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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 Dec 24, 2015, 11:35 pm
  #4966  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
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Originally Posted by TTOTY
Technically u can still transfer miles to your wife's account but if audited, all the miles will be forfeited I think
Originally Posted by carrotjuice
Or open a new Citigold or DBS Treasures account - they provide sign on bonus miles - in her own name.
Yeah, I thought about her getting her own card(s) ... but never got round to it cos don't feel up to balancing two separate mileage pools and trying to make sure each one has enough miles to book our own tickets, etc ...

Originally Posted by Tyrhung
Oh no.. Does it mean that if my KF account name is Lee ah kow and cc name on card is kow lee, the conversion to KF miles using points is invalid?
Any way to solve this?
If you are the same person, and it's just a question of first name / last name order (or missing middle name), I'm pretty certain there would be no issue. Even if you did get picked up for auditing it would be a fairly straightforward and acceptable explanation I think.
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 12:17 am
  #4967  
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Originally Posted by shuigao
Yeah, I thought about her getting her own card(s) ... but never got round to it cos don't feel up to balancing two separate mileage pools and trying to make sure each one has enough miles to book our own tickets, etc ...


If you are the same person, and it's just a question of first name / last name order (or missing middle name), I'm pretty certain there would be no issue. Even if you did get picked up for auditing it would be a fairly straightforward and acceptable explanation I think.
hahha yes it is tedious ... but for the sake of maximizing points earning, willing to bite the bullet
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 4:15 am
  #4968  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Originally Posted by TTOTY
hahha yes it is tedious ... but for the sake of maximizing points earning, willing to bite the bullet
Exactly. I now get my spouse to pay school fees - $X on this card, $Y on that card, $Z on another card a month later etc. and when I get the "I'm so embarrassed you're asking me to do this and that at the counter" argument, I normally win just by saying "well you're a beneficiary of this miles game too... so thicken your skin and just do it" counter argument.
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 7:30 pm
  #4969  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 129
Question about the Citibank Expedia promo.

As I understand it, the promo only applies for certain airlines. So what happens if I book flights with multiple segments on different airlines? For example, I'm looking at SIN-YYZ with transit in HND. The SIN-HND segment is flown by SQ, while the HND-YYZ segment is flown by Air Canada. Will the promo still apply in this case?

On the Expedia booking page, this flight is shown as multiple airlines, so it is not a code share flight.
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Old Dec 27, 2015, 11:14 pm
  #4970  
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Originally Posted by carrotjuice
Exactly. I now get my spouse to pay school fees - $X on this card, $Y on that card, $Z on another card a month later etc. and when I get the "I'm so embarrassed you're asking me to do this and that at the counter" argument, I normally win just by saying "well you're a beneficiary of this miles game too... so thicken your skin and just do it" counter argument.
As a friend of mine used to say - the spouse may complain on how crazy we go on such things but once they are seated in the J/F/R seat, their mouth will be completely shut :P :P :P
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 6:36 pm
  #4971  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Originally Posted by vade
Question about the Citibank Expedia promo.

As I understand it, the promo only applies for certain airlines.
Where did you see this? I browsed through https://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/cred...ti_expedia.htm and didn't find any mention of the promo being limited to certain airlines.
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 7:29 pm
  #4972  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Singapore
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Posts: 444
Originally Posted by shuigao
Where did you see this? I browsed through https://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/cred...ti_expedia.htm and didn't find any mention of the promo being limited to certain airlines.
Its only valid where Expedia is the 'Merchant of Record'. see section 10 here:
https://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/cred...ti_expedia.htm
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 10:35 pm
  #4973  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 23
UOB uni$ not accurate

Hi all,

Might want to check on your UOB ppv uni$ rewards.

I did a redemption for my card (40,000uni$) in Nov, and all was good. But weirdly, I'm now only getting very small amounts of uni$ when I use the card for my paywave and internet transactions. Spent $1,400 in Nov, but only got 300~400 uni$.

Could it be the cap (24,000uni) that was mentioned?
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 12:42 am
  #4974  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
Originally Posted by hazardous
I'm now only getting very small amounts of uni$ when I use the card for my paywave and internet transactions. Spent $1,400 in Nov, but only got 300~400 uni$.

Could it be the cap (24,000uni) that was mentioned?
How would you expect folks here to comment on your situation, not knowing how much you've spent on your PPV for the year, etc.

Your best bet is to call UOB CS and get them to reconcile. It might take a while for them to figure it out though...
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 7:46 am
  #4975  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
Originally Posted by shuigao
Where did you see this? I browsed through https://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/cred...ti_expedia.htm and didn't find any mention of the promo being limited to certain airlines.
I've also listed it in the wikipost every year, guess you need to read more.
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 9:39 am
  #4976  
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Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Originally Posted by vade
Question about the Citibank Expedia promo.

As I understand it, the promo only applies for certain airlines. So what happens if I book flights with multiple segments on different airlines? For example, I'm looking at SIN-YYZ with transit in HND. The SIN-HND segment is flown by SQ, while the HND-YYZ segment is flown by Air Canada. Will the promo still apply in this case?

On the Expedia booking page, this flight is shown as multiple airlines, so it is not a code share flight.
AC must be ticketing carrier, which it will be, since they are the TPAC carrier.
The promo only applies for SQ issued tickets.
(though you can play games with plating carrier-i.e. for a TATL flight, I could get a BA itinerary to price exactly the same with AY codeshares on the TATL portion, thus, XP could sell me a bulk fare.)
Admittedly, I don't think many people ex SIN are buying transatlantic tickets...
(and the promo is almost useless for me, despite close to 10k spend on air tickets, as almost all of this money has been spent on BA flights without codeshares/EK/UA.)

Last edited by AA_EXP09; Dec 29, 2015 at 9:45 am
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 3:48 pm
  #4977  
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Hmmmmm Citibank rewards mc does not points at all for e-axs payment? Tried it and no point was awarded (while points were awarded for dbs woman card - still waiting to see if I get 10x though)

On another note ... Citi prestige card holders now can get jet quay terminal access (can be obtained via prestige concierge)
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 5:18 pm
  #4978  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by carrotjuice
How would you expect folks here to comment on your situation, not knowing how much you've spent on your PPV for the year, etc.

Your best bet is to call UOB CS and get them to reconcile. It might take a while for them to figure it out though...
Ya.. called them and they said they'll check on it. Supposedly they will call me back within the next few days. Most definitely I'd have hit my 24,000uni$ limit, but any idea does the cap start from 1st Jan or from the date the credit card was approved?
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 6:40 pm
  #4979  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by TTOTY
Hmmmmm Citibank rewards mc does not points at all for e-axs payment? Tried it and no point was awarded (while points were awarded for dbs woman card - still waiting to see if I get 10x though)

On another note ... Citi prestige card holders now can get jet quay terminal access (can be obtained via prestige concierge)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25834966-post4917.html

http://axs.com.sg/axsEstation.php

10x Citidollars with Citi Rewards Card!!

You have to check your Citidollars balance around 9.45am to 10am everyday, except Mondays and day after Public Holidays. If you check before that time, Citidollars are not awarded yet although the transaction is posted.

Last edited by vsepr; Dec 29, 2015 at 6:46 pm
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Old Dec 29, 2015, 6:41 pm
  #4980  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by hazardous
Ya.. called them and they said they'll check on it. Supposedly they will call me back within the next few days. Most definitely I'd have hit my 24,000uni$ limit, but any idea does the cap start from 1st Jan or from the date the credit card was approved?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25840821-post4927.html

I am certain that there is no 24000 UNI$ limit in a calender year. It's UNLIMITED!!

Still earning 10x UNI$ as of today, 30/12/15, exceeded by about 800 UNI$ already since end Oct 2015.

Anyway tomorrow (31/12) is the start of new UNI$ 24000 quota because its based on transaction posting date.
vsepr is offline  


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