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Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts

I have a question for any of you that participated in combining 2 or more HSBC credit cards that you may have had at one point. 
 
I called the backdoor number and spoke w/ a very friendly gentleman.  He advised me that I could combine.  I have 1- visa (1600 limit) and 1-mastercard (1300 limit)with them and am trying to combine the 2.  He said that it would be no problem, that they do this sort of thing all the time for people, but he said that 1) he could not tell me what my new credit limit would be and 2) he had to mail me some forms to sign and mail back to them. 
 
Did anyone else have to fill out forms to do this?  And how long did it take for you to find out what the credit limit would be.  He said it is not guaranteed that I would get a 2900 limit by combining the two.  He said the limit can be lower, the same, or higher.
 
I have read where people said they had success combining their HSBC accounts, but as I searched through the threads- I could not find where anyone actually listed the process and if in fact they got to keep the limit of both cards combined or not.
 
Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
 
Message 1 of 7
6 REPLIES 6
TangMeister
Frequent Contributor

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts

I'm in a similar situation as you with one Visa and one MC with them. I know there's at least one thread on here where someone stated they DID NOT get the full CL from both cards on the new combined cards...it was much lower...close to just the one card's limit. I think it sucks how HSBC handles this process, to be honest. I have inquired about the same thing, and they really couldn't tell me anything about what the final outcome would be.

For instance...it's not just the CL that is a concern for me...how about the history if one card is significantly older than the other? In my case, my NEWER card has better terms and higher limits, so I want to keep that, but I want the history from the old card to transfer to the combined card. Capital One does this, no problem. Why can't HSBC?

Plus, once it's done...it's irreversible. Can't be undone and it seems the terms are set as they decide them during the combining. I decided not to do it. I'll just see if I can upgrade my old one somewhere in the future. Both have fairly large CLs, so that's not an issue. I'd just like to have one card with them, you know?

Would love to hear what others say who've done this as well.

Message Edited by TangMeister on 09-24-2008 05:37 PM
Message 2 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts



KsCreditGal wrote:
I have a question for any of you that participated in combining 2 or more HSBC credit cards that you may have had at one point. 
 
I called the backdoor number and spoke w/ a very friendly gentleman.  He advised me that I could combine.  I have 1- visa (1600 limit) and 1-mastercard (1300 limit)with them and am trying to combine the 2.  He said that it would be no problem, that they do this sort of thing all the time for people, but he said that 1) he could not tell me what my new credit limit would be and 2) he had to mail me some forms to sign and mail back to them. 
 
Did anyone else have to fill out forms to do this?  And how long did it take for you to find out what the credit limit would be.  He said it is not guaranteed that I would get a 2900 limit by combining the two.  He said the limit can be lower, the same, or higher.
 
I have read where people said they had success combining their HSBC accounts, but as I searched through the threads- I could not find where anyone actually listed the process and if in fact they got to keep the limit of both cards combined or not.
 
Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
 


i have call hsbc two times,  both times they told me the same they told you. 2 week later i received a letter saying we cannot combine the two cards because the terms do not match?  the second time i called, they told me  that i will receive a letter in 10 day. this was about 3 months ago nothing yet.
Message 3 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts

I combined my Orchard with my HSBC. There are forms to fill out and the process takes about 2 weeks. There are no guarantees that you will retain your total combined credit line ... I was able to. I did escalate my call to a supervisor regarding the process. He contacted an office and was able to get them to confirm I would get my combined credit limit. 

Edit to add: I am not sure you can combine different brands (e.g. visa w/mastercard). You may want to verify or maybe another poster can confirm.

KsCreditGal wrote:
I have a question for any of you that participated in combining 2 or more HSBC credit cards that you may have had at one point. 
 
I called the backdoor number and spoke w/ a very friendly gentleman.  He advised me that I could combine.  I have 1- visa (1600 limit) and 1-mastercard (1300 limit)with them and am trying to combine the 2.  He said that it would be no problem, that they do this sort of thing all the time for people, but he said that 1) he could not tell me what my new credit limit would be and 2) he had to mail me some forms to sign and mail back to them. 
 
Did anyone else have to fill out forms to do this?  And how long did it take for you to find out what the credit limit would be.  He said it is not guaranteed that I would get a 2900 limit by combining the two.  He said the limit can be lower, the same, or higher.
 
I have read where people said they had success combining their HSBC accounts, but as I searched through the threads- I could not find where anyone actually listed the process and if in fact they got to keep the limit of both cards combined or not.
 
Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
 





Message Edited by PurpleHaze on 09-24-2008 10:31 PM
Message 4 of 7
TangMeister
Frequent Contributor

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts



@Anonymous wrote:

I combined my Orchard with my HSBC. There are forms to fill out and the process takes about 2 weeks. There are no guarantees that you will retain your total combined credit line ... I was able to. I did escalate my call to a supervisor regarding the process. He contacted an office and was able to get them to confirm I would get my combined credit limit. 

Edit to add: I am not sure you can combine different brands (e.g. visa w/mastercard). You may want to verify or maybe another poster can confirm.

@Anonymous wrote:
I have a question for any of you that participated in combining 2 or more HSBC credit cards that you may have had at one point. 
 
I called the backdoor number and spoke w/ a very friendly gentleman.  He advised me that I could combine.  I have 1- visa (1600 limit) and 1-mastercard (1300 limit)with them and am trying to combine the 2.  He said that it would be no problem, that they do this sort of thing all the time for people, but he said that 1) he could not tell me what my new credit limit would be and 2) he had to mail me some forms to sign and mail back to them. 
 
Did anyone else have to fill out forms to do this?  And how long did it take for you to find out what the credit limit would be.  He said it is not guaranteed that I would get a 2900 limit by combining the two.  He said the limit can be lower, the same, or higher.
 
I have read where people said they had success combining their HSBC accounts, but as I searched through the threads- I could not find where anyone actually listed the process and if in fact they got to keep the limit of both cards combined or not.
 
Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
 





Message Edited by PurpleHaze on 09-24-2008 10:31 PM




PH, what was the final account age for your card? Did it reflect your oldest card's age, and what about the terms of the cards? I guess I should ask, did you keep the older or newer card for the combined card? Were you able to keep the best terms like Capital One lets cardholders do?
Message 5 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts



@TangMeister wrote:


@Anonymous wrote:

I combined my Orchard with my HSBC. There are forms to fill out and the process takes about 2 weeks. There are no guarantees that you will retain your total combined credit line ... I was able to. I did escalate my call to a supervisor regarding the process. He contacted an office and was able to get them to confirm I would get my combined credit limit. 

Edit to add: I am not sure you can combine different brands (e.g. visa w/mastercard). You may want to verify or maybe another poster can confirm.
Message Edited by PurpleHaze on 09-24-2008 10:31 PM


PH, what was the final account age for your card? Did it reflect your oldest card's age, and what about the terms of the cards? I guess I should ask, did you keep the older or newer card for the combined card? Were you able to keep the best terms like Capital One lets cardholders do?

I had the Orchard card for almost 3 years and received my HSBC card in March of '08. I combined the Orchard with the HSBC because I received 0% APR for 6 months AND I recevied a CLI my 2nd month when I paid my bill in full. With no APR and actually receiving CLI's (which I did not receive from Orchard without a fee) the HSBC card was the better option. I really didnt care about losing the few years history because I have had credit for 26 years.
 
HSBC does ask which card you want to keep - what they wont do is confirm you will keep your total combined limit. The process is pretty wack, but the weird thing is the only credit card company that has worked in my favor is HSBC, so I wont knock them.

Message 6 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Question Re: Combining HSBC credit card accounts


@Anonymous wrote:
I have a question for any of you that participated in combining 2 or more HSBC credit cards that you may have had at one point. 
 
I called the backdoor number and spoke w/ a very friendly gentleman.  He advised me that I could combine.  I have 1- visa (1600 limit) and 1-mastercard (1300 limit)with them and am trying to combine the 2.  He said that it would be no problem, that they do this sort of thing all the time for people, but he said that 1) he could not tell me what my new credit limit would be and 2) he had to mail me some forms to sign and mail back to them. 
 
Did anyone else have to fill out forms to do this?  And how long did it take for you to find out what the credit limit would be.  He said it is not guaranteed that I would get a 2900 limit by combining the two.  He said the limit can be lower, the same, or higher.
 
I have read where people said they had success combining their HSBC accounts, but as I searched through the threads- I could not find where anyone actually listed the process and if in fact they got to keep the limit of both cards combined or not.
 
Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
 





I combined 2 this year, CLs of $2k and $2.5k You will receive a form asking which account you wish to keep. I chose the newer account that has much better terms and is a 2% CB card. I really did not care if I lost any of the CL as I've gotten better cards and limits.

Within a week of mailing the request to them, my online account showed that I did retain the total of the CLs ($4.5k). They sent a letter a few weeks later confirming this.

The history of the account I kept was not back dated. The older account now reports as closed by consumer. No problem though as I keep the hx and the age on my CRs for at least 10yrs.

Hope this helps.

GL
Message 7 of 7
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