2021 Edition: Best Credit Cards for Airport Limo Rides

In addition to complimentary lounge access, certain credit cards let you enjoy a free ride to or from the airport in Singapore. This used to be a common perk, but unfortunately was “enhanced” away over the years. Today, only six credit cards offer this benefit.

Here’s a summary of the benefit, how to unlock it, and the all-important terms and conditions. 

Which credit cards offer airport limo rides?

The following Singapore credit cards offer complimentary airport limo rides; some require you to hit a certain minimum qualifying spend. 

Card	Qualifying Spend (QS)	Cap
Income Requirement S$30K
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX (T&C)	S$1K (FCY) per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
Income Requirement ≥S$120K
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card (T&C)	None	1 per year
HSBC Visa Infinite (T&C)	S$2K per month for 1 ride*	24 per year
Maybank Visa Infinite (T&C)	S$3K per month for 2 rides	8 per year
OCBC VOYAGE (T&C)	S$5K per month for 1 ride	2 per month
Citi Prestige (T&C)	S$12K per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
*First 2 [Regular] or 4 [Premier] per year are free

Here’s the main changes that happened last year:

• Citi Prestige reduced the spending required for limo rides from S$20,000 to S$12,000 per quarter. That’s a sizeable cut, but keep in mind it used to be that you could earn double the rides for just S$1,500 per quarter
• OCBC VOYAGE increased the minimum spending required for a limo ride from S$3,000 to S$5,000 per month

In the sections below, we’ll look at some of the things you should consider when comparing free limo transfers.

(1) Is the bank making COVID-19 concessions?

This is perhaps the most important question of all, seeing as how we can’t actually travel now. Of the five cards offering a limo benefit, three are offering special concessions due to COVID-19:

• Citi Prestige: All rides earned in 2021 will be valid till 31 December 2021 (Although Citi Prestige extended all rides earned in 2020 till 31 December 2020, they cancelled all unused rides after that)
• HSBC Visa Infinite: All rides earned in 2020 and 2021 will be extended for usage till 31 December 2021
• OCBC VOYAGE: Unused limo rides can be cashed out at S$20 each, or carried forward till 30 June 2021 
• Maybank Visa Infinite: Limo rides are valid till 31 December 2021 by default already

The UOB PRVI Miles AMEX is offering no such concessions; it’s basically use it or lose it. 

(2) How much spending is needed to unlock the benefit?

Only the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card and HSBC Visa Infinite offer truly free rides. The former get one per year, the latter two per year (four if you’re a HSBC Premier customer). Otherwise, you’re going to have to hit a particular spending threshold to unlock the free rides.

Surprisingly enough, the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX has the lowest spending threshold of all, despite its “inferior” status (as far as income requirements are concerned). A few things to note about the spending thresholds:

• UOB PRVI Miles AMEX: Spending must be in foreign currency, but excludes card-not-present transactions. In other words, buying things online won’t count
• Citi Prestige:  Spending on Citi PayAll will count towards the minimum spending requirement

The T&Cs of each card will state explicitly what types of spending do not count towards the minimum spend requirement, but in general, don’t rely on the following:

• Charitable donations
• Government payments
• Education
• Insurance
• Utilities

Eligible spending is calculated based on posting date, not transaction date. If you’re making significant transactions towards the end of the month, be extra careful about this as it may take 2-3 days for some merchants to post transactions.

(3) Do I get airport pickups or drop-offs?

This is a subtle but important difference.

Airport pickups are generally more costly to provide because the driver needs to budget time for flight delays, immigration, and baggage collection. Airport drop-offs are more straightforward- if you don’t show up beyond a certain time, your ride leaves without you.

Therefore, some providers only do airport drop-offs, but ideally you’ll want your free limo rides to be redeemable for trips both to and from the airport.

Card	To/From Airport
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card	⬅️/ ➡️ Airport
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX	➡️ Airport
HSBC Visa Infinite	➡️ Airport
Maybank Visa Infinite	⬅️/ ➡️ Airport
OCBC VOYAGE	⬅️/ ➡️ Airport
Citi Prestige	⬅️/ ➡️ Airport

Special mention for the OCBC VOYAGE, which covers not just Changi Airport, but Seletar Airport, both the Harborfront and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminals, and the “railway station” (I assume they mean the Woodlands train checkpoint).

Likewise the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card’s free ride is valid globally, and can be used either in Singapore or other supported cities. 

(4) How long are the rides valid for?

Once you’ve unlocked your limo rides, they’re valid for a certain time period. Be sure to use them before they expire!

Card	Validity
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX	Rides must be used by end of calendar quarter in which they’re earned
HSBC Visa Infinite	Rides valid till 31 Dec 2021 (special extension due to COVID-19)
Maybank Visa Infinite	Rides valid till 31 Dec 2021
OCBC VOYAGE	Rides valid till 30 Jun 2021 or three months after earning, whichever is later (special extension due to COVID-19)
Citi Prestige	Rides valid till 31 Dec 2021 (special extension due to COVID-19)

(5) What else should I know?

Some points to consider here are the advance notice required, charges for late night service (usually defined as 12 a.m- 6 a.m, but check the T&Cs to be sure), maximum passengers permissible and the grace period before additional waiting charges apply.

UOB PRVI Miles AMEX	Adv. Booking	48 hours +S$10 otherwise
	Late Night Fee (11.30 p.m to 6.30 a.m)	S$10
	Max Pax.	4 +S$10 for 7 seater +S$20 for 9 seater
	Grace Period	15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after
	Changes	S$10 for changes made after 6 p.m the day before pick-up
HSBC Visa Infinite	Adv. Booking	24 hours
	Late Night Fee (12.00 a.m to 5.59 a.m)	S$12
	Max Pax.	3
	Grace Period	15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after
	Changes	S$10 for changes made within 1 hour of pick-up
Maybank Visa Infinite	Adv. Booking	72 hours
	Late Night Fee	Not mentioned
	Max Pax.	4
	Grace Period	Not mentioned
	Changes	S$60 for cancellations with <24 hours notice
OCBC VOYAGE	Adv. Booking	24 hours
	Late Night Fee (11 p.m to 7.00 a.m)	S$12
	Max Pax.	4
	Grace Period	15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after
	Changes	S$60 for cancellations with <12 hours notice
Citi Prestige	Adv. Booking	48 hours
	Late Night Fee	Not mentioned
	Max Pax.	4
	Grace Period	15 mins S$10.70 per 15-min block after
	Changes	Any change or cancellation <24 hours will be taken as 1 usage

Conclusion

When airport limo rides first became a credit card perk, they required that you charge your air tickets to your card. Thankfully that requirement no longer exists, and cardholders are able to use their 4 mpd cards to book the air tickets, while unlocking limo rides with their other retail spending. 

The card with the “best” limo benefit, in my opinion, is the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX. The S$256.80 annual fee is easily waived, and the spending requirement is the lowest of all.