What cards should I use with SingapoRediscovers vouchers?

Unless you plan to use your S$100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers (SRV) exactly on the dot, you’re going to have to fork out some of your own money when redeeming them.

This then begs the question: what card should you use to pay the balance? It’s not as simple as identifying which card earns the most miles (although that’s still a major consideration!), as banks have rolled out various promotions aimed at capturing your spend. 

In this post, we’ll look at the bank-specific promotions which help you save money upfront, as well as the cards which earn the most miles on SRV bookings. I’ve already written posts on the best SRV-eligible staycation deals on Klook and Trip.com, so be sure to check them out:

• Best SRV deals on Klook
• Best SRV deals on Trip.com

HSBC: 10% cash rebate

From 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021, HSBC is offering a 10% cash rebate (capped at S$25) when you spend your SRV. For example, if I book a staycation worth S$180 and pay S$100 with my SRV, I’ll earn S$8 in cash rebates (10% of [$180-$100]).

Registration is required for this offer, and is capped at the first 1,000 cardholders. To register, send the following SMS to 74722:

OFFER<space>Last 4 alphanumeric characters of your NRIC (for Singaporeans or PRs) or passport<space>REBATE

Once you’ve registered, charge the remaining balance of your purchase at Changi Recommends, GlobalTix, Klook, Traveloka and Trip.com to your HSBC credit card, and you’ll receive the cash rebate by 28 February 2021.

UOB: Up to S$20 off Klook

Pay the excess balance for your hotels, tours or activities with a UOB credit card on Klook and you’ll enjoy:

• S$5 off with minimum surplus spend of S$30
• S$20 off with minimum surplus spend of S$100

Each user can use this promotion twice from now till 30 June 2021. Note that the restriction is on a user level, not card level. In other words, regardless of how many UOB cards you have, you can only leverage the offer twice.

DBS: Assorted Offers

DBS is running a different promotion for each of the five authorized booking platforms, each with its own T&Cs and caps.

OCBC: Assorted Offers

OCBC cardholders who spend their SRV at Changi Recommends in December 2020 will get a 9% discount, capped at S$6 per booking, when they use the code OCBCCRSRV9. 

Spending with Traveloka in December 2020 will net them a S$10 return voucher, which can be used on hotel transactions from 1 January-30 June 2021 with a min. spend of S$100. 

Citibank: S$10 Traveloka voucher

Similar to OCBC cardholders, Citibank customers can get a S$10 return voucher with Traveloka when they spend their SRV in the month of December 2020. The hotel voucher must be used from 1 January-30 June 2021 with a min. spend of S$100. 

Do note that the cap is extremely limited though, with just 166 vouchers available. 

What cards earn the most miles for SRV bookings?

It all boils down to the MCC. I’m quite certain that ChangiRecommends, Klook, Traveloka and Trip.com will code as MCC 4722: Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, but I’m less certain about GlobalTix. It should code as 4722 as well, but don’t quote me on that.

The following credit cards will earn the most miles on MCC 4722. Note the exclusion of the Citi Rewards Card, as travel is explicitly excluded from earning 10X points.

	Earn Rate	Remarks
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply here	4 mpd	Cap S$2K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply here	4 mpd	Cap S$1K per c. month
UOB Lady’s Card Apply here	4 mpd*	Cap S$1K per c. month
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Apply here	4 mpd*	Cap S$3K per c. month
DBS Altitude Apply here	3 mpd	Cap S$5K per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply here	3 mpd	Min. S$500 spend on SIA Group per year; only for Traveloka and Trip.com
S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month *Must declare travel as your quarterly 10X category

Conclusion

Knocking a further S$15 off the already fantastic Mandarin Oriental deal would reduce your out-of-pocket cost to S$237, which is sensational value considering the S$100 in F&B credits you’re getting too. 

If the particular offer you’re looking at has already been fully redeemed for the month, do consider waiting till 1 January 2021 to make your booking. Remember, you can use your SRV up till 30 June 2021, so there’s no rush.