StanChart Journey Card tweaks 45,000 miles welcome offer; smaller bonus for fee waiver

In May 2023, Standard Chartered finally put the X Card out of its misery by relaunching it as the entry-level StanChart Journey Card. With the rebrand came an excellent welcome offer of up to 45,000 bonus miles, for new-to-bank customers who spent at least S$3,000.

This offer was originally supposed to lapse on 15 January 2024, but has now been extended till 31 March 2024. 

There is a catch, however. While the offer is the same as before for customers who pay the first year’s annual fee, those who want a first year fee waiver will now receive only 25,000 bonus miles, 10,000 fewer than the previous offer. 

	Till 15 Jan 24	From 16 Jan 24
Pay annual fee	45,000 bonus miles
Annual fee waiver	35,000 bonus miles	25,000 bonus miles

Customers who apply via SingSaver by 31 January 2024 can enjoy up 4x Apple AirTags or S$80 cash, on top of the welcome miles. 

StanChart Journey Card 45,000 miles welcome offer

Apply (Fee Waiver)

Apply (Fee Paying)

The StanChart Journey Card’s welcome offer is valid for applications submitted from 16 January to 31 March 2024 by new-to-bank cardholders, defined as those who:

• Do not currently hold a principal StanChart credit card, and
• Have not cancelled a principal StanChart credit card in the past 12 months

The size of the bonus depends on whether you pay the first year’s annual fee.

Cardholders who pay the first year’s S$196.20 annual fee will receive 10,000 bonus miles, and a further 35,000 bonus miles when they spend S$3,000 in the first 60 days of approval.

Cardholders who want a first year fee waiver will receive 25,000 bonus miles when they spend S$3,000 in the first 60 days of approval.

Bonus miles are on top of the StanChart Journey Card’s regular earn rates of 1.2-3 mpd, so assuming you spend the full S$3,000 on local, non-bonused transactions, you’re looking at an additional 3,600 miles (S$3,000 @ 1.2 mpd), for an overall haul of up to 48,600 miles.

What counts as qualifying spend?

Cardholders must incur at least S$3,000 in qualifying spend within 60 days of approval.

Qualifying spend excludes:

• Charitable donations
• Education expenses
• Government transactions
• Insurance premiums
• Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay and YouTrip)

The full list of qualifying spend exclusions can be found in the T&Cs, under Point 10.

CardUp, hospital and utilities transactions are all counted towards qualifying spend.

When will the bonus miles be credited?

The 10,000 miles for paying the first year’s annual fee of S$196.20 will be credited within 60 working days of your card activation date, in the form of 25,000 Rewards Points.

The 25,000/35,000 miles for spending S$3,000 in the first 60 days of approval will be credited according to the following table, in the form of 62,500/87,500 Rewards Points:

Extra SingSaver gifts

New-to-bank customers who apply for a StanChart Journey Card via the SingSaver links in this post by 31 January 2024 can choose from the following gifts:

• 4x Apple AirTags, or
• S$80 cash

A minimum spend of S$250 within the first 30 days of approval is required.

Customers can receive a further S$30 eCapitaVoucher when they spend at least S$1,000 within days 31-60 of approval. 

Assuming you’re gunning for the welcome miles, you might want to split your spending into two periods, like this: 

• S$2,000 in the first 30 days
• S$1,000 in the next 30 days

These offers are available regardless of whether you apply for the fee paying or fee waiver option. 

Term and Conditions

• StanChart welcome bonus
• SingSaver rewards

What can you do with SC Rewards Points?

Standard Chartered has 10 different airline and hotel transfer partners, one of the widest ranges in Singapore. 

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (SC Points: Partner)
	Visa Infinite & Journey	Non-Visa Infinite
	25,000 : 10,000	34,500 : 10,000
	2,500 : 1,000
	2,500 : 1,000
	2,500 : 1,000
	2,500 : 1,000
	3,000 : 1,000
	3,500 : 1,000
	3,500 : 1,000
	3,500 : 1,000
	5,000 : 1,000

Transfers cost S$27 each, regardless of the number of points transferred. 

Unfortunately, StanChart has one of the most confusing rewards redemption systems of any bank in Singapore. I’m not going to go into the details here, but you can read all about it in the post below.

Standard Chartered’s 360° Rewards & EasyRewards: A hot steaming mess

Overview: StanChart Journey Card

Apply (Fee Waiver)
Apply (Fee Paying)
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a.	Points Validity	No expiry
Annual Fee (Including GST)	S$196.20 (FYF)	Min. Transfer	25,000 points (10,000 miles)*
Miles with Annual Fee	10,000	Transfer Partners	SIA Emirates Etihad EVA Air Flying Blue Qatar Qantas United Accor IHG One
FCY Fee	3.5%	Transfer Fee	S$27
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	2 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes: 2x Priority Pass
Special Earn	3 mpd on online groceries, food delivery, transport (SGD)	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions
*For KrisFlyer; for other programmes 1,000 miles/points

StanChart Journey Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on SGD spend, and 2 mpd on FCY spend, with no minimum spend or caps. 

A bonus rate of 3 mpd will be awarded for online transactions in SGD with the following MCCs:

Do note that the examples are not exhaustive; all that matters is:

• the MCC falls within the approved range
• the transaction is online
• the transaction is in SGD

This 3 mpd rate is capped at S$1,000 per statement month. You could, of course, do better with 4-6 mpd on other cards, but if you’ve maxed out those caps then this would be a potential fall-back option. 

For a full review of the Journey card, refer to the article below. 

Review: Standard Chartered Journey Card

Conclusion

StanChart has extended its welcome offer for the Journey Card till 31 March 2024. If you’re willing to pay the first year’s annual fee, you’re still looking at the same 45,000 bonus miles as before. However, those who want a first year fee waiver will only receive 25,000 bonus miles, 10,000 fewer than before. 

Regardless of whether you pick the fee waiver or fee paying option, you’ll enjoy an additional gift of 4x Apple AirTags or S$80 cash from SingSaver, with an extra S$30 eCapitaVoucher also up for grabs.