[Updated 23 May: it’s since been clarified that Points.com will not automatically receive 10X with the WWMC. You will need to write in to appeal. Reports so far are that appeals are successful]
Earning 10X on certain online transactions with the DBS Woman’s World Card has always been a slightly dicey proposition. In the past I’ve had to write in and appeal for certain transactionsย to be manually reviewed for 10X, like Skype and Linkedin.ย There’s a reason why an entire spreadsheet exists for people to document their experiences with what does and does not get 10X. “Online” is a bit of a fluid definition, apparently.
Points.com has historically received 10X points with the WWMC, subject to the usual cap of S$2,000 spending each month. However, there have been a few scattered reports of people not earning the bonus 7X (you’ll still get 3X because Points.com transactions are processed in foreign currency which earns 1.2 mpd with the WWMC). For example, this thread on HWZ:
And this post from The Milelion’s Den:
It appears that Points.com has been classified as a professional service provider (wut) and therefore is not eligible to receive 10X. But what further muddies the waters are reports that you can submit your receipts to appeal and get your additional 7X approved.
ngch0065’s experience is exactly what happened to me back when I last boughtย Alaska Miles from Points.com. My transaction only earned 3X points, but after submitting my receipts showing that it was indeed an online transaction I received the balance 7X.
So what I’m unclear about right now is whether this is simply a continuation of what happened before (initial transaction does not earn 10X until you write in to appeal) or whether this is a new policy (no 10X, period).ย What may be different this time round was that previously, the dispute was whether the transaction was online or not, but now, the dispute is whether the MCC falls into one of the excluded categories.
What now?
If you’ve already purchased points from Points.com with your DBS WWMC, my advice is to monitor your DBS points balance and submit an appeal if you do not get the bonus 7X (remember that you need to wait till the 16th of the next calendar month to see the bonus credited, i.e. if you bought your points on 1 April you need to wait till 16 May). The worst they can say is no.
To the best of the community’s knowledge, the Citibank Rewards and UOB Visa Signature card will still earn 10X points (4 mpd) with Points.com (with the UOB Visa Signature subject to the minimum S$1,000 foreign currency spending in a statement period).ย But as with all things in miles and points, this can change overnight if the bank decides to classify the transaction differently. If you want to play it safe, you’d use a card like the DBS Altitude or UOB PRVI Miles to earn 2.0 and 2.4 mpd respectively.
Final note: in the Google Doc I linked to above, Points.com is still reflecting as earning 10X on both the Citibank Rewards and DBS WWMC so you may want to be aware that it’s not always updated as quickly as you’d like (it used to be open edit but to ensure QC the author has locked the document).
hey, i cant find any email on the transaction on points.com. Can anyone advise how i can show proof that it was an online transaction?
i got a receipt when i paid for alaska miles. ask customer service to send you if you didnt get
Then what is the point of having WWMC for online purchases if the online merchant uses points.com or any other “professional services” company as the payment processor? The impression i am getting from the descriptions and accounts above is “my WWMC card earns you 4mpd for online…but online payment processors are classified as professional services so your online purchases are therefore actually not eligible for 4mpd”. So what happens when we book a hotel room online at marriott.com, hotels.com, expedia, etc, and they use a “professional services” company to process the payment? And if the merchant doesnt state who processes… Read more »
Points.com is not using a professional company for payments. They changed their MCC to a โprofessional service providerโ.
Relying on MCC is one way the banks trick you into spending more on non-eligible categories. If they made it easier to identify eligible spending, they wonโt be giving you 10x rewards.
hmm.. this means that when we buy Alaska miles (through points.com), we have only the following 4 mile options:
1. Citibank Rewards
2. UOB Visa Signature
Citibank does not pool, unlike DBS. DBS focused guys may need to resort to using DBS altitude card to prevent excessive spreading of rewards points, though the miles awarded is lesser (2.0 vs 4.0 miles)
Seems like being a hybrid card user may be a better option nowadays eg Citibank/DBS, UOB/DBS or even UOB/Citibank/DBS. However,this will mean more work to track points in the various accounts… (>.<)'''
Always been the case. More upside for adopting a hybrid approach than downsides. The miles game works better if we are alert to the opportunities.
Just called DBS to double check & unfortunately they confirmed that points.com is under “Business or Professional Services” or something & do not qualify for 10X…. sigh. So what options do we have left? Keep reading that Citibank Rewards is one but they state on their site that only Dept Stores, shoes, bags qualify. So is this YMMV option? If they do not give 4mpd there is no recourse since it’s not under their qualifying cats?
What about UOB PPV? It gives 10x for Online so has anyone successfully used it?
I appealed and got my bonus points back.
I was the one who posted about this on HWZ. My appeal for points.com was approved and the extra 7X points (actually 9x by the looks of it, but who’s complaining) was added to my card manually.
Thanks! Good to know
My recent appeal only 7x. not complaining here.
Hi, was wondering if PayPal still earns 10x with WWMC?