 new money by July 31, 2008, you can be rewarded by a $50 bonus.

Get $25 for opening a new Regular Savings Account with qualifying deposit. If you open a new HSBC Regular Savings Account with $500 new money and sign up for automatic transfer, you can get $25 bonus. This offer ends on July 31, 2008.

The promotion page can be found here at HSBC website. Last time when I mentioned HSBC promotion was in February when HSBC was offering $75 for a new Interest Checking Account, $50 for a new Premium Money Market Plus Savings Account, and $25 for a new Regular Savings Account. It seems HSBC will offer certain amount of sign-up bonus now and then and it’s good for out customers.

Some financial service companies are really generous to give out some money to you for trying their financial services. If you decide to keep with their services, you can have the money. If you decide not to be a customer of them, you can still have the money. yes, those companies are willing to pay you to try their services. So we get the chances to make some free money by trying out some financial services.

Revolution Money Exchange-–$25 bonus: This promotion runs until May 15 ,2008. This is why I put this bonus at the first spot. If you haven’t signed up yet, you’d better hurry up. Revolution Money Exchange is a new money transfer tool which is similar to PayPal for online shoppers. This is by far the easiest money to get for me. All you have to do is to sign up and link your account at revolution money exchange to your bank account. You are not required to make a small deposit or use it to buy some merchandises. This promotion was covered by this post.

ING Direct—$25 bonus: This sign-up bonus has a small requirement which I think most of us can easily get qualified—make an initial deposit of $250. Your friend who referred you to open an account at ING Direct can get $10 bonus. I like this account very much. The current APY is around 3%. I have a briefly review about the orange savings account at ING.

HSBC Direct—$25 or $50 bonus: This sign-up bonus requires you to open a savings account and make an initial deposit with a certain amount. HSBC Direct was rated as the “Best Online Savings Account” in 2006 by Kiplinger. Actually, instead of using PayPal or ING Direct to do direct deposit, you can also use HSBC Direct to make direct deposit to qualify for certain sign-up bonuses which require you to make direct deposits to your account there. HSBC sign-up bonus expires on May 31, 2008.

ShareBuilder—$50 bonus: If you open an account with this brokerage through their partner websites and make one qualified trade, you can get $50 bonus. The link to get the sign-up bonus can be found here. Costco members can use this link to get $55 bonus.

Prosper—$25 bonus: This is a famous as well as popular person-to-person lending club. You can get much higher interest rate than putting money in your savings accounts or money market accounts. Plus you can get $25 bonus once you make a loan with $50. You can visit www.prosper.com for more details.

eBates—$10 gift card bonus: eBates is a popular cash back website, you can earn extra cash rewards using the links provided by eBates. At the same time, you can still earn cash back from your credit cards. In order to get the $10 bonus, you have to make a qualified purchase through eBates within a certain time period. To minimize you spending, you can purchase a song from iTunes or Amazon.Com which will only cost you $1.0.

The above mentioned sign-up bonuses are quite easy to get. However, you can get much more money by applying for credit cards which offer huge sign-up bonuses. The comprehensive list of sign-up bonus in this May is here.