Should you still pair the Amaze Card with Citi Rewards?

Today marks the beginning of a new era for the Amaze Card as it suffers yet another round of nerfs, including a 1% fee on all SGD-denominated transactions, the removal of InstaPoints for card-linked spending, and the elimination of cashback as a reward option.

Bit by bit, Amaze is becoming a pale shadow of the card that so impressed me back in 2021— it’s not quite dead, but the dancing pallbearers are probably stretching their quads.

⚠️ tl;dr: Amaze Card changes (effective 10 March 2025)

1% fee (min. S$0.50) for all SGD-denominated transactions, effective from the first dollar of spend No more InstaPoints for card-linked transactions InstaPoints will only be awarded for wallet-linked transactions, in both SGD and FCY InstaPoints will no longer be redeemable for cashback InstaPoints will be redeemable for KrisFlyer miles at a rate of 1,200 points = 400 miles Amaze wallet limit will increase to S$15,000, and annual spend limit will increase to S$75,000 Amaze wallet balances can be transferred to a bank account

I’ve already discussed the implications of the changes to the InstaPoints programme, so let’s address another common question: does it still make sense to use the Amaze x Citi Rewards pairing, given the expanded 1% domestic fee?

Background: Amaze x Citi Rewards

For those out of the loop, the Citi Rewards Card has long been one of the best options to pair with Amaze.

Why?

1. Citi Rewards earns 4 mpd on all online transactions, except for travel, in-app mobile payments, and the general exclusions list
2. Transactions made via Amaze are classified as online, even if the purchase is made in-store
3. Therefore, by pairing Amaze with the Citi Rewards, you can extend its online bonuses to offline spending

In essence, pairing Amaze with Citi Rewards allows you to earn 4 mpd on almost everything, subject to a S$1,000 cap per statement month. On top of that, Citi has a more favourable rounding policy than other 4 mpd cards like the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, rounding transactions down to the nearest S$1 (instead of S$5) before awarding points. 

Even when Amaze introduced its 1% fee for domestic transactions in March 2024, Citi Rewards customers weren’t too concerned. The fee only applied to domestic spending beyond S$1,000 per calendar month, coincidentally (or not) the same as the 4 mpd cap. As a result, most users reacted with a shrug; at worst, it meant some additional monitoring, since statement months don’t usually align with calendar months.

There have been a few nerve-wracking moments along the way, like when Citi excluded certain Amaze transactions in July 2023 (to close a loophole for manufactured spending), or when Amaze transactions briefly stopped earning points in January 2024 (which turned out to be a false alarm). 

But otherwise, it’s been smooth sailing…until now.

Amaze’s new 1% fee for SGD spending

From 10 March 2025, Amaze will impose a 1% fee (minimum S$0.50) on all SGD-denominated transactions, starting from the first dollar of spend.

This fee will be automatically deducted from your Amaze wallet. If your wallet balance is insufficient, the linked card will be used to top-up the wallet. However, this top-up will not earn rewards, as it codes as MCC 6540.

For example, if I use my card-linked Amaze for a domestic transaction of S$100, I will incur a fee of S$1. Assuming my wallet balance is zero, I will see two charges on my card statement:

• S$100 for the transaction (categorised under the merchant’s MCC)
• S$1 for the Amaze wallet top-up (categorised under MCC 6540)

Since the transaction is structured this way, miles will not be earned on the 1% fee. 

Some people may argue that paying a 1% fee to earn 4 mpd works out to 0.25 cents per mile, which is a reasonable cost. However, this perspective is flawed for two reasons.

The fee is at least 1%

Because of the S$0.50 minimum, it’d be more accurate to say that the domestic fee is at least 1%. For transactions smaller than S$50, the fee will actually be greater than 1%, as shown in the table below.

To put it another way, this seemingly innocuous fee can really bite on smaller transactions. Spending S$5? Your 20 miles cost you 2.5 cents each!

The minimum fee is particularly annoying because one of the main use cases for Amaze x Citi Rewards was for small transactions, where the S$5 earning blocks of the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa would count against it.

But now it’s like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place: if your transaction is relatively small but not in a nice S$5 block, do you go with the fee of the Amaze x Citi Rewards, or the lost miles of the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa? 

There’s opportunity cost

Amaze is not a magic wand that lets you earn rewards on rewards-ineligible categories (you won’t believe how many emails I get asking me “can I use Amaze x Citi Rewards to earn miles on insurance?”).

You’re still subject to Citibank’s general rewards exclusion list, and since this is pretty standard, any Amaze x Citi Rewards spend is a transaction that could have earned miles with an alternative card instead, without fees. Therefore, we should be looking at the incremental miles that Amaze x Citi Rewards allows us to earn, rather than the total miles. 

Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that you couldn’t earn 4 mpd with alternative cards (though it’s hard to imagine why, when the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa covers so many scenarios- maybe you busted its monthly cap already?), and the next best alternative is 1.4 mpd.

In that case, you’re paying a 1% fee for an incremental 2.6 mpd, or 0.38 cents per mile. Again, that doesn’t sound bad on paper, but only if your transaction doesn’t trigger the S$0.50 minimum.

Obviously, there are many possible scenarios here. Your next best alternative might be 1.5, 1.6, maybe even 2 mpd. Or maybe it’s a 1.7% cashback card. I can’t cover every single permutation, suffice to say that you should be looking at the incremental value you derive from pairing Amaze with Citi Rewards, not total. 

Even after accounting for all this, there are still scenarios where the cost per mile is attractively low. So does that mean there’s still life in the Amaze x Citi Rewards pairing?

When should you still use Amaze x Citi Rewards?

If you’re spending in FCY

At the risk of stating the obvious, the 1% fee only affects spending in SGD. 

If you’re spending in FCY, by all means continue using Amaze x Citi Rewards – it’s one of the best combinations out there for overseas spend. I personally max this out first on every overseas trip, before turning to alternatives (and before someone asks “what about Chocolate?”, I save my monthly cap for transactions that are normally rewards-ineligible).

If you’re making bigger transactions

As we saw earlier, any transaction of <S$50 incurs an effective fee of >1%, because of the S$0.50 minimum fee.

Therefore, you should avoid using Amaze x Citi Rewards for small transactions. It’s hard to be definitive as to how small is “small”, because everyone will have a different willingness to pay for Citi points (see next section), but the general rule is that the larger the transaction, the closer the fee is to 1%.

If you really want to earn Citi points

Citi has 11 different transfer partners, including EVA Air Infinity MileageLands and Flying Blue which have useful sweet spots.

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (Citi: Partner)
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000
	25,000: 10,000

If you want to earn these “exotic” currencies, then the 1% fee might still be worth paying. However, if you’re a KrisFlyer-only type of person, then the argument for using Amaze x Citi Rewards is a lot weaker.

If you’ve maxed out the bonus caps on other 4 mpd cards

If you’ve already exhausted the bonus caps on other 4 mpd cards, then the Amaze x Citi Rewards pairing becomes more attractive because the opportunity cost of spending is reduced. 

There’s still plenty of use for the Citi Rewards Card!

I want to make one last point because there’s been something grinding my gears: the knee-jerk calls to cancel the Citi Rewards Card in the wake of this nerf. Yes, I know. Knee-jerk reactions? On the internet?!?! The nerve of some people. 

Even if Amaze x Citi Rewards is no longer a viable option because your typical transaction size is small, there’s still plenty of use cases for a “naked” Citi Rewards Card. 

Trust me, you make more online transactions than you’re aware of. Even if you’re not sitting at your computer, the Citi Rewards Card lets you earn 4 mpd on Grab and gojek, Shopback Pay and FavePay, restaurants where ordering and payment is via app or QR code. You could even purchase Fraser mall vouchers (h/t to Zezima for the idea) for in-store spending, as these code as an eligible bonus category.

Conclusion

Amaze now charges a 1% fee on all SGD-denominated transactions from the very first dollar, with no more exception for the first S$1,000 per calendar month.

If your main use case for Amaze was pairing it with the Citi Rewards Card to turn offline spending into online transactions, then you’ll need to weigh the fee (which remember, has a minimum of S$0.50) against the incremental miles it earns. That won’t be an issue for FCY spend though, where no further fees apply. 

I typically use Amaze x Citi Rewards for overseas spending and not local, so this change doesn’t affect me all that much. In months when I’m not travelling, I would possibly consider using Amaze x Citi Rewards locally in situations where I’ve maxed out the 4 mpd caps on other cards, and can spend a big lump sum at one go (e.g. if making a deposit for buying a car).

How will you use Amaze x Citi Rewards after the nerf?