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DBS Private Access makes further revisions to airport lounge and limo benefits

From 1 April 2025, revisions will be made to DBS Private Access lounge and airport limo entitlements, based on AUM in the previous year.

DBS Private Access is a programme that offers special travel benefits to high net worth DBS customers, including the use of two exclusive airport lounges at Singapore Changi Airport, and complimentary airport transfers in Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan.

As recently as 2023, Private Access members could enjoy unlimited lounge visits and airport limo rides, but in recent times, DBS has started to crack down on privileges. Unfortunately, the programme will now be adjusted for a second consecutive year, with further reductions to entitlements from April 2025 onwards.

DBS Private Access revises ride and lounge visit entitlements

Prior to April 2024, DBS Private Access members enjoyed unlimited airport limo rides and visits to the Private Access lounge in Changi Airport. 

From 1 April 2024, however, Private Access was segmented into three tiers, with the following entitlements:

Tier Lounge Visits Limo Rides
Tier 3 Unlimited Unlimited
Tier 2 8 8
Tier 1 4 4

As far as I know, DBS never published any official โ€œband descriptorsโ€, but an educated guess is that Private Bank customers would be Tier 3, while Treasures Private Client customers would be Tiers 1 or 2, depending on AUM (another possibility is that itโ€™s based on account profitability, though only DBS knows for sure).

Well, DBS has now announced further changes to Private Access, which take effect from 1 April 2025.

Average AUM
(1 Jan to 31 Dec of Preceding Year)
Lounge Visits* Limo Rides*
>S$5M 8 8
S$2.5M to S$5M 4 4
S$1.5M to S$2.5M 0 2
*Based on membership tenure. For example, membership tenure from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 is based on AUM from January to December 2024

If youโ€™re a Private Banking customer, you will continue to enjoy unlimited lounge visits (together with two guests) and airport limo transfers. However, Treasures Private Client customers will see adjustments to entitlements based on AUM in the preceding calendar year.

To be fair, itโ€™s difficult to definitively say whether this is a straight devaluation, since we donโ€™t know for sure how DBS awarded entitlements in 2024 (e.g. itโ€™s possible that customers with AUM of S$1.5-2.5M didnโ€™t receive anything previously, but they now get 2x limo rides).

That said, if you donโ€™t upgrade your relationship to Private Banking, your maximum entitlements will be hard capped at 8x lounge visits and limo rides per membership period. Also, if youโ€™re on the lower end of the spectrum, you wonโ€™t have lounge access at all. Itโ€™s a slightly puzzling decision to me, since I imagine itโ€™d be cheaper to provide lounge access than limo rides (limo rides are purely variable cost, but the lounge will incur some degree of fixed cost no matter the occupancy rate).

As before, one guest is permitted per lounge visit, and does not count towards the entitlement (i.e. whether you visit as a party of one or two, it still counts as a one visit deduction).

Customers will receive an email in March 2025 informing them of their DBS Private Access membership status for the upcoming membership year. 

What is the DBS Private Access Lounge like?

DBS Private Access

DBS operates two Private Access Lounges at Changi Airport in Terminals 2 and 3, open daily during the following windows:

  • Terminal 2: 6 a.m to 6 p.m
  • Terminal 3: 7 a.m to 1 a.m

I had the opportunity to visit the Terminal 3 lounge back in 2022 (when it was still known as the Asia Treasures Lounge), and found it pleasant enough overall.

DBS Private Access seating
DBS Private Access seating

Yes, it doesnโ€™t have the facilities of a full-fledged airline loungeโ€” no showers, workstations, or slumber roomsโ€” but then again I donโ€™t think itโ€™s aiming to be. This isnโ€™t a lounge designed for transit passengers on long layovers; itโ€™s more of a space for those originating from Singapore to grab a meal and settle banking transactions before their flight. 

Lounge catering

In terms of F&B, donโ€™t expect flourishes like a caviar bar or celebrity-chef curated meals. The selection veers more local, with laksa, carrot cake and congee. There is champagne though, a very nice Tattinger Prelude Grand Crus.

I have yet to visit the Terminal 2 lounge, but I understand itโ€™s identical in terms of catering.

What other benefits do Private Access members enjoy?

DBS Private Access offers airport limo transfers

In addition to lounge access at Changi Airport, Private Access members enjoy:

  • Complimentary limo transfers from the airport when they arrive in:
    • Singapore (SIN)
    • Indonesia (CGK, SUB)
    • Taiwan (TPE, TSA)
  • SATS Premier check-in lounge at Changi Terminal 2 when travelling with Air India, ANA, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Brunei and SWISS
  • Preferential exchange rates at Travelex counters at Singapore Changi Airport
  • Expedited immigration clearance and access to selected restaurants at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport Terminal 3

What about competitor programmes?

DBS Private Access isnโ€™t the only game in town, of course. Other banks offer their high net worth clients lounge access and limo rides as well.

Hereโ€™s a snapshot of the programmes Iโ€™m aware of. 

Bank Min. AUM Lounge Limo
OCBC Premier Private Client S$1.5M โˆž โˆž
Maybank Private Wealth US$1M โˆž + 1 guest 12x
StanChart Priority Private S$1.5M โˆž + 1 guest 8x
HSBC Premier Elite S$1.5M 6x 2x
Citigold Private Client S$1.5M N/A 2x

Those with S$1.5M looking for better benefits might be interested exploring OCBC Premier Private Client, Maybank Private Wealth or StanChart Priority Private, which have superior lounge and limo benefits than DBS.

However, DBS is the only bank to operate a lounge of its own at Changi Airport, if that kind of thing is important to you.

Conclusion

DBS Private Access has announced revisions to entitlements effective 1 April 2025, which could result in reductions in lounge access and limo rides depending on your AUM.

I canโ€™t speak to how good the DBS suite of investment products are, but if travel benefits are what youโ€™re looking for, the same amount of AUM could get you superior privileges with other banks.

If itโ€™s any consolation, there are plenty of credit cards that offer complimentary lounge or limo rides, and most of them donโ€™t require seven-digit AUMs!

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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Norm

I used to work on creating these products. The financial products of all these premium banking are almost the same. It is just that the sales margin is different, and they are costly. They are not for someone without financial knowledge. It is better to stick to simple stocks, ETFs, etc. Those with sound financial knowledge can find elsewhere to structure their product, which is much cheaper than buying from them. I donโ€™t see a point in buying the financial product from them. The only benefit might be a special interest rate for housing, car, term, or fixed deposits. But,โ€ฆ Read more ยป

11D

absolutely, I know a relatively senior expat in SG that had to go through a lot of hoops to self-trade ETFs on DBS, including attending a SGX course that could be passed only after an exam on things like structured products (barrier reverse convertibles and strike options). Funny thing is that whilst DBS considered it risky for said expat to invest in ETF with 0.2% yearly cost, they absolutely had no issue to immediately allow, without any certification, their own โ€œhouseโ€ ETFs via the digiplan option on the app, which cost up to 5 times more.

um no

Iโ€™ve bought IBIT ETF on DBS Wealth account. No course required. A BTC ETF is probably a โ€˜riskierโ€™ ETF. Maybe because your expat friend is a foreigner? However if you are using CPF funds to invest with one of the big 3 local banks in a CPF-IA then there is some sort of course that CPF requires, but itโ€™s easy with nothing on options or convertibles. But yes, all the structured products are overpriced, except for guaranteed capital+interest forex structured deposits, if you need to hold cash for a few months. All the share/commodity/option products are better by simply payingโ€ฆ Read more ยป

11D

re: benefits. I notice that often these programs are extended to a lot of people to start off with, only to reduce them, sometimes pretty strong, not too long time after. Is this a typical procedure in Asia to lure people into these things, then setting a more definitive threshold for a sustainable operation or is this just a planning error? I ask since I for one would be more annoyed at losing a privilege than not having had it in the first place.

Zhong

What a shame that they are cutting the perks now. I guess itโ€™s in response to the growing client base.
Not sure if DBS is going to strictly enforce the guest access now, previously they were not too fused on number of guests. Limo was also good with additional stops at a nominal fee.
Canโ€™t see the merit on cutting perks for TPC with more than 5m AUM (tier 3) given that it is the same threshold as their private banking product.

Ong Pee Niow

Based on the competitive charts, itโ€™s seems to me that DBS will be the worst in terms of providing lounge and limousine services to customers who have $1.5 m to $2.5 m AUM. Existing customers have benefits aggressively reduced and that is not consistent with โ€œgrowing along with the bankโ€ principle.
I wonder if the direction DBS is taking will cause some low level AUM customers to move away.
Perhaps this is exactly their strategy to focus on high end AUM customers โ€“ a move to satisfy the elite customers.

GrabUncle

$1.5m AUM is a joke. All my peers driving grab their HDB in bukit merah alr $1.5m.

Dbs have some standard ok. Private weath $15m den talk. Invite all these low ses $1.5m in lol

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