DBS Altitude extends 21,000 miles sign-up offer; cuts minimum spend by 50%

DBS has launched a new sign-up offer for the DBS Altitude Card, which is valid for applications by 30 June 2023. 

The good news is that the minimum spend requirement has been cut in half compared to the previous offer, while the bonus remains the same. New cardholders can look forward to up to 21,000 bonus miles, with a minimum spend of just S$2,000 within 30 days of approval.

DBS Altitude Offers

DBS markets this as “up to 37,000 miles” because their working assumes that you pay the annual fee (+10,000 miles) and spend the entire S$2,000 on online airline and hotel bookings (+6,000 miles). My workings below have assumed the base case of local general spend @ 1.2 mpd.

There’s a separate offer for both new and existing customers. 

	DBS Altitude AMEX	DBS Altitude Visa
New Customers	21,000 bonus miles	15,000 bonus miles
Existing Customers	10,000 bonus miles	N/A

An additional 10,000 bonus miles can be enjoyed if you choose to pay the S$194.40 annual fee.

Regardless of which offer you pick, you’ll need to enter a certain promo code at the point of application (see below for details). Make sure to do this; no code, no bonuses!

There’s nothing stopping you from signing up for both the AMEX and Visa cards. However, you will only enjoy the new-to-bank bonus on the first card that’s approved. 

DBS Altitude AMEX sign-up offer

New-to-bank customers

DBS Altitude AMEX Apply
Promo Code	ALTMEX	ALTMEXW
Bonus Miles	21,000	21,000
Base Miles From S$2,000 Spend (@ 1.2 mpd)	2,400	2,400
Miles From S$194.40 Annual Fee	10,000	Fee waived
Total Miles	33,400	23,400

New-to-bank customers who apply for a DBS Altitude AMEX by 30 June 2023 (with approval by 14 July 2023) and spend S$2,000 within 30 days of approval will receive 21,000 bonus miles, on top of 2,400 base miles (assuming the entire S$2,000 is spent locally at 1.2 mpd). 

If they pay the S$194.40 annual fee, they’ll receive an additional 10,000 miles. 

Customers who wish to pay the annual fee can apply with the promo code ALTMEX, while those who want a first year fee waiver can apply with the promo code ALTMEXW.

The T&C of this offer can be found here.

Existing customers

DBS Altitude AMEX Apply
Promo Code	ALTMEXA	ALTMEXAW
Bonus Miles	10,000	10,000
Base Miles From S$2,000 Spend (@1.2 mpd)	2,400	2,400
Miles From S$194.40 Annual Fee	10,000	Fee waived
Total Miles	22,400	12,400

Existing customers who apply for a DBS Altitude AMEX by 30 June 2023 (with approval by 14 July 2023) and spend S$2,000 within 30 days of approval will receive 10,000 bonus miles, on top of the 2,400 base miles (assuming the entire S$2,000 is spent locally at 1.2 mpd). 

If they pay the S$194.40 annual fee, they’ll receive an additional 10,000 miles. 

Customers who wish to pay the annual fee can apply with the promo code ALTMEXA, while those who want a first year fee waiver can apply with the promo code ALTMEXAW.

The T&Cs for this offer can be found here. 

DBS Altitude Visa sign-up offer

New-to-bank customers

DBS Altitude Visa Apply
Promo Code	ALTVIS	ALTVISW
Bonus Miles	15,000	15,000
Base Miles From S$2,000 Spend (@ 1.2 mpd)	2,400	2,400
Miles From S$194.40 Annual Fee	10,000	Fee waived
Total Miles	27,400	17,400

New-to-bank customers who apply for a DBS Altitude Visa by 30 June 2023 (with approval by 14 July 2023) and spend S$2,000 within 30 days of approval will receive 15,000 bonus miles, on top of the 2,400 base miles (assuming the entire S$2,000 is spent locally at 1.2 mpd). 

If they pay the S$194.40 annual fee, they’ll receive an additional 10,000 miles.

Customers who wish to pay the annual fee can apply with the promo code ALTVIS, while those who want a first year fee waiver can apply with the promo code ALTVISW.

The T&C of this offer can be found here. 

Existing customers

There is no offer for existing DBS customers who sign up for a DBS Altitude Visa card. 

What counts as qualifying spend?

Cardholders are required to spend S$2,000 within 30 days of approval.

Qualifying spend consists of local and foreign retail sales and recurring bill payments, excluding the following:

When will the bonus miles be credited?

Miles from the payment of the S$194.40 annual fee will be credited within 90-120 days of card approval.

Bonus miles will be credited within 90-120 days from the date of card approval, assuming the minimum spend requirement has been met. 

What can you do with DBS Points? 

DBS Points earned on the DBS Altitude do not expire, and can be converted to any of the following frequent flyer programmes with a S$27 admin fee. DBS also offers automatic conversions to KrisFlyer for a 12-month period with a S$43.20 fee.

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (DBS Points: Miles)
	5,000: 10,000
	5,000: 10,000
	5,000: 10,000
	500: 1,500

In my opinion, it’s only worth transferring miles to KrisFlyer or Asia Miles. AirAsia BIG is more of a rebates program than a traditional frequent flyer scheme, and Qantas Frequent Flyer doesn’t have any real sweet spots for Singapore-based travellers (unless maybe you want to book a round-the-world trip, or domestic flights within Australia).

Are these offers worth it?

If you’re an existing DBS customer, definitely. It’s rare to see a sign-up offer for this group, so the opportunity to generate 10,000 bonus miles from S$2,000 of spend is very attractive indeed- that’s an average of 5 mpd!

If you’re a new DBS customer, you need to weigh the alternative offer of $150 cashback with a minimum spend of S$500 (it used to be S$300, but those good times have ended). That may or may not be a better deal than 21,000 miles with a minimum spend of S$2,000, depending on how much you value a mile.

Conclusion

DBS’s latest sign-up offer for the DBS Altitude Cards cuts the minimum spend in half, while maintaining the same number of bonus miles.

There’s something for both new and existing customers, and though it’s a no-brainer for the latter, the former should weigh the alternative option of a cashback gift instead.