Star Alliance Debuts First Co-Branded Credit Card in Australia

Earlier this year, it was announced that Star Alliance intended to release a co-branded credit card by the end of the year. The most intriguing aspect of the Star Alliance credit card is that the points earned would be transferrable to different Star Alliance partners.

The HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card is now available for applications in Australia. The full details of the card have been released, and it’s a very intriguing concept.

Let’s take a look at the particulars from this groundbreaking offering.

The HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card

In May 2022, Star Alliance announced its intention to launch its very own co-branded credit card. This was set to be a first amongst airline alliances, providing access from a single points currency to loyalty programs across its member airlines.

Having such flexibility with earning and redeeming points for an airline alliance is unprecedented. The points earned from a single Star Alliance credit card could theoretically be redeemed with many Star Alliance airlines’s loyalty programs.

In partnership with HSBC, we now know that Star Alliance has debuted its first co-branded Visa credit card in Australia. The card is known as the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card.

HSBC is a natural partner for Star Alliance, as it operates in many markets where Star Alliance carriers are also based. This includes Canada, the United States, Germany, and Singapore.

There are currently no Star Alliance airlines based out of Australia, which is perhaps why Star Alliance chose to debut its first credit card there. As there are many co-branded credit cards from member airlines in their own territory, choosing Australia could be seen as a measure to not interfere with any Star Alliance airline’s loyalty program.

In Australia, the card will have a $450 (AUD) annual fee, which is waived for the first year.

The points earned through credit card spending will be known as “Star Alliance Points”. It’s not often that a new points currency is created, so it’s exciting to think about how Star Alliance Points will develop over the near future.

The earning structure for the Australia-based card is as follows:

• Earn 1 Star Alliance Point per dollar spent on eligible purchases, up to $3,000 AUD per statement period.
• Earn 0.5 Star Alliance Points per dollar spent on eligible purchases thereafter.

Star Alliance Points can be converted to loyalty programs from seven member…