Oct 31, 2014, 6:05 am
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):
============
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
============
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, 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$25 will be charged
10. UOB Lady's Card
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/card...ard/index.page
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The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread
Nov 17, 2013, 12:52 am
#2251
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
You are looking at the card in isolation, when it should be seen as part of the series of UOB cards that one can have.
This includes
- UOB Preferred Platinum Amex (4 miles/$ for dining)
- UOB Preferred Platinum Visa (4 miles/$ for online & paywave)
- UOB Visa Signature (4 miles/$ for overseas spending, min $1k, max $2k)
With these four cards, it is dead easy to accumulate the 5000 UNI$ required within two years. The PRVI Miles is still a great card when you have major expenditures that does not fit into those categories.
While it's true that Amex acceptance is not as broad as Visa, it is still decent, especially in places where you might need to sign for large expenditures. I do have the ANZ Travel Visa as a back-up, but PRVI miles is far from 'useless'.
This includes
- UOB Preferred Platinum Amex (4 miles/$ for dining)
- UOB Preferred Platinum Visa (4 miles/$ for online & paywave)
- UOB Visa Signature (4 miles/$ for overseas spending, min $1k, max $2k)
With these four cards, it is dead easy to accumulate the 5000 UNI$ required within two years. The PRVI Miles is still a great card when you have major expenditures that does not fit into those categories.
While it's true that Amex acceptance is not as broad as Visa, it is still decent, especially in places where you might need to sign for large expenditures. I do have the ANZ Travel Visa as a back-up, but PRVI miles is far from 'useless'.
Transferring in blocks of 10,000 miles creates a lot of wastage miles. Most of the time there are residue miles inside the FFP especially for someone who redeems only once or twice a year. Not good for me. Also, think of the situation when you need miles urgently and so far from creating that 10,000 miles, example, you need only 3456 miles and you purposely charge a lot to transfer 10,000 miles.
Citibank is best, any amount >500 miles. AMEX in blocks of 250 miles, Maybank in blocks of 500 miles. OCBC, StanChart, HSBC, ANZ are in blocks of 1,000 miles.
Nov 17, 2013, 1:02 am
#2252
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,218
Nov 17, 2013, 1:51 am
#2254
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Singapore
Programs: A3 Gold, SQ Gold, AT Gold, Accor Silver, HHonors Diamond, I Prefer Elite, DISCOVERY Titanium
Posts: 472
Not every merchant offers the DCC rate (especially a lot of the places I go) so I dont have this as an option. Plus, they're hip to the fact that those rates are robbery. We're told to always pick the local currency. They'll accept a scan of the monthly statement or a screenshot from the website.
Besides which, that's not the only reason I want the online access. I like being able to see things a day or two later.
Besides which, that's not the only reason I want the online access. I like being able to see things a day or two later.
Ops Seems like OT
Last edited by yauee; Nov 17, 2013 at 1:59 am
Nov 17, 2013, 3:04 am
#2255
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
UOB transfers in blocks of 10,000 miles. Even though you earn 10x UNI$, most of the time you don't use up the full block of 10,000 miles when you redeem. Will always have wastage, up to 9999 miles. Consider the wastage miles, it really makes no difference if you are earning 5x or 10x. Since I can earn 5x CitiDollars with Citibank Platinum VISA at NTUC & Sheng Siong, I can transfer the number of miles I need to redeem and do not create wastage, it works for me.
Also Citibank has so many FFPs to choose from. At only 25,000 miles for 1 way (no stopovers) Business Class ticket anywhere within Asia (Eg: SIN-Japan via TPE) with EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands, its a steal. (50,000 miles for return with 2 stopovers, strictly on EVA Air flights only)
Also Citibank has so many FFPs to choose from. At only 25,000 miles for 1 way (no stopovers) Business Class ticket anywhere within Asia (Eg: SIN-Japan via TPE) with EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands, its a steal. (50,000 miles for return with 2 stopovers, strictly on EVA Air flights only)
Nov 17, 2013, 4:40 am
#2261
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
http://www.evaair.com/en-us/flying-w...leet=777-300ER
Sit alone like First Class in a full flat 2 metre bed, only airline in the world that serves Dom Prignon Champagne in Business Class. SIA is double seater angle lie flat and China Airlines is the worst, double seater, maximum reclining position for SIN-TPE Business Class.
Last edited by vsepr; Nov 17, 2013 at 7:01 am
Nov 17, 2013, 5:18 am
#2262
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 143
UOB transfers in blocks of 10,000 miles. Even though you earn 10x UNI$, most of the time you don't use up the full block of 10,000 miles when you redeem. Will always have wastage, up to 9999 miles. Consider the wastage miles, it really makes no difference if you are earning 5x or 10x. Since I can earn 5x CitiDollars with Citibank Platinum VISA at NTUC & Sheng Siong, I can transfer the number of miles I need to redeem and do not create wastage, it works for me.
Also Citibank has so many FFPs to choose from. At only 25,000 miles for 1 way (no stopovers) Business Class ticket anywhere within Asia (Eg: SIN-Japan via TPE) with EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands, its a steal. (50,000 miles for return with 2 stopovers, strictly on EVA Air flights only)
Also Citibank has so many FFPs to choose from. At only 25,000 miles for 1 way (no stopovers) Business Class ticket anywhere within Asia (Eg: SIN-Japan via TPE) with EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands, its a steal. (50,000 miles for return with 2 stopovers, strictly on EVA Air flights only)
And the large difference in earning rate does make a difference, even if Citibank has more partners.
Using your example, if I want to go to NRT, that will cost 25,000 miles on EVA Air Business. At 2 miles/$ using Citibank Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC, that will be $12,500 spending.
On SQ, that will cost 40,000 miles on SQ (Business as well & direct, no transit required). At 4 miles/$ using UOB Preferred Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC via paywave, that will be $10,000 spending.
However, obviously, if you are more comfortable with Citi's cards and scheme, that's cool. However, to rubbish UOB's cards & scheme just because it doesn't fit into your spending pattern is a tad unfair.
Nov 17, 2013, 5:41 am
#2263
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Why is it wastage? The 9999 points will still be there the next time you want to redeem. Since UOB uses a rolling expiry points system (ie, points expire 2 years later (based on quarterly period), the 9999 points left over, are the ones that are most recently earned and will have validity for up to two years. So, a year later, if I have earned just 1 point, and I want to transfer, it's still ok since I have the 9999 points.
And the large difference in earning rate does make a difference, even if Citibank has more partners.
Using your example, if I want to go to NRT, that will cost 25,000 miles on EVA Air Business. At 2 miles/$ using Citibank Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC, that will be $12,500 spending.
On SQ, that will cost 40,000 miles on SQ (Business as well & direct, no transit required). At 4 miles/$ using UOB Preferred Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC via paywave, that will be $10,000 spending.
However, obviously, if you are more comfortable with Citi's cards and scheme, that's cool. However, to rubbish UOB's cards & scheme just because it doesn't fit into your spending pattern is a tad unfair.
And the large difference in earning rate does make a difference, even if Citibank has more partners.
Using your example, if I want to go to NRT, that will cost 25,000 miles on EVA Air Business. At 2 miles/$ using Citibank Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC, that will be $12,500 spending.
On SQ, that will cost 40,000 miles on SQ (Business as well & direct, no transit required). At 4 miles/$ using UOB Preferred Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC via paywave, that will be $10,000 spending.
However, obviously, if you are more comfortable with Citi's cards and scheme, that's cool. However, to rubbish UOB's cards & scheme just because it doesn't fit into your spending pattern is a tad unfair.
Yes these 9999 miles that you do not need for the current redemption will be there and they will be there for another 3 years and you are forced to leave them alone to expire or to transfer more to redeem.
It's somesort like cashflow problem. Imagine you have 5000 UNI$=10,000miles at your UOB credit card now. You need only 3000 miles for a redemption for KrisFlyer AND your Asia Miles also need another 4000 miles for a redemption. So how? You either transfer the 5000 UNI$ to KrisFlyer or Asia Miles, but not BOTH and create 7000 miles wastage, where 4000 of these 7000 miles could have been transferred to Asia Miles.
But with Citibank credit cards its different for the above example. If you have 5000 Citidollars, you can transfer 1500 Citidollars to KrisFlyer and 2000 Citidollars to Asia Miles and can redeem 2 tickets.
I hope you understand better to what I'm explaining with the example.
"Using your example, if I want to go to NRT, that will cost 25,000 miles on EVA Air Business. At 2 miles/$ using Citibank Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC, that will be $12,500 spending.
On SQ, that will cost 40,000 miles on SQ (Business as well & direct, no transit required). At 4 miles/$ using UOB Preferred Platinum Visa at grocery shopping at NTUC via paywave, that will be $10,000 spending."
Referring to your example above, if I use all 3 Citibank Platinum VISA, Citibank Clear Card and Citi Rewards Card (10x) and combine the Citidollars from ALL cards to do a redemption, the estimated spending for EVA Air Business Class to NRT is from S$6,250 to S$12,500, provided each charge you make is in exact multiples of S$1.
For SIA SIN-NRT, you need 34,000 miles on Business Saver (1 way) after 15% online discount, for Star Alliance mixed carrier awards, you need 40,000 miles. If only use UOB UNI$, you need to transfer 20,000 UNI$ for both cases, (Transfer in blocks of 5,000 UNI$). Spending $10,000 at 4 miles/$ using UOB Preferred Platinum Visa is the lowest estimation PROVIDED that you charge in exact multiples of S$5 for each transaction. You must factor in the maximum S$4.99 rounding off per charge. The actual spending depends on the number of transactions and the rounding off per charge that you made to clock that 20,000 UNI$, hence can be as high as S$12,500 too.
Banks are smart. They let you earn more miles for every $1 like 4miles/S$1 for UOB and DBS but also increase the number miles per block to transfer to FFPs. Only Citibank has never increased the number of miles to transfer, always at any amount >500 miles.
Last edited by vsepr; Nov 17, 2013 at 6:34 am
Nov 17, 2013, 6:46 am
#2264
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,833
vsepr - if you can only achieve $12,500 spending in three years, then of course the UOB10K/transfer is not for you.
However if you can achieve that spending in three months (or in my case, the last three days buying Watsons coupons to max out the Bank of Communications extra 7X (S$0.2/Asia Mile) promo) then the 10K/redemption requirement will not be that onerous.
No, I don't have to be rich (I sold all I bought for 97-98 cents on the dollar already). I just have to have the ability to generate enough spend (and a fraction of it as working capital).
However if you can achieve that spending in three months (or in my case, the last three days buying Watsons coupons to max out the Bank of Communications extra 7X (S$0.2/Asia Mile) promo) then the 10K/redemption requirement will not be that onerous.
No, I don't have to be rich (I sold all I bought for 97-98 cents on the dollar already). I just have to have the ability to generate enough spend (and a fraction of it as working capital).
Nov 17, 2013, 9:13 am
#2265
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: KrisFlyer, BA Executive Club
Posts: 128
UOB PPV T&Cs
Just checked the UOB PPV card's T&Cs and it states the following (see below), which appears to rules out most big ticket opportunities for earning miles - e.g. flights, hotels. Unless I am missing something?
UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Cardmembers will earn 10 UNI$ for every S$5 spending from direct retail transactions with online merchants with effect from 6 March 2013. Such online merchants include merchants that fall within the categories of bookstores, cinemas, entertainment, electronics, fast food, music and retail shopping, and excludes all airline, travel, government, utilities, telecommunications, brokerage/securities, insurance, education/tuition, online money transfers and online gambling websites and such any other categories of online transactions as UOB may deem fit from time to time.
Although capped at $2k per month, DBS woman's card does not seem to have same restrictions.
UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Cardmembers will earn 10 UNI$ for every S$5 spending from direct retail transactions with online merchants with effect from 6 March 2013. Such online merchants include merchants that fall within the categories of bookstores, cinemas, entertainment, electronics, fast food, music and retail shopping, and excludes all airline, travel, government, utilities, telecommunications, brokerage/securities, insurance, education/tuition, online money transfers and online gambling websites and such any other categories of online transactions as UOB may deem fit from time to time.
Although capped at $2k per month, DBS woman's card does not seem to have same restrictions.