Earn 7 mpd (or more) on Esso petrol with Kris+

Back in February 2024, Kris+ finally added the ability to earn miles at Esso, which up till then was a burn-only merchant. Unfortunately, the regular earn rate of 0.5 mpd wasn’t all that impressive, especially since the upfront discount of 12% was lower than the 14%+ offered by the banks.

However, Kris+ later upsized the earn rate to 3 mpd for a three-month period, making it a much more attractive proposition. That promotion ended on 31 May 2024, but it’s now been brought back again for a six-month period till 31 March 2025.

Together with your credit card miles, you could earn up to 7 mpd on petrol, plus extra miles from Esso Smiles points. 

S$5 for new Kris+ Users

Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

Earn 3 mpd at Esso with Kris+

From 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, Kris+ is offering 3 KrisPay miles per S$1 at Esso, as well as a 12% upfront discount for members of the free-to-join Esso Smiles programme.

Kris+ can only be used to pay for petrol purchases, so any items from the mini-mart will need to be paid for separately.

The miles earned from Kris+ are on top of your credit card miles, so you can earn an extra 3-4 mpd.

⛽ Best Cards for Kris+ Petrol Spend
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
UOB Lady’s Card	4 mpd	Max. S$1K per c. month, must choose Transport as bonus category
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card	4 mpd	Max. S$2K per c. month, must choose Transport as bonus category
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard	4 mpd	Max. S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Mastercard	4 mpd	Max. S$1.5K per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	3 mpd
C. Month= Calendar Month, S. Month= Statement Month

A brief reminder that the table above refers to the best credit cards to use for petrol on Kris+. 

For example, paying in-store with a DBS Woman’s World Card would only earn you 0.4 mpd, but when paying with Kris+, you earn 4 mpd because the online spending category is triggered. 

Likewise, paying in-store with a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card would earn you 1.2 mpd, but when paying with Kris+, you earn 3 mpd because the Kris+ bonus is triggered.

Extra miles from Esso Smiles

Don’t forget that there’s a triple dip opportunity here, because Esso Smiles points can be converted into KrisFlyer miles. 

Every 1 litre of Esso petrol gives you 1 Smiles point, and Smiles points can be converted to KrisFlyer miles at the following rates.

However, since 1 Smiles point can be worth up to 4 cents of petrol, the opportunity cost of redeeming miles is very high. You would probably be better off using your Smiles points for petrol instead.

The exception is if you pump Synergy Supreme+, because in that case you earn both Smiles points and KrisFlyer miles. 

So a driver pumping Synergy Supreme+ could earn:

• 3 mpd from Kris+
• 3-4 mpd from credit cards
• 2 miles per litre of Synergy Supreme+ (assuming he converts Esso Smiles points into miles)

Since miles are awarded based on litres pumped, and not money spent, it’s hard to equate this in terms of mpd, but you’ll certainly earn more than 7 mpd if you go down this route. 

Is it worth it?

While Kris+ users enjoy 12% off Esso petrol, Citi, DBS and OCBC cardholders enjoy a bigger discount of 14-18% (for avoidance of doubt, even if you pay via Kris+ with a Citi, DBS or OCBC card, you’ll still get a 12% discount).

Pay with	Esso Smiles	Additional Discount
	+10%	+2%
	+10%	+4%
	+10%	+4% (+8% for Insignia and Vantage)
	+10%	+4%

While the Kris+ discount is smaller, most people will find that the extra miles earned make it worthwhile. 

Card	Earn Rate	Discount	Cost Per Mile*
Citi PremierMiles	1.2 mpd	14%	0.39¢
OCBC Premier VI	1.28 mpd	14%	0.40¢
Citi Prestige	1.3 mpd	14%	0.40¢
DBS Altitude	1.3 mpd	14%	0.40¢
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3 mpd	14%	0.40¢
Citi ULTIMA	1.6 mpd	14%	0.42¢
OCBC VOYAGE (Premier, PPC, BOS)	1.6 mpd	14%	0.42¢
DBS Vantage	1.5 mpd	18%	1.22¢
DBS Insignia	1.6 mpd	18%	1.24¢
*Calculated on the basis of the alternative being 7 mpd and 12% discount with Kris+

For example, if you’re a DBS Vantage Cardholder and pump S$100 of petrol:

• Nett price after 18% discount: S$82
• Mile earned from card @ 1.5 mpd: 123 miles

Suppose the alternative would have been paying with a DBS Woman’s World Card and Kris+. For the same S$100 of petrol:

• Nett price after 12% discount: S$88
• Mile earned from card @ 4 mpd: 352 miles
• Miles earned from Kris+ @ 3 mpd: 264 miles
• Total miles: 616 miles

For an incremental S$6, you are receiving 493 extra miles. This works out to 1.22 cents per mile, as shown in the table above. 

Unless your value per mile is extremely low, Kris+ is the better deal.

What card should you use for petrol?

Esso is just one of several petrol chains, of course, and if you’re pumping elsewhere, here’s my guide to navigating the tradeoff between miles and discounts. 

2024 Edition: Best Credit Cards for Petrol

Conclusion

Kris+ has brought back its 3 mpd offer for Esso petrol till 31 March 2025, stackable with up to 4 mpd from credit cards. While the discount with Kris+ is slightly lower than with bank cards, the extra miles you earn should more than cover the difference. 

Don’t forget that you can stack extra miles from the Esso Smiles programme if you choose to convert your points, or if you pump Synergy Supreme+, which gives an extra 1 mpd automatically.