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

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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

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Old Aug 25, 2016, 6:49 am
  #6196  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Posts: 6,576
Originally Posted by natcin
sounds almost like a deliberate attempt to worm their way out of giving the bonus miles to unsuspecting individuals who don't notice the t&cs or keep record of the points awarded and automatically assume the bonus miles will be credited...
Exactly. The cardholder wouldn't for their life know whether the merchant on record is Expedia or an individual airline BEFORE they've used the card on the website.
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Old Aug 25, 2016, 7:24 am
  #6197  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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its kinda 'funny' how I've used OTAs countless times in the past, and i don't recall a transaction with an OTA ever coming through as a direct airline transaction. and the first time i need it to be recorded as an OTA for a bonus miles promotion, it comes in as direct airline.
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Old Aug 25, 2016, 8:48 am
  #6198  
formerly Fly-Swiss
 
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some of you have been using the google sheet which states which outlets give 10x UNI$ on pay wave and online.

Something must have happened, it looks like the YES And NO are all over the place and don't make any sense. Have you guys checked it recently?
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Old Aug 25, 2016, 7:30 pm
  #6199  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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an update on the DBS altitude card issue, just made another flight booking on expedia.com.sg/dbsaltitude 15mins ago this morning, and this time again, merchant record in the sms notification sent to me is the airline, not expedia…..

have called dbs and told to send in proof (screenshots etc) that booking was made and booked via expedia (expedia confirmation), and i have also screenshot my browser history showing that registration was down prior to booking and that the correct link was used to book these tickets.
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Old Aug 25, 2016, 8:08 pm
  #6200  
 
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Always keep your Expedia booking emails (which I usually do).

Citibank will ask for it when there's a case of bonus miles not being credited.
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Old Aug 28, 2016, 12:35 am
  #6201  
formerly Fly-Swiss
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Posts: 878
Originally Posted by Fly-Swiss
some of you have been using the google sheet which states which outlets give 10x UNI$ on pay wave and online.

Something must have happened, it looks like the YES And NO are all over the place and don't make any sense. Have you guys checked it recently?
anyone?
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Old Aug 28, 2016, 1:00 am
  #6202  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Singapore
Programs: HHonors Gold; Accor Plat; SQ/TG
Posts: 111
Originally Posted by Kerean
I was looking at this strategy and have some questions, in particular, about using prepaids.

Since prepaids now cost 1% extra, that would mean that the if something costs say $104.99, or 4.99 above a multiple of $5. In such a scenario, it would appear that the "cost" of the prepaid would be 5 cents, and in return, you get 4 miles. That works out to paying 1.25 cents per mile. Is this how it works?

The cost of using a prepaid is 1% of the total charge. Here's an example for a $104.99 charge where you have the option of a credit card giving 4 miles / S$ (round down to the nearest $5) and a prepaid card (where you pay 1% more to negate the rounding):

Credit Card: you pay no additional charges, and get 4 miles / S$ on $100 = 400 miles.

Prepaid Card: you pay 1% extra on $104.99 (about $1.05 SGD) for 4 miles / S$ on $104.99, which is roughly 420 miles. You received 20 more miles than you would have with a credit card, but paid $1.05 SGD for it. This works out to paying 5.25 cents per mile (SGD), which is not worth it.


Plotting out cost per mile for the 1% prepaid fee vs. ~20 extra miles (for transactions where the cost modulus %5 is $4.99):
At $4.99, it is 0.25 cents per mile
At $19.99, it is 1.0 cents per mile
At $29.99, it is 1.5 cents per mile
At $39.99, it is 2.0 cents per mile
At $44.99, it is 2.25 cents per mile
At $59.99, it is 3.0 cents per mile

Doing the same exercise for transactions where the cost modulus %5 is $2.50:
At $2.50, it is 0.25 cents per mile
At $12.50, it is 1.25 cents per mile
At $17.50, it is 1.75 cents per mile
At $22.50, it is 2.25 cents per mile
At $27.50, it is 3.25 cents per mile


When you use which card depends on how much you value miles. If you say you'd buy miles at 2.0 cents per mile as your benchmark, then use a prepaid for anything under $40 that ends in $x4.99 or $x9.99, or anything under $20 that ends in $x2.50 or $x7.50. Use a regular card that gives 4 miles / S$ on amounts over those values, even if it incurs rounding down to the nearest $5.00
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Old Aug 29, 2016, 4:52 am
  #6203  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,727
This only applies when you have a card that gives 4 miles/ dollar.

In reality, few cards give you 4 miles for spending offline, and there are many restrictions. Thus prepaid may be the most convenient method
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Old Aug 29, 2016, 6:47 am
  #6204  
 
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Posts: 5,735
Sorry to bother everyone in the thread.

Is there any reference for best KF earning cards that are outside Singapore? Would love to find a way to earn them on my cc, not just by flying SQ whenever I can.

Thanks in advance
shuuy is offline  
Old Aug 29, 2016, 9:16 am
  #6205  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Singapore
Programs: HHonors Gold; Accor Plat; SQ/TG
Posts: 111
Originally Posted by tboons
This only applies when you have a card that gives 4 miles/ dollar.

In reality, few cards give you 4 miles for spending offline, and there are many restrictions. Thus prepaid may be the most convenient method
Depends on spending habits, but yes if you don't have a card giving 4 miles / S$ for a certain type of spend then the decision becomes much easier.

However, your calculations should at least use a 1.2-1.4 miles / S$ base earn rate which can be achieved via UOB PRVI Miles VISA/MC and others at no additional cost vs. the 1% prepaid fees.

On the other hand, for those who don't wish to bother thinking about all of this I would say just use a prepaid as your main/only card, assuming the $2k limit isn't prohibitive. It is pretty much guaranteed to give better returns compared to any other strategy requiring a similar amount of effort.
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Old Aug 29, 2016, 7:19 pm
  #6206  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Posts: 444
Originally Posted by shuuy
Sorry to bother everyone in the thread.

Is there any reference for best KF earning cards that are outside Singapore? Would love to find a way to earn them on my cc, not just by flying SQ whenever I can.

Thanks in advance
It depends where you are. AMEX and many of the US banks are transfer partners with SQ.
w4rd is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 12:58 am
  #6207  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Question regarding Uber and Grab - which cards are best for them?
invisible is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 2:45 am
  #6208  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,801
Originally Posted by shuuy
Is there any reference for best KF earning cards that are outside Singapore? Would love to find a way to earn them on my cc, not just by flying SQ whenever I can
Chase Sapphire Reserve with their 100,000 point bonus credits into KF (not to AA or AM, which was what I was really checking for)
percysmith is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 2:47 am
  #6209  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,801
Originally Posted by laurent_rio
yes ,but the charge come out as Emirates Washington. I believe Amex not suppose support DCC, right ?
I read something similar for merchants who attempt to impose Multi-Currency Conversion on customers:

http://www.globalblue.com/customer-s...shopping-faqs/

4.3 I want to choose credit card as preferable refund method. In which currency will I receive my refund?

Global Blue supports these credit cards – Mastercard, Visa, Diners, Amex, JCB, CUP.
If you want to receive your refund to Mastercard, Visa, and Diners, your credit card will be credited in the currency, in which credit card is issued.
If you want to receive your refund to JCB and CUP, your credit card account will be credited in your local currency.
In case of AMEX credit card, it will be credited in British Pounds (GBP). AMEX will make conversion to the currency in which your credit card is issued.
If currency of your bank account differs from the currency in which Tax Free Form is issued, the current “we sell” rates of a recognized European Retail Bank plus 3 - 5% will be implied for the currency conversion.
percysmith is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 3:48 am
  #6210  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Card for Uber and Grab

Subj. Which one?
invisible is offline  


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