Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Singapore Airlines | KrisFlyer
Reload this Page >

The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
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)***
============
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

============

Print Wikipost

The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 25, 2013, 10:05 pm
  #1051  
 
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 aster
Isn't there a min. annual spend after which the renewal is automatically free? At least that's how it is with the Altutude card.
am currently paying the annual fee for Altitude Card to receive the 10,000 miles which may come in handy when I am short of some miles.

The other card which I have used, the spending is the range of SGD200+ a month and it was waived automatically after i put in the request via the IVR system.
hclee01 is offline  
Old Jan 26, 2013, 3:50 am
  #1052  
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 hclee01
am currently paying the annual fee for Altitude Card to receive the 10,000 miles which may come in handy when I am short of some miles.
But are you above or below the annual S$25k threshold?

My fees got waived automatically even though I think I would have gladly paid for the renewal to get the bonus miles.
aster is offline  
Old Jan 27, 2013, 8:28 pm
  #1053  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 143
Originally Posted by aster
But are you above or below the annual S$25k threshold?

My fees got waived automatically even though I think I would have gladly paid for the renewal to get the bonus miles.
My spending is spread over a bunch of cards and none of them come near to threshold for auto waiver of fees. However, I have managed to get waivers just by calling the customer service line and pressing a few buttons (no need to speak to anyone).

For cards that offer a bonus on renewal, you can call and ask to pay the annual fee. They will award you the bonus points/miles as well.
Archieflyer is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2013, 5:37 am
  #1054  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
10 days after supposedly having the DBS Altitude Visa card sent out it still hasn't arrived, not sure who messed up. Called them up about this so they cancelled the the supposedly sent card and are supposed to send a new one... which will arrive in 2 weeks. Bit of a joke this...
aster is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2013, 10:29 am
  #1055  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Turns out DBS might have screwed up even more than SQ with its web site shambles. Reading reports elsewhere of cards not received after 2 weeks, it really is a complete mess by the looks of it.
aster is offline  
Old Jan 30, 2013, 10:44 am
  #1056  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
My Altitude card took 2-3 days to arrive, much to my surprise. My ANZ Travel card took much longer, about 1.5 weeks..
Gymrat76 is offline  
Old Jan 31, 2013, 7:01 am
  #1057  
 
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
But are you above or below the annual S$25k threshold?

My fees got waived automatically even though I think I would have gladly paid for the renewal to get the bonus miles.
DBS offered to take my annual fee and give me the bonus miles although I too had my fees waived due to spend in the previous 12 months. Call them up and talk to them about it, and they will let you pay annual fee and give you bonus miles
SingaporeDon is offline  
Old Jan 31, 2013, 7:03 am
  #1058  
 
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 Gymrat76
My Altitude card took 2-3 days to arrive, much to my surprise. My ANZ Travel card took much longer, about 1.5 weeks..
UOB Amex PRIV is being delivered same day you apply for a $10 courier fee. In my case the courier messed up, and a nice UOB credit card staff came home personally to deliver at 9 pm!!
SingaporeDon is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2013, 10:16 am
  #1059  
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 SingaporeDon
UOB Amex PRIV is being delivered same day you apply for a $10 courier fee. In my case the courier messed up, and a nice UOB credit card staff came home personally to deliver at 9 pm!!
Wow, that's what I call service. ^

Not sure what DBS is doing right now, but things seem really out of hand there at the moment. As mentioned, 10 days after I applied for the Altitude Visa I call and they agree that it's taken too long to arrive. So They say they'll cancel the card and send a new one, but that they are having 'stock issues' right now so it might take up to 2 weeks...

Two days after the call my new card arrives. Interesting.

And today, lo and behold, the initial card I applied for finally arrives (had to cut it up and dispose of it).

Even weirder is the fact that the first time around I got the PIN very quickly, whereas this time around I have the card but still no PIN.

Might have to see what UOB needs from me in order to get their Amex card. @:-)
aster is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2013, 10:33 am
  #1060  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
I just received my UOB Preferred Platinum Cards today, will it be easier for me to get UOB PRIVI Miles? I don't hit the S$80k requirement though... Wonder if I should signup online or just do it personally at the bank. Wonder which would be better for approval...
lcpteck is online now  
Old Feb 1, 2013, 3:47 pm
  #1061  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
Originally Posted by lcpteck
I just received my UOB Preferred Platinum Cards today, will it be easier for me to get UOB PRIVI Miles? I don't hit the S$80k requirement though... Wonder if I should signup online or just do it personally at the bank. Wonder which would be better for approval...
Just do it online... it's faster. And once you have one credit card with UOB, the same credit line applies to ALL your cards so getting the next card doesn't go through their credit approval process any more.
carrotjuice is offline  
Old Feb 1, 2013, 8:45 pm
  #1062  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
Originally Posted by carrotjuice
Just do it online... it's faster. And once you have one credit card with UOB, the same credit line applies to ALL your cards so getting the next card doesn't go through their credit approval process any more.
^ Will do it online then.
lcpteck is online now  
Old Feb 1, 2013, 9:31 pm
  #1063  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Plus UOB are flexible with their requirements if you can maintain a term-deposit with them.

The one thing I don't quite get is the "computerised payslip" requirement. Is that a big obstacle if a bank happens to require this?
aster is offline  
Old Feb 2, 2013, 4:46 am
  #1064  
 
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
Plus UOB are flexible with their requirements if you can maintain a term-deposit with them.

The one thing I don't quite get is the "computerised payslip" requirement. Is that a big obstacle if a bank happens to require this?
Most banks dont insist on computerised payslips. A CPF statment is accepted by most banks in lieu, and at times a letter signed by someone at the employer stating your employment status is good enough too.
SingaporeDon is offline  
Old Feb 2, 2013, 8:07 pm
  #1065  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
NEWS UPDATE!!

WEF 01 FEB 2013, Maybank Singapore has ceased points transfer to Malaysia Airlines' ENRICH. Points transfer to KrisFlyer ONLY.

http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...programme.aspx
vsepr is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.