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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 Sep 22, 2013, 5:27 am
  #1921  
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Originally Posted by tboons

Can I combine my UNI$ from different credit card into one account?
I have several cards and only one UNI$ account. Does it matter who you bank with?
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Old Sep 22, 2013, 7:39 am
  #1922  
 
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oh thats good haha. just to check, if i use the preferred platinum card for groupon traveldeal, will i get 10x rewards?
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Old Sep 22, 2013, 8:18 pm
  #1923  
 
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Originally Posted by tboons
oh thats good haha. just to check, if i use the preferred platinum card for groupon traveldeal, will i get 10x rewards?
You're referring to the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa?

I'm not sure, wonder if anybody has confirmed this yet. Don't see it listed in my spreadsheet as well (in my signature).
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Old Sep 23, 2013, 12:19 pm
  #1924  
 
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What kind of "limos" have you guys been getting with your UOB PRVI Miles card?

Last month I had a Merc Passenger Van that could sit 10 - 12 pax. It a Malaysia registered vehicle and the whole van reeked of cigarette smoke.

Last week I had a Toyota passenger van which while clean and 'pimped' up on the inside with a big LCD tv. I could not see out the front of the vehicle and the seats were so cramped.

I understand it is free, but don't advertise a limo and then send us a crappy van!
I almost felt embarrassed pulling up at the SQ FCL in that vehicle.
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 1:52 am
  #1925  
 
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Originally Posted by lsed
What kind of "limos" have you guys been getting with your UOB PRVI Miles card?

Last month I had a Merc Passenger Van that could sit 10 - 12 pax. It a Malaysia registered vehicle and the whole van reeked of cigarette smoke.

Last week I had a Toyota passenger van which while clean and 'pimped' up on the inside with a big LCD tv. I could not see out the front of the vehicle and the seats were so cramped.

I understand it is free, but don't advertise a limo and then send us a crappy van!
I almost felt embarrassed pulling up at the SQ FCL in that vehicle.
I have not tried it yet. That sounds terrible!
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 2:00 am
  #1926  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Thx. for all your replies. Unfortunately I will not beat the 80k this year so some cards will be out for me. Transfer minimum of 20k miles seems to be a bit too high for me as well.

In this case, I think I should go for the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, ANZ Travel Visa or Citi PremierMiles Visa.

Which of the cards would you recommend to me? Thanks in advance
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 6:51 am
  #1927  
 
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Originally Posted by lsed
What kind of "limos" have you guys been getting with your UOB PRVI Miles card?

Last month I had a Merc Passenger Van that could sit 10 - 12 pax. It a Malaysia registered vehicle and the whole van reeked of cigarette smoke.

Last week I had a Toyota passenger van which while clean and 'pimped' up on the inside with a big LCD tv. I could not see out the front of the vehicle and the seats were so cramped.

I understand it is free, but don't advertise a limo and then send us a crappy van!
I almost felt embarrassed pulling up at the SQ FCL in that vehicle.
You may read my post #1126 in this thread
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 10:21 am
  #1928  
 
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I now find it very difficult to pay $500 on a travel-related item on the Amex card. Virtually all of my travels are booked online - using those 4 miles per online $ cards.

There also seems to be a few new card launches, while not for miles, they give 6% rebates for online spendings (with certain conditions). Spending $500 would give $30 in rebate already, enough for a taxi to the airport from roughly half of SIN.
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 10:04 pm
  #1929  
 
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Originally Posted by percysmith
Just curious, can you overpay your taxes before the rule change?

In HK we regularly overpay our bills for miles. This is exacerbated by one bill payment bank (Fubon) setting a minimum of HK$300 for bills.

About 10 years ago some folks regularly paid $10 million into their IRD (IRAS) accounts then demanded a refund from the IRD, the IRD realised what was going on and made the refund process a lot more painful and notified the banks of taxpayers/cardholders who did this.

However these days we just overpay our tax and other bills if there's a good enough promo on and not demand a refund - use the Cr balance to meet future bills (obviously we have to have some money in our hands earning little return to do this).

Worthwhile for DBS AXS payments before they stop awarding points for AXS?
Yes, I've read in our local forum that people do overpay the taxes and sometimes they would get calls/queries from the IRAS.
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 2:28 am
  #1930  
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Originally Posted by lcpteck
Yes, I've read in our local forum that people do overpay the taxes and sometimes they would get calls/queries from the IRAS.
I once phoned my IRD assessor to request my Notice of Assessment early in order to start paying taxes early. I was asked for reason and I said card offer. The assessor obliged.

Overpayment - I suppose if you explain to IRAS what you're doing, and assure the IRAS you will not seek refund for overpayment, they will have no issue? After all you won't be a tax delinquent if you voluntarily prepay!
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 8:04 am
  #1931  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
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With effect from 1 October 2013, Bill Payments using a DBS Credit Card via the AXS terminals will cease to earn DBS Points.

Aww Man, I knew this was too good to last but this is devastating news... Every quarter I have been paying my company GST bill online with my personal credit card. Takes a couple of weeks to pay the bill with the restriction of the $10k daily limit but has been very lucrative mileage wise. Flew NY-SIN last week in Suites on the back of this and another Suites trip coming up at Christmas. A few miles stored in the kitty but really gonna miss this mileage earning opportunity. Oh well, It was fun while it lasted... ^
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 8:41 am
  #1932  
 
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Going to cancel my altitude visa...
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 7:43 pm
  #1933  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Originally Posted by cmdsea
With effect from 1 October 2013, Bill Payments using a DBS Credit Card via the AXS terminals will cease to earn DBS Points.
Can I prepay for my SP Services Bill and Starhub bills for a year before this service is cut-off, i.e. before October 1?

I did that in HKG for the past 2 years before I moved
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 7:47 pm
  #1934  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Originally Posted by lcpteck
How about these 2 cards?

UOB PRVI Miles Platinum Amex - Earns 1.6miles/$ Free limousine service to the airport if more than $500 (per transaction) for the air ticket/hotel.

DBS Woman's World Mastercard - Most miles earned at 4miles/$. Must be an online transaction though.

As mentioned, do look at the first post as well.
I thought for the DBS Woman's World Mastercard, it's limited to the first S$2k per mth for the 4 miles/$ offer?
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Old Sep 25, 2013, 8:22 pm
  #1935  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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Originally Posted by MilesBuzz
I thought for the DBS Woman's World Mastercard, it's limited to the first S$2k per mth for the 4 miles/$ offer?
That is correct. Although if you're spending that much online every month, you would get another online-spending-bonus card to help spread the load.
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