HSBC Trade25 2026 Guide: How to Get HKD 1,200 Apple Store Gift Card (25 Trades + HKD 10,000 Lock-Up Explained)

If you are aged between 18 and 35 and have never conducted HSBC stock trades, you still have a chance to claim the HSBC Trade25 HKD 1,200 gift card;

If you are an existing user, you may as well close this article now.

For the past two years, the HSBC Trade25 gift card promotion has been continuously adjusted. This year’s HSBC Trade25 2026 campaign has now been fully updated.

In summary, it is not much different from last year. New users can receive a total of HKD 1,200 in Apple Store gift cards, but this HKD 1,200 reward is split across two separate promotions:

Essentially, this promotion requires 12 buy transactions + HKD 10,000 frozen in the account until reward disbursement (for up to approximately 15 months) + maintaining Trade25 eligibility, in exchange for a HKD 1,200 gift card.

Next, Arthur will provide a detailed HSBC Trade25 guide to help you quickly claim this reward.

To make it easier for everyone to follow, a “lazy-mode” operation package is provided at the end of this article—just follow the steps.

1. Can existing users participate in the HSBC Trade25 2026 campaign?

Answer: No

The reason is clearly stated in HSBC's official rules: if you have participated in the 2024 or 2025 campaign, you are not eligible for the 2026 campaign:

2. Prerequisites for the HSBC Trade25 Gift Card Promotion

1. Eligibility Requirements

To participate in the HSBC Trade25 promotion, you must first confirm whether you meet the following criteria:

1. Meet the requirements to join Trade25
2. From January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, you must not have conducted any stock transactions with HSBC or held any stocks
3. Age between 18 and 35 when joining Trade25
4. Not a U.S. citizen, resident, or taxpayer
5. Your HSBC One account is not a supplementary account

If you have not yet joined HSBC Trade25 and are between 18 and 35 years old, don’t worry—HSBC has now relaxed the age requirement for joining Trade25 to ages 26–35:

2. How to Join HSBC Trade25?

Step 1: Open an HSBC One or higher-tier HSBC account

You need to open an HSBC One or higher-tier account. The HSBC One account currently has no minimum requirement and is a Hong Kong account that can be opened without barriers.

Although there is now a “Total Financial Value” requirement, it remains a good option overall. For details on how to open the account, please refer to this article:

《2026 Latest Guide to Opening a Hong Kong Bank Account | Requirements and Bank Selection for Mainland Residents Explained》

Step 2: Open an Investment Account (HSBC InvestEasy)

Opening the investment account with HSBC is relatively complicated. If you go to a branch to open your account, it is recommended to open both the core account and investment account at the same time.

Otherwise, you may face delays of several weeks due to the address proof URS0224 issue.

You can download the HSBC InvestEasy app (HSBC HK Easy Invest):

Name	Apple Devices	Android Devices
HSBC HK Easy Invest

After downloading InvestEasy, follow the steps below to register and join Trade25:

Once your application is approved, you will receive a message like this:

You can now conduct normal trades.

If you attempt a trade and encounter error URS0224:

Unable to proceed. Please call (852) 2233 3322 (Premier customers) or (852) 2233 3000 (other personal banking customers). (Reference No.: URS0224)

This indicates your investment account has not been activated.

In this case, open the HSBC HK app, click Wealth → scroll down and click “Upload Documents” → follow the prompts to submit,

Make sure to keep submitting the same proof document each time. Continue submitting it until the system no longer prompts you to upload again. Usually, it takes about three submissions.:

You will usually receive a confirmation message within a week:

But if your submission keeps getting rejected:

HSBC: Your investment account cannot be activated at the moment. The address proof you submitted does not match the confirmation letter sent to your residential address…

If you encounter this address proof issue, don’t panic.

Arthur has written a solution in the article: 《【HSBC Trade 25 URS0224】How to Resolve Persistent Address Proof Rejection for HSBC Investment Account Activation》.

HSBC has now optimized many processes. In theory, you only need to submit a mainland bank statement. For details, refer to HSBC’s official document:

《Instructions for Uploading Address Proof – Customers Residing in Mainland China or Taiwan》

If you are unsure how to obtain a mainland address proof, refer to this article:

《How to Obtain Proof of Address? Two Solutions for Domestic & Overseas Proof of Address (English / U.S. Address)》

Now that we’ve covered how to open and join Trade25, let’s move on to the HSBC Trade25 2026 HKD 1,200 gift card guide.

3. As a 2026 HSBC Hong Kong Newcomer, How to Complete This Task?

First, the 2026 gift card promotion consists of two parts:

Part 1: Complete 10 eligible stock trades within one year to receive a HKD 1,000 Apple Store gift card
Part 2: Must be an HSBC One+ member, and after completing Part 1, complete 2 additional eligible stock trades to receive a HKD 200 Apple Store gift card

Normally, HSBC One+ membership is free only for customers with HKD 500,000 or more in assets.

However, HSBC is currently offering new users 6 months of free One+ membership.

To maintain this membership, you must have at least HKD 500,000 in assets within the 3 months before your One+ membership expires.

Therefore, to claim the full HKD 1,200 gift card, it is best to complete all requirements within a continuous period to minimize costs and maximize rewards.

If you have just opened your HSBC account, you automatically have One+ membership. The optimal window to claim the full HKD 1,200 reward is within the first 6 months after account opening.

4. Part 1: Earn the HKD 1,000 Apple Store Gift Card

Prerequisite

From the date of your first eligible stock transaction until the reward redemption date (Clause 10), maintain a minimum Total Financial Value of HKD 10,000 or above. For more details on “Total Financial Value,” please visit https://www.hsbc.com.hk/campaigns/tcr-rate/

In plain terms: To qualify for this reward, you must keep at least HKD 10,000 (or equivalent) in your HSBC account throughout the entire period until the reward is credited.

It is best to use Hong Kong dollars—avoid currency fluctuations that might reduce the equivalent value below HKD 10,000, which would invalidate your eligibility. This is the fundamental requirement.

Note: New HSBC Hong Kong users who do not maintain HKD 10,000 in their account will be charged a monthly fee of HKD 100: HSBC One account fee | HSBC One to Charge Monthly Fees from 2026: What Non-Residents Should Know

⚠️ It is recommended to deposit around HKD 11,000–12,000 to account for potential monthly fees, exchange rate fluctuations, trading commissions, or frozen funds. Don’t cut it too close.

Trading Requirements

(b) Complete the transactions listed in items (1) to (10) in Table (1) below (“Eligible Stock Transactions”), i.e., eligible stock purchase transactions (excluding sales) in Hong Kong, U.S., or China A-shares.

Each Eligible Stock Transaction must have a minimum transaction amount (calculated as price multiplied by number of shares/units, excluding any fees and charges) of HKD 100.

For non-HKD denominated stocks, the amount should be equivalent to HKD 100 based on the prevailing exchange rate at the time of transaction.

Eligible Stock Transactions do not include Hong Kong-listed structured products (derivatives, in-the-money warrants, bull/bear contracts), initial public offerings (IPOs), monthly investment plans, or any transactions conducted via HSBC Securities Margin Trading Service.

(c) Please note that each Eligible Stock Transaction must be completed in a different calendar week. This means multiple transactions completed within the same calendar week will only count as one Eligible Stock Transaction.

In plain terms:

Clause (b)

Each buy transaction must cost more than HKD 100. Fees and commissions are not included in this amount, so do not try to trade exactly at HKD 100—this increases the risk of disqualification.

Also, IPO subscriptions and regular investment plans do not count. It is best to stick to 10 standard stock buy transactions.

💡 HSBC Trade25 allows up to HKD 250,000 in trading volume per month for a flat fee of HKD 25. There’s no need to look for ultra-low-cost trades.

Clause (c)

You can only count one transaction per calendar week. Even if you trade multiple times in one week, only one will be counted. Therefore, the 10 transactions must be spread across at least 10 weeks (about 3 months).

Set a reminder to trade once a week for 10 consecutive weeks. Completing all trades in one day won’t work.

Reward Conditions

(d) For each Eligible Stock Transaction completed before the end of the promotion period, earn HKD 100 in rewards, up to a maximum of 10 transactions. Therefore, the maximum total reward is HKD 1,000.

(a) The eligible customer cancels the eligible account used to complete the Eligible Stock Transaction before the reward redemption date; or

(b) The eligible customer cancels their participation in Trade25 before the reward redemption date. Please note that Trade25 customers aged 26 or above must complete at least 25 executed stock transactions in their eligible investment account in each calendar year (including the year of joining) to continue enjoying Trade25 benefits in the following year. For details, visit HSBC website > “Investment” > “HSBC Trade25” > “HSBC Trade25 Terms and Conditions”.

Clause (d)

You accumulate HKD 100 in gift card rewards for each eligible transaction. Rewards are credited based on how many transactions you complete—not all-or-nothing.

Clauses (a) & (b)

You must maintain your Trade25 status until the reward is disbursed. If the reward is issued in the following year, you must still be eligible for Trade25. This mainly affects users who are close to turning 36.

For details, refer to the table below:

Full document: 《Terms and Conditions of the Extended Eligibility Age Offer for Joining HSBC Trade25》

By following the above conditions, you can complete the HKD 1,000 Apple Store gift card portion of the HSBC Trade25 promotion. Next, let’s move to the remaining HKD 200 reward.

5. Part 2: Earn the HKD 200 Apple Store Gift Card

The trading and reward conditions for this part are largely the same as Part 1. However, in addition to maintaining HKD 10,000 in your account, you must also be an HSBC One+ member.

⚠️ As mentioned earlier, new account holders currently receive 6 months of free One+ membership. If you are an existing user who didn’t participate in previous HSBC Trade25 campaigns and are joining now, you must either deposit HKD 500,000 to activate One+ or you can only claim the HKD 1,000 reward.

Additionally, the HKD 200 reward is only granted after you have completed the first 10 eligible trades and then complete these additional 2 trades.

In other words, you cannot claim the second reward unless you complete Part 1 first.

6. HSBC Trade25 2026 Guide: Lazy-Mode Operation Flow

To help everyone complete the steps quickly and clearly, Arthur has created a simplified guide based on HSBC’s official documents. You may use this as a reference,

but it does not constitute any investment advice—treat it as a casual guide only:

⚠️ These steps assume you have already opened your HSBC investment account and joined Trade25 as described earlier. Do not start any stock transactions before meeting these prerequisites, or you may become ineligible. You bear full responsibility.

Step 1: Deposit Funds

Deposit HKD 11,000 into your HSBC savings account (Trade25 has a monthly fee; don’t deposit exactly HKD 10,000—leave a buffer).

Step 2: Complete 10 Trades

At the beginning of a month, make your first buy transaction, then continue to trade once per week for 10 weeks (about 2.5 months). Each buy transaction should be at least HKD 150 (the threshold is HKD 100—add a buffer).

Follow the steps below for each eligible trade:

Repeat this once a week for 10 consecutive weeks.

Step 3: Complete 2 Additional Trades

After completing the 10 trades, check when your HSBC One+ membership expires. If it expires within two weeks, do not proceed. If you still have time, continue.

Follow the same process as Step 2 to complete 2 additional eligible trades.

Step 4: Sell All Holdings

Since you’ve bought stocks 12 times in a row, now sell all your positions at once.

Step 5: Maintain Trade25 Eligibility

Rewards are not issued immediately upon completion. They will be distributed on or before March 31, 2027.

⚠️ This is not a "complete and get paid immediately" promotion—it is a locked-account type.

Since the reward spans into the next year, you must complete more than 25 trades this year to maintain Trade25 eligibility next year.

You can complete the remaining 12 trades over time—do not集中 (concentrate) low-value trades in a short period.

This way, with 12 additional trades plus the 13 trades done for the promotion, you meet the annual 25-trade requirement and automatically renew your Trade25 status.

Estimated cost breakdown:

Item	Cost
Frozen funds	HKD 10,000
Trading cost	HKD 25 * 3 + less than HKD 100 in 25 commissions
Market fluctuation cost	Unpredictable over 3 months
Time cost	Approximately 3 months
Reward	HKD 1,200
Theoretical net gain	HKD 800–1,100

The theoretical net gain is up to HKD 1,100, but actual results may vary. The key uncertainty is market fluctuation, which depends on the stocks you trade. To minimize holding risk, consider buying and selling quickly to avoid prolonged exposure.

Step 6: Wait for Reward Disbursement

Then, simply wait for HSBC to credit your reward. You will typically receive an email like this:

7. How to Use the Credited Gift Card

Personal Use

Once you receive the gift card, you’ll want to use it. Note that the gift card can only be redeemed with a Hong Kong Apple ID. If you don’t have one, register a Hong Kong Apple ID first, then redeem the card.

This gift card is for use in the Apple Store (not the App Store), so it’s typically used for purchasing hardware online and picking it up in-store.

Therefore, if you plan to use it yourself, you must visit a physical Apple Store in Hong Kong. For those far from Hong Kong, this may not be cost-effective.

Resale

You can sell the gift card on second-hand platforms like Xianyu. But be cautious—keep your card code secure and avoid being scammed by sharing screenshots.

8. Disclaimer

This article is Arthur’s personal interpretation of HSBC Hong Kong’s official documents:

• “Promotion Terms and Conditions: 2026 HSBC Trade25 HKD 1,000 Apple Store Gift Card Offer”
• “Promotion Terms and Conditions: 2026 HSBC One+ Trade25 HKD 200 Apple Store Gift Card Offer”

All interpretations are based on personal understanding. HSBC reserves the final right of interpretation.

Any strategies or stock codes mentioned in this article do not constitute investment advice. Do not copy trades blindly—any losses incurred are your own responsibility.

For full details, please refer to the official documents:

《2026 HSBC Trade25 HKD 1,000 Apple Store Gift Card Offer – Promotion Terms and Conditions》

《2026 HSBC One+ Trade25 HKD 200 Apple Store Gift Card Offer – Promotion Terms and Conditions》

《HSBC One+ Wealth Rewards: Promotion Terms and Conditions for Customers Aged 36 or Above Joining HSBC Trade25》

《Terms and Conditions of the Extended Eligibility Age Offer for Joining HSBC Trade25》

9. Is the HSBC Trade25 2026 Promotion Worth It?

Consider doing it if you:

• Already plan to trade Hong Kong or U.S. stocks
• Already have HKD 10,000 idle
• Don’t mind locking funds for about a year

Then this is “earning extra while doing something you’d do anyway.”

But if you:

• Open the account solely for this promotion
• Lock funds solely for this promotion
• Learn to trade solely for this promotion

Then your net gain is only around HKD 800–1,000

Whether it’s worth it depends on your personal assessment.

HSBC Trade25 2026 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

---

That's the end — thanks for reading!

Here are some communities created by Arthur. Feel free to join if you're interested:

The Telegram groups have fewer chat restrictions. Just add the bot and select the type of community you'd like to join:

You can also add Arthur as a Telegram contact:

Connect with Arthur and stay closer.

Disclaimer: The content of this article reflects personal opinions only. Any financial actions taken based on this information are at your own risk, and any resulting losses shall be borne solely by the operator.