HSBC Bank Canada wants to stand out from the competition in Canada by offering unique products such as:

• The HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® is one of Canada’s only credit cards with no conversion fees, offering $100 in travel credit each year and up to 6 points per dollar for travel.
• The HSBC Travel Rewards Mastercard^®: a no-annual-fee credit card for travellers
• The HSBC +Rewards Mastercard: one of the credit cards offering both rewards and a low-interest rate.
• HSBC Premier and HSBC Advance chequing accounts, perfect for international customers

However, a recurring problem was the need for many new customers to visit an HSBC branch for an identity verification process.

This process is common for most institutions in Canada to prevent any risk of fraud related to online applications. Although inconvenient, this process was only a formality for residents of large urban areas such as Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, etc., with HSBC branches.

However, we have seen members of the Milesopedia Facebook group being much more embarrassed: the nearest branch being several hundred kilometres away!

Now, the process of opening an account online, whether for a credit card or a chequing account, will be greatly simplified with HSBC EasyID.

HSBC EasyID provides instant identity verification. Before you start, you’ll need to have one of the following pieces of I.D. on-hand (make sure the I.D you are using hasn’t expired):

• Passport
• Driver’s license
• Provincial government Issued I.D.

Then, here is the HSBC EasyID subscription process – subscribing to the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® for example:

• You will start by entering your information
• If you do not apply from your mobile phone, you’ll then be asked to switch to your mobile phone to continue your application by validating your identity with one of the pieces of I.D above
• You will take a picture of your ID with your mobile phone
• You will take a selfie or a short video
• You will then be sent back to your computer (or can continue the application from your mobile phone) to answer a few more questions

HSBC Canada told us that the HSBC EasyID process would be available to as many people as possible. However, in exceptional cases, a branch visit cannot be avoided.