Here are some bank accounts you can open from overseas in order to get the Hong Kong government’s $10000 cash payout. I also have options for you to get overseas phone numbers if needed and method to move money back to your country.
All of the banks have drawbacks so weigh up what factor is important for you and pick one. If you would just use it once and dump it then CITIC or BOCOM would work. If you would want to keep using it then ZA would be a good option. Alternaively you can open one of the other banks to get the money and keep it in Mox.
Banks
CITIC
CITIC inMotion
Referral code: 1N9T6Q0
✅ Works with overseas address, mobile and tax code
✅ ID scanning pretty good
✅ No need for further facial recognition after you sign up, which is important if you are helping others to get their cash.
❌ Text to NZ mobile numbers are often delayed, so suggest you get a US number as below and use it to sign up
❌ If you need to change mobile number you need to do it in person in HK
❌ No interest
❌ Bank card is HK$50/year
BOCOM
Bank of Communications remote account opening
✅ Works with overseas address, mobile and tax code
❌ App is very finiky, does not work properly on some phones
❌ ID scanning is also very picky. If you can’t get it to work after a few tries, it will lock you out. You will need to supply a new mobile and email to try scanning again.
❌ There is a low balance fee of HK$60/month if there’s less than HK$5000 in the account. It’s not a problem if you just take the money and leave, but be aware if you want to keep on using it.
❌ No interest
❌ Bank card is HK$50/year
ZA
Referral code: XH2348
✅ Best designed app
✅ Cute cartoon characters and lucky draw which makes banking fun
✅ Sign up bonus of at least HK$100 if you use referral code above (amount varies depending on your luck)
✅ Good interest rate
✅ Free debit card
❌ Difficult to download app. iPhone: make a new Apple ID with region set to Hong Kong. Android: use the .apk provided
❌ You can sign up using an overseas address, but I don’t recommend it because they will ask you lots of questions and maybe close your account. Best to use a HK address to sign up
❌ Must use HK phone number, see below on how to get one
❌ Requires facial recognition to log in so is more troublesome if you’re doing this for other people
Mox
Mox Bank cannot be used for the HK gov cash payout but it’s a good bank to use if you want to keep some money in HK.
✅ Very good app design
✅ Good interest rate
✅ Free debit card
❌ Requires Hong Kong address
Phone numbers
Services to get overseas phone numbers
TextPlus
TextPlus gets you a free US phone number. You will need to send a text at least once a week to keep it active, or you can pay a ~ NZ$5/year fee.
eSender
This offers you a Hong Kong phone number for ~ NZ$20/year fee. You will require WeChat. Search for the user ‘eSender’ on WeChat
Moving money back to your country
Highly recommend Wise. It’s very fast and cheaper than using Telegraphic Transfer at the bank. Use the referral link above and get your transfer for free.