StanChart offering 3.5% cash rebate on selected FCY transactions

When the StanChart Journey Card relaunched in May 2023, one of the best features was an unlimited 3.5% cash rebate on all foreign currency (FCY) spending for the periods of June & July and November & December 2023. I personally made a lot of hay with that offer, earning 2 mpd on overseas spend effectively free.

StanChart has now launched another FCY fee rebate, but unfortunately it’s not nearly as generous this time round. Not only is there a participant cap for this campaign, there’s a minimum spend and cashback cap, and the scope is limited to just three currencies.

All that said, if you’re able to register quickly and plan to spend in the abovementioned currencies, why not?

StanChart FCY rebate fee promo

StanChart’s FCY fee rebate promo is available from 15 March to 15 April 2024. Cardholders first need to register by sending the following SMS to 77222.

This seems rather odd to me- normally, SMS registration for bank promotions requires you to specify another piece of information, like the last four digits of your card or NRIC number. Still, that’s exactly what it says in the T&Cs, so your guess is as good as mine.

Registration is capped at 1,000 cardholders. All StanChart cards are eligible to participate. 

Once registered, cardholders must spend the equivalent of at least S$300 in any of the following currencies:

• Malaysian Ringgit (MR)
• Japanese Yen (JPY)
• Thai Baht (THB)

Transactions will earn a 3.5% cash rebate, which effectively offsets StanChart’s standard 3.5% FCY transaction fee. The maximum cashback per cardholder is S$70, which means you’d max out the rebate with a total spend of S$2,000. 

The T&Cs do not explicitly address a situation where you have more than one StanChart credit card, but my assumption is that the cap applies at a customer level, not a card level.

As a reminder, all transactions must be made and posted within the promotion period. If you’re transacting towards the tail end, be advised that your transaction may not post in time to be eligible. Transactions can take up to three days to post, though it varies from merchant to merchant. 

When will cashback be credited?

Cashback earned under this promotion will be credited by 31 July 2024.

Exclusions

StanChart’s usual exclusion list applies to this promotion, so any FCY transaction classified under education, charitable donations, government services or cryptocurrency will be ineligible for the cash rebate.

The full list of exclusions can be found in the T&Cs at point 11. 

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs of this offer can be found here. 

How does this promotion compare to the previous one?

If you’re a StanChart Journey Cardholder who took advantage of the previous FCY fee rebate, odds are you’ll be rolling your eyes at this one. Unlike the previous offer which had no registrant cap, minimum spend, or cap, and was applicable to all FCY transactions, the offer this time has multiple restrictions.

The only silver lining is that it’s available to all StanChart cards this time round, including the StanChart Visa Infinite. A cardholder who meets the minimum spend of S$2,000 per statement month could therefore earn 3 mpd on eligible FCY transactions, sans fees.

To the extent that you’re already planning to travel to Malaysia, Japan or Thailand, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to register. 

Conclusion

StanChart credit cardholders can now register for a 3.5% FCY fee rebate on MYR, JPY and THB transactions made and posted between 15 March and 15 April 2024.

There is a registration cap, minimum spend and cashback cap to take note of though, so the appeal of this offer will be much more limited. 

(HT: Adam)