If you’re a frequent traveller, you’ll surely appreciate the ability to earn complimentary limo rides to and from the airport via your credit card spending.
This used to be a fairly common perk, but unfortunately has grown increasingly rare in recent years. From what I understand, the cost of limo rides has steadily increased, leading banks to tighten the qualification criteria or do away with them altogether.
Here’s a guide to which cards still offer this benefit, how to unlock it, and the all-important terms and conditions.
Summary: Credit cards with airport limo rides
The following credit cards offer complimentary airport limo rides, subject to meeting a certain minimum spend.
| Card | Qualifying Spend (QS) |
Cap |
| Income Req. ≥S$30K | ||
 UOB PRVI Miles AMEX(T&C) |
S$1K (FCY) per quarter for 2 rides | 2 per quarter |
| Booking Call 6651 2253 between 9 a.m to 6 p.m to make booking at least two days in advance |
||
| Income Req. ≥S$120K | ||
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card(T&C) |
None | 1 per year (can be used overseas) |
| Booking Register at travelwithus.mastercard.com and book at least 48h in advance |
||
 HSBC Visa Infinite(T&C) |
S$2K per month for 1 ride (First 2 [Regular] or 4 [Premier] per year are free) |
24 per year (includes free rides) |
| Booking Book via Ten Concierge website at least 24h in advance |
||
 Maybank Visa Infinite(T&C) |
S$3K per month for 1 ride | 8 per year |
| Booking Call Maybank Cards Priority Customer Service at least 72h in advance |
||
 OCBC VOYAGE(T&C) |
S$12K per quarter for 2 rides |
2 per quarter |
| Booking Email voyage@voyagemiles.com or call 6593 9999 at least 48h in advance |
||
 Citi Prestige(T&C) |
S$12K per quarter for 2 rides | 2 per quarter |
| Booking Call 6337 2484 at least 48h in advance |
||
The key points of difference are spending requirements, whether rides are valid for pick-up or drop-off, and ride validity.
Spending Requirements
| 🚖 Limo Entitlement: Spending Requirement |
||
| Card | Min. Spend | Unlocks |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card |
No min. spend required, 1 free ride offered per calendar year | |
| UOB PRVI Miles AMEX |
S$1K FCY per quarter* |
2 rides |
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
S$2K per month^ |
1 ride |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
S$3K per month | 1 ride |
| OCBC VOYAGE |
S$12K per quarter |
2 rides |
| Citi Prestige |
S$12K per quarter | 2 rides |
| *Excluding online transactions ^First 2/4 free for regular/Premier customers |
||
Only the HSBC Visa Infinite and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card offer truly free rides.
- HSBC Visa Infinite: 2 free rides per membership year (regular), 4 per membership year (HSBC Premier)
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card: 1 free ride per calendar year
For all others, you’ll need to hit a certain minimum spend, which unlocks either one ride or two depending on card.
Surprisingly, despite its entry-level positioning, the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX has the lowest spending requirement of all: just S$1,000 in foreign currency (excluding online transactions) will unlock two rides.
A few things to note with regards to spending thresholds:
- Citi Prestige: Spending on Citi PayAll will count towards the minimum spending requirement
- OCBC VOYAGE: Spending in January 2023 double counts towards Q1 2023 spending, following the VOYAGE’s switch to the new limo entitlements on 1 February 2023. For example, a cardholder who spent S$10,000 in January 2023 for 2 limo rides only needs to spend a further S$2,000 in February/March 2023 to earn a further 2 limo rides. This is a concession for the transition period
- UOB PRVI Miles AMEX: Spending must be in foreign currency, excluding card-not-present transactions. In other words, buying things online or over the phone won’t count
All eligible spending is calculated based on posting date, not transaction date. Take care if you’re making any significant spend towards the end of the period, because merchants may take 2-3 days to post transactions (e.g. a transaction made on 30 January may only post on 1 February).
Finally, do note that with the Citi Prestige and UOB PRVI Miles AMEX, you can ride first, spend later. That’s because these two cards award limo rides on a reimbursement basis. Your card will first be charged for the amount of the ride, and should you meet the minimum spend requirement in that quarter, a statement credit will follow.
Pick up vs drop-off
| 🚖 Limo Entitlement: One-Way or Two-Way |
|
| Card | To/From Airport |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card |
To/From Airport |
| UOB PRVI Miles AMEX |
To Airport |
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
To Airport |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
To/From Airport |
| OCBC VOYAGE |
To/From Airport |
| Citi Prestige |
To/From Airport |
This is a subtle but important difference.
- Airport pickups are generally more costly to provide because the driver needs to budget time for flight delays, immigration, and baggage collection
- Airport drop-offs are more straightforward- if you don’t show up beyond a certain time, your ride leaves without you
Therefore, some providers only do airport drop-offs, but ideally you’ll want your free limo rides to be redeemable for trips both to and from the airport. Citi Prestige, Maybank Visa Infinite, OCBC VOYAGE, and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card all offer two-way transfers.
Special mention to the OCBC VOYAGE, which covers not just Changi Airport, but also the following checkpoints:
- Seletar Airport
- Marina Bay Cruise Centre
- Singapore Cruise Centre
- Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
- Queen Street Bus Terminal
- Woodlands Checkpoint
- Tuas Checkpoint
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card is unique in that its free limo ride is valid globally, and can be used either in Singapore or other supported cities.
Ride validity
| 🚖 Limo Entitlement: Ride Validity | |
| Card | Validity of Rides |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card |
Ride must be used within calendar year |
| UOB PRVI Miles AMEX |
Rides must be used within the same calendar quarter in which the min. spend is met (i.e. you can ride first, meet the min. spend later) |
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
Rides to be utilised from the month after the month in which the min. spend was met (“Start Month”) and must be utilised within the same calendar year as the Start Month |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
Rides to be utilised in the month after the min. spending is met |
| OCBC VOYAGE |
Rides valid for three months from date of awarding |
| Citi Prestige |
Rides must be used within the same calendar quarter in which the min. spend is met (i.e. you can ride first, meet the min. spend later) |
Once you’ve unlocked your limo rides, they’re valid for a certain period. Be sure to use them before they expire!
While some cards were previously offering extensions of unused rides due to COVID-19, the reopening of borders means they’ve reverted to regular T&Cs.
The fine print
Some other points to consider are the advance notice required, charges for late night service, maximum passengers permissible and the grace period before additional waiting charges apply.
| UOB PRVI Miles AMEX |
|
| Adv. Booking | 2 days +S$10 otherwise |
| Late Night Fee (11.30 p.m to 6.30 a.m) |
S$10 |
| Max Pax. | 4 +S$10 for 7-seater +S$20 for 9-seater |
| Grace Period | 15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after. Auto cancel at 30 mins |
| Changes | S$10 for changes made after 6 p.m the day before pick-up |
| HSBC Visa Infinite |
|
| Adv. Booking | 24 hours |
| Late Night Fee (12 a.m to 5.59 a.m) |
S$12 |
| Max Pax. | 3 |
| Grace Period | 15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after. Auto cancel at 45 mins |
| Changes | S$10 for changes made within 1 hour of pick-up |
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
|
| Adv. Booking | 72 hours |
| Late Night Fee | Not mentioned |
| Max Pax. | Not mentioned |
| Grace Period | 30 mins |
| Changes | S$90 for cancellations with <24 hours notice |
| OCBC VOYAGE |
|
| Adv. Booking | 24 hours |
| Late Night Fee (11 p.m to 7 a.m) |
None |
| Max Pax. | 4 (7-seater Velfire can be requested with no upgrade charge) |
| Grace Period | 15 mins S$10 per 15-min block after. Auto cancel at 45 mins |
| Changes | S$60 for cancellations with <48 hours notice |
| Citi Prestige |
|
| Adv. Booking | 48 hours |
| Late Night Fee | Will be reimbursed, if any |
| Max Pax. | 4 |
| Grace Period | Not mentioned |
| Changes | Any change or cancellation <24 hours will be taken as 1 usage |
Pseudo airport limo benefit
While slightly different from the ones above, both the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card and Maybank Privilege Horizon Visa Signature (not to be confused with the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature) offer cardmembers Grab codes valid for rides to and from the airport.
Maybank’s is slightly better because it’s a guaranteed benefit, unlike the KrisFlyer UOB one which is subject to a monthly redemption cap.
| Card | Offer | Remarks |
 KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card |
2x S$15 Grab codes |
|
 Maybank Privilege Horizon Visa Signature |
2x S$20 Grab codes |
|
Conclusion
The airport limo benefit isn’t as ubtiquous as it was in the past, but there’s still a few cards out there offering this perk.
In my opinion, the card with the “best” limo benefit still remains the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX. The S$256.80 annual fee can be waived, and the spending requirement is the lowest of all.
Is an airport limo benefit still useful to you?
