Standard Chartered Visa Infinite adds 20,000 miles renewal bonus

The StanChart Visa Infinite has always struck me as a card whose motto should be “one-year-only”.

In the first year, a 50,000 miles welcome bonus and six lounge visits — perhaps supplemented with some additional miles from the Income Tax Payment Facility — can usually cover its S$599.50 annual fee. In the second year, without the welcome bonus in the picture, paying that fee just becomes a terrible deal.

However, Standard Chartered is now attempting to give cardholders a reason to stay, by adding a 20,000 miles renewal bonus. Does this change the picture? 

Standard Chartered Visa Infinite adds 20,000 renewal miles

StanChart Visa Infinite

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The StanChart Visa Infinite now offers cardholders a renewal bonus of 20,000 miles (awarded in the form of 50,000 Rewards Points), upon paying the second and subsequent years’ S$599.50 annual fee.

Receive a renewal bonus of 50,000 Rewards Points (which can be redeemed for 20,000 KrisFlyer Miles) upon SC Visa Infinite Credit Card anniversary and payment of the annual fee of S$550 (excl. GST). Any subsequent cancellation of the SC Visa Infinite Credit Card will result in a reversal of the renewal bonus.

-Standard Chartered

To be clear: this is a renewal benefit, and doesn’t apply in the first year of card membership. In the first year, cardholders are instead eligible for a 50,000 miles welcome offer when they spend at least S$2,000 within 60 days of approval and pay the first year’s annual fee. 

Interestingly, half of this welcome bonus (25,000 miles) is allocated to the annual fee component, which means that in the second and subsequent years, you actually get 20% fewer miles (20,000 miles) for paying the annual fee.

It’s also worth noting that over the years, many cardholders have reported successfully obtaining a 20,000 miles retention bonus simply by calling the bank at renewal. In that sense, this latest change is less about introducing a new perk and more about formalising an existing, unpublished benefit — but at least you won’t have to pick up the phone now!

What can you do with SC Rewards Points?

Standard Chartered used to offer 10 airline and hotel transfer partners. However, in March 2024, nine of these were removed, and even though Cathay Pacific Asia Miles was added, cardholders are now left with just two transfer options. 

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (SC Points: Partner)
	Tier 1	Tier 2
	25,000 : 10,000	34,500 : 10,000
	25,000 : 10,000	34,500 : 10,000

Do note that Standard Chartered divides its credit cards into two tiers:

• Tier 1: Beyond, Journey, Visa Infinite, Priority Visa Infinite
• Tier 2: All other cards

Tier 1 cards enjoy a preferential conversion ratio, as shown in the table above. Points pool within tiers, but not across tiers (so you can’t combine Tier 1 and 2 points in a single redemption, for example). 

Transfers cost S$27.25 each, regardless of the number of points transferred. 

Does this make it worth renewing?

Not really.

The StanChart Visa Infinite’s core problem is that it offers so little to begin with: basically six Priority Pass visits, and generic Visa Infinite benefits. Even with an additional 20,000 miles thrown into the mix — which I value at S$300 — you’d fall well short of the S$599.50 annual fee.

So this doesn’t really move the needle much. Yes, cardholders can earn an uncapped 3 mpd on FCY spending, but this comes with a higher-than-usual 3.5% FCY transaction fee. Besides, you could earn an uncapped 2.8 mpd with the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature, or uncapped 3.2 mpd with the Maybank World Mastercard — both of which offer annual fee waivers.

How does it compare to other cards?

Here’s a quick rundown of how the StanChart Visa Infinite’s renewal benefit compares to other premium cards, in terms of the cost per mile (CPM).

Card	Annual Fee	Renewal Miles	CPM
Citi Prestige Apply	S$651.82	32,000	2.0¢
StanChart Beyond Card Apply	S$1,635	80,000	2.0¢
DBS Vantage Apply	S$599.50	25,000	2.4¢
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card Apply	S$654	25,000*	2.6¢
StanChart Visa Infinite Apply	S$599.50	20,000	3.0¢
OCBC VOYAGE Apply	S$498	15,000	3.3¢
*Cardholders who spend at least S$100,000 in a membership year will receive an extra 15,000 miles. There is also an unofficial retention bonus of 10,000 miles upon request. Assuming you secure both of these, the CPM is reduced to 1.31 cents.

Of course, CPM isn’t the only metric you should be using when comparing premium cards. A card with a higher CPM might compensate by offering additional perks like airport limo rides or unlimited lounge access, making the overall picture more appealing.

But the relatively high CPM for the StanChart Visa Infinite, coupled with its lacklustre benefits, means it’s a very poor product, no matter how you look at it!

Conclusion

The StanChart Visa Infinite now offers cardholders a 20,000 miles renewal bonus in the second and subsequent years.

Unfortunately, this still isn’t sufficient to justify its S$599.50 annual fee, given that the sum total of its benefits are six lounge visits. It’s almost comically bad, compared to the rest of the $120K pack — and for the price it’s asking, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

(HT: Suite Smile)