HSBC Advance Visa Platinum Credit Card to Become Cashback Card from July 2017

The HSBC Advance Visa Platinum Credit Card is dead (for mile-chasers anyway) and it will become a cashback card soon - the 4 miles per dollar promotion will end officially on 31 May 2017 and you will only earn 1X (0.4 miles per dollar) Rewards point with eligible dollar spent in the month of June 2017. You will have to redeem all your Reward points by 31 August 2017 or they will be converted into cashback on 01 September 2017 at a 100 Reward points to $0.25 rate. 

Photo Credit: HSBC

Photo Credit: HSBC

Obviously this is a terrible move (but I presume the bank has been losing a lot of money from this promotion) and I will definitely be moving money out of the HSBC Advance account but in the meantime, the OCBC VOYAGE Card offers 2.3 miles per dollar on food which is not a bad deal considering how the UOB PPA is no longer available for application. It's time to move back to DBS and UOB credit cards. Thanks HSBC, it has been a fun (albeit short) ride!

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Hotels Upselling Breakfast and Club Access after Reservation has been Made - Is it Worthwhile?
Hotels Upselling Breakfast and Club Access after Reservation has been Made - Is it Worthwhile?

I have been on a mission to obtain Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Platinum Status ahead of the upcoming program merger in August 2018. Since I have not really stayed over at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach before, I decided to book myself into a weekend stay - I have booked a Deluxe Room since SPG Platinum Status would give me guaranteed lounge access (which also includes breakfast) for the stay. Last evening, I received an email from the reservations team upselling me breakfast and club lounge access for this stay - this is not the first time that I have actually received this, so I wanted to share a couple of thoughts regarding such upsells.

Upcoming Changes to Asia Miles (22 June 2018) - 'Improved' Earn Rates and Redemption Adjustments
Upcoming Changes to Asia Miles (22 June 2018) - 'Improved' Earn Rates and Redemption Adjustments

Asia Miles will be introducing some new changes to the way miles are being earned and redeemed on 22 June 2018 - everything stays the same until then. If you are unfamiliar with the differences between Asia Miles and The Marco Polo Club, feel free to check out my primer on this subject. Asia Miles is a particularly important subject for Singaporean consumers since most credit card points convert either into KrisFlyer or Asia Miles - this article aims to list the top few changes that would probably affect you the most.

KrisFlyer vRooms allows you to Book Hotels and Rent Cars using KrisFlyer Miles - Here's Why You Should Not
KrisFlyer vRooms allows you to Book Hotels and Rent Cars using KrisFlyer Miles - Here's Why You Should Not

KrisFlyer vRooms now allows KrisFlyer members to use their valuable miles on hotel stays and car rentals but the bottom line is this - save your miles for those Business Class and First Class flights instead. Now I have no expertise in car rentals but I dare say that I have had my fair share of hotel stays over the years.

Contactless Payment in Japan - A Guide to Suica and Apple Pay for Foreigners
Contactless Payment in Japan - A Guide to Suica and Apple Pay for Foreigners

Japan is very much a cash-based society and it drives me crazy for a number of reason. Firstly, I personally do not like carrying coins since getting rid of them is always a bit of a pain. Secondly, every time I transact using cash is a missed opportunity at earning miles - the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card gives me 3 miles per SGD on foreign currency transactions with a S$2,000 minimum spend requirement in each statement period. With all that being said, a lot of the shops here in Tokyo at least accept the use of Pasmo and Suica cards. I have been using a Pasmo card for the last couple of years but I found out quite recently that it is possible to add a Suica card into your iPhone (or Apple Watch) so you can use it very conveniently with your preferred Apple device but more importantly, it creates a proxy to use your credit card(s) via the Suica card (which means you can potentially earn 8 miles per dollar on your next bowl of ramen!).

The Importance of Choosing the Right FFP - Earning MVP Status and Two Business Class Tickets from ONE Trip to the US
The Importance of Choosing the Right FFP - Earning MVP Status and Two Business Class Tickets from ONE Trip to the US

One of the most common mistakes that people who are new to flying make is crediting their flights into the wrong Frequent Flyer Program (FFP). As many of you would already know, crediting your flights into the right FFP can make a huge difference and I just wanted to highlight this point on a number of flights that I have taken recently. If you have been following me on Instagram, you would have noticed that I travelled to the USA recently on Emirates Business Class - this is a return Business Saver ticket from Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) via Dubai (DXB).

How to Save Money on Grab Rides in Singapore - Triple-dipping on Promotions with Credit Cards, Memberships and Apps
How to Save Money on Grab Rides in Singapore - Triple-dipping on Promotions with Credit Cards, Memberships and Apps

With the upcoming Grab-Uber merger on the horizon, there is no better time than now to revisit the best credit cards and platforms to use for Grab rides (especially with the recent introduction of new membership programs). This article aims to highlight a combination of promotions and offers that you can use to get most value out of your Grab rides in Singapore (even though some of them apply to rides taken overseas as well) and while it may not be exhaustive, it will definitely help you save more money on your Grab rides on the whole.

SPG and Marriott Loyalty Programs to Merge in August 2018 - What it Means for You
SPG and Marriott Loyalty Programs to Merge in August 2018 - What it Means for You

Everyone knows about the acquisition of SPG by Marriott International and as most of us would have expected, all three loyalty programs which are operating independently today (even though they are linked and points can be transferred freely between them), will come together to form one powerful program. Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards as well as the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) programme will be unified in August 2018 to offer loyalty benefits across all 29 brands that are under the Marriott International portfolio - a brand new loyalty program name will only be unveiled in 2019.

A Guide to the Refreshed Changi Rewards Program - Elite Status and Qualification
A Guide to the Refreshed Changi Rewards Program - Elite Status and Qualification

Many of you have already heard about the Changi Rewards program which to put it simply, gives you Changi Rewards (CR) points for every S$10 that you spend at participating merchants. These CR points can then be used to offset your next eligible purchase (1,000 CR points = S$5 rebate). Alternatively, you may choose to convert your CR points into valuable KrisFlyer miles (which you can then use on things like free First Class flights) or things like vouchers amongst other things. There are also a number of benefits that you get with the Changi Rewards program but the point of this article is to introduce the different membership tiers as well as qualification requirement.

Bonus 1% P.A. Interest with OCBC 360 Account - 2 April 2018 to 30 June 2018 only
Bonus 1% P.A. Interest with OCBC 360 Account - 2 April 2018 to 30 June 2018 only

The OCBC 360 Account is one of my preferred saving accounts of choice since it gives up to 3.05% p.a. in bonus interest on up to S$70,000 of your account balance. It also gives an additional 1% p.a. on the first S$70,000 if your account balance is S$200,000 and above (but this is something you should ignore since there are better ways to invest your money). There is currently a promotion (which reminds me a little bit of the previous promotional mechanics) which offers an extra 1% p.a. interest on incremental balance based on the month on month average.

Making Sense of the new Subscription Programme by Grab and FairPrice - SCORE
Making Sense of the new Subscription Programme by Grab and FairPrice - SCORE

Stacking the Uber benefits from the LiveUp membership as well as Standard Chartered's 20% cashback promotion has been the way to go for us Singaporeans but with the Grab-Uber merger (even though it might not go through that quickly since it has apparently infringed on the Competition Act) on the horizon, we may need to reevaluate our strategies. SCORE is a new subscription-based membership which offers members exclusive privileges (read: discounts) on Grab as well as FairPrice. While I am personally not particularly interested in the LinkPoints or FairPrice benefits that come with this membership, I am curious about the ones that you can use on Grab.