Back in June 2022, DBS finally decided to join the $120K party with the DBS Vantage Card, its metal offering for the mass affluent segment.
The Vantage launched with a beefy 80,000 miles sign-up offer, plus an upsized 4 mpd on dining and petrol. Together with perks like an Accor Plus Explorer membership and 10 lounge visits, it was a very compelling proposition- at least for the first year.
But DBS is finding that a hard act to follow. The 4 mpd bonuses are no more, the DiningCity tie-up is over (not that it was worthwhile in the first place!), and even though the current welcome offer of 85,000 miles is actually even better than at launch, thatโs a first-year-only perk.
So all things considered, is there a case to be made for renewal?
 DBS Vantage Card |
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| ๐ฆ MileLion Verdict | |
| First Year | Recurring |
| โ Take It โ Take It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
โ Take It โTake It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
| What do these ratings mean? |
|
| While its sign-up bonus can make the first year lucrative, renewing the DBS Vantage Card for a second year is a much more marginal proposition | |
| ๐ The good | ๐ The bad |
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| Full List of Credit Card Reviews | |
Overview: DBS Vantage Card
Letโs start this review by looking at the key features of the DBS Vantage Card.
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|||
| Apply | |||
| Income Req. | S$120,000 p.a. | Points Validity | 3 years |
| Annual Fee | S$599.50 |
Min. Transfer |
5,000 DBS Points (10,000 miles) |
| Miles with Annual Fee |
25,000 | Transfer Partners |
4 |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | S$27.25 |
| Local Earn | 1.5 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 2.2 mpd | Lounge Access? | Yes: 10x Priority Pass |
| Special Earn | N/A | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The DBS Vantage comes in metal cardstock, and weighs in at 10g. That makes it one of the lighter metal cards on the market, if that sort of thing is important to you.
Although itโs made of metal, the card still has payWave capability (made possible by the much-criticised slit on the front near the chip, which is actually an embedded antenna). Alternatively, you can add it to Apple, Google or Samsung Pay and tap your phone to pay.
How much must I earn to qualify for a DBS Vantage Card?
The DBS Vantage Card has a S$120,000 p.a. income requirement, and DBS applies this very strictly.
How strict? For starters, you wonโt even be able to see the DBS Vantage Card on the DBS/POSB ibanking card application portal if your income records with DBS reflect earnings of less than S$120,000. Youโll need to update your income records with DBS before you can apply for the DBS Vantage Card. DBS/POSB customers can visit this link to update their income, which will take five working days to process.
Therefore, if you havenโt hit the magic S$120,000 figure yet, I wouldnโt be too optimistic about getting approved.
What sign-up offers are available?
 |
| Apply |
Customers who apply for a DBS Vantage Card by 30 September 2024, spend S$4,000 within 30 days of approval and pay the first yearโs S$599.50 annual fee will receive:
| New | Existing | |
| Pay S$599.50 annual fee | 25,000 miles | 25,000 miles |
| Spend S$4,000 within 30 days | 60,000 miles | 15,000 miles |
| Total | 85,000 miles | 40,000 miles |
| โ โNewโ Definition |
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| New cardmembers are defined as customers who are currently not holding on to any principal DBS/POSB Credit Card and have not cancelled any principal DBS/POSB Credit Card within the last 12 months. |
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This is an excellent offer if you ask me, even better than the offer at launch (80,000 miles with S$8,000 spend). Even if you donโt value any of the other benefits the Vantage has to offer, as a new-to-bank customer youโre paying just 0.71 cents per mile (S$599.50/85,000 miles). Itโs very hard to lose at that price.
For existing customers, itโs a more marginal 1.5 cents per mile (S$599.50/40,000 miles). You would probably want to assign a value to the Accor Plus Explorer membership and 10 lounge visits to bring down that figure to something more palatable.
How much is the DBS Vantage Cardโs annual fee?
| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First Year | S$599.50 | Free |
| Subsequent | S$599.50 | Free |
The DBS Vantage Card has an annual fee of S$599.50 for the principal cardholder, and no fee for supplementary cards.
For the sake of comparison, hereโs how that measures up to other cards in the $120K segment.
| Card | Annual Fee | Miles with AF |
 AMEX Plat. Reserve |
S$545 | 1N stay at Fraser properties + dining & lifestyle vouchers ๐ Recurring |
 Citi Prestige |
S$545 | 25,000 miles ๐ Recurring |
 DBS Vantage |
S$599.50 | 25,000 miles ๐ Recurring |
 HSBC Visa Infinite |
S$662.15 (S$497.12 for HSBC Premier) |
35,000 miles |
 Maybank Visa Infinite |
S$654 (1st yr. free) |
None |
 OCBC VOYAGE |
S$498 |
15,000 miles ๐ Recurring |
 SCB Visa Infinite |
S$599.50 | 35,000 miles |
 UOB VI Metal Card |
S$654 | 25,000 miles ๐ Recurring |
The first yearโs annual fee must be paid. Subsequent yearsโ annual fees can be waived if cardholders spend at least S$60,000 per membership year.
This S$60,000 figure consists only of retail spend, i.e. anything thatโs eligible to earn base rewards with the DBS Vantage. Refer to the section on exclusions below for more information on what does and doesnโt count.
Paying the annual fee gets you 25,000 miles in return, which means buying miles at ~2.35 cents each. While that sounds much higher than what a mile should be worth, you canโt take that figure in isolation since itโs necessary to factor in the other benefits of the card too.
| โ What do I get if I qualify for a waiver? |
| If you qualify for a subsequent year fee waiver, you will not receive the 25,000 miles. However, you will still receive all the other benefits, including a renewal of Accor Plus Explorer membership and 10 more lounge visits. |
How many miles do I earn?
| ๐ธ๐ฌ SGD Spending | ๐ FCY Spending | โญ Bonus Spending |
| 1.5 mpd | 2.2 mpd | N/A |
SGD/FCY Spending
DBS Vantage Card cardholders earn:
- 3.75 DBS Points for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars
- 5.5 DBS Points for every S$5 spent in foreign currency (FCY)
1 DBS point is worth 2 miles, so thatโs an equivalent earn rate of 1.5 mpd for local spending, and 2.2 mpd for FCY spending.
This makes the DBS Vantage among the highest-earning cards in the $120K segment, especially when you factor in its lack of minimum spend and rounding policy:
| ๐ณ Earn Rates for S$120K Cards (sorted by sum of local and FCY earn rate) |
||
| Card | Local | FCY |
| SCB Visa Infinite |
1.4 mpd# | 3 mpd# |
| UOB VI Metal Card |
1.4 mpd | 2.4 mpd |
| DBS Vantage |
1.5 mpd | 2.2 mpd |
| OCBC VOYAGE |
1.3 mpd | 2.2 mpd |
| Citi Prestige |
1.3 mpd^ | 2 mpd^ |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
1.2 mpd | 2 mpd |
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
1 mpd | 2 mpd |
| AMEX Plat. Reserve |
0.69 mpd | 0.69 mpd |
| ^Additional 0.02 to 0.12 mpd awarded based on tenure with bank #With minimum S$2K spend per statement month. Otherwise 1 mpd for both |
||
All FCY transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee, which is par the course for the market.
| ๐ณ FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network |
||
| Issuer | โ MC & Visa | AMEX |
| Standard Chartered | 3.5% | N/A |
| American Express | N/A | 3.25% |
| Citibank | 3.25% | N/A |
| DBS | 3.25% | 3% |
| HSBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| Maybank | 3.25% | N/A |
| OCBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| UOB | 3.25% | 3.25% |
| BOC | 3% | N/A |
| CIMB | 3% | N/A |
With a 2.2 mpd earn rate and a 3.25% FCY fee, using your DBS Vantage Card overseas represents buying miles at 1.48 cents apiece.
The DBS Vantage allows cardholders to switch between earning DBS Points or cashback, but Iโm ignoring the latter because it values your miles at an awful 1 cent each. Seriously, thereโs no need to ever dabble in that.
Bonus Spend
Unfortunately, the DBS Vantage Card has lacked a bonus earn category ever since the introductory 4 mpd on dining and petrol ended at the end of 2022. Since then, itโs only returned once, and even then on a limited-time basis for targeted cardholders.
Likewise, the 6 mpd bonus rate for Expedia flights and hotels ended on 31 March 2024 (along with the DBS Altitude), and has not been renewed.
When are DBS Points credited?
DBS Points will be credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days.
How are DBS Points calculated?
Some people get concerned when they read that DBS Points are awarded in S$5 blocks. Thatโs understandable, given how OCBC and UOBโs S$5 earning blocks result in lost miles from rounding, especially for small transactions (spend S$4.99? No points for you!).
The good news is that DBSโs calculations arenโt nearly as punitive. Hereโs how you can work out the DBS Points earned on your DBS Vantage Card.
| Local Spend | Divide transaction by 5 and multiply by 3.75. Round down to the nearest whole number |
| FCY Spend |
Divide transaction by 5 and multiply by 5.5. Round down to the nearest whole number |
Notice how the transaction is not rounded down to the nearest S$5; instead, itโs divided by 5 straight away. This means the minimum spend to earn points is:
- S$1.34, if spending in SGD
- S$0.91, if spending in FCY
If youโre an Excel geek, hereโs the formulas you need to calculate:
| Local Spend | =ROUNDDOWN ((X/5)*3.75,0) |
| FCY Spend |
=ROUNDDOWN ((X/5)*5.5,0) |
| Where X= Amount Spent |
|
For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
What transactions arenโt eligible for DBS Points?
A full list of transactions that do not earn DBS Points can be found at point 2.6 of the T&Cs.
Iโve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
- Amaze transactions (not that you could pair the DBS Vantage with Amaze anyway, since itโs a Visa card)
- Charitable donations
- Education
- Government institutions and services (court cases, fines, bail and bonds, tax payment, postal services, parking lots and garages)
- Hospitals
- Insurance
- Top-ups of prepaid accounts e.g. GrabPay and YouTrip
- Utilities bills
CardUp transactions are eligible to earn DBS Points. However, they do not count towards the minimum spend required for welcome offers, unless they code under MCC 6513. For more on this confusing distinction, refer to this post.
What do I need to know about DBS Points?
| โ Expiry | โ๏ธ Pooling | โ๏ธ Transfer Fee |
| 3 years | Yes | S$27.25 per conversion |
| โฌ๏ธ Min. Transfer | โ๏ธ No. of Partners | โฑ๏ธ Transfer Time |
| 5,000 DBS Points (10,000 miles) |
4 | 1-3 working days |
Expiry
DBS Points expiry can be a confusing matter, because different cards apply different policies. DBS Points earned on the DBS Vantage Card expire in three years.
This is rather disappointing, since DBS Points earned on the entry-level DBS Altitude Card never expire. All the same, I personally donโt consider non-expiring points to be that big a factor in deciding whether or not I get a card, since you get an additional three years validity once theyโre on the KrisFlyer side.
Pooling
DBS Points pool across cards for the purposes of redemption. If you have 10,000 DBS Points on the DBS Vantage Card and 5,000 DBS Points on the DBS Womanโs World Card, you can redeem 15,000 DBS Points at one shot and pay a single conversion fee.
However, DBS Points are not pooled when it comes to card cancellations. If I have a DBS Vantage Card and DBS Womanโs World Card and decide to cancel the former, Iโll need to transfer my points out before cancelling or forfeit them.
Partners and Transfer Fee
DBS partners with the following frequent flyer programmes, and a minimum conversion block of 5,000 points is required (letโs ignore AirAsia, because converting points there is like throwing them away):
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Ratio (DBS Points: Miles) |
 |
5,000: 10,000 |
 |
5,000: 10,000 |
 |
5,000: 10,000 |
 |
500: 1,500 |
Transfers cost S$27.25 per programme, regardless of how many points are transferred.
Do note that the DBS Vantage, surprisingly, is not eligible for DBSโs โauto conversion programmeโ (I initially thought it was an oversight, but DBSโs comms team has told me thatโs how it should be).
The auto conversion programme, for the uninitiated, charges a flat fee of S$43.60 per membership year, and automatically converts DBS Points to KrisFlyer miles each calendar quarter in blocks of 500 points. It is currently available to DBS Insignia, DBS Black Treasures Elite, and DBS Altitude cardholders.
Transfer Times
DBS tells customers to expect points to be credited in 1-2 weeks, but in reality it usually takes about 1-3 working days at the very most (at least for KrisFlyer, transfer times to other programmes can be longer).
If you need your points credited instantly, you can do so via Kris+. 100 DBS Points can be transferred to 170 KrisPay miles, which can then be transferred to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio.
 |
| S$5 for new Kris+ Users |
| Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction |
There are pros and cons to this:
Pros
- Minimum conversion block is reduced to just 100 DBS Points, versus 5,000 DBS Points if converting via DBSโs rewards portal
- Transfers from DBS to Kris+, and Kris+ on to KrisFlyer are instant
Cons
- Those 100 DBS Points would normally be worth 200 KrisFlyer miles, so a 15% haircut is incurred
Therefore I wouldnโt recommend taking this option, unless you need a small top-up to redeem a flight, or have an orphan DBS Points balance (<5,000 points).
If you choose to do so nonetheless, do remember that itโs a two-step process:
- Transfer DBS Points to KrisPay miles
- Transfer KrisPay miles to KrisFlyer miles
Do not forget the second step! If you wait more than seven days, or spend any of the converted KrisPay miles via Kris+, the entire balance will be stuck in the Kris+ app. KrisPay miles expire after six months, and can only be spent at a poor ratio of 150 miles = S$1.
Other card perks
10 free lounge visits
Principal DBS Vantage Cardholders are entitled to 10 free lounge visits per membership year, via Priority Pass. These lounge visits can be shared with guests; for example, the cardholder could bring his wife and use two visits at once, or could bring three family members and use four visits at once.
Only the principal cardholder is entitled to this benefit. Once free visits are exhausted, youโll be charged US$32 per additional visit.
10 passes may be more than sufficient for the casual traveller who doesnโt have kids, but everyone else may want to consider a $120K card that has unlimited lounge access.
| Card | Lounge Network | Free Visits (Per Year) |
|
| Main | Supp. | ||
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
LoungeKey | โ | โ |
| Citi Prestige |
Priority Pass | โ + 1 guest | N/A |
| UOB VI Metal Card |
Dragon Pass | โ + 1 guest | N/A |
 OCBC VOYAGE |
Dragon Pass | โ | 2 |
 DBS Vantage |
Priority Pass | 10 | N/A |
| SCB Visa Infinite |
Priority Pass | 6 | N/A |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
Priority Pass | 4 | N/A |
| AMEX Plat. Reserve |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Accor Plus
Principal DBS Vantage Cardholders receive a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership with one complimentary hotel night each year. This membership will be automatically renewed each year you retain the card.
This normally retails for S$418, and includes benefits such as:
- Up to 50% off dining at participating Accor hotels across Asia Pacific
- 15% off drinks bill in Asia
- 10% off the best available public rate
- Access to Red Hot Room sales with up to 50% off
- Accor Live Limitless Silver status
The full list of benefits can be found below.
The free hotel night can be redeemed at participating Accor properties across the Asia Pacific region, including the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, Mondarin Seoul Itaewon, and Sofitel Darling Harbour Sydney.
The other big draw of an Accor Plus membership are the dining discounts. The discount structure works like this:
- 25% off dining: 1 member only
- 50% off dining: 1 member and 1 guest
- 33% off dining: 1 member and 2 guests
- 25% off dining: 1 member and 3 guests
- 15% off drinks in Asia
Some examples of participating Accor Plus restaurants in Singapore include Prego, Mikuni and Asian Market Cafรฉ at the Fairmont, SKAI, The Stamford Brasserie, and CLOVE at Swissotel and The Cliff and Kwee Zeen at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort.
Summary Review: DBS Vantage Card
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|
| Apply | |
| ๐ฆ MileLion Verdict | |
| First Year | Recurring |
| โ Take It โ Take It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
โ Take It โTake It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
In the first year of membership, itโs hard to go wrong with the DBS Vantage Card. New-to-bank customers can enjoy a whopping 85,000 miles welcome offer, which should itself more than pay for the S$599.50 annual fee. Everything else is just the icing on the cake.
Itโs from the second year onwards that things get more dicey. Is an Accor Plus Explorer membership, 10 lounge visits and 25,000 miles worth the annual fee? It all boils down to your individual valuation, but when you consider that the Citi Prestige Card costs about 10% less, offers unlimited lounge visits for the cardholder and a guest, an airport limo benefit, the 4th night free on hotel stays, complimentary travel insurance, a wider variety transfer partners and Mastercard World Elite perks, itโs difficult not to feel like the Vantage asks more and gives less.
I suppose the flip side is that there is a route to an annual fee waiver with the Vantage by spending at least S$60,000 per year, but no similar option for the Prestige. Still, I can hardly sanction spending so much on a general spending card anyway- unless perhaps youโre talking about CardUp transactions where general spending cards are the only option.
So thatโs my review of the DBS Vantage Card. What do you think?
Can the Priority Pass allowances all be used in one go? Might come in handy at the PP restaurants/bars in places like SYD or MEL where a normal PP+Guest allowance ends at $72 (or zero for AmEx PP). Even handier if they did takeaway bottlesโฆ
Rule: 1 boarding pass = 1 PP swipe. the places which offer dining credit will follow this rule strictly, itโs part of the PP audit process. if you have 2 bp you can use 2 pp swipes etc.
PP T&C are not very clear when it comes to guests: they kind of say that itโs a lounge-based approach but then I could not spot the guest logo for the lounges Iโve looked up on PP website. Do you have more clarity on that, as in, 1 guest is always 1 additional swipe and, as long as I have not exhausted my credit card-sponsored PP allowance, I am good to go?
Hi Aaron
Thanks a lot for this, very helpful as always! Just to check on the below statement under โSGD/FCY Spendingโ, should it be โ1 DBS point is worth 2 milesโฆโ instead?
โ5 DBS points are worth 2 miles, so thatโs an equivalent earn rate of 1.5 mpd for local spending, and 2.2 mpd for FCY spending.โ
fixed that, thanks.
Having just used the Citi Payall for my tax and also paid the annual fee, Iโm struggling to see a reason to get this card as well.
Thatโs your problem, to me this card has little to do with annual fee/tax. So try better next time
Updated my income records (~100k) when applying for Womanโs World recently, was able to see the Vantage Card in the portal and received instant approvalโฆso just a data point for reference.
hi aaron, do you know if the yearly renewal comes with the accor plus membership too?
the answer is in the article
Already spent all my AF budget on AMEX Plat Charge lol
Do u think it makes sense to apply for AMEX Plat Charge just for benefits (And fringe usage like card of last resort for hospitals etc, 10x accelerator purchases). And use DBS Vantage for everything else.
Not the most efficient of course but lazy to track across too many cards.
Anyone knows if DBS tax facility qualifies for the 8K? Not direct to IRAS.
Got a similar query too. The expenses exclusion applies for DBS points thatโs something we all established.
But how about the $8k spending for the bonus miles. Can this be in any category?
Meaning to say, lets ignore the fact that itโs not economical miles wise to do so, but can you just spend $8k on hospital bills, donโt get the DBS points but meet the spending requirement for the bonus miles?
Hi, can I n ow of the Accor free night is only available for Asia hotel? Can I use it in Europe?
Asia is where you can find the most free hotel stays. No free night in the US just for reference. Europe might be similar too
By the way whatโs the mpd of this card?
literally the first few things mentioned at the top of the article
lol
Looks like this is a close fight with OCBC Voyage. Could you please share just between Vantage vs Voyage which one is better? TIA
Vantage is better, cos DBS is sponsoring theseโฆ
Understand insurance doesnt earn miles but can it qualify for the 8k spending for bonus miles?
Got the card. Got my Accor Plus membership. Itโs impossible to find any availability for the free 1 night (Accor Plus Stay Plus) anywhere. If you thought SQ Saver miles redemption is difficult, this looks like 10x more difficult. Strange why they make it so difficult as they charge 420 SGD for this.
agree, and actually can get a free room lower than $100, price above this either it is not available or you need to compensate
used this in Bangkok within the last 2 years, and was able to get 1 free night stay easily
Is the VTMILES code still applicable if Iโve submitted the income update earlier?
Think I have found the answer in TnC on 8 July 2022 10am. Weird that bank doesnโt proceed my income update request but adjusted based on my credit limit review request. I updated my income to apply for the DBS Vantage Card. However, I have missed the Up to 80,000 Miles Sign-Up Promotion. Do I have to call in for an extension? The promotion will be automatically extended to you if you have updated your income between 23 June to 27 June 2022 to apply for the DBS Vantage Card. You need not contact us to register. This promotion extensionโฆ Read more ยป
I applied under the original offer for 80k miles which stated I had to be approved by July 11th. I was only approved today. Do you know if Iโm still eligible?
Can confirm that it is shown on ibanking for 100k-ish annual income as well. Instant approval.
Understand Cardup (non rent) is being confirmed with DBS whether it will be considered as part of the 8k spending. What about rent via Cardup? Also ipaymy.com?
Hi Aaron, Since DBS Altitude has a auto conversion annual programme for flat fee and since vantage card points pools, does it mean the miles we earn on vantage card will auto convert to KF if we are on the Altitude auto conversion programme?
Will miles be accumulated if I use the DBS Vantage Card to make a payment through the Kris+ app? I see that only Amaze transactions have been excluded?
Iโve made some payments with Kris+ and they earned DBS points.
So just want to check, for the promo on the spending of 8K in 60 days part, does it to have to be the type that qualifies for points? Or can I literally just charge to my grabwallet and transfer back?
Could I check if you have the exclusions for the signup bonus before 1 Oct?
I met the criteria in Aug, and the customer services said it takes 120-150 days for miles to be credited. This is part of the terms and conditions. Just wondering, did anyone receive the Vanmiles reward miles or is everyone still waiting?
Same question as Gina, anyone received their miles yet?
Any idea if they are still going to give 4mpd on dining and petrol in 2023?
We will find out tomorrow!
Itโs been removed from website.. Sad
Sad; Wonโt be using the card much now.
Hi All,
I had spoken to DBS CSO, and it seems that Cardup payments are excluded from the $8K minimum spend in the first 2 months.
I thought this was mentioned before that Cardup was included and i also cant find any exclusion in the terms as well.
Is anyone facing the same issue or gotten your Cardup transactions included as part of the minimum spend?
Thanks.
cardup payments for rent are included in min spend, per my discussions with dbs. other cardup is not included for sign up bonus spend, but will still earn regular points
Thanks Aaron for the clarification.
Jumping on this thread to clarify, if Government institutions and services (court cases, fines, bail and bonds, tax payment, postal services, parking lots and garages) are not eligible for DBS Points does paying our IRAS Income Tax with the DBS Vantage card thru Cardup make any difference, ie earn 1.5mpd on our income tax payments?
you will earn 1.5 mpd on tax payments via cardup
Can this be used to earn 1.5mpd with simplygo?
The app supporting the card is hopeless. No visibility on points earned, cannot administer and no accrual of spending until the end of the statement period. Literally have to subtract the balance from your limit to figure out spending. Aministering the card and points in my view are key to a product that costs this much
Hi Aaron, thank you for your detailed analysis. Enjoyed it ๐
Will it be fair to say that aside from the elite ($500k) cards, Vantage is next best to rake up miles with Cardup, given 1.5 MPD and no limit placed on its miles earnings, esp with income tax and mortgages as the target items?
Hello Aaron! I read on DBS Vantageโs T&Cs that โpayments made to CardUp, FavePay, iPaymy and SmoovPay are also subject to the exclusions listed in Clauses 11 (a) to 11 (n) aboveโ. Does this mean that we canโt use DBS Vantage for 1.5 mpd for our insurance payments through CardUp anymore?
you will still earn base miles. however, such trxns will not count towards min spend for sign up bonuses
I think this card is way underrated. Frankly if you donโt have petrol spending, and this is your main CC so that you are spending more than 60k/year (can be achieved quickly if you pay Rent/Tax with third party service like Rent hero/CardUp) and all big expenses for your family, then I donโt see a better card. You basically donโt pay annual fees, having the highest mpd rate (excluding UOB ladyโs card of course) and if you donโt travel more than 4/5 times per year you can have enough lounge accessโฆ The Accor package allows you to have a complementaryโฆ Read more ยป
Do you work for DBS? You used Accor free night in a $500 worth room? Iโd say thatโs a lie. Iโve been using this card for 3 years and I have never seen any free room more than $150 value. Most of the rooms are only available on weekdays only. And pay rent with carup or rent hero? Letโs use rent hero, the lower 1.7% fee among two, for example. Only if u pay 2000sgd per month, the fee is 408 sgd per annum. Equivalent to you annual card fee.. so how is this underrated???
Using your numbers of monthly rental, 2k*12+408 = $24408 spending gives you 36612 miles. Even at a very conservative 1.1cpm cost, that breaks even with the $408 of cardup fees already.
This card is also definitely a no Brain for me, just like the prestige as well. More than happy to pay $599 here and $545 there each year.
Just book 1 hotel in Hong Kong worth $300+ per night for 2
Suggest to rewrite tbis to emphasize earlier the different and friendlier rounding policy compared to DBS Womanโs World. I did not understand tbe rounding policy in the preceding version of this article.
Also, CardUp is underemphasized here. If you are paying income tax on $300,000 annual income via CardUp or you are paying income tax plus rent via CardUp, a high earner can readily get a fee waiver with a lower cost per mile.
Hi What do you mean by โget a fee waiver with a lower cost per mileโ? I thought the article states that fee waiver with 60k spend means no renewal miles? Essentially the fee waiver route just gets the Accor Plus (10 lounge visits are not very useful if I have other PP-unlimited cards) right?
I have cut it up after a year. The annual fee simply isnโt worth it.
can check for subsequent years does spending 60k on cardup and ipaymy considered as fee waived or must it be only use on retail spend?
i know for a fact it does for cardup, so iโll assume it does on ipaymy too. Iโve not paid annual fee since the first year i paid when it launched. these days i use it almost exclusively for cardup. no 25k bonus miles, but i still get my annual 10x priority pass and accor plus renewed(including the 1 night free)
I think for those who are looking to apply this card should be advised that Accor Plus Explorer membership for the free hotel stay are only worth like $100+ as most availability are for Ibis hotelโฆ Premium hotel such as fairmount/sofitel & etc are NOT available 98% of the time. Even when theres available date, it would be on a weekday. rarely a friday pop out with additional charge YOU HAVE TO PAY (*Research basis in SG only)
Do you know if miles points will be awarded for using Cardup together with DBS Vantage Card for IRAS income tax and property tax payment ?