Nerfed: HSBC Revolution to Exclude MCC of Travel Agencies and Hotels
Earlier this month, HSBC sent out an email to update cardholders on changes to HSBC credit cards. The most striking change was that Merchant Category Codes (MCC) 4722 and 7011 will no longer be eligible for HSBC Revolution’s 10X points earn rate from 1st January 2024 onwards.
Travel agencies and hotels affected
The MCC description for 4722 is Travel Agencies and Tour Operators while that of 7011 is Lodging–Hotels, Motels, Resorts (not elsewhere classified).
4722 is the MCC for many popular online travel booking sites like Airbnb, Agoda, Expedia, Klook, and many others.
7011 covers many hotels although quite a few hotel chains have their own MCCs. Hilton Hotel, for instance, has its own 3504 MCC while a Doubletree hotel under the Hilton chain may still be coded as 7011. As such it can be quite a gamble whether you’d get your 10X points with hotel bookings and I would personally just avoid putting hotel spend on HSBC Revolution from 1st January onwards.
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Alternatives
Again, the change will take effect from 1st January 2024 onwards, so you can still use the HSBC Revolution for your hotel bookings until then. It is unclear if your transaction has to be posted before then, but I would assume so just to play safe.
After the change is effected, there are still other cards usable for hotel and travel bookings and you can view a list of miles and cashback cards here. At the very least, unlike a blanket exclusion on travel-related expenses like Citi Rewards, HSBC Revolution will continue to give 10X points on things like flight tickets.
Still a pretty versatile card
Despite the nerf, HSBC Revolution remains a versatile card that would give you 10X points on many types of transactions online or at physical retail stores. It’s still a highly usable card with an earn rate that gets you 4 miles per dollar or 2.5% cashback plus 1% from HSBC Everyday+ programme.
Do you use your HSBC Revolution a lot for hotel and travel bookings? Let us know in the Telegram.
Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.
He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.
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