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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 Mar 15, 2013, 11:05 pm
  #1186  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 114
Originally Posted by Archieflyer
Are there even any SCB cards (in SG) that give a good miles earning rate?
ya, even their Visa Infinite card for Priority Banking Cust only earn 1 mile per $ spent. but their earn/burn ratio for other sort of redemption are quite decent though.

used to charge most of my stuff to their cards, but due to mileage earning rate, I have switched out of it.

but SCB cards are good for some reasons or scenarios
slacker is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2013, 7:01 pm
  #1187  
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC/SIN
Programs: CX DM, SQ KF
Posts: 2,171
The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread

Scb- decent for the 'free' miles on mortgage, cash and investment balances.
(Need a charge on your visa infinite each month for these to accrue- lower earning on non visa infinite/non priority banking accounts)

Additionally, you can top up points when transferring :at S$0.02/mile. If you have 50% of the points you intend to transfer, you can purchase upto 70% of the total points being transferred.
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Old Mar 17, 2013, 11:36 pm
  #1188  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by carrotjuice
Typical of Singapore credit cards, there are lots of terms pertaining to the points earning capability. Take for example UOB:
- PRVI Amex earns 2 miles (1 UNI$) per S$1 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for SPC petrol
- Preferred Plat Amex earns 4 miles (8 UNI$) per S$1 for dining locally and foreign

But in the monthly statement, the UNI$ from multiple cards are credited into a big pot and the statement only breaks down to say X UNI$ earned + Y bonus UNI$ earned for that month. I've heard of people not being credited with the right bonus mainly because certain merchants have not been assigned the right merchant code (MCC).

How is it even possible to verify that UOB has credited you with the right bonus UNI$ for selected transactions, as opposed to just the regular UNI$ in every month's statement?

Do you call up and ask the customer service person to check transaction by transaction? Or too much hassle to bother?
UOB cards earn 1UNI$ for every S$5 spent. Should be:
- PRVI Amex earns 10 miles per S$5 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for SPC petrol
- Preferred Plat Amex earns 20 miles per S$5 for dining locally and foreign

If you charge <S$5, u earn 0UNI$.
vsepr is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 6:47 am
  #1189  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Living in SIN™
Programs: TK/QR Gold, Marriott/Accor Plat, IC Dia Amb, Avis/Hertz PC
Posts: 6,706
Applied for a DBS Altitude Visa last Thursday.

Today I get a letter in the mail from DBS: "We have reviewed your application and regret to inform you that your application has not been successful."

Just now a courier just knocked on my door and handed me a DBS Altitude Visa with a credit limit significantly north of $100,000 and more than 10 times my monthly income.

That's like two operational failures at DBS in a day (isn't the MAS guideline for a credit limit of 4 times your monthly income?).
Savage25 is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 6:49 am
  #1190  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
Originally Posted by Savage25
That's like two operational failures at DBS in a day (isn't the MAS guideline for a credit limit of 4 times your monthly income?).
Citi refuses to give me a limit which is higher than 1/2 a months salary.

SC even denied me a card that only needed 40,000 annual income!

Not sure what's going on...Sure I'm youngish, but that can't be the only factor!
SirJman is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 7:32 pm
  #1191  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
Originally Posted by Savage25
Just now a courier just knocked on my door and handed me a DBS Altitude Visa with a credit limit significantly north of $100,000 and more than 10 times my monthly income.

That's like two operational failures at DBS in a day (isn't the MAS guideline for a credit limit of 4 times your monthly income?).
If I remember correctly, high income earners can have a limit higher than 4 times their income.
Awesom Andy is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 10:48 pm
  #1192  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
Originally Posted by Savage25
Applied for a DBS Altitude Visa last Thursday.

Today I get a letter in the mail from DBS: "We have reviewed your application and regret to inform you that your application has not been successful."

Just now a courier just knocked on my door and handed me a DBS Altitude Visa with a credit limit significantly north of $100,000 and more than 10 times my monthly income.

That's like two operational failures at DBS in a day (isn't the MAS guideline for a credit limit of 4 times your monthly income?).
One reason why I don't want to bank with DBS (add a previous project experience too ). My Citi Platinum also has an exorbitant limit north of 100K SGD and I have no idea how they came up with it. I charge maybe 300-500 SGD a month for Cold storage department stores and some small stuff and that's it. I mean if that would be 4x monthly pay I would be looking at a serious raise anytime soon
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Old Mar 18, 2013, 10:56 pm
  #1193  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
Originally Posted by SirJman
Citi refuses to give me a limit which is higher than 1/2 a months salary.

SC even denied me a card that only needed 40,000 annual income!

Not sure what's going on...Sure I'm youngish, but that can't be the only factor!
Yeah sometimes it is odd. Maybank did a whole dance with me for raising my limit from 10K to 20K SGD a month on my Platinum Horizon as I wanted to use it for foreign spend, cover company travel stuff like hotels etc. and had a Europe vacation coming up.

In addition to having my salary and CPF data I also had a decent savings account with them so all taken together the risk was super low. Still they were totally incapable (still are to some degree). I almost handed the card back to them, but 10x Points for EZ-Link top up made me suck it up

Fight it if you care for the card or just go with one of the many other options. YMMV.
demue is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 11:06 pm
  #1194  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
Originally Posted by Awesom Andy
If I remember correctly, high income earners can have a limit higher than 4 times their income.
That would explain things. I still find 100K plus spending limits on CCs silly unless our card holder shows that kind of spending and has finances to back it up like high-net worth individuals or folks running company cost / spending over a CC.
demue is offline  
Old Mar 18, 2013, 11:09 pm
  #1195  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
Originally Posted by demue
In addition to having my salary and CPF data I also had a decent savings account with them so all taken together the risk was super low. Still they were totally incapable (still are to some degree). I almost handed the card back to them, but 10x Points for EZ-Link top up made me suck it up

Fight it if you care for the card or just go with one of the many other options. YMMV.

Maybe has to do with the fact that I am not a PR, and therefore don't pay into CPF?

My wife just opened a citigold account in her home country (Korea), so if that doesn't translate into any better services once we open one here, we'll be moving to another card.
SirJman is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2013, 3:46 am
  #1196  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: SIN
Programs: TK-G | Accor P | SQ-G | Marriott T
Posts: 3,831
Originally Posted by demue
One reason why I don't want to bank with DBS (add a previous project experience too ). My Citi Platinum also has an exorbitant limit north of 100K SGD and I have no idea how they came up with it. I charge maybe 300-500 SGD a month for Cold storage department stores and some small stuff and that's it. I mean if that would be 4x monthly pay I would be looking at a serious raise anytime soon
If I am not wrong that if you earn $120K and above, the sky is the limit. It is up to the bank to decide
lingua101 is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2013, 7:54 am
  #1197  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 106
Originally Posted by Gymrat76
Well, I just called to re-verify and the CSO assured me that the 2.8 miles promotion is available for all cardmembers.. will wait for my statement I guess
I just called ANZ to dispute my bonus points. They short changed me about 3K points and the CSO mentioned something about only giving out bonus points for the highest spending currency during the period. She also said she would direct my query to the relevant department to see if my entire foreign currency expenditure could be eligible for the bonus points

So please do check your bonus points...
feizhu is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2013, 8:24 am
  #1198  
 
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 lingua101
If I am not wrong that if you earn $120K and above, the sky is the limit. It is up to the bank to decide
This is what it is indicated in the AMEX charge card website, basically you can get a "limitless" card:

https://icm.aexp-static.com/Internet...GoldCard.html#

1. As per MAS regulations, no pre-set spending limit on your Charge Card may be granted only if your current income is at least S$120,000 p.a. If your income is between S$30,000 p.a. and S$120,000 p.a., your limit may be set to up to four times your monthly income combined for all your Credit and Charge Cards with American Express.
hclee01 is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2013, 7:00 pm
  #1199  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Originally Posted by feizhu
I just called ANZ to dispute my bonus points. They short changed me about 3K points and the CSO mentioned something about only giving out bonus points for the highest spending currency during the period. She also said she would direct my query to the relevant department to see if my entire foreign currency expenditure could be eligible for the bonus points

So please do check your bonus points...
I got my bonus 1.4mile/S$1 for foreign spend before 31 Dec 12 after asking the CSO to check and after waiting a few weeks.

The CSO is trying to smoke you. The promotion is for everyone who holds the card, regardless of whether you are a new to ANZ cardholder or not. No such thing as highest spending currency.
vsepr is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2013, 8:24 pm
  #1200  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 106
Originally Posted by vsepr
I got my bonus 1.4mile/S$1 for foreign spend before 31 Dec 12 after asking the CSO to check and after waiting a few weeks.

The CSO is trying to smoke you. The promotion is for everyone who holds the card, regardless of whether you are a new to ANZ cardholder or not. No such thing as highest spending currency.
Thanks for the confirmation. I understand that the highest spending currency methodology is for the ANZ Visa Infinite and not the Travel card. I think they need to train their CSOs properly
feizhu is offline  


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