How to maximise miles on the Apple iPhone 18

Apple has taken the wraps off its latest iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and foldable Duo, with pre-orders for the first two models starting this weekend (the base iPhone 18 is expected to launch in early 2027, along with a successor to the iPhone Air).

Model	Pre-order	Available
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max	8 p.m, 12 September 2026	18 September 2026
iPhone Duo	8 p.m, 16 October 2026	23 October 2026

The price? Well, brace your kidneys — if you still have them — because this year’s product line tops out at an eye-watering S$4,899, or even more if you opt for add-ons like AppleCare+.

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether Cupertino’s latest and greatest is worth that kind of splurge, but assuming you’re pulling the trigger, then it’s all about reaping as many miles as you can.

So what are the best options at your disposal?

Baseline: Don’t earn fewer miles than this!

Let’s start with what I call “baseline miles”, because regardless of where you ultimately end up buying your iPhone, you should not be earning fewer miles than this.

Buy iPhone online

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd MCC 5732#	Max. S$1K per c. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd MCC 5732#	Max S$600 per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	2.4 mpd MCC 5732#	No cap. Must spend at least S$1K on SIA Group in m. year
#Most retailers which sell iPhones should code under MCC 5732, but you should always make a point of checking

Buy iPhone in-store

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd MCC 5732	Max. S$1K per c. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd	Use mobile payments, max S$600 per c. month
UOB Visa Signature  Apply	4 mpd	Use contactless payments, min S$1K, max S$1.2K per s. month

Now, I hope you realise the problem: the caps are too low. Not only are iPhones more expensive than ever before, but banks have been steadily reducing the bonus caps on specialised spending cards. Back in 2023, you could one-shot an iPhone 15 Pro on the DBS Woman’s World Card, and still have some bonus cap left over for other online purchases. Today, that’s nothing but wishful thinking. 

If the merchant lets you split payments over multiple cards, then great. Break up the transaction accordingly, based on the respective bonus caps.

But if not, there are still ways of breaking up the transaction through gift cards or BNPL services — which we’ll cover later in this article.

It’s also worth checking whether you qualify for any sign-up bonuses, because a four-digit purchase is going to put you some way towards achieving it. I’ve just published a round-up of the latest credit card welcome offers on the market, so be sure to check out the post below.

Roundup: Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses (September 2026)

Finally, since this is a big-ticket purchase, you should confirm the MCC before buying, especially if you’re using an MCC-specific card like the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card or HSBC Revolution. You can do this in three main ways:

Up to 10 mpd with Singtel

DBS yuu Cards

Apply (AMEX)

Apply (Visa)

If you’re buying your iPhone from a Singtel Shop or Singtel Exclusive Retailer, paying with the DBS yuu AMEX or Visa would earn up to 10 mpd.

The bonus cap was increased back in October 2025 to S$823 per calendar month, or S$1,646 across both cards. Any spend in excess of the cap will earn an uncapped 0.28 mpd.

You could therefore try and split your transaction like this:

• S$823 on DBS yuu AMEX
• S$823 on DBS yuu Visa
• Remainder on a 4 mpd card like the UOB Preferred Visa or UOB Visa Signature

If you’re planning to dull the upfront pain of a new iPhone by buying a (probably overpriced) monthly plan, you can also earn 9.72 mpd on your monthly Singtel bill by paying with the yuu Card at Singtel kiosks.

Up to 8 mpd with KrisShop

As with previous years, the iPhone 18 will be available through KrisShop, though remember: delivery will usually be slower than ordering it through Apple directly. 

This presents an opportunity to earn up to 8 mpd on your purchase.

Up to 4 mpd from KrisShopper

KrisShopper Tier	Qualifying Spend*	Earn Rate
Non-KrisShopper	N/A	1.5 mpd
Member	N/A	2 mpd
Insider	S$5,000	2.5 mpd
Icon	S$10,000	3 mpd
Ambassador	S$15,000	4 mpd
*Qualifying spend includes purchases on KrisShop.com, KrisShop on Kris+, KrisShop on KrisWorld, Inflight purchases on Singapore Airlines. Excludes GST, duties and delivery charges

The free-to-join KrisShopper Member tier grants 2 mpd on all purchases, 0.5 mpd more than a non-KrisShopper customer. This can increase to as high as 4 mpd as you move up the ranks based on cumulative spend on the platform.

KrisShopper does not award miles on GST and shipping, so if your iPhone 18 Pro costs  S$1,742.20 + S$156.80 GST, for example, you’ll only earn the KrisShopper 1.5-4 mpd on S$1,742.20. This means the effective earn rate will be slightly less than the figures mentioned above.

Up to 4 mpd from credit card

KrisShop purchases code as online transactions under MCC 5309 Duty Free Stores, so you can use the following cards for up to 4 mpd.

💳 Best Cards for KrisShop
Card	Earn Rate	Cap
UOB Lady’s Card Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$1K per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$750 per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$1K per c. month
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd Website 0.4 mpd Kris+	Cap S$1K per s. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$600 per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$1K per c. month
OCBC Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd Website Kris+	Cap S$1.1K per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	3 mpd Website Kris+	No cap
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Apply	2 mpd Website 1.2 mpd Kris+	No cap
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card Apply	2 mpd Website 1.1 mpd Kris+	No cap
S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month

If you need to break up the KrisShop transaction to better optimise your bonus caps, one option is to purchase e-Gift Cards. e-Gift Cards are valid for one year from the date of issuance, and can be used for a single transaction. However, they require up to four working days to be issued, so they’re not an instant solution (Atome is another option; see below).

Up to 7.5 mpd with HeyMax

Get 200 Max Miles when you open an account and complete your first transaction

Get a HeyMax Account

HeyMax sells vouchers for various iPhone retailers, and buying these allows you to double dip on Max Miles and credit card points.

Buying vouchers also enables you to break up the transaction in a way that better optimises your bonus caps. For example, instead of making a single transaction of S$2,000, I could buy 2x S$1,000 Courts vouchers, paying for one with the Citi Rewards Card and another with the DBS Woman’s World Card.

Up to 3.5 mpd from HeyMax

HeyMax is currently offering the following rates for voucher purchases (rates change frequently, so always refer to the website for the latest):

• Amazon SG: 3.5 Max Miles per S$1
• Best Denki: 0.25 Max Miles per S$1
• Courts: 0.5 Max Miles per S$1
• iShopChangi: 3 Max Miles per S$1

Max Miles can be converted to miles or points with more than 20 airline and hotel partners. 

Max Miles can also be used to pay for air tickets at a rate of 1.8 cents each via FlyAnywhere, with a minimum redemption of 1,000 Max Miles.

Up to 4 mpd from credit card

HeyMax voucher purchases code as online transactions under MCC 5311 Department Stores, so you can use the following cards to earn up to 4 mpd.

💳 Best Cards for HeyMax Vouchers (MCC 5311)
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
Maybank XL Rewards Apply	4 mpd	Min. S$500 and max S$1K per c. month
OCBC Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1.1K per c. month
UOB Lady’s Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month, must choose Fashion as bonus category
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Apply	4 mpd	Max S$750 per c. month, must choose Fashion as bonus category
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd	Max S$600 per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	2.4 mpd	No cap. Must spend at least S$1K on SIA Group in m. year

Up to 5 mpd with Kris+

S$5 for new Kris+ Users

Get 500 KrisPay miles (S$5) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

Kris+ is accepted at several iPhone retailers, and it’s possible to earn up to 5 mpd with the right stacking combination.

1 mpd from Kris+

The following electronics retailers are offering an incremental 0.5-1 mpd on all purchases, including Apple iPhones.

Retailer	Earn Rate
	1 mile per S$2
	3 miles per S$3
	2 miles per S$2

Don’t forget to transfer any miles earned to KrisFlyer within 21 days of the transaction, in their entirety. If you wait longer than 21 days, or use Kris+ to spend any portion of the miles earned, the remaining balance will be stuck inside Kris+. There is an auto-conversion switch that you can turn on so this never happens.

Up to 4 mpd from credit card

Kris+ transactions code as online spend, and maintain the MCC of the underlying merchant.

This would be MCC 5732 Electronics Stores for the three retailers mentioned above, so you can use the following cards for up to 4 mpd. 

💳 Best Cards for Kris+ (MCC 5732 Electronics)
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards + Amaze Apply	4 mpd	Max. S$1K per s. month. 1% admin fee applies to all SGD spend.
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max. S$1K per c. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd	Max S$600 per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	3 mpd	No cap

How can I break up the purchase?

Given the hefty price of the iPhone 18, it’s highly likely you’ll bust the bonus cap on some of the 4 mpd cards out there.

As I mentioned earlier, splitting the transaction over multiple cards would be the best way to optimise your bonus cap. But what if the cashier doesn’t allow it, or if you’re buying online and don’t have the option? 

How to maximise miles by splitting payments across multiple cards

Atome

Get S$10 off first Atome purchase

Even if you can’t split the cost over different cards, you could pay with Atome, which partners with the following iPhone retailers:

• Courts
• Gain City
• iShopChangi
• KrisShop
• Mobyshop
• Singtel

Atome breaks the transaction into three interest-free monthly instalments, and changes the MCC to MCC 5999. A S$2,399 iPhone becomes S$799.67 per month, well within the bonus cap of various specialised spending cards.

Here’s a summary of the best cards to use for Atome.

💳 Best Cards for Atome
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	2.4 mpd	Min S$1K spend on SIA Group in a m. year

Use gift cards

But buying gift cards is another way of breaking up the transaction amount.

Some of the bigger gift card aggregators in Singapore can be found below (though my first choice would still be HeyMax, since these platforms don’t award you with any miles beyond what you get from your credit card).

MCC 5311 MCC 5399 Amazon processes transactions over a range of MCCs, so use a card that awards bonuses for general online spend
Amazon Best Denki Courts Challenger Dairy Farm	Eu Yan Sang IKEA Klook NTUC FairPrice TADA

MCC 5999
Amazon Best Denki Cold Storage Courts Dairy Farm Group eCapitaVoucher* Eu Yan Sang Giant	Grab Guardian IKEA Lazada NTUC FairPrice Sheng Siong TANGS ZALORA
*Admin fee of up to 5% applies to purchases

MCC 5812 MCC 5814 MCC 5311 ShopBack processes transactions over a range of MCCs, so use a card that awards bonuses for general online spend
Amazon Foodpanda Gojek Grab IKEA Lazada	NTUC FairPrice Ryde Shell Shopee TADA Uniqlo

MCC 5947
Amazon Best Denki Caltex Challenger Cold Storage Courts eCapitaVoucher Giant GrabGifts Guardian IKEA	iStudio Klook Lazada Muji NTUC FairPrice Shell Shopee TADA TANGS Trip.com Watsons

Alternatively, you can also buy FRx Experience gift cards (MCC 5965) and buy your iPhone at a merchant inside a Fraser mall.

MCC 5965
Causeway Point Century Square Eastpoint Hougang Mall Northpoint City Tampines1	The CentrePoint Tiong Bahru Plaza Valley Point Waterway Point White Sands

Some of these MCCs are whitelisted by certain credit cards, and if not, you should fall back to the Citi Rewards and DBS Woman’s World Card for 4 mpd.

MCC 5947

💳 Best Cards for MCC 5947
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd	Max S$600 per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	2.4 mpd	Min S$1K spend on SIA Group in m. year

MCC 5965

💳 Best Cards for MCC 5965
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month

MCC 5999

💳 Best Cards for MCC 5999
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per s. month
DBS Woman’s World Card Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month
UOB Preferred Visa Apply	4 mpd	Max S$600 per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	2.4 mpd	Min S$1K spend on SIA Group in a m. year

Earn PPS Value or Elite miles

If you’re buying your iPhone through Kris+ or KrisShop, you’re eligible to earn PPS Value and Elite miles.

	PPS Club	KrisFlyer
Earn Rate	1 PPS Value per S$3 spent*	1 Elite mile per S$1 spent**
Cap	2,500 PPS Value^	5,000 to 10,000 Elite miles
*Or 1 PPS Value per A$3 spent via Kris+ in Australia **Or 1 Elite mile per A$1 spent via Kris+ in Australia ^5,000 PPS Value for Solitaire PPS Club earned from 1 June 2018

PPS Club members will earn 1 PPS Value per S$3 spent.

• A maximum of 2,500 PPS Value per membership year can be earned from non-flight activities towards qualification/requalification for PPS Club, or Solitaire PPS Club earned before 1 June 2018
• A maximum of 5,000 PPS Value per membership year can be earned from non-flight activities towards qualification/requalification for Solitaire PPS Club earned from 1 June 2018

PPS Value earned will also count towards the attainment of PPS Rewards.

KrisFlyer members will earn 1 Elite mile per S$1 spent.

• A maximum of 5,000 Elite miles per membership year can be earned from non-flight activities towards qualification/requalification for KrisFlyer Elite Silver
• A maximum of 10,000 Elite miles per membership year can be earned from non-flight activities towards qualification/requalification for KrisFlyer Elite Gold

Elite miles earned will also count towards the attainment of KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards.

For example, if you were to buy a S$3,099 iPhone Duo 256GB, you would earn:

• 947 PPS Value
• 2,843 Elite miles

PPS Value and Elite miles are not awarded on the GST component, so the eligible amount for status credits is S$2,843 (S$3,099 less 9% GST).

AMEX x Apple Rewards Store

AMEX Apple Rewards Store

American Express offers an online Apple Rewards Store where Membership Rewards points can be used to offset purchases at a rate of S$6 per 1,000 MR points (versus S$4.80 per 1,000 points normally). 

Based on the conversion rates to miles, this is equivalent to accepting a value of:

• AMEX Platinum Charge/Centurion: 1.20 cents/mile
• All other AMEX cards: 1.32 cents/mile

The value has increased compared to 2025, but it’s not because Pay with Points got better. Rather, it’s because airline miles conversions got worse, with the devaluation of Membership Rewards points.

Buy it overseas?

As I’m sure you’re aware, Apple prices are different across countries, and the iPhone 18 is no exception. If you happen to be travelling overseas, then you might be tempted to bring an iPhone back with you (DYODD regarding warranty support and compatibility).

What’s advantageous about this is that there are several credit cards which can earn an uncapped 2.8 to 4 mpd on overseas spending. Of course, there’s an additional FCY fee involved, so its equivalent to buying miles — but the overall savings might make it worthwhile.

Card	FCY Earn Rate	FCY Fee	Cost Per Mile
DCS Imperium Card Apply	4 mpd1 No cap	3.25%	0.81
Maybank XL Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd2	3.25%	0.81¢
UOB Visa Signature Apply	4 mpd3	3.25%	0.81¢
StanChart Beyond Card Apply	PP: 4 mpd PB: 3.5 mpd Regular: 3 mpd No cap	3.5%	PP: 0.88¢ PB: 1¢ Regular: 1.17¢
Maybank World Mastercard Apply	3.2 mpd4 No cap	3.25%	1.02¢
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	3.2 mpd5 No cap	3.25%	1.02¢
BOC Elite Miles Card Apply	2.8 mpd No cap	3%	1.07¢
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Apply	2.8 mpd6 No cap	3.25%	1.16¢
StanChart Visa Infinite Apply	3 mpd7 No cap	3.5%	1.17¢
StanChart Rewards+ Apply	2.9 mpd8	3.5%	1.21¢
UOB PRVI Miles Card AMEX Mastercard Visa	3 mpd (IDR, MYR, THB, VND) 2.4 mpd (All others) No cap	3.25%	1.08¢ (IDR, MYR, THB, VND) 1.35¢ (All others)
1. Min. S$4,000 FCY spend per c. month, otherwise 2.4 mpd 2. Min. spend S$500 per c. month, capped at S$1,000 per c. month 3. Min. spend S$1,000 in FCY per statement month, capped at S$1,200 per s. month 4. Min. spend S$4,000 per c. month. 2.8 mpd with min. spend S$800 per c. month. 0.4 mpd otherwise 5. Min. spend S$4,000 per c. month. 2 mpd otherwise 6. Min. spend S$800 per c. month. 1.2 mpd otherwise 7. Min. spend S$2,000 per s. month. 1 mpd otherwise 8. Capped at S$2,222 per membership year
*Fee refers to the FCY transaction fee imposed by banks, and does not include the spread charged by Mastercard or Visa, which can add an additional 0.3-0.5% depending on currency

In the table above I’m just highlighting the cards with earn rates of 2.8 mpd or more. If you want the full list refer to the article below.

2026 Edition: Best Cards for Overseas Spending

Remember: you’ll also need to account for GST beyond your relief amounts (S$500 if away for 48 hours or more, S$100 otherwise).

Conclusion

The latest Apple iPhone 18s won’t come cheap, but it is an opportunity to earn a big chunk of miles. The key here is to look for welcome bonuses and stacking opportunities, and to split up the amount via gift cards, BNPL, or simply paying with multiple cards in-store so you can optimise your bonus caps.

What’s your iPhone 18 purchase strategy?