Here’s the MileLion’s review of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, the Blue and Pink dynamic duo that’s been a fixture in many miles chasers’ wallets ever since its 2016 relaunch.
But maybe not anymore.
Oh yes, we’ve had some good times with this card. Who can forget the heady days of 4 mpd everywhere via mobile payments, 12 mpd on public transport, 12 mpd on IKEA, and 8 mpd on online shopping during the pandemic?
Sadly, OCBC now seems fixated on tightening its belt. On 1 November 2023, the OCBC Titanium Rewards was on the receiving end of a massive nerf which saw the bonuses for electronics stores, IKEA and Courts removed, and the 4 mpd cap changed from S$13,335 annually to S$1,110 per month. As painful as the former was, it’s the latter that really nuked the value proposition, since the main use case for this card was big ticket spending.
In short, the once-essential Titanium Rewards has suffered a dramatic fall from grace, and I shed few tears when cancelling my card.
 OCBC Titanium Rewards | |
| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |
| ☐ Take It Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It | |
| What do these ratings mean? | |
| With its 4 mpd now capped by month instead of year and a restrictive whitelist, there’s very few things the OCBC Titanium Rewards does that other cards can’t do better. | |
| 👍 The good | 👎 The bad |
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Overview: OCBC Titanium Rewards
Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card.
| |||
| Apply | |||
| Income Req. | S$30,000 p.a. | Points Validity | 2 years |
| Annual Fee | S$194.40 (2 Years Free) | Min. Transfer | 25,000 OCBC$ (10,000 miles) |
| Miles with Annual Fee | None | Transfer Partners |
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| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | S$25 |
| Local Earn | 0.4 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 0.4 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 4 mpd on online and offline shopping | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
As you might have already observed, there are two variants of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card: the Blue and the Pink. Both cards are identical in every way except colour.
Curb your stereotypes: men are perfectly at liberty to apply for the Pink, and women the Blue. In fact, you might even want to swing both ways and get both, because each card has its own bonus cap and OCBC$ pool.
We’ll discuss this more below.
How much must I earn to qualify for an OCBC Titanium Rewards Card?
The OCBC Titanium Rewards card has a minimum income requirement of just S$30,000 p.a., the MAS-mandated minimum.
If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, it’s possible to get a secured version of the card by depositing S$10,000 in a fixed deposit with OCBC. Visit any OCBC branch to do the necessary paperwork.
How much is the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card’s annual fee?
| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First 2 Years | Free | Free |
| Subsequent | S$194.40 | S$97.20 |
The OCBC Titanium Rewards Card has an annual fee of S$194.40 for the principal cardholder, and S$97.20 for each supplementary card. These fees are waived for the first 2 years.
A fee waiver will be automatically granted if you spend at least S$10,000 in a membership year, though based on personal experience, OCBC is not very strict about this requirement.
No points are awarded for the payment of the annual fee.
How many miles do I earn?
| 🇸🇬 SGD Spend | 🌎 FCY Spend | ⭐ Bonus Spend |
| 0.4 mpd | 0.4 mpd | 4 mpd on selected online and offline shopping |
SGD/FCY Spend
OCBC Titanium Rewards Card members earn:
- 5 OCBC$ for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars
- 5 OCBC$ for every S$5 spent foreign currency (FCY)
1 OCBC$ is worth 0.4 airline miles, so that’s an effective earn rate of 0.4 mpd for both local and FCY spending.
All transactions in FCY attract an FCY fee of 3.25%.
Online and Offline Shopping
OCBC Titanium Rewards Card members earn 50 OCBC$ for every S$5 spent (4 mpd) on online and offline shopping, whether in local or FCY spend. This is capped at 10,000 bonus OCBC$ per calendar month, or S$1,110 per calendar month.
Caps are applied on a card basis. If you have both the Blue and Pink versions of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, you’ll enjoy a combined monthly 4 mpd cap of S$2,220 (S$1,110*2).
Prior to 1 November 2023, the bonus cap was applied per membership year, allowing cardholders to utilise their entire 4 mpd cap on a single big ticket purchase of up to S$13,335. That’s no longer possible, and nerfs one of the best use cases for this card.
Moreover, it was relatively easy to make one large transaction that maxed out the 120,000 bonus OCBC$ cap, then stop spending on the card for the rest of the year. Now, you’ll have to make transactions of S$1,110 for 12 consecutive calendar months, which realistically speaking means bonus OCBC$ left on the table.
What is online and offline shopping?
OCBC defines shopping as purchases made at any merchant with the following MCCs:
| 💳 OCBC Titanium Rewards Bonus Whitelist | |
| MCC | Examples (non-exhaustive) |
| MCC 5309 Duty Free Stores | Lotte Duty Free, King Power Duty Free, The Shilla Duty Free |
| MCC 5311 Departmental Stores | Takashimaya, TANGS, Isetan, OG, Metro, BHG, Marks & Spencer |
| MCC 5611 Men’s and Boys’ Clothing and Accessories Stores | Benjamin Barker, Timberland, Edit Suits, Berluti |
| MCC 5621 Women’s Ready to Wear Stores | Zara, H&M, Mothercare |
| MCC 5631 Women’s Accessory and Speciality Stores | Tory Burch, Love Bonito, Pandora |
| MCC 5641 Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores | Kiddy Palace, Mummys Market, Pupsik, Motherswork |
| MCC 5651 Family Clothing Stores | Uniqlo, ASOS, Club 21, Burberry, Yoox |
| MCC 5655 Sports and Riding Apparel | Nike, Lululemon, Adidas |
| MCC 5661 Shoe Stores | Skechers, Charles & Keith, Bata, Foot Locker, Pazzion |
| MCC 5691 Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores | Ezbuy, Zalora, Fartech |
| MCC 5699 Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops | Qoo10, Cotton On, Reebonz |
| MCC 5941 Sporting Goods Stores | Decathlon, Fila, New Balance |
| MCC 5948 Luggage or Leather Goods Stores | Louis Vuitton, Coach, Rimowa |
Key changes that took place on 1 November 2023:
| ❌ Removed | ✅ Added |
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For avoidance of doubt, Amaze does not change the MCC of a transaction, so all the abovementioned transactions will still earn bonuses when you pair the OCBC Titanium rewards Card with Amaze. This could come in useful when shopping at overseas factory outlet stores, for example.
In addition to this, transactions at the following merchants are also eligible for 4 mpd:
| 🛒 Specified Merchants | |
|
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| ^Amazon and Mustafa Centre transactions under MCC 5411 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$ *Shopee Pay transactions under MCC 5262 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$ | |
Key changes that took place on 1 November 2023:
| ❌ Removed | ✅ Added |
|
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Do note that bonuses are awarded based on specific merchant name, so if you use a card that modifies the name of the merchant (e.g. Amaze), you will not earn the bonus.
Historically speaking, the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card has ran some fantastic bonus points promotions, which are a great way to pick up a few more miles. Unfortunately, these have since dried up, and the last one we saw was in October 2020.
- 2017 and 2018: 4 mpd on all mobile payments
- January 2018: 4 mpd on dining
- March 2018: 12 mpd at IKEA
- May 2018: 8 mpd on Emirates
- July 2018: 12 mpd at ZALORA
- November 2018: 12 mpd on public transport
- April 2019: 8 mpd on Deliveroo, foodpanda, Netflix
- October 2020: 8 mpd on Amazon, Qoo10, Shopee
Many of these promotions are targeted. To receive these alerts, ensure you’ve given consent to receive marketing messages from OCBC (you can opt in via ibanking).
When are OCBC$ credited?
Base points will be awarded when the transaction posts (typically in 1-3 working days).
Bonus points will be received by the end of the next calendar month.
| Base Points (1X) | Credited when transaction posts |
| Bonus Points (9X) | Credited by the end of the next calendar month |
How are OCBC$ calculated?
Here’s how you can work out the OCBC$ earned on your OCBC Titanium Rewards Card:
| Base Points (1X) | Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 5 |
| Bonus Points (9X) | Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply 45 |
On 1 June 2020, OCBC started awarding credit card points in blocks of S$5. This means you’ll be penalised should your transaction not be in a block of S$5. For example, a S$9.90 transaction will earn the same number of points as a S$5 transaction, and a S$4.99 transaction will earn zero points. In other words, the minimum transaction to earn points is S$5.
Here’s how this policy affects the miles you earn on the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, compared to another 4 mpd card like the Citi Rewards.
 OCBC Titanium RewardsEarn Rate: 4 mpd |  Citi RewardsEarn Rate: 4 mpd | |
| S$5 | 20 miles | 20 miles |
| S$9.99 | 20 miles | 36 miles |
| S$15 | 60 miles | 60 miles |
| S$19.99 | 60 miles | 76 miles |
| S$25 | 100 miles | 100 miles |
| S$29.99 | 100 miles | 116 miles |
If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points:
| Base Points (1X) | =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*5 |
| Bonus Points (9X) | =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*45 |
| Where X= Amount Spent | |
For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
OCBC does provide a breakdown of points earned, though this is somewhat poorly executed since OCBC uses reference numbers rather than merchant names for tracking. You’ll need to cross reference your card statement to figure out which transaction is which.
Full instructions are provided below.
What transactions aren’t eligible for OCBC$?
A full list of transactions that do not earn OCBC$ can be found in the T&Cs.
I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
- Charitable Donations
- Education
- GrabPay Top-ups
- Government Services
- Insurance Premiums
- Non-profit and Government Hospitals
- Real Estate Agents & Managers
The OCBC Titanium Rewards will not earn 4 mpd on platforms like CardUp, ipaymy and RentHero. You can earn points on Bus/MRT rides with SimplyGo, but there’s no reason to settle for 0.4 mpd when much better options exist.
For avoidance of doubt, Amaze transactions are eligible to earn 4 mpd with the OCBC Titanium Rewards, subject to the MCC falling under the relevant bonus categories.
What do I need to know about OCBC$?
| ❌ Expiry | ↔️ Pooling | 💰 Transfer Fee |
| 2 years | Yes | S$25 (per conversion) |
| ⬆️ Min. Transfer | ✈️ No. of Partners | ⏱️ Transfer Time |
| 10,000 OCBC$ | 9 | <24 hours |
Expiry
OCBC$ earned on the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card expire after 2 years.
For example, OCBC$ earned from 1-31 July 2020 will expire on 31 July 2022, and OCBC$ earned from 1-30 November 2023 will expire on 30 November 2025.
Pooling
OCBC$ pool across all cards that earn OCBC$, but not with OCBC’s other rewards currencies (Travel$, VOYAGE Miles).
For example, if you have 20,000 OCBC$ on both the Blue and Pink versions of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, you can redeem 40,000 OCBC$ at one shot and pay a single conversion fee. However, you cannot combine Travel$/VOYAGE Miles together with OCBC$ in a single redemption.
Since OCBC$ pool, you do not need to transfer them out before cancelling your OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, assuming it’s not your last OCBC$-earning card.
Transfer Partners & Fee
After numerous delays, OCBC has finally added eight new airline and hotel partners to its repertoire.
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Ratio (OCBC$ : Miles) |
 | 25,000 : 10,000 |
 | 10,000 : 4,000 |
 | 10,000 : 4,000 |
 | 10,000 : 4,000 |
 | 10,000 : 3,600 |
 | 10,000 : 3,600 |
 | 10,000 : 2,900 |
 | 10,000 : 2,800 |
 | 10,000 : 2,000 |
Unfortunately, the transfer ratios for the eight new partners leave a lot to be desired.
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 the HSBC TravelOne Card offer transfers to both at the same ratio as KrisFlyer.
It’s true that United MileagePlus does enjoy a slightly better ratio via OCBC than Standard Chartered (3,500 SC points = 1,000 United miles), but we’re really talking fine margins here. Moreover, MileagePlus isn’t anywhere as useful as it used to be- while it absorbs fuel surcharges on redemptions (very handy for Lufthansa awards), the programme received a massive nerf in early June.
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)
What about Accor? This is an easier comparison since Accor works like a cashback programme where 2,000 points = €40. This implies an opportunity cost of 1.5 SG cents per KrisFlyer mile, which is marginal, really. I would only consider it if Accor brings back one of its conversion bonuses.
Regarding minimum conversion blocks:
- Transfers for KrisFlyer miles must be in blocks of 25,000 OCBC$
- Transfers for all other programmes must be a minimum of 10,000 OCBC$, but subsequent conversions can be in blocks of 1,000 OCBC$.
A S$25 fee applies to all conversions.
Transfer Times
OCBC splits its partners across two different platforms:
- Transfers for KrisFlyer miles are done via the OCBC Rewards portal, and are usually processed within 24 hours
- Transfers for the other programmes are done via the STACK Rewards portal, under the Points Exchange tab. Transfers should be more or less instantaneous (with the exception of Accor Live Limitless, which will take a few working days), because they’re powered by Ascenda Loyalty which has a direct API linkage with the airlines.
Other card perks
Bonus interest with OCBC 360 account
| 🏦 New OCBC 360 Structure (From 1 Nov 2022) | ||
| First S$75K | Next S$25K | |
| Salary | 2.0% | 4.0% |
| Save | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| Spend | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Wealth (Insure) | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| Wealth (Invest) | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| Base Interest | 0.05% | |
| Max EIR | 7.65% | |
| Additional Grow bonus of 2.4% p.a. available if minimum ADB at least S$200,000 | ||
OCBC Titanium Rewards Cardholders who spend at least S$500 per month on their card will be eligible for a bonus 0.6% p.a. on the first S$100,000 in an OCBC 360 Account.
Assuming you keep the full S$100,000 inside, that works out to an extra S$600 interest per year.
Terms and Conditions
Summary Review: OCBC Titanium Rewards Card
| |
| Apply | |
| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |
| ☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It |
At the start of 2023, I’d have considered the OCBC Titanium Rewards to be essential because it filled a role that no other card could: big ticket purchases. If you were splurging on the latest iPhone, on buying furniture for your new house at IKEA or Courts, this was undoubtedly the card to use.
But following the 1 November 2023 nerf, I can think of half a dozen or so cards I’d sooner use before the Titanium Rewards.
| Card | Earn Rate | Cap | Remarks |
 Citi Rewards CardApply | 4 mpd | S$1K per s. month | Online spend ex. travel |
 DBS WWMCApply | 4 mpd | S$2K per c. month | Online spend |
 HSBC RevolutionApply | 4 mpd | S$1K per c. month | Groceries, dining, travel, transport, shopping |
 UOB Lady’s CardApply | 6 mpd | S$1K per c. month | Choice of 1 bonus category |
 UOB Lady’s SolitaireApply | 6 mpd | S$3K per c. month | Choice of 2 bonus categories |
 UOB Pref. Plat. VisaApply | 4 mpd | S$1.1K per c. month | Mobile contactless spend |
 UOB Visa Signature Apply | 4 mpd | S$2K per s. month* | Contactless spend |
| *Min S$1K spend per statement month | |||
All these cards offer:
- Comparable or higher earn rates
- Comparable or higher monthly bonus caps
- a wider range of bonus categories
I want to expand on that third point a bit more because it cuts to the heart of the issue. The OCBC Titanium Rewards has one of the smallest whitelists of any specialised spending card. Cardholders could close one eye when an annual bonus cap was in place, but change it to a monthly one, and it quickly drops to the back of the pecking order.
To be clear, there are scenarios where someone could find the OCBC Titanium Rewards useful, but they’re very specific ones where (1) you’re a big spender who maxed out the bonus caps on other 4-6 mpd cards already or (2) you’re buying a big ticket item where the cost can be split over several cards, and said item falls into the Titanium Reward’s whitelist.
It just doesn’t seem to be worth the hassle for me, and that’s why this once-essential card is now something I can easily do without.
So that’s my review of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card. What do you think?
Overall a solid card. I think it would be 4.5* if OCBC had a greater range of transfer partners.
Was careful to rate it a step below wwmc, because of xfer partners + More restricted 4 mpd
Personally, I feel that they cater to different use cases, although I see where you’re coming from. This would be the card I use if I had a purchase costing more than $2K.
“For example, if you have 20,000 OCBC$ on both the Blue and Pink versions of the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, you can redeem 40,000 OCBC$ at one shot and pay a single conversion fee.” I think the example is slightly misleading as you cannot redeem 40,000 OCBC$ at one shot since you must convert in multiples of 25,000 OCBC$. Also, it seems from OCBC rewards redemption website that it is possible to transfer OCBC$ from one principal cardholder to another principal cardholder for 2,300 OCBC$ which may be useful if you have less than 25,000 OCBC$ and wish… Read more »
Hi, anyone knows if there’s a way to track how much I’ve spent in the membership year?
I had to call them to check and confirm. Other way is pretty manual i.e. going through the statements (can do on their app) but only for up to 180 days
Does this work when you link the card to the Amaze card?
Think it does. But unsure how it will work overseas, cos now cannot find the MCC of merchants easily, let alone overseas.
Let’s say I’m going to Uk/France, any tips on finding out whether I can get 4mpd on shops like Primark or even boutiques like Chanel/LV?
Recently used the OCBC Titanium Rewards card at Goyard in Paris and was suprised to learn that the MCC for Goyard is 7631 – Clock, Jewellery and Watch Repair from the OCBC CSO so no bonus points. I did point out to the CSO that the MCC doesn’t seem correct because Goyard does not sell clocks, jewellery or watches? Anyway, it doesn’t seem to make any difference for the bonus. I wished there were a comprehensive list/warning list which stores (local & overseas) will not get bonus with OCBC Titanium Rewards but also it would be great if OCBC would… Read more »
All’s good until they refuse to waive off annual fee…
exactly. ocbc gives 0 customer leeway.
Just to clarify that we won’t get the bonus points if we buy airline tickets such as Singapore Airlines, or buy cruise packages with this card since no related MCC could be found in the T&C?
Can’t recall the annual spending requirements for wavier but mine seems to get have annual fee waived off automatically so it’s been a no brained for me to keep this card.
@aaron do you put annual fee cost and waivers into rating consideration
due to the MCC issue, Was not given bonus point last i swiped it in LV store in MBS, learnt the lesson hardway
wow must be painful! what was LV’s MCC?
Based on data points, LV should be 5948 – uggage and leather goods. Would be good if there is a crowd source consolidated list of data point for shopping boutiques
but you don’t need to guess anymore….
https://milelion.com/2022/10/08/how-to-check-merchant-category-codes-mccs-before-spending/
Big purchase coming up, car downpayment of at least 12k, but dont think this card earn any bonus points at car dealers?
Do you know if we’re getting the bonus if we shop on Amzon fresh?
for the 9x bonus points, it will be eligible if I buy something from Apple online store or Courts online store via apple pay using OCBC titanium credit card?
Hello, i am new to the miles game so trying to understand all the benefits/limitations. I have a question for points validity. I am someone who intends to keep my points/miles to hopefully redeem an upgrade for a flight in the future – i can see that the citipremier miles has no expiry so for this purpose it would be good, but it is 1.2 mpd. Does that mean that, for this purpose (keep points for future flight upgrade), cards that have points expiry (e.g. womans card that is 4mpd but validity of 1 year) will not be of use… Read more »
Effective timeline for your exame would be 1 year as reward points + 3 years (assuming krisflyer) as frequent flyer points after transfer
Does anyone know if Shopee pay top ups are eligible for bonus OCBC$? Thanks!
could you kindly try top up a bit and see how it goes? Kindly share with us here!
@Aaron Wong, do you know of any card that gives 4mpd for watch purchases in boutique shops? Seems like they fall under MCC5944, which does not fall under the OCBC titanium or Citi Rewards shopping categories? Amaze would only cover the first 1K…
@Aaron: I assume this card is no good for Airline ticket purchase (eg: Business class to Europe). I struugle currently with monthly spending caps of Citi Rewards and HSBC Revo when I have to buy business class tickets
you can use the DBS altitude visa for 3mpd capped at $5k per month
i Have gotten the card approved on 19 Jan 2023 for exiting card holder and made the $100 spending within 30 days but the Product Manager mentioned to the service agent that my application is not tagged along the promotion and I am wondering what kind of tag they are referring.
Limited MCCs…
Is there any CC worth using for say, Rimowa luggage purchase over 2K SGD? Or is it just local general spending being the only way?
This card is it good for payment for Rimowa luggage?
Should be “Shopee Pay transactions under MCC 5262 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$” instead of 5626, at least according to TnC governing OCBC Titanium Rewards Programme with effect from 1 Mar 2023
Hi all, anyone knows if Chanel qualify in any of the mcc categories for ocbc titanium card?
Starting from 01 Nov2023, MCC 5732 Electronics Stores, MCC 5045 Computers, Peripherals, and Software will be excluded from the bonus. How sad
Hi! Where did you get this info? I am planning to purchase a Mac Mini at the Apple Store soon. Will this be affected?
https://milelion.com/2023/10/01/nerf-ocbc-titanium-rewards-to-cap-bonus-ocbc-by-month-remove-bonus-for-electronics/
Thanks Aaron. I’m fairly new with this whole thing of cards mile game and learned most of it from your milelion. Actually i’ve just received my Titanium, Citi Rew, HSBC Revo and DBS Womans this month.
somehow with this nerfing of the OCBC card, it diminished its value prop especially with my intention purchasing big electronics items , ~8k. Any advice or work around on this? Appreciate your patience on a noob like me.
Hello Aaron, I’m confused by the below 2 paragraphs: “For avoidance of doubt, Amaze does not change the MCC of a transaction, so all the abovementioned transactions will still earn bonuses when you pair the OCBC Titanium rewards Card with Amaze. This could come in useful when shopping at overseas factory outlet stores, for example. ” And then in a later paragraph: “Do note that bonuses are awarded based on specific merchant name, so if you use a card that modifies the name of the merchant (e.g. Amaze), you will not earn the bonus.” So would using Amaze get the… Read more »
the two statements can be true at the same time.
100% agree. Leave it. Most useles bank and useless card in Singapore.