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

Old Oct 31, 2014, 6:05 am
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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 Jan 1, 2013, 2:33 am
  #1006  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 818
The list is not updated. If don't believe this Friday, 4th Jan you can try charging at CS/MP/Jason's to see if you are awarded 5x points.

UOB' site also updated: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...2_int_bann_ros

look under American Express SelectsTM XtraOrdinary Weekends.
vsepr is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2013, 7:36 pm
  #1007  
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Originally Posted by vsepr
The list is not updated. If don't believe this Friday, 4th Jan you can try charging at CS/MP/Jason's to see if you are awarded 5x points.

UOB' site also updated: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...2_int_bann_ros

look under American Express SelectsTM XtraOrdinary Weekends.
I believe this only applies to the 10% discount on wines....

Cold Storage, Market Place and Jasons
• 5x UNI$ for every S$5 spent
• 10% savings on regular-priced wine purchases with a min. spend of S$50'1.

1 Valid till 30 December 2012 , from Fridays - Sundays. Applicable to wines, champagnes and sparklings. Not applicable to Cold Storage Online, ThreeSixty Market Place @ ION Orchard and on storewide promotions, “Buy 5 get 1 free promotion” thematic wine promotions, specific stores' exclusive wine promotions and bulk purchases. S$50 nett price does not include the wine purchase.

Because this page still lists CS/MP/Jasons as earning 5 times the points.

https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/p...ivetimes.shtml
enelym1978 is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2013, 8:36 pm
  #1008  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 818
"Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from now onwards, enjoy 5 Times Membership Rewards points on your spend at Cold Storage.
Click here for American Express Selects offers^ and outlet listing."

If you click "here", it will bring you to: http://offers.amexnetwork.com/sg/xo-weekends which does not list CS as one of the 5x merchants.

Anyway, tomorrow, 4th Jan is a Friday. Make a charge at CS and once the charge is posted online the next day on 5th Jan, Saturday, you will know if it is still a 5x weekend merchant.
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 8:13 pm
  #1009  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 818
So did anyone tried using AMEX card at CS/MP/ Jasons this weekend? (4th to 6th Jan) and after the charge is posted did you get 5x points?

I called AMEX and the customer service officer said CS/MP/ Jasons is not a 5x weekend merchant anymore.
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 11:07 pm
  #1010  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,671
Originally Posted by vsepr
It's confirmed. Cold Storage/Marketplace/Jason's is not a 5x AMEX Weekend merchant in 2013. The rest remains the same.

http://offers.amexnetwork.com/sg/xo-weekends

Maybank Rewards Infinite is beyond reach for most card members unless you are a
Maybank Premier Platinum MasterCard, Maybank Visa Infinite, Maybank World MasterCard and Maybank Catholic High Alumni Platinum Associates Card Cardmembers may enjoy Rewards Infinite programme with compliments. All other Maybank Cardmembers, simply spend S$24,0001 on your Maybank Credit Card in the preceding year to become a Rewards Infinite member.

Merchant list no change, same as 2012:

http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...-infinite.aspx
Sorry if I just hit on that topic of Maybank again. I got the letter that RI is being stopped. I also got the invite for the World Mastercard, but so far didn't act upon it as I did not see any extra benefits.

Now I do think I did make the 24K S$ spending hurdle last year due to lots of business trips and two overseas vacations to Europe and the US. Do I need to do anything to reactivate my RI or will it be activated again? The EZ-Link top at 4mls/1S$ is just sweet.

On top of that, does converting to a World Mastercard now make sense just to maintain RI and the EZ-Link top up benefits? Sorry for the dull question, but just of SQ37 and after 17hrs on the plane the brain is a bit jumbled up.
demue is online now  
Old Jan 5, 2013, 12:43 am
  #1011  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 818
RI is not stopped. Just that paying 3000 points or $10.70 to enroll has stopped.
RI is free for Word MasterCard holders without the $24,000 spending. $24,000 spending is for other cardholders like Horizon VISA Platinum. Yes, it's worth it to convert to World MasterCard if you qualify.
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Old Jan 5, 2013, 6:03 am
  #1012  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
Getting double points for oversease spend with DBS cards not such a bad deal

Originally Posted by Awesom Andy
Generally, you'll find the extra miles earned is not enough to offset the fx fees charged.
Depends

With DBS Treasures Black Amex, for every $$100 spend, you get an additional 120 Krisflyer miles if the spend is overseas.
If they charge you 2% extra for overseas transactions, you pay S$2 in Fx charges for these 120 additional Krisflyer miles

Effectively you are buying Krisflyer miles at 1.67 Singapore cents or 1.37 US cents per miles, which is not a bad deal
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Old Jan 6, 2013, 6:35 pm
  #1013  
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Has anyone taken up UOB's offer for their Privi Milles AMEX card?

On a side note I'm contemplating moving from my DBS Altitude AMEX to the Visa version. I would have loved to see the PayWave feature on this card as this would certainly help with smaller transactions.

Does the Visa version use the "verified by visa" scheme or is that only used by DBS' debit cards?
aster is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2013, 9:44 pm
  #1014  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
Sorry to hijack the thread. Anyone know if any banks in SG have any miles/points for issuing cheques? (Citibank eliminated earning points for using their Ready Credit cheques). Naturally, on a credit cheque like those, I'd be crediting the account before the transaction to not pay interest when the cheque is drawn. Any ideas?
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Old Jan 7, 2013, 1:19 am
  #1015  
 
Join Date: May 2004
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Originally Posted by vsepr
RI is not stopped. Just that paying 3000 points or $10.70 to enroll has stopped.
RI is free for Word MasterCard holders without the $24,000 spending. $24,000 spending is for other cardholders like Horizon VISA Platinum. Yes, it's worth it to convert to World MasterCard if you qualify.
Thanks. I understand RI is not stopped. I called Maybank and my current RI actually still runs till 30/04/13 and I'm already comfortably above the 24K SGD so good for another year. When the offer for World MasterCard comes along again I will take it up this time around just to secure the RI as I can't imagine doing the same revenue in 2013 again due to less planned biz travel.
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Old Jan 8, 2013, 8:27 pm
  #1016  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Singapore
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Not sure if anyone out there has a PPS Amex. Some changes that allow double points now at departments stores, Kris Shop & Tradewinds travel (). Most significant change is removal of 50% off Krisflyer redemption voucher associated with the card, for renewals from 1 March. I will certainly be discontinuing my PPS Amex card, as this was the one useful feature of the card. Annual fee increased from $150 to $267.50 also because of these "enhancements".

Last edited by lokijuh; Jan 8, 2013 at 9:01 pm
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 8:54 pm
  #1017  
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Originally Posted by aster
Has anyone taken up UOB's offer for their Privi Milles AMEX card?

On a side note I'm contemplating moving from my DBS Altitude AMEX to the Visa version. I would have loved to see the PayWave feature on this card as this would certainly help with smaller transactions.

Does the Visa version use the "verified by visa" scheme or is that only used by DBS' debit cards?
I have both the UOB PRVI Amex and the DBS Altitude Visa.

The Altitude Visa is using the Verified by Visa feature.
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 9:10 pm
  #1018  
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Originally Posted by enelym1978
I have both the UOB PRVI Amex and the DBS Altitude Visa.

The Altitude Visa is using the Verified by Visa feature.
Many thanks. ^ Yet another reason to go for the Visa version of the Altitude card as the AMEX one does not have any additional verification for online transactions.

It almost seems too good to be true for DBS to keep everything the same for the Visa version, so I'd hate to switch and then see a disparity between the cards at some point in the future. Then again I could always switch back if that every happens...

How do you find the UOB card, any issues, are you happy with it in terms of everyday use (regardless of special perks like limo transfer, etc.)?
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 9:29 pm
  #1019  
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Well I use the PRVI as main card, unless Amex is not accepted. I use it overseas as well, and yes I know, the exchange rate and rounding is not the best on the market but honestly, I don't want to juggle with 15 different cards in my wallet, these two are more than enough.

Not sure what you want to know regarding issues...? It's just a simple Amex card

The limo service is not bad, used it a few times so far and every time I got one of those white Mercedes that comes and pick me up. Saves a good $20-30 depending on where you stay on the island.
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Old Jan 10, 2013, 6:12 am
  #1020  
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Posts: 5,131
Originally Posted by enelym1978
Not sure what you want to know regarding issues...? It's just a simple Amex card

The limo service is not bad, used it a few times so far and every time I got one of those white Mercedes that comes and pick me up. Saves a good $20-30 depending on where you stay on the island.
Is the online banking system for checking transactions and everything similar to the DBS one? I'm considering giving it a shot as this is a card that I could keep even if I happen to move to a different country - they are probably the only ones who post such requirements on their site (nobody else even mentions the possibility of a non-resident being able to get a CC).

As for the limo service, this seems like a nice perk to have. Do you just sign off on whatever the meter reads or is it completely off (flat fee arranged by the bank)?
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