HSBC Bank Reviews 

HSBC Singapore – Premier Client Account Frozen Without Warning

We have been HSBC customers for over 30 years and Premier clients in Singapore for seven. On Friday, our accounts were frozen without any prior email, SMS or discussion during recent calls with the bank — only a letter delivered on the same day access was cut.

We submitted all requested documents immediately (ID, proof of address, salary clarification), yet our accounts remained frozen through the entire weekend. We were left with no access to funds, missed direct debits, and had to cancel our children’s activities.

What is most concerning is the lack of communication, accountability, or urgency. We received only automated acknowledgments, casual and unprofessional updates that they were 'working on it', no clear reason for the “safeguarding review,” and no indication of when basic access would be restored.

For a bank that promotes loyalty and Premier service, this experience has shown a complete breakdown in customer care and responsibility. Freezing long-standing accounts without warning, and leaving a family without access to their own money, is unacceptable.

They ignore you...
Freeze your accounts because they ignore you.
Make massive mistakes in transfers
Their "Personal Bankers" are rude, entitled, petulant children.
The WORST premier banking experience I have ever had in 28 years of international premier banking.
Do not use HSBC Singapore they are unresponsive and impose impossible rules to fit their poor service

Wenn ich könnte, würde ich null Sterne geben. Aber das geht nicht. Schlechteste Bank auf der Welt. Dort arbeiten nur Lügner und Betrüger. Und Manager, die bestechlich sind.
In der Türkei, in Deutschland, einfach überall. Und dann haftet die Bank noch nicht mal für den Schaden, den ihre Mitarbeiter anrichten. Wo gibt es denn sowas? Jede Bank ist dagegen versichert.

Service very slow and counter no customer also no call customer, counter staff like wait for each other to call customers please improve service thanks

Raffles branch

Visited Doncaster branch to see Judy. Excellent service, very helpful and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend her.

I am still struggling to believe that HSBC Singapore could be so dysfunctional that this story is true. However, since they have just lost me as a customer over it, I guess that’s the line they have chosen.

I created a bank account when I arrived in Singapore, I needed a way to pay the deposit on my rented house before I was paid and the easiest way (until all the visa processing was completed) was to create an HSBC account with my passport and transfer the money to my new account. I signed up online using my passport and transferred the money to pay my deposit.

Two weeks later my account was blocked and I received a paper letter telling me I needed to provide my tax identification number, I didn’t have one yet, so I sent back this information in the letter, moved house and updated my address online through their online banking app.
One month later, the same letter, but to my old address, I picked it up from the people now living there, apologised and returned the letter with the requested information. I also checked my address online, all good. Each month, the same letter to the old address, sent back the same information to get the account unlocked, nothing. After the third time, I’m annoyed, my account is still locked and HSBC still haven’t updated my address, I phone customer services, who insist I haven’t changed my address on their systems and that I have never returned the forms. My instant response to them is that, the Internet has been mainstream for 35 years and to query why on earth they are still insisting on a letter to update sensitive information, no answer to that and no solution. I have to go to the branch.

After waiting 1 and a half hours for an agent and frankly being extremely annoyed now, the session starts with the clerk asking why I haven’t updated my address, I explain that it has been updated on online banking, same confusion as to why this is not updated on their systems, can I provide a letter to prove my address (I don’t have one, and the online system should work), We move onto the paper form I’ve filled out three times, I ask why my address hasn’t been updated based on the information provided in the three different paper form responses, have they even reached you, where are they? No clue.

I ask to close my account and it turns out there is no signature on my account, well of course not, it’s an online account, who uses a signature nowadays anyway and how would I provide it? Apparently, this is why my paper responses have not been accepted and my address has not been updated and my account has been locked, they cannot check my signature is correct. I’m sorry, in what century are you living? Only the American’s sign for things any more, everywhere else (including Singapore) uses chip and pin and has done for 20 years.

That’s fine, I’ve had enough, I don’t want this account any more, let’s close it. We can’t do that sir, you have to verify your signature! Against what, I don’t have one on file. It’s okay, you just need to provide it now, then we can close your account, I made something up, repeated it 15 different times across 8 different forms and apparently, that’s me verified (against what, I have no idea, I could have signed Mickey Mouse and it would have been fine)!

Apparently there are data protection laws in Singapore, I have no idea how anyone enforces those when everything is printed and photocopied and we’re mailing our PPI to a location that may or may not actually collect it. We shall see what the data commissioner says about that, get ready to prove receipt of my letter HSBC, there’s this thing called the Internet that securely transfers things between locations and can accurately record when they were received and acted on. Might want to look into it.

Horrible ATM machines, swallowed my card and refused to return it. No staff nearby who were willing to help me, I wasted my entire trio to a convention there and coukdn't buy snything because of how incompetemt HSBC is, I hope OCBC completely demolishes them

This is the bank you don’t not want to put your money with. It is a bank that does not provide any services and does not follow with requests through the telephone and the numerous emails which I have sent for past 2 weeks. To reach the customer service telephone line, prepare to wait for 15 minutes, some do not speak English very well so you need to repeat your issues many times. I have a premier account with them that requires you to have minimum $200,000 otherwise they will charge you $50 a month For premier account they will provide an RM which today has never called nor do I know who he or she is
You are better off putting your money with a local bank

Terrible service received from HSBC two times. Last July I tried to create a multi currency bank account and it was taking very long. So I called in to ask about status and eventually decided to cancel the creation since I got a premier banking bank account created with Citibank in just a few days. Multiple times when I called in, the team said they’ll take care of it but nothing was done and bank account creation went through. They said if I didn’t use the bank account and want to close it I’ll get charged a fee. Eventually after multiple complaints they closed the bank account without charges.
This year I tried to apply for a credit card with singsaver promotion. I called in and asked for a reference number, but there was none. A few days later I called and asked about the status and they said the application was cancelled by applicant and there’s nothing that can be done until the team is back after the weekend. However on Monday the team called to say my application was declined instead but not able to get any clarification why. They said subsequent application cannot go through because there’s a one month block and to reapply in one month. I will not reapply again.

Re: HSBC misleading promises of welcome bonus

I had a frustrating experience with HSBC as a new cardholder. They have found every possible excuse to avoid fulfilling their obligations. I met both cards bonus terms and conditions but HSBC made excuses that I didn't qualify for them.

The promoter of HSBC Card during the road show at Bukit Batok Singpost encouraged me to sign up for both the Revolution card and Live card. Revolution promised a $200 welcome bonus after spending $500 for the first month. Whereas Live promised a $100 bonus after a single transaction.

I fulfilled my Revolution card's requirements first by spending $500 within the first month before my Live card. However they chose to give me the welcome bonus of only LIVE card which is the lesser of the two. Reasoning is that I am considered already an existing cardholder after they approved my Live card first despite the fact that I applied both cards at the same time and registration done by their staff. By doing that HSBC only give a $100 bonus( under Live card) and saved the $200 bonus ( under Revolution card). I told them I am willing to compromise to receive only the bonus for Revolution card since I fulfilled the requirements of this card first so they should reward me for that card instead of Live card. But they refused, what a cheapskate bank.

I regret choosing HSBC and would not recommend it to others. It does not uphold their core vaule ensuring they act responsibly and ethically.

Nicola and Karen at the HSBC branch in Dumfries were quite simply superb in helping me with a complex situation following my husband’s stroke. Sensitive and professional in helping to access banking services - proactive and supportive in helping us.

Terrible service, even for a premier customer of more than 20 years. I could give examples: failing to respond to email multiple emails; incompetent staff unable to speak English or who have no knowledge of the bank’s procedures; moving money on and off my credit card without telling me and charging for it (yes, this happened!). The reality is that the incompetence, carelessness and disrespect of people’s time is pervasive and there seems to be no interest in responding to the overwhelming evidence and feedback that supports this view. So, I left and moved all my money in SG to other banks and will do the same in other countries. I suggest others do the same.

An amazing service provided by Jay vishal barot on harrow branch,

Every time i visit the branch I always ask to see zreeda. Who is a very experienced member of the team she is very polite, friendly and helpful she explains everything in detail and makes everything so simple. This is the reason why I choose to bank with HSBC, overall amazing service every time I visit the branch. Zreeda is a great asset to the branch.

Lured you to sign up credit card with free gifts.. but disqualify you despite meet minimum spent. No reason give. Called in to cancel card, they made you wait for more than 30 minutes, still cant cancel because the person not in.

Sam from East ham branch is very helpful and provided customer care. She was very professional and clear to give information.
So please to bank with HSBC.

extremely lousy, most of their self-services do not work when registering on their website or their app. cannot even do a simple verification code or register with singpass.

My credit card has issue call card centre Mr Luke , he couldn’t rectify telling me to wait for operation team to call me back . I have been waited from 16 Dec until today I called him up again but he avoided me and nvr bother call me back at all . What a lousy bank service is that , how can this kind of unprofessional service exist in our country . Highly disagree with their terrible attitude .

HSBC Bank is a disaster of inefficiency, driven by management obsessed with rigid, pointless protocols that leave customers utterly exasperated and defeated. While the staff are helpful, they are powerless against systems seemingly designed to infuriate—my card was blocked overseas despite complying with their "security" measures. Support lines were either full or unresponsive, unless you’re a Premier customer.

Every process is agonizingly slow, manual, and unnecessarily complex. Management’s obsession with control has turned banking into a deeply frustrating ordeal. Once I’m done, I’m switching to DBS or UOB. Avoid HSBC at all costs—you’ll regret ever trusting them.

HSBC Premier Branch at Raffles Place Singapore Poorly Managed
I went to this branch on 11 Dec 2024 at 3pm. There are only 2 officers serving walk-in premier customers. They do not bother about the long queue of customers waiting outside their service rooms. One of the officers was seen chatting personal matters to her customer for a good 20minutes even after serving his banking needs as her room's door was left ajar. I am the next customer in line and had already waited for 50 minutes. She is oblivious of the long queue outside her room. There is no supervisor managing these officers and the latter adopt a " go slow" attitude. She drags out her time with each customer so as to minimise the number of customers she need to handle. It is only when I stood near her door and demanded to see the manager that she parted instantly with her customer and immediately called for the next customer in the queue.