XNAP: Earn credit card rewards at QR-code only merchants

Credit cards not accepted? No problem- use XNAP to pay and earn miles or cashback at QR-code only merchants.

With the seemingly endless nerfs to GrabPay, those looking to earn credit card rewards at QR code-only merchants have been running short of options. AMEX Pay gets the job done, but isn’t accepted everywhere, and when LiquidPay removed support for credit card payments in Feburary, things looked grim. 

However, LiquidPay’s removal of credit card support coincided with their launch of a new platform called XNAP. XNAP looks to be a one-for-one replacement for LiquidPay, allowing users to earn credit card miles or cashback at merchants that don’t accept cards, such as hawkers, neighbourhood shops and pasar malam stalls (well, they’ll need all the help they can to cover that rent…).

How does XNAP work?

XNAP

XNAP only supports Apple Pay or Google Pay, so in other words, you can only use credit cards supported by Apple Pay or Google Pay. 

  Apple Pay Google Pay
Amaze âś– âś“
American Express âś“ âś“
Bank of China âś– âś–
CIMB âś– âś“
Citibank âś“ âś“
DBS âś“ âś“
HSBC âś“ âś“
Maybank âś“ âś–
StanChart âś“ âś“
OCBC âś“ âś“
UOB âś“ âś“

You can use the XNAP app (Android | iOS) to scan and pay any QR code that displays the XNAP logo.

Photo: Mickey

Do note that some older QR code displays may still show the previous LiquidPay logo. These will also work with the XNAP app. 

Anyway, a good rule of thumb is to just try and scan regardless of what logos are shown- maybe you get lucky. 

What do XNAP transactions code as?

XNAP transactions code as MCC 5814 Fast Food Restaurants, confirmed by emails from the LiquidPay team and in-field testing.

Credit: Chow

Which card should you use with XNAP?

Here’s the cards you can use to maximise miles on XNAP.

Card Earn Rate Remarks
UOB Lady’s Card
Apply
4 mpd* Max S$1K per c. month
UOB Lady’s Solitaire
Apply
4 mpd* Max S$2K per c. month
Citi Rewards + Amaze 
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1.5K per c. month
HSBC Revolution
Apply
4 mpd** Max S$1K per c. month
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1.1K per c. month

S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month
*Must declare dining as quarterly 10X category
**Ends 1 May 2024

You must use the Citi Rewards paired with Amaze to earn 4 mpd with XNAP. Using the Citi Rewards Card by itself will only earn 0.4 mpd, because of Citi’s blanket exclusion on mobile wallet payments. 

Conclusion

XNAP offers cardholders an opportunity to earn miles or cashback even at QR code-only merchants, and while these typically won’t be very large transactions, every little bit helps.

If you have more data points on how XNAP transactions are coding (and whether they’re earning bonuses), do give a shout out!

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Comments

24 COMMENTS

  1. Through the DBS Digibank app you can check the transaction type when you open up the credit card transaction info.
    If it shows up as ‘online/In-app payment’, there’s a high chance that it will accrue the bonus. Have yet to see an online/in-app payment not accrue points.

    Sidenote: AMEX Pay also allows you to pay for SGQR thru Amex credit cards and earn rewards so that’s an option too if XNAP/liquid pay’s not there.

    • “Through the DBS Digibank app you can check the transaction type when you open up the credit card transaction info.” I don’t see this on my app. Can you advise? Much thanks.

      • It’s available on the app – go to the credit card section on the main page, select the appropriate credit card, and you’ll see a list of transactions (latest transactions are under unbilled).

        Click any specific transaction to see details of it, which also includes transaction type (eg contactless, card presentation, online/in-app payment). If it’s not there, sometimes it takes a day or two to show up – it is only final if it’s a posted transaction

  2. How about using Alipay to scan QR for payment? I see that it is one of the options and that should earn some miles if we use the right credit card?

    • I’m pretty sure Alipay QR requires a China bank account to work. It is processed differently than Alipay in-app purchases that works with local credit card (count as online spend for 4mpd).

  3. Hi Milelion, how do I use the amaze+Citi rewards combo on xnap if amaze is not accepted on Apple Pay? I’m using an iPhone so Apple Pay is what works with xnap for me.

  4. Hi Aaron, Maybank cards work with Samsung Pay. My MB World Mastercard is saved and used on Samsung Pay for contactless payments.

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