Review: Standard Chartered Journey Card

The StanChart Journey Card has an excellent welcome offer, though like its X Card predecessor, renewals aren't exactly a slam dunk.

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the Standard Chartered Journey Card, which even by the wacky standards of the miles game, has a pretty hardcore origins story.

Picture this: the year is 2019. You’re a bank with big plans to capture the affluent millennial segment. Do you:

  1. Design a card that not only attracts new customers, but offers enough value for them to stick around and become lifelong ones?
  2. Slap a 100,000 miles sign-up bonus on the bumper and railroad that sucker through to the market- renewals are a tomorrow problem!

It’s clear which option Standard Chartered decided on, and there’s nothing wrong with that approach, mind you, only that no one ever got down to thinking about renewal. 

Look on my works, ye mighty and despair!

The story of how the premium metal Standard Chartered X Card eventually became the mass-market plastic Journey is a fascinating one— and you can read about it here— but it’s not the focus of this article.

Instead, the question before us is much simpler: should you get a Standard Chartered Journey Card?

Standard Chartered Journey Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
First Year Recurring
☑ Take It
☐ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

Take It
☑Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
The StanChart Journey Card has an excellent welcome offer, though like its X Card predecessor, renewals aren’t exactly a slam dunk.
👍 The good 👎 The bad
  • Generous welcome offer, stackable with SingSaver gifts
  • Bonuses on online groceries, food delivery and transport
  • Non-expiring points
  • Two lounge visits per year
  • Lost 9 airline and hotel transfer partners, leaving just Asia Miles and KrisFlyer
  • Minimum transfer blocks of 10,000 miles
  • 3.5% FCY fee compared to the industry-standard 3.25%
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: StanChart Journey Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the Standard Chartered Journey Card.

Apply (Fee Waiver)
Apply (Fee Paying)
Annual Fee
S$196.20
Min.
Transfer
25,000 points
(10,000 miles)*
Miles with Annual Fee 10,000
Transfer
Partners
2
FCY Fee 3.5% Transfer Fee S$27.25
Local Earn 1.2 mpd Points Pool? Yes
FCY Earn 2 mpd Lounge Access? Yes
Special Earn 3 mpd on online groceries, food delivery, transport (SGD) Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The Standard Chartered Journey Card is a direct replacement for the X Card, so even if you still hold a physical X Card, all your earn rates, benefits and fees will follow the Journey Card from 19 May 2023.

In other words, the Standard Chartered X Card, as we know it, no longer exists. However, for posterity’s sake, I’ve preserved the legacy review, just in case future generations need a case study on how not to manage a credit card. 

Review: Standard Chartered X Card

How much must I earn to qualify for a StanChart Journey Card?

dbs altitude income requirement

How the mighty have fallen. Back when this was the X Card, a minimum income of S$80,000 p.a. was required.

Now as the Journey, all you need is the MAS-mandated minimum of S$30,000 p.a. 

How much is the StanChart Journey Card’s annual fee? 

  Principal Card Supp. Card
First Year S$196.20
(FYF option)
Free
Subsequent S$196.20 Free

The Standard Chartered Journey Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for principal cardholders. You can either opt for a first year fee waiver with a smaller welcome bonus of 25,000 miles, or pay the annual fee for a larger welcome bonus of 45,000 miles.

Be advised that annual fee waivers from the second year onwards are not a given. Data points in the MileChat suggest that StanChart is taking a strict approach to this, so don’t be surprised if your request is rejected. However, you will receive 10,000 miles for paying the annual fee, so that helps somewhat. 

The annual fee is waived for up to five supplementary cards (it’s not clear what the fee is for the sixth onwards, but why would you need so many anyway?).

What sign-up bonus or gifts are available?

New-to-bank customers who apply for a StanChart Journey Card can enjoy both of the offers listed below. 

❓ New-to-bank definition

New-to-bank customers are 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

Standard Chartered

From now till 31 October 2024, new-to-bank customers can choose from the following offers, depending on whether they wish to pay the first year’s S$196.20 annual fee. 

  Pay Annual Fee Annual Fee Waiver
Miles from S$196.20 annual fee
10,000 miles
Spend S$3,000 in first 60 days of approval 35,000 miles 25,000 miles
Total 45,000 miles 25,000 miles

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 base miles (S$3,000 @ 1.2 mpd), for an overall haul of up to 48,600 miles.

SingSaver

Apply (Fee Waiver)
Apply (Fee Paying)

From now till 1 September 2024, new-to-bank customers who apply for a StanChart Journey Card via the SingSaver links in this article can choose from one of the following gifts:

  • Apple AirPods Pro
  • 15,000 Max Miles
  • S$280 eCapitaVoucher
  • S$250 cash

These offers are available regardless of whether you apply for the fee paying or fee waiver option. A minimum spend of S$500 within the first 30 days of approval is required. 

As SingSaver gifts regularly change, be sure to refer to the T&Cs for the most current offer (you’ll also see it reflected on the application landing page).

How many miles do I earn?

🇸🇬 SGD Spend 🌎 FCY Spend ⭐ Bonus Spend
1.2 mpd 2 mpd 3 mpd on online groceries, food delivery, transport (SGD)

SGD/FCY Spend

Standard Chartered Journey Card cardholders will earn:

  • 3 Rewards Points per S$1 spent locally
  • 5 Rewards Points per S$1 spent overseas

5 Rewards Points are worth 2 miles, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.2 mpd for local spending, and 2.0 mpd for FCY spending.

These were once respectable rates for its segment, but in recent times, the HSBC TravelOne Card, DBS Altitude Card and OCBC 90°N Card have leapfrogged ahead.

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards
(income req.: S$30K)
Cards Local Spend FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles 1.4 mpd 2.4 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card 1.2 mpd 2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude 1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card 1.3 mpd 2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
StanChart Journey 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend 1.2 mpd 2 mpd*
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card 1.1 mpd 2 mpd*
BOC Elite Miles 1 mpd 2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd
*In June and Dec only, otherwise 1.1 mpd

All FCY transactions are subject to a 3.5% fee, which is the highest in the market (other banks max out at 3.25%).

💳 FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network
Issuer ↓ MC & Visa AMEX
Standard Chartered 3.5% N/A
American Express N/A 3.25%
Citibank 3.25% N/A
DBS 3.25% 3%
HSBC 3.25% N/A
Maybank 3.25% N/A
OCBC 3.25% N/A
UOB 3.25% 3.25%
BOC 3% N/A
CIMB 3% N/A

With a 3.5% fee, using your StanChart Journey Card overseas represents buying miles at 1.75 cents each. 

Bonus Spend

StanChart Journey Cardholders will earn 7.5 Rewards Points per S$1 spent (3 mpd) for online transactions charged in SGD with the following MCCs.

Category Examples
(non-exhaustive)
Groceries
MCC 5411

NTUC FairPrice Online, Lazada Redmart
Bakeries
MCC 5462
Bengawan Solo, Breadtalk, Four Leaves
Misc. Food Stores
MCC 5499
Bottles and Bottles, Famous Amos, Irvins Salted Egg
Liquor, Wine or Beer Stores
MCC 5921
1855 The Bottle Shop, The Oaks Cellars, Grand Cru
Food Delivery*
MCC 5811

MCC 5812
MCC 5814
GrabFood, Deliveroo, Foodpanda
Transport
MCC 4111
MCC 4121
MCC 4789

Grab rides, Comfort taxi, gojek
Cruise Liners
MCC 4411
Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise
*Despite the name, the bonus would be equally applicable in situations where a restaurant has online ordering for dine-in (e.g. scan a QR code menu and pay online before receiving your food)

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

Any transactions beyond the S$1,000 monthly cap will earn 1.2 mpd. 

This used to be a limited-time promotion, but was made a permanent product feature in late 2023. Truth be told, however, 3 mpd is not much of a draw in and of itself, since you could earn 4 mpd on these categories with other cards. However, it’s rare to see a general spending card have bonus categories, so we’ll have to give StanChart some credit for that. 

When are Rewards Points credited?

The base 3/5 Rewards Points for local/overseas spend are credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days. 

The bonus 4.5 Rewards Points for local grocery, food delivery, and transport will be credited at the end of the statement period.

How are Rewards Points calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the Rewards Points earned on your Standard Chartered Journey Card.

Local Spend (3x) Multiply transaction by 3, then round to nearest whole number
FCY Spend (5x)
Multiply transaction by 3, then round to nearest whole number. Multiply transaction by 2, then round to the nearest whole number. Add the two figures.

This means the minimum spend required to earn points is S$0.17, whether in local or foreign currency. 

For what it’s worth, SCB has a more forgiving rounding policy than banks like OCBC and UOB, which enables the Standard Chartered Journey Card to outperform ostensibly higher-earning cards for smaller transactions. An illustration is provided below.

  SCB Journey Card
Earn Rate: 1.2 mpd
UOB PRVI Miles Card
Earn Rate: 1.4 mpd
S$5 6 miles 6 miles
S$9.99 12 miles 6 miles
S$15 18 miles 20 miles
S$19.99 24 miles 20 miles
S$25 30 miles 34 miles
S$29.99 36 miles 34 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

Local Spend =ROUND(X*3,0)
FCY Spend
=ROUND(X*3,0) + ROUND(X*2,0)
Where X= Amount Spent

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

What transactions aren’t eligible for Rewards Points?

A full list of transactions that do not earn transactions can be found in the T&Cs.

I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

For avoidance of doubt, CardUp transactions will earn points, and do count towards the minimum spend for welcome offers. 

What do I need to know about Rewards Points?

❌ Expiry ↔️ Pooling 💰 Transfer Fee
No expiry Yes
S$27.25 (per conversion)
⬆️ Min. Transfer  ✈️ No. of Partners ⏱️ Transfer Time
10,000 miles 2 1-3 working days
(for KF)

Expiry

Rewards Points earned on the StanChart Journey Card never expire, so long as the card account remains active.

Pooling

StanChart’s rewards system is rather odd. 

  • Rewards Points earned on Visa Infinite cards and the Journey card pool
  • Rewards Points earned on non-Visa Infinite cards pool

In case you’re wondering why the Journey gets to party with the Visa Infinite cards, it’s purely a legacy reason. Remember, the former X Card was a Visa Infinite, so Standard Chartered could hardly “downgrade” all legacy X Card points by putting them on the same scheme as the non-Visa Infinite. 

It used to be the case that all Standard Chartered points pooled, so a cardmember with a non-Visa Infinite card could apply for a Visa Infinite card to “enhance” the value of his non-Visa Infinite points (they enjoy a favourable conversion ratio, as you’ll see below). That is no longer possible.

Transfer Partners & Fees

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

Unfortunately, that all changed in March 2024, when nine of them were unceremoniously dumped. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles was added, but the overall lineup is certainly a lot thinner than before. 

Frequent Flyer Programme
Conversion Ratio
(SC Points: Partner)
Visa Infinite & Journey All others
25,000 : 10,000 34,500 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000 34,500 : 10,000

Transfers cost S$27.25 each, regardless of the number of points transferred. 

Transfer Time

Conversions to KrisFlyer miles are generally completed within 1-3 working days.

Other card perks

Two complimentary lounge visits

Registration

Standard Chartered Journey Card cardholders enjoy two complimentary lounge visits per membership year, courtesy of Priority Pass. A guest fee of US$32 applies after the free visits have been exhausted, and this benefit is only available to the principal cardholder. 

Here’s how this compares to other cards in its segment:

Card Network Free Lounge Visits
(per year)
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Plaza Premium 4X
HSBC TravelOne Card DragonPass 4X
Citi PremierMiles Priority Pass 2X
DBS Altitude Priority Pass 2X
(Visa Version Only)
StanChart Journey Card Priority Pass 2X
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card N/A N/A
BOC Elite Miles N/A N/A
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card N/A N/A
OCBC 90°N Card N/A N/A
UOB PRVI Miles N/A N/A

SC EasyBill

SC EasyBill

This isn’t a unique feature of the Journey Card per se, but all StanChart cardholders can use SC EasyBill to pay the following bills:

  • Individual Income & Property Tax
  • Education
  • Insurance
  • Rent

An admin fee of 1.9% applies, which is sometimes lowered for targeted customers. 

To illustrate, suppose you have a S$10,000 income tax payment to make:

  • After setting up the payment, StanChart will pay S$10,000 to IRAS on your behalf
  • Your Journey Card will be charged S$10,190 (S$10,000 +1.9% admin fee)
  • You’ll earn 12,000 miles (the admin fee does not earn miles)
  • tl;dr: you’ve paid S$190 for 12,000 miles, or 1.58 cents apiece. 

It’s not a terrible rate, but Citi PayAll can offer better rates during its regular promos, as well as a wider scope of payments.

Complimentary travel insurance

Accidental Death S$500,000
Medical Expenses S$50,000
Others Delayed Luggage: S$1,000
Lost Luggage: S$5,000
Policy Wording

Standard Chartered Journey Card cardholders enjoy complimentary travel insurance underwritten by Allianz, which is automatically activated when the full airfare is charged to the card. Allianz has previously clarified that coverage does not apply to award tickets, unfortunately. 

Do note there is no coverage for trip cancellation and disruption, delayed flights, rental car excess, or personal liability. I personally would not feel comfortable without this, so I’d recommend you purchase additional coverage regardless. 

Summary Review: StanChart Journey Card

Apply
🦁 MileLion Verdict
First Year Recurring
☑ Take It
☐ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

Take It
☑Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?

The StanChart Journey Card offers a compelling first-year value proposition, with a 45,000 miles welcome offer that’s further stackable with SingSaver gifts. Together with the two free lounge visits, it’s almost impossible to lose.

But come the second year onwards, you’ll have a tougher decision on your hands. Because StanChart lacks the kind of specialised spending cards that DBS and UOB offer, after the initial welcome bonus it can be difficult to accumulate a critical mass of points from day to day spending. True, there is a 3 mpd bonus on online groceries, food delivery and transport, but keep in mind that superior 4 mpd alternatives exist so there’s some opportunity cost involved. 

It’s also unfortunate that StanChart has discarded nine of its transfer partners, which were a  unique differentiating factor given how many banks default to just KrisFlyer and Asia Miles. 

So that’s my review of the StanChart Journey Card. What do you think?

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Mohit

The Zero FCY fee is looking lucrative for my upcoming trip! Do you know if there are any other cards offering the same?

man

However, if you’re a new-to-bank customer, you can stack it with the extra 5 mpd offered during the first 30 days for a total of 8 mpd.

>> where is the 5 mpd found in the offer?

man

one more question – it states “transactions made and posted” . my hotel check out is 31st October which i will pay on that day. will this qualify or no?

Romain

Is the first year free waiver applicable to existing SC customers too? Not very clear from the T&Cs but it seems only for new customers

Boy

I have applied for SC Journey and wanted to go for the 35k miles signup offer with minimum $3k spend. Used CardUp to pay my income tax to reach to $3k minimum spend but the transaction was deemed invalid unfortunately. SC agent themselves are unclear with the requirement, I checked with them to clarify that I did indeed meet the requirements, which they have confirmed, but to be met with disappointment when the miles did not arrive at the promised date

Last edited 8 months ago by Boy
Leo

I have one question about sign-up gift (which is still being offered in 2024). If I did cancel a SC credit card previously ~10 years ago and I did enjoy sign-up gift then (I recalled is $200 cash) – if I sign-up SC Journey card now, will I get the full welcome miles or will be knocked off by previous $200 cash (in equivalent form of miles/points)? My understanding is if today the welcome gift is $300 cash, then only $100 will be credited after offsetting $200 previous gift. But I am not sure how it works when the welcome… Read more »

YMMV

No utilities, no hospitals, no annual fee waiver, bye SCB Journey.

RBW

totally agree. just cancel and get NCB bonus

Tee

Can I sign up for this card and swipe 3k on mortgage/ insurance premiums through cardup to qualify for welcome miles?

YZT

I signed up for the card in February but did not receive the bonus miles even though i hit the $3k min spend. When I called SC CS, they mentioned that as I locked my card temporarily when I went overseas, I will not be eligible for the bonus miles. There was no way to appeal as they said it was stated in their T&C, which I felt was pretty unfair.

jeff

recently applied 1 of this card thru singsaver when i read your article that gift are stackable. How do i know if i can be qualify for the $3000 spend for bonus miles? It mentioned in your page that gift are stackable with singsaver, however from the terms and condition, it mentioned card application gift is only valid if the application is submitted to Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited (“Standard Chartered” or the “Bank”) either through https://www.sc.com/sg/ or any of SC appointed sales agents at the Bank’s roadshow booths.

Elijah

Hi I have followed your article and applied through singsaver as it mentioned in your article: The StanChart Journey Card offers a compelling first-year value proposition, with a 45,000 miles welcome offer that’s further stackable with SingSaver gifts.  I did not receive the annual feel charge and I clarify with standard chartered chatbot, I was inform i applied through singsaver and I am not entitled to the promotion of 45,000 miles as I did not applied through SC website. And the annual fee will be wavied for 1st year…. is there some kind of error pls, can you pls advise… Read more »

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