CardUp extends discounts for OCBC cardholders

CardUp and OCBC have a long-standing partnership that offers cardholders a discounted admin fee for various payments made through the platform, such as rent, tuition fees, income tax and insurance premiums.

This promotion was originally set to expire on 31 December 2024, but has now been extended till 31 March 2025.

New CardUp users will enjoy a 1.5% admin fee, while existing users will benefit from a rate of 1.8% or 2%, depending on card.  This works out to a cost of 0.92 to 1.51 cents per mile, depending on the card used. 

OCBC VOYAGE & OCBC Premier Visa Infinite: 1.5% or 1.8% fee

New CardUp users (1.5%)

New CardUp users (defined as those who have yet to make a first payment on the platform) can use the code OCBC15 to enjoy a 1.5% admin fee on their first payment of any kind. 

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 March 2025, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 3 April 2025. No minimum payment is required, nor is there any maximum. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series.

Existing CardUp Users (1.8%)

Existing CardUp users can use the code OCBC18 to enjoy a 1.8% admin fee on any CardUp payment.

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 March 2025, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 3 April 2025. No minimum payment is required, nor is there any maximum. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series. There is no limit on the number of times each account can use this code.

What’s the cost per mile?

Here’s the cost per mile for the OCBC VOYAGE and OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Cards, given their earn rates and a 1.5%/1.8% admin fee.

Card	Earn Rate (mpd)	Cost Per Mile (1.5% fee)	Cost Per Mile (1.8% fee)
OCBC VOYAGE (Premier, PPC, BOS)	1.6	0.92¢	1.11¢
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3	1.14¢	1.36¢
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite	1.28	1.15¢	1.38¢
Both the amount due and the CardUp fee are eligible to earn miles

The cost per mile starts from 0.92 cents, which is certainly worth considering especially since there’s no maximum cap on the payment you can make.

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs for both the OCBC15 and OCBC18 codes can be found here.

OCBC 90°N Card: 1.5% or 2% fee

New CardUp users (1.5%)

New CardUp users (defined as those who have yet to make a first payment on the platform) can use the code OCBC90N15 to enjoy a 1.5% admin fee on their first payment of any kind. 

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 March 2025, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 3 April 2025. No minimum payment is required, but the maximum payment you can make is S$10,000. Any amount in excess of S$10,000 will be charged at the prevailing fee of 2.6%. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series.

Existing CardUp Users (2%)

Existing CardUp users can use the code OCBC90NV (for 90°N Visa) or OCBC90NMC (for 90°N Mastercard) to enjoy a 2% admin fee on any CardUp payment.

The payment must be scheduled on CardUp by 31 March 2025, 6 p.m (SGT), with a due date on or before 3 April 2025. No minimum payment is required, but the maximum payment you can make is S$10,000. Any amount in excess of S$10,000 will be charged at the prevailing fee of 2.6%. 

The code can be used either on a one-off payment, or the first payment of a recurring series. There is no limit on the number of times each account can use this code.

What’s the cost per mile?

Here’s the cost per mile for the OCBC 90°N Visa and Mastercards, given their earn rates and a 1.5/2% admin fee.

Card	Earn Rate	Cost Per Mile (1.5% fee)	Cost Per Mile (2% fee)
OCBC 90°N Visa/MC	1.3	1.14¢	1.51¢
Both the amount due and the CardUp fee are eligible to earn miles

The cost per mile starts from 1.14 cents apiece, still a competitive price albeit capped at a S$10,000 transaction.

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs for both the OCBC90N15, OCBC90NV and OCBC90NMC codes can be found here.

What can you do with OCBC points?

90°N Miles, VOYAGE Miles and OCBC$ can be converted to nine airline and hotel partners, with a S$25 conversion fee.

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (OCBC: Partner)
	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, not all conversions take place at the same ratio. Only Flying Blue shares parity with KrisFlyer; the other airlines all involve a haircut of 10-30%. It’s particularly poor that Asia Miles requires a 25% haircut, when every other bank in Singapore offers transfer parity between KrisFlyer and Asia Miles.

Citi PayAll alternative

Citi PayAll Promo

As a reminder, from now till 28 February 2025, Citi cardholders will earn 1.75 mpd on all Citi PayAll transactions. This is subject to a minimum spend of S$5,000 on Citi PayAll  transactions on a single card, and capped at S$150,000 across all Citi PayAll categories.

Given the service fee of 2.6%, you’re looking at a cost of 1.49 cents per mile across participating cards.

CardUp’s offer will beat this if you have an OCBC VOYAGE or OCBC Premier Visa Infinite, but if you’re an OCBC 90°N Cardholder and don’t qualify for the new customer offer, Citi PayAll is cheaper.

For more on this offer, refer to the post below.

Citi PayAll launches 1.75 mpd promotion; buy miles at 1.49 cents

Conclusion

Enjoy a 1.79% fee on your first CardUp transaction with code MILELION, no minimum spend required. This code is valid for Visa and Mastercard payments only

OCBC cardholders can take advantage of a 1.5% (new) or 1.8/2% (existing) fee when paying bills with CardUp, depending on which card they hold.

There’s no cap on redemptions, and the existing customer codes can be used as many times as you wish during the promo period.

The new customer fee is particularly attractive, so do consider it if you have any upcoming bill payments to make.