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Foreign Currency Usage Limits

Debit Cards: Foreign currency transactions on HSBC Debit Cards will be suspended starting 24 October 2023, you can continue transacting in Egyptian Pounds.

Travelling abroad

Credit cardholders are not required to submit any supporting documents before travelling except in the case of education or medical purposes.

Credit cardholders are required to update the bank with their travel plans if they wish to activate their foreign currency purchase limit, by either visiting the nearest HSBC Egypt branch or by calling our contact centre within 3 working days prior to travel date. The activated credit card foreign currency purchase limit in that case will be valid for a maximum of 1 month. If the cardholder’s travel plan exceeds this duration, they will be required to call the contact centre again from abroad to activate the limit for another period.

It is mandatory for the credit cardholders to submit the following documents within 90 days1 from the date of activating the foreign currency limit on their cards:

  • Copy of the passport showing the departure and arrival stamps
  • Copy from the residency proof (in case of exceeding or extending the 90 days)
 
To submit these documents, the cardholder can either visit the nearest HSBC Egypt branch or send them from their registered email with us to contactus.egypt@hsbc.com. (files sizes must not exceed 4MB)

 

Existing and new cardholders inside and outside Egypt who did not share their travel plans before or during their travel, can use their credit cards in foreign currency purchases as per the maximum monthly limit of USD 1,000  or its equivalent in other currencies.

Purchase (non cash) limits for Credit Cards

Product Card Type Limit / month Limit / Month (in case of traveling and subject to providing supporting documents to the Bank)
Credit Card MasterCard Premier Credit Card USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
EGP 200,000
Credit Card
MasterCard Advance Credit Card
USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
EGP 175,000
Credit Card
Visa Platinum Credit Card
USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
EGP 175,000
Credit Card
Visa Evolution / Cashback Credit Card
USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
EGP 125,000

Purchase (non cash) limits for Credit Cards

Product Credit Card
Card Type MasterCard Premier Credit Card
Limit / month USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
Limit / Month (in case of traveling and subject to providing supporting documents to the Bank)
EGP 200,000
Product Credit Card
Card Type MasterCard Advance Credit Card
Limit / month USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
Limit / Month (in case of traveling and subject to providing supporting documents to the Bank)
EGP 175,000
Product Credit Card
Card Type Visa Platinum Credit Card
Limit / month USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
Limit / Month (in case of traveling and subject to providing supporting documents to the Bank)
EGP 175,000
Product Credit Card
Card Type Visa Evolution / Cashback Credit Card
Limit / month USD 1,000 (or equivalent)
Limit / Month (in case of traveling and subject to providing supporting documents to the Bank)
EGP 125,000

Purchase (non cash) limits for Debit Cards

Product

Card Type

Limit / Month
Debit Card Premier Visa Debit Card
International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2
Debit Card
Advance Visa Debit Card

International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2
Debit Card
Personal Banking Visa Debit Card

International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2

Purchase (non cash) limits for Debit Cards

Product

Debit Card
Card Type

Premier Visa Debit Card
Limit / Month
International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2
Product

Debit Card
Card Type

Advance Visa Debit Card
Limit / Month

International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2
Product

Debit Card
Card Type

Personal Banking Visa Debit Card
Limit / Month

International transactions are currently stopped on debit cards, except for debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts2

Debit cards daily limits apply.

Cash Withdrawal Limits

Product Card Type Limit / Month
Debit cards Apply on all cards International transactions are currently suspended on debit cards
Credit cards
Apply on all cards
USD 250 (or equivalent)3

Cash Withdrawal Limits

Product Debit cards
Card Type Apply on all cards
Limit / Month International transactions are currently suspended on debit cards
Product Credit cards
Card Type Apply on all cards
Limit / Month USD 250 (or equivalent)3

The normal cards daily limits for both cash & purchase still apply (no change).

Please note that transactions in foreign currency are converted into the equivalent in Egyptian Pounds at the prevailing market rate at the posting date and not at the transaction date attracting the foreign currency mark–up fees and charges as per the 'Schedule of Charges' announced on our website. Foreign Currency Transactions are converted into your billing currency by the card scheme (Visa or MasterCard®) or HSBC using their applicable exchange rates on the day conversion is made (which is the transaction posting date on HSBC system and not the actual date of transaction and which may involve a conversion to US Dollars or Hong Kong Dollars first).

Frequently Asked Questions

Section I: Foreign currency purchase (non-cash) limits

What are the transactions that fall under this monthly capping?

Limit covers both the transactions of primary and supplementary cards of the same product type.

Will the purchase limit be refreshed on monthly basis?

The foreign currency purchase limit for credit cards will be refreshed based on calendar month after the completion of the first working day of the month (i.e. will be refreshed on the second day of every month while catering for weekends and public holidays).

What kind of foreign currency purchases does this limit apply to?

The limit applies to all non-cash foreign currency transactions including face to face purchase transactions and e-commerce/online transactions.

What if I am paying for something online that exceeds the monthly limit will you reject my purchase immediately or later?

Yes, if you reached your monthly cap in card foreign currency purchases limit per month, the transaction will be rejected.

How will the foreign currency transactions be converted into the equivalent in Egyptian Pounds?

Transactions in foreign currency is converted into the equivalent in Egyptian Pounds at the prevailing market rate at the posting date and not at the transaction date attracting the foreign currency mark–up fees and charges as per the 'Schedule of Charges' announced on our website. Foreign Currency Transactions are converted into your billing currency by the card scheme (Visa or MasterCard®) or HSBC using their applicable exchange rates on the day conversion is made (which is the transaction posting date on HSBC system and not the actual date of transaction and which may involve a conversion to US Dollars or Hong Kong Dollars first).

Section II: Foreign currency cash limits

What are the new cards foreign currency cash capping?

The HSBC Credit Cards cash overseas withdrawal cap is USD 250 or equivalent.

Note: The monthly cap of USD 250 or equivalent applies to the overall cash withdrawals made by any credit card holder overseas, and covers all their accounts and cards - whatever the account currency (i.e., covers all card types owned by the customers both credit and debit cards). This cap includes any fees or charges applied by HSBC Bank Egypt or by the ATM operator at the time the cash withdrawal was made. These fees or charges may also include cash withdrawal fees and foreign currency markup fees applied by HSBC Bank Egypt, or charges applied by ATM operators for using their ATMs – if any.
 

What transactions fall under this monthly cap?

The following transactions are included within the new capping of USD 250 a month:

  • All ATM cash withdrawals from customer accounts using credit cards
  • All cash advance transactions from ATM machines using credit cards
     

How will the system calculate the new currency cap?

The system is based on the calendar month. So, the cap of USD 250 or equivalent will be refreshed at the start of each month. 

Additional information

1In case the travel supporting documents were not received by the bank within 90 days from activating the limit, the cardholder will be in violation of the regulations, in which case the bank will inform the regulatory bodies and credit bureau to take the necessary measures.

 

2For the customers holding Debit Cards linked to foreign currency accounts (any currency other than EGP) the mark up fees will be applied only if the transaction is in a cross currency (i.e. if the transaction is performed with a currency different than the currency of the main account - the Primary Account Number).
The mark up fees applied in that case are the prevailing mark-up rates applied on foreign currency transactions as per the schedule of Tariff and Charges.
To review the Schedule of Tariff and Charges refer to the website under Help & Support.
 

3The monthly cap applies per customer, and covers all the credit and debit cards they hold. This limit includes any fees or charges applied by HSBC Bank Egypt or by the ATM operator at the time the cash withdrawal is made. These fees or charges may also include cash withdrawal fees and foreign currency markup fees applied by HSBC Bank Egypt, or charges applied by ATM operators for using their ATMs – if any.

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