Originally Posted by
DM007
IMO, the two best credit cards for KF points accrual are the
UOB Privilege Reserve and the
DBS Insignia Credit Card.
Both these cards give 1.6 miles for S$1 local spend. The usual benefits of travel insurance, unlimited Priority Pass, etc. are included.
UOB Privilege Reserve
Annual fee of $3852 and has the two unique features:
1) 100,000 welcome / renewal miles and another 100,000 miles if you spend more than $250K in a year. If you can hit the $250K spend, then that works out to 1.93 cents per mile.
2) The ability to purchase an unlimited amount of miles directly from UOB at the rate of 1.9 cents per mile. To my knowledge, no other card in Singapore has this feature.
If you are a person that travels a lot and needs a lot of miles but doesn't necessarily spend a lot on their credit card, then this card is perfect. No other card offers the ability to outrightly purchase miles.
DBS Insignia
Annual fee of $3210:
1) 100,000 welcome / renewal miles
2) 2 complimentary nights every year which you can choose from a great list of hotel brands such as Anantara, COMO, Taj Hotels, etc.
Full details at:
http://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards...-insignia.page
The DBS Insignia is my top pick because I feel the benefits you receive outweigh the annual fee you pay.
If you value a KF mile at 1.9 cents, then 100,000 miles is a $1900 benefit.
For the complimentary 2 nights, the smartest option is to use them at an expensive destination such as the Maldives. There are three properties you can choose from:
PER AQUUM Niyama, Maldives
The Residence Maldives
Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, Maldives
Maldives hotel room rates vary depending on the month, but it rarely ever goes below US$500 per night. At the time of writing this, one night in the Sunrise Beach Villa at Anatara Dhigu is USD 758. But let's be conservative and assume you are able to get a deal on a Maldives hotel at US$500 per night. Then these two complimentary nights are worth S$1420 at minimum.
($1900 + $1420) - $3210 = $110
So just based on these two benefits, you are already $110 ahead with the DBS Insignia card. In reality this number should be higher as rooms in Maldives at these resorts are priced closer to US$750 and not $500. And I still have not accounted for the other benefits of this card such as:
- Club at the Hyatt Membership
- Full use of the Grand Hyatt Singapore's Pool and Gym, and group classes for Yoga, Pilates, Circuit Training, and Zumba
- Unlimited Priority Pass
- Metal Card
- 1.6 miles for every $1.6 local spend
Once you include the benefits above, IMO this is the best card out there as it returns the most value in return for the annual fee. I am writing this post to 1) share with the community in case there are members who do not know about this card and 2) to see if there is someone out there who has found a better card than this, and if so, please share the details!
[B][U]Here is the requirement for DBS Insignia[B][U]
The DBS Insignia Visa Infinite membership is exclusively by-invitation only, it is the only card in town that offers up to a million dollar credit limit (subject to bank’s discretion).
To qualify for an invitation, there is a minimum annual income of S$500,000 (we have noted your annual income range) and a non-waivable annual membership fee of S$3,000 (before GST).
One of the key features of the DBS Insignia card is the attractive miles conversion rate of S$1 = 1.6 air miles for local spending and S$1 = 2 air miles for overseas spent.
The following are the core welcome privileges for DBS Insignia card members:
v Metal Card first in the world! (Metal plus contactless/pay-wave function)
v Club at the Hyatt membership which gives exclusive dining and accommodation privileges at Grand Hyatt Singapore and other Hyatt properties worldwide.
v Complimentary 100,000 air miles in the form of 50,000 Bonus DBS points (non-expiring) credited into main member’s card account which can be redeemed in exchange for air miles, dining and/or shopping vouchers
v Complimentary 2 nights’ stay for the principal card member at selected premium hotel properties such as Anantara Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses Resorts, COMO Hotels & Resorts, YTL Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces, Alila Hotels & Resorts, and Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.
v Priority Pass membership that allows card members to enjoy complimentary access to 600 airport VIP lounges in 100 countries
v Speed Pass access for fast-track immigration
v Access to the Damai Spa (Grand Hyatt) - Relaxation with fitness classes, spa treatment, pool, gym, tennis and badminton court amenities
v Yachting privileges at One Degree 15 (Sentosa Cove) –exclusive yacht access for Insignia card members that charters minimum 4-hours on weekdays for only S$500+gst and weekends at S$800+ gst (weekends: Fri, Sat, Sun, Eve of PH and PH)
v Dedicated team of DBS Insignia Service Ambassadors, available 24 hours through a hotline especially for DBS Insignia card members to serve your lifestyle needs.
We would like to know you more, perhaps you can share with us the updated information that we can include in your profile for the invitation review:
1. Name of Company, Length of service and Designation
2. Professional achievements/roles (i.e. Chairman of Singapore Chamber of Commerce etc.)
3. Premium credit cards, cars, yacht and country club memberships (i.e. Amex Centurion, Porsche, One15 member, Exotic car club member etc.)
To proceed with the application, please furnish us with the applicable income document for invitation review:
Kindly note that all applications are subject to bank’s approval.