Here’s The MileLion’s review of the Standard Chartered Smart Card, launched in October 2021 and proudly showcased as the bank’s first carbon-neutral card. What that meant is that the carbon footprint involved in the card’s production had been calculated and offset to zero, so cardholders could feel virtuous every time they bought more stuff they didn’t need.
Gratuitous corporate greenwashing aside, the card itself was pretty decent. Cardholders enjoyed a permanent annual fee waiver, and up to 5.6 mpd on fast food, streaming subscriptions, and public transport, with no minimum spend necessary. Orphan points could be cashed out for an equivalent of 6% cashback.
But a lot has changed since then. Standard Chartered has culled their transfer partner list, leaving just KrisFlyer and Asia Miles. Points pooling with Visa Infinite cards is no longer possible. An annual fee has been added. And even though the earn rate has been updated to an impressive-sounding 9.28 mpd or 10% cashback — without cap — the minimum spend requirement makes it very difficult to achieve in practice.
So unless you really love your fast food, and I mean Morgan Spurlock-level love (if you’re too young to get that reference, I hate you), then this could very well be a junk card— in more ways than one.
 Standard Chartered Smart Card |
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| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |
| ☐ Take It Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It |
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| What do these ratings mean? |
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| The new minimum spend requirements make the StanChart Smart Card’s impressive-sounding 9.28 mpd or 10% cashback difficult to achieve— at least, not without endangering your health. | |
| 👍 The good | 👎 The bad |
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| 💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews | |
Overview: Standard Chartered Smart Card
Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the StanChart Smart Card.
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| Apply | |||
| Income Req. | S$30,000 p.a. | Points Validity | Up to 3 years |
| Annual Fee | S$99.19 (FYF) |
Min. Transfer |
34,500 points (10,000 miles) |
| FCY Fee | 3.5% | Transfer Fee | S$27.25 |
| Local Earn | 0.46 mpd | Points Pool? | No |
| FCY Earn | 0.46 mpd |
Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | Up to 9.28 mpd on fast food, streaming, SimplyGo & EV charging | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
How much must I earn to qualify for a Standard Chartered Smart Card?
The StanChart Smart Card has a S$30,000 p.a. income requirement, the MAS-mandated minimum for a credit card.
If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, you can try to open a secured version instead, backed by a fixed deposit. Visit a Standard Chartered branch for details.
How much is the Standard Chartered Smart Card’s annual fee?
| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First Year | Free | Up to 4x free |
| Subsequent | S$99.19 | Up to 4x free |
The StanChart Smart Card used to have no annual fee for either principal or supplementary cards.
However, this policy changed in December 2024:
- New StanChart Smart Cardholders will receive a first year fee waiver, after which they will pay S$99.19 per year
- Existing StanChart Smart Cardholders as of 6 December 2024 will be charged an annual fee of S$99.19 per year from 6 December 2025 onwards
Up to four supplementary cards remain free for life.
An annual fee waiver will be granted if you spend at least S$10,000 in a membership year. I would hope that a waiver would still be possible even if you don’t meet this threshold, but recent experience (with the Journey card in particular) suggests that Standard Chartered is getting stricter with its fee-waiver policy, even for entry-level cards.
What welcome gifts are available?
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| Apply |
New-to-bank customers who apply for a StanChart Smart Card through the links in this article can enjoy welcome gifts from SingSaver, including:
- Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB
- Xiaomi Truclean W20 Wet Dry Vacuum
- Hinomi H1 Classic V3 Ergonomic Office Chair
- S$200 cash
A minimum spend of S$500 within 30 days of approval is required. Gifts are often rotated, so be sure to refer to the T&Cs for the latest selection.
New-to-bank customers are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal StanChart credit card, and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months. Do note that holding a Trust Bank card has absolutely no impact on your new-to-bank status for Standard Chartered, as the two are completely separate entities.
How many miles do I earn?
| 🇸🇬 SGD Spend | 🌎 FCY Spend | ⭐ Bonus Spend |
| 0.46 mpd | 0.46 mpd | Up to 9.28 mpd on fast food, streaming, SimplyGo and EV charging |
SGD/FCY Spend
StanChart Smart Cardholders normally earn:
- 1.6 points for every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars
- 1.6 points for every S$1 spent in foreign currency (FCY)
That’s an equivalent earn rate of 0.46 mpd for local and overseas spend.
Overseas transactions come with a hefty 3.5% FCY fee, the highest in the market. Needless to say, this isn’t a card you should be using for general spending!
| 💳 FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network |
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| Issuer | ↓ MC & Visa | AMEX |
| Standard Chartered | 3.5% | N/A |
| American Express | N/A | 3.25% |
| Citibank | 3.25% | N/A |
| DBS | 3.25% | 3% |
| HSBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| Maybank | 3.25% | N/A |
| OCBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| UOB | 3.25% | 3.25% |
| BOC | 3% | N/A |
| CIMB | 3% | N/A |
Bonus Spend
The StanChart Smart Card offers up to 32 points per S$1 (9.28 mpd) on transactions made in SGD at the following merchants:
| Category | Merchants |
| 🍔 Fast Food |
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| 📺 Streaming |
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| 🚆 Transport |
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| *Until 31 December 2025 | |
There’s three important points to highlight:
- With the exception of EV charging, bonuses are not awarded by MCC. Instead, fast food, streaming entertainment and public transportation are limited to the specifically named merchants, so you won’t earn any bonuses at MOS Burger or Jollibee, for example
- Bonuses only apply if the transaction is charged in SGD. This means that overseas Burger King, Subway etc. transactions will not earn bonuses
- Out of the EV charging providers currently operating in Singapore, only ChargEco, CDG Engie and SP Group code as 5522. Other providers, like Juice+ and Shell Recharge, use different MCCs and will not earn bonuses. Refer to the article below for more details
Transactions at bonus-eligible merchants earn:
- the regular base rate of 1.6 points per S$1 (0.46 mpd), and
- a bonus of 11.2-30.4 points per S$1 (3.25-8.82 mpd), depending on monthly spend
Cardholders can also convert 3,200 points into a S$10 statement credit if they so wish.
Now, here’s where it gets complicated. The StanChart Smart Card has three different earning tiers, based on total spend within a statement month.
| Card Spend (per statement month) |
Bonus Categories | Non-Bonus Categories |
| Less than S$800 |
6 Dec 24 to 31 Mar 25 12.8 pts/S$1 4% 3.71 mpd |
1.6 pts/S$1 0.5% 0.46 mpd |
| From 1 Apr 25 1.6 pts/S$1 0.5% 0.46 mpd |
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| S$800 to S$1,499 | 25.6 pts/S$1 8% 7.42 mpd |
1.6 pts/S$1 0.5% 0.46 mpd |
| S$1,500 or more | 32 pts/S$1 10% 9.28 mpd |
3.2 pts/S$1 1% 0.93 mpd |
When spending on bonus categories:
- Cardholders with a minimum spend of less than S$800 per statement month will earn 4% cashback or 3.71 mpd until 31 March 2025, after which the earn rate drops to 0.5% cashback or 0.46 mpd
- Cardholders who spend at least S$800 but less than S$1,500 per statement month will earn 8% cashback or 7.42 mpd
- Cardholders who spend at least S$1,500 per statement month will earn 10% cashback or 9.28 mpd
There is no cap on the miles that can be earned, which sounds fantastic on first glance- who wouldn’t want an uncapped 9.28 mpd?
But in practice, you might find that hard to attain because of the minimum spend requirements. It’s very difficult to see anyone spending more than S$800 at these bonus merchants, let alone S$1,500.
Think about it. Let’s say you have a Disney+ (S$15.98), Netflix (S$25.98) and Spotify (S$17.98) subscription (the most expensive plans for all three services), and let’s say you have an EV and charge your vehicle once a week (S$200). That only comes up to S$260, so you’d need to spend at least S$540 on the fast food category.
I mean, everyone gripes about how much McDonald’s and Starbucks costs these days, but that’s still a lot of junk to be eating. And if you want to hit the top rebates tier of 10% cashback or 9.28 mpd, I hope you enjoy your S$1,240 feast (now, if only there were a card that offered bonus miles for medical treatment…).
That’s not to say it’s impossible, mind you. Volt sells prepaid credits that code as MCC 5522, so you could buy S$800 or S$1,500 of credits in a month (each account only allows a maximum limit of S$1,000 though) and then spend them slowly (I don’t drive an EV, so I don’t know how long it’d take you to spend all that).
Of course, you could always transact on non-bonus categories to meet the minimum spend, but with an earn rate of just 0.46 mpd, your weighted average will be dragged down very quickly.
When are 360° Rewards Points credited?
Base and bonus points will be credited together at the start of the following statement cycle.
How are 360° Rewards Points calculated?
Here’s how you can work out the 360° Rewards Points earned on your StanChart Smart Card:
General spend
| Local Spend (1.6x) | Multiply transaction by 1.6, then round to nearest whole number |
| FCY Spend (1.6x) |
Multiply transaction by 1.6, then round to nearest whole number |
Bonus transactions (SGD only)
| Bonus Spend (12.8x) | Multiply transaction by 1.6, then round to nearest whole number. Multiply transaction by 11.2, then round to nearest whole number. Add both numbers |
| Bonus Spend (25.6x) | Multiply transaction by 1.6, then round to nearest whole number. Multiply transaction by 24, then round to nearest whole number. Add both numbers |
| Bonus Spend (32x) | Multiply transaction by 1.6, then round to nearest whole number. Multiply transaction by 30.4, then round to nearest whole number. Add both numbers |
If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points:
General spend
| Local Spend | =ROUND(X*1.6,0) |
| FCY Spend |
=ROUND(X*1.6,0) |
| Where X= Amount Spent |
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Bonus transactions (SGD only)
| Bonus Spend (12.8x) | =ROUND(X*1.6,0) + ROUND(X*11.2,0) |
| Bonus Spend (25.6x) | =ROUND(X*1.6,0) + ROUND(X*24,0) |
| Bonus Spend (32x) | =ROUND(X*1.6,0) + ROUND(X*30.4,0) |
| Where X= Amount Spent |
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For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
What transactions aren’t eligible for 360° Rewards Points?
A full list of transactions that do not earn points can be found in the T&Cs at point 15.
I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
- Charitable donations
- Education
- Government services
- GrabPay and YouTrip top-ups
- Hospitals
- Insurance premiums
- Utilities
While CardUp transactions do earn points with Standard Chartered credit cards, this wouldn’t be the right card to use anyway.
What do I need to know about 360° Rewards Points?
| ❌ Expiry | ↔️ Pooling | 💰 Transfer Fee |
| Up to 3 years | No | S$27.25 (per conversion) |
| ⬆️ Min. Transfer | ✈️ No. of Partners | ⏱️ Transfer Time |
| Varies | 2 | 3 working days (for KF) |
Expiry
360° Rewards Points earned on the StanChart Smart Card are valid for up to three years.
Note how that’s “up to three years” and not “three years”. Like Citibank, Standard Chartered points have a fixed expiry date, based on when you opened your card.
In other words, when you open an SCB card account, a three year countdown timer starts. All the points you earn during that initial three year period will expire on the same date, regardless of when they were actually earned. In an extreme example, your points can be valid for as little as one day!
Pooling
Standard Chartered’s rewards system is rather odd.
- Points earned on the Beyond Card, Visa Infinite and the Journey card pool
- Points earned on non-Visa Infinite cards pool
Cards under group (1) enjoy a preferential conversion rate of 25,000 points = 10,000 miles, versus 34,500 points = 10,000 miles for group (2).
Back when Standard Chartered pooled points, 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 is no longer possible, and the two groups of points do not co-mingle.
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) |
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| VI, Journey, Beyond | All others | |
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25,000 : 10,000 | 34,500 : 10,000 |
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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
Visa SmartDelay
The StanChart Smart Card offers a feature called SmartDelay, which offers complimentary lounge access in the event of a flight delay.
Here’s how it works:
- Register your flight here and provide your Smart Card number
- If your flight is delayed by more than one hour, you will receive a digital LoungeKey Pass
A maximum of two LoungeKey Passes (for the cardholder and one guest) can be received. There is no need to charge your travel fare to the Smart Card to be eligible for this benefit.
Supplementary cardholders are eligible for SmartDelay, but not if the principal cardholder has registered for the same flight.
Terms & Conditions
Summary Review: Standard Chartered Smart Card
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| Apply | |||
| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |||
| ☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It |
With its new minimum spend requirement and stiflingly narrow whitelist, the StanChart Smart Card is only going to appeal to those nichest of niche cases.
Maybe if you owned a fleet of EV cars. Maybe if you were in charge of ordering office lunches or coffee. Maybe if you were a train otaku who did nothing but ride the MRT all day. Whatever your case, if you feel like you can meet the S$800 (or even S$1,500) minimum spend required for the higher earn rates without dipping into non-bonus categories, then by all means go ahead and get a Smart Card.
But most people won’t, and for that reason, the StanChart Smart Card feels decidedly non-essential for the general public.
If you want to be good and cut down on fastfood (and if you need to put streaming under Amex Platinum Charge, like any Milelion reader who can), this leaves you with a MRT card. If you take one round trip per day, realistically, you redeem the cashback every 2-3 months. And the Smart card is so flimsy it’s not hard for it to fall out of a shallower pocket. Was anyone that disciplined to use Smart just as a MRT card as this article outlines? I tried it and said it’s just a hassle, even for a die hard… Read more »
If that’s the case, then might as well use Lady’s card for public transport to reduce the risk of orphan miles.
Problem with this strategy is that unless you own a Solitaire, you’ll be forgoing important categories like dining, which will undoubtedly incur a much higher monthly spend
if you pick the transport category for lady’s card, it should really be because you drive or take grab instead of taking bus/mrt. petrol spending + grab will certainly be higher than bus/mrt fares.
Yeah, can’t imagine the math working for someone who does not own a car to give up dining, travel (airline + hotel) or family (groceries) for bus/MRT cashback.
I do, and occasionally on McD, Toastbox n yakun
I would argue this card is essential for non-car users. 6% back is nothing to scoff at especially when specialised spending cards like Citi Rewards, WWMC and Revolution barely gives anything back in this category.
6% is great and only the UOB Evol and DBS Yuu beat that in percent cashback terms.
But in absolute (not percent) terms, what is this, $6/month cashback reward to carry an extra card just for MRT and the occasional fastfood?
But those specialised spending cards do award 4mpd for most of those categories. These are online (4mpd for CR and WWMC) Disney+ Netflix Spotify YouTube And for the fast food you have some options: CR+Amaze 4mpd Mobile Orders (e.g. McD app) for WWMC 4mpd HSBC Revolution covers 5814 Fast Food 4mpd So, it’s real trick essentially just BUS/MRT. If you are spending that much per month, you might want to consider taking up the Adult Hybrid Concession instead (which caps your losses at $128). Not to mention even if you chose the 6% rebate instead of miles, there will be… Read more »
Eh, might want to double check on the 5814 for HSBC Revolution 🙂
Oops, my bad, i forgot about the nerfs 5411/5499/5814.
Aaron,
Actually points from Smart card still pool with other SCB cards like SCB rewards+, prudential card etc, except for SCB journey and infinite.
will this card still reward 5.6mpd if I buy from McD/KFC app?
I use this card as my simply go card via googlepay and I have given the physical card to my daughter to use on simplygo. I have already raked up close to 10k points. This combined with the 25K points I got for applying for the journey card is enough for me to redeem $100 worth Capita vouchers. After that I intend to just close the SCB cards and wait for 1 yr for the new user signup bonus.
What happens if you and your daughter are travelling together?
Actually it doesn’t matter. Transitlink treats mobile wallet card and physical card as separate card numbers when tapping on bus/MRT card readers (hence the advice to tap in and out with the same medium). Although it could just be easier (and safer) to give the daughter a supp card.
this card has major changes coming again
If you’re still using this card in the first few months of 2025 to get just enough points to redeem a reward before the final nerfs and annual fee kicks in after 31 March, note that SCB has put in a clause that they’ll only credit the bonus 360 points earned between 6 Dec to March by 30 April!!! So transactions between now and then only get the measly 1.6 points per dollar, impossible to accumulate until after the date where the annual fee starts to kick in. So sneaky!