Explained: OCBC’s three different points currencies

Miles cards in Singapore are issued by nine different banks, each with its own points currency. 

You might assume that nine card issuers means nine points currencies, but no— there’s actually 12. And if you count the different “flavours” of StanChart 360° Rewards Points (Visa Infinite points have a different conversion ratio than non-Visa Infinite points), the number could be even higher!

Issuers	Points Currency
	Membership Rewards Points
	BOC Points
	Citi Miles ThankYou Points
	DBS Points
	HSBC Rewards Points
	TREATS Points
	90°N Miles OCBC$ VOYAGE Miles
	360° Rewards Points
	UNI$

While most banks stick to a single points currency, OCBC customers have to deal with up to three.

Each currency has its own rules governing expiry, minimum conversions, conversion blocks and pooling, and in this post, I’ll attempt to untangle the differences.

OCBC’s three points currencies

OCBC cards can be split into three different groups, based on the points currency they earn:

• 90°N Miles
• OCBC$
• VOYAGE Miles

Currency	Cards
OCBC$	OCBC Arts Card OCBC Platinum Credit Card OCBC Premier Visa Infinite OCBC Rewards
90°N Miles	OCBC 90°N Mastercard OCBC 90°N Visa
VOYAGE Miles	OCBC VOYAGE OCBC Premier VOYAGE OCBC PPC VOYAGE BOS VOYAGE

OCBC$ were the original OCBC points currency, and have been around for as long as I can remember.

VOYAGE Miles were introduced in 2015 when the VOYAGE portfolio was launched. At the time, the justification for a separate currency was that VOYAGE Miles worked very differently. They didn’t expire, there were no conversion fees, the minimum conversion was just one mile, and they could be used to pay for the cost of any seat, on any flight.

90°N Miles, originally known as Travel$, were introduced with the OCBC 90°N Mastercard in 2019. These were again positioned as distinct from OCBC$ and VOYAGE Miles, though in truth they were quite similar to the latter, with the exception of a minimum conversion block of 1,000 miles.

Over time, however, some of the uniqueness of each of the currencies has been lost:

• OCBC$ and 90°N Miles can now be used to offset the cost of air tickets via the Travel with OCBC portal, similar to VOYAGE Miles
• Conversion fees have been introduced across all OCBC cards

What’s the difference between the three currencies?

I’ve summarised the key differences between OCBC’s three points currencies in the table below.

Pooling

OCBC points currencies pool within themselves, but not across categories.

For example, if I have 10,000 OCBC$ on my OCBC Rewards Card and 15,000 OCBC$ on my OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Card, I can redeem 25,000 OCBC$ at one go. 

Likewise, if I have 10,000 90°N Miles on my OCBC 90°N Visa and 15,000 90°N Miles on my OCBC 90°N Mastercard, I can redeem 25,000 90°N Miles at one go.

Customers are limited to holding a single OCBC VOYAGE Card, so the question of pooling is irrelevant here.

You cannot combine OCBC$, 90°N Miles and/or VOYAGE Miles in a single redemption, so if you have points across all three currencies, you’ll need to pay three separate conversion fees. 

Expiry

OCBC$ expire two years after accrual, at the end of the month. For example, OCBC$ earned from 1-31 July 2025 will expire on 31 July 2027.

90°N Miles and VOYAGE Miles do not expire.

Transfer partners

Regardless of which OCBC points currency you earn, you’ll have access to the same nine transfer partners. 

Transfer Partners
	90°N Miles & VOYAGE Miles	OCBC$
	1:1 (VOYAGE)	25,000 : 10,000
	1,000 : 1,000 (90°N)
	1,000 : 1,000	10,000 : 4,000
	1,000 : 1,000	10,000 : 4,000
	1,000 : 1,000	10,000 : 4,000
	1,000 : 900	10,000 : 3,600
	1,000 : 900	10,000 : 3,600
	1,000 : 750	10,000 : 2,900
	1,000 : 700	10,000 : 2,800
	1,000 : 500	10,000 : 2,000
All ratios expressed as OCBC points : partner miles/points

Unfortunately, it also means you’ll be subject to the same annoying haircuts that befall OCBC cardholders in general. For example, OCBC is the only bank which applies a haircut to Asia Miles conversions, compared to KrisFlyer.

Transfer fees

Regardless of which OCBC points currency you hold, conversions cost a flat S$25.

Minimum conversion & conversion blocks

KrisFlyer

While I’m not the biggest fan of the OCBC VOYAGE Card, I have to admit that VOYAGE Miles have incredible flexibility when it comes to KrisFlyer transfers.

The minimum transfer and transfer blocks are in intervals of just 1 KrisFlyer mile. That gives you a level of precision unlike any other bank- just transfer exactly what you need, and nothing more. It was even better in the past, when VOYAGE Cardholders were exempt from conversion fees!

90°N Miles aren’t too bad either, with minimum transfer and transfer blocks in intervals of 1,000 KrisFlyer miles. That’s 10X smaller than the standard 10,000 KrisFlyer miles blocks that most other banks have.

OCBC$ are more similar to other banks’ reward currencies, with a minimum transfer and transfer blocks in intervals of 10,000 KrisFlyer miles

Other programmes

When it comes to non-KrisFlyer transfers, 90°N Miles and VOYAGE Miles work exactly the same.

You’ll need to convert a minimum of 1,000 90°N Miles or VOYAGE Miles, which works out to 500-1,000 partner miles/points, depending on the programme.

Once the minimum has been met, subsequent blocks are in intervals of 100 90°N Miles or VOYAGE Miles, so you could convert 1,500 or 28,400 90°N Miles or VOYAGE Miles if you so wished. 

With OCBC$, you need to convert a minimum of 10,000 OCBC$, which works out to 2,000 to 4,000 partner miles/points, depending on the programme. 

Once the minimum has been met, subsequent blocks are in intervals of 1,000 OCBC$, so you could convert 11,000 or 104,000 OCBC$ if you so wished.

Now, I know some of you are doing the math and thinking: wait a minute, Asia Miles doesn’t add up:

• It takes 1,000 90°N Miles or VOYAGE Miles to get 750 Asia Miles, so there’s a 25% haircut compared to KrisFlyer
• But it takes 10,000 OCBC$ to get 2,900 Asia Miles, so there’s a 27.5% haircut compared to KrisFlyer

Well spotted! You’re right- this is a strange quirk of the OCBC system, whether by oversight or design. All the other ratios have parity among 90°N Miles, OCBC$ and VOYAGE Miles, except for Asia Miles. 

Which should I focus on earning?

The way I see it, it isn’t so much a question of which OCBC points currency you should be earning, but rather which OCBC card offers the best earn rates.

That would currently be the OCBC Rewards Card, thanks to the ongoing 6 mpd promotion for department stores and Watsons (which wraps on 31 December 2024). This can be extended to even more merchants like food delivery, electronics and furniture, simply by buying vouchers through Heymax (where all purchases code as department stores). 

As general spending cards, the OCBC 90°N Cards and OCBC VOYAGE Cards have much lower earn rates, and you would need to spend significantly more to rack up a critical mass of points. So unless you’re a big spender, or willing to pay an admin fee through CardUp, it’s more likely the bulk of your points will be in the form of OCBC$.

Conclusion

Navigating OCBC’s three points currencies—90°N Miles, OCBC$ and VOYAGE Miles—can feel overwhelming at first, but understanding their distinct rules and quirks is key to maximising value.

If you’re someone who worries about points expiry, 90°N Miles and VOYAGE Miles offer evergreen validity. They also have the added benefit of more nimble conversion blocks, which means less wastage. However, if you’re focused on earning points quickly, then OCBC$ would be the likely candidate, given the OCBC Rewards Card’s promotions and higher average earn rate.