Residents and visitors to Hong Kong with an American Express card in their pocket might want to take advantage of an interesting promotion that was just rolled out for passengers of the world-famous Star Ferry.
Using the card to pay per tab & go at the entry gates will result in a special fare of only 1 HKD for Upper Deck passengers rather than the original 5 HKD (or more during peak times).
You can access the offer on the Amex special offer page here.
To enjoy the Offer, Cardmembers must settle the payment in full withAmerican Express® Cards issued by American Express International, Inc.(“American Express”) (“Eligible Card”, such holders, “EligibleCardmembers”) from January 2 2025 to December 31 2025 (both days inclusive) (“PromotionPeriod”). Payments made with the American Express Business Travel Account or Corporate Purchasing Card are not eligible to enjoy the Offer.
The Offer is only applicable to Cardmembers who take ferry rides provided by the Star Ferry on the following routes: Central/ Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai/ Tsim Sha Tsui (Upper Deck/Lower Deck) (“Ferry Rides”) , and pay with Eligible Cards. The Offer is not applicable to ticket purchases via kiosks, online or other channels.
The placards with this promotion have gone up after the new year, and you now get a substantial discount of 80-90% over the regular fare to ride the Ferry, which – admittedly – is already the cheapest commuting option and tourist attraction in the world at just 5 HKD (0.60 USD) per ride.
What’s important is that you scan the card using the right machine. Do not use the general terminal for all other credit cards, but the terminal on top of the gate:
When you push the Amex Card button on this terminal, the fare is reduced to 1 HKD, which is ridiculously low (US$ 0.13) and, of course, only symbolic as an advertisement unless you really use the ferry A LOT every day throughout the year. As I mentioned, the regular fare is 5 HKD during regular times.
A few years ago, there was a discussion that they wanted to abolish the Star Ferry, but that caused an uproar, and the public was obviously against it. Thankfully, it was decided to keep it around, even though the fares increased as a result.
Every time I’m in HK, I take the ferry at least once or twice, as I usually stay in TST at the Sheraton or the Hyatt Regency. While the MTR would be faster, there is no more authentic way to relax for 10 minuted than by taking the ferry.
Conclusion
I came across this rather interesting promotion of American Express and the Hong Kong Star Ferry this week when staying in HK for two more days after spending Christmas in the city when this promo wasn’t around yet.
The campaign will run for the entire calendar year of 2025, and the discounted rate for each ride is only 1 HKD. If you live in HK and take the ferry every day, that can really add up, but in that case, I’d personally prefer to use the Octopus card as it scans much faster than going through the CC payment terminal.
Still, this is a very interesting ad campaign by Amex and they also have plenty of other advertisement placards in the Star Ferry pier.
These are the Terms & Conditions for this promotion:
1. To enjoy the Offer, Cardmembers must settle the payment in full withAmerican Express® Cards issued by American Express International, Inc.(“American Express”) (“Eligible Card”, such holders, “EligibleCardmembers”) from January 2 2025 to December 31 2025 (both days inclusive) (“PromotionPeriod”). Payments made with the American Express Business Travel Account or Corporate Purchasing Card are not eligible to enjoy the Offer.
2. The Offer is only applicable to Cardmembers who take ferry rides provided by the Star Ferry on the following routes: Central/ Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai/ Tsim Sha Tsui (Upper Deck/Lower Deck) (“Ferry Rides”) , and pay with Eligible Cards. The Offer is not applicable to ticket purchases via kiosks, online or other channels.
3. To enjoy the Offer, Eligible Cardmembers must make contactless payment with an Eligible Card, or via mobile wallet provisioned with an Eligible Card (Excluding wallets which use the Eligible Card American Express Card as a funding source for QR code payments) at the turnstiles for the Ferry Ride in accordance with the following steps:
1. Click on the “Pay by Amex $1” button at the turnstile
2. Tap with an Eligible Card on the payment reader
(If Eligible Cardmembers fail to click the “Pay by Amex $1” button at the turnstile, Star Ferry will charge the original price of the Ferry Ride.)
4. The Monthly tickets, Harbour Tour and Water Tour tickets are excluded.
5. Offer is only available to Eligible Cardmembers who tap an Eligible Card directly in-person. Eligible Cardmembers must not share or allow others to use their Eligible Card for this Offer. If American Express determines that an Eligible Cardmember has allowed others to use their Eligible Card for this Offer, American Express reserves the right to debit the original price of the Ferry Ride without prior notice to the Eligible Cardmember.
6. During the Promotion Period, the quotas of the Offer are subject to limited availability and will be allocated and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
7. The Offer is not valid on selected days and black-out dates (including but not limited to free ride day) as designated by Star Ferry. These dates will be communicated by Star Ferry in advance and are subject to change. For details, please refer to Latest News on Star Ferry Website: https://www.starferry.com.hk/en/FerryServices.
8. This Offer will be settled in HK Dollar. For the Eligible Cards issued outside of Hong Kong, fees relating to foreign currency transactions may arise according to fees and charge schedule of the Eligible Card, please refer to its Key Fact Statement & Fees and Charges Schedule for details.
9. In case of any enquiry related to this Offer, please call the 24-hour enquiry hotline shown at the back of your Card.
10. In the event of any dispute arising from this Offer, the decision of American Express and Star Ferry shall be final.
11. In the event of any inconsistency between the English and Chinese versions of these Terms and Conditions, the English version shall prevail.
12. American Express and Star Ferry reserves the right to amend the Terms and Conditions, suspend or terminate the offers at any time without prior notice.
13. Participating Merchant is solely responsible for all products, services, consultations and advice offered to Cardmembers. American Express is not the provider of any of the products and/or services herein and makes no representation or warranty in relation to the same.
14. American Express shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever which is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss), or for personal injury which is suffered or sustained, as a result of taking or using any of the products/services, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law.
