Accounts and Services

What should I do if I lose my cheque book?

You should report it to us immediately. Contact any of our branches, or call us on (852) 2233 3000.

How can I apply for a new chequebook?

You can apply at an ATM, or by using phone banking or Online Banking.

What should I do if I make a mistake when writing a cheque?

You can make amendments on the cheque and sign in full next to the alterations. Alternatively, you can destroy the cheque and write a new one.

I am a joint account holder. Do we both need to sign the cheques?

You will have chosen to use either a single signature or both signatures when opening your joint account.

When do I need to put money into my account after writing a cheque?

You need to make sure there are enough funds in your current account to cover a cheque before you write it.

What happen if my account has insufficient available balance upon the cheque payment date?

We will treat this as your ad-hoc request for an unauthorised overdraft.

We may agree to your request and provide you with an overdraft. The amount of the unauthorised overdraft will be subject to our prevailing interest rate calculated on a daily basis.  We will also charge a handling charge for the unauthorised overdraft on each occasion. 

Alternatively, we may refuse your request and your instruction, return the cheque to you, and impose a return charge for considering and refusing your request on each occasion.

For details of the prevailing Unauthorised Overdraft interest rate and fees, please refer to Overdraft Fees & Charges. 

How can I stop the payment of a cheque?

You may stop a cheque (provided the cheque has not already been paid) by making a stop payment request at any HSBC branch, or by calling us on (852) 2233 3000. There is a fee for stopping a cheque.

The payee has lost the cheque. What should I do?

You should make a stop payment request immediately. You can do this in a branch or by calling (852) 2233 3000. There is a fee for stopping a cheque.

What is the difference between a savings account and a Time Deposit?

With a savings account, you can access your money when you need it. With a Time Deposit, you put your money away for a set period of time. In return, you'll get a higher interest rate compared with a savings account.

Can I save in different currencies?

Yes. We offer savings accounts in various currencies other than Hong Kong Dollars including:

• Renminbi
• Australian Dollar
• Canadian Dollar
• Euro
• Sterling
• New Zealand Dollar
• Japanese Yen
• Singapore Dollar
• Swiss Franc
• Thai Baht
• US Dollar

What is the difference between a savings account and a current account?

A savings account allows you to earn interest on your money, while still being able to access your funds when you need to.

A current account allows you to manage your money and write cheques for day-to-day payments.

When will I get my principal back after I place my Time Deposit?

You can get your principal back on the maturity date of your Time Deposit.

Can I withdraw my money before my Time Deposit matures?

You may be allowed to do so at the Bank's discretion. In these cases, the Bank reserves the right not to pay interest on the deposit and to make a charge for early withdrawal.

Do I need a minimum amount to open a Time Deposit account?

Yes. The minimum is HKD10,000 for a Hong Kong Dollar Time Deposit, RMB10,000 for a Renminbi Time Deposit and USD2,000 or equivalent for a foreign currency Time Deposit.

Can I set up a Time Deposit in different currencies?

Yes. You could open a Renminbi Time Deposit, or a foreign currency Time Deposit which gives you a choice of saving in ten major foreign currencies.

How do I know whether a Time Deposit is suitable for me or not?

It depends mainly on two things: whether you need immediate access to your money and whether you want to earn higher interest rates than those offered by a savings account.

Why do I see 2 different balance amounts?

One is the account ledger balance and the other is the available balance. The ledger balance is the amount which may include the cheques that have been deposited into the account but that have not yet been cleared for withdrawal and / or other credits that have not yet become part of the available balance. 

The available balance is the amount of money in the account that is available for withdrawal.

Can I make renminbi transfers to other renminbi accounts?

You can transfer renminbi from your renminbi savings & current account to a third party's renminbi account belonging to individual or companies (except to a renminbi account of Hong Kong Designated Business Customer).

Can I transfer renminbi in my renminbi savings & current account to another foreign currency?

You will only be able to convert renminbi to Hong Kong dollar, or from Hong Kong dollar to renminbi. If you wish to convert renminbi into another foreign currency, you must first convert renminbi to Hong Kong dollar and then convert Hong Kong dollar to the designated currency.

I want to check how much I have exchanged during the day. Can I check the utilisation of my daily limit through HSBC Personal Internet Banking?

You may check the usage of your daily limit by viewing the transaction history of your renminbi savings & current account through HSBC Personal Internet Banking. The transaction history is updated until 7:30pm on Monday to Friday and until 5:00pm on Saturday.

What are the prerequisites if I wish to send a renminbi remittance to my account in China?

Personal customers who are Hong Kong resident must first maintain a renminbi savings account with us in Hong Kong and have a renminbi bank account under the same name in Mainland China.

Non-Hong Kong residents may need to obtain an approval from the relevant Mainland authorities for renminbi remittance to Mainland and charges may be involved should the outward remittance be rejected by the Mainland authorities or Mainland banks for non-Hong Kong residents.

Can I place a remittance in renminbi?

Personal customers who are Hong Kong residents can remit up to RMB80,000 each day from your renminbi savings & current account to your renminbi account under the same name in mainland China. If the remittance amount exceeds the available daily remittance limit, the transaction will be rejected on the transaction date. Your daily remittance amount may also be checked by the renminbi clearing bank.

Simply select 'Transfers - Overseas' page and follow the instructions to make an overseas transfer. To effect an renminbi remittance, please input the English name of the remitting account holder in the "Account Holder's Name" . We will automatically use your Chinese name maintained with us as the remitter and beneficiary when effecting the transfer. If you only have your English name on record with us, we will use your English name instead.

If personal customers who are Hong Kong residents need to make remittances to your renminbi account in mainland China on a regular basis, you can set up a standing instruction to save time and trouble. You can also amend and cancel your instructions at any time through HSBC Personal Internet Banking.

Non-Hong Kong residents may need to obtain approval from the relevant Mainland authorities for Renminbi remittance to Mainland and charges may be involved should the outward remittance be rejected by the Mainland authorities or Mainland banks for non-Hong Kong residents.

When can I send a renminbi remittance?

The renminbi remittance instruction will be processed during our business hours on Monday to Friday, from 9am to 1:30pm, (excluding Saturday, Sunday and public holidays). You can send instruction to the Bank whenever you like but the earliest processing for instructions received after these times will be at the business hours of the next working day. Moreover, the renminbi remittance is processed subject to the operation and practice adopted by the renminbi clearing bank. It will not be processed by the renminbi clearing bank during holidays in China (e.g. Labour Day, National Day).