DBS credit card members can now earn a total of 10 mpd on hotel bookings made through Agoda. This applies to stays booked and completed by 31 December 2020.
With overseas travel all but impossible, the natural use case for this promotion becomes staycations. Although 10 mpd certainly sounds attractive on the surface, be warned- it may not be so useful in practice.
DBS x Agoda staycation offer
Let’s first look at the details of this offer. Holders of the following cards are eligible to participate:
Eligible cardholders must make bookings through this special Agoda link and select a hotel with the “Promotion Eligible” label.
Provided their booking is made and completed by 31 December 2020, cardholders will earn 10 mpd, subject to a cap:
| Card | Monthly 10 mpd Cap | Subsequent Spending |
 DBS Altitude VisaApply here |
S$5,000 | 8.2 mpd |
 DBS Altitude AMEXApply here |
S$5,000 | 8.2 mpd |
 DBS Woman’s CardApply here |
S$1,000 | 8.4 mpd |
 DBS Woman’s World CardApply here |
S$2,000 | 6.4 mpd |
| The above working assumes you’re staying in a Singapore hotel | ||
When booking, cardholders will need to key in the mobile number they have registered with the bank, in order for the promo to track properly. Look for this field on the right hand side of the screen (it’s not the usual field where you enter your contact number when making a hotel booking).
Remember: in order to earn the 10 mpd, you must ensure that the “promo eligible” badge appears on the hotel listing, and payment must be made to Agoda. You will not earn any bonus miles if you choose to pay later at the hotel.
When will bonus miles be credited?
The bonus miles from this promotion will be credited within 2 calendar months from the end of the promotion period, i.e 28 February 2021. Suffice to say, this won’t be a fast way of racking up additional miles.
Why this might not be the best deal
Hotels pay websites like Agoda up to 20% of the total stay value. That’s painful during the best of times, and downright uneconomical at the moment. Therefore, don’t expect hotels to list their cheapest staycation packages on OTAs. If you want the low rates and additional freebies, you’ll most likely have to book direct.
For example, the Andaz Singapore (which is not accepting staycation guests at the moment) has staycation rates from as low as S$180 nett per night. These can only be booked directly with the hotel.
Want to book with Agoda? Expect to pay S$390++, without any of the perks like breakfast.
That’s not to say you can’t find good deals with this promotion- you might get lucky. However, it’s always best practice to comparison shop the rates and inclusions on Agoda with what the hotels themselves are offering.
You’ll find full details on staycation packages and inclusions in this article.
Conclusion
DBS’s partnership with Agoda could be useful if you’re planning a staycation, but be sure to weigh the value of the incremental miles against what you give up in terms of additional staycation perks (and possibly higher rates).
Keep in mind it’s not too hard to earn 4 mpd on your hotel staycations with the right cards, so the real additional benefit here is only 6 mpd.
