FAQs: Debit Cards

HSBC China Debit Cards are multi-currency debit cards. They must be linked with a Renminbi Settlement Account as the primary account and may also be linked with a maximum of two Renminbi Settlement Accounts or Foreign Currency Savings Accounts (non-joint account) as supplementary accounts. HSBC China Debit Cards have the functions of cash withdrawal, fund transfer and Point of Sale spending. They can be used to conduct banking transactions at HSBC China ATMs, domestic and overseas UnionPay ATMs and Point of Sale Terminals and HSBC Group ATMs outside Mainland China. For details, please refer to the HSBC China Debit Cards Service Guide.

Any individual who has a Renminbi Settlement Account (sole personal account) with HSBC China may apply for HSBC China Debit Cards by presenting their valid identification documents. HSBC Premier customers (with a sole Premier account) can apply for an HSBC Premier Debit Card.

No. HSBC China Debit Card holders can enjoy all the convenience and benefits without paying an annual fee.

Within China, HSBC China debit cardholders can withdraw cash in RMB at UnionPay ATMs, or make purchases via UnionPay Point of Sale Terminals, in which case the primary RMB settlement account linked to the debit card will be debited. Cardholders may also withdraw cash in RMB from both primary and supplementary RMB accounts at HSBC China ATMs.

Outside of China, cardholders may withdraw cash in local currency at UnionPay (non-HSBC Group) ATMs or make purchases via UnionPay Point of Sale terminals, in which case the primary RMB settlement account linked to the debit card will be debited. Cardholders may withdraw cash in local currency from their foreign currency accounts (if any) linked to their debit cards at HSBC Group ATMs outside China and subject to local laws. 

Attention: Overseas transactions through HSBC Group ATMs with the UnionPay logo will be processed through the HSBC global ATM network, and cash can be withdrawn from your foreign currency account. If you want to withdraw cash through overseas HSBC Group ATMs (except Taiwan), please ensure there are sufficient funds in the foreign currency account linked to your debit card. In Hong Kong SAR(Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), you can even choose to withdraw the local currency from the RMB primary account or the foreign currency account linked to your card through HSBC ATMs (with the UnionPay logo).

*Please note that available functions also depend on the particular ATM. For details, please refer to the HSBC China Debit Cards Service Guide.

According to prevailing mainland China regulations, your daily withdrawal is subject to the following limits:

RMB account

You can withdraw cash from your RMB account through domestic ATMs or through CUP overseas ATMs (which are not HSBC Group ATMs) with daily cumulative limit of RMB20,000 or its equivalent. Besides,

• The cumulative limit of your debit card through domestic ATMs is RMB 20,000 for one day;
• The cumulative limit of your debit card through CUP ATMs outside mainland China is RMB10,000 or its equivalent for one day if the cumulative limit and balance of RMB account could support it.

Foreign currency account 

You can withdraw local currency outside mainland China from your foreign currency account through HSBC Group ATMs (with or without CUP logo, except in Taiwan) with daily cumulative limit of RMB10,000 or its equivalent. 

Yearly cumulative limit of cash withdrawal outside mainland China of bank cards by person

The cumulative limit of cash withdrawal outside mainland China of your all bank cards (including supplementary card) is RMB 100,000 or its equivalent for one calendar year (i.e. from 1 Jan to 31 Dec). Should the limit is exceeded, cash withdrawal outside of Mainland China will not be allowed in the year and the following year.

A daily Point of Sale terminal spending limit is set to the debit card in order to protect you from potential threats or losses in case your card were lost, stolen or used in another fraudulent way. Large transactions exceeding the limit restriction cannot be completed. You can apply to reset or adjust the daily Point of Sale terminal spending limit (which is capped to RMB 5 million for Global Private Banking and Premier Elite customers, and RMB 1 million for other cards) based on your debit card usage and attitude to risk. We will by default apply a daily Point of Sale terminal spending limit of RMB50,000, if you don't apply to set a limit.

You can change the PIN at HSBC China ATMs. Here's how:

1. Enter your original PIN and press ENTER
   
2. Select "Other Function" and then "Change PIN"
3. Follow the instructions to enter NEW PIN twice and then Original PIN once

Please contact our service hotline or visit an HSBC China branch in person with your valid identification documents and your debit card if you want to apply for supplementary account adjustment. The primary account linked to the debit card can't be changed, therefore we suggest you link the most commonly used account to your debit card as a primary account and link the other accounts you need as supplementary accounts. If you have to change the primary account, please visit an HSBC China branch in person with your valid identification documents and your debit card to cancel the old card and apply for a new one.

If you are unable to withdraw cash via an ATM or are refused payment for a purchase via a Point of Sale terminal, it might be caused by the following possible reasons:

• Card/account problem
  

For example: the magnetic strip at the back of the debit card is damaged, there is insufficient balance in the debit card account, or the cash withdrawal amount exceeds the prescribed limit.

• System problem
  

For example: ATM/Point of Sale equipment error, busy network or breakdown.

Cardholders may be able to tell whether the card is damaged by using the balance enquiry function or using different cards at the same ATM. You can also call HSBC China 24-hour customer service hotline, the number of which is on the back of your debit card.

What is PINless function?

PINless function is a quick payment solution jointly provided by UnionPay and HSBC. Through the Unionpay terminals of designated merchants, cardholders can make the transactions by tapping the debit card or mobile device with PINless function within RMB 1,000. and it requires no PIN or signature during the payment process.

How to use PINless

1. QuickPass
   Tap the debit card with contactless chip or ApplePay mobile device at the UnionPay POS terminals of designated merchants. PINless payment is not supported in the means of using magnetic stripe card or plugging in the chip.
2. Transaction limit control
   PINless transaction can be proceeded with transaction amount up to RMB 1,000.

PINless loss reimbursement procedure

To protect the card holder's benefit, UnionPay set up a compensation mechanism for fraudulent PINless transactions. Card holders can be compensated for fraud loss of disputed transactions within 72 hours before calling hotline 95366 upon verification and confirmation by the issuing bank and UnionPay. The card holders can call 95366 to claim the loss and provide the required documents accordingly. The compensation amount is up to RMB 30,000 per year for each UnionPay card holder.

Please contact HSBC China immediately.

HSBC 24-hour Premier customer service hotline:

400-820-8828

HSBC 24-hour Advance customer service hotline:

400-820-8878

Please dial the country code of mainland China +86 if you are calling from overseas, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, or Taiwan

You should visit an HSBC China branch in person with your valid identification documents and your debit card for card replacement. For security reasons, the old card must be returned for our destruction before we can issue a new card (except in cases where the card is stolen or lost). 

You should submit a written PIN reset application in person at an HSBC China branch with your valid identification documents and your debit card, or apply through online banking. A reset PIN will be mailed to your correspondence address maintained at the bank or branch for your collection within about seven working days.

If it's an HSBC ATM, you may call our 24-hour service hotline on 400-820-8878 and our representatives will provide you with information about the detailed eligibility, address and procedure for card collection.

You should contact the owner-bank of the ATM holding your card and the card will be disposed of according to its related procedures. If you can't immediately contact the bank holding your card, you should call us to report the loss verbally to ensure the card is safely protected. Then you can choose to go to an HSBC China branch to apply for a new card or go to the bank holding your card to collect the old card.

If you want to transfer money from other banks to your HSBC China debit card, you can transfer the funds to your personal account attached to the debit card. For the number of the inbound account, you must fill in the account number. Please do not fill in the debit card number because it may result in transfer failure.

A debit card can be linked with a maximum of three accounts: a primary account, a secondary account, and a third account.

When you travel overseas you can withdraw the destination country's local currency through China UnionPay network ATMs from the Renminbi primary account linked to your card, or through HSBC ATMs from your foreign currency account linked to your card. For more details, please refer to "HSBC China Debit Card Service Guide".

If you hope to withdraw cash from your designated foreign currency account, please make a supplementary account adjustment by following these two steps: 

1. Apply to link the designated foreign currency account to your debit card as the secondary account.

This will help you to withdraw cash conveniently via HSBC ATMs in various countries since it has priority to be accessed via HSBC ATMs in some countries eg Canada, UK, USA and Japan. 

2. To finalise the change to your supplementary accounts, please use your debit card at HSBC China ATMs to complete any of the following actions: transactions, balance enquiry, cash withdrawal and screen language change.

Yes. HSBC China Debit Card supports UnionPay online payment. Please note that your payment will be completed by ExpressPay or VeriPay. For details, please refer to UnionPay online payment.

There are two limits, the single payment limit and cumulative daily payment limit. The default single payment limit is RMB10,000 while the default cumulative daily payment limit is RMB50,000. You can customize your limits (capped to the default amount) via HSBC China Online Banking or by calling our 24/7 service hotline on 400-820-8878. The above limits are subject to the cumulative daily Point of Sale spending limit of your HSBC China Debit Cards which is RMB50,000.

No. The UnionPay online payment is only linked to your Renminbi account.

The UnionPay online payment service is available to customers as a free service. HSBC China will not charge an extra fee from our customers.

Yes. You need to visit an HSBC China branch in person to activate UnionPay online payment function per regulatory requirement. If you need the recurring service of UnionPay Debit Card, you still need to ensure the online payment function has been activated.

Via online banking, you can adjust your UnionPay online payment limits and change your mobile phone number that you register with HSBC China for the SMS Alert Messaging Service (SAMS). Therefore it's highly recommended that you register for online banking in order to enjoy a more secure and convenient service. Without online banking, you still need to apply for the SMS Alert Messaging Service (SAMS) so you can get verification with the registered mobile phone number.

The mobile phone number that you input should the one that you use for the HSBC China SMS service. Please have your mobile phone on. Mobile phones outside of Mainland China do not support this service. 

The mobile phone number is important for the verfication, so you must ensure that this number is the same with the one that you use for HSBC China. If you do need to change the mobile phone number, you need to contact HSBC China to update your mobile phone number. You can then change your mobile phone number that you use for UnionPay Online the next day. You can also call our Phone Banking hotline to complete the above procedures.

After activation, you need to log on to China UnionPay to complete the online signing and identity verification. After that, you can enjoy the UnionPay online payment services.

1. Why PINless?
   PINless is a matured international payment method, which is enabled upon  debit card issuance without approaching bank's branch or calling hotline.  PINless transaction is mainly used on public transportations, foods and beverages, department stores, supermarkets and other necessities spending, fulfilling the needs of a swift payment process and improving customers' experience.  PINless transaction provides support for customers to travel conveniently by taking public transportation, by eliminating the inconveniences of ticket purchase by cash in peak hours, recharging, carrying the physical card and loss reporting.
2. Is there any notification on providing the PINless function?
   To protect the cardholders' benefits, HSBC has published the notice on the official public website and incorporated it in Debit Card Terms and Conditions of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited and Debit Card ApplePay Terms and Conditions.
3. How to disable or enable the PINless function?
   To protect the cardholders' benefits, cardholders can enable or disable at their own discretion. Cardholders can set the function through mobile banking with immediate effect. Alternatively, cardholders may call service hotline 95366, to change the setting.
4. How will the debit card usage be affected if the PINless function is disabled?
   QuickPass transactions within the amount of RMB 1,000 at the domestic designated merchants may be rejected if the PINless function is disabled. Cardholders can complete the transaction by inserting in the debit card into POS instead.  QuickPass transactions above RMB 1,000 are not affected.
5. Can the PINless transaction limit be adjusted?
   The PINless transaction limit and daily limit at domestic designated merchants are RMB 1,000 and 3,000 respectively by default, and the transaction limit in overseas may vary.
   To ensure a consistent customer experience as well as a smooth process at merchants, the PINless transaction limit is not adjustable.
6. What should I do if my card or my mobile device with the PINless function is lost or stolen?
   To address the security concern by the cardholders, UnionPay and commercial banks set a compensation mechanism for fraudulent PINless transactions. Card holders should report loss to the Bank once the card is used fraudulently. Card holders can be compensated for fraud loss of disputed transactions within 72 hours before calling hotline 95366 upon verification and confirmation by the issuing bank and UnionPay.

You can log on to the official China UnionPay website to terminate this function. If you need assistance, you can dial our customer service hotline to terminate it.

Please log on to the official China UnionPay website and click "Transaction Enquiry" to see your transaction history. You can also log on to HSBC China Online Banking.

Once payment has been submitted, you cannot modify or cancel the order and the cardholder must contact the merchant directly to do so (if applicable).

Our China UnionPay online payment function has restricted the possibility of duplicate payments.

In general, if you see a payment failure the payment page would show you the error and the reason for it. The possible reasons might be PIN error or insufficient funds. According to the error message, you can choose to try again, contact the shopping website or call UnionPay online payment's customer service hotline on 95516.

To keep cardholders' information secure, China UnionPay uses online payment security controls to protect users. To download them, go to the Help Centre on the UnionPay Online Payment website.