Originally Posted by MilesBuzz (Post 26581004)

I am about to make a booking for 3 business class tickets to Japan on Thai Airways and I have the following options:
(1) Thai Airways website - priced at S$6.5k and if I pay using highest-local spending card (ANZ or UOB PRIVI), I will receive only 1.4 miles for every S$1 of spending = 9.1k miles

(2) Expedia.com.sg - priced at almost S$7k ($500 more expensive than option 1 above) and if I pay using DBS Visa Altitude Card, I will receive 3 miles for every S$ 1 spending (do correct me if I am wrong). The first 1.2 miles will be credited immediately (local spending) and the extra 1.8 miles will be credited at most 90 days after the end of each calendar month. Total max miles to be received (in 2 separate batches) = 21k miles.You are effectively buying 11,900 miles for S$500 i.e. at 4.2 cents per mile. Way too expensive. Anything over 2 S$ cents a mile is too expensive in my book

(3) UOB Travel - the price is the most ridiculous of the 3 options at slightly more than S$7.9k (an extra S$1.4k premium). With the current 6 miles for every S$1 spending at UOB Travel, total max miles to be received (I believe in separate batches too, but not so clear to me now) = 47.4k miles! Here you are effectively buying 38,300 miles for S$1,400 i.e. at a slightly better rate of 3.66 cents per mile but nothing to write home about.

I am seeking advice from the gurus here....which one will you choose? I am actually more inclined to pay the cheapest price (option 1) and get a miserly 9.1k miles; as the extra premium (S$500 or $1.4k miles) are simply not worth the extra miles (11.9k miles and 38.3k miles, respectively). Am I wrong in getting to that conclusion?

One reference point: I just paid S$1,095 to purchase 30k Starpoints last week (which can be converted to at least 35k KF or Asia Miles), which results in a valuation of 3.12 cents/per mile.You paid too much for the SQ KF miles at S$ 3.12 cents per mile. Options 2 and 3 above result in a value of 4.2 cents/mile and 3.66 cents/mile, respectively - and both are significantly higher than the valuation of Starpoints.

Originally Posted by ExSin (Post 26585537)

Apologies if this is a repeat query. I dont recall any related posts to my questions in recent past.

For past 6-8 months, I am using DBS ESSO card - initial there were $70 vouchers and then their marketing strategy to keep me hooked on to ESSO and to that particular pump (habit!) worked. Hence I am out of maths on which card to use.

Everytime I decide to pull out my UOB Privi/CPM at ESSO (14%?), the discount maths on DBS ESSO card (17%?) dissuades me to pay higher and I delay formulating a strategy on which card to use at which pump..

Could the gurus here pls advise on which pump and which card gets us max miles for a full tank or say for $100 fuel purchase?

Appreciate if the SG bloggers dont make a whoo-haa about this topic.

Originally Posted by ExSin (Post 26585537)

Apologies if this is a repeat query. I dont recall any related posts to my questions in recent past.

For past 6-8 months, I am using DBS ESSO card - initial there were $70 vouchers and then their marketing strategy to keep me hooked on to ESSO and to that particular pump (habit!) worked. Hence I am out of maths on which card to use.

Everytime I decide to pull out my UOB Privi/CPM at ESSO (14%?), the discount maths on DBS ESSO card (17%?) dissuades me to pay higher and I delay formulating a strategy on which card to use at which pump..

Could the gurus here pls advise on which pump and which card gets us max miles for a full tank or say for $100 fuel purchase?

Appreciate if the SG bloggers dont make a whoo-haa about this topic.

Originally Posted by pbl22 (Post 26584127)

I earn way above any limits for credit cards, also in SIN on an EP, and have had more card applications declined than approved. I find it bizarre.

When my most recent declination happened, I asked the Standard Chartered guy to explain to me exactly why I was declined for this card. He said he couldn't tell me and that I was welcome to get a credit score assessment. I didn't bother, as I had just obtained a card from DBS, have never missed a payment on anything, so I didn't think there was any issue there.

There's still a lot of things in SIN I will never understand (or that seem to follow their own logic).

Originally Posted by AA_EXP09 (Post 26588112)

When I was on EP I used HSBC cards extensively due to a good credit record overseas and relocation assistance.
I only ventured into the local credit card game once a PR.

Originally Posted by pbl22 (Post 26588254)

Interesting! HSBC was my existing bank and they were very good at relocation assistance for me too. I turned down their offer of a credit card in the hope of getting these much more rewarding local cards. Ironically, when I eventually applied for a HSBC Singapore credit card after frustration at several rejections in Singapore, I never heard back from them. I would have pushed it with the HSBC Premier service, but DBS came along and offered my a card, so I didn't bother after that.

Originally Posted by yauee (Post 26585789)

Might not be the BEST but am using Maybank WM only station 10% + 4 miles per dollar i fail my maths

Originally Posted by SingaporeDon (Post 26585583)

Do you know you can effectively buy KF miles at under 2 S$ cents by, say, paying the S$192 annual fee and getting 10,000 points as an alternative to the bank waiving your annual fee, right?

Originally Posted by carrotjuice (Post 26584817)

Do you have a Citibank credit card? You earn 6 miles per S$1 at expedia. And for some flights (usually those departing BKK), I oftentimes find expedia.co.th provides better fares than expedia.com.sg

You need to register by SMS first though to ensure you qualify for the promo miles.

Originally Posted by MilesBuzz (Post 26591151)

I believe the expedia promo is no longer there for Citi cards?? The only promo for Citibank PM AE card that I saw was for Kaligo (10 Citi Miles for S$1 of spending).

Originally Posted by MilesBuzz (Post 26591151)

I believe the expedia promo is no longer there for Citi cards?? The only promo for Citibank PM AE card that I saw was for Kaligo (10 Citi Miles for S$1 of spending).

Originally Posted by carrotjuice (Post 26591850)

Until 31 July 2016:

http://citibank.com.sg/gcb/credit_ca...ti_expedia.htm

Originally Posted by MilesBuzz (Post 26591143)

Yes, I do know. But it is only limited to DBS Altitude Card and I have both the Visa & AE versions, which means only limited to 20k per year.

Do correct me if I am wrong.