AMEX offering 1.8% fee with CardUp, buy miles from 0.98 cents

If you’ve been waiting for a CardUp offer for AMEX cards, here’s some good news. AMEX is offering new and existing CardUp customers a 1.8% and 1.9% admin fee respectively, which allows them to buy miles from 0.98 or 1.04 cents each.

These codes are valid for any type of CardUp payment made by 22 September 2023, be it rent, income tax, insurance premiums, MCST fees, season parking etc. 

CardUp offers for AMEX payments

CardUp x AMEX

The offers below are available for any AMEX card issued by American Express in Singapore, namely:

• AMEX Centurion Card
• AMEX Platinum Charge
• AMEX Platinum Reserve Credit Card
• AMEX Platinum Credit Card
• AMEX Rewards Card
• AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card
• AMEX PPS Club Credit Card
• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend 
• AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card
• AMEX HighFlyer Card

The AMEX True Cashback Card is explicitly excluded, as are AMEX cards issued by DBS and UOB.

New Users (AMEX18)

AMEX18
Limit	100 total redemptions (1x per user)
Admin Fee	1.8%
Min. Spend	S$500
Cap	S$7,000
Schedule By	22 Sep 23
Due Date By	27 Sep 23
Payment Type	One-off payment, or first payment of a recurring series

First-time CardUp customers can use the code AMEX18 to enjoy a 1.8% admin fee on their first payment of any kind. 

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp between 22 June and 22 September 2023, with due date between 27 June and 27 September 2023. A minimum payment of S$500 and maximum payment of S$7,000 applies.

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series, and a maximum of 100 redemptions are permitted (one redemption per user).

Existing Users (AMEX19)

AMEX19
Limit	150 total redemptions (1x per user)
Admin Fee	1.9%
Min. Spend	S$500
Cap	S$7,000
Schedule By	22 Sep 23
Due Date By	27 Sep 23
Payment Type	One-off payment, or first payment of a recurring series

Existing CardUp customers can use the code AMEX19 to enjoy a 1.9% admin fee on their first payment of any kind. 

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp between 22 June and 22 September 2023, with due date between 27 June and 27 September 2023. A minimum payment of S$500 and maximum payment of S$7,000 applies.

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series, and a maximum of 150 redemptions are permitted (one redemption per user).

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs for both the AMEX18 and AMEX19 codes can be found here.

How much is the cost per mile?

Here’s the cost per mile for various AMEX cards in Singapore, given their earn rates and a 1.8/1.9% admin fee.

Card	Earn Rate	Cost Per Mile (1.8% fee)	Cost Per Mile (1.9% fee)
AMEX HighFlyer Card	1.8	0.98	1.04
AMEX Solitaire Card	1.3	1.36	1.43
AMEX PPS Card	1.3	1.36	1.43
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	1.2	1.47	1.55
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	1.1	1.61	1.70
AMEX Centurion	0.98	1.80	1.90
AMEX Platinum Charge	0.78	2.27	2.39
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	0.69	2.56	2.70
AMEX Platinum Reserve	0.69	2.56	2.70

The best option here would be to use the AMEX HighFlyer Card if you happen to have it, otherwise the other AMEX KrisFlyer cards. Unfortunately, the cost per mile for the Centurion and Platinum cards will be much higher, due to their relatively low earn rates. 

However, CardUp spending does count towards the minimum spend required for AMEX welcome offers, so it still might be justifiable to use one of the lower-earning AMEX cards in certain circumstances.

Using Visa or Mastercard?

The AMEX codes above apply to all types of CardUp payments. However, if you’re looking to pay income tax specifically, you might want to consider the following codes for Visa and Mastercard cardholders. 

CardUp, after all, is a pure numbers game in that it’s all about using the highest earning general spending card. Given that Visa cards earn up to 1.6 mpd in Singapore, and Mastercard cards up to 1.4 mpd, you could potentially derive a lower cost per mile this way. 

For the full guide on how to pay your income tax with a credit card, refer to the article below.

2023 Edition: Earning credit card miles on IRAS income tax

Conclusion

CardUp has launched a promotion for new and existing customers using American Express cards, which runs from now till late September. Depending on which card you have, you could be buying miles from as little as 0.98 cents apiece.

These codes have limited redemptions only, so be sure to redeem them ASAP.