Oct 31, 2014, 6:05 am
Last edit by: lifeonthego_k
I'm going to update this first post as more info flows in to create a 'master list' of all credit cards that offer a decent way of accruing miles - so please help out!
If you know of and/or use any other cards (or the ones already mentioned), please share your thoughts.
***ALL VALUES BELOW IN SINGAPORE DOLLARS (SGD)***
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In no particular order (apart from personal preference in terms of good-mileage opportunities):
============
1. UOB PRVI Miles VISA, MasterCard, AMEX
VISA:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...iles_visa.html
MasterCard:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard.html
Amex:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...amex_card.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...ard/microsite/
Mileage accrual:
The earn rate will be 1.4 miles for every $1 spent in multiples of S$10 (every multiple of S$5 gives 6 to 7 miles due to 3.5 UNI$ rounding off, every S$10 gives 14 miles), and 2.4 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS (every $5 gives 12 miles).
Requirements: min. income $80,000 (not strict).
Cost: First year free, then S$256.80 for main, first two supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver for Amex card if you charge $50,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name/FIN Number/NRIC together for all UOB cards which earn UNI$.
Pros: Best mileage accrual rates for overseas spend only. 20,000 bonus miles and annual fee waiver with spend of $50,000 per year (both only for Amex card). $45 1-way airport transfer voucher for $1,000 overseas spend in a given quarter (Amex only).
Cons: AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
2. UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards..._platinum.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...visa_card.html
Mileage accrual: Earn 4 miles for every $1 spent using ONLY MOBILE CONTACTLESS every $5 gives 10 UNI$ which equal 20 miles). Same incredible mileage-earning ratio for internet shopping with certain restrictions (travel-related, utilities, etc.). Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 for regular, signature-based payments AND ORPHAN SPEND DUE TO $5 ROUNDING OR EXCEEDING THE BONUS U$2000 SPEND (every $5 gives 1 UNI$ which equal 2 miles).
Earning 4 miles/$ is limited to the first S$1110 spent during the per calendar month (via Mobile Contactless). 2,000UNI$ refers to the extra 9UNI$ and does not include the normal 1UNI$.(Stop when you notice you earn 3UNI$ (1 + bonus 2) for the last S$5 transaction. ($1110/5)x9=1998UNI$, hence the last S$5 transaction will earn 2 bonus UNI$. The total bonus UNI$ awarded to you from qualifying spend on Selected Online Transactions and Mobile Contactless Transactions is capped at UNI$2,000 for each calendar month. THE CAP IS ON THE 9 UNI$ BONUS NOT 10UNI$ TOTAL YOU GET WITH BASE OF U$1 PER $ SPEND
Keep in mind that some merchants offer different, non-mileage accruing awards with UOB cards which are called SMART$. Some popular merchants include Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant Supermarket, ToastBox and Starbucks. A full list of merchants where Mobile contactless transactions will NOT earn miles can be found here: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...smartclub.html
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($60,000 for foreigners).
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for main and $96.30 for supplementary. Annual fee waived off easily.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion, in blocks of 5000 UNI$=10,000 miles. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name for all UOB cards.
Pros: Incredible mileage accrual rates for Paywave transactions (not all merchants - some give SMART$ instead which are different rewards!) as well as internet transactions (some restrictions apply).
Cons: Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
3. Citi PremierMiles MasterCard
https://www.citibank.com.sg/credit-cards/travel/premiermiles-card/?ecid=PSGONSGCCAENPM
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent. Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
Requirements: min. income $50,000 for VISA. Principal cardholder must be at least 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for VISA main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for forfeiting the 10,000renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent all-rounder, good for overseas spend. Points never expire. Bonus miles for annual card renewal. 11 frequent flyer programs & 3 hotel programs to choose from, including EVA Air - only 25,000 miles for 1 way Business Class within Asia!!
Cons: No miles awarded for EZ-Link & Transitlink transactions. Miles awarded per S$1. Cents not included. 1.2 miles/S$1. Transfer in blocks of 10,000 miles.
4. DBS Altitude VISA/AMEX
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent (every $5 gives 3 DBS points which equal 6 miles). Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS.
Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $180 for main and $90 for supplementary. Annual fee waiver if you charge $25,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: S$26.75 per transfer, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
Pros: Points never expire. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 3, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1.67. Each DBS point = 2 miles). Earn 3 miles per S$1 spent on all online Flight and Hotel transactions (capped at S$5,000 per month). 10,000 miles renewal bonus if you have to pay card renewal fees.
Cons: All local spend now down to 1.2 miles/$ (since Dec 1, 2013). AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Transfer in blocks of 5000 DBS points = 10,000 miles (on the plus side points don't expire). Per transfer of S$26.75, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
5. Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa
http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...visa-card.aspx
Earn 3.2 air miles (8X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on dining, petrol, taxi fares and hotel bookings at Agoda.com/horizon
Earn 2 air miles (5X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on air tickets, travel packages and foreign currency transactions, with a minimal S$300 in a calendar month
Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 spent elsewhere (1 mile for every $2.50 spent).
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($80,000 for foreigners).
Cost: $150 for main, supplementary always free. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: In blocks of 5,000 points to 2000 Asia Miles or KrisFlyer. S$26.75 fee applies.
Pros: Great for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Complimentary access to selected VIP airport lounges when you charge a minimum of S$400 in a single transaction on air tickets or travel packages to your Card 3 months prior to the date of travel.
Cons: Great ONLY for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Points are valid for 1 year only, expire either on 30 June or 31 December of the same year if not Rewards Infinite member.
6. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend AMEX
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/s...nd-credit-card
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 spent on all your eligible purchases with your Card
Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 equivalent in foreign currency spent overseas on eligible purchases during June and December
Requirements: min. income $50,000 ($60,000 for foreigners). Principal cardholder must be over 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, otherwise $256.80 for main, 2 supplementary cards always free (more available at $80.25 each). Annual fee cannot be waived unless you spend alot.
Miles conversion fee: None - your KrisFlyer miles are transferred to your account directly with no conversion fees or charges.
Pros: None, except for welcome offers (4 complimentary airport lounge access vouchers, one complimentary night with Millennium Hotels and Resorts).
Cons: Simply nothing special - there are better cards available for all types of purchases, including flight tickets, even with all of the bonuses above applied. AMEX not always accepted by merchants.
7. Citibank Rewards Card
http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/credi...CACRENCCHOCALM
Earn 10X Rewards (10 Rewards Points or 4 Miles for every S$1 spent) when you shop for clothes, bags and shoes or at departmental stores or online shopping websites, including SingTel & M1 online bill payment!
Pros: Transfer to 11 FFPs & 3 Hotel programs in blocks of 25,000 points=10,000 miles; S$25 fee.
Cons: Points awarded per S$1 spend. Cents not included. Cannot combined Thank You Points across cards.
8. DBS Woman's World MasterCard® Card
http://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard-card
10X Rewards for Online Retail Purchases
T&C Here: https://www.dbs.com.sg/iwov-resource...s_card_tnc.pdf
Pros: Men also can get this card!! DBS points are combined in 1 cardholder's name. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 10, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1. Each DBS point = 2 miles).
Cons: DBS points are valid for 1 year based on card anniversary date. The additional 9X DBS Points for online retail spend in a calendar month will be awarded on the 16th of the next calendar month. If the above days are not working days, the Points will be awarded on the next working day. The additional 9X DBS Points are only applicable to the first S$2,000 online retail spend every calendar month.
9. OCBC Titanium Rewards Card
https://www.ocbc.com/personal-bankin...astercard.html
10x OCBC$ on your shopping Local & Overseas Shopping Transactions, Local & Overseas Department Store Transactions and Local & Overseas Online Transactions.
The remaining 9 OCBC$ will be posted to the Card Account by the end of the next calendar month
https://www.ocbc.com/assets/pdf/card...ons.pdf?rand=1
10,000 KrisFlyer miles requires OCBC$ 25000, For each conversion of OCBC$ to KrisFlyer miles a fee of S$25 will be charged
10. UOB Lady's Card
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/card...ard/index.page
============
If you know of and/or use any other cards (or the ones already mentioned), please share your thoughts.
***ALL VALUES BELOW IN SINGAPORE DOLLARS (SGD)***
============
In no particular order (apart from personal preference in terms of good-mileage opportunities):
============
1. UOB PRVI Miles VISA, MasterCard, AMEX
VISA:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...iles_visa.html
MasterCard:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard.html
Amex:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...amex_card.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...ard/microsite/
Mileage accrual:
The earn rate will be 1.4 miles for every $1 spent in multiples of S$10 (every multiple of S$5 gives 6 to 7 miles due to 3.5 UNI$ rounding off, every S$10 gives 14 miles), and 2.4 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS (every $5 gives 12 miles).
Requirements: min. income $80,000 (not strict).
Cost: First year free, then S$256.80 for main, first two supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver for Amex card if you charge $50,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name/FIN Number/NRIC together for all UOB cards which earn UNI$.
Pros: Best mileage accrual rates for overseas spend only. 20,000 bonus miles and annual fee waiver with spend of $50,000 per year (both only for Amex card). $45 1-way airport transfer voucher for $1,000 overseas spend in a given quarter (Amex only).
Cons: AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
2. UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards..._platinum.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...visa_card.html
Mileage accrual: Earn 4 miles for every $1 spent using ONLY MOBILE CONTACTLESS every $5 gives 10 UNI$ which equal 20 miles). Same incredible mileage-earning ratio for internet shopping with certain restrictions (travel-related, utilities, etc.). Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 for regular, signature-based payments AND ORPHAN SPEND DUE TO $5 ROUNDING OR EXCEEDING THE BONUS U$2000 SPEND (every $5 gives 1 UNI$ which equal 2 miles).
Earning 4 miles/$ is limited to the first S$1110 spent during the per calendar month (via Mobile Contactless). 2,000UNI$ refers to the extra 9UNI$ and does not include the normal 1UNI$.(Stop when you notice you earn 3UNI$ (1 + bonus 2) for the last S$5 transaction. ($1110/5)x9=1998UNI$, hence the last S$5 transaction will earn 2 bonus UNI$. The total bonus UNI$ awarded to you from qualifying spend on Selected Online Transactions and Mobile Contactless Transactions is capped at UNI$2,000 for each calendar month. THE CAP IS ON THE 9 UNI$ BONUS NOT 10UNI$ TOTAL YOU GET WITH BASE OF U$1 PER $ SPEND
Keep in mind that some merchants offer different, non-mileage accruing awards with UOB cards which are called SMART$. Some popular merchants include Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant Supermarket, ToastBox and Starbucks. A full list of merchants where Mobile contactless transactions will NOT earn miles can be found here: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...smartclub.html
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($60,000 for foreigners).
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for main and $96.30 for supplementary. Annual fee waived off easily.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion, in blocks of 5000 UNI$=10,000 miles. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name for all UOB cards.
Pros: Incredible mileage accrual rates for Paywave transactions (not all merchants - some give SMART$ instead which are different rewards!) as well as internet transactions (some restrictions apply).
Cons: Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
3. Citi PremierMiles MasterCard
https://www.citibank.com.sg/credit-cards/travel/premiermiles-card/?ecid=PSGONSGCCAENPM
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent. Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
Requirements: min. income $50,000 for VISA. Principal cardholder must be at least 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for VISA main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for forfeiting the 10,000renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent all-rounder, good for overseas spend. Points never expire. Bonus miles for annual card renewal. 11 frequent flyer programs & 3 hotel programs to choose from, including EVA Air - only 25,000 miles for 1 way Business Class within Asia!!
Cons: No miles awarded for EZ-Link & Transitlink transactions. Miles awarded per S$1. Cents not included. 1.2 miles/S$1. Transfer in blocks of 10,000 miles.
4. DBS Altitude VISA/AMEX
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent (every $5 gives 3 DBS points which equal 6 miles). Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS.
Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $180 for main and $90 for supplementary. Annual fee waiver if you charge $25,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: S$26.75 per transfer, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
Pros: Points never expire. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 3, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1.67. Each DBS point = 2 miles). Earn 3 miles per S$1 spent on all online Flight and Hotel transactions (capped at S$5,000 per month). 10,000 miles renewal bonus if you have to pay card renewal fees.
Cons: All local spend now down to 1.2 miles/$ (since Dec 1, 2013). AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Transfer in blocks of 5000 DBS points = 10,000 miles (on the plus side points don't expire). Per transfer of S$26.75, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
5. Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa
http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...visa-card.aspx
Earn 3.2 air miles (8X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on dining, petrol, taxi fares and hotel bookings at Agoda.com/horizon
Earn 2 air miles (5X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on air tickets, travel packages and foreign currency transactions, with a minimal S$300 in a calendar month
Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 spent elsewhere (1 mile for every $2.50 spent).
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($80,000 for foreigners).
Cost: $150 for main, supplementary always free. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: In blocks of 5,000 points to 2000 Asia Miles or KrisFlyer. S$26.75 fee applies.
Pros: Great for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Complimentary access to selected VIP airport lounges when you charge a minimum of S$400 in a single transaction on air tickets or travel packages to your Card 3 months prior to the date of travel.
Cons: Great ONLY for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Points are valid for 1 year only, expire either on 30 June or 31 December of the same year if not Rewards Infinite member.
6. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend AMEX
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/s...nd-credit-card
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 spent on all your eligible purchases with your Card
Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 equivalent in foreign currency spent overseas on eligible purchases during June and December
Requirements: min. income $50,000 ($60,000 for foreigners). Principal cardholder must be over 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, otherwise $256.80 for main, 2 supplementary cards always free (more available at $80.25 each). Annual fee cannot be waived unless you spend alot.
Miles conversion fee: None - your KrisFlyer miles are transferred to your account directly with no conversion fees or charges.
Pros: None, except for welcome offers (4 complimentary airport lounge access vouchers, one complimentary night with Millennium Hotels and Resorts).
Cons: Simply nothing special - there are better cards available for all types of purchases, including flight tickets, even with all of the bonuses above applied. AMEX not always accepted by merchants.
7. Citibank Rewards Card
http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/credi...CACRENCCHOCALM
Earn 10X Rewards (10 Rewards Points or 4 Miles for every S$1 spent) when you shop for clothes, bags and shoes or at departmental stores or online shopping websites, including SingTel & M1 online bill payment!
Pros: Transfer to 11 FFPs & 3 Hotel programs in blocks of 25,000 points=10,000 miles; S$25 fee.
Cons: Points awarded per S$1 spend. Cents not included. Cannot combined Thank You Points across cards.
8. DBS Woman's World MasterCard® Card
http://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard-card
10X Rewards for Online Retail Purchases
T&C Here: https://www.dbs.com.sg/iwov-resource...s_card_tnc.pdf
Pros: Men also can get this card!! DBS points are combined in 1 cardholder's name. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 10, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1. Each DBS point = 2 miles).
Cons: DBS points are valid for 1 year based on card anniversary date. The additional 9X DBS Points for online retail spend in a calendar month will be awarded on the 16th of the next calendar month. If the above days are not working days, the Points will be awarded on the next working day. The additional 9X DBS Points are only applicable to the first S$2,000 online retail spend every calendar month.
9. OCBC Titanium Rewards Card
https://www.ocbc.com/personal-bankin...astercard.html
10x OCBC$ on your shopping Local & Overseas Shopping Transactions, Local & Overseas Department Store Transactions and Local & Overseas Online Transactions.
The remaining 9 OCBC$ will be posted to the Card Account by the end of the next calendar month
https://www.ocbc.com/assets/pdf/card...ons.pdf?rand=1
10,000 KrisFlyer miles requires OCBC$ 25000, For each conversion of OCBC$ to KrisFlyer miles a fee of S$25 will be charged
10. UOB Lady's Card
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/card...ard/index.page
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The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread
Jun 25, 2011, 11:29 pm
#271
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
You are absolutely right!!!
I find that in SG, I need to have a Visa/MC at a minimum, even if I carry an Amex around. If you say to me that I'm only allowed to one and only one card, I would choose the PM - e.g. I just earned 30 miles in McDonalds that I wouldn't have been able to do so with an Amex.
I think the DBS card is especially good if you regularly make bigger purchases, 1. to make use of the higher earn rate >$1k, and 2. bigger purchases/less number of transactions means the rounding issue has less effects. Failing that, the advantage would be much reduced.
I think the DBS card is especially good if you regularly make bigger purchases, 1. to make use of the higher earn rate >$1k, and 2. bigger purchases/less number of transactions means the rounding issue has less effects. Failing that, the advantage would be much reduced.
Not just at McDonalds, vpost.com.sg, SP Services, AXS machines (Citibank cards only), NTUC Fairprice (VISA only) where essentials like groceries, town council fees, utilities, telco bills needs to be paid, only VISA/MasterCard is accepted. Burger King accepts VISA/MasterCard too, I think only ION's Burger King accepts AMEX. And the long lists goes on and on...If you really want to use AMEX as your main card for purchases, you need to have another VISA or MasterCard too...
Jun 26, 2011, 3:10 am
#272
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
For AMEX Rewards card, finally there is something that is better than charging to Citi Visa Platinum (discontinued) at Cold Storage/Marketplace where for Citi Visa Platinum, $1 = 2 miles or $0.50/mile. Same for Cathay/Eng Wah/Shaw (Citi Clear Platinum)/GNC (Other Citibank cards). For OG, Citi Rewards Card get 10x points, so Citi Rewards Card is better. AMEX has very good discounts at SPC (14 to 16% discount). Maybank Horizon Platinum awards 10x for petrol station charges, but no extra discounts for petrol charges.
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/p....shtml?page=PR
Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you get 5x points for AMEX Rewards card for charging at Cold Storage/Marketplace and the above merchants. If you add Cold Storage/Marketplace and the above merchants to your list of favourite 5 (50% more points), you get total of 5.5x points.
$1 spent = 5.5 points, (1.6 pts or $1.60 spent = 1 mile), so $1 spent you get 3.4375miles or $0.2909/mile! Or its 8.59375x! (consider normal VISA/MasterCard rate of S$2.50/mile)
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/p....shtml?page=PR
Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you get 5x points for AMEX Rewards card for charging at Cold Storage/Marketplace and the above merchants. If you add Cold Storage/Marketplace and the above merchants to your list of favourite 5 (50% more points), you get total of 5.5x points.
$1 spent = 5.5 points, (1.6 pts or $1.60 spent = 1 mile), so $1 spent you get 3.4375miles or $0.2909/mile! Or its 8.59375x! (consider normal VISA/MasterCard rate of S$2.50/mile)
Jun 26, 2011, 6:20 am
#274
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Wirelessly posted (Palm850/V0100 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11))
DBS rounding - there's no point obsessing about orphan points on your credit card or miles on your KF account.
For KF (as with AM or any other miles program) you redeem miles rounded to nearest thousand, you earn miles on flights based on miles flown (and not many flights on Earth have distances which are exactly multiples of 1,000). Unless you never earn BIS miles, you are going to have orphan miles.
Same with redeeming miles in multiples of 2,000. Even if you can redeem exactly what you want with Citi, are the things you gonna spend exactly priced at the same amount miles you need to spend? If not (most likely!) you'll still end up with orphan points in your Citi account. What are you gonna do with them? Donate them?
Orphan miles and points are facts of life when you're earning miles through your credit card. It's spilt milk - stop crying over it.
DBS rounding - there's no point obsessing about orphan points on your credit card or miles on your KF account.
For KF (as with AM or any other miles program) you redeem miles rounded to nearest thousand, you earn miles on flights based on miles flown (and not many flights on Earth have distances which are exactly multiples of 1,000). Unless you never earn BIS miles, you are going to have orphan miles.
Same with redeeming miles in multiples of 2,000. Even if you can redeem exactly what you want with Citi, are the things you gonna spend exactly priced at the same amount miles you need to spend? If not (most likely!) you'll still end up with orphan points in your Citi account. What are you gonna do with them? Donate them?
Orphan miles and points are facts of life when you're earning miles through your credit card. It's spilt milk - stop crying over it.
Last edited by percysmith; Jun 26, 2011 at 6:30 am
Jun 26, 2011, 6:24 am
#275
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Yup, AMEX Rewards card's normal rate is 1.6 points = 1 mile (S$1.60/mile) and DBS AMEX's normal rate is $5 = 1 point = 2 mile, ie: S$2.50/mile. (I'm referring to without any bonus points).
And the conditions for DBS AMEX is quite demanding, whereas for AMEX Rewards Card there are no conditions.
DBS American Express Card:
5X DBS points will be awarded if main Cardmember's monthly credit card spend exceeds S$1000 per main card account for each month. .
UOB American Express Card
5x UNI$ is not applicable to Cold Storage, Jasons, Market Place and SPC outlets for UOB PRVI American Express Card. UOB PRVI American Express Cardmembers earn a 3% rebate for every S$100 spent.
5x UNI$ is not applicable to OG stores for UOB Preferred Platinum American Express Card. UOB Preferred Platinum American Express Cardmembers earns 10x UNI$ at OG.
And the conditions for DBS AMEX is quite demanding, whereas for AMEX Rewards Card there are no conditions.
DBS American Express Card:
5X DBS points will be awarded if main Cardmember's monthly credit card spend exceeds S$1000 per main card account for each month. .
UOB American Express Card
5x UNI$ is not applicable to Cold Storage, Jasons, Market Place and SPC outlets for UOB PRVI American Express Card. UOB PRVI American Express Cardmembers earn a 3% rebate for every S$100 spent.
5x UNI$ is not applicable to OG stores for UOB Preferred Platinum American Express Card. UOB Preferred Platinum American Express Cardmembers earns 10x UNI$ at OG.
Jun 26, 2011, 6:29 am
#276
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Wirelessly posted (Palm850/V0100 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11))
DBS rounding - there's no point obsessing about orphan points on your credit card or miles on your KF account.
For KF (as with AM or any other miles program) you redeem miles rounded to nearest thousand, you earn miles on flights based on miles flown (and not many flights on Earth have distances which are exactly multiples of 1,000). Unless you never earn BIS miles, you are going to have orphan miles.
Same with redeeming miles in multiples of 2,000. Even if you can redeem exactly what you want with Citi, are the things you gonna spend exactly priced at the same amount miles you need to spend? If not (most likely!) you'll still end up with orphan points in your Citi account. What are you gonna do with them? Donate them?
Orphan miles and points are a fact of life when you're earning miles through your credit card. It's spilt milk - stop crying over it.
DBS rounding - there's no point obsessing about orphan points on your credit card or miles on your KF account.
For KF (as with AM or any other miles program) you redeem miles rounded to nearest thousand, you earn miles on flights based on miles flown (and not many flights on Earth have distances which are exactly multiples of 1,000). Unless you never earn BIS miles, you are going to have orphan miles.
Same with redeeming miles in multiples of 2,000. Even if you can redeem exactly what you want with Citi, are the things you gonna spend exactly priced at the same amount miles you need to spend? If not (most likely!) you'll still end up with orphan points in your Citi account. What are you gonna do with them? Donate them?
Orphan miles and points are a fact of life when you're earning miles through your credit card. It's spilt milk - stop crying over it.
Example: I need 7200 miles urgently. I currently have 3700 DBS points which is equal to 7400 miles. By right I should have enough miles right? But because of the transfer in blocks of 2000 miles or 1000 DBS points rule, I have to go and spend about $500 as soon as possible (create delay) to get 4000 DBS points and transfer to KrisFlyer/Asia Miles. In the case Citibank cards, I can straight away transfer and the miles will arrive in 1 to 2 working days.
So, percysmith, what will you do given the example above?
Last edited by vsepr; Jun 26, 2011 at 6:41 am
Jun 26, 2011, 6:32 am
#277
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
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vsper, Andy: neither I nor Aster suggested you should carry an AE and not carry a Visa when you go out.
And even carrying your Citi Clear and Rewards cards in addition to your Premiermiles and DBS Altitude card is good, provided you don't mind carrying more cards and you can combine all Citi cards to make redemptions.
vsper, Andy: neither I nor Aster suggested you should carry an AE and not carry a Visa when you go out.
And even carrying your Citi Clear and Rewards cards in addition to your Premiermiles and DBS Altitude card is good, provided you don't mind carrying more cards and you can combine all Citi cards to make redemptions.
Jun 26, 2011, 6:47 am
#278
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
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vsper, Andy: neither I nor Aster suggested you should carry an AE and not carry a Visa when you go out.
And even carrying your Citi Clear and Rewards cards in addition to your Premiermiles and DBS Altitude card is good, provided you don't mind carrying more cards and you can combine all Citi cards to make redemptions.
vsper, Andy: neither I nor Aster suggested you should carry an AE and not carry a Visa when you go out.
And even carrying your Citi Clear and Rewards cards in addition to your Premiermiles and DBS Altitude card is good, provided you don't mind carrying more cards and you can combine all Citi cards to make redemptions.
Citi Premiermiles cannot combine with Citidollars from Clear Platinum, Platinum VISA and Citi Rewards Card to do a redemption. Only the Citidollars from Clear Platinum, Platinum VISA and Citi Rewards can be combine to do a redemption. First by calling the Citibank hotline and tell the staff where the Citidollars from the other 2 cards should go to. After the Citidollars are merged, go online to do a redemption. Hence you have to do 2 redemptions, 1 for the Citidollars' card and another 1 for the Premiermiles card and pay $25x2 admin fee, which you can "offset" by setting aside and redeeming some Citidollars for vouchers. (You will still earn more miles after setting aside some Citidollars for vouchers compared to charging everything to 1 card, as proven in examples in earlier posts)
Jun 26, 2011, 6:53 am
#279
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
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Posts: 19,800
I'm not so concern about orphan miles. I'm concern when I need miles to transfer urgently, I have to purposely spent $$ as fast as I can to create that block of miles.
Example: I need 7200 miles. I currently have 3700 DBS points which is equal to 7400 miles. By right I should have enough miles right? But because of the transfer in blocks of 2000 miles or 1000 DBS points rule, I have to go and spend about $500 as soon as possible (create delay) to get 4000 DBS points and transfer to KrisFlyer/Asia Miles. In the case Citibank cards, I can straight away transfer and the miles will arrive in 1 to 2 working days.
So, percysmith, what will you do given the example above?
Example: I need 7200 miles. I currently have 3700 DBS points which is equal to 7400 miles. By right I should have enough miles right? But because of the transfer in blocks of 2000 miles or 1000 DBS points rule, I have to go and spend about $500 as soon as possible (create delay) to get 4000 DBS points and transfer to KrisFlyer/Asia Miles. In the case Citibank cards, I can straight away transfer and the miles will arrive in 1 to 2 working days.
So, percysmith, what will you do given the example above?
(I was asked for a suggestion) I'd keep spending on the higher earning card first (being DBS Altitude), then redeem at next statement date. Most FTers at the Asia Miles thread and the hongkongcard.com board have more points in their credit cards than they have rewards to redeem.
Last edited by percysmith; Jun 26, 2011 at 7:02 am
Jun 26, 2011, 7:09 am
#280
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
percysmith, I think you made a mistake about the example I gave. I meant I already have 3700 DBS points in my credit card which is equal to 7400 miles. (not to earn 3700 DBS points as soon as possible). But my FFP account is short of 7200 miles to do a redemption. I cannot transfer 7200 miles (3600 DBS Points) because of the "transfer in blocks of 2000 miles" rule, which means I have to quickly spend S$500 to top up to 4000 DBS points = 8000 miles (from 3700 DBS Points), so that I can make a transfer. I'm sure many people have faced this problem before.
Jun 26, 2011, 7:42 am
#281
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
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Sure. I'm following *your* suggestion and pretending you never applied for DBS Altitude card at all. You would have to put your S$4,875 spending with another card, no?
Sure. I'm following *your* suggestion and pretending you never applied for DBS Altitude card at all. You would have to put your S$4,875 spending with another card, no?
Jun 26, 2011, 10:24 am
#282
Join Date: May 2008
Location: SIN / SYD
Programs: QF WP/LTG
Posts: 499
percysmith, I think you made a mistake about the example I gave. I meant I already have 3700 DBS points in my credit card which is equal to 7400 miles. (not to earn 3700 DBS points as soon as possible). But my FFP account is short of 7200 miles to do a redemption. I cannot transfer 7200 miles (3600 DBS Points) because of the "transfer in blocks of 2000 miles" rule, which means I have to quickly spend S$500 to top up to 4000 DBS points = 8000 miles (from 3700 DBS Points), so that I can make a transfer. I'm sure many people have faced this problem before.
If hoarding every single point works for you, then good for you. For others, it's just not worth the time. We should just agree to disagree and move on.
Jun 26, 2011, 10:49 am
#283
Original Poster
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Plus the points are never lost. If you leave any orphaned miles in KF then assuming you redeem again within the next 3 years, those miles will be used then.
Bottom line:
Citi PremierMiles comes out to 1.2 miles per $
DBS Altitude comes out to 1.2 miles per $ on first $1,000 spend per month and 1.6 miles per $ on everything >$1,000
Vsepr, Citi had a higher rate last year but gave up the battle with DBS. From Jan 1st this year they are back down to 1.2 on all spend. This is why I'm not going for Citi PM - they used to be better, couldn't keep pace with DBS, and lowered their ratio.
On a site note, when you apply for renewal fee waivers, is it done automatically or do you have to speak to someone? Do you do it a month before the expiry date, or later/earlier?
Bottom line:
Citi PremierMiles comes out to 1.2 miles per $
DBS Altitude comes out to 1.2 miles per $ on first $1,000 spend per month and 1.6 miles per $ on everything >$1,000
Vsepr, Citi had a higher rate last year but gave up the battle with DBS. From Jan 1st this year they are back down to 1.2 on all spend. This is why I'm not going for Citi PM - they used to be better, couldn't keep pace with DBS, and lowered their ratio.
On a site note, when you apply for renewal fee waivers, is it done automatically or do you have to speak to someone? Do you do it a month before the expiry date, or later/earlier?
Jun 26, 2011, 7:29 pm
#284
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Plus the points are never lost. If you leave any orphaned miles in KF then assuming you redeem again within the next 3 years, those miles will be used then.
Bottom line:
Citi PremierMiles comes out to 1.2 miles per $
DBS Altitude comes out to 1.2 miles per $ on first $1,000 spend per month and 1.6 miles per $ on everything >$1,000
Vsepr, Citi had a higher rate last year but gave up the battle with DBS. From Jan 1st this year they are back down to 1.2 on all spend. This is why I'm not going for Citi PM - they used to be better, couldn't keep pace with DBS, and lowered their ratio.
On a site note, when you apply for renewal fee waivers, is it done automatically or do you have to speak to someone? Do you do it a month before the expiry date, or later/earlier?
Bottom line:
Citi PremierMiles comes out to 1.2 miles per $
DBS Altitude comes out to 1.2 miles per $ on first $1,000 spend per month and 1.6 miles per $ on everything >$1,000
Vsepr, Citi had a higher rate last year but gave up the battle with DBS. From Jan 1st this year they are back down to 1.2 on all spend. This is why I'm not going for Citi PM - they used to be better, couldn't keep pace with DBS, and lowered their ratio.
On a site note, when you apply for renewal fee waivers, is it done automatically or do you have to speak to someone? Do you do it a month before the expiry date, or later/earlier?
Anyway, use the card that you prefer. If you think DBS Altitude Card serves you well, go ahead. For me, I usually charge less than S$1000 a month to Citi Premiermiles and the balance $1000 spread out amongst Citi Platinum Visa, Clear Platinum, Citi Rewards Card and Maybank Horizon VISA Platinum, used at specific merchants where there are 5x to 10x points. Hence this way for me, I gain the most miles, even though I charge to different cards. Over a period of 1 year, the miles I earn is definitely more than if I charge everything to Citi Premiermiles or DBS Altitude Card.
When the annual fee is charged, I call in to ask them for fee waiver. Citibank always approve it, whether or not you use the card. No one with a sound mind will pay annual fee these days, unless there are gifts given.
Jun 26, 2011, 7:37 pm
#285
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
In 2008, when the annual transfer fee of $42.80 was due, I switched to Citi Premiermiles because 1. It is VISA, 2. Transfer in any amount greater than 500 miles (more flexible). 3. Transfer fee $25 per transfer (Do not see the need to transfer every time the points reach 250 DBS Points. I only transfer once a year or once every 2 years).
Subsequently in 2009 or 2010 (not sure which year), DBS changed the requirement. Transfer in blocks of 1000 DBS points to 2000 miles. This is when I totally boycott DBS Cards, because I find it too high. Same for UOB cards. Transfer in blocks of 5000 points to 10000 miles.