The Instarem Amaze Card launched in July 2021, so if you were among the first wave of cardholders, your card should be approaching the end of its five-year validity period right about now.
You might assume that it’s just a simple matter of waiting for the replacement card to arrive in the mail — but you’d be wrong.
As it turns out, Amaze Card replacements are not automatic, and if you don’t request your replacement in time, you’ll have to pay an annoying fee for something you might (reasonably) have expected to be free!
Amaze Card replacements are not automatic!
You’re probably familiar with the card replacement process by now.
A few weeks before your card expires, you’ll receive a replacement in the mail. Once you activate the new card, the old one is automatically deactivated, and then you have five years before the process repeats.
That’s not how it works with Amaze.
With Amaze, you must manually request a replacement card through the app, under Card > Manage > Replace a Card > Card Expiring Soon.
While the new digital card will be available immediately in the Instarem app, the replacement physical card may take up to a week to arrive.
But here’s the bigger problem: if you don’t request for a replacement card within 45 days of expiry, you will be charged a S$9 replacement fee. And yes, it does appear the fee is enforced — as one MileLion community member discovered recently.
While the message from the CSO seems to suggest that you must request the card replacement before expiry, in practice that doesn’t appear to be the case.
My card expired in July, and I kept waiting for a replacement to come. When I realised I had to request for one, I applied for it on 3 August and wasn’t charged a fee (at least not that I can see). Other community members have reported likewise.
In any case, if your card is expiring in the current month, or has already expired, be sure to request for a new one immediately.
While we’re on the topic of replacement cards, it’s worth noting that Instarem will also charge you a S$9 fee to replace a lost card. That’s a bit unusual — most banks do it for free — but OK, your mistake, your dime. The fee may be waived for cards affected by fraud, on a “case-by-case basis”. Some people get it waived, others don’t.
| ❓ Instarem FAQs |
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Q: Is there a fee for replacing my Amaze Card? Yes, we charge a small fee to replace your card. This fee covers manufacturing and delivery costs. You can check the exact fee details here. Note:
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What to do with your new card
Unlike credit cards, where the new card has an updated expiry date and CVV but maintains the same card number, Instarem issues you a brand-new card: new card number, new expiry date, new CVV.
You will also need to relink all your cards with the new Amaze Card, as they will be automatically deleted from the Instarem app once a new card is issued. Be sure to get this done before heading out — the last thing you want is to be holding up the line!
Remember, you will need to link a card to Amaze to check MCCs, because declined wallet-linked transactions no longer show MCCs.
Conclusion
Amaze Cards are not automatically replaced when they expire. Instead, you’ll have to request for a new card through the Instarem app — and if you don’t do it within 45 days of expiry, a S$9 fee applies.
I’m not sure why Instarem doesn’t just send replacement cards like any regular issuer, but now that you know, be sure to request yours when the time comes.
