It’s easy to get confused when tracking bonus caps and minimum spend requirements for credit cards, because banks are nothing if not inconsistent.
While some cards use the calendar month, others use statement month, and to make matters worse, internal consistency is not guaranteed. For example, UOB tracks bonus caps by calendar month for some cards (UOB Lady’s Card), but statement month for others (UOB Visa Signature).
As if that wasn’t enough, some cards may follow the membership year, or use an apparently arbitrary 12-month period altogether!
In this post, I’ll share a detailed listing of which time periods the major credit cards in Singapore use to track spend.
📅 Posting date or transaction date?
Another common question is whether credit cards tracking spending based on posting date or transaction date. I’ve answered that in a separate post here.
Cards with monthly caps or minimum spend
Calendar month vs statement month
If a bank tracks bonus caps and minimum spend on a monthly basis, it could either be the calendar month, or statement month.
Calendar month is self-explanatory; it’s basically the period from the 1st to the last day of a given month.
Statement month is the period between two consecutive statement generation dates, and varies from person to person.
To work out your statement month, download your e-Statement and look for the statement date. This is the last day of your statement month. For example, if my statement date is 12 May 2025, then my statement month runs from the 13th of each month to the 12th of the following month.
❓ Changing your statement date
If you have difficulty remembering your statement period, you can call up the bank and request for the statement date to be shifted. In my case, I managed to move my UOB statement date to be the last of every month, which makes tracking the bonus caps on my UOB Visa Signature very easy.
Do note that banks may have “quotas” for specific dates, so you might not be able to shift it to the exact date you want.
This, incidentally, is why it’s so confusing when a card which uses statement month makes a change- the effective date will be different for everyone!
For example, the UOB Visa Signature will soon be increasing its monthly bonus cap from S$2,000 to S$2,400, and splitting it into S$1,200 for FCY spend and S$1,200 for contactless and petrol spend.
This change takes place for statement dates from 1 September 2025 onwards, so:
If your statement date is the first of every month, you’ll be on the current scheme till 31 July 2025
If your statement date is the last of every month, you’ll be on the current scheme until 31 August 2025
Which month do cards track spending by?
Here’s a rundown of which cards use calendar month vs statement month for tracking minimum spend and bonuses.
Calendar year, membership year, or other 12-month period
While monthly tracking is more common, there are also cards which track bonus caps, minimum spend or other card features based on the year.
Calendar year is self-explanatory; it’s the period from the 1st to the last day of the year.
Membership year refers to the 12-month period starting from the month your card was approved or renewed. To check your membership year, look at the expiry date on your card. If your expiry month is May, for example, your membership year runs from 1st May to 30th April each year.
Finally, there are some cards which will track spending based on a specified 12-month period, which may not have any apparent logic behind it!
Which year do cards track spending by?
Here’s a rundown of which cards use calendar year, membership year, or some other 12-month period for tracking minimum spend, bonuses, and other features.
Min. spend for 50% off redemption voucher (S$75K) & First Class upgrade voucher (S$50K)
1 Jul to 30 Jun
*Awarded half-yearly (1 Jan and 1 Jul), with the exception of Entertainment Credit, which is awarded monthly
At the risk of stating the obvious, when a credit card offers an annual fee waiver subject to meeting a certain minimum spend, that minimum spend is tracked by membership year.
✈️ What about lounge visits?
Credit cards usually track lounge visit entitlements by calendar year or membership year. For the full rundown of which card uses which, refer to my guide to credit card lounge access.
Tracking with HeyMax
👍 250 Max Miles joining bonus
Sign up for a HeyMax account and get up to 250 Max Miles as a welcome bonus
If you have difficulty keeping track of your bonus caps, one useful tool is the HeyMax card tracker.
How this works is that you link your cards with HeyMax, which will then keep a running record of your transactions, and therefore how much bonus cap you have left (you’ll need to provide your statement date, for cards which track caps by statement month).
I find this extremely helpful, because it saves me from having to login to ibanking and manually tally amounts each time (even if your card tracks bonuses by calendar month, transactions will still be grouped by statement month, which makes it complicated to calculate on the fly).
The catch is that it only supports tracking with Visa cards, so Mastercard users will have to do things the old-fashioned way.
Conclusion
Different banks use different time periods for tracking spend. If you’re not aware of this, you might end up spending above or below the optimum amount, earning fewer miles in the process.
Staying on top of your card’s tracking period might take a little effort, but it certainly pays off!
But in November 2023 came a major devaluation: bonus categories like electronics, IKEA and Courts were removed, and the 4 mpd bonus cap was changed from S$13,335 per year to S$1,110 per month. Losing the bonus categories was painful enough, but the switch to a monthly cap was the real blow, since it limited the ability to use this card for big-ticket purchases.
To make matters worse, early 2024 saw a rebrand that ditched the “Titanium” label and dual colour scheme in favour of a single card, named (somewhat generically) “OCBC Rewards”. No, I don’t care about aesthetics or monikers. What I do care about is that this removed the possibility of doubling the bonus cap by holding both the Pink and Blue versions!
Thankfully, there’s been more to cheer recently, with the introduction of a quarterly 6 mpd promotion. This started off weak, but later gained momentum thanks to the inclusion of MCC 5311 (Department Stores)— and the concurrent rise of HeyMax.
HeyMax allows you to convert diverse categories like dining, groceries, ride-hailing, electronics and petrol into 5311, expanding the scope of OCBC Rewards Card’s otherwise-limited bonus whitelist. In fact, OCBC should really be sending a Christmas card to HeyMax for single-handedly revitalising this card’s fortunes!
The OCBC Rewards Card has a limited bonus whitelist, but the fact that HeyMax is one of the bonus categories — plus a quarterly 6 mpd promo — saves the day.
👍 The good
👎 The bad
Nine airline and hotel transfer partners
Quarterly 6 mpd promotion
Earns bonuses on MCC 5311 (which includes HeyMax)
Limited bonus categories compared to other specialised spending cards
S$5 earning blocks
Underwhelming transfer ratios for most airline and hotel partners
Overview: OCBC Rewards Card
Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the OCBC Rewards Card.
Back when the OCBC Rewards Card was known as the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, both a blue and pink version were available. Both cards were identical in every way except colour, and each card had its own bonus points cap. Customers were perfectly at liberty to hold both cards, if they wished (and many did).
In contrast, there is only a single OCBC Rewards Card. If you’re holding on to both the blue and pink Titanium Rewards Cards, you can enjoy double the bonus cap until they expire. After that, you’ll only receive a single OCBC Rewards Card as a replacement, and therefore no more double bonus cap.
How much must I earn to qualify for an OCBC Rewards Card?
The OCBC Rewards card has a minimum income requirement of just S$30,000 p.a.
If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, it’s possible to get a secured version of the card by depositing S$10,000 in a fixed deposit with OCBC. Visit any OCBC branch to do the necessary paperwork.
New-to-bank customers who apply for an OCBC Rewards Card through the links in this post can enjoy welcome gifts from SingSaver, including:
Apple AirPods 4
Stryv Airflex 2.0
S$200 Shopee voucher
S$160 cash
Cardholders must make at least one transaction of any amount within 30 days of card approval.
New-to-bank customers are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal OCBC credit card, and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months.
How much is the OCBC Rewards Card’s annual fee?
Principal Card
Supp. Card
First 2 Years
Free
Free
Subsequent
S$196.20
S$98.10
The OCBC Rewards Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for the principal cardholder, and S$98.10 for each supplementary card. These fees are waived for the first two years.
In subsequent years, a fee waiver will be automatically granted if you spend at least S$10,000 in a membership year, though based on personal experience, OCBC is not very strict about this requirement.
No points are awarded for the payment of the annual fee.
OCBC Rewards Cardmembers earn a base rate of 5 OCBC$ for every S$5 spent (0.4 mpd) in Singapore Dollars or FCY.
All transactions in FCY attract an FCY fee of 3.25%.
💳 FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network
Issuer
↓ MC & Visa
AMEX
Standard Chartered
3.5%
N/A
American Express
N/A
3.25%
Citibank
3.25%
N/A
DBS
3.25%
3%
HSBC
3.25%
N/A
Maybank
3.25%
N/A
OCBC
3.25%
N/A
UOB
3.25%
3.25%
BOC
3%
N/A
CIMB
3%
N/A
Needless to say, you don’t want to be using the OCBC Rewards Card as a general spending card!
Online and Offline Shopping
OCBC Rewards Cardmembers earn a total of 50 OCBC$ for every S$5 spent (4 mpd) on shopping.
This applies to both offline and online transactions, whether in SGD and FCY, and is capped at 10,000 bonus OCBC$ per calendar month (equivalent to S$1,110 of spending).
Prior to 1 November 2023, the bonus cap was based on membership year, allowing cardholders to utilise their entire 4 mpd cap on a single big ticket purchase of up to S$13,335. Unfortunately, that’s no longer possible, and you’ll need to consistently spend each month to extract the most value from this card.
OCBC defines shopping as purchases made at any merchant with the following MCCs:
💳 OCBC Rewards Bonus Whitelist (Based on MCC)
MCC
Examples (non-exhaustive)
MCC 5309 Duty-Free Shops
Lotte Duty Free, King Power Duty Free, The Shilla Duty Free
MCC 5311 Departmental Stores
Takashimaya, TANGS, Isetan, OG, Metro, BHG, Marks & Spencer
MCC 5611 Men’s and Boys’ Clothing and Accessories Stores
Benjamin Barker, Timberland, Edit Suits, Berluti
MCC 5621 Women’s Ready to Wear Stores
Zara, H&M, Mothercare
MCC 5631 Women’s Accessory and Speciality Stores
Tory Burch, Love Bonito, Pandora
MCC 5641 Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores
Kiddy Palace, Mummys Market, Pupsik, Motherswork
MCC 5651 Family Clothing Stores
Uniqlo, ASOS, Club 21, Burberry, Yoox
MCC 5655 Sports and Riding Apparel
Nike, Lululemon, Adidas
MCC 5661 Shoe Stores
Skechers, Charles & Keith, Bata, Foot Locker, Pazzion
MCC 5691 Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores
Ezbuy, Zalora, Farfetch
MCC 5699 Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops
Qoo10, Cotton On, Reebonz
MCC 5941 Sporting Goods Stores
Decathlon, Fila, New Balance
MCC 5948 Luggage or Leather Goods Stores
Louis Vuitton, Coach, Rimowa
While the list of bonus-eligible MCCs may seem rather brief (and it is!), one big plus is the inclusion of department stores (MCC 5311). Why? Because of HeyMax.
HeyMax sells vouchers for numerous merchants across different categories.
👍 250 Max Miles joining bonus
Sign up for a HeyMax account and get up to 250 Max Miles as a welcome bonus
Transactions made directly at these merchants would code under a wide range of MCCs, most of which would not be eligible for bonuses with the OCBC Rewards Card.
But if you buy vouchers from HeyMax, the MCC gets standardised to 5311. I hope you see where I’m going here. Whether you’re buying electronics or furniture, booking activities, taking a Grab or gojek, ordering food delivery, buying eSIMs or shopping online, you can use HeyMax to turn that into a 4 mpd opportunity for the OCBC Rewards Card.
The sheer variety of HeyMax voucher coverage means you should be easily maxing out the bonus cap each month. To sweeten the deal even further, you can earn Max Miles from voucher purchases on top of your credit card miles, convertible to 28 different airline and hotel programmes at a 1:1 ratio.
Earn Max Miles on HeyMax gift card purchases, on top of credit card rewards
In addition to the MCC whitelist, transactions at the following merchants are also eligible for 4 mpd.
💳 OCBC Rewards Bonus Whitelist (Based on Merchant Name)
Alibaba
AliExpress
Amazon^
Daigou
Ezbuy
Guardian
Lazada
Mustafa Centre^
NTUC Unity
Qoo10
Shopee*
Taobao
TikTok Shop
Watsons
^Amazon and Mustafa Centre transactions under MCC 5411 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$
*Shopee Pay transactions under MCC 5262 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$
Can I use Amaze?
If you’re spending in FCY, you might be thinking of pairing the OCBC Rewards Card with Amaze for better FX rates.
You will still earn 4 mpd in situations where bonuses are awarded based on MCC, e.g. shopping at Harrod’s (MCC 5311), as Amaze does not change the MCC.
You will not earn 4 mpd in situations where bonuses are awarded based on merchant name, e.g. AliExpress. This is because Amaze modifies the merchant name to Amaze*Merchant, which messes up tracking.
Since January 2024, the OCBC Rewards Card has been running a quarterly promotion that offers 6 mpd at selected merchants, such as duty-free and departmental stores.
Q3/4 2025: Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Taobao and Watsons
No registration is required, and the 6 mpd earn rate is capped at S$1,000 per calendar month. Any spending above this threshold will earn the usual 4 mpd up till S$1,110, and 0.4 mpd after that.
What was particularly amazing about this promotion is that from 1 April 2024 to 30 June 2025, MCC 5311 was eligible to earn 6 mpd, making the previously-mentioned HeyMax option even more lucrative.
The current promotion no longer includes 5311, but does cover Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Taobao and Watsons. Some of these platforms also sell vouchers for other merchants, though the coverage is not as wide as HeyMax, and some vouchers are sold above face value.
When are OCBC$ credited?
Base points will be awarded when the transaction posts (typically in 1-3 working days).
Bonus points will be received by the end of the next calendar month. If you’re earning points under the limited-time quarterly 6 mpd promotion, the extra 5X points (2 mpd) will also be credited by the end of the next calendar month.
Base Points (1X)
Credited when transaction posts
Bonus Points (9X)
Credited by the end of the next calendar month
OCBC does not have a fixed crediting date, but based on previous data points, you can expect to receive the bonus between the 15th to the 21st.
How are OCBC$ calculated?
Here’s how you can work out the OCBC$ earned on your OCBC Rewards Card:
Base Points (1X)
Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 5
Bonus Points (9X)
Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply 45
On 1 June 2020, OCBC started awarding credit card points in blocks of S$5. This means you’ll be penalised should your transaction not be in a block of S$5. For example, a S$9.90 transaction will earn the same number of points as a S$5 transaction, and a S$4.99 transaction will earn zero points. In other words, the minimum transaction to earn points is S$5.
Here’s how this policy affects the miles you earn on the OCBC Rewards Card, compared to another 4 mpd card like the Citi Rewards.
OCBC Rewards Earn Rate: 4 mpd
Citi Rewards Earn Rate: 4 mpd
S$5
20 miles
20 miles
S$9.99
20 miles
36 miles
S$15
60 miles
60 miles
S$19.99
60 miles
76 miles
S$25
100 miles
100 miles
S$29.99
100 miles
116 miles
If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points:
Base Points (1X)
=ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*5
Bonus Points (9X)
=ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*45
Where X= Amount Spent
For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
OCBC provides a breakdown of points earned, though this is somewhat poorly executed since reference numbers are used for tracking, instead of merchant names. You’ll need to cross reference with your card statement to figure out which transaction is which.
A full list of transactions that do not earn OCBC$ can be found in the T&Cs.
I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
Charitable Donations
Education
GrabPay Top-Ups
Government Services
Insurance Premiums
Non-Profit and Government Hospitals
Real Estate Agents & Managers
The OCBC Rewards will not earn 4 mpd on platforms like CardUp, ipaymy and RentHero.
You can earn points on bus/MRT rides with SimplyGo, but there’s no reason to settle for 0.4 mpd when much better options exist.
What do I need to know about OCBC$?
❌ Expiry
↔️ Pooling
💰 Transfer Fee
2 years
Yes
S$25 (per conversion)
⬆️ Min. Transfer
✈️ No. of Partners
⏱️ Transfer Time
10,000 OCBC$ (4,000 miles)
9
KrisFlyer: <24 hours
Others: Instant
Expiry
OCBC$ earned on the OCBC Rewards Card expire after 2 years.
For example, OCBC$ earned from 1-30 November 2023 will expire on 30 November 2025.
Pooling
OCBC uses three different rewards currencies:
OCBC$
90°N Miles
VOYAGE Miles
Similar rewards currencies are pooled. For example, if you have 20,000 OCBC$ on the OCBC Rewards Card, and 10,000 OCBC$ on the OCBC Premier Visa Infinite, you can redeem 30,000 OCBC$ at one shot and pay a single conversion fee. However, you cannot combine 90°N/VOYAGE Miles together with OCBC$ in a single redemption.
Since OCBC$ pool, you do not need to transfer them out before cancelling your OCBC Rewards Card, assuming it’s not your last OCBC$-earning card.
Transfer Partners & Fee
OCBC has a total of nine airline and hotel transfer partners.
Frequent Flyer Programme
Conversion Ratio
(OCBC$ : Miles)
25,000 : 10,000
10,000 : 4,000
10,000 : 4,000
10,000 : 4,000
10,000 : 3,600
10,000 : 3,600
10,000 : 2,900
10,000 : 2,800
10,000 : 2,000
Sadly, the conversion ratios of most partners are disappointing.
I would at the very least have expected Asia Miles to enjoy the same conversion ratio as KrisFlyer. That’s the way it is for every other bank on the market, and it effectively eliminates Asia Miles as a viable transfer partner. After all, why on earth would you take a 25% haircut on the value of your OCBC points (and therefore your card spending rebate) when no other bank forces you to do that?
Likewise, it’s disappointing to see that there’s a 10% haircut for British Airways Executive Club and Etihad Guest, when Citibank and the HSBC TravelOne Card offer transfers to both at the same ratio as KrisFlyer.
As for hotel partners, the ratios for IHG and Marriott Bonvoy aren’t that appealing when you factor in the opportunity cost- you’re basically forgoing 1 KrisFlyer mile (~1.5 SG cents) for every IHG (~0.5 US cents/0.67 SG cents) or Bonvoy (~0.7 US cents/0.94 SG cents)
The only non-KrisFlyer programmes I might consider would be Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Accor Live Limitless. With Accor, 2,000 points = €40, so there is an opportunity cost of 1.5 cents per KrisFlyer mile, roughly what I’d deem acceptable.
OCBC, to its credit, does offer periodic transfer bonuses which can improve the ratios:
Transfers for KrisFlyer miles must be in blocks of 25,000 OCBC$ (10,000 miles)
Transfers for all other programmes must be a minimum of 10,000 OCBC$ (2,000-4,000 miles/points), but subsequent conversions can be in blocks of 1,000 OCBC$ (200-400 miles/points).
A S$25 fee applies to all conversions.
Transfer Times
OCBC splits its partners across two different platforms:
Transfers for KrisFlyer miles are done via the OCBC Rewards portal, and are usually processed within 24 hours
Transfers for the other programmes are done via the STACK Rewards portal, under the Points Exchange tab. Transfers should be instantaneous, because they’re powered by Ascenda Loyalty which has a direct API linkage with the programmes.
Other card perks
Bonus interest with OCBC 360 account
Spending at least S$500 per month on the OCBC Rewards Card will qualify for the Spend bonus on the OCBC 360 Account.
Here’s the OCBC 360 Account’s current interest rate structure, which is valid till 31 July 2025.
🏦 Current OCBC 360 Structure (Till 31 Jul 25)
First S$75K
Next S$25K
Salary
1.6%
3.2%
Save
0.6%
1.2%
Spend
0.5%
0.5%
Wealth (Insure)
1.2%
2.4%
Wealth (Invest)
1.2%
2.4%
Base Interest
0.05%
Max EIR
6.30%
Additional Grow bonus of 2.2% p.a. available if minimum ADB at least S$250,000
On its own, the OCBC Rewards Card is of limited use because of its restrictive bonus whitelist. There are many other specialised spending cards out there which reward a wider range of spending.
But HeyMax changes everything. With HeyMax, the OCBC Rewards Card can earn 4 mpd on food delivery, groceries, activities, electronics, furniture, and petrol — basically anything you can buy a voucher for. And while it’s unfortunate that the quarterly 6 mpd promotion no longer covers HeyMax, major merchants like Lazada, Shopee and Watsons are still included.
OCBC also offers a decent variety of transfer partners, though given the ratios, only KrisFlyer, Flying Blue and Accor are really of any value.
That said, if my spending were more modest, I wouldn’t prioritise getting an OCBC Rewards Card. I would instead focus on using (in this order) the Citi Rewards Card, DBS Woman’s World Card, UOB Lady’s Card and HSBC Revolution Card before bringing the OCBC Rewards Card into the picture. Both the Citi Rewards and DBS Woman’s World Card offer 4 mpd on almost all online spending, without the need for the HeyMax layer.
So that’s my review of the OCBC Rewards Card. What do you think?
Back in 2016, the European Commission proposed plans to introduce the European Travel Information and Authorisation System or ETIAS, an electronic travel authorisation for Singaporeans and citizens of other visa-exempt countries. This is conceptually similar to the ESTA or K-ETA required by the USA and South Korea respectively.
But the road to implementation has been far from smooth, to put it mildly. Initially scheduled to launch in early 2022, ETIAS has faced multiple delays, with the latest postponement pushing its rollout to late 2026 (hey, it wouldn’t be the EU without hopeless levels of inefficiency!).
I don’t think many travellers will shed a tear about the perpetual delay of yet another piece of red tape. However, when ETIAS finally goes live — a date set for sometime between October and December 2026 — the application fee will nearly triple in cost from the originally-envisioned €7 (~S$10).
ETIAS fee to be hiked to €20
ETIAS fee
Earlier this week, the European Commission announced that the ETIAS fee will be increased to €20 (~S$30), in order to reflect inflation and additional operating costs.
This increase aims to cover the operational costs of ETIAS, taking into account all its functionalities and inflation rates, and align the EU fee to the ones of other countries that have similar travel authorisation programmes.
-European Commission
I suppose it shouldn’t come as a shock that when you set a price in 2016 and implement it a decade later, there’s going to be some adjustments necessary. Still, a threefold increase before even launching is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.
I doubt that this alone will lead to a significant drop in travel demand to the EU (if your budget can’t stomach an additional S$20 then perhaps it’s not the best idea to travel there in the first place), but it’s still an annoyance and another thing that can potentially go wrong.
Who needs an ETIAS?
You will require an ETIAS travel authorisation if you:
Are not an EU national
Do not have a residence permit/card/document issued by any of the European countries requiring ETIAS
Are a citizen of a country under the visa waiver programme
Singaporeans, as citizens of visa-waiver countries, will require an ETIAS when they travel to Schengen countries. The full list of visa-waiver countries can be found below.
🇦🇱 Albania
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇦🇺 Australia
🇧🇸 Bahamas
🇧🇧 Barbados
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇧🇳 Brunei
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇩🇲 Dominica
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇬🇪 Georgia
🇬🇩 Grenada
🇬🇹 Guatemala
🇭🇳 Honduras
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇮🇱 Israel
🇯🇵 Japan
🇰🇮 Kiribati
🇽🇰 Kosovo
🇲🇴 Macao
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
🇲🇺 Mauritius
🇲🇽 Mexico
🇫🇲 Micronesia
🇲🇩 Moldova
🇲🇪 Montenegro
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
🇵🇼 Palau
🇵🇦 Panama
🇵🇾 Paraguay
🇵🇪 Peru
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
🇼🇸 Samoa
🇷🇸 Serbia
🇸🇨 Seychelles
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste
🇹🇴 Tonga
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
🇹🇻 Tuvalu
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States of America
🇺🇾 Uruguay
🇻🇪 Venezuela
An ETIAS is required for each member of the travelling party, regardless of age. However, application fees will be waived for those under 18 or over 70 (you still need to apply for one, but there is no fee payable).
An ETIAS will not be required if you are only transiting through a European airport (and remain in the international transit area), en route to another destination.
However, if you’re travelling on separate tickets, then it’s very likely that the first airline will request an ETIAS, for the simple reason that they don’t want to be on the hook for the cost of repatriating you should anything go wrong.
You do not need to have confirmed travel plans to apply for an ETIAS. During the application process, you will be asked to indicate the first country you intend to stay in, but you can subsequently change your plans after approval and travel to any of the 30 European countries participating in ETIAS.
Which countries can you visit with ETIAS?
Singaporeans who want to visit Paris or other Schengen countries will require an ETIAS
A total of 30 European countries are participating in ETIAS.
🇦🇹 Austria
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇨🇾 Cyprus
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇫🇮 Finland
🇫🇷 France
🇩🇪 Germany
🇬🇷 Greece
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇮🇸 Iceland
🇮🇹 Italy
🇱🇻 Latvia
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
🇱🇹 Lithuania
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
🇲🇹 Malta
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🇳🇴 Norway
🇵🇱 Poland
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇷🇴 Romania
🇸🇰 Slovakia
🇸🇮 Slovenia
🇪🇸 Spain
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Notable European countries where ETIAS will not be required include Ireland, Turkey, and of course, the United Kingdom.
How much does an ETIAS cost?
As mentioned earlier, the application fee for an ETIAS will cost €20 (~S$30).
Anyone aged under 18 or over 70 at the time of application will not be required to pay for an ETIAS, though they must still apply for one.
Therefore, if you have a 17-year old child, it would make sense to apply for an ETIAS just before their 18th birthday, to cover them for unlimited trips until the age of 21 at no cost.
2026 or 2027?
While the EU is hoping to finally launch ETIAS in late 2026, you might not even need to apply for one till 2027.
a transitional period of at least six months, during which travellers without ETIAS will still be permitted entry, so long as they fulfil all other entry conditions
a further grace period of another six months, during which travellers coming to Europe for the first time since the end of the transitional period will be allowed to enter without an ETIAS, so long as they fulfil all other entry conditions
Further FAQs and official website
Further FAQs about the ETIAS scheme can be found here.
When the system does eventually go live, you can apply via this link. As with every electronic travel authorisation scheme, there will inevitably be a ton of copycat websites designed to look like the real deal. At best, these will help you apply for a legitimate ETIAS, but charge a stiff markup. At worst, they might flat-out scam you.
To be safe, always apply on the official website.
Conclusion
Singaporeans and citizens of other visa waiver countries won’t need an ETIAS this year, with the implementation date slipping to late 2026.
The EU will announce the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch, and even then there’ll be a grace period where ETIAS won’t be strictly necessary. However, when that time inevitably comes, they will need to cough up €20 per traveller (except for those under 18 or over 70), almost 3x what was originally quoted.
While a Visa Infinite Card might not be the status symbol it was two decades ago — when it launched in Singapore with a minimum income requirement of S$350,000 and labelled “an exceedingly exclusive card for the mega-rich” — it’s not quite a mass market product either.
The general rule is that applicants must earn at least S$120,000 per annum, or have a priority banking relationship in order to get a card.
But what if I told you that there’s a secret Visa Infinite card you can get with a minimum income of just S$30,000 — and no priority banking relationship necessary?
Back in 2017, I wrote about an intriguing turn of events: that the UOB PRVI Miles Visa had suddenly joined the Visa Infinite ranks. This coincided with a transition period for the card, when it was in the midst of reducing its minimum income requirement from S$80,000 to S$50,000, and then ultimately S$30,000.
However, the Visa Infinite party didn’t last long, and from April 2018, newly-issued UOB PRVI Miles Visa cards were part of the Visa Signature tier.
But now something’s happened again. Recent applicants have reported that newly-issued UOB PRVI Miles Visa cards have BINs (bank identification numbers) belonging to the Visa Infinite range!
For the sake of science (and an extra four lounge visits), I got The MileLioness to apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Visa, and sure enough, the BIN checker confirmed that it was indeed a Visa Infinite.
To be clear, if you have an older vintage UOB PRVI Miles Visa, it won’t be magically upgraded to a Visa Infinite. This only applies to recently-issued cards, though exactly how recent I do not know. I suppose if you reported your card lost and got a replacement, the replacement card would be part of the Visa Infinite BIN range though.
What do you get with a Visa Infinite?
Visa Infinite Concierge
The first thing you should do is register for the Visa Infinite Concierge, which can be done via this link.
The Visa Infinite Concierge can assist with restaurant bookings, securing concert tickets, trip planning, and sourcing hard-to-find items. They don’t work miracles though, and you shouldn’t expect Centurion-level service like getting a table at a fully-booked restaurant, or tickets to a sold-out event.
Sample itinerary for New York CitySample itinerary for New York City
That said, I have found it useful for making reservations in countries where online bookings aren’t a thing, and English isn’t widely spoken (e.g. Japan- though keep in mind that they won’t be able to book restaurants which only open slots to high-end hotels).
You can contact the concierge via the following channels (I particularly like that they’re on WhatsApp, which saves you the time lags of communicating over email)
Visa Infinite cardholders are eligible for an instant upgrade to GHA DISCOVERY Titanium status.
Cardholders must contact the Visa Concierge to request their GHA status upgrade. Upgrade requests must be submitted by 31 December 2025, and once upgraded, your status will be valid till 31 December 2026. There’s no real incentive to delay, since the expiry is the same regardless of when you submit your request.
The offer is valid for both new and existing GHA DISCOVERY members. If you’re a new member, you’ll need to create an account before registering. If you’re an existing member, simply provide your existing account number for the upgrade.
GHA DISCOVERY elites can look forward to the following benefits.
🏨 GHA DISCOVERY Benefits
Gold
Platinum
Titanium
Earn D$
5%
6%
7%
D$ Validity
18 mo.
24 mo.
24 mo.
Room Upgrade
–
Single
Double
Early Check-in
–
–
From 11 a.m
Late Check-out
–
Till 3 p.m
Till 4 p.m
Welcome Amenity
–
Yes
Yes
Share Status
–
–
Yes*
Breakfast
–
–
Yes^
Silver is the entry-level GHA tier, with 4% D$ and 6 mo. D$ validity *Status sharing only applies to members who earned their status through regular means, not fast-track promos ^Selected brands only
Single upgrade guaranteed at rail stations and airports, upon availability at downtown locations
Double upgrade for select car classes upon availability on weekends
Do note that benefits vary by location, so the treatment you receive as a President’s Club member in Europe may be different from the USA.
Even though Avis President’s Club is marketed as “by invitation only”, you might want to moderate your expectations. Avis has been very liberal with the invitations, such that PC members are almost a dime a dozen when renting from some airports. Based on my experiences so far, recognition has gone from excellent (served immediately, upgraded to a luxury vehicle) to non-existent (“what’s President’s Club?”)
But here’s the thing: you don’t need a Visa Infinite card to enjoy this perk, because it’s equally applicable to Visa Signature cardholders too. Yes, Visa Signature, which anyone can get with a minimum income of S$30,000!
The Visa Luxury Hotel Collection comprises of more than 900 upscale hotels worldwide. Bookings made through this programme enjoy:
Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available
Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, when available
Complimentary breakfast for two
$25 USD hotel credit
VIP Guest status
Late check-out upon request, when available
Visa Infinite Cardholders enjoy an additional benefit at a smaller selection of ~200 Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection hotels, which upgrades the credit to US$100.
I’m not convinced this is much of a perk, because you can book similar luxury travel advisor rates through Classic Travel or HoteLux for free— no Visa Infinite Card necessary. Moreover, these platforms let you book the chain’s own advisor rates (e.g. Marriott STARS), which will generally be prioritised for upgrades over Visa Infinite.
Visa Infinite cardholders enjoy complimentary green fees on weekdays at Sentosa Golf Club and Tanah Merah Country Club. A minimum of one paying guest per cardholder is required.
The catch is that a maximum of 20 rounds per month are available to cardholders, and with so many Visa Infinite cards out there, slots go fast. Bookings must be made at least five working days in advance, and no more than 14 calendar days in advance, so that effectively means you can forget about playing in the second half of the month (since all slots will surely be taken by the time the booking window opens).
This benefit is capped at four bookings per year, and one booking per month.
There is a separate benefit which offers 50% off weekday golf at 50 participating golf clubs across Southeast Asia.
UOB PRVI Miles Cards are issued across all three networks: American Express, Mastercard, and Visa. Earn rates are the same for all (1.4 mpd in SGD, 2.4 mpd in FCY, 3 mpd in selected FCY), though the American Express version has two unique features:
20,000 bonus miles for spending at least S$50,000 in a membership year
All cardholders enjoy 4x complimentary airport lounge visits per calendar year via Priority Pass (though these cannot be shared with guests). UNI$ can be converted to either KrisFlyer or Asia Miles at a 1 UNI$= 2 miles ratio, with a S$25 conversion fee.
Be sure to check out my full review of the UOB PRVI Miles Card below.
If you’ve been wanting a Visa Infinite card but can’t meet the income requirement (or don’t want to pay annual fees), then perhaps it’s time to consider a UOB PRVI Miles Visa instead.
For reasons unknown, newly-issued cards are now part of the Visa Infinite tier, with all the associated benefits. I’m not about to question a good thing though, and while most Visa Infinite benefits are rather meh, it’s at least worth getting the GHA DISCOVERY Titanium membership.
Standard Chartered Priority Private and Priority Banking customers enjoy complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge access, with entitlements ranging from 2-24 visits depending on tier and AUM.
✈️ Standard Chartered Complimentary Lounge Visits
Tier
AUM
Lounge Visits
Priority Banking
<S$200K
2
Priority Banking
≥S$200K
12
Priority Private
≥S$1.5M
24
However, Standard Chartered has been tightening the terms of this benefit of late. After removing unlimited visits for Priority Private customers in early June, it’s now announced a new “wealth holdings” requirement to continue enjoying lounge access.
The good news is that it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds at first, and you won’t have to buy overpriced investment or insurance products.
StanChart adds new “wealth holdings” requirement for lounge access
StanChart will add an additional criteria for complimentary lounge access
Standard Chartered has sent out emails to its Priority Private and Priority Banking clients, informing them of upcoming changes to their privileges with effect from 15 August 2025.
🏦 Priority Private Clients
Thank you for banking with us. As a Standard Chartered Priority Private Client, you currently enjoy access to a range of lifestyle privileges. Please note the following updates, which will be effective 15 August 2025.
Priority Private Membership Privileges
Maintain at least S$1.5 million in monthly average balance on your Asset Under Management (AUM) with the bank
Have an active Credit or Debit Card
New Requirement: Maintain Wealth Holdings^ with the bank
Priority Pass benefit: 24 airport lounge visits
Maintain at least S$1.5 million in Asset Under Management (AUM) with the bank, in the last 12 months
Have an active Priority Banking Visa Infinite Card
New Requirement: Maintain Wealth Holdings^ with the bank
^Wealth Product Holdings are defined as customers who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank.
🏦 Priority Banking Clients
Thank you for banking with us. As a Standard Chartered Priority Banking Client, you currently enjoy access to a range of lifestyle privileges. Please note the following updates, that will be effective 15 August 2025.
Priority Pass benefit: 12 airport lounge visits
Maintain at least S$200,000 in Asset Under Management (AUM) with the bank, in the last 12 months
Have an active Priority Banking Visa Infinite Card
New Requirement: Maintain Wealth Holdings^ with the bank
^Wealth Product Holdings are defined as customers who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank.
In short, to continue enjoying airport lounge access (or Priority Private privileges), you must now fulfill a further criteria: maintain wealth holdings with the bank.
Now, my first reaction when reading this was “okay I’m out, they’ll want me to buy minibonds and gryphon insurance and what not” (though to be fair, I’ve not been attacked by a gryphon ever since buying gryphon insurance…).
But thankfully, that’s not the case. Here’s how the bank is defining wealth holdings.
“Clients with active Wealth holdings are defined as clients who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank. Eligible Investment Product(s) as defined by the Bank refers to Structured Products, Fixed Income Products, Unit Trusts and Equity Holdings. Foreign Currency Deposits are not considered as Investment Products.”
Notice how equity holdings are included, and crucially, there is also no minimum amount required (for now, anyway). In theory, holding even one share in some random company would be enough.
I’ve been a long-time StanChart equities customer (their lack of a minimum commission was a godsend back in the days before moomoo and friends), and I’m not particularly inclined to port my holdings elsewhere. Therefore, these changes have no impact on me, and hopefully most of you too.
As a reminder, you will need to hold a StanChart Priority Banking Visa Infinite (no annual fee if you’re a fully funded client) to enjoy the complimentary lounge visits. Don’t get confused by the name; this card is for Priority Banking and Priority Private customers; there is no such thing as a StanChart Priority Private Visa Infinite!
For the avoidance of doubt, these changes do not affect the StanChart Visa Infinite Card (S$599.50 annual fee, non-waivable), which continues to offer six Priority Pass lounge visits per membership year.
This could be good news for the StanChart Beyond Card
7. In order for a Beyond principal cardholder to continue to be eligible for the programmes, or part thereof, that are specially offered to Beyond principal cardholders who have a Priority Banking, Priority Private or Private Banking relationship with the Bank, i.e. the programmes listed under Clauses 1.1, 1.4, 1.7, the Beyond principal cardholder must carry out at least one (1) Eligible Investment or Eligible Deposit with the Bank within 12 months after the first renewal of the Beyond Card and yearly thereafter.
Further details of this requirement will be provided in due course. This requirement will not apply for the first 12 months after the Beyond Card is issued to you.
In short, after the first year of card membership, Standard Chartered will require Priority Banking and Priority Private customers to carry out an “eligible investment” or “eligible deposit” with the bank in order to retain their additional benefits, namely upsized earn rates, airport limo rides, and (for Priority Private only) the Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership.
Regular
Priority Banking
Priority Private
Welcome Offer
100,000 miles
Local Earn
1.5 mpd
2 mpd
2 mpd
FCY Earn
3 mpd
3.5 mpd
4 mpd
FCY Dining
8 mpd
Birthday Meal
1x
Business Class Upgrades
2x
Airport Lounge
Unlimited + 6 guests (Principal & Supp.)
Airport Limo
–
2x
10x^
Accor Plus
–
–
Yes (Explorer Plus)
Mastercard Tier
World Elite Mastercard
^Includes the 8x complimentary limo rides that Priority Private customers already enjoy without the Beyond Card
It wasn’t clear at the time what exactly would count as an eligible investment or deposit, but assuming Standard Chartered keeps things internally consistent, then equity holdings would satisfy this requirement too.
Conclusion
From 15 August 2025, Standard Chartered will require Priority Banking and Priority Private customers to maintain wealth holdings with the bank in order to continue receiving complimentary airport lounge access.
Fortunately, the bank is including equity holdings in the definition, and not stipulating a minimum amount. So if your Priority Banking / Priority Private status is by virtue of your stocks and shares (as mine is), then there’s no change to your privileges.
This partnership effectively allows KrisFlyer members to earn extra miles at any LinkPoints merchant, such as NTUC FairPrice, Unity Pharmacy and Caltex, among others.
Unfortunately, the conversion rate has now been devalued, making transfers in either direction highly unattractive.
LinkPoints devalues conversions to KrisFlyer miles
For context, LinkPoints previously offered conversions to KrisFlyer miles at the following rates.
LinkPoints to KrisFlyer (Old)
LinkPoints
KrisFlyer Miles
Cost Per Mile
100
50
2 cents
200
100
1,000
500
2,000
1070
1.87 cents
5,000
2,680
100 LinkPoints can be redeemed for a S$1 rebate, so conversions were equivalent to buying KrisFlyer miles at 1.87 cents for the larger denominations, and 2 cents for the smaller denominations.
However, LinkPoints has now removed the 2,000 and 5,000 LinkPoints conversion options, fixing the opportunity cost at 2 cents per mile regardless of denomination.
LinkPoints to KrisFlyer (New)
LinkPoints
KrisFlyer Miles
Cost Per Mile
100
50
2 cents
200
100
1,000
500
Transfers from LinkPoints to KrisFlyer were already a marginal proposition at 1.87 cents each, though they might make sense if you needed an instant way of topping up a KrisFlyer account and had nowhere else to turn.
At 2 cents, it’s really a non-starter for me, unless you’re truly desperate. There are plenty of other ways to acquire KrisFlyer miles at a lower cost than this, such as CardUp bill payments or yuu Points conversions.
If it’s any consolation, there have been occasional transfer bonuses in the past— for example, in February 2024 a 25% bonus was offered, which reduced the cost per mile to 1.49 cents. Should such a deal re-emerge, it might be worth revisiting this topic.
Don’t transfer KrisFlyer miles to LinkPoints!
KrisFlyer Miles
LinkPoints
3,000
1,770
Transferring KrisFlyer miles to LinkPoints doesn’t make sense, period.
The conversion rate is 3,000 miles to 1,770 LinkPoints, following a previous devaluation in April 2024 (before which it was 1,950 LinkPoints). This is equivalent to getting just 0.59 cents per mile.
Given that Singapore Airlines recently enhanced the value of spending miles on SIA and Scoot commercial tickets, Pelago bookings, KrisShop and Kris+ merchants to 1 cent each, it’s hard to see why anyone would settle for less.
💰 KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Value
Redemption Option
Value Per Mile
✈️
Award Flights with SIA or Partner Airlines
2+¢
🛍️
Cash + Miles, KrisShop, Pelago, Kris+
1¢
🚘
Book Hotels or Rental Cars on KrisFlyer vRooms
≥0.8¢
🏨
Shangri-La Circle Conversion
0.74¢
🏬
CapitaStar Conversion
0.70¢
🛒
yuu Rewards Club Conversion
0.66¢
🏨
Accor Live Limitless Conversion
0.64¢
🛒
LinkPoints Conversion
0.60¢
🏨
Marriott Bonvoy Conversion
0.50¢
⛽
Esso Smiles Conversion
0.47- 0.67¢
Even if you had some strange need to spend KrisFlyer miles at FairPrice, you might as well convert them to Kris+ and buy FairPrice Finest vouchers at 1 cent each. I’m not saying you should, but even that would be better than converting your miles to LinkPoints!
Conclusion
LinkPoints has devalued its conversions to KrisFlyer miles by removing the better-value 1.87 points :1 mile options in favour of a standardised 2 points : 1 mile.
Unless you really need an instant source of KrisFlyer miles (and can’t use Kris+ for whatever reason), this is paying above the odds and shouldn’t be on your radar. Instead, save your LinkPoints for spending within the NTUC and partner ecosystem, until a transfer bonus makes things more palatable.
In October 2024, HSBC made some big changes to the HSBC Premier Mastercard, switching its rewards from cashback to miles, adding airport lounge and limo benefits, and upgrading it to a World Elite Mastercard.
Less than a year later, we’re seeing a second round of changes— but I’m not complaining, because these are genuine enhancements that almost feel too good to be true.
From 19 August 2025, the HSBC Premier Mastercard will:
Boost its local/FCY earn rates to 1.68/2.76 mpd
Add unlimited lounge access for the principal and three supplementary cardholders
Double the airport limo rides for Premier customers, and remove the minimum spend requirement for Premier Elite customers
Add six complimentary golf games for Premier Elite customers
The best part? The annual fee will continue to be waived for HSBC Premier customers with a total relationship balance of at least S$200,000. Yes. You’re basically enjoying many of the benefits you’d expect from a $120K card, without the annual fee!
This is sensational stuff, and I’m certainly planning to hop onboard. That said, I understand that SingSaver plans to launch a HSBC Premier welcome gift soon (a few years ago they offered an iPhone Pro Max or an OTO massage chair), so I plan to hold off until the details are finalised.
Here’s an overview of the upcoming changes to the HSBC Premier Mastercard.
Annual fee
Till 18 Aug 2025
From 19 Aug 2025
Annual Fee
S$490.50
S$708.50
The HSBC Premier Mastercard currently has an annual fee of S$490.50, which will be increased to S$708.50 for renewals or approvals from 19 August 2025 onwards.
No one likes an annual fee increase, but it really shouldn’t matter, because the annual fee is waived so long as:
you have a Premier or Premier Elite relationship with HSBC and maintain a total relationship balance (TRB) of S$200,000 (or FCY equivalent) with HSBC Singapore, or
you have a Private Banking relationship with HSBC Private Bank
Mind you, you need to be a HSBC Premier customer to apply for the HSBC Premier Mastercard in the first place, so as long as you maintain your TRB, everyone’s happy.
❓ Why is there an annual fee in the first place?
Since the HSBC Premier Mastercard is exclusively for HSBC Premier customers, and a TRB of S$200,000 is required to become a HSBC Premier customer in the first place, who actually pays the annual fee?
First, HSBC Premier status is global, so you could have HSBC Premier status in Singapore by virtue of your relationship with HSBC in some other country. If you wanted the HSBC Premier Mastercard here, you would need to pay the annual fee.
Second, you may have started your HSBC Premier relationship in Singapore with a TRB of S$200,000, but fallen below that amount over time. HSBC won’t downgrade your relationship immediately (you’ll be charged a S$50 monthly service fee), and if you apply for a HSBC Premier Mastercard in this state, you would need to pay the annual fee.
For more information on how the TRB is calculated, refer here.
Earn rates
Till 18 Aug 2025
From 19 Aug 2025
Local Spend
3x points per S$1 (1.2 mpd)
4.2x points per S$1 (1.68 mpd)
FCY Spend
5x points per S$1 (2 mpd)
6.9x points per S$1 (2.76 mpd)
The HSBC Premier Mastercard currently earns:
3x HSBC points per S$1 spent in SGD (1.2 mpd)
5x HSBC points per S$1 spent in FCY (2 mpd)
From 19 August 2025, the earn rates will be boosted to:
4.2x HSBC points per S$1 spent in SGD (1.68 mpd)
6.9x HSBC points per S$1 spent in FCY (2.76 mpd)
These are excellent earn rates for a general spending card, but there are two catches.
First, HSBC does not award points for CardUp, ipaymy or RentHero, and HSBC does not have a tax payment facility or bill payment platform of its own. Therefore, unless you’re a regular big spender, it might still take time to accumulate a critical mass of points.
Second, the exact mpd depends on which transfer partner you choose. HSBC’s conversion ratios range from 2.5-5 HSBC points : 1 mile/point (see below for the full list).
The earn rates of 1.68/2.76 mpd only apply if you choose a partner with a 2.5 HSBC points : 1 mile ratio, and could go as low as 0.84/1.38 mpd at the other end of the spectrum (though admittedly that’s just for a single partner).
That said, earning an uncapped 1.97 mpd with Aeroplan (3.5 HSBC points : 1 mile) through overseas spending isn’t too bad. You’ll pay a 3.25% FCY fee, but paying 1.65 cents per mile is still cheaper than buying them from the programme during a sale, and you’re earning those miles as a byproduct of spending anyway.
Transfer Ratio (Points : Miles)
HSBC Premier MC
(SGD)*
HSBC Premier MC
(FCY)^
25,000 : 10,000 (8x partners)
1.68 mpd
2.76 mpd
30,000 : 10,000 (2x partners)
1.4 mpd
2.3 mpd
35,000 : 10,000 (5x partners)
1.2 mpd
1.97 mpd
50,000 : 10,000 (1x partner)
0.84 mpd
1.38 mpd
*4.2 points per S$1 on SGD spend ^6.9 points per S$1 on FCY spend
I should also highlight that Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer has a 3 HSBC points : 1 mile ratio, following a devaluation in early 2025. While this still works out to a decent 1.4/2.3 mpd, I don’t think you should be using HSBC cards if you’re a KrisFlyer-only kind of person.
Unlimited airport lounge visits
Unlimited airport lounge visits for the principal and 3x supplementary cardholders
Till 18 Aug 2025
From 19 Aug 2025
Premier
4x per m. year
Unlimited visits for principal and 3X supp. cards
Premier Elite
6x per m. year
The HSBC Premier Mastercard currently offers principal cardholders 4x (Premier) or 6x (Premier Elite) airport lounge visits per year, through Priority Pass. These can be used by the cardholder, or shared with guests.
From 19 August 2025, both Premier and Premier Elite customers will enjoy unlimited loungevisits for the principal and up to three supplementary cardholders. That’s one heck of an enhancement!
The drawback, if you can even call it that, is that it will no longer be possible to bring guests for free — a US$35 fee applies. However, if you travel frequently with family members, you can give them a supplementary card, which would grant lounge access even when you’re not travelling with them. Do note that a supplementary cardholder must be at least 18 years old (or 16 years old, with proof of overseas studies).
And yes, before someone asks. Unlike AMEX and OCBC, HSBC does not have any lounge pass restrictions— you can use your Priority Pass visits at lounges, spas, restaurants, or any of the thousands of other experiences available.
1-2 free airport limo rides per quarter
Double the limo rides for HSBC Premier, and no minimum spend for HSBC Premier Elite
Till 18 Aug 2025
From 19 Aug 2025
Premier
1x per quarter (min. S$12K spend)
2x per quarter (min. S$12K spend)
Premier Elite
2x per quarter (min. S$12K spend)
2x per quarter (no min. spend)
The HSBC Premier Mastercard currently offers principal cardholders 1x (Premier) or 2x (Premier Elite) airport limo transfers, with a minimum spend of S$12,000 per calendar quarter.
From 19 August 2025, the entitlement will be upgraded. Premier customers will enjoy 2x airport limo transfers with the same minimum spend as before, while Premier Elite customers will enjoy 2x airport limo transfers with no minimum spend necessary (provided they maintain a TRB of at least S$1.2M; otherwise they’ll need to spend S$12,000 too).
👍 First quarter concession
HSBC offers a nice little concession for new cardholders: during your first calendar quarter, the minimum spend for limo rides is S$6,000 instead of S$12,000. For example, if your card was approved in August 2025, the minimum spend for the July to September 2025 period need only be S$6,000.
Codes to redeem limo rides will be sent by the end of the second month following the quarter in which the criteria was met.
Calendar quarter where eligibility criteria is met
Limo code sent by
1 January to 31 March
31 May
1 April to 30 June
31 August
1 July to 30 September
30 November
1 October to 31 December
28 or 29 February
Codes are valid for 12 months from the month of issuance, and can be used for rides to or from Changi Airport.
Golf games
Till 18 Aug 2025
From 19 Aug 2025
Premier
World Elite golf
World Elite golf
Premier Elite
World Elite golf & 6x complimentary games
From 19 August 2025, principal HSBC Premier Mastercard cardholders with Premier Elite status will enjoy 6x complimentary green fees at participating golf clubs. Customers must maintain a TRB of S$1.2M to enjoy this benefit
While the minimum transfer block is 10,000 miles/points (Accor: 5,000 points), the subsequent block is just 2 miles (Accor: 1 point). In other words, you could choose to transfer 10,002 miles or 20,958 miles, which helps you avoid orphan points.
Conclusion
The HSBC Premier Mastercard will be significantly enhanced from 19 August 2025, with boosted earn rates, unlimited lounge access, a more generous limo benefit, and additional golf privileges. While the annual fee will also be increased, this is irrelevant to HSBC Premier customers who maintain a TRB of at least S$200,000.
With these changes, this card will be head and shoulders above other premier banking cards, like the OCBC Premier VOYAGE, StanChart Priority Visa Infinite, and UOB Privilege Banking Visa Infinite. It could even replace the $120K card in your wallet, if you don’t mind committing the funds to HSBC.
I’ll be doing a full review of the HSBC Premier Mastercard soon, and will also publish an update when the SingSaver welcome gifts are live, so try and hold off for those if you can.
Welcome to the 2025 edition of the $120K Credit Card Showdown, my annual look at the finest pieces of plastic (or metal) that money can buy. $120K cards come with hefty annual fees which are generally non-waivable, so before you hop onboard, you’ll want to have a game plan for extracting maximum value.
In the eighth iteration of this guide, we’ll review how the $120K landscape has changed over the past year, and which (if any!) card is right for you.
There is no change to the $120K card lineup for 2025, which features the same eight faces that contested the 2024 edition.
However, the HSBC Visa Infinite stopped accepting applications in September 2024, and is due to be relaunched this year. I was hoping to delay this article until we had the details, but since there’s no word yet, we’ll just have to save it for 2026’s edition.
To address some common questions…
What about the AMEX Platinum Charge and StanChart Beyond Card?
The AMEX Platinum Charge and StanChart Beyond Card aren’t featured because their annual fees are 3X those of the $120K segment, making a fair comparison close to impossible. These cards offer way more perks— and given their fees, they’d better!
In fact, I actually consider these to be “$200K cards”, in a segment of their own (the AMEX Platinum Charge accepts applications well below this income level, but that’s how it was positioned originally). This straddles the $120K and S$500K segments, and I might even do a separate $200K card showdown if we see more banks targeting this market.
Where’s the BOC Visa Infinite and CIMB Visa Infinite?
I don’t include $120K cards like the Bank of China Visa Infinite and CIMB Visa Infinite, because they earn cashback instead of points.
That said, if you earn at least S$120,000, you should definitely be getting a CIMB Visa Infinite, since it has no annual fee (ever), and offers 3x DragonPass lounge visits each year.
Where’s the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card?
While the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card has a minimum income requirement of S$120,000, it’s not really meant to compete with the likes of the Citi Prestige or DBS Vantage. It’s better thought of as a specialised spending card, rather than a general spending option.
If you want to join the $120K club, you’d better get used to the idea of paying annual fees, and not insignificant ones— the annual fee for a $120K card ranges from S$498 to S$662.
💸 Annual Fee Waiver?
While $120K cards generally don’t provide annual fee waivers, there are a few exceptions:
DBS Vantage Card:
First year fee cannot be waived
Subsequent year’s annual fee will be waived with min. S$60K spend in a membership year
If annual fee is waived, cardholders will not receive 25,000 renewal miles, but will still receive an extension to their Accor Plus Explorer membership (including 1 free hotel night) and another 10 Priority Pass visits
Maybank Visa Infinite:
First year fee waived
Subsequent year’s annual fee will be waived with min. S$60K spend in a membership year
If annual fee is waived, cardholders will still receive another four Priority Pass visits
OCBC VOYAGE Card:
First year fee cannot be waived
Subsequent year’s annual fee will be waived with min. S$60K spend in a membership year (min. S$30K for OCBC Premier VOYAGE Cardholders)
If annual fee is waived, cardholders will not receive 15,000 renewal miles, but will still receive an extension of their unlimited-visit DragonPass membership
On the bright side, most $120K cards cushion the blow by offering miles in exchange for the annual fee.
The Citi Prestige, DBS Vantage, OCBC VOYAGE, and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offer bonus miles each year the annual fee is paid
The HSBC Visa Infinite and StanChart Visa Infinite offer bonus miles only in the first year, as a one-time welcome gift. No miles are officially given upon renewal, but unofficially, customers who call up and complain are sometimes placated with 20,000-25,000 miles (YMMV)
The AMEX Platinum Reserve does not offer miles with the annual fee, but renewing members receive another 1N Fraser Hospitality voucher upon renewal, plus other dining and spa vouchers
The Maybank Visa Infinite does not offer miles with the annual fee, but waives the first year’s fee
If we’re just looking at the first year, the winner would be the HSBC Visa Infinite. Cardholders receive 35,000 miles in exchange for a S$497.12 annual fee, which works out to 1.42 cents per mile.
However, this only applies if you’re a HSBC Premier customer (min. AUM: S$200,000). For regular customers, the annual fee is a much higher S$662.15, or 1.89 cents per mile. Besides, the card isn’t even open for applications now.
In my opinion, we should look at this on a recurring basis, and in that case the Citi Prestigeoffers the best deal: S$651.82 for 32,000 miles each year, or 2.04 cents each (prior to 1 July 2025, this was S$545 for 25,000 miles).
2.04 cents per mile may sound expensive, but remember: you’re not just buying miles with the annual fee. You’re getting other benefits like lounge access that need to be factored into the equation as well.
Sign-up bonus
Card
Min. Spend
Sign-Up Bonus
AMEX Platinum Reserve
N/A
N/A
Citi Prestige Card 🥇 Winner 🥇
S$2,000
57,000 miles Existing New
DBS Vantage Card
N/A
N/A
HSBC Visa Infinite
N/A
N/A
Maybank Visa Infinite
N/A
N/A
OCBC VOYAGE Card
N/A
N/A
StanChart Visa Infinite
S$2,000
50,000 miles Existing New
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
S$4,000
40,000 miles Existing
80,000 miles New
While renewing certain $120K cards may be difficult decision, the first year of membership can be considerably more lucrative thanks to sign-up bonuses.
At the time of writing, sign-up bonuses are offered by the Citi Prestige, StanChart Visa Infinite and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card.
❓ Sign-up bonus vs welcome/renewal gift
Sign-up bonuses are different from welcome/renewal gifts.
Sign-up bonuses refer to bonus miles awarded for meeting a certain minimum spend within a certain period of approval. Welcome/renewal gifts are bonus miles awarded for simply paying the annual fee, without any spend necessary.
When comparing sign-up bonuses, there are two things to consider:
Is the bonus available to both new-to-bank and existing customers?
What is the payoff ratio (in terms of miles to spend)?
Based on this, the Citi Prestige would be the winner. Its welcome offer is available to both new and existing Citi cardholders, with 57,000 miles for S$2,000 spend (payoff ratio: 28.5- the number is fudged a bit because part of the total comes from paying the annual fee rather than spending, but as a quick-and-dirty comparison it’ll do).
In second place is the StanChart Visa Infinite, which also offers 50,000 miles for S$2,000 spend (payoff ratio: 25), with the added gift of S$100 cash for applications via SingSaver. However, this is only available for new-to-bank customers.
The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offers something for both new and existing customers, but with a more modest payoff ratio of 10 (existing) or 20 (new).
⚠️ Overlap with previous section
Sign-up bonus figures include the welcome miles from the previous section. For example, new-to-bank customers who apply for a Citi Prestige enjoy 57,000 miles, of which 32,000 miles come from paying the annual fee.
Earn rates
Card
Local
FCY
Min. Spend for Points
AMEX Platinum Reserve
0.69 mpd
0.69 mpd
S$1.60
Citi Prestige Card
1.3 mpd^
2 mpd^
S$1
DBS Vantage Card
1.5 mpd
2.2 mpd
S$1.34 (SGD)
S$0.91 (FCY)
HSBC Visa Infinite
1 mpd
2 mpd
S$0.20
Maybank Visa Infinite
1.2 mpd
3.2 mpd*
S$5
OCBC VOYAGE Card
1.3 mpd
2.2 mpd
S$5
StanChart Visa Infinite 🥇 Winner 🥇
1.4 mpd#
3 mpd#
S$0.20
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
1.4 mpd
2.4 mpd
S$5
^Additional 0.02 to 0.12 mpd awarded based on tenure with bank #With minimum S$2K spend per statement month. Otherwise 1 mpd for both
*With minimum S$4K spend per calendar month. Otherwise 2 mpd
For the record, you shouldn’t be spending a lot on your $120K card, because every dollar you put on a $120K card is a dollar that doesn’t go towards a specialised spending card, and with specialised spending cards earning 4 mpd, the opportunity cost is high.
But for argument’s sake, let’s suppose you do spend regularly on your $120K card (perhaps because you’ve burst the bonus caps on 4 mpd cards already).
In that case, the StanChart Visa Infinite would be the best bet with its 1.4/3 mpd earn rates for local/overseas spend. However, you must spend at least S$2,000 per statement month, or else you’ll earn just 1 mpd for both local and overseas spend. Also note that its 3.5% FCY transaction fee is slightly higher than the rest of the $120K cards, which charge 3.25%.
💳 OCBC Premier VOYAGE
It’s worth mentioning that if you qualify for an OCBC Premier VOYAGE (min AUM: S$350,000), you’ll enjoy earn rates of 1.6/2.3 mpd for local/overseas spend.
If you don’t want to bother with minimum spends, the next best would be the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card, which earns 1.4/2.4 mpd for local/overseas spend. But you will also need to deal with UOB’s annoying S$5 earning blocks, which result in lost miles due to rounding, especially if the typical transaction size on your $120K card is <S$50.
To avoid that, consider the DBS Vantage Card as an alternative. You can earn 1.5/2.2 mpd on local/overseas spend, with smaller earning blocks than UOB.
Points flexibility and expiry
Card
Expiry
Partners
(Fee)
Min
Xfer*
AMEX Platinum Reserve
N/A
11 (Free)
250 miles Pool
Citi Prestige Card
N/A
11 (S$27.25)
10K miles
DBS Vantage Card
3 yrs.
4 (S$27.25)
10K miles Pool
HSBC Visa Infinite 🥇 Winner 🥇
37 mo.
21 (Free)
10K miles^ Pool
Maybank Visa Infinite
N/A
4 (S$27.25)
10K miles Pool
OCBC VOYAGE Card
N/A
9 (S$25)
1 mile
StanChart Visa Infinite
N/A
10 (S$27.25)
10K miles
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
2 yrs.
3 (Free)
10K miles Pool
^Subsequent blocks of 2 miles after the first 10,000 miles
*Refers to KrisFlyer, min. blocks may be different for other frequent flyer programmes
Quantity of points is one thing; quality is another. When assessing points quality, we look at:
The main weakness is that HSBC offers inferior transfer ratios for KrisFlyer, ever since the January 2025 nerf. Transfers cost 20% more than HSBC’s lowest-cost programme, and if you want to earn KrisFlyer miles, this isn’t the card to use.
In second is the AMEX Platinum Reserve, since Membership Rewards points don’t expire, have no conversion fees, and can be converted to a wide range of partners with a minimum block of just 250 miles. The bigger problem is that the earn rates are so miserly, it’d take you a very long time to earn a critical mass of points.
In third place is the Citi Prestige. ThankYou points never expire and can be transferred to 11 different partners, and additional points can be accumulated fairly easily via Citi PayAll (though it’s relatively pricey outside of promotions). The drawback here is that points don’t pool, and you have to pay a S$27.25 conversion fee.
As for the rest, the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card can help anchor a UOB portfolio since conversions are free and UNI$ pool. Therefore, you can use it as a conduit to cash out UNI$ earned on other cards like the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Visa Signature for free. The main catch is the 2-year expiry of UNI$ and the limited number of transfer partners.
The OCBC VOYAGE offers nine transfer partners, but the conversion rates are poor. For example, conversions to British Airways Avios and Asia Miles entail a 10% and 25% haircut respectively compared to KrisFlyer, when other banks offer conversions to these programmes at the same ratio as KrisFlyer.
Most $120K cards offer a payment facility, which is basically a way of buying miles.
To recap, there are two types of payment facilities:
Those which let you buy as many miles as you want, no questions asked
Those which let you buy miles provided you have a rental, tax, insurance or some other bill to pay
(1) is available to UOB Visa Infinite Metal Cardholders, with miles priced at 2.2 cents each (temporarily reduced to 2 cents till 31 August 2025). This is certainly better than the US$40 per 1,000 miles that Singapore Airlines charges if you top-up while redeeming, though not exactly cheap.
(2) is available to Citi Prestige, DBS Vantage, OCBC VOYAGE and StanChart Visa Infinite Cardholders, and the cost per mile can be significantly lower.
⚠️ VOYAGE Payment Facility now for taxes only
Historically speaking, the OCBC VOYAGE Payment Facility was a no-questions-asked option for buying miles. However, the rules have now changed, and VOYAGE Payment Facility applications will only be accepted for payment of income taxes.
The lowest cost option belongs to the StanChart Visa Infinite, where you can pay bills with a 1.9% fee and earn up to 1.4 mpd, or a cost per mile of 1.36 cents each. The catch is that the scope of coverage is rather narrow: taxes, education, insurance and rent.
If you want to pay other types of bills, then Citi PayAll would be the next best option. The Citi Prestige Card pays a 2.6% fee and earns 1.3 mpd, or a cost per mile of 2 cents each. This can be lowered even further during promotions; at the time of writing, cardholders can buy miles from 1.44 cents each.
The rest of the options aren’t really worth discussing in great detail, since with third-party bill payment platforms like CardUp, you don’t really need a bank to offer its own payment facility anymore.
Lounge access
Card
Lounge Network
Free Visits
(Per Year)
Main
Supp.
AMEX Platinum Reserve
N/A
N/A
N/A
Citi Prestige Card
Priority Pass
12 Share
N/A
DBS Vantage Card
Priority Pass
10 Share
N/A
HSBC Visa Infinite 🥇 Winner 🥇
LoungeKey
∞
∞ (up to 5x)
Maybank Visa Infinite
Priority Pass
4
N/A
OCBC VOYAGE Card
Dragon Pass
∞
2
StanChart Visa Infinite
Priority Pass
6 Share
N/A
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
Dragon Pass
∞ + 1 guest
N/A
With the nerf to the Citi Prestige’s lounge benefit, there are only three $120K cards with unlimited lounge visits: HSBC Visa Infinite, OCBC VOYAGE, and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card.
I wouldn’t give the award to the VOYAGE, because supplementary cardholders enjoy just two visits, and more importantly, its Dragon Pass is hobbled by the exclusion of restaurants.
The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offers unlimited lounge visits for the principal cardholder and one guest. While this benefit will be reduced to 12 visits from 1 June 2026, I’m not counting that against it this year. What I am counting though is the new 4-hour cooldown period that effectively limits cardholders to one lounge use per flight (unless you have a connection, or you come to the airport very early).
That leaves the HSBC Visa Infinite, which offers unlimited lounge visits for the principal and up to five supplementary cardholders. That’s an excellent perk, considering all five supplementary cards have no annual fees too. With so many nerfs to lounge passes this year, however, I’m doubtful this can continue for long.
Airport limo transfers
Card
Qualifying Spend
Cap
AMEX Platinum Reserve
N/A
N/A
Citi Prestige Card
S$12K per quarter for 2 rides
2 per quarter
DBS Vantage Card
N/A
N/A
HSBC Visa Infinite 🥇 Winner 🥇
S$2K per month for 1 ride*
24 per year
Maybank Visa Infinite
S$3K per month for 1 ride
8 per year
OCBC VOYAGE Card
S$12K per quarter for 2 rides
8 per year
StanChart Visa Infinite
N/A
N/A
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
N/A
N/A
*First 2 (Regular customer) or 4 (HSBC Premier) per membership year are free
No changes here from last year, as the HSBC Visa Infinite continues to reign supreme.
By paying the annual fee, cardholders enjoy two complimentary airport transfers per calendar year (four if you’re a HSBC Premier customer), and up to 24 rides per year (including the free ones) can be unlocked with just S$2,000 spend each.
The Maybank Visa Infinite comes a close second, with S$3,000 spend needed per ride. It used to be even better than the HSBC Visa Infinite, mind you, as up till July 2023 it offered two rides per S$3,000 spend.
Everything after that is far from ideal. The Citi Prestige and OCBC VOYAGE both require S$12,000 per quarter for two rides, and the rest of the cards have no benefit at all!
However, the Citi Prestige does count transactions such as education, government services, hospital bills, insurance and utilities towards the minimum spend required to unlock limo rides (even though you won’t earn any ThankYou points). Since it’s so hard to earn rewards on these categories, you might as well clock them with the Citi Prestige to get something out of it.
Frankly speaking, those who want the best airport limo benefit should just get a lowly UOB PRVI Miles AMEX, where all you need to spend is S$1,000 FCY in a calendar quarter to get two free rides.
While most $120K cards offer complimentary travel insurance, not all coverage is made equal.
In general, you’ll want to make sure your policy covers three things:
Death and permanent disability: In case you perish or suffer permanent bodily damage while on your trip
Medical expenses: In case you need to visit a doctor or a hospital overseas
Travel inconvenience: Flight delays, lost and damaged luggage
If not, I’d highly advise you to buy a stand-alone insurance policy, because 1 or 2 out of 3 isn’t sufficient. And even if the policy covers all three, it’s your responsibility to make sure the coverage limits are sufficient for your needs.
We don’t have the space here to do a detailed analysis, but based on my cursory reading, the policy offered by the HSBC Visa Infinite has the highest coverage of all. Cardholders are covered for up to S$2.75 million for accidental death, with S$100,000 of overseas medical expenses, S$10,000 of post medical expenses in Singapore, and S$250,000 for emergency medical evacuation.
In terms of travel inconvenience, there’s S$10,000 coverage for trip cancellation, S$5,000 coverage for lost luggage, as well as coverage for loss of travel documents, rental car excess, and personal liability. Coverage even extends to family members travelling on the same trip. If you ask me, this is as good as any stand-alone policy.
Private club access
Card
Private Club Access
AMEX Platinum Reserve 🥇 Winner 🥇
Tower Club
Citi Prestige Card
N/A
DBS Vantage Card
N/A
HSBC Visa Infinite
N/A
Maybank Visa Infinite
N/A
OCBC VOYAGE Card
N/A
StanChart Visa Infinite
N/A
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
N/A
Not much of a contest here, really.
The AMEX Platinum Reserve continues to be the only $120K card with private club access via Tower Club. Bookings can be made through the AMEX concierge, and access is limited to five cardholders per day. All expenses will incur a 10% surcharge, as is Tower Club’s policy for affiliate members.
Straits Bar at Tower Club Singapore
Although the Straits Bar is an OK place to have a drink (don’t expect anything other than paint-by-numbers cocktails though), I find the overall Tower Club experience a bit stuffy and overrated. It’s certainly not a decisive factor for choosing a $120K card.
The AMEX Platinum Reserve may not have a lot going for it, but it does offer a solid dining proposition.
Cardholders enjoy up to 50% off food with Love Dining at a wide range of hotels and restaurants around Singapore. There’s also Chillax, which gives 1-for-1 drinks at selected bars islandwide.
However, the exact same benefits can be enjoyed with an AMEX Platinum Credit Card, which has a lower annual fee of S$327 (which is further discounted by up to 75% in the first year, with the current welcome offer).
It’s hard to match the muscle of the Love Dining programme, though the HSBC Visa Infinite does a valiant job with its complimentary copy of The Entertainer, which includes 1-for-1 offers at more than 200 dining merchants across Singapore, plus additional deals for use overseas.
This covers a wider range of restaurants than Love Dining, though the savings for Love Dining will always be superior since it’s 50% off all food (whether appetisers, mains or desserts), while The Entertainer generally offers a 1-for-1 main course.
The DBS Vantage includes an Accor Plus membership that offers up to 50% off food at participating Accor hotel restaurants across Asia Pacific, as well as 15% off drinks. I realise it’s subjective, but I don’t think much of the Accor hotel restaurants in Singapore. Most of them are middling at best, with Racines at Sofitel City Centre the only possible exception.
The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card used to offer 50% off weekday lunch at restaurants under the Pan Pacific Hotels Group, but its dining discounts now max out at 30%.
The Citi Prestige, OCBC VOYAGE and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offer periodic celebrity chef dining experiences, which are sometimes offered on a 1-for-1 basis (though the nett price still won’t be cheap).
Weight
What’s the point of having a $120K card if you can’t let the whole world know by dropping it casually on the counter with a fragile-masculinity-assuaging “plunk”? (fun fact: the plunk factor is an actual term in the card manufacturing industry, describing the heft of a card).
That is, if your card is actually made of metal like the DBS Vantage, Citi Prestige, OCBC VOYAGE and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card. The judging criteria here is simple: VOYAGE wins because it weighs the most.
Card
Weight
AMEX Platinum Reserve
~5g
Citi Prestige Card
8g
DBS Vantage Card
10g
HSBC Visa Infinite
~5g
Maybank Visa Infinite
~5g
OCBC VOYAGE Card 🥇 Winner 🥇
15g
StanChart Visa Infinite
~5g
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
9g
Supp. cardholder benefits
Card
Supp. Cards
Perks
AMEX Platinum Reserve
2 free
(S$163.50 after)
Love Dining
Chillax
Tower Club access
Citi Prestige Card 🥇 Winner 🥇
Free
World Elite Mastercard perks
DBS Vantage Card
Free
Visa Infinite perks
HSBC Visa Infinite
5 free
Unlimited-visit LoungeKey membership
Visa Infinite perks
Maybank Visa Infinite
Free
Visa Infinite perks
OCBC VOYAGE Card
S$191*
2x lounge visits
Visa Infinite perks
StanChart Visa Infinite
5 free
Tax payment facility
Visa Infinite perks
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
1 free
(S$293.38 after)
Visa Infinite perks
*First year fee waived for the first two supp. cards
While the best perks are reserved for principal cardholders, certain $120K cards show the love to supplementary cardholders too.
The HSBC Visa Infinite offers an unlimited-visit LoungeKey membership for up to five supplementary cardholders, which is a fantastic benefit considering the annual fee. However, we’ve already recognised this in the Lounge Access section.
The AMEX Platinum Reserve offers supplementary cardholders the same Love Dining, Chillax and Tower Club access perks that the principal cardholder enjoys. But again, you could get the same benefits (less Tower Club access) with the cheaper AMEX Platinum Credit Card, so this shouldn’t be a reason to get the AMEX Platinum Reserve.
The OCBC VOYAGE Cardadded 2x lounge visits for supplementary cardholders in July 2024, but that’s still nothing compared to the unlimited visits they received prior to March 2024.
The StanChart Visa Infinite Card allows supplementary cardholders to use its income tax payment facility and buy miles from 1.36 cents each, which may or may not be useful if they have tax bills of their own to pay.
Other than that, all $120K cards (AMEX aside) either belong to the Mastercard World Elite or Visa Infinite tier, so supplementary cardholders will enjoy the same generic benefits that principal cardholders do.
I’d argue that the Citi Prestige is the biggest beneficiary here, because World Elite Mastercard perks are head and shoulders above their Visa Infinite counterparts.
Because of this, I’m giving this category to the Citi Prestige.
Unique perks
In addition to the benefits above, some $120K cards have unique perks which are well worth discussing.
Citi Prestige: 4th Night Free
The Citi Prestige’s 4th Night Free (4NF) benefit, used judiciously, can help cardholders recover large chunks of their annual fee.
With 4NF, principal cardholders can book four nights at a hotel, and get one night refunded to their card (based on the average nightly pre-tax room rate). The refund is done on Citi’s side, so you’ll still earn hotel points and elite credit (where applicable) for four nights’ worth of spending.
However, all bookings must be made through the Citi Prestige concierge, and Citi has been tightening the screws on this benefit:
Only rates that appear on the hotel’s official website or Expedia can be booked
All rates must be fully prepaid
You can’t book suites or villas (even if that’s the lead-in category at a hotel)
You can’t book half or full-board stays
The rate must be “publicly available”. Even though it costs nothing to sign up for a Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt etc. membership, you won’t be able to enjoy the extra 10% or so they offer to their own members because it’s not a “publicly-available” rate
It’s an unpleasant number of hoops to jump through, and I’ve read stories about CSOs adopting very “creative” interpretations of the rules (you can’t book a room because it has an ensuite bathroom and suites are not allowed!).
That said, if you’re willing to play ball you can certainly save some money- and because Citi has not capped the 4NF benefit in Singapore (it has in a few other countries), frequent travellers should be able to make the math work.
DBS Vantage: Accor Plus Explorer membership
DBS Vantage Cardholders receive a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership, which normally retails for S$418 (though it can be bought for less during sales, or from a different region).
This includes perks at participating Accor hotels across Asia Pacific including:
Stay Plus gives you a complimentary night at participating hotels across Asia Pacific. It is capacity controlled, however, which means you may not always get exactly the property you want, when you want it.
In my experience, it’s tough to book the Sofitels in Singapore, but you can book them elsewhere in Southeast Asia without too much difficulty. Over the years I’ve used my free nights at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, Pullman Kuala Lumpur, and Sofitel City Centre.
HSBC Visa Infinite: Priority immigration
HSBC Visa Infinite Cardholders enjoy fast track immigration at selected airports
HSBC Visa Infinite cardholders who spend at least S$2,000 in a calendar month receive complimentary fast-track immigration service at selected airports for themselves and a guest (in addition to the previously-mentioned free limo ride).
Just like the limo benefit, two complimentary uses are provided each year with no minimum spend (four if you’re a HSBC Premier customer).
Depending on the airport, fast-track immigration may also include meet and assist services, which escort you to/from the airplane.
OCBC VOYAGE: Redeem miles for any flight
VOYAGE Miles can be redeemed like a cash rebate against the cost of any flight
A unique feature of OCBC VOYAGE is that VOYAGE Miles can be used to pay for any flight in any cabin on any airline. It’s conceptually the same as buying a commercial ticket, freeing you from the uncertainties of award inventory and waitlisting, and presenting the opportunity to earn miles and elite status credits on your flight.
The value of a VOYAGE Mile when redeemed for commercial airfares is opaque, but prior to August 2023, it was reliably around 2.3 cents. Unfortunately, OCBC then carried out an unannounced 25% devaluation, which reduced the value to no more than 1.72 cents.
But that’s just the risk you bear when holding VOYAGE Miles. Since there’s no official value per mile, the value is whatever OCBC says it is!
Category Recap
Before we unveil the overall winner, let’s first recap the results of each category (and keep in mind that I wouldn’t weigh each category the same):
🥊 $120K Credit Card Showdown 🥊
Category
Winner
Annual Fee & Welcome/Renewal Gift
Citi Prestige Card
Sign-up Bonus
Citi Prestige Card
Earn Rates
StanChart Visa Infinite
Points Flexibility & Expiry
HSBC Visa Infinite
Miles Purchase Facility
StanChart Visa Infinite
Lounge Access
HSBC Visa Infinite
Airport Limo
HSBC Visa Infinite
Travel Insurance
HSBC Visa Infinite
Private Club Access
AMEX Platinum Reserve
Dining Perks
AMEX Platinum Reserve
Weight
OCBC VOYAGE Card
Supp. Cardholder Benefits
Citi Prestige Card
🏆 Winner: Citi Prestige (or HSBC Visa Infinite?)
Look, I know it’s a bit boring to read that the Citi Prestige wins year after year, but I really don’t see any other conclusion.
Despite the removal of unlimited lounge visits, and the hike to its annual fee, it’s still possible to come out ahead, with the 32,000 miles, 4th Night Free benefit, airport limo rides (which can be clocked even with non-rewards-eligible spend), and other benefits— you’ll just have to work harder.
Its closest competitor would probably be the HSBC Visa Infinite, and come to think of it, HSBC Premier customers are probably enjoying the best deal in town right now: S$497.12 for six — yes six — unlimited LoungeKey passes (even the regular S$662.15 fee would be a good deal). The minimum spend for a limo ride remains reasonably low at S$2,000 (with two or four free rides per year), its complimentary travel insurance coverage is excellent, and HSBC points are extremely versatile.
On the flip side, the earn rates of the HSBC Visa Infinite are absolutely abject, so you won’t be earning many points to begin with. And of course, the bigger issue is that this card is effectively in limbo. Applications have been closed for almost a year now, and who knows what features will get nerfed with the relaunch?
Apart from that, it’s not like the rest the pack has closed the gap in any meaningful way. The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card’s new four-hour cooldown period effectively limits you to one lounge visit per trip, and it will lose unlimited lounge access altogether in June 2026.
The Maybank Visa Infinite has lost JetQuay access, points for donations, and free points conversions. The DBS Vantage Card, OCBC VOYAGE Card and StanChart Visa Infinite have remained more or less the same, and there’s still no real reason to get an AMEX Platinum Reserve, unless you’re enjoying an annual fee waiver by virtue of the “one annual fee” scheme for AMEX Platinum Charge cardmembers (since discontinued).
So…yay. The 2025 $120K showdown. I’ve been writing this article for eight years now, and with each iteration, it feels like the sweet spot keeps shrinking. Sure, you can still recover your annual fee with most cards, but every year the effort involved only increases.
If you ask me, I think that $200K cards could be the new $120K cards, and it’d be interesting to see if any other banks follow the lead of American Express and Standard Chartered in launching a product for this segment. There’s only so much value the banks are willing or able to offer with annual fees of ~S$500.
Conclusion
If you’re on the fence about getting a $120K card, the good news is that no one needs one to play the miles game. If your goal is simply to accumulate miles as quickly as possible, you’d be better off with the cards I recommend in my annual card strategy post, most of which are available with an annual income of just S$30,000.
That said, those who enjoy travelling and dining out may find a $120K card to be a good companion, provided they make heavy use of its benefits.
Welcome to The MileLion’s Weekly Deal Summary, a round up of all the latest deals and promotions for credit cards, airlines and hotels. Get these posts pushed to your phone by subscribing toour Telegram Channel.
Credit Card/Banking Deals
🎁 Mega DBS cards offer
Apply for a DBS card by 31 July 2025 and enjoy one of the following gifts with a minimum spend of S$500 within 30 days of approval (be sure to use the relevant promo code when applying)
ErgoTune Vesby (worth S$899) (SSJUL1)
Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Slim (worth S$669) (SSJUL2)
Dyson Digital Slim Submarine (worth S$699) (SSJUL3)
Apple iPad 11″ A16 Wi-Fi 256GB (worth S$649) (SSJUL4)
S$500 eCapitaVoucher (SSJUL5)
Offer is valid for customers who do not have a principal DBS/POSB credit card, and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months.
💳 AMEX Platinum Credit Card offering S$250 statement credits (new-to-AMEX) or S$200 statement credits (existing) with a min. spend of S$1,000 within 60 days. Enjoy additional perks like a S$200 annual Lifestyle Credit and a Comoclub C4 membership [Expires 30 Jul 25]
💳 AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering new-to-AMEX cardholders 37,600 bonus miles + S$50 with min. S$2,000 spend within 90 days [Expires 30 Jul 25]
💳 Get Dyson Airwrap Origin, Apple iPad (A16) 11″ Wi-Fi 128GB, or S$390 cash with a new HSBC Advance, HSBC Live+, or HSBC Revolution and min. spend of S$500 by end of month after approval [Expires 31 Jul 25]
💳 DBS yuu Cards offering S$300 cashback to new-to-bank customers who spend S$800 within first 60 days of approval [Expires 31 Jul 25]
💳 Get 16,000 miles with a new Citi Rewards Card and S$800 min. spend in the first 2 months. Must be new-to-bank [Expires 31 Jul 25]
💳 Get S$360 cash with a new StanChart Simply Cash Card and a min. spend of S$800, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Jul 25]
💳 HSBC Premier Mastercard offering uncapped 1.8 mpd on selected SGD spend, and uncapped 2.8 mpd on all FCY spend [Expires 15 Aug 25]
💳 HSBC Premier Mastercard offering 65,000 miles welcome bonus with min. spend of S$4,000, for both new and existing HSBC customers [Expires 15 Aug 25]
💳 DBS Takashimaya AMEX offering S$80 welcome gift for existing DBS cardholders [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offering up to 80,000 miles for new sign-ups with S$4,000 spent within 30 days of approval and payment of S$654 annual fee [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 Get up to 33,600 bonus miles with a new HSBC TravelOne Card and a minimum spend of S$1,000 [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 StanChart Beyond Card offering 100,000 miles welcome bonus with payment of annual fee and S$20,000 spend in the first 90 days of approval [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 Buy unlimited miles from 1.7-2.2 cents each with the UOB Payment Facility [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 DBS Vantage Card offering 60,000 bonus miles with min. spend of S$4,000 in 30 days, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 DBS Altitude Cards offering 28,000 bonus miles with min. spend of S$800 in 30 days, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 Pay your income taxes with CardUp and Visa cards with a 1.75% fee using the code MLTAX25R [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 Pay your income taxes with CardUp and Mastercard with a 1.55% (new) or 1.67% (existing) fee using the code MCTAX25N or MCTAX25. Limited redemptions [Expires 31 Aug 25]
💳 Get 50,000 miles with a new StanChart Visa Infinite Card and a minimum spend of S$2,000 within 60 days of approval, for both new-to-bank and existing customers [Expires 30 Sep 25]
💳 Get up to 30,000 bonus miles & Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24, 7,000 Max Miles, S$250 Shopee vouchers or S$180 cash when you sign-up for a StanChart Journey Card and spend S$800 within 60 days of approval. For new-to-bank customers only [Expires 30 Sep 25]
💳 HSBC Revolution restores bonuses for travel and contactless spending, raises monthly bonus cap to S$1,500 [Expires 31 Oct 25]
💳 OCBC Rewards Card offering 6 mpd on Watsons, Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop and Taobao, capped at S$1,000 per month [Expires 31 Dec 25]
✈️ Earn an extra 5 mpd from Pelago bookings via Kris+, stackable with credit card miles [Expires 31 Jul 25]
✈️ [New]KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: Save 30% off selected Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class awards with KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes, for travel between 1-31 August 2025 [Expires 31 Jul 25]
✈️ [New]Get S$120 cashback on Singapore Airlines and Scoot tickets with DBS cards [Expires 31 Oct 25]
🏨 GHA DISCOVERY offering 3X D$ at Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL hotels worldwide [Expires 31 Aug 25]
🏨 World of Hyatt offering 16,000 bonus points for Hyatt Place, Hyatt House and Hyatt Studio stays [Expires 7 Sep 25]
🏨 Get an extra D$5 for booking stays via the GHA DISCOVERY app [Expires 30 Sep 25]
🏨 [New]Get S$70 back on a minimum spend of S$300 at participating Pan Pacific Hotel Group hotels, restaurants, bars and spas with AMEX cards [Expires 14 Nov 25]
🏨 World of Hyatt offering instant Explorer status for 90 days, with further upgrade to Globalist with 20 qualifying nights during this period. For employees of selected companies only [Expires 31 Dec 25]
🏨 Enjoy a 12-month upgrade to elite status with ONYX Rewards via Mastercard [Expires 31 Dec 25]
🏨Hilton status match: Get instant Hilton Gold for 90 days, with fast-track to Diamond. Status valid till 31 March 2026, existing status with competing chain required [No expiry]
If there’s one important life lesson that Manchester United has been determined to teach its fans, it’s that winning isn’t everything. Success can be defined in so many different ways (“did both teams have fun?”), and in a society so blindly obsessed with getting ahead, what a timely reminder that is!
I mean, that’s the only logical conclusion I can draw from their performance over the past few seasons, with EPL wins now rarer than a clean pair of sheets in the Onana household. United are heroically choosing to take the road less triumphant, to walk the noble path of character building over glory. And honestly, isn’t that the real victory?
Therefore, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Maybank has decided to refresh the Maybank Manchester United Card ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season, in order to better align its rewards structure with the club’s newfound ethos of spirited underachievement.
The new-look Maybank Manchester United Card will ditch its current miles-and-cashback hybrid system in favour of 2.8 mpd for a Manchester United win (which I’ve been reliably informed is still within the realm of metaphysical possibility), 1.6 mpd for a Manchester United draw, and 1.12 mpd otherwise.
However, there will be a new cap on the maximum miles that can be earned for a win or a draw, and Maybank will also introduce a reduced earn rate for certain categories of spending, such as education, healthcare and utilities.
Maybank Manchester United Card unveils new rewards structure
Maybank Manchester United Cardholders currently earn:
1% cashback and 1X TREATS Point (0.4 mpd) per S$1, normally
3% cashback and 5X TREATS Points (2 mpd) per S$1, on days where Manchester United win an EPL match
The additional 2% cashback for an EPL win is capped at S$20 (i.e. S$1,000 spend), but there is no cap on the additional 4X TREATS Points (1.6 mpd).
From 15 August 2025 — the first day of the 2025/26 season — the earn rates will be revised as follows:
2.8X TREATS Points (1.12 mpd) per S$1, normally
4X TREATS Points (1.6 mpd) per S$1, on days where Manchester United draw an EPL match
7X TREATS Points (2.8 mpd) per S$1, on days where Manchester United win an EPL match
As you can see, the cashback element has been removed, and in what is surely a sign of the times, a Manchester United draw is now a cause for celebration!
The 1.6 mpd earn rate for a draw is capped at once per calendar month, and S$2,000 of spending per draw. And since the EPL season spans 10 months, it’s effectively capped at 10 instances per season. Maybank is positioning this as a 2025/26-only feature, though obviously it could be further extended.
The 2.8 mpd earn rate for a win is capped at S$2,000 of spending per win, and there is no cap on the number of times you can enjoy this.
Reduced rewards for selected categories
Currently, the Maybank Manchester United Card applies the same earn rate across all categories (with the obvious exception of excluded transactions such as charitable donations, government services and insurance premiums).
In other words, if Manchester United win an EPL game, cardholders can earn 3% cashback and 2 mpd on all their spend— even school fees, utilities, and hospital bills (no doubt arising from the shock of actually winning).
From 15 August 2025, the Maybank Manchester United Card will designate the following MCCs as “Selected Categories”.
These Selected Categories will earn 1X TREATS Point per S$1 (0.4 mpd) when spent in SGD, with no cap.
While it’s no big surprise to see education, hospitals, and utilities featured here, Maybank is going beyond just hospitals and excluding the entire 8011 to 8099 range, which rules out miles for any kind of healthcare-related expenditure.
You should also note that MCC 7399 is used by CardUp, though it’d be somewhat difficult to time your CardUp charge date to coincide with a Manchester United matchday anyway.
Also, it’s somewhat alarming to see MCC 4814 (Telcos) mentioned, because up to this point, banks have been perfectly happy to let it be. You can currently earn 4 mpd on your mobile phone bill with the Citi Rewards or DBS Woman’s World Card- hopefully this isn’t a harbinger of changes elsewhere.
However, I’ve confirmed with Maybank that foreign currency spending on Selected Categories is eligible to earn 1.12 mpd on a regular basis, 1.6 mpd for a Manchester United draw, and 2.8 mpd for a Manchester United win- with the latter two subject to the same S$2,000 spending cap as mentioned earlier.
How’s Manchester United doing these days, anyway?
The Maybank Manchester United Card launched in 2012/13, when Manchester United swept to the title with 28 wins out of 38 games, a win ratio of 74%.
Since then, however, things have been…mixed.
⚽ Manchester United EPL Performance (since launch of Maybank Man Utd Card)
Season
Win/Total %
Manager
2012/13
28/38 74%
Alex Ferguson
2013/14
19/38 50%
David Moyes
2014/15
20/38 53%
Louis van Gaal
2015/16
19/38 50%
Louis van Gaal
2016/17
18/38 47%
Jose Mourinho
2017/18
25/38 66%
Jose Mourinho
2018/19
19/38 50%
Jose Mourinho / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
2019/20
18/38 47%
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
2020/21
21/38 55%
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
2021/22
16/38 42%
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer/ Ralf Rangnick
2022/23
23/38 61%
Erik ten Hag
2023/24
18/38 47%
Erik ten Hag
2024/25
11/38 29%
Erik ten Hag / Ruben Amorim
This means that the Maybank Manchester United Card has the somewhat unwelcome distinction of being the only card in Singapore to suffer an almost annual devaluation, which is probably what made the goalpost shifting necessary.
Remember: the catch of the Maybank Manchester United Card is that you will usually have to spend in advance of the final result, since Singapore is 7-8 hours behind the UK, and bonuses are only awarded for match day spend (based on UK time).
With the exception of a handful of matches which kick off at 12.30 p.m UK time (or 3 p.m, during periods where the time difference is 7 hours), it’s impossible to know the outcome beforehand
That said, what kind of plastic fan ever doubts their team is going to win?
Conclusion
The Maybank Manchester United Card will be refreshed for the 2025/26 season, with 2.8 mpd for a Manchester United win, 1.6 mpd for a draw, and 1.12 mpd for a “VAR robbed us” / regular day.
Of course, the real enhancement here is that Ruben Amorim’s first full season will no doubt usher in a new era of dominance, with 38 out of 38 wins earning cardholders a whopping 212,800 miles per season, enough for a round-trip Business Class flight to Manchester, and making all other cards utterly, utterly irrelevant.
What do you make of the new Maybank Manchester United Card?