Get at least 10% Cashback on Hotel Stays with Expedia (Combining Shopback and Expedia+)
You might find yourself on Expedia or Agoda if you are looking for the best deals on hotel stays. While the two aforementioned sites already offer some pretty great deals on hotels, did you know that you can get at least 10% of the amount spent by going through an additional step? In fact, the 10% is on top of whatever you earn on your credit card so in reality, it is possible to get a much higher cashback depending on how much you value miles and points.
Spend S$15,000 on SQ (AmEx) - Get Star Alliance Gold
If you hold The American Express® Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card, some (favourable and unfavourable) changes are coming your way on 01 May 2016. As a disclaimer, the following changes will only come into effect from 01 May 2016 and at the time of publishing, these changes are still inactive. Here is a summary of the upcoming changes that will come your way:
Status Match Hilton HHonors Diamond to Sixt Platinum
Did you know that Sixt SE (more commonly known as Sixt), a European multi-national car rental company that operates over 100 different countries has a loyalty program that you should take advantage of - even if it is the first time you are renting! Since I will be traveling out of Singapore soon, I was curious to see what I could get with my hotel statuses and it turns out that Sixt is matching Hilton HHonors Diamond (amongst various other top-tier hotel loyalty program status) to the Platinum Sixt Card.
Upcoming Changes to Le Club AccorHotels Loyalty Program in 2017
While it used to be incredibly easy to get a status match to Platinum in the Le Club AccorHotels program previously, that has changed since the beginning of last year. As you may already know, at the moment, all points that you earn with Le Club AccorHotels are elite-qualifying. This means that if you have signed up for a promotion that gives you 10,000 bonus points, these points will count towards achieving Gold status for a rolling 12-month period. Unfortunately, this will change come 2017 and as you will now earn Status Points (which are elite-qualifying) and Reward Points separately - much like other hotel loyalty programs.
UOB YOLO Credit Card - Up to 8% Cash Rebate
UOB has just announced a brand new credit card - the UOB YOLO (yes, it really stands for You Only Live Once). This is a cash rebate card so mile warriors and chasers can go someplace else now. For everyone else, the UOB YOLO will offer you up to 8% cash rebate on weekend dining and entertainment for local and overseas spend.
Everything You Need to Know about the Cessation of the Imagine Card
Like all good things, the sale of the ever-popular EZ-Link Imagine American Express® Prepaid Card has been discontinued since 24 March 2016. The acceptance of this card will also cease from 01 September 2016. This is bad news for everyone who has been using this card as a proxy for the DBS Woman's World MasterCard to earn 4 miles per S$1. Here is a few quick summary of the current and future situation this card.
Analysing the OCBC 360 and the UOB One Account - Which One for You?
There are many differences between the OCBC 360 and UOB One Account but one thing they have is common is apparent - (much) higher interest rates on your savings. Personally, I use the OCBC 360 account but this does not mean it is better. It is simply more suitable for me based on my spending habits. The first question though, is why bother with one of these accounts? Why not just put your money into a regular savings account? The answer is simple - you earn at least 65X more interest (calculated using OCBC 360 account). To put that in numbers, you earn S$1,950 instead of S$30 interest each year!
Hotels for 2016 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - Where to Stay?
If you are already thinking about getting tickets for the upcoming 2016 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix which will run from 16 to 18 September 2016 this year, good on you! It is always a good idea to make travel plans early (especially in events like these) in order to take full advantage of "Early Bird" discounts. Here are some track-side hotels for the 2016 F1 Singapore Grand Prix this year!