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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 Aug 16, 2012, 12:43 am
  #856  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 58
Originally Posted by luv_flying
Ehhh, think I just keep it to slowly get the 10K renewal bonus plus the free 2 lounge visit
is it really worth to pay $192 to get 10k miles? just request the waiver on altitude Amex.
skysun is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 1:08 am
  #857  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
Originally Posted by skysun
is it really worth to pay $192 to get 10k miles? just request the waiver on altitude Amex.
If you're just off from the J/F saver redemption you want... probably?
Awesom Andy is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 2:13 am
  #858  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: Accor Le Club Advantage Plus Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold, SQ KrisFlyer Silver
Posts: 45
Originally Posted by skysun
is it really worth to pay $192 to get 10k miles? just request the waiver on altitude Amex.
It depends on how much you value KF miles (or AsiaMiles). 10k miles for 192 SGD equates to slightly less than 2 cents per miles. I personally value SQ miles at 2 cents per miles*. Therefore I would say it is good value.

[*] I find 2c/miles to be the average rate for SQ economy saver award (economy fare divided by the required miles)
ak37 is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 6:02 am
  #859  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 58
Originally Posted by vsepr
Citi PM charges S$192.60 for 10,000 miles. For S$7.40 more, you get 2,000 more miles, which is a better deal.

This card is best for Asia Miles earning for all other spending (excluding shopping and groceries). Citi PM's rate for Asia Miles is lousy. 1 Citimile = 0.4 AM.

ANZ Travel card can replace Citi PM for KrisFlyer and Asia Miles unless you want to earn miles in THAI's ROP and Delta Skymiles, you need Citi PM.

It's a VISA, earns miles for every $1 spend, unlike DBS and UOB. Each redemption request must be for a minimum of 500 ANZ Travel$, unlike DBS and UOB in blocks of 10,000 miles.

For local S$ expenses for air ticket(s)/travel package(s) from travel agents & airlines, purchases at Perfumes & Cosmetics outlets in Singapore Changi Airport, please use Maybank Horizon Visa Platinum Card, S$1 = 2 miles.
what do u mean by get 2000 miles for paying $7.4 more?
skysun is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 7:53 am
  #860  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Singapore
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 80
Originally Posted by ak37
It depends on how much you value KF miles (or AsiaMiles). 10k miles for 192 SGD equates to slightly less than 2 cents per miles. I personally value SQ miles at 2 cents per miles*. Therefore I would say it is good value.

[*] I find 2c/miles to be the average rate for SQ economy saver award (economy fare divided by the required miles)
Does SQ charge a fuel surcharge on KF award redemptions? If so, are you factoring those surcharges into your calculation?
wfu03 is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 8:40 am
  #861  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
Originally Posted by wfu03
Does SQ charge a fuel surcharge on KF award redemptions? If so, are you factoring those surcharges into your calculation?
The fuel surcharge is very expensive, but it also depends on how you are using the points. e.g. I'm currently booked one-way SYD-SIN, and based on current prices, after the surcharges, the value of the miles stand at 2.5%. However, I believe this is an extreme case, and normal redemption value would be much lower. Personally, I value them at 1%, but everyone uses their miles differently.
Awesom Andy is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2012, 9:34 pm
  #862  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: SIA Solitaire PPS, IHG Royal Amb, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Hhonor Gold
Posts: 2,208
Originally Posted by skysun
what do u mean by get 2000 miles for paying $7.4 more?
For Citi PM, you get 10,000 miles by paying S$192.60, while, for ANZ Signature Visa, you get 12,000 miles by pay S$200.00. As such, you get 2,000 more miles by paying S$7.40 more.
hclee01 is offline  
Old Aug 17, 2012, 4:51 am
  #863  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: SIA Solitaire PPS, IHG Royal Amb, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Hhonor Gold
Posts: 2,208
ANZ (Singapore) Travel Visa Signature Card

http://www.anz.com/singapore/en/reso...34a5b707451b78

Just realised that S$1 = S$2.8 miles has a catch -
The maximum number of Travel$ which can be awarded under the Promotion will be limited to 14,000 Travel$ per Principal Cardmember per calendar month.

That means it is only limited to $10,000 overseas spending only to earn S$1 = 2.8 miles!
hclee01 is offline  
Old Aug 17, 2012, 10:41 am
  #864  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: TK, SQ, TG, NW, PCR, MR, SPG
Posts: 571
Thumbs up PPS AMEX Card Targeted Promotion

I received a targeted promo for my PPS AMEX card: Spend SGD3,000 from 1st Sep 2012 to 30 Nov 2012, and I will received 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on top of the usual accrual. ^

Anyone else received a similar promo?
aerosmith is offline  
Old Aug 21, 2012, 11:57 pm
  #865  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
Just received this text message: DBS Altitude Visa Signature: Spend S$12,000 from now to 31Oct'12 & get 11,600 bonus miles, i.e. up to 2.5 miles/S$1 spent! Top 200 spenders will get a free 3D2N stay @ Six Senses Maldives worth US$1,856.
carrotjuice is online now  
Old Aug 25, 2012, 3:32 am
  #866  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SIN
Posts: 84
Hi guys,

I travel a lot on SQ for work purposes and currently I'm on KF Silver..

I stay long enough (2weeks-3months) which made me think that I could earn more mileage since I need to spend quite a lot for hotels, transport, etc overseas..

That's why I'm thinking to apply for a credit card that will be beneficial for me and my KF account..

My current problem is that I'm not eligible for most of the credit cards that I could find on the first page of this thread, mostly because of my minimum salary which only hits 30k per calendar year..

Any opinion?
Traflying is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2012, 6:38 am
  #867  
 
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 Traflying
Hi guys,

I travel a lot on SQ for work purposes and currently I'm on KF Silver..

I stay long enough (2weeks-3months) which made me think that I could earn more mileage since I need to spend quite a lot for hotels, transport, etc overseas..

That's why I'm thinking to apply for a credit card that will be beneficial for me and my KF account..

My current problem is that I'm not eligible for most of the credit cards that I could find on the first page of this thread, mostly because of my minimum salary which only hits 30k per calendar year..

Any opinion?
I think you also need to be resident in Singapore for the banks to issue you with most of these cards.
SingaporeDon is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2012, 9:05 am
  #868  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,820
With 30K salary, you should be able to apply for most cards in Singapore (unless you're a non-resident which has higher requirements...)

Last edited by lcpteck; Aug 25, 2012 at 9:09 am Reason: Gave wrong info..
lcpteck is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2012, 2:56 am
  #869  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SIN
Posts: 84
Originally Posted by SingaporeDon
I think you also need to be resident in Singapore for the banks to issue you with most of these cards.
Originally Posted by lcpteck
With 30K salary, you should be able to apply for most cards in Singapore (unless you're a non-resident which has higher requirements...)
But looking at the first page, there seems to be only 1 choice at the moment which I will be eligible to apply though?

Which is the Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa?
Traflying is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2012, 7:34 am
  #870  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,820
That's true... You might be able to get Amex Gold Krisflyer but Maybank Horizon seems to be a better choice.
lcpteck is offline  


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