Extended till 26 October: CardUp 1.75% tax payment promo, all Visa/Mastercards eligible

If you haven’t paid your income tax bill yet, here’s some good news: CardUp has extended its 1.75% income tax payment promotion for Milelion readers, and removed the restriction on Citi and Standard Chartered credit cards.

Use CardUp to pay income tax with a 1.75% admin fee

From now till 26 October 2020, readers can use the promo code ML175TAX20 to pay income tax with just a 1.75% admin fee. 

This promo code is applicable to both new and existing CardUp customers. All Singapore-issued Mastercard and Visa cards can use this code. 

Payment must be scheduled by 26 October 2020, with due date latest by 29 October 2020. The full T&C for this code can be found here.

What’s the cost per mile?

With the discounted admin fee, here’s how much buying miles will cost with the following credit cards, in terms of cents per mile (CPM).

Card	MPD	CPM @ 1.75%
Citi ULTIMA	1.6	1.07
DBS Insignia	1.6	1.07
UOB Reserve	1.6	1.07
OCBC Premier & PB VOYAGE	1.6	1.07
SCB Visa Infinite	1.41	1.23
UOB PRVI Miles	1.4	1.23
UOB Visa Infinite Metal	1.4	1.23
Citi Prestige	1.3	1.32
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3	1.32
HSBC Visa Infinite	1.252	1.38
Citi PremierMiles	1.2	1.43
SCB X Card	1.2	1.43
DBS Altitude Visa	1.2	1.43
OCBC 90N	1.2	1.43
KrisFlyer UOB	1.2	1.43
BOC Elite Miles	1.0	1.72
1. With minimum S$2K spend per statement month, otherwise 1.0 mpd 2. With minimum S$50K spend in previous membership year, otherwise 1.0 mpd. CardUp payments will be excluded from 1 July

Most options here yield a cost of 1.5 cents per mile or less, which is a very good price to purchase miles.

Do note the following:

• If you hold a Citi PremierMiles Card, it’s cheaper to take advantage of the ongoing 1.5 mpd offer for Citi PayAll (1.33 cpm)
• If you hold a SCB Visa Infinite, it’s cheaper to pay via the bank’s tax payment facility, provided you spend at least S$2K in a statement month
• If you hold a HSBC Visa Infinite, it’s cheaper to pay via the bank’s tax payment facility

How do I use the code?

After you’ve logged in to your CardUp account, click the “Schedule Payment” button and select “Taxes & Stamp Duty”). Select “Income Tax”, acknowledge the terms and conditions and click “Next”.

Enter the amount you wish to pay (this should match the amount reflected on your NOA)……and the date on which you wish to make payment. Here’s also where you upload your NOA and enter the relevant promo code.Ensure the 1.75% fee reflects on the final screen, then submit your payment for approval.

Other things to note

This promo code can be used a maximum of once per user. In any case, you can only use CardUp to pay off your entire tax due amount, as IRAS doesn’t allow for installment payments via CardUp.

Also note that unlike the tax payment facilities offered by banks where funds are transferred to your account and you make the payment, CardUp makes payment directly to IRAS on your behalf.

CardUp transactions generally count towards sign-up bonus spending for most credit cards, but you’ll want to double check your T&Cs for specific exclusions. For example, the SCB X Card’s 100,000 miles sign-up bonus (since expired) excluded CardUp transactions.

Conclusion

A 1.75% fee allows you to buy miles for some of the lowest prices in the market, so it’s great to see the promotion extended, and the restriction on Citi and Standard Chartered cards removed. Be sure to schedule your CardUp payments before 26 October 2020.

For more information on earning miles on income tax, be sure to have a read of The Milelion’s full guide here.