OCBC PPC & BOS VOYAGE losing access to Tower Club from July 2024

While you’ve probably heard of the OCBC VOYAGE Card, you may not know that it comes in four different “flavours”.

There’s the regular VOYAGE that’s open to public application — at least from those earning at least S$120,000 a year — and then there’s three additional VOYAGE cards reserved for those with premier or private banking relationships. 

💳 OCBC VOYAGE Cards
Card	Annual Fee	Min. AUM	Earn Rates Local FCY
OCBC VOYAGE	S$498	–	1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd
OCBC Premier VOYAGE	S$498	S$200K^	1.6 mpd 2.3 mpd
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	Waived	S$1M#	1.6 mpd* 2.3 mpd*
BOS VOYAGE	S$498	S$3M	1.6 mpd 2.3 mpd
^Will increase to S$350K in the near future #Will increase to S$1.5M in the near future *2.3 mpd for local and overseas dining

These cards boast offer higher earn rates, and in the case of the PPC/BOS versions, unlimited airport transfers and Tower Club access.

Unfortunately, the Tower Club benefit will be discontinued from July 2024. 

PPC and BOS VOYAGE losing Tower Club access

OCBC PPC and BOS VOYAGE cardholders currently enjoy Tower Club access as a reciprocal member. This means they can use the club’s dining facilities together with an unlimited number of guests.

Prior reservations must be made, and a 10% surcharge will be imposed on all F&B consumption, as is the rule for all reciprocal members. For example, if the F&B bill is S$100, then the total amount to which service charge and GST is applied will be S$110.

In addition to this, they also enjoy complimentary usage of the Tower Club’s valet parking service on weekdays after 6.30 p.m. The parking fee, however, must be borne by the cardmember.

From 1 July 2024, this benefit will be discontinued, per an update to the OCBC VOYAGE T&Cs (you can compare the old and new versions side-by-side here). Members with existing bookings should have already been informed, and the last date of access will be 30 June 2024.

Minimum AUMs expected to increase

On a related note, OCBC customers have been informed by their RMs that the minimum AUMs for the Premier and PPC tier will be increased soon:

• OCBC Premier will increase from S$200,000 to S$350,000
• OCBC PPC will increase from S$1 million to S$1.5 million

This change was supposed to be implemented in June, but there’s no official confirmation on the OCBC website as yet, and it could be further delayed. Existing customers are supposedly unaffected, though I don’t have the full details just yet.

Truth be told, OCBC’s AUMs were already below the market average; DBS and UOB requires a minimum of S$350,000 for their privilege banking tier, and S$1.5M (DBS) or S$2M (UOB) for their PPC equivalent. So this is more of a realignment than anything else, though I imagine it’ll be quite annoying for those targeting PPC to find the goalposts moved by 50%. 

Which cards still offer Tower Club access?

Following the VOYAGE nerf, the only cards in Singapore that still offer Tower Club access are the AMEX Platinum Reserve and AMEX Platinum Charge.

Card	Annual Fee	Min. Income
AMEX Platinum Reserve	S$545	–
AMEX Platinum Charge	S$1,744	–
*AMEX no longer publishes minimum income requirements for either of these cards. The last published income requirements were S$150,000, though it was widely known that applicants below the threshold could still be approved

AMEX Platinum Charge members also get access to the fitness centre, though prior reservation is required and a cap of five members per day applies. 

The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card previously had a Tower Club arrangement, but this has long been discontinued.

Conclusion

OCBC PPC VOYAGE and BOS VOYAGE Cardholders will be losing their Tower Club access from 1 July 2024.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really get what’s so great about the Tower Club anyway. I’ve visited it quite a few times (always to burn AMEX Platinum vouchers), and I find the F&B to be average at best, and the environment rather stuffy. I suppose it makes for an impressive venue if you want to impress a business client/first date, but for me the only member’s club I miss is Nook by Platinum.