Getting the Right Credit Card for Flights, Hotels and Overseas Spending - Sign-up for a Chance to Win S$1,000 Cash!

Booking through a traditional travel agent and purchasing a tour package is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Most Singaporeans now curate experiences and put together their dream vacation by booking their own flights, accommodation as well as travel insurance. From 2-29 September 2019, sign-up for any one of the listed credit cards on SingSaver, get approved for it during the aforementioned period, and stand a chance to walk away with S$1,000 cash - there will be one winner every week over a period of four weeks!

Click HERE to select the right credit card for your travel spend!

Photo Credit: SingSaver

There will be one lucky winner each week that will get S$1,000 cash on top of the usual sign-up bonuses that eligible cardholders will get to enjoy. As mentioned earlier, the campaign runs for four weeks and the Lucky Draw for each will will end on Sunday at midnight. Users will have to have their card approved by the time of the draw and if they do not win, they will be eligible for the other draws in upcoming weeks during the campaign - in other words, apply for an eligible credit card early to have a greater chance at winning! The recommended credit cards on SingSaver's latest campaign are split over three main categories - overseas spending, hotel spend as well as flight spend. While there are 15 different credit cards to choose from, here are some of my top picks:

OCBC 90°N Card - Up to 8 Miles per Dollar on Hotel Bookings, Overseas Shopping and Flight Bookings

Photo Credit: OCBC

The newly-unveiled OCBC 90°N Card is a strong contender - the 'base earn rate' of this card may not be much of a force to be reckoned with but the launch promotion (until 29 February 2020) puts this card at the top of the list for me personally. I have written an extensive review of the OCBC 90°N Card and I would highly recommend for you to check it out if you are interested to find out more.

The OCBC 90°N Card offers 8 miles per dollar (no cap!) on eligible hotel bookings made on Expedia and Agoda, 4 miles per dollar (no cap, once again) on all foreign currency (non-SGD) spend as well as the opportunity to earn 4 miles per dollar on eligible flight bookings made on Expedia and Singapore Airlines Group.

Sign-up here: OCBC 90°N Card

Citi Rewards Visa Card - 4 Miles per Dollar on Overseas Shopping

Photo Credit: Citibank

The Citi Rewards Visa Card may not be the most aspirational credit card around in Singapore but it gives you the opportunity to earn 10X Rewards (equivalent to 4 miles per dollar) on all eligible shopping transactions - online, local, or otherwise. With the Citi Rewards Visa Card, you will be able to earn 4 miles per dollar on all eligible shopping spend up to the first S$1,000 each month so you are looking at a total of 48,000 miles (or 120,000 ThankYou Points) for spending just S$12,000 in a year.

Sign-up here: Citi Rewards Visa Card

DBS Altitude Visa Card - 3 Miles per Dollar on Online Flight and Hotel Transactions and Free Airport Lounge Visits

Photo Credit: DBS

If you tend to spend quite a bit each month on online flight and hotel transactions, the DBS Altitude Visa Card may just be the right credit card for you. This card earns you 3 miles per dollar (up to S$5,000 each statement period) on all eligible online flight and hotel transactions that you charge to the card. The DBS Points that you earn on the card also pool with the ever-popular DBS Woman World Mastercard which earns you 4 miles per dollar on all eligible online spend (capped at S$2,000 each statement period) - do note that while the DBS Altitude Visa Card is an eligible card in the campaign, the latter card does not give you a chance in the Lucky Draw if you apply it during the promotional period.

The DBS Altitude Visa Card earns you 1.2 and 2.0 miles per dollar for SGD and non-SGD transactions respectively - points earned on this card do not expire and while it is possible to get an annual fee-waiver on subsequent years, paying the annual fee will get you 10,000 miles. The card also comes with two complimentary visits to any Priority Pass lounges with each year. Additionally, you will also be able to earn 10 miles per dollar on all hotel bookings made on Kaligo.

Sign-up here: DBS Altitude Visa Card

Citi PremierMiles Visa Card - 10 Miles per Dollar on Hotel Bookings (Kaligo) and Free Airport Lounge Visits

Photo Credit: Citibank

The Citi PremierMiles Visa Card is very much a comparable card to the DBS Altitude Visa Card mentioned above and the base earn rates are exactly the same and the perks are almost identical - you will also get to enjoy two complimentary visits to any participating airport lounges in the Priority Pass program and you will also earn 10 miles per dollar on hotel bookings made on Kaligo. Unfortunately, the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card will not earn you bonus miles on online flight and hotel bookings so you might be better off with the DBS Altitude Visa Card if you are looking for a credit card that will give you a bonus for travel purchases.

Sign-up here: Citi PremierMiles Visa Card

Citi Prestige Card - Get 4th Night Free at Any Hotel, Free Limousine Rides and Unlimited Airport Lounge Access

Photo Credit: Citibank

If you do make at least S$120,000 each year, the Citi Prestige Card comes with a perk that is not currently offered by any other cards in the market - you will get your 4th night free at any hotel in the world. What this means to say is that if you are staying at a property that charges S$500++ a night, you will get S$500 back in statement credit when you stay a minimum of four nights. Additionally, the Citi Prestige Card gives you unlimited access to any airport lounge in the Priority Pass network and that is a great perk if you do not fly in Business Class or First Class regularly. It is worth noting that cardmembers are now required to spend S$20,000 per quarter to enjoy two complimentary limousine rides so using this credit card for free limousine transfers is not exactly the most cost-worthy option.

Sign-up here: Citi Prestige Card

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card - Fast Track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Free Night at Hilton Each Year

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Photo Credit: American Express

If you like accumulating KrisFlyer Miles without having to worry about different point currencies and the trouble of transferring, the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card may be the answer to your prayers. Now, to be completely upfront about it all, this card does not offer you the most miles for your expenses - you will simply earn 1.2 KrisFlyer Miles for all eligible transactions that you put on this card. You will earn a bonus for foreign currency transactions (total of 2.0 KrisFlyer Miles per S$1) made in June and December each year but that's almost it. You will also earn 3.2 miles per dollar (capped at S$200) at selected merchants each month as well as Grab (including top-ups).

The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card comes with one free night at any participating Hilton property in the region each year - this includes the new Conrad Bangkok which has only quite recently been refurbished. You will also get to enjoy four complimentary visits to participating airport lounges each year with this card. If you do not hold any status with any hotel loyalty programs, the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card will give you Hilton Honors Silver and more importantly, if you have been eyeing that KrisFlyer Elite Gold status for the longest time, this card will offer you a fast-track to that if you spend above S$15,000 on eligible purchases made on singaporeair.com within the first 12 months upon Card approval.

Personally, the opportunity to take advantage of American Express Offers is a big draw to me - on my American Express Platinum Card, I have saved over S$1,000 on these offers. KrisFlyer Miles earned on the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card post automatically (for free) into your KrisFlyer account at the end of each statement period so you can use them easily (do note that miles will expire after three years at the end of the equivalent month in which they were earned).

Sign-up here: American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card

Win S$1,000 Cash with a New Credit Card Sign-Up Between 2-29 September 2019

If you have been thinking about getting a few credit cards to 'beef up' your miles game, this is a great opportunity to get the credit cards that you like and possibly win S$1,000 along the way with a new card sign-up. Eligible new customers who sign-up for a Citibank Card will get S$250 Cash via PayNow upon approval (before 29 September 2019) and also a chance to win S$1,000 in the weekly lucky draw. SingSaver is also offering some additional 'cash back' of up to S$8 (transferred via PayNow) to eligible customers who sign-up for travel insurance during this period - prices for these start from just S$9 for a single-trip.