Hotel stays are a great opportunity to rack up miles towards your next trip. However, given the variety of ways you can book and pay for hotels, picking the right credit card isnโt always straightforward.
In this post, weโll look at different scenarios, and the best card to use in each.
๐ณ Whatโs the Best Card forโฆ | ||
โ Overall Guide |
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โ๏ธ Air Tickets |
๐ Amaze | ๐๏ธ Atome |
๐ฐ CardUp | ๐ Car Rental | ๐ Charity |
๐ฝ๏ธ Dining | ๐ซ Education | โก EV Charging |
๐ฅก Food Delivery | ๐จ Hotels | โ๏ธ Insurance |
๐ฑ Kris+ | โ๏ธ Medical | ๐๏ธ Overseas |
๐ Pharmacies | โฝ Petrol | ๐ Public Transport |
๐ Supermarkets | ๐ฐ Utilities | ๐ Weddings |
How do hotel transactions code?

When determining the right card to use for hotel transactions, we need to consider three things:
- Merchant Category Code (MCC)
- Whether the transaction is processed online or offline
- Whether the transaction is in SGD or foreign currency (FCY)
Merchant category code
๐จ Pay directly with hotel | ๐ Pay via OTA |
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If youโre paying at the hotel directly at the front desk or on its official website, the transaction will code in the MCC 3500-3999 range for major hotels, or MCC 7011 for smaller hotels and AirBnB.
โ ๏ธ Important Note |
Just because a hotel is part of a chain doesnโt guarantee it will code under the chainโs corresponding MCC in the 3500-3999 range. As shown in the screenshot below from the Westin Kuala Lumpur, itโs possible for chain hotels to code as 7011. |
If youโre paying for a hotel through an online travel agent (OTA) like Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com or Trip.com, the transaction will code as MCC 4722.
Do keep in mind that booking a hotel via an OTA is not necessarily the same as paying for a hotel via an OTA.
- If you book via an OTA and pay at the time of booking, your transaction will code as MCC 4722
- If you book via an OTA and choose a โpay at hotelโ rate, your transaction will code as MCC 3500-3999/7011
In case youโre uncertain about the MCC, thereโs three ways of looking it up before making a purchase:
Method | Ease of Use | Reliability |
โHeyMax | โโโ | โ |
๐ฑ Instarem app | โโ | โโ |
๐ค DBS digibot | โ |
โโโ |
Note: โEase of useโ and โreliabilityโ are all relative. HeyMax already provides a solid baseline for reliability, and the DBS digibot is still simple enough to use, despite requiring more steps than the other two methods. |
Online/offline processing
Virtually every hotel will require you to provide a credit card to secure your booking. However, depending on the rate youโve selected, payment may either be made at:
- The time of booking
- The time of check-in/check-out
(1) is generally for prepaid and non-cancellable rates, while (2) is generally for flexible and cancellable rates. In other words, (1) is likely to be processed online, while (2) is likely to be processed offline.
โ ๏ธ Caveat |
Youโll notice Iโve used terms like โgenerallyโ and โlikelyโ. Thatโs because Iโve encountered situations with Hilton and GHA where supposedly prepaid and non-cancellable rates were charged offline at the hotel, at the time of check-in. When in doubt, itโs best to email the hotel to find out the billing arrangement. |
SGD or FCY
If youโre staying at an overseas hotel, then you can simply use any card which offers bonuses for FCY spend.
Just be careful that you donโt fall victim to the DCC scam. Always opt to pay in FCY instead of SGD, and if youโre not given the choice, be sure to raise a dispute.
Stays booked directly with the hotel
If youโre booking directly with the hotel, the following cards can be used to earn up to 4 mpd.
๐จ Bookings via Hotel (Paid online or at the front desk) |
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Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$1K per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$2K per c. month1. Must choose Travel as bonus category Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd Online |
Max S$1.5K per c. month2 Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd FCY |
Min. S$4K FCY spend per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$1.5K per c. month3 Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd4 |
Max S$1.1K per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd5 |
Min S$1K max S$2K SGD spend per s. month Review |
![]() Apply |
3-4 mpd FCY |
3 mpd for regular, 3.5 mpd for PB, 4 mpd for PP. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd FCY |
Min. spend S$4K per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd FCY |
Min. spend S$4K per c. month, 2.8 mpd with min. spend S$800 per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
3 mpd FCY |
Min. spend S$2K per s. month, no cap Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd FCY |
No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd FCY |
Min. spend S$800 per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd6 FCY |
No cap |
1. Reduced to S$1,500 per c. month from 1 August 2025, split into S$750 per bonus category 2. Reduced to S$1,000 per c. month from 1 August 2025 3. Temporary promotion until 31 October 2025 4. Must pay in person, using mobile payment (do not tap physical card) 5. If paid in SGD, must pay in person via contactless (tap physical card or use mobile wallet) 6. Temporary promotion until 15 August 2025 |
Two points to note:
- If youโre using the DBS Womanโs World Card, your transaction must be processed online in order to earn the 4 mpd bonus rate
- If youโre using the UOB Visa Signature Card and the spend is charged in SGD, you must pay via in-person contactless spend. If the spend is in FCY, there is no such restriction
โ Whereโs the Citi Rewards Card? |
The Citi Rewards Card earns 4 mpd on all online transactions, except travel (defined as airlines, cruises, hotels, rental cars, trains). Therefore, it wouldnโt be the right card to use here, as youโll earn just 0.4 mpd. |
Stays booked through OTAs
If you book your hotel through an OTA, you could potentially earn up to 10 mpd with the right card.
Thereโs two possible scenarios here:
- You book through the OTAโs public landing page
- You book through the OTAโs special landing page for certain cardholders (e.g. Citi x Agoda)
Either way, Iโm assuming you choose the Pay Online rate. If you choose the Pay at Hotel rate, then your card is only charged at the time of check-in/out, and you should refer to the previous section.
Public landing page
๐จ Bookings via OTA (Paid for online) |
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Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$1K per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$2K per c. month1. Must choose Travel as bonus category Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd |
Max S$1.5K per c. month2 Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd FCY |
Min. S$4K FCY spend per c. month Review |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd FCY |
Min S$1K max S$2K FCY spend per s. month Review |
![]() Apply |
3-4 mpd FCY |
3 mpd for regular, 3.5 mpd for PB, 4 mpd for PP. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd FCY |
Min. spend of S$4K per c. month. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd FCY |
Min. spend of S$4K per c. month, 2.8 mpd with min. spend of S$800 per c. month. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
3 mpd FCY |
Min. spend S$2K per s. month. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd FCY |
Min. spend of S$800 per c. month. No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd FCY |
No cap Review |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd3 FCY |
No cap |
![]() Apply |
2.4 mpd4 | With min. S$1K spend on SIA Group per m. year. No cap Review |
1. Reduced to S$1,500 per c. month from 1 August 2025, split into S$750 per bonus category 2. Reduced to S$1,000 per c. month from 1 August 2025 3. Temporary promotion until 15 August 2025 4. For Agoda, AirBnB, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel |
Special landing page
๐จ Bookings via OTA (Paid for online) |
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Agoda | Expedia | Kaligo | |
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7.2 mpd | โ | 10 mpd |
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Up to 7 mpd | โ | โ |
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8 mpd | 6 mpd | โ |
These bookings must be made through specific landing pages, which Iโve linked to in the table above. You will also be required to make payment at the time of booking.
A word of warning: bookings made through these pages may be more expensive than if you were to go through the generic website. You should make a point of comparison shopping, and should the price on the special landing page be higher, you need to decide if the differential is worth the miles.
Be careful with Agoda DCC!
Since weโre talking about OTAs, hereโs something important to know.
Agoda processes Mastercard transactions outside of Singapore (in Hong Kong to be precise). If the booking prices in SGD, and you use a Mastercard to pay, most banks including DBS and UOB will charge a 1% cross-border fee (itโs conceptually the same as walking into a store in Hong Kong and choosing to pay in SGD). You can avoid the 1% fee by paying with Atome.
Visa transactions are processed in Singapore, so if youโre using a BOC or UOB card, you will earn miles at the SGD rate, regardless of what currency you pay in.
What if Iโm buying hotel points?
Purchases of hotel points from Points.com (which processes sales for Hilton Honors, IHG, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt) will not code as hotel transactions.
Instead, these code as USD transactions under MCC 7399 (Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified). You can use the following cards instead:
Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd | Cap of S$1K per s. month |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd | Min. S$4K FCY spend per c. month. No cap |
![]() Apply |
4 mpd | Min S$1K, max S$2K FCY spend per s. month |
![]() Apply |
3-4 mpd | 3 mpd for regular, 3.5 mpd for PB, 4 mpd for PP. No cap |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd | Min. S$4K per c. month, no cap. Earn 2.8 mpd with min. S$800 per c. month. No cap |
![]() Apply |
3.2 mpd | Min. S$4K per c. month. No cap |
![]() Apply |
3 mpd | Min S$2K per s. month. No cap |
![]() Apply |
2.8 mpd | Min S$800 per c. month. No cap |
Conclusion
Using the right card for hotel bookings can earn as much as 10 mpd towards your next trip, but be careful because thereโs a lot of variables at play: booking direct vs an OTA, paying online versus at the hotel, paying in local currency vs FCY.
If youโre booking through a special OTA website for bank customers, do take care that youโre not paying significantly more. Extra miles are nice, but not if youโre paying over the odds for them!
Iโve encountered a situation where booking directly through the hotel online with advance payment does not earn 4mpd on the WWMC. Guessing that this is because the hotel took the credit card info I filled and separately input them into their terminal, making it an โofflineโ transaction. In such cases, would it be correct to say that the UOB Ladyโs card will be a safer bet if we are unsure how itโs processed since for Ladyโs card it does not matter whether itโs offline or online?
Thanks for the comment and this is useful for my future travels.
Can the DBS WWMC be used for hotel points purchases, or is that excluded?
not excluded explicitly, but real world data points say no 4 mpd unless appeal, and even appeal is YMMV
You mean the HSBC Revolution doesnโt give 4mpd for stays booked via Agoda?? Oh goshโฆ.
it will until january 2024.
Why no mention of Citi prestige card?
Because this is about the โbest credit cardsโ rewards? Prestige will be good if 4NF can be triggered, otherwise, its mpd is nowhere near 4mpd.
If I book a hotel via one of the public landing page websites, by they say that payment will be charged directly by property, that will screw up my miles right?
Is it common to pay over counter for hilton members? Itโs always that case for IHG
Needs to be updated โ HSBC Revo excludes hotels now. Also donโt think itโs still 6mpd for Lady Solitaire
Does UOB Pref Plat give 4 mpd for Stays booked directly with the hotel still? since the MCC 3000-3999 is not explicitly listed as included in the card T&Cs
I believe UOB PPV gives 4 mpd for Mobile Contactless Transactions at the hotel, not online. Aaron can you confirm?
must be in -person
When booking through websites like Agoda, do they need to be charged in SGD for the bonus points? Or charging in the local currency still earns the bonus points?
Cloud you please clarify why UOB Visa Signature is applicable for Points.com transactions
(Paid for online)? is it FCY only?
Doesnโt HSBC revolution exclude 4722 for earning 4mpd?
yes thatโs right. have removed it from the bottom table, thanks.
To get 7.2mpd via agoda using Citi PremierMiles Card, card owner has to be lead guest. Meaning no booking for family/ friendsโ trips if card owner is not travelling too.