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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 Jan 13, 2011, 7:09 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by luv_flying
No diff to me, no more 50% off miles and anniversary bonus
That's why they reduce the membership fee from S$18 to S$10 and 4500 pts to 3000 pts... less privileges...

But I hope they won't change the categories after 31/3/2011 and remove Ez-link auto top up...cos it is stated in the website that the list of merchants is seasonal...Ez-link is a very useful payment mode...so many places to earn 10x rewards points...
vsepr is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2011, 8:22 pm
  #77  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SIN
Posts: 543
Originally Posted by vsepr
That's why they reduce the membership fee from S$18 to S$10 and 4500 pts to 3000 pts... less privileges...

But I hope they won't change the categories after 31/3/2011 and remove Ez-link auto top up...cos it is stated in the website that the list of merchants is seasonal...Ez-link is a very useful payment mode...so many places to earn 10x rewards points...
I think seasonal merchants refer to F&B and Fashion marked *. It was clearly printed on my mailer
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Old Jan 13, 2011, 11:46 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 50
how do u top up your ez link card with a cc? At general ticketing machines? Or do u have to buy the reader and do it yourself online?

Is there a charge for topping up of ez link card with cc?

Thanks!
adamantine is offline  
Old Jan 14, 2011, 4:43 am
  #79  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: SPG Gold, SQ Blue, OZ Diamond, JAVA and occasionally C
Posts: 5,563
Originally Posted by adamantine
how do u top up your ez link card with a cc? At general ticketing machines? Or do u have to buy the reader and do it yourself online?

Is there a charge for topping up of ez link card with cc?

Thanks!
You can't topup your ezlink cards using CC at GTMs. The only way to do so is to go online and apply for the ez-reload option which automatically deducts your CC and tops up your card once it goes into negative values. There is also a $0.25 convenience charge per top up.
kitsura is offline  
Old Jan 14, 2011, 5:11 am
  #80  
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 vsepr
Every S$50 top up earns you 200 KrisFlyer miles!!! (A convenience fee of S$0.25 is chargeable for each EZ-Reload top-up transaction)
How (and where) exactly do I get this?

200 miles just to top up $50 seems very good.

Let's say that I can get 1,600 miles for spending S$1,000 on my card. To get the same number of miles via EZ-Reload I would need to do 8 S$50 top-ups, meaning that I just need to put $400 on my EZ-link card (with additional charges of $2, which is peanuts).
aster is offline  
Old Jan 14, 2011, 6:48 am
  #81  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: SPG Gold, SQ Blue, OZ Diamond, JAVA and occasionally C
Posts: 5,563
aster> You go to this page and apply:
http://www.ezlink.com.sg/top-up/ez-reload-card.php
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Old Jan 14, 2011, 9:12 am
  #82  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Thanks, I assume that once you sign up it will automatically top-up with S$50 when your balance runs out?

And how do we know we'll get 200 miles for every top-up?
aster is offline  
Old Jan 15, 2011, 7:37 am
  #83  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: SPG Gold, SQ Blue, OZ Diamond, JAVA and occasionally C
Posts: 5,563
Originally Posted by aster
Thanks, I assume that once you sign up it will automatically top-up with S$50 when your balance runs out?

And how do we know we'll get 200 miles for every top-up?
You can check your internet banking or monthly statement for the points.
kitsura is offline  
Old Jan 15, 2011, 10:12 am
  #84  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
My bad, I thought this was an EZlink promo but it's a Maybank one.

Still, very enticing if they intend to keep this promo running. There is a limit though, so you cannot make more than 20,000 KF miles per quarter. Therefore, it only makes sense to charge S$5,000 every 3 mths which is still a lot considering it's EZlink we're talking about.
aster is offline  
Old Jan 16, 2011, 4:21 am
  #85  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SIN
Posts: 543
Originally Posted by aster
My bad, I thought this was an EZlink promo but it's a Maybank one.

Still, very enticing if they intend to keep this promo running. There is a limit though, so you cannot make more than 20,000 KF miles per quarter. Therefore, it only makes sense to charge S$5,000 every 3 mths which is still a lot considering it's EZlink we're talking about.
"Prawn is not too bad although you can't have fish anymore"
luv_flying is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2011, 4:51 pm
  #86  
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 vsepr
Every S$50 top up earns you 200 KrisFlyer miles!!! (A convenience fee of S$0.25 is chargeable for each EZ-Reload top-up transaction)
Just curious how this would work if you had say $2 on your card and made an EZlink purchase of $60 in a single transaction (like at the supermarket).

Would it make 2X $50 topups and give you 400 miles, or would it be just a single $100 topup and just 200 miles.
aster is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2011, 5:49 pm
  #87  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by aster
Just curious how this would work if you had say $2 on your card and made an EZlink purchase of $60 in a single transaction (like at the supermarket).

Would it make 2X $50 topups and give you 400 miles, or would it be just a single $100 topup and just 200 miles.
If you have $2 in your EZ-link card, you can only purchase things up to $2. If you make a purchase of $2.01, it will not go through.

Every S$50 top up gives you 200 miles. The maximum amount for every top up is $50. You cannot top up $100. Hence the maximum amount of purchase you can make with your EZ-link card is $50. You can only auto top-up at on Buses and MRT when you tap. At merchants like guardian cannot.
vsepr is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2011, 5:56 pm
  #88  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Ok, many thanks. I was not aware that auto-topup only works on public transport.

So basically I make my topups manually from a Maybank CC and then I get the 200 miles for every $50 "purchase"?
aster is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2011, 6:25 pm
  #89  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by aster
Ok, many thanks. I was not aware that auto-topup only works on public transport.

So basically I make my topups manually from a Maybank CC and then I get the 200 miles for every $50 "purchase"?
You go to this page and apply to link up:
http://www.ezlink.com.sg/top-up/ez-reload-card.php
vsepr is offline  
Old Feb 2, 2011, 3:28 am
  #90  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
So this is only for auto-topups, which in turn can only happen when you run out of credit when entering the MRT or boarding a bus.
aster is offline  


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