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)***
============
In no particular order (apart from personal preference in terms of good-mileage opportunities):
============
1.
UOB PRVI Miles VISA/MC/AMEX (VISA RECENTLY INTRODUCED)
VISA:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...iles_visa.html
MC:
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: Earn 1.4 miles for every $1 spent (every $5 gives 7 miles). Earn 2.4 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. Earn 3 miles for every $1 spent on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir & KrisShop.
Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $256.80 (regardless whether you choose VISA/MC/AMEX) 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.
Pros: Decent mileage accrual rates for both local & overseas spend, though no longer the best around. 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...visa_card.html
Mileage accrual: Earn a
MASSIVE 4 miles for every $1 spent using VISA Paywave contactless payments (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 (every $5 gives 1 UNI$ which equal 2 miles).
WARNING: from Jan 1st, 2015, earning 4 miles/$ is limited to the first $12,000 spent during the entire calendar year (via Paywave and online).
Keep in mind that some merchants offer different, non-mileage accruing awards with UOB cards which are called SMART$. Some popular merchants include Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant Supermarket. A full list of merchants where Paywave 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. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Incredible mileage accrual rates for Paywave transactions (
not all merchants - some give SMART$ 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.
ANZ Travel Visa
http://www.anz.com/singapore/en/Pers...s/travel-card/
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.4 miles for every $1 spent (every $0.72 gives 1 mile). IMPORTANT: The entire charge is multiplied by 1.4 miles, including cents. ^ 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
PROMOTION: EARN 2.8 miles/$ for direct flight bookings with Qantas and Jetstar airlines or retail spend in Australia and New Zealand.
Requirements: min. income $60,000 ($90,000 for foreigners).
Cost: First year free, then $200 for main and $100 for supplementary. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent card for local spend. Charge >S$1,500 every 30 days and get a free limo ride to airport. Transfer in blocks of 2,000 miles.
Cons: No internet banking.
Points are valid for 5 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
4.
Citi PremierMiles Visa
http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/credi...s/cc_xx_pm.htm
http://www.citibank.com.sg/global_do...iles/index.htm
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent (every $0.83 gives 1 mile). Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
Requirements: min. income $60,000. Principal cardholder must be at least 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for forfeiting the 10,000 miles renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent all-rounder, good for overseas spend. Points never expire. Bonus miles for annual card renewal and spend >$50,000.
Cons: None except for local spend at only 1.2 miles/$.
5.
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: $42.80 annually for unlimited conversions.
Pros: Points never expire. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' multiplied by 3, divided by 5. Round down to nearest whole number. Each DBS point = 2 miles). Occasional bonus points promos, like the one during October-December where tickets purchases on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways and United Airlines (for travel anytime) generated 4 miles for every $1 spent! 10,000 miles renewal bonus if and only if you have to pay card renewal fees.
Cons: All local spend now down to 1.2 miles/$ (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).
6.
Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa
http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...visa-card.aspx
Mileage accrual: Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on air tickets, perfumes & cosmetics purchased at Changi, and all overseas spend.
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: free.
Pros: Great for ticket purchases and overseas spend.
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. Need to transfer in blocks of 1250 points = 500 miles to transfer.
7.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend AMEX
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/s...nd-credit-card
Mileage accrual: Earn 1 mile for every $1.20 spent (every $1 gives 0.83 mile). Double miles for tickets bought at singaporeair.com for outbound departure from Singapore (offer does not apply to SilkAir).
Requirements: min. income $50,000 ($60,000 for foreigners). Principal cardholder must be over 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free for online application before 31 July 2013, otherwise $256.80 for main, 2 supplementary cards always free (more available at $80.25 each). Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: None - your KrisFlyer miles are transferred to your account directly with no conversion fees or charges.
Pros: None, except for a 5,000 miles sign-up bonus and other welcome/temporary offers (4 complimentary airport lounge access vouchers, one complimentary night with Millennium Hotels and Resorts, bonus 2x mileage earning rate for first 3 months).
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. Poor mileage accrual rate after first 3 months. AMEX not always accepted by merchants.
============
Please pitch in with info about any other cards that could be of interest to us miles earners.
