Review: Standard Chartered Beyond Card

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the StanChart Beyond Card, Standard Chartered Bank’s newly-launched flagship. 

Following the disappointment of the now-discontinued X Card, the bank went back to the drawing board and decided that the solution was to go further upmarket. See, the X Card was designed to offer “affordable luxury”. Marketing materials repeatedly emphasised that the minimum income requirement was just S$80,000, offering “affluent millennials” their first taste of a metal card at well below the usual S$120,000 to S$150,000 threshold.

But those affluent millennials never materialised- at least not in the numbers that Standard Chartered was hoping for (though one wonders if it had anything to do with the fact that, welcome bonus aside, the X Card was pretty abject). And so the StanChart Beyond Card debuts with significantly elevated requirements: a minimum income of S$200,000 and a mandatory annual fee of S$1,635. 

Now, I just want to say upfront that this is a difficult card to review, because the earn rates and benefits depend on your status with Standard Chartered. Moreover, this is a card designed to reward spending more than membership, so the more you spend, the more you get out of it. 

So I would strongly caution you against leaning too much on the take it/leave it snapshot, and instead invest the time to study the benefits of this card carefully to see if it suits your lifestyle. This is an expensive card, and it could either be a great deal, or a complete waste of money.

Standard Chartered Beyond Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
Priority Private
First Year	Recurring
☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It
Priority Banking
First Year	Recurring
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It
Regular
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?
Your status with StanChart will greatly affect your Beyond Card experience, though it’s safe to say it rewards spending more than membership.
👍 The good	👎 The bad
100,000 miles welcome offer Excellent general spending rates, and up to 8 mpd on overseas dining for PP Unlimited airport lounge visits for principal member and 4X supp. cardholders Complimentary airport limo rides can be used in Singapore or overseas	Business Class upgrade perk is so restricted it might as well not exist AUM must be maintained each month to enjoy enhanced earn rates Must purchase investment products from StanChart to continue enjoying PB/PP upgraded benefits from 2nd year Overseas limo rides may use more than one entitlement
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: StanChart Beyond Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the StanChart Beyond Card

Apply
Income Req.	S$200,000 p.a.	Points Validity	No expiry
Annual Fee	S$1,635	Min. Transfer	10,000 miles
Miles with Annual Fee	N/A	Transfer Partners	2
FCY Fee	3.5%	Transfer Fee	S$27.25
Local Earn	1.5-2 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	3-4 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes
Special Earn	PP only: 8 mpd on FCY dining	Airport Limo?	Yes
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

As I mentioned at the start, the StanChart Beyond Card is one product, with three tiers. Your tier depends on your banking status with Standard Chartered.

• Regular: No minimum AUM required
• Priority Banking (PB): Minimum AUM S$200,000 (or S$1.5M housing loan)
• Priority Private (PP): Minimum AUM S$1,500,000

AUM includes your savings accounts, and also the value of shares in your brokerage account.

All three tiers pay the same S$1,635 annual fee, but the benefits are different.

It should be no surprise that the benefits get better as your status with Standard Chartered goes higher. After all, a key goal of the Beyond is to drive the acquisition of PB and PP clients, something the X Card failed to do.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes. The Beyond Card is made of metal, and weights in at 17g, about the same weight as the AMEX Platinum Charge. 

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

The StanChart Beyond Card has a minimum income requirement of S$200,000 p.a..

This doesn’t fit neatly into any existing segment, and I think that’s intentional. Standard Chartered is trying to carve out a whole new niche with the Beyond, one that sits above the accessibility of the increasingly-crowded $120K segment, but below the white glove service of the $500K segment.

The question here is how strictly Standard Chartered enforces the income requirement, however, since they haven’t been strict with the requirements for the StanChart Visa Infinite Card (on paper: S$150,000, in practice: S$80,000).

There’s also no indication whether the income requirement will be waived if you’re a StanChart PB or PP customer, though it seems logical to me that it would. Are they really going to turn away a retiree with millions in the bank?

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

The StanChart Beyond Card has an annual fee of S$1,635. No fee waivers are offered for this card, regardless of how much you spend per year.

Yeah, I know. One of the running jokes about the X Card was that Standard Chartered kept insisting the annual fee was strictly not waivable- then ended up waiving it every renewal year on an “exceptional” basis. But I wouldn’t count on the same happening with the Beyond, given the enhanced level of benefits on offer.

Standard Chartered used to offer up to five free supplementary cards per principal account, but its policy has now changed to offer up to four supplementary cards free for life.

Who is in the Beyond’s comparison set?

Coming up with a comparison set for the StanChart Beyond Card is a tricky exercise, because its income requirement and annual fee put it in a unique segment.

The most obvious rival is the AMEX Platinum Charge, given its proximate S$1,744 annual fee. Once upon a time, this card also had a S$200,000 income requirement, though that was later dropped to S$150,000 and eventually removed altogether, with all applications “subject to internal approval”. 

I’d also consider the OCBC Premier VOYAGE and OCBC Premier Private Client (PPC) VOYAGE to be pacing challengers for the PB and PP versions of the Beyond respectively.

Granted, neither is an exact match for AUM or fees:

• OCBC Premier Banking requires higher minimum AUM than StanChart PB (S$350K vs S$200K), and the accompanying OCBC Premier VOYAGE has a much lower annual fee (S$498 vs S$1,635)
• The AUM for OCBC PPC is on par with StanChart PP at S$1.5M, but the PPC VOYAGE has no annual fee

Still, both are targeting a similar segment of customer as their StanChart equivalents, so I think they’re worth including. 

I’m also going to include two of the better $120K cards to expand the competitor set a bit more: Citi Prestige and HSBC Visa Infinite. 

Wait a minute- didn’t you just say that the StanChart Beyond Card was above the riff-raff of $120K? Yes, and that’s the point. Because the StanChart Beyond Card costs about 3X the fees of a $120K card, you should expect it to perform at a much higher level too. If the comparisons show that you could get similar benefits for less, then that’d be a big argument against getting a Beyond.

💳 Beyond Comparison Set
Card	Income Req.	Annual Fee
StanChart Beyond	S$200,000	S$1,635
AMEX Platinum Charge	N/A	S$1,744
OCBC Premier VOYAGE	Min. AUM S$350K	S$498
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	Min. AUM S$1.5M	Waived
Citi Prestige	S$120,000	S$545
HSBC Visa Infinite	S$120,000	S$497.12 (Premier) S$662.15 (Others)

What welcome offers are available?

The StanChart Beyond Card is currently offering a 100,000 miles welcome offer for applications submitted by 30 June 2025, broken down as follows.

The welcome bonus will be credited within 60 working days of the end of the eligible transaction period, so for example, if you were approved on 1 December 2024, you’d have to meet the minimum spend by 1 March 2025, and then your bonus would be credited 60 working days later- roughly in June 2025.

This offer is valid for both new and existing Standard Chartered cardholders, and the T&Cs can be found here.

How many miles do I earn?

SGD/FCY Spend

The earn rates for the StanChart Beyond Card range from 1.5 to 8 mpd, depending on your status with Standard Chartered, and what you’re spending on.

There is no minimum spend required, nor cap on the maximum miles that can be earned. While we have seen cards offering uncapped 4 mpd earn rates on a promotional basis, this is the first time we’ve seen an uncapped 8 mpd (well, apart from the legendary Citi x Apple Pay offer), let alone as an evergreen feature.

💳 Earn Rates
Card	Local	FCY
StanChart Beyond	1.5-2 mpd	3-4 mpd*
AMEX Platinum Charge	0.78 mpd	0.78 mpd
OCBC Premier VOYAGE	1.6 mpd	2.3 mpd
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	1.6 mpd^	2.3 mpd
Citi Prestige	1.3 mpd	2 mpd
HSBC Visa Infinite	1 mpd	1 mpd
*PP customers earn 8 mpd on overseas dining ^2.3 mpd on local and overseas dining

No question about it- the StanChart Beyond Card wipes out the competition when it comes to local earn rates. In fact, it’d be an excellent option to use with CardUp, especially for PB and PP customers.

It’s basically an opportunity to buy miles at around 1 cent each, or less if there’s a special CardUp promotion ongoing.

The FCY earn rates are also impressive, but unlike local spending, the advantage over the market is not so clear cut here. That’s because Maybank has been stepping up their game too:

• The Maybank World Mastercard earns 3.2 mpd on all FCY spend, subject to a minimum spend of S$4,000 per calendar month (or 2.8 mpd with a minimum spend of S$800 per calendar month)
• The Maybank Horizon Visa Signature earns 2.8 mpd on all FCY spend (temporarily upsized to 3.2 mpd till 31 January 2025), subject to a minimum spend of S$800 per calendar month

Those minimum spends are a hurdle to be crossed, but if an uncapped earn rate is what attracts you, then it’s unlikely a minimum spend requirement is going to be an impediment anyway.

StanChart also has the highest FCY transaction fee in the market at 3.5%, compared to Maybank’s 3.25%, so that affects your cost per mile (CPM) too.

Card	FCY Earn	FCY Fee	CPM
StanChart Beyond  (PP)	8 mpd Dining	3.5%	0.44¢
	4 mpd	3.5%	0.88¢
StanChart Beyond  (PB)	3.5 mpd	3.5%	1.00¢
Maybank Horizon Maybank World MC	3.2 mpd	3.25%	1.02¢
StanChart Beyond  (Regular)	3 mpd	3.5%	1.17¢

Here’s my analysis:

If you’re a Regular StanChart Beyond Cardholder, Maybank cards are the superior option for FCY spend.

If you’re a PB StanChart Beyond Cardholder, Maybank Cards are marginally more expensive, but surely that difference is erased when you consider the annual fees. The Maybank Horizon has a S$192.60 fee, waived for three years, and the Maybank World Mastercard a S$261.60 fee, waived for one year. The annual fee for both cards can still be waived beyond the free period, unlike the Beyond.

If you’re a PP StanChart Beyond Cardholder, well, it’s hard to argue with an uncapped 4 or 8 mpd. I mean, if you’re a globetrotter who regularly entertains clients overseas on a company-bankrolled expense account, then this card becomes a no-brainer. 

Here’s how StanChart’s FCY fee compares to the market. 

When are 360° Rewards Points credited?

Cardholders will initially receive the regular rate of 1.5/3 mpd on local/FCY spending when the transaction posts. 

The additional miles for PB and PP customers will be awarded the following statement cycle, provided you maintain the minimum AUM at month-end.

If the minimum AUM is not met at month-end, PB and PP customers will earn the same rates as Regular customers.

How are 360° Rewards Points calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the 360° Rewards Points earned on your StanChart Beyond Card:

Regular rate

The minimum spend to earn points would be S$0.14 (local) or S$0.07 (FCY).

Bonus (PB)

Bonus (PP)

The other advantage of Standard Chartered cards is that their rounding policy is more favourable than banks like DBS, OCBC and UOB, allowing the StanChart Beyond to outperform even an equivalent-earning card like the DBS Vantage.

An illustration is provided below.

	StanChart Beyond 1.5 mpd	DBS Vantage 1.5 mpd
S$5	7.6 miles	6 miles
S$9.99	14.8 miles	14 miles
S$15	22.4 miles	22 miles
S$19.99	30 miles	28 miles
S$25	37.6 miles	36 miles
S$29.99	44.8 miles	44 miles

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

Regular rate

Bonus (PB)

Bonus (PP)

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

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for 360° Rewards Points

A full list of transactions that do not earn transactions can be found here. 

I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

• Charitable donations
• Education
• Government services 
• GrabPay and YouTrip top-ups
• Hospitals
• Insurance premiums
• Utilities

For the 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 360° Rewards Points?

Expiry

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

Pooling

Standard Chartered’s rewards system is rather odd. 

1. Points earned on the Beyond Card, Visa Infinite and the Journey card pool
2. Points earned on non-Visa Infinite cards pool

Cards under group (1) enjoy a preferential conversion rate of 2,500 points = 1,000 miles, versus 3,500 points = 1,015 miles for group (2). 

It used to be the case that all Standard Chartered points pooled, so a cardmember with a group (1) card could “enhance” the value of his group (2) points by redeeming them at the more favourable ratio. That’s no longer possible, sadly.

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 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 three working days.

Other card perks

Unlimited complimentary lounge visits

Principal and supplementary StanChart Beyond Cardholders, regardless of tier, enjoy unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits.

To get access, present the physical Beyond Card at entry and quote “Priority Pass usage”. There is no need to show a separate Priority Pass membership card. 

A total of six guests can be brought to the lounge per calendar year, a quota which is shared between the principal and all supplementary cardholders. You can bring as many guests as you wish in one visit. For example, the principal cardholder could take along three guests and consume a total of three guest entitlements.

A guest fee of US$35 applies after the free visits have been exhausted.

💳 Airport Lounge Benefits (Beyond & Competitor Set)
Card	Lounge Network	Free Visits (Per Year)
		Main	Supp.
StanChart Beyond	Priority Pass	∞	∞ Up to 4x supp. cards
		6 guest vists per year, shared among main and supp. cards
AMEX Platinum Charge	Priority Pass, Centurion, Plaza Premium, Delta, Lufthansa	∞ + 1-2 guests	∞ + 1-2 guests All supp. cards*
OCBC Premier VOYAGE	DragonPass	∞	2x
OCBC PPC VOYAGE	DragonPass	∞	2x
Citi Prestige	Priority Pass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
HSBC Visa Infinite	Lounge Key	∞	∞ Up to 5x supp. cards
*Only the first supplementary cardholder receives a Priority Pass membership. From 13 February 2025, the number of Priority Pass visits will be cut from unlimited to four visits, with one guest.

Do note that if you’re a PP customer, you already enjoy unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits together with a guest. Therefore, the incremental benefit here is:

• The ability to get up to four additional unlimited Priority Pass memberships via supplementary cards
• Six additional lounge passes for guests, on top of the one guest allowance that applies to every visit

Airport limo rides

Principal StanChart Beyond Cardholders belonging to the PB and PP tiers enjoy complimentary airport limo rides as follows:

• PB: 2x rides per calendar year
• PP: 10x rides per calendar year

There is no airport limo benefit for regular Beyond Cardholders.

However, here’s where Standard Chartered’s marketing is misleading. PP clients already enjoy 8x limo rides per calendar year by virtue of their status, without the need to get the Beyond Card. Therefore, the incremental benefit of the Beyond Card is really just 2x rides. 

No minimum spend is required to unlock this benefit. Upon approval, you will receive a redemption code that can be used to book rides via the Teleport portal.

Unlike other cards with a limo benefit, rides can be used both in Singapore and more than 100 destinations overseas. However, there’s a catch: depending on city and vehicle chosen, a one-way trip may consume more than 1x entitlement. 

I know that’s a bit confusing, so think of your ride entitlements like a currency. Some cities will require you to spend 2x or more ride entitlements for a single journey. I did some searching on the portal and found the following:

• Bangkok (1x entitlement)
• Kuala Lumpur (2x entitlements)
• London Heathrow (4x entitlements)
• Osaka (5x entitlements)
• San Francisco (6x entitlements)
• Seoul (3x entitlements)
• Sydney (3x entitlements)
• Tokyo Narita (4x entitlements)

Some of these cities are expensive indeed, so it might be better to think of these rides as Singapore-only.

Additional surcharges apply in the following scenarios:

Also note that blackout dates apply, so you might not be able to book the airport limo during popular periods. 

Accor Plus membership

Principal StanChart Beyond Cardholders belonging to the PP tier enjoy a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership.

Member benefits include the following:

• 2x Stay Plus certificates, each valid for a one-night free stay at participating hotels
• 10% off best available public rate
• Up to 50% off member exclusive room rates with with Red Hot Room offers
• Up to 50% off dining across 1,400 restaurants in Asia Pacific
• 15% off drinks bill in Asia
• Member exclusive More Escapes stay packages
• Early access to global Accor hotel sales
• Member exclusive experiences
• 20 status nights each year

This is a solid benefit to have, and the only thing I’d point out is that you can get an Accor Plus Explorer membership with lower-cost cards like the AMEX HighFlyer Card (annual fee: S$304.59) or DBS Vantage Card (annual fee: S$599.50). 

The only difference between Explorer and Explorer Plus is the number of complimentary Stay Plus certificates (one for Explorer, two for Explorer Plus). All other benefits are the same.

Business Class upgrades

Principal StanChart Beyond Cardholders enjoy complimentary Business Class upgrades, which sounds fantastic on the surface. But when you really dive into the mechanics, you quickly realise this isn’t nearly as attractive as it sounds.

Cardholders who buy 2x Business Class tickets from the Beyond concierge have the option of buying another 1 or 2x Premium Economy Class tickets and having them upgraded to Business Class for free. 

• A party of three would need to buy 2x Business Class tickets and 1x Premium Economy Class ticket
• A party of four would need to buy 2x Business Class tickets and 2x Premium Economy Class tickets
• The maximum number of upgraded Premium Economy Class tickets is capped at two, regardless of how many Business Class tickets you buy

Straight away, three problems pop into mind:

• You can’t use the benefit if you’re travelling as a couple, since a minimum of three passengers on the same itinerary is required
• You can’t use the benefit if you’re travelling on an airline that does not offer a Premium Economy product (e.g. Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines)
• You can’t use the benefit if you’re travelling on a route where Premium Economy is not offered (e.g. Singapore Airlines flights to Adelaide, Maldives, Perth, Seoul)

Assuming you can look past this, however, there’s yet another problem. The paid Premium Economy Class ticket(s) must be in the most expensive fare class, otherwise known as unrestricted tickets, while the upgrade can only be to the least expensive Business Class fare, otherwise known as restricted tickets.

Some examples are given below.

Unrestricted Premium Economy Class tickets can be very expensive, and in some cases even more expensive than restricted Business Class tickets. If so, then this benefit is effectively worthless!

It should also be mentioned that if the least expensive Business Class fare is sold out, then the upgrade can’t be used too.

Finally, depending on airline, restricted Business Class fares can come with additional limitations. For example, if you were to upgrade your Emirates Premium Economy ticket to a Business Special fare (the lowest fare class there is), your ticket would have:

• No advance seat selection
• No chauffer service
• No lounge access

So you could end up in an odd situation where some members of your travelling party have lounge access and others don’t. 

By the way, Air France, Finnair and KLM also don’t grant lounge access on their cheapest Business Class fares, and Finnair is particularly punitive. Business Light passengers on Finnair also don’t get any checked bags, prior seat assignments, priority check-in, priority security or priority boarding!

This upgrade benefit can be used for up to 2x Premium Economy tickets per membership year.

Complimentary travel insurance

Standard Chartered Beyond Cardholders enjoy complimentary travel insurance, though it should be noted that this is the standard insurance available to all World Elite Mastercard customers.

This includes up to US$500,000 coverage for accidental death and total permanent disability, US$500,000 for emergency medical evacuation, medical expenses and personal liability, and US$7,500 for trip cancellation, postponement or curtailment. 

This is a fairly comprehensive policy, but do note the absence of coverage for rental car excess, so be sure to get separate coverage if you’re renting a car.

Coverage is automatically activated when the full airfare is charged to the card, or when a ticket is redeemed with airline miles and the taxes and surcharges paid with the card. 

World Elite benefits

Principal and supplementary StanChart Beyond Cardholders enjoy standard World Elite Mastercard benefits, including:

It’s an excellent list of perks for sure, but you don’t need an expensive StanChart Beyond Card to enjoy them. These are generic World Elite privileges, available to any World Elite cardholder. Some World Elite cards even come with a perpetual fee waiver!

Card	Annual Fee	Qualification Req.
Citi Prestige	S$545	Income ≥ S$120K
Citi Private Client Debit Card	N/A	Min. AUM S$1.5M
Citi ULTIMA	S$4,238	Income ≥ S$500K
DCS Imperium	S$3,584	Unknown
HSBC Premier Mastercard	N/A*	Min. AUM S$200K
OCBC Premier World Elite Debit Card	N/A	Min. AUM S$350K
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card	S$599	Spend S$45K in 3-month period on UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card
*No fee if  min. AUM is maintained, otherwise S$490.50

Wildcard: What happens after the first year?

Like I said at the start, it’s clear that Beyond is part of a big push by Standard Chartered for PB and PP customers. 

But not just any PB or PP customers. In addition to the requirement to fully fund your account each month with the requisite AUM to enjoy the higher earn rates, there’s another clause in the T&Cs which states that you must carry out at least one eligible investment or eligible deposit each year to retain your benefits.

This requirement is waived for the first year, and Standard Chartered has not yet specified what these eligible investments or deposits will be. One thing’s for sure though. Whatever they are, they’ll be something that generates money for the bank.

If you fail to meet this requirement, you will not be eligible for the additional benefits accruing to PB or PP customers, namely:

• (PB & PP) The upsized earn rates
• (PB & PP) Airport limo rides
• (PP) Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership

As someone who leans towards low-cost roboinvesting, I don’t particularly relish the requirement to buy overpriced investment or insurance policies. 

Terms & Conditions

• Standard Chartered Beyond Card T&Cs
• 100,000 miles welcome offer T&Cs

Summary Review: Standard Chartered Beyond Card

Standard Chartered Beyond Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
Priority Private
First Year	Recurring
☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It
Priority Banking
First Year	Recurring
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It
Regular
First Year	Recurring
☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It	☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It

Should you get a StanChart Beyond Card? Let’s lay out the scenarios. 

If you’re a regular customer

If you’re a regular StanChart customer, the Beyond Card offers you: 

• 100,000 miles welcome offer
• An uncapped 1.5/3 mpd earn rate
• Birthday meal
• Business Class upgrades
• Unlimited Priority Pass visits for principal cardholder, and up to four supplementary cardholders, plus 6x guests
• Generic World Elite Mastercard benefits

The 100,000 miles could certainly go some way towards covering the first year’s fee, but the S$20,000 minimum spend is a big barrier. If you’re eligible for welcome offers with other banks, that spending could generate a higher return, with lower fees. 

The uncapped earn rates are impressive, but they can be equalled by competitors like the DBS Vantage for SGD spend, and bested by Maybank cards where FCY spend is concerned. 

If you had a big family, then a total of four unlimited Priority Pass memberships may be appealing- but you could also get the HSBC Visa Infinite for a lot less, which comes with up to five unlimited LoungeKey memberships for supplementary cardholders (though applications are currently closed, as the card prepares for a relaunch).

I personally wouldn’t put much value on the Business Class upgrades, given how restrictive the terms are, and while the birthday meal is nice, it wouldn’t be something that sways my decision either.

So I’ll put it as a Leave It, with a * saying that maybe if you don’t qualify for welcome offers with other cards, and maybe if you had a big family, then maybe this would be worth a one year punt. I’m aware that doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement, and that’s the point.

If you’re a Priority Banking customer

If you’re a StanChart PB customer, the Beyond Card offers you: 

• 100,000 miles welcome offer
• An uncapped 2/3.5 mpd earn rate
• Birthday meal
• Business Class upgrades
• Unlimited Priority Pass visits for principal cardholder, and up to four supplementary cardholders, plus 6x guests
• Generic World Elite Mastercard benefits
• 2x airport limo rides

The incremental benefits over the regular version are improved earn rates, and 2x airport limo rides.

Where earn rates are concerned, an uncapped 2 mpd on SGD spending beats any other competitor, but you’d have to spend a lot in order to generate sufficient miles to put a dent in the annual fee. And keep in mind, the Maybank cards are still better for FCY spending, when you factor in their lower FCY transaction fee, and waivable annual fees. 

So again, I find it hard to recommend the Beyond Card to this segment, unless you’re a big spender who doesn’t have any problem hitting the minimum spend for the welcome offer, and spends enough in SGD to make that 2 mpd count. 

If you’re a Priority Private customer

If you’re a StanChart PP customer, the Beyond Card offers you: 

• 100,000 miles welcome offer
• An uncapped 2/4 mpd earn rate, with 8 mpd for dining
• Birthday meal
• Business Class upgrades
• Unlimited Priority Pass visits for principal cardholder, and up to four supplementary cardholders, plus 6x guests
• Generic World Elite Mastercard benefits
• 10x airport limo rides (though you’d receive 8x even without the card)
• Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership

The incremental benefits over the PB version are improved earn rates, and the Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership.

What about the limo rides? Remember: Standard Chartered already gives you 8x airport limo rides by virtue of being a PP customer. So the Beyond Card basically gives you the same two airport limo rides as a PB customer.

Likewise, you already have an unlimited Priority Pass membership with one guest each time, so the incremental benefit of the Beyond is the ability to give memberships to four people via supplementary cards.

The earn rates for PP customers are head and shoulders above the competition, so if you’re the sort who spends big, especially overseas, then go ahead and get this card. You’ll be minting miles with those uncapped 4/8 mpd rates, though remember you’ll need to keep your AUM above S$1.5M every month!

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