The OCBC VOYAGE Card is a pretty competent general spending card, all things considered. Its regular earn rates of 1.3/2.2 mpd for local/overseas spend won’t set the world on fire, but if you qualify for the Premier, PPC or BOS version, those rates improve to 1.6/2.3 mpd.
But did you know you can boost the earn rates even further through OCBC’s Points Exchange feature?
All you need is a free OCBC 90°N Card!
Exchange VOYAGE Miles to 90°N Miles and gain ~5%
To recap, OCBC has three different rewards currencies (four, if you include the newly-created OCBC Tokens): OCBC$, 90°N Miles and VOYAGE Miles.
| OCBC$ | 90°N Miles | VOYAGE Miles | |
| Pooling* | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Expiry | 2 years | No expiry | |
| Transfer Partners | 9 airlines and hotels | ||
| Transfer Fees | S$25 | ||
| Min. Transfer (KrisFlyer) |
10,000 miles | 1,000 miles | 1 mile |
| Min. Transfer (Others) |
2,000 – 4,000 miles | 500 – 1,000 miles | |
| *Pooling is only possible within rewards currencies of the same type, e.g. OCBC$ with OCBC$, 90°N Miles with 90°N Miles. You cannot have more than 1 VOYAGE Card, so pooling is irrelevant. | |||
You cannot combine different currencies in a single redemption. For example, if I have 1,000 90°N Miles and 1,000 VOYAGE Miles, I will need to make two separate redemptions — and pay two separate S$25 conversion fees.
However, OCBC has a Points Exchange feature that allows cardholders to convert one type of rewards currency into another, thereby minimising orphan points. This isn’t a new thing — it’s been available since November 2019 (back when 90°N Miles were referred to as Travel$).
But what’s really interesting is that you can actually enhance the value of your points in the process, at least in the direction of VOYAGE Miles to 90°N Miles. I actually covered this some time ago, but was reminded of it recently in the MileChat.
To access Points Exchange, open the OCBC app and go to the Rewards tab. Look for Points Exchange under the Redeem tab, then tap on OCBC Reward Points.
You’ll then be able to convert VOYAGE Miles to 90°N Miles, or vice versa (you cannot convert OCBC$ to VOYAGE Miles/90°N Miles).
The rate on offer is 1,000 VOYAGE Miles = 1,067 90°N Miles, with a 2% conversion fee (so it’s actually 1,020 VOYAGE Miles = 1,067 90°N Miles). Therefore, you end up gaining 4.6% in the conversion.
For example, the 1.6 mpd local earn rate of an OCBC Premier VOYAGE Card becomes 1.67 mpd if you opt for 90°N Miles instead. Sure, it’s not a life-changing boost, but why not take it anyway?
| 💳 OCBC VOYAGE Cards |
|||
| Card | Local | FCY | Others |
 OCBC VOYAGE |
1.36 mpd |
2.3 mpd |
– |
 OCBC Premier VOYAGE |
1.67 mpd |
2.4 mpd |
– |
 OCBC PPC VOYAGE |
1.67 mpd |
2.4 mpd |
2.4 mpd Dining |
 BOS VOYAGE |
1.67 mpd |
2.4 mpd |
– |
Obviously, you’ll need an OCBC 90°N Card to do this, but if you qualify for a VOYAGE, you’ll have no issues getting a 90°N Card (min. income S$30,000). The first year’s S$196.20 annual fee is waived, and it’s not difficult to get a waiver in subsequent years either.
To learn more about the OCBC 90°N Card, refer to the post below.
What’s the catch?
Of course, by converting VOYAGE Miles into 90°N Miles, you lose the ability to use them like cash for any seat on any airline via VOYAGE Exchange. However, given the poor value offered by VOYAGE Exchange — 0.92 cents for Economy Class, 1.72 cents for First/Business Class, following an unannounced devaluation in 2023 — this really isn’t a big deal.
The only other catch I can think of is that by converting VOYAGE Miles into 90°N Miles, the minimum conversion block to KrisFlyer increases from 1 mile to 1,000 miles. That said, this only affects KrisFlyer miles, and a 1,000-mile conversion block isn’t particularly onerous either, since most other banks have 10,000-mile blocks.
Otherwise, the conversion ratios are the same for VOYAGE Miles and 90°N Miles.
 Transfer Partners |
||
| VOYAGE Miles | 90°N Miles | |
 |
1:1 |
1,000 : 1,000 |
 |
1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 : 1,000 |
 |
1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 : 1,000 |
 |
1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 : 1,000 |
 |
1,000 : 900 | 1,000 : 900 |
 |
1,000 : 900 | 1,000 : 900 |
 |
1,000 : 750 | 1,000 : 750 |
 |
1,000 : 700 | 1,000 : 700 |
 |
1,000 : 500 | 1,000 : 500 |
| All ratios expressed as OCBC points : partner miles/points |
||
It’s also worth noting that the OCBC Points Exchange rates are opaque, and can change at any time without notice. For what it’s worth, the exchange rate between VOYAGE Miles and 90°N Miles has been the same since November 2019, which either means it’s stable, or that a devaluation is overdue…
Conclusion
OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders can convert their VOYAGE Miles into 90°N Miles via the OCBC Points Exchange feature, gaining an additional 4.6% in value in the process. There’s really no reason not to do this, unless you want to spend your VOYAGE Miles via the VOYAGE Exchange instead — which is very poor value in my opinion.
Mind you, this arbitrage opportunity might not be available forever, so make hay while you can.
