🇨🇳 繁體中文版: | English translation of our original Chinese review.
Hey everyone, it’s Rational Travel here, your go-to travel blogger who doesn’t do sponsored content and always keeps it real . If you’ve been following credit card deals lately, you’ve probably gotten spooked by HSBC’s recent announcement about their travel card. Long story short: the bank got tired of being a sucker, and now they’re cracking down hard on lounge access—cardholders only, no exceptions.
A lot of people probably thought: “Come on, it’s just a lounge QR code. What’s the big deal?” If that’s you, congratulations—next time at the airport, you might be the one getting hit with a surprise NT$1,050+ charge on your statement.
Today, Rational Travel is breaking down this rule change for you: why the bank suddenly got strict, and most importantly, what you can actually do if you still want to bring the family into the lounge without bleeding money.
Same old routine—before we dive in, let me give you a quick intro, since not everyone knows who I am.

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Get Your Pre-Trip Audit →Rational Travel’s Honest Take: When it comes to flight deals and other money-saving hacks, I usually send them to my subscribers first. They get the early access, then I publish the full breakdown later. Makes sense—there’s only so much inventory and these deals have time limits, so my subscribers always get priority.
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