OCBC VOYAGE promotion: Earn 3 mpd on foreign currency spend and 2.5 mpd on dining

OCBC has launched a new overseas spending and dining offer on its VOYAGE cards, which awards up to 3 mpd during December 2020 and January 2021. 

No registration is required, and the offer is capped at a maximum spend of S$1,000 across both categories during the promotion period. 

Earn up to 3 mpd on foreign currency spend

OCBC VOYAGE cardholders normally earn 2.2 or 2.3 mpd for foreign currency transactions, depending on which version of the card they hold.

From 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021, they will receive an additional top-up to 3 mpd as shown below:

🌎 OCBC VOYAGE FCY Earn Rate (1 Dec 20- 31 Jan 21)
	Base Rate	Bonus Rate	Total
OCBC VOYAGE	2.2 mpd	0.8 mpd	3 mpd
OCBC Premier, PPC, BOS VOYAGE Card	2.3 mpd	0.7 mpd	3 mpd

The maximum spending on which they can earn the bonus rate is capped at S$1,000 throughout the entire period, a cap that is shared with the dining category below. 

A 3 mpd earn rate on foreign currency spending is one of the highest rates you could get right now, and is arguably better than the alternatives:

• The Standard Chartered Visa Infinite earns 3 mpd, but requires a minimum spend of S$2,000 and has the highest FCY transaction fee in the market of 3.5%
• The UOB Visa Signature earns 4 mpd, but requires a minimum spend of S$1,000

OCBC imposes a 3.25% FCY transaction fee, so with a 3 mpd earn rate you’re basically buying miles at 1.08 cents each, a pretty decent threshold if you ask me. 

Earn up to 2.5 mpd on dining

OCBC VOYAGE cardholders normally earn 1.3 mpd to 2.3 mpd on dining (in April, the earn rate was cut from 1.6 mpd on the vanilla OCBC VOYAGE)

From 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021, they will receive an additional top-up to 2.5 mpd as shown below:

🍽️ OCBC VOYAGE Local Dining Earn Rate (1 Dec 20- 31 Jan 21)
	Base Rate	Bonus Rate	Total
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3 mpd	1.2 mpd	2.5 mpd
OCBC Premier, BOS VOYAGE	1.6 mpd	0.9 mpd	2.5 mpd
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	2.3 mpd	0.2 mpd	2.5 mpd

The maximum spending on which they can earn the bonus rate is capped at S$1,000 throughout the entire period, a cap that is shared with the foreign currency spending category above.

OCBC defines dining as merchants with the following MCCs:

• MCC 5811: Caterers
• MCC 5812: Eating Places and Restaurants
• MCC 5814: Fast Food Restaurants

This notably excludes the following establishments, so take note:

Personally, I’d rather stick to other dining cards for an easy 4 mpd and a broader definition of dining:

Card	Dining MPD	Remarks
UOB Lady’s Card	4 mpd*	Capped at S$1K per month
UOB Lady’s Solitaire	4 mpd*	Capped at S$3K per month
HSBC Revolution	4 mpd	Must tap card or use mobile payments
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa	4 mpd	Must use mobile payments
*Must declare dining as quarterly 10X category

Other things to note

Do remember that OCBC now awards points in blocks of S$5, meaning a S$14.99 transaction earns the same number of points as a S$10 one. This has a bigger impact on smaller transactions, so take note. 

Bonus VOYAGE miles will be credited within 2 calendar months after the promotion has ended. The full T&C of this promotion can be found here.

Conclusion

The enhanced earn rates make the OCBC VOYAGE a worthy choice for foreign currency spending, although I’d still prefer to use a 4 mpd card for dining. 

While few of us will be travelling overseas by 31 January 2021, you can always use the VOYAGE for your online transactions in foreign currency (e.g when buying from the Amazon USA website).