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.

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
• A proof of continued presence abroad (if trip exceeds the 90 days)

Debit cards daily limits apply.

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).

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

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).

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

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

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).

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. 

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.