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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):
============

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 Apr 3, 2013, 2:16 am
  #1246  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 43
Oh my! That was my primary card for years!! Am looking forward to receiving my preferred Visa. Also noticed that PRVI miles mentions spend $8,000 within 3 months of receiving card to get 8,000 miles. Hope this applies to my card which I got last year.
chewiegranolabar is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2013, 6:47 am
  #1247  
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Posts: 5,174
Originally Posted by chewiegranolabar
Thanks for the advice! I have gone ahead and applied for the UOB Preferred Plat Visa as well
Best card out there IMO due to the 4 miles/$ for paywave transactions. I don't think I'll be using anything else at Cold Storage or Fairprice.
aster is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2013, 6:48 am
  #1248  
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Has anyone applied for a first card with UOB by faxing your application to get the card the next day? Or do things only go forward that quickly for subsequent CCs?
aster is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2013, 7:38 am
  #1249  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 143
Originally Posted by chewiegranolabar
Oh my! That was my primary card for years!! Am looking forward to receiving my preferred Visa. Also noticed that PRVI miles mentions spend $8,000 within 3 months of receiving card to get 8,000 miles. Hope this applies to my card which I got last year.
I believe it only applies to those who applied for the card during the promotion. I applied for the card when it first came out, and this promo was not available so I didn't get it...

Originally Posted by aster
Best card out there IMO due to the 4 miles/$ for paywave transactions. I don't think I'll be using anything else at Cold Storage or Fairprice.
I didn't think you could use paywave at Fairprice. Gotta look more carefully next time I am there!

Originally Posted by aster
Has anyone applied for a first card with UOB by faxing your application to get the card the next day? Or do things only go forward that quickly for subsequent CCs?
I believe that's only for subsequent CCs. First time customers will take a bit more time.
Archieflyer is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2013, 12:08 pm
  #1250  
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Originally Posted by Archieflyer
I didn't think you could use paywave at Fairprice. Gotta look more carefully next time I am there!
I think it depends on the store as I recall being able to use AMEX at one of their stores but not in another. I'm pretty sure I saw a contactless terminal at Killiney Road though, but will check again the next time I am there.

Originally Posted by Archieflyer
I believe that's only for subsequent CCs. First time customers will take a bit more time.
Thanks, dunno why I was rushing to fax this one through, should have just posted it... really curious how long it will take to get my first card though.
aster is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2013, 8:06 pm
  #1251  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 143
Originally Posted by aster
I think it depends on the store as I recall being able to use AMEX at one of their stores but not in another. I'm pretty sure I saw a contactless terminal at Killiney Road though, but will check again the next time I am there.
I think the contactless terminal is for the NETSFlashpay card (the CEPAS card from NETS). That does not support Paywave, I believe.

I think Amex is accepted at Fairprice Finest, but not the 'normal' Fairprice. Go figure why there's a difference between the two. I recall there was a time where the 'normal' Fairprice did not accept credit cards (except for the cobranded NTUC Visa with OCBC) except for the Finest outlets, which accepts anything.

Originally Posted by aster
Thanks, dunno why I was rushing to fax this one through, should have just posted it... really curious how long it will take to get my first card though.
Sorry mate, can't help you there. My first UOB card was many many years ago. But I think you should probably expect about two weeks or so.
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Old Apr 4, 2013, 7:54 pm
  #1252  
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Posts: 5,174
Originally Posted by Archieflyer
I think the contactless terminal is for the NETSFlashpay card (the CEPAS card from NETS). That does not support Paywave, I believe.

I think Amex is accepted at Fairprice Finest, but not the 'normal' Fairprice. Go figure why there's a difference between the two. I recall there was a time where the 'normal' Fairprice did not accept credit cards (except for the cobranded NTUC Visa with OCBC) except for the Finest outlets, which accepts anything.
Finest accepts everything. The Killiney Road store is a normal one that also accepts all cards (expat area), but the last time I visited the one at City Square Mall (which is one of the newer stores!) I believe they wouldn't take Amex and might possibly have only accepted their own cards as you mentioned.

On a side note, now that I've switched from Altitude Amex to Visa I get a lot more questions of the "Payment by Visa?" type when handing over the card. Very annoying considering I've never seen anyone use NETS for over a year now...
aster is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2013, 10:41 pm
  #1253  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: QF LTG, SQ EGTP, Bonvoy LTG
Posts: 4,847
Originally Posted by aster
Finest accepts everything. The Killiney Road store is a normal one that also accepts all cards (expat area), but the last time I visited the one at City Square Mall (which is one of the newer stores!) I believe they wouldn't take Amex and might possibly have only accepted their own cards as you mentioned.
Fairprice at City Square Mall definitely now accepts Amex, Visa, MC, (without signature on smaller txn) but not flashpay.
lokijuh is offline  
Old Apr 5, 2013, 7:54 am
  #1254  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
Join Date: May 2009
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Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
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Citi Prestige released in HK
https://www.citibank.com.hk/english/...cmp=HKENCCLN14
http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...w.php?id=10062


Approx S$400 annual fee

1.05 mile/S$ local spend, 1.575/S$ local spending.

Wish we had the Singaporean deal!

Last edited by percysmith; Apr 5, 2013 at 12:28 pm
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Old Apr 5, 2013, 11:13 am
  #1255  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,820
Originally Posted by percysmith
Citi Rewards released in HK
https://www.citibank.com.hk/english/...cmp=HKENCCLN14
http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...w.php?id=10062


Approx S$400 annual fee

1.05 mile/S$ local spend, 1.575/S$ local spending.

Wish we had the Singaporean deal!
You mean the Citi Prestige Card.
lcpteck is offline  
Old Apr 5, 2013, 12:21 pm
  #1256  
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Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,174
Originally Posted by lokijuh
Fairprice at City Square Mall definitely now accepts Amex, Visa, MC, (without signature on smaller txn) but not flashpay.
Yes, went there today and they now accept CCs including Amex.

They also accept Flashpay. It's Paywave/Paypass that they haven't got yet.
aster is offline  
Old Apr 5, 2013, 12:28 pm
  #1257  
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
 
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Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
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Originally Posted by lcpteck
You mean the Citi Prestige Card.
Yes, sorry
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Old Apr 5, 2013, 7:57 pm
  #1258  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
I've been looking at the UOB preferred Visa, and apart from using it with the paywave thing where only supermarkets are about the only places I would regular visit, there's also the online offer that "excludes all travel, hotels, airlines, government, utilities, brokerage/securities, insurance, education and online gaming websites."

So where exactly do people use it?
Awesom Andy is offline  
Old Apr 5, 2013, 9:56 pm
  #1259  
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 Awesom Andy
I've been looking at the UOB preferred Visa, and apart from using it with the paywave thing where only supermarkets are about the only places I would regular visit, there's also the online offer that "excludes all travel, hotels, airlines, government, utilities, brokerage/securities, insurance, education and online gaming websites."

So where exactly do people use it?
Evidently not online.

The key here is paywave. 4 miles to the $ is the big thing here. So supermarkets, some dining outlets, shops including department stores. More and more places have contactless terminals, and even though I don't have the card yet I already pay attention to which ones do. You just have to keep in mind that paywave is up to $100.
aster is offline  
Old Apr 6, 2013, 2:21 am
  #1260  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Singapore / India
Programs: SQ QPP, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Taj Inner Circle Gold
Posts: 639
Originally Posted by aster
Evidently not online.

The key here is paywave. 4 miles to the $ is the big thing here. So supermarkets, some dining outlets, shops including department stores. More and more places have contactless terminals, and even though I don't have the card yet I already pay attention to which ones do. You just have to keep in mind that paywave is up to $100.
What do you mean 'not online'
The 4 miles/$ applies to online transactions except for the selected merchant categories in the T&C

I called them if the bonus applies to transactions through PayPal. The answer was not sure (agent said they are not sure evn after a few days of checking) and I didn't press on.

Last edited by SQueeze; Apr 6, 2013 at 2:27 am
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