With the June holidays just around the corner, banks have gotten real aggressive with the overseas spending promos. Over the past few weeks I’ve written numerous articles covering various offers, and by this point you may have lost track of what’s what.
So in this post, I’ll recap the ongoing offers for foreign currency (FCY) spend, together with the evergreen options available year-round.
Summary: Overseas Spending Promotions
| 💳 Overseas Spending Promos |
|||
| Card | Earn Rate (FCY Fee) |
Cost Per Mile | Min/Max Spend |
 SCB Journey |
2 mpd (0%) |
– | N/A |
 Citi Prestige |
2 mpd (0%) |
– | Min: S$6K Max: S$10K |
 KrisFlyer UOB CC |
5 mpd (3.25%) |
0.65 | Min: S$1.5K Max: S$2K^ |
 UOB PRVI Miles |
5 mpd (3.25%) |
0.65 | Min: S$1K Max: S$4K |
 DBS Treasures Black Elite |
4.4 mpd (3.25%) |
0.74 | Min: S$800 Max: S$2.8K* |
 DBS Vantage |
4.2 mpd (3.25%) |
0.77 | Min: S$800 Max: S$2.8K* |
 Citi PM Card |
4 mpd (3.25%) |
0.81 | Min: S$5K Max: S$5K |
 DBS Altitude Card |
4 mpd (3.25%) |
0.81 | Min: S$800 Max: S$2.8K* |
| ^Per spending period; there are three spending periods to enjoy the offer *Per spending period; there are two spending periods to enjoy the offer |
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Unfortunately, I can only add up to four columns in my tables before the formatting gets messed up, so you’ll need to read below for the full details of each offer.
SC Journey Card
| SC Journey Card |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 2 mpd |
| FCY Fee | 0% |
| Online/Offline | Both |
| Min. Spend | N/A |
| Cap | N/A |
| Validity Period | Period 1: 1 Jun to 31 Jul 2023 Period 2: 1 Nov to 31 Dec 2023 |
| Registration | Not required |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
The Standard Chartered Journey Card (and X Card; they’re one and the same now, in case you haven’t been following the news) is offering a 3.5% rebate on online and offline foreign currency spend made and posted during:
- 1 June to 31 July 2023
- 1 November to 31 December 2023
No registration is required, and there is no cap on the maximum spend.
You’ll still earn the usual 2 mpd on foreign currency spend, so the rebate basically offsets the usual 3.5% FCY fee, making the miles free (technically there is a Visa spread, so you’d still be paying more than with Revolut or YouTrip, but my assumption here is you want to earn miles).
Citi Prestige Card
 Citi Prestige |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 2 mpd |
| FCY Fee | 0% |
| Online/Offline | Both |
| Min. Spend | S$6,000 FCY for entire promo |
| Cap | S$10,000 FCY for entire promo |
| Validity Period | 19 Apr to 30 Jun 2023 |
| Registration | SMS PRSTSPEND<space>Last 4 digits of eligible card number to 72484 |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
From 19 April to 30 June 2023, targeted Citi Prestige Cardholders will enjoy a 3.25% rebate on online and offline FCY transactions, with a minimum spend of S$6,000 in FCY, and capped at S$10,000 in FCY.
Just like the Journey Card, you’ll still earn the usual 2 mpd on foreign currency spend, so the rebate basically offsets the usual 3.25% FCY fee.
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
| KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 5 mpd |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% |
| Online/Offline | Both |
| Min. Spend | S$1,500 FCY per period |
| Cap | S$2,000 FCY per period* |
| Validity Period | Period 1: 29 May to 28 Jun 2023 Period 2: 29 Jun to 28 Jul 2023 Period 3: 29 Jul to 28 Aug 2023 |
| Registration | SMS KFCCFX<space>Last 4 alphanumeric digits of NRIC/Passport to 77862 |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
| *Assuming overseas general spend. Overseas spend on Accelerated Miles categories or SIA Group will be capped at S$3,800 per period | |
From 29 May to 28 August 2023, registered KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can earn 5 mpd on foreign currency transactions, both online and offline.
| Base | Bonus | Total | |
| General Spend |
1.2 mpd | 3.8 mpd | 5 mpd |
| Dining, Online Shopping & Travel, Transport | 3 mpd* | 2 mpd | |
| SIA Group & Kris+ Spend | 3 mpd | 2 mpd | |
| *With a minimum spend of S$800 on SIA Group transactions in a membership year, otherwise 1.2 mpd | |||
This is subject to spending at least S$1,500 in foreign currency transactions during any of the three qualifying periods.
| Qualifying Period | Dates |
| 1 | 29 May to 28 Jun 2023 |
| 2 | 29 Jun to 28 Jul 2023 |
| 3 | 29 Jul to 28 Aug 2023 |
The maximum bonus is capped at 7,600 miles per qualifying period, equivalent to S$2,000 of general spend, or S$3,800 of bonus category spend. Since there are three qualifying periods, the maximum bonus you can earn is 22,800 miles.
Citi PremierMiles Card
| Citi PremierMiles Card |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 4 mpd |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% |
| Online/Offline | Offline only |
| Min. Spend | S$5,000 per month |
| Cap | S$5,000 FCY per month |
| Validity Period | 1 Mar to 30 Jun 2023 |
| Registration | SMS CITIPMFX<space>Last 4 digits of eligible card number to 72484 |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
From 1 March to 30 June 2023, registered Citi PremierMiles Cardholders can earn 4 mpd on offline foreign currency transactions, split as follows:
| Base | Bonus | Total | |
| Overseas Spend (point-of-sale purchases of goods or services in person at a physical store) |
2 mpd | 2 mpd | 4 mpd |
A minimum spend of S$5,000 per calendar month is required to trigger the bonus award. This can be met by any eligible retail spend, whether local or overseas, offline or online.
The maximum bonus you can earn each calendar month is capped at 10,000 miles, or S$5,000 qualifying spend.
DBS Cards
 DBS Cards |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 3.2 mpd (WWMC), 4 mpd (Altitude, Insignia), 4.2 mpd (Vantage), 4.4 mpd (Treasures Black Elite) |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% |
| Online/Offline | Offline only |
| Min. Spend | S$800 on “pre-trip travel spend” |
| Cap | S$2,800 FCY per period |
| Validity Period | Period 1: 26 May to 31 Aug 2023 Period 2: 1 Sep 2023 to 31 Jan 2024 |
| Registration | Via DBS PayLah app |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
From 26 May 2023 to 31 January 2024, registered DBS cardholders can earn a bonus 2 mpd on offline foreign currency transactions.
This is provided they spend at least S$800 on pre-trip travel spend by 10 September 2023, defined as:
| Category | Examples (Non-Exhaustive) |
| Airlines (MCC 3000-3299) |
Air Asia, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Jetstar, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Scoot, Singapore Airlines |
| Hotels / Lodgings (MCC 3500-3999, 4411, 7011) |
Accor Live Limitless, Ascott Group, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, Royal Caribbean |
| Tour Agencies (MCC 4722) |
Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia, KKday, Klook, Traveloka, Trip.com |
| Do note that DBS does not provide explicit MCC ranges; the ones you see in the table above are my best guess and are not official | |
The bonus 2 mpd will only be earned once the minimum spend on pre-trip travel has been met.
Here’s what the earn rates look like for the relevant DBS cards after a 2 mpd bonus:
| FCY Rate | Bonus Rate | Overall | |
| DBS Treasures Black Elite |
2.4 mpd | 2 mpd | 4.4 mpd |
 DBS Vantage |
2.2 mpd | 2 mpd | 4.2 mpd |
 DBS Insignia |
2 mpd | 2 mpd | 4 mpd |
| DBS Altitude |
2 mpd | 2 mpd | 4 mpd |
 DBS WWMC |
1.2 mpd | 2 mpd | 3.2 mpd |
The bonus 2 mpd is capped at 5,600 miles (S$2,800 overseas spend) per Spend Period. Since there are a total of two Spend Periods, the maximum bonus you can earn is 11,200 miles.
UOB PRVI Miles Card
| UOB PRVI Miles Card |
|
| FCY Earn Rate | 5 mpd |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% |
| Online/Offline | Offline only |
| Min. Spend | S$1,000 FCY dining & shopping for entire promo |
| Cap | S$4,000 FCY dining & shopping for entire promo |
| Validity Period | 1 May to 30 Jun 2023 |
| Registration | SMS PMX<space>Last 4 alphanumeric digits of NRIC/Passport to 77862 |
| Full Article | |
| T&Cs | |
From 1 May to 30 June 2023, registered UOB PRVI Miles Cardholders will earn 5 mpd on offline overseas dining and shopping.
| Base | Bonus | Total | |
| Overseas Dining (offline) |
UNI$6 per S$5 (2.4 mpd) |
UNI$6.5 per S$5 (2.6 mpd) |
UNI$12.5 per S$5 (5 mpd) |
| Overseas Shopping (offline) |
UNI$6 per S$5 (2.4 mpd) |
UNI$6.5 per S$5 (2.6 mpd) |
UNI$12.5 per S$5 (5 mpd) |
The bonus is triggered by spending a minimum of S$1,000 on in-person overseas dining and shopping.
Dining
| Category | MCC |
| 5411 | Grocery Stores and Supermarkets |
| 5441 | Candy, Nut and Confectionary Stores |
| 5451 | Diary Product Stores |
| 5462 | Bakeries |
| 5499 | Misc. Food Stores (Convenience Stores & Specialty Markets) |
| 5812 | Eating Places & Restaurants |
| 5813 | Drinking Places (Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Cocktail Lounges, Discotheques) |
| 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| 5912 | Drug Stores and Pharmacies |
| 5921 | Package Stores- Beer, Wine and Liquor |
Shopping
| MCC | Description |
| 5309 | Duty Free Stores |
| 5310 | Discount Store |
| 5311 | Department Stores |
| 5331 | Variety Stores |
| 5399 | Miscellaneous General Merchandise |
| 5611 | Men’s & Boys’ Clothing and Accessory Stores |
| 5621 | Women’s Ready-to-Wear Stores |
| 5631 | Women’s Accessory and Specialty Stores |
| 5641 | Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores |
| 5651 | Family Clothing Stores |
| 5655 | Sports and Riding Apparel Stores |
| 5661 | Shoe Stores |
| 5681 | Furriers & Fur Shops |
| 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| 5697 | Tailors, Seamstresses, Mending, Alterations |
| 5698 | Wig & Toupee Shops |
| 5699 | Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Stores |
| 5732 | Electronics Stores |
| 5733 | Music Stores — Musical Instruments, Pianos, and Sheet Music |
| 5735 | Record Stores |
| 5941 | Sporting Goods Stores |
| 5942 | Book Stores |
| 5943 | Stationery, Office and School Supply Stores |
| 5944 | Jewelry, Watch, Clock, and Silverware Stores |
| 5945 | Hobby, Toy and Game Stores |
| 5946 | Camera and Photographic Supply Stores |
| 5947 | Gift, Card, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
| 5948 | Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
| 5949 | Sewing, Needlework, Fabric, and Piece Good Stores |
| 5950 | Glassware and Crystal Stores |
| 5970 | Artist Supply and Craft Stores |
| 5971 | Art Dealers and Galleries |
| 5977 | Cosmetic Stores |
| 5993 | Cigar Stores & Stands |
| 5994 | News Dealers & Newsstands |
| 5999 | Miscellaneous & Specialty Retail Stores |
The bonus 2.6 mpd is capped at 10,400 miles, or S$4,000 of eligible spending during the entire promotion period.
Which offer is the best?
Each of these offers has their own strengths and weaknesses.
With a 3.5% cash rebate, the Standard Chartered Journey basically offers a free 2 mpd, with no minimum spend or cap. The main drawback here is the possibility of orphan miles. Standard Chartered has the following minimum conversion blocks:
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Blocks (360° Rewards Points: Partner) |
 |
25,000 : 10,000 |
 |
2,500 : 1,000 |
 |
2,500 : 1,000 |
 |
2,500 : 1,000 |
 |
2,500 : 1,000 |
 |
3,000 : 1,000 |
 |
3,500 : 1,000 |
 |
3,500 : 1,000 |
 |
3,500 : 1,000 |
 |
5,000 : 1,000 |
Assuming you’re interested in KrisFlyer, you need to make sure your 360° Rewards Points balance is in intervals of 25,000 points (10,000 miles). I’d recommend you monitor your 360° Rewards Points balance closely to get an idea of how much more spending you need to hit the new block.
The 3.25% cash rebate for the Citi Prestige Card also represents a free 2 mpd, but there’s a relatively high minimum spend of S$6,000 FCY required. Moreover, this offer is targeted, and per my understanding has already been fully subscribed.
The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s 5 mpd offer has a fairly low minimum spend of S$1,500 FCY, and covers both online and offline spending. Assuming you’re OK with watching your minimum spend and caps across three different periods (remember, you don’t need to participate in all three), you should be fine.
The Citi PremierMiles Card’s 4 mpd offer is only for in-person spend, and requires a minimum spend of at least S$5,000. Originally, it was possible to meet the minimum spend with no-fee Citi PayAll transactions, but from 2 May 2023, Citibank began excluding these from qualifying spend. I’m not clear what that means for no-fee Citi PayAll transactions made prior to this deadline, and Citi has not been forthcoming with a reply. Proceed at your own risk!
I dislike the DBS offer, because it’s so convoluted. You need to clock that S$800 pre-trip spend first, which only includes limited categories. After that, only your in-person FCY spend is rewarded, with a relatively low cap of 5,600 bonus miles per period.
The UOB PRVI Miles Card’s 5 mpd offer only covers selected MCCs, though to be fair these are the ones you’ll be spending the most on overseas. The minimum spend is low at S$1,000, so this could be a viable option even for conservative spenders.
Evergreen options
For me personally, I’m sticking to the tried-and-tested combination of the Amaze x UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card. This lets me earn 6 mpd on up to S$3,000 of spend per month, with an implicit FCY fee of ~1.8% (the fee arises because Amaze charges a spread over Mastercard’s rates). I also earn InstaPoints, which are equivalent to a rebate of up to 1%.
 |
| Apply Here |
| Use code 7HK2A2 for 225 bonus InstaPoints |
| 💳 tl;dr: Amaze Card |
|
You’re right that I could be earning miles for “free” with the Citi Prestige or SC Journey, but at least this way I don’t need to worry about minimum spends or orphan miles.
Other recommended Amaze pairings are as follows:
| 💳 Amaze Pairings |
||
| Card | Earn Rate | Cap |
 UOB Lady’s Card |
6 mpd1 | S$1K per c. month |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire |
6 mpd2 | S$3K per c. month |
 Citi Rewards Card |
4 mpd3 | S$1K per s. month |
 OCBC Titanium Rewards |
4 mpd4 | S$13.3K per m. year |
| KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card |
3 mpd5 | None |
| 1. Pick 1: Beauty & wellness, dining, entertainment, family, fashion, transport, travel (T&Cs) 2. Pick 2: Beauty & wellness, dining, entertainment, family, fashion, transport, travel (T&Cs) 3. All transactions except travel (airlines, hotels, rental cars, tour agency, cruises etc.) (T&Cs) 4. Electronics, clothes, bags, shoes and shopping (T&Cs) 5. Dining, shopping, travel, transport. Must spend at least S$800 on SIA Group transactions in a membership year (T&Cs) |
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You’ll notice that most of the cards featuring overseas spending bonuses are general spending cards. But you could just as easily earn 4 mpd with specialised spending cards, with much less hoop-jumping required.
Refer to the article below for some ideas.
Conclusion
Using your credit card overseas will be more rewarding over the next few months, with various cash rebates and bonus miles offers lined up. Quite a few of these require registration, so be sure to do so ASAP, while you’re still in Singapore.
If you prefer to keep things simple, then I see little reason to switch away from your preferred Amaze pairings. Amaze spreads may be higher than they used to be, but it still beats paying the usual 3.25% FCY fees imposed by banks.
