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.

Option One: 4 Miles per Dollar + 8% Rebate + S$0.20 Rebate

Photo Credit: Fuzzie

Required Platforms: Grab, Credit Cards, Fuzzie and ShopBack

If you do not have a Fuzzie account, signing-up one for free using my referral link will give you S$5 credit which you can then redeem for a S$5 Grab promo code (amongst other things). Fuzzie allows you to purchase Grab 'gift cards' (or otherwise credits) with an 8% rebate which you can then use on a future purchase. These purchases happen instantaneously and you can earn 4 miles per dollar on the platform with your DBS Woman's World Mastercard (WMC) or UOB Preferred Platinum Visa card. 

• Step 1: Purchase Grab 'Credits' on Fuzzie for 8% Rebate
• Step 2: Pay on Fuzzie using a 4 Miles per Dollar Credit Card and get Promo Code for Grab
• Step 3: Go on ShopBack to open Grab App for S$0.20 Rebate
• Step 4: Apply Grab Promo Code from Fuzzie
• Step 5: Pay Grab Fare Remainder with DBS WMC

Option Two: 1.4 Miles per Dollar + 20% Cashback + S$0.20 Rebate

Photo Credit: Standard Chartered 

Required Platforms: Grab, Standard Chartered Credit Card and ShopBack

This is perhaps my favourite method since it gives you 20% Cashback on Grab rides (capped at S$50 cashback per month). At the time of writing, the promotion is only valid until 30 April 2018 but I personally believe that it would be extended once all the kinks regarding the merger has been ironed out. While all eligible credit cards issued by Standard Chartered (Singapore) Limited are applicable for this promotion, I personally choose to use the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite card since it gives me 1.4 miles and 3.0 miles per dollar on local spend and foreign spend respectively (with a minimum spend of S$2,000 per statement period). 

• Step 1: Go on ShopBack to open Grab App for S$0.20 Rebate
• Step 2: Pay for Grab Ride using Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Card (or any other eligible Standard Chartered credit cards)

Option 3: 4 Miles per Dollar + SCORE Benefits + LiveUp Benefits + S$0.20 Rebate

Photo Credit: LiveUp

Required Platforms: Grab, Credit Cards, LiveUp, SCORE and ShopBack

The final option is probably for the power user and it is quite possibly the most complicated one to describe since there are so many factors at play. This option requires you to have membership in at least one of two paid membership programs - LiveUp (from SGD 28.80 per year) as well as SCORE (from SGD 18.80 per year). For an extensive guide into the new SCORE membership, please check out my previous article to evaluate whether it is suitable for you. As a quick recap, you will get to enjoy 20% off Grab rides  (capped at SGD 4 per ride and up to 30 redemption per month) after taking four rides each calendar month. Additionally, you will also get to enjoy a 50% discount (capped at SGD 6 and up to 5 redemption) on every third Monday of the month. 

LiveUp has also just introduced a brand new benefit (which needs to be activated) for members - you will receive a SGD 10 Grab Credit after your 9th, 19th and 29th Grab Ride (capped at 3 times per year). This is obviously not a lucrative enough reason to sign-up for the program but I personally subscribe to Netflix and this gives me six months worth of subscription (which pays for itself already).

• Step 1: Sign-up for LiveUp and/or SCORE - make sure that the benefits are activated.
• Step 2: Go on ShopBack to open Grab App for S$0.20 Rebate
• Step 3: Pay for Grab Ride using DBS WMC for 4 miles per dollar.