How to Earn Miles Quickly? These Credit Cards in Singapore Will Give You 4 Miles per Dollar on Eligible Spend

While having dinner with some friends the other night, the conversation (as you would expect) steered towards mileage accrual on credit cards at some point. It was in that moment where I realised that something I took for granted (and assumed that everyone knew about) was in fact, not as well-known as I had hoped. There are very few sign-up bonuses for credit cards in Singapore and therefore, most of us have to rely on actual spend in order to save enough miles for a decent redemption. While there are plenty of credit cards that have been marketed as a 'mile card' (essentially one suitable for people chasing miles), most of them are general spend cards that will only earn you a base rate without any bonus miles in specific categories.

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As a mile-chaser, you should always try to put your spend on a credit card that will get you at least 4 miles per dollar (4 mpd). Generally speaking, the maximum number of miles that you can accrue per dollar of spend is 4 miles per dollar (there are exceptions when it comes to higher-end cards like The Platinum Card) and this is essentially what you should strive for. However, in reality, it is not always possible to accrue miles at this accelerated rate due to various reasons - the category of spend may be excluded (e.g. bill payments) or the maximum number of miles that you can earn from that card is capped in each period. These are the credit cards that you should definitely consider applying for if you wish to accrue miles very quickly from your expenses:

OCBC 90°N Card - Great For Travel and Foreign Currency Transactions (until 29 February 2020)

Photo Credit: OCBC

The most important thing that you will have to come to terms with while chasing miles is the need to quickly adapt and to make hay while the sun shines. If for some reason, you do not have the OCBC 90°N Card, you should consider applying for this amazing credit card as soon as possible. The base earn rate for the card is comparable (actually marginally better) to other miles card in the market but most importantly, you can earn 4 miles per dollar on all non-SGD transactions until 29 February 2020 with no cap and no minimum spend. If you have major travel expenses planned for Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda, Millennium Hotels and Resorts or Mr & Mrs Smith, you will be able to earn 8 miles per dollar on these eligible expenses until 29 February 2020 which is fantastic (since the maximum number of miles you can typically earn in Singapore is 4 mpd). 

Point Currency: Travel$ (1:1 Mile)
Bonus Earn Rate (until 29 February 2020): 4 Miles per Dollar on Non-SGD Spend and up to 8 Miles per Dollar on Travel Expenses - Find out how to earn up to 8 miles per dollar!
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 1.2 Miles per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 2.1 Miles per Dollar
Expiry of Points: Never
Conversion Fees: Free
Notable Perks: Card Members can convert Travel$ into miles at no cost and in smaller blocks (1,000 Travel$ to 1,000 Miles). 
Caveats: Accelerated earn rate (up to 8 miles per dollar) valid until 29 February 2020. 
Application Link: OCBC 90°N Card

OCBC Titanium Rewards Card - Great for Big Ticket Items and Shopping

Photo Credit: OCBC

One of the greatest advantage that the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card has over competing-cards in the market is the cap on bonus points. While it is not uncommon to find credit cards in Singapore offering 4 mpd on shopping and eligible online expenses (these cards will be covered in the article too), the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card allows you to earn 4 miles per dollar on the first S$12,000 worth of eligible expenses that you put to the card - the cap is applicable for each membership year. In comparison, most of the competing credit card products in the market cap the maximum number of bonus miles to the first S$1,000 each statement month. 

To put all of these into a simple example, imagine having to get the brand new 16-inch MacBook Pro which is priced at S$3,499 - charging this to the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card will get you 13,996 miles but charging this to a competing product (e.g. Citi Rewards Card) will get you only 4,999 miles (since you will only earn 4 mpd on the first S$1,000 each statement month). As a word of caution, you will not get 4 mpd on these cards for every single transaction - check out my previous article if you are interested to find out exactly which transactions will earn you 4 mpd on the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card. Do note that there are two versions (Blue and Pink) of this card so applying for the other colour will give you another S$12,000 to spend at maximum accrual rate once you have exhausted your first S$12,000 spend.

Point Currency: OCBC$ (2.5:1 Mile)
Bonus Earn Rate: 4 Miles per Dollar on SGD and Non-SGD Spend in Stores and Online (e.g. Department Stores, Lazada and Qoo10) - specific Merchant Category Codes required for bonus points to be awarded 
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Expiry of Points: 2 Years
Conversion Fees: S$25
Notable Perks: Annual cap instead of monthly cap allows more points to be awarded for big-ticket items. 
Caveats: 4 miles per dollar awarded on certain spend category only - do check with OCBC Bank before charging a lump sum in order to be safe. Bonus points are capped at first S$12,000 eligible spend. 
Application Link: OCBC Titanium Rewards Card

Citi Rewards Card - Great for Online and Offline Shopping (as well as GrabPay Wallet Top-ups for Now)

Photo Credit: Citibank Singapore

Typically spend under S$1,000 each month on online shopping (yes, this includes Taobao, Lazada and RedMart transactions)? The Citi Rewards Card may just be the card for you - this credit card gives you up to 4 miles per dollar on all eligible online (retail) and offline (shopping) transactions (capped at the first S$1,000 each month). At the time of writing, the Citi Rewards Card also gives you 4 miles per dollar for all GrabPay wallet top-up which you can then utilise on online transactions (assuming you have the digital card activated) or offline transactions (if you have managed to successful request for a physical card). While I do not expect Citi Singapore to continue awarding 4 mpd on GrabPay wallet top-ups in the near future, it is a good idea to apply for the Citi Rewards Card if you wish to take advantage of this. 

The Citi Rewards Card is a decent card to have and I have been recommending it for many years - being able to earn 4 mpd on shopping (up to S$1,000 each statement month) is great for anyone who enjoys a little shopping from time to time. As mentioned earlier, the Citi Rewards Card may be a good credit card to have but if you are planning to buy a big-ticket item (e.g. new TV for the house), you may be better off with the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card instead since the bonus miles are capped at S$12,000 each year instead of S$1,000 each month. 

Point Currency: ThankYou Points (2.5:1 Mile)
Bonus Earn Rate: 4 Miles per Dollar on Shopping (Online and Offline) - 10X Points (equivalent to 4 mpd) applicable to specific categories of spend only 
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Expiry of Points: 5 Years 
Conversion Fees: S$25
Notable Perks: Get 4 miles per dollar on GrabPay Wallet top-ups for now (unofficial benefit). 
Caveats: Bonus points are capped at the first S$1,000 eligible spend each month. Bonus points awarded on GrabPay top-ups expected to cease in months to come. 
Application Link: Citi Rewards Card

DBS Woman's World Card - Great for Online Spend

Photo Credit: DBS

The DBS Woman's World Card must be the oldest trick in the book - everyone (including men) may (and should!) apply for this card if they spend a decent amount online each month. The card offers 4 mpd on all eligible online transactions charged to the card (capped at S$2,000 each month) and this applies to things like flight bookings and shopping. Since the DBS Points earned on the DBS Woman's World Card expire within a year, it is highly important that you spend a decent amount on this card (anything between S$1,000 to S$2,000 should be suitable) for the conversion fees to be worthwhile. It is always a good idea to estimate how much spend (and therefore, points) you will put to the card each year. 

Point Currency: DBS Points (1:2 Miles) 
Bonus Earn Rate: 4 Miles per Dollar on all Eligible Online Spend 
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 1.2 Miles per Dollar
Expiry of Points: 1 Year 
Conversion Fees: S$26.75
Notable Perks: Bonus miles awarded on transactions that are typically excluded (e.g. flights). 
Caveats: Bonus points capped at the first S$2,000 each month. Do note that the transaction will have to be processed online in order for maximum miles (in the form of DBS Points) to be awarded. While DBS Points do pool with other DBS Cards (e.g. DBS Altitude Card), the points earned on the DBS Woman's World Mastercard expire within 1 year. 
Application Link: DBS Woman's World Card

UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card - Great for Contactless Payments (e.g. payWave)

Photo Credit: UOB

As more of us rely on contactless payment (yes, this includes Apple Pay), it is important to use the right credit card in order to earn the most miles on these transactions. The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card offers 20 miles per S$5 (equivalent to 4 mpd) on all eligible contactless transactions (made using the physical card) or through your mobile wallet) as well as online spend. As you may already know, UOB awards UNI$ (which converts into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles or Asia Miles) per S$5 spend so you should be wary if most of your transactions are typically under S$5 (these do not earn any points!). Charging S$10 and S$9.99 via contactless payment to your UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card will get you 40 miles and 20 miles respectively so you should consider exercising special caution when using this card.

With that being said, it is still a fantastic way to earn up to 4 mpd on contactless payments (especially when you rely on that a lot). Do note that the maximum number of bonus miles that you can earn each month with the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card is capped for the first S$1,000 worth of eligible spend only. You will also earn 4 miles per dollar on all eligible online shopping and entertainment transactions but I would personally use one of the aforementioned credit cards for this purpose instead. Do remember that UNI$ will not be awarded on transactions at SMART$ merchants where SMART$ are issued. 

Point Currency: UNI$ (1:2 Miles) 
Bonus Earn Rate: 20 Miles per S$5 (4 mpd) on all Contactless Transactions and Eligible Online Spend 
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Expiry of Points: 2 Years 
Conversion Fees: S$25 
Notable Perks: Get 4 mpd on all eligible contactless payments (including Apple Pay) - stack this with ShopBack GO to earn additional cashback on top of miles when using the card at any participating ShopBack GO merchants. 
Caveats: Bonus points capped after the first S$1,000 eligible spend each month. UNI$ are typically deducted for annual fees at the start of a new membership year so be sure to take note of that. UNI$ (and therefore, miles) are awarded per S$5 block of spend so charging S$4.99 gets you absolutely nothing. 
Application Link: UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card

UOB Visa Signature Card - Great for Foreign Currency (Non-SGD) Spend

Photo Credit: UOB

The OCBC 90°N Card is a clear winner when it comes to foreign-currency (non-SGD) spend since it allows you to earn 4 miles per dollar with no minimum spend requirement and no cap each month (so long the transactions post before 29 February 2020). Assuming that OCBC does not extend that promotion, the UOB Visa Signature Card may be your next best option but it is definitely a lot more complicated. Similar to other UOB Cards, the UOB Visa Signature Card awards UNI$ per S$5 block. This card allows you to earn 20 miles per S$5 (equivalent to 4 mpd) on all eligible non-SGD transactions (capped for the first S$2,000 spend only) charged to the card so long a minimum of S$1,000 (in foreign currency) is charged in the same period. What this means to say is that in order for you to unlock the maximum earn rate on the card, you will need to charge foreign currency spends between S$1,000 and S$2,000 within each statement period. 

The UOB Visa Signature Card also awards bonus UNI$ for eligible petrol and contactless transactions so long as minimum local spend of S$1,000 is met per statement period. The total number of UNI$ cardmembers can earn in each statement period for all bonus spend (including foreign currency, petrol and contactless transactions) is capped at UNI$4,000 (equivalent to 8,000 miles). 

Point Currency: UNI$ (1:2 Miles) 
Bonus Earn Rate: 20 Miles per S$5 (4 mpd) on all eligible Overseas, Online, Petrol and Contactless Transactions 
Base Earn Rate (SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Base Earn Rate (Non-SGD Spend): 0.4 Mile per Dollar
Expiry of Points: 2 Years 
Conversion Fees: S$25 
Notable Perks: Get 4 mpd on all foreign currency spend between S$1,000 and S$2,000 each month. 
Caveats: Minimum Foreign Currency (Non-SGD) Spend of S$1,000 required in each statement period to trigger bonus points. Bonus points capped after the first S$2,000 eligible spend each month. UNI$ are typically deducted for annual fees at the start of a new membership year so be sure to take note of that. UNI$ (and therefore, miles) are awarded per S$5 block of spend so charging S$4.99 gets you absolutely nothing. 
Application Link: UOB Visa Signature Card

One of the best ways to build up your miles balance in Singapore is through actual spending (on the right credit cards) and this makes a huge difference when you are comparing 4 miles per dollar to simply 1.2 miles per dollar (on a general spend card). Obviously, having to hold multiple credit cards and remembering to pay your bills on time requires a level of commitment but once you have taken a Business Class or First Class flight for free, it is easy to see how these all pays off. Cashback cards may be better for people who do not have any interest in the 'miles game' but honestly, if you do spend quite a bit each month, do yourself a favour and work out the opportunity cost - you (and your partner) and be much better off investing in the right credit cards.