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The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread

Old Oct 31, 2014, 6:05 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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):
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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

Old Jul 25, 2016, 7:07 am
  #6076  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,462
Originally Posted by invisible
They main concern with ipaymy is that you send them $5K rent and they disappear with it.
If it is fraudulent, your credit card issuer would just refund the amount, no?
Kilian Zoll is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 7:37 am
  #6077  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
if California fitness close down, did you get back your money? u have your answers
naruto13 is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 7:39 am
  #6078  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by invisible
They main concern with ipaymy is that you send them $5K rent and they disappear with it.
think u can afford it? no pain no gain
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Old Jul 25, 2016, 9:42 am
  #6079  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Originally Posted by naruto13
think u can afford it? no pain no gain
Another smartass comment.
invisible is online now  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 3:40 pm
  #6080  
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
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Posts: 16,046
Originally Posted by naruto13
if California fitness close down, did you get back your money? u have your answers
One of my friends did get their funds back from AMEX HK
AA_EXP09 is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 7:28 pm
  #6081  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,958
Originally Posted by carrotjuice
$10,000 rental paid costs $275.00
Assuming this earns 4 miles per $1 it works out to 40,000 miles.
Which card are you using which gets 4miles per dollar?

If I use Citi PM Amex's 1.3miles per $1 it works out to 2.11˘ per mile ... dunno if that's particularly attractive.
shuigao is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 7:46 pm
  #6082  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,462
Originally Posted by naruto13
if California fitness close down, did you get back your money? u have your answers
Don't bother going via the vendor -- just get the refund from the credit card issuer.
Kilian Zoll is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2016, 8:59 pm
  #6083  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by staff
Don't bother going via the vendor -- just get the refund from the credit card issuer.
spoken with the AVP of a bank for customer service to discuss such issue.
the answer is negative.
just using this an example.

different bank different policy, the one who want to abuse, go ahead, when something happen, nothing more to say.

as example such as amex, perhaps they side consumer, but does all bank. so you will know

shout so big but from your post arent you rich, then sound like my problem? lol
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Old Jul 25, 2016, 8:59 pm
  #6084  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by staff
If it is fraudulent, your credit card issuer would just refund the amount, no?
fraud? it could be "close for business"
even another major provider does not protect transaction such as this (the transaction where the smartass commenting on)
when he get a good one, i just laugh at him
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Old Jul 25, 2016, 11:53 pm
  #6085  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,740
Originally Posted by naruto13
if California fitness close down, did you get back your money? u have your answers
You do http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-infor...160714-3.shtml

Your AVP is misinformed.

The rights to chargeback on merchant failure (no need to consider fraud) are embodied in Visa Chargeback Code 30: Pages PSR-538 to PSR-540 (PDF pages 566-568) of https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/downlo...les-public.pdf and Mastercard Chargeback code 4855: Page 57-60 of https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf . These apply to all Visa and Mastercard transactions outside Europe (one-off card slip, autopay but not instalment financing direct with bank) so it is applicable to Singapore (not Hong Kong local law/regulation).

Last edited by percysmith; Jul 26, 2016 at 12:05 am
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Old Jul 26, 2016, 12:47 am
  #6086  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by percysmith
You do http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-infor...160714-3.shtml

Your AVP is misinformed.

The rights to chargeback on merchant failure (no need to consider fraud) are embodied in Visa Chargeback Code 30: Pages PSR-538 to PSR-540 (PDF pages 566-568) of https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/downlo...les-public.pdf and Mastercard Chargeback code 4855: Page 57-60 of https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf . These apply to all Visa and Mastercard transactions outside Europe (one-off card slip, autopay but not instalment financing direct with bank) so it is applicable to Singapore (not Hong Kong local law/regulation).
this is even more insightful than a bank, thanks for the detailed info

payment service might be another ballgame?
well one can play it no doubt
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Old Jul 26, 2016, 1:12 am
  #6087  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,740
Originally Posted by naruto13
payment service might be another ballgame?
well one can play it no doubt
Paypal has refunded when its merchants have collapsed http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...d=18592&page=1

Now I'm not sure whether Paypal was simply being customer-friendly or it is required under its acquirer agreement to do that.
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Old Jul 26, 2016, 1:35 am
  #6088  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by percysmith
Paypal has refunded when its merchants have collapsed http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...d=18592&page=1

Now I'm not sure whether Paypal was simply being customer-friendly or it is required under its acquirer agreement to do that.
since your talking about paypal, even paypal have exclusion list.
so it will become excluded merchant will be chargeback via by bank instead.
complicated story.
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Old Jul 26, 2016, 2:04 am
  #6089  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,740
Originally Posted by naruto13
since your talking about paypal, even paypal have exclusion list.
so it will become excluded merchant will be chargeback via by bank instead.
complicated story.
Nothing in Paypal's User Agreement (13.3. Ineligible Items) https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mp...eement-full#13 nor AUP https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mp...ptableuse-full exclude rent.

Real estate yes, but I believe that is about buying or selling a property. Not leasing one.
percysmith is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 11:47 pm
  #6090  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 48
Whether the CC refunds you also depends how decent of a customer you are.

If you spend tons with them, they'll be happy to take a hit for you.
toothpick2 is offline  

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