New Citi SMRT Card: 5% cashback, plus Oppo Reno5 Z 5G phone (for new cardholders)

From 27 May to 19 August 2021, new-to-bank customers who apply for a Citi SMRT Platinum Visa Card will receive an Oppo Reno5 Z 5G mobile phone (worth S$529) or S$350 cash. Existing customers will receive S$30 cash. 

All cardholders will be required to spend at least S$200 on qualifying transactions within 30 days of approval.

Citibank has just relaunched the Citi SMRT Card, and no, it’s not just for public transport. In fact, as far as cashback cards go it’s rather intriguing: 5% cashback on a wide range of categories, plus a cap that’s applied by year rather than by month, making it ideal for big ticket purchases. 

What’s new about the Citi SMRT Card?

Apply Here
SingSaver T&C	Citibank T&C

The Citi SMRT Card has an annual income requirement of S$30,000, and its S$192.60 annual fee is waived for the first 2 years- needless to say, you should cancel the card if the bank refuses to waive it subsequently. 

Cardholders will earn 5% cashback on the following transactions: 

• Supermarkets
• Online transactions (excluding travel* & mobile wallet)
• Taxi, Grab/gojek & public transport 

All other transactions earn 0.3% cashback. A minimum spend of S$500 per statement month is required to unlock the 5% cashback, which is capped at S$600 per membership year. Yes, membership year- unlike other cashback cards which employ a monthly cap, the Citi SMRT Card allows you to use the entire year’s cap at one shot. 

Let’s pause for a minute and consider the implications. With a 5% cashback rate and a S$600 cap, you could spend up to S$12,000 without going over. This removes the need to split up big ticket transactions with BNPL services or over multiple cards. 

It also means that if you see yourself using this card eventually, you should sign up now rather than later. Applying now starts the clock on your membership year, meaning your next cap reset will come around sooner.

I can’t think of any other cashback card on the market that uses a membership year cap, and the closest point of comparison from the miles world would be the OCBC Titanium Rewards, which awards 4 mpd on online and offline shopping capped at S$12,000 per membership year. The math is simple: if you value a mile at <1.25 cents each, then the Citi SMRT Card would be the preferred option. 

So I’d say it’s a great option for those looking to earn cashback, but do note the slightly annoying way Citibank handles it. While other banks will automatically use the current month’s cashback to offset the following month’s statement, Citi requires you to send an SMS to redeem your cashback:

You need to have accrued a minimum of S$10 cashback before you can make a redemption (equivalent to S$200 of spending @ 5%), and the S$10 blocks mean you may end up with orphan cashback. 

Cashback earned on the Citi SMRT Card is valid for 15 months from the date you opened the card or renewed it. For example, if I open this card in June 2021…

Application Steps

1. Apply through any of the links in this article
2. You will be directed to a SingSaver landing page. Enter your email address and click “confirm”
3. Complete your application and take a screenshot of the Application Reference Number (for Citibank, it’s 12 alphanumeric characters)
4. Fill in the SingSaver rewards form that will be sent to your email. It’s vital you fill in the form– no form, no reward. 

Your application must be received by 2359 on 19 August 2021 and approved by 30 September 2021 to be eligible. The full T&C can be found here. 

You’ll be able to indicate your choice of gift in the rewards form. FYI, the specific phone model you’ll receive is an OPPO Reno5 Z 5G Cosmo Blue. 

Qualifying Spend

The approved card must be activated and a minimum qualifying spend of S$200 made within the first 30 days of approval. 

“Qualifying Spend” refers to any retail transactions (including internet purchases) which do not arise from:

• any Equal Payment Plan (EPP) purchases,
• refunded/ disputed/ unauthorised/ fraudulent retail purchases,
• Quick Cash and other instalment loans,
• Citi PayLite/ Citi Flexibill/ cash advance/ quasi-cash transactions/ balance transfers/ annual card membership fees/ interest/ goods and services taxes,
• bill payments made using the Eligible Card as a source of funds,
• late payment fees
• any other form of service/ miscellaneous fees

For the avoidance of doubt, grocery voucher purchases will count towards the minimum spend requirement and earn rewards points as normal. Insurance, government, education bills and charitable donations will count towards the minimum spend requirement but will not earn cashback. 

Gift Fulfillment

All gifts will be fulfilled within 4 months of approval. 

Do note that you will not receive your gift immediately upon meeting the minimum spend- the reason for the delay is the need to confirm eligibility with the bank. Please take note of this timeline before applying, and only apply if you’re willing to wait. 

For those who want to track the fulfillment of their reward, SingSaver provides fulfillment timeline updates for Citibank and Standard Chartered cards on its website.

Any enquiries about gift fulfillment should be sent to info@singsaver.com.sg