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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):
============

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 Jun 17, 2010, 1:50 am
  #31  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Bump.

Looks like DBS Altitude AMEX is still tops after they increased their 'miles to $$$ spent' ratio, with Citi's Platinum card also being quite useful for supermarket purchases.
aster is offline  
Old Jun 17, 2010, 2:48 am
  #32  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Singapore
Programs: TK*G, SAS EB Basic, CX MPC, KLM FB, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 64
Although this is SQ forum, one other factor that should be considered is if the card points can be converted to any other miles. I am probably not alone being in several FFPs

PremierMiles can be converted to TG ROP, SQ KF, CX AM (however, at a lousy 0.4 ratio) and Delta. Amex Plat can be converted to, if I remember, TG ROP, SQ KF, BA, MH (Malaysian) and some chinese airlines.

Note that Amex Plat can be converted to hotel points, and the hotel points can in turn be converted to a lot more FFPs. Mostly probably at a poor overall ratio, but is could actually be possible to get a better ratio that way.

Last edited by RipperDoc; Jun 18, 2010 at 12:58 am Reason: Can be redeemed into Delta, not CO
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Old Aug 2, 2010, 6:54 am
  #33  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
Originally Posted by aster

3. Citi PremierMiles Visa

Mileage accrual: 1 mile for every $0.83 spent (every $1 gives 1.2 miles). 10,000 miles extra for each annual membership renewal, plus another 10,000 miles if you spend more than $50,000 in any membership year.

Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $180 for main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for 10,000 miles renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.

Pros: Bonus miles for annual card renewal and spend >$50,000.
Cons: Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
It looks like they also included a better conversion rate if you spend more thatn $4,000 per month, a la DBS Altitudes Amex. Now you get 2 Citimiles for every $1 spend.

From the Citicards Website, August 2010

Up to 2 Citi Miles per $1 spend

2 Citi Miles for every $1 spend above $4,000 per month
1.2 Citi Miles per $1 spend for the first $4,000 spent every month
Up to 20,000 Citi Miles in annual bonus
SingaporeDon is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2010, 3:27 am
  #34  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Thank you - the list (in the first post) has been updated to include the new info concerning the Citi PremierMiles Visa card and the $1 = 2 miles ratio for monthly spend >$4,000.
aster is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2010, 3:56 am
  #35  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Useful bit of info for those comparing the two best cards on the market: DBS Altitude AMEX & Citi PremierMiles Visa.

Putting aside the fact that DBS rounds down all spend to the nearest $5 increment whereas Citi rounds down to the nearest $1...

...both cards generate the same amount of miles with a monthly spend of $7,000.

If you spend up to $7,000 using your card in a given month, you are better off with DBS Altitude AMEX. If you spend over $7,000 per month then Citi PremierMiles Visa will be better.
aster is offline  
Old Sep 27, 2010, 3:38 am
  #36  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Special promo for the DBS Altitude Amex to make things even better:

======
Swipe to earn up to 2.6 miles per S$1 spend

Receive 10,000 bonus miles by simply charging a min. of S$10,000 from 17 Sep to 31 Dec 10
======
aster is offline  
Old Sep 27, 2010, 10:34 am
  #37  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
Originally Posted by aster
Special promo for the DBS Altitude Amex to make things even bette..
Sweet!

I should get this Amex for Singa as well ... that'd be my 3rd Amex card ...
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Old Sep 27, 2010, 12:33 pm
  #38  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Originally Posted by weero
Sweet!

I should get this Amex for Singa as well ... that'd be my 3rd Amex card ...
I only use this one and they've made some pretty good changes to it recently, including special promos like this one.

The only other one that seemed worth getting was the Citibank one, but I just couldn't be bothered... Maybe when I get back to SIN in November I'll send in the paperwork.

There was a moment when I thought I would dump DBS after they didn't award me the extra miles for booking SQ tickets during their previous promo - simply because the tickets were billed in another currency (ironically the bank makes even more $$$ due to this - so why would they complain?). Luckily one telephone call and about 2 weeks of waiting did the trick.

P.S. Any decent CCs in Oz to rack up miles there?
aster is offline  
Old Sep 27, 2010, 8:52 pm
  #39  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
Originally Posted by aster
..P.S. Any decent CCs in Oz to rack up miles there?
I use Amex there as well. But with the changes in the last 5 years, the card lost a lot of attractiveness. Being severed from Qantas wasn't actually bad as their FFP is perfectly useless but the choices remaining are beyond disappointing.

If they let me transfer my point balance, I'd haul it over to Singa to burn it on SQ. While cryptic and not great, at least you can get awards on SQ.
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Old Sep 28, 2010, 7:20 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
Originally Posted by weero
If they let me transfer my point balance, I'd haul it over to Singa to burn it on SQ. While cryptic and not great, at least you can get awards on SQ.
When I relocated from Australia to Singapore, I was able to transfer the reward points across. They had some mysterious transfer ratio, but it works out to be about even in my case. Note that both the AU and SG cards were Amex branded, so I don't know if this still applies if it's an Amex card offered from, say, a bank.
Awesom Andy is offline  
Old Sep 28, 2010, 8:22 pm
  #41  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
Originally Posted by Awesom Andy
When I relocated from Australia to Singapore, I was able to transfer the reward points across. They had some mysterious transfer ratio, but it works out to be about even in my case. Note that both the AU and SG cards were Amex branded, so I don't know if this still applies if it's an Amex card offered from, say, a bank.
Oh ... I see.

That is a good argument ... I need to check.
weero is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2010, 5:16 am
  #42  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1
Citibank - Change in reward $ accumulation?

Just read the Citibank webbie on changes to their Platinum card rewards accumulation.

If I read correctly and my maths is right,

$1 spending = $1 Citidollar = 2 miles?

Doesn't that outstrip the Premier Miles or do you think they will change the conversion rate?


https://www.citibank.com.sg/SGGCB/AP...x_visaplat.htm
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Old Oct 1, 2010, 12:59 pm
  #43  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
This is a great deal, especially if you add that all supermarket spend will now be at 10 miles to the dollar. It almost sounds too good to be true: $100 worth of groceries and you get 1,000 miles? :-:

Let's just say that the Euro and SGD even out at 2.00. $10,000 then makes 5k Euro which would give 100,000 miles? You might as well spend away at the supermarket and fly for free in this case.

I'm curious if they actually charge $160 to get the card issued or if that can easily be waived...
aster is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2010, 3:03 pm
  #44  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
Originally Posted by aster
..Let's just say that the Euro and SGD even out at 2.00. $10,000 then makes 5k Euro which would give 100,000 miles? You might as well spend away at the supermarket and fly for free in this case. ...
You are hoping that the 747 will be still alive by the time you spent 5K EUR in Singa supermarkets !
weero is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2010, 6:58 pm
  #45  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: QF LTG, SQ EGTP, Bonvoy LTG
Posts: 4,847
Originally Posted by cadrian
Doesn't that outstrip the Premier Miles or do you think they will change the conversion rate?
A notice about this change appeared on my CitiClear Platinum statement this month. I assumed this was all about earning Citi$ on every $1 spent rather than based on every $5 spent (why on earth they can't deal with decimal points who knows???).

As existing balances will be multiplied by 5 I also assumed that points required will be multiplied by 5, that instead of of 1 citi$ = 2 KF miles, it will become 5 citi$=2 KF miles. ie no change other than the fact on $19 spend at a bonus partner that gets 5x miles (to make the math simpler!) you will get 38 KF miles rather than the 30 KF miles you would have got before (or for non bonus partner now get 7.6 instead of 6).
lokijuh is offline  


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