Review: OCBC VOYAGE Card

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the OCBC VOYAGE Card, which became OCBC’s first-ever miles card when it launched in 2015. 

That’s right- it might surprise you to know that unlike other banks, which launched mass market miles cards before going premium, OCBC did things the other way round. In fact, it wasn’t until six years later that OCBC launched a mass market miles card with the 90°N.

As the bank’s flagship card, the VOYAGE has a lot resting on its shoulders. So is this a journey worth enjoying, or just a bad trip? 

OCBC VOYAGE Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
The OCBC VOYAGE Card is not without its charm, though it’s hard not to feel that better $120K options exist
👍 The good	👎 The bad
1.6 mpd general spend earn rate for Premier, PPC and BOS versions VOYAGE Miles can be used for any seat on any flight Non-expiring points and nine transfer partners Fee waiver with S$30-60K annual spend	Lounge visits exclude restaurants Only two lounge visits for supplementary cardholders  VOYAGE Miles no longer as valuable for commercial bookings Conversion ratios for most partners make transfers poor value High minimum spend for airport limo rides S$5 earning blocks
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: OCBC VOYAGE Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the OCBC VOYAGE Card.

Apply Here
Income Req.	S$120,000 p.a.	Points Validity	No expiry
Annual Fee	S$498	Min. Transfer	1 VOYAGE Mile (1 mile)
Miles with Annual Fee	15,000	Transfer Partners	9
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	S$25
Local Earn	1.3 mpd	Points Pool?	No
FCY Earn	2.2 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes
Special Earn	N/A	Airport Limo?	Yes
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The OCBC VOYAGE comes in metal card stock, duralumin to be precise. Duralumin is a strong, hard and lightweight aluminium alloy that contains copper, manganese, iron, and silicon, and is resistant to acid and seawater corrosion. I suppose that means you can go swimming with your VOYAGE Card (because why wouldn’t you?).

The current version of the VOYAGE Card weighs in between 8-20g.

Why the range of weights? Because there’s actually four versions of the VOYAGE. In addition to the basic OCBC VOYAGE, you have:

1. OCBC Premier VOYAGE, for clients of OCBC Premier (min. AUM S$350K)
2. OCBC PPC VOYAGE, for clients of OCBC Premier Private Client (min. AUM S$1.5M)
3. BOS VOYAGE, for clients of Bank of Singapore (min. AUM US$5M)

The main difference between the cards is the earn rate, as summarised in the table below:

💳 OCBC VOYAGE Cards
Card	Annual Fee	Local	FCY
OCBC VOYAGE	S$498	1.3 mpd	2.2 mpd
OCBC Premier VOYAGE	S$498	1.6 mpd	2.3 mpd
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	Waived	1.6 mpd*	2.3 mpd*
BOS VOYAGE	S$498	1.6 mpd	2.3 mpd
*2.3 mpd for local and overseas dining

It may seem odd that the OCBC PPC VOYAGE has an annual fee waiver, when the supposedly more high-end BOS VOYAGE does not, but that’s indeed accurate. Each business unit makes their own decision as to whether to absorb or charge the fees. 

The OCBC PPC and BOS VOYAGE Cards used to have access to the members-only Tower Club, but that ended in July 2024, and now the benefits of all four VOYAGE Cards, at least the published ones, are largely identical (aside from the fact that PPC customers get unlimited airport limo rides).

In this review, I’ll mostly be focusing on the basic version of the OCBC VOYAGE Card.

How much must I earn to qualify for an OCBC VOYAGE?

The OCBC VOYAGE has a minimum income requirement of S$120,000 p.a., which puts it in the so-called mass affluent segment alongside the Citi Prestige and DBS Vantage.

If you fall short of that mark but are otherwise asset rich, you can deposit funds to get Premier, PPC or BOS status, which would allow you to get the respective VOYAGE cards with a minimum income of just S$30,000 p.a., the MAS-mandated minimum. 

How much is the OCBC VOYAGE’s annual fee? 

The OCBC VOYAGE has an annual fee of S$498. Up to two supplementary cards are free for the first year, with an annual fee of S$191 subsequently.

Cardholders who spend at least S$60,000 in a membership year (S$30,000 for the OCBC Premier VOYAGE) will receive an annual fee waiver.

15,000 VOYAGE Miles will be awarded for paying the annual fee each year, which works out to about 3.32 cents per mile. Alternatively, cardholders can opt to pay an “upgraded ASF” for additional miles:

• S$3,270 for 150,000 VOYAGE Miles 
• S$10,200 for 500,000 VOYAGE Miles

This reduces the fee to 2.18 cents per mile (for the 150,000 miles option) or 2.04 cents per mile (for the 500,000 miles option). 

OCBC 90°N & VOYAGE Card annual service fee option: Should you upgrade for more miles?

How many miles do I earn?

SGD/FCY Spend

OCBC VOYAGE cardholders earn:

• 1.3 VOYAGE Miles for every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars
• 2.2 VOYAGE Miles for every S$1 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

1 VOYAGE Mile is worth 1 KrisFlyer mile, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.3 mpd for local spend and 2.2 mpd for FCY spend.

These are fairly competitive rates compared to other cards in the $120K segment, although OCBC’s punitive rounding policy (discussed later in this article) will result in a lower average mpd on smaller transactions. 

💳 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

Bonus Spend

The OCBC VOYAGE does not have a bonus spend category (though the OCBC PPC VOYAGE does earn 2.3 mpd on local and overseas dining).

That’s kind of a bummer, because it makes it really hard to rack up VOYAGE Miles in any significant quantity- unless perhaps you use CardUp or the VOYAGE Payment Facility. 

When are VOYAGE Miles credited?

VOYAGE Miles are credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days.

How are VOYAGE Miles calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the VOYAGE Miles earned on your OCBC VOYAGE.

One annoying thing about the VOYAGE (and all OCBC cards for that matter) is that transactions are rounded down to the nearest S$5. That means a S$14.90 transaction earns the same number of miles as a S$10 transaction, and a S$4.99 transaction earns no miles at all!

This rounding policy means that even though the OCBC VOYAGE may have the same headline earn rate as a competitor, the actual number of miles earned will be smaller. Below is a comparison with the Citi Prestige, which also offers 1.3 mpd on local spending.

	OCBC VOYAGE 1.3 mpd	Citi Prestige 1.3 mpd
S$5	7 miles	6.4 miles
S$9.99	7 miles	11.6 miles
S$15	20 miles	19.6 miles
S$19.99	20 miles	24.8 miles
S$25	33 miles	32.4 miles
S$29.99	33 miles	37.6 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for VOYAGE Miles?

A full list of ineligible transactions to earn VOYAGE Miles can be found in the OCBC VOYAGE T&Cs under section 1.4.

I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

• Charitable donations
• Education
• Government services 
• Public hospitals
• Insurance premiums
• Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay, YouTrip)
• Real estate agents & managers
• SimplyGo (Bus/MRT transactions)
• Utilities

For the avoidance of doubt, OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders will still earn miles for payments to private hospitals, including Mount Elizabeth, Mount Alvernia, Farrer Park, Gleneagles, Thomson Medical Centre, Parkway East and Raffles Hospital.

OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders will also earn miles with CardUp, and there’s an ongoing tie-up (see below) that gives a discount on the admin fee. 

What do I need to know about VOYAGE Miles?

Expiry

VOYAGE Miles earned on the OCBC VOYAGE do not expire, so long as the card remains active.

Pooling

VOYAGE Miles are a unique currency earned only on the OCBC VOYAGE, and since you can only hold one VOYAGE Card at a time, there’s no question of pooling. VOYAGE Miles cannot be combined with 90°N Miles or OCBC$ for redemptions.

You must redeem all your VOYAGE Miles before cancelling the OCBC VOYAGE, or else forfeit them.

Transfer Fees, Partners & Times

Historically speaking, OCBC cardholders have only been able to transfer miles to KrisFlyer, but in July 2023, an additional eight airline and hotel partners were added. 

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (VOYAGE Miles: Partner)
	1:1
	1,000 : 1,000
	1,000 : 1,000
	1,000 : 1,000
	1,000 : 900
	1,000 : 900
	1,000 : 750
	1,000 : 700
	1,000 : 500

Unfortunately, the ratios are extremely poor for partners other than KrisFlyer or Flying Blue. 

I would at the very least have expected Asia Miles to enjoy the same conversion ratio as KrisFlyer. That’s the way it is for every other bank on the market, and it effectively eliminates Asia Miles as a viable transfer partner. After all, why on earth would you take a 25% haircut on the value of your OCBC points (and therefore your card spending rebate) when no other bank forces you to do that?

Likewise, it’s disappointing to see that there’s a 10% haircut for British Airways Executive Club and Etihad Guest, when Citibank and HSBC  offer transfers to both at the same ratio as KrisFlyer.

As for hotel partners, the ratios for IHG and Marriott Bonvoy aren’t that appealing when you factor in the opportunity cost- you’re basically forgoing 1 KrisFlyer mile (~1.5 SG cents) for every IHG (~0.5 US cents/0.67 SG cents) or Bonvoy (~0.7 US cents/0.94 SG cents)

For what it’s worth, OCBC does offer occasional transfer bonuses. Some recent offers include:

• November 2024: 75% bonus to IHG One Rewards
• November 2024: 62% bonus to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• July 2024: 70% bonus to Marriott Bonvoy
• June 2024: 15% bonus to British Airways Executive Club

However, given that the baseline rates are so poor, all these bonuses do is to bring the rates in line with other cards, or add a small premium at best.

KrisFlyer

Transfers to KrisFlyer miles are done via the OCBC Rewards portal.

A 1:1 ratio is used, with a minimum transfer of just 1 VOYAGE Mile. Transfers used to be free, but now cost S$25 and are completed within 24 hours. 

Other programmes

Transfers to the eight other programmes are done via the STACK Rewards portal, under the Points Exchange tab.

Transfer ratios for VOYAGE to partner miles range from 1:1 to 2:1, with a minimum transfer of 1,000 VOYAGE Miles and subsequent conversion blocks of 100.

A fee of S$25 applies, and transfers are completed instantly.

Other card perks

Redeem VOYAGE Miles for any flight

One of the most unique features of the OCBC VOYAGE is the ability to redeem VOYAGE Miles for any seat, on any flight, to any destination. This is basically using VOYAGE Miles like cash.

To be clear, redeeming VOYAGE miles is not the same as redeeming KrisFlyer miles. 

VOYAGE Miles can be redeemed for any airline available through the VOYAGE Exchange (which would include every major carrier worldwide). KrisFlyer miles can be redeemed for Singapore Airlines or any of its Star Alliance/non-Star Alliance partners (which totals 30 at last count). 

When you redeem VOYAGE Miles, you have access to any seat available for sale. When you redeem KrisFlyer miles, you’re limited to the space that airlines have set aside for awards.

The number of VOYAGE Miles required depends on the cost of the ticket. If the ticket is more expensive, you’ll need more VOYAGE Miles. If the ticket is cheaper, fewer VOYAGE Miles. With KrisFlyer, the number of miles is fixed according to the award chart.

VOYAGE Miles can be used to pay taxes and surcharges for tickets, but if you redeem KrisFlyer miles, you’ll need to pay for these with cash. 

Since tickets purchased through the VOYAGE Exchange are basically the same as a cash ticket, you’ll earn miles and elite status credits (e.g. PPS Value) as per the fare class. KrisFlyer redemption tickets do not earn miles or elite status credits.

Long story short, each route has their own advantages. If you use VOYAGE Miles, you enjoy better availability and miles/elite status accrual, but lower value on a per mile basis. If you use KrisFlyer miles, you have less availability and no miles/elite status accrual, but higher value on a per mile basis.

So the question then becomes: what’s the value of a VOYAGE Mile when redeemed through VOYAGE Exchange?

Unfortunately, less than before.Once upon a time, cardholders could enjoy a valuation of about 2.2-2.3 cents per VOYAGE Mile, when redeemed for Business Class flights. In August 2023, the value was cut to 1.72 cents, with even lower value for Economy Class.

Complimentary airport limo rides

Principal OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders who spend at least S$12,000 per calendar quarter will receive two complimentary limo rides, capped at two rides per quarter and eight per calendar year.

This represents a significant devaluation compared to before, where cardholders who spent S$5,000 received one ride, capped at two rides per month and 24 per calendar year. On a per ride basis, it’s also one of the most expensive on the market. 

💳 Airport Limo Benefits (income req.: S$120K)
Card	Qualifying Spend	Cap
HSBC Visa Infinite	S$2K per month for 1 ride*	24 per year
Maybank Visa Infinite	S$3K per month for 1 ride	8 per year
Citi Prestige	S$12K per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
OCBC VOYAGE	S$12K per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
AMEX Plat. Reserve	N/A	N/A
DBS Vantage	N/A	N/A
SCB Visa Infinite	N/A	N/A
UOB VI Metal Card	N/A	N/A
*First 2 (Regular customer) or 4 (HSBC Premier) per year are free

That said, we’re seeing quite a few credit cards nerf their limo benefits due to rising costs, so unfortunately this is par the course.

OCBC VOYAGE limo rides are valid for trips to:

• Changi Airport (Terminals 1-4)
• Seletar Airport
• Marina Bay Cruise Centre
• Singapore Cruise Centre
• Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
• Queen Street Bus Terminal
• Woodlands & Tuas Checkpoints

Rides must be booked by contacting the VOYAGE Concierge at least 48 hours before the time of arrival at the airport

For avoidance of doubt, cardmembers can use the limo service before the minimum spend amount is met. At the end of the calendar quarter, charges will be waived based on the entitlements earned. If limo rides in excess of entitlements are used, a S$80 fee will be charged per transfer.

Unlimited complimentary lounge visits

Principal OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders enjoy unlimited DragonPass lounge visits, an improvement on the previous Plaza Premium-only arrangement. The DragonPass network numbers more than 1,300 lounges across 870 airports, and almost all Plaza Premium Lounges are part of DragonPass anyway.

However, this enhancement came at a cost because supplementary OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders lost lounge access. That move was partially reversed in July 2024, when supplementary cardholders started receiving two DragonPass visits per calendar year, but it’s still a far cry from before!

Lounge visits cannot be shared with a guest, and any accompanying guest will incur a US$32 fee. Another big drawback is that the DragonPass issued by OCBC VOYAGE does not cover airport restaurants, so you won’t be able to visit any of the 13 restaurants at Singapore Changi Airport, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

💳 Airport Lounge Benefits (income req.: S$120K)
Card	Lounge Network	Free Visits (Per Year)
		Main	Supp.
HSBC Visa Infinite	LoungeKey	∞	∞ Up to 5 supp. cards
OCBC VOYAGE	DragonPass	∞	2
Citi Prestige	Priority Pass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
UOB VI Metal Card	DragonPass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
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

VOYAGE Payment Facility

The VOYAGE Payment Facility is positioned as a way for VOYAGE Cardholders to pay their bills and earn miles in the process.

In reality, however, you don’t need a bill to pay. The VOYAGE Payment Facility is a “no questions asked” way of buying miles, with a price ranging from 1.9 to 1.95 cents apiece. 

A minimum of S$10,000 must be charged, in increments of S$100. 1 VOYAGE mile will be awarded for every S$1 charged to the payment facility. 

For example:

• A cardholder submits a form with a request for S$100,000
• OCBC charges S$101,950 to his OCBC VOYAGE Card (S$100,000 + 1.95% fee)
• OCBC credits S$100,000 to his designated bank account and awards 100,000 miles
• He uses the S$100,000 to pay off his VOYAGE card
• Nett cost= S$1,950 for 100,000 miles, cost per mile= 1.95 cents

Up to 90% of one’s credit limit can be requested through the VOYAGE Payment Facility. 

While this is a useful feature to have, it’s possible to buy miles for less using alternatives like CardUp or Citi PayAll.

Do note that VOYAGE Payment Facility transactions do not count towards the minimum spend required for limo rides, or for an annual fee waiver.

Special 1.5-1.8% admin fee with CardUp

OCBC VOYAGE and OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Cardholders enjoy a discounted admin fee of 1.5% (new) or 1.8% (existing) with CardUp, which reduces the cost per mile to as low as 0.92 cents apiece. 

Card	Earn Rate (mpd)	Cost Per Mile (1.5% fee)	Cost Per Mile (1.8% fee)
OCBC VOYAGE (Premier, PPC, BOS)	1.6	0.92¢	1.11¢
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3	1.14¢	1.36¢
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite	1.28	1.15¢	1.38¢

New CardUp users (defined as those who have yet to make a first payment on the platform) can use the code OCBC15 to enjoy a 1.5% admin fee on their first payment of any kind. 

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 December 2024, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 6 January 2025. No minimum payment is required, nor is there any maximum. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series.

Existing CardUp users can use the code OCBC18 to enjoy a 1.8% admin fee on any CardUp payment.

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 December 2024, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 6 January 2025. No minimum payment is required, nor is there any maximum. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series. 

1-for-1 dining offers

OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders receive periodic 1-for-1 offers and discounts at fine dining restaurants (such as QIN and Iggys), through the VOYAGE Gourmet Experiences platform.

The 1-for-1 offers are first-come-first-serve, and get sold out very quickly. To improve your chances of snagging a slot, subscribe to the OCBC VOYAGE Telegram Group, where news about these offers breaks first.

Upgrade to Sands Lifestyle Prestige tier

OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders can enjoy a complimentary 3-month membership upgrade to the MBS Sands Lifestyle Prestige tier. They can renew their membership for a further 9-month period by spending at least S$1,500 within the initial 3-month period, failing which they will be downgraded to the entry-level Lifestyle tier.

To upgrade their status, cardholders must visit one of the following locations in person

• Lobby, Hotel Tower 1
  Daily: 10am – 10.30pm
• The Shoppes, B1 (above Sampan Rides)
  Daily: 10am – 11pm
• The Shoppes, B2 (near Digital Light Canvas)
  Daily: 10am – 11pm

Sands Lifestyle Prestige members enjoy perks such as:

• Up to 20% instant Resort Dollars at over 250 outlets
• 10% savings on hotel room rate
• Preferential earning of up to 10% instant Resort Dollars at selected restaurants
• $4 Resort Dollar parking (with same-day spend)
• Complimentary tickets to Marina Bay Sands attractions (up to two tickets per day per attraction, capped at two per month)
  • Digital Light Canvas
  • Sampan rides
  • SkyPark Observation Deck 
• 1-for-1 ArtScience Museum exhibition tickets (up to four tickets per month)

The full list of perks can be found here.

If you’re an OCBC PPC or BOS VOYAGE Cardholder, you’ll be upgraded to the Sands Lifestyle Elite tier instead.

HoteLux membership

Benefit details

HoteLux is a hotel booking app that lets users book travel advisor rates such as Hyatt Prive, Marriott STARS, Rosewood Elite, Shangri-La Luxury Circle and Virtuoso at more than 4,000 luxury hotels worldwide. These rates typically include extra perks such as:

• Complimentary daily breakfast for two
• Room upgrades (subject to availability)
• Early check-in (subject to availability)
• Late check-out (subject to availability)
• Welcome amenity
• US$100 hotel credit 

A membership is required to use the app, and OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders receive a complimentary 12-month Elite membership and 1,000 points (worth US$100). 

OCBC Premier, PPC and BOS VOYAGE Cardholders receive a complimentary 12-month Elite Plus membership and 2,000 points (worth US$200). 

It should be pointed out that these travel advisor rates can also be booked for free through many travel agencies (e.g. Classic Travel), but the vast majority of these operate over the phone or email only. An app is a big convenience in that respect.

Do note that you can also get a free HoteLux membership with a World or World Elite Mastercard. 

Other Visa Infinite benefits

OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders will enjoy the following benefits provided by Visa Infinite:

• Avis President’s Club status
• 50% off weekday golf at 50 participating golf clubs across Southeast Asia
• 50% off weekday golf at Sentosa Golf Club
• Visa Luxury Hotel Collection

Terms & Conditions

• OCBC VOYAGE Card Terms & Conditions
• Annual Service Fee option
• Gourmet Experiences programme

Summary Review: OCBC VOYAGE Card

Apply Here

🦁 MileLion Verdict

☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It

On paper, the OCBC VOYAGE Card has a lot going for it: unlimited lounge access, airport limo rides, numerous transfer partners and the ability to redeem VOYAGE Miles for any seat on any flight.

However, a lot of those perks come with caveats attached. Only the principal cardholder gets unlimited lounge access, and it doesn’t cover restaurants. The airport limo rides require a hefty minimum spend of S$12,000 per quarter and unlike the Citi Prestige, there’s no Citi PayAll to help meet the threshold. Many of the transfer partners have abject transfer ratios that makes them virtually irrelevant. And the value of VOYAGE Miles has been cut significantly, which is a double whammy given the high premium cabin airfares we’re now seeing.

It’s certainly not the weakest player in the $120K segment (a title I’d award to the Maybank Visa Infinite), but it’s far from the leader too. I could understand why people might fancy it for the ability to get an annual fee waiver with S$30,000-S$60,000 annual spend — a relative rarity in the $120K segment — though keep in mind there’d be a lot of opportunity cost involved.