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MileLion Weekly Deal Summary [21-27 Jun 25]

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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 to our Telegram Channel.

Credit Card/Banking Deals

💳 [Updated] 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 30 Jun 25]

💳 Citi Prestige Card offering 50,000 miles welcome bonus with min. spend of S$2,000 [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 Get Apple AirPods 4, Shark Wandvac Handheld Vacuum WV203, S$180 Shopee voucher or S$150 cash with a new OCBC 90°N Visa Card, OCBC 90°N Mastercard, OCBC Rewards Card or OCBC 365 Card and one transaction of any amount [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 Get S$360 cash with a new StanChart Simply Cash Card and a min. spend of S$500, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge offering 95,000 bonus MR points and 4.7 mpd on FCY spend, or 150,000 bonus MR points and S$50 statement credits for new-to-AMEX and existing AMEX cardholders [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 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 Jun 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 Jun 25]

💳 UOB PRVI Miles Cards offering 5 mpd on overseas shopping and dining. Registration required. Must spend at least S$1,500, capped at S$4,000 [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 DBS Takashimaya AMEX offering S$60 welcome gift for existing cardholders [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 StanChart Beyond and Visa Infinite Cards offering S$300 cashback on admin fees for income tax payments, limited to the first 50 customers per month [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 SC EasyBill offering S$200 cashback on admin fees for income tax payments, limited to the first 50 customers per month [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 DBS Altitude Card offering 5 mpd on in-person overseas spend in Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. Min. spend of S$2,000 in SGD/FCY required, capped at S$1,200 of FCY spend [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 Get up to 33,600 bonus miles with a new HSBC TravelOne Card and a minimum spend of S$1,000 [Expires 30 Jun 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 Jun 25]

💳 Get up to 30,000 miles & Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24, 12,000 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 Jun 25]

💳 Get up to S$80 Grab vouchers, Accor Plus Explorer membership, Samsonite luggage, and bonus miles or points with the purchase of AMEX MyTravel Insurance [Expires 30 Jun 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 30 Jun 25]

💳 HSBC Premier Mastercard offering uncapped 1.8 mpd on selected SGD spend, and uncapped 2.8 mpd on all FCY spend [Expires 30 Jun 25]

💳 OCBC Rewards Card offering 6 mpd on department stores and Watsons, capped at S$1,000 per month [Expires 30 Jun 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 30 Jun 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]

💳 Amaze offering 6 InstaPoints per S$1 (2 mpd) on wallet-linked spend on dining, hotels and travel [Expires 31 Jul 25]

💳 Get 30,000 miles when you sign up for a Citi PremierMiles Card as a new-to-bank customer and spend S$800 in the first 2 months [Expires 31 Jul 25]

💳 [New] 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]

💳 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]

💳 Citi PayAll offering 1.8 mpd on tax payments and 1.6 mpd on non-tax payments, with a minimum spend of S$6,000 on non-tax payments (waived for customer with a Citi banking relationship) [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]

💳 CardUp offering 1.79% admin fee with promo code SAVERENT179 for all rental payments. Not valid for AMEX cards  [Expires 31 Jan 26]

💳 CardUp offering 2.25% admin fee with the promo code OFF225 for all payments. Not valid for AMEX cards [Expires 31 Jan 26]

💳 CardUp offering 1.55-2% admin fees for OCBC credit cards, buy miles from 0.95 cents each [Expires 31 Mar 26]

💳 UOB One Account offering 6% rebate on tax payments made through GIRO [Expires 31 Mar 26]

Airline Deals

✈️ [New] Pelago offering 35% off KrisFlyer miles redemptions, or 1.03 cents each [Expires 30 Jun 25]

✈️ KrisShop offering 30% off redemptions with KrisFlyer miles [Expires 30 Jun 25]

✈️ KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: Save 30% off selected Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class awards for travel between 1-31 July 2025 [Expires 30 Jun 25]

✈️ Earn an extra 5 mpd on Pelago bookings via Kris+ [Expires 30 Jun 25]

✈️ Kris+ Feast to Fly: Earn an extra 10 mpd at 46 participating restaurants, on top of credit card miles [Expires 30 Jun 25]

✈️ Save 20% off Pelago activities (capped at S$15) with a valid Scoot PNR [Expires 31 Dec 25]

✈️ Save 10% off Pelago activities (capped at S$50) with a valid Singapore Airlines PNR [Expires 31 Dec 25]

Hotel Deals

🏨 GHA DISCOVERY offering D$150 after four stays of at least two nights each [Expires 30 Jun 25]

🏨 Mastercard World and World Elite cardholders enjoy instant I Prefer Titanium status, with an extra 25,000 points on your first stay for World Elite [Expires 30 Jun 25]

🏨 Accor Live Limitless offering 20% bonus points for app bookings [Expires 30 Jun 25]

🏨 Accor Plus offering 3,000 bonus points (worth S$89) for new Accor Plus Explorer memberships [Expires 2 Jul 25]

🏨 Hilton Points Plus: Get 1,000 bonus points on every stay [Expires 15 Aug 25]

🏨 Hilton for Business offering 5,000 bonus points per stay, capped at 15,000 bonus points [Expires 27 Aug 25]

🏨 IHG One Rewards Pick Your Points promo: Choose between 2,000 bonus points per 2 nights, or 8,000 bonus points per 4 nights [Expires 31 Aug 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]

🏨 IHG One Rewards dining discount: Save 20% off F&B and earn bonus IHG points [Expires 30 Dec 25]

🏨 Hilton Dine Like a Member: Save 10-25% off F&B and earn 500 points per bill at participating restaurants [Expires 31 Dec 25]

🏨 GHA DISCOVERY Titanium status for all Visa Infinite cardholders [Expires 31 Dec 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]

🏨 Mastercard offering fast track to Wyndham Rewards elite status [Expires 31 Dec 25]

🏨 Enjoy instant Brilliant by Langham elite status with Mastercard [Expires 28 Feb 26]

🏨 Enjoy a 12-month upgrade to elite status with MyMillennium via Mastercard [Expires 31 Oct 26]

🏨 Buy Hilton Honors points at 50% off, or 0.5 US cents each [No expiry]

🏨 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] 

Kris+ will cut earn rates at more than 250 merchants from July

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Singapore Airlines recently announced that from 1 July 2025, the value of a KrisFlyer mile would be standardised at 1 cent across all its platforms. Whether you’re paying for Singapore Airlines or Scoot tickets, KrisShop purchases, Pelago experiences or Kris+ transactions, the same rate of 100 miles = S$1 will apply.

This seemed like especially great news for Kris+. Not only would the value of existing KrisPay miles appreciate by 50% overnight (up from the current 150 miles = S$1), it would also mean a commensurate increase in rebates. The top earning band of 9 mpd, for instance, would soon be a 9% rebate— before even factoring in the value of credit card miles!

Unfortunately, it’s not quite going to play out that way, because Kris+ has just announced a major nerf in earn rates across the board. While it’s hard to calculate exact numbers, by my estimates more than 250 merchants will be reducing their earn rates come July and, I suspect, more to come in subsequent months. 

S$5 for new Kris+ Users
Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

Kris+ cutting earn rates at more than 250 merchants

Club5 at PARKROYAL Beach Road- one of 250+ merchants cutting earn rates from 1 July 2025

Kris+ has published an updated list of merchants and earn rates that takes effect from 1 July 2025, which I’ve parsed into the table below and compared with the previous version (dated 1 November 2024).

📱  Summary: Kris+ Earn Rates
Earn Rate At 1 Nov 24 At 1 Jul 25
9 mpd 95 4
6 mpd 114 48
5 mpd 4 74
4 mpd 27 47
3 mpd 153 158
2 mpd 8 135
1.5 mpd 0 1
1 mpd 19 29
0.5 mpd 1 2
0.33 mpd 0 3
⚠️ Be careful when reading the document!

The PDF that Kris+ publishes is very misleading. On first glance, you might think “Yay! Everything’s going up!” 

On closer inspection, however, you’ll realise the left column shows the base rate, and not the “before” rate you’re earning now. The base rate is practically irrelevant to the consumer; all you care about is what you’re earning now, and what you’ll earn going forward. 

For example, the way Affordable Wines is shown in the table suggests it’s increasing from 3 mpd to 6 mpd, when in reality it’s decreasing from 9 mpd to 6 mpd!

Now, before we compare the numbers, I want to highlight a problem. We only have snapshot views of the Kris+ merchant ecosystem, based on how often Singapore Airlines decides to publish an updated list.

In the period between 1 November 2024 and 1 July 2025, there would be new joiners and leavers, and existing merchants might also have had “off-cycle” earn rate adjustments. This introduces noise into the data, but short of maintaining an auto-updating list (and if anyone knows how to do that, I’m all ears), I don’t know how to solve it.

That said, we can still get a rough sense of the overall generosity of the Kris+ programme, as measured by average earn rates.

Date Average Earn Rate
October 2023 6.2 mpd
April 2024 5.8 mpd
August 2024 5.4 mpd
July 2025 3.3 mpd

As you can see, the July 2025 changes will entail a severe cut of about 40%, though perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise given the rebasing of KrisFlyer mile value (more on that later). 

Here’s a full rundown of all the merchants whose earn rates have changed between 1 November 2024 and 1 July 2025.

Merchant Old Rate New Rate
5 ON 25 – Andaz Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
665°F – Andaz Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
Affordable Wines 9 mpd 6 mpd
Alley on 25 – Andaz Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
Alma by Juan Amador 9 mpd 6 mpd
Amici Events and Catering 9 mpd 2 mpd
Amò 9 mpd 5 mpd
ANTI:DOTE (Fairmont Singapore) 9 mpd 5 mpd
Asian Market Café (Fairmont Singapore) 9 mpd 5 mpd
Atelier Lounge 9 mpd 4 mpd
Atrium Bar 317 9 mpd 6 mpd
Atrium Restaurant – Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium 9 mpd 6 mpd
BAKALAKI Greek Taverna 9 mpd 5 mpd
Bar Square – Andaz Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
BBQ Express 9 mpd 5 mpd
Bratpack 9 mpd 6 mpd
Chokmah 9 mpd 5 mpd
CLOVE 9 mpd 5 mpd
Club 5 (PARKROYAL on Beach Road) 9 mpd 6 mpd
Duomo Ristorante 9 mpd 4 mpd
Eden Restaurant 9 mpd 4 mpd
Farm Frozen 9 mpd 5 mpd
Ginger (PARKROYAL on Beach Road) 9 mpd 6 mpd
GROHE 9 mpd 6 mpd
Herschel Supply Co 9 mpd 6 mpd
Honeymill 9 mpd 6 mpd
JAAN By Kirk Westaway 9 mpd 5 mpd
Janice Wong Singapore 9 mpd 4 mpd
Jiang-Nan Chun – Four Seasons Hotel Singapore 9 mpd 6 mpd
KEVIN SEAH 9 mpd 6 mpd
Kim Choo Kueh Chang 9 mpd 6 mpd
L’Angelus 9 mpd 4 mpd
Les Bouchons 9 mpd 4 mpd
LeVeL33 9 mpd 6 mpd
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant (Sheraton Towers) 9 mpd 5 mpd
Lime (PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering) 9 mpd 6 mpd
Maharaja’s Tailors 9 mpd 6 mpd
Mitsu Sushi Bar 9 mpd 6 mpd
Mr Stork – Andaz Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
NOBU Singapore 9 mpd 6 mpd
One-Ninety Bar – Four Seasons Hotel Singapore 9 mpd 6 mpd
One-Ninety Restaurant – Four Seasons Hotel Singapore 9 mpd 6 mpd
Origin Grill (Shangri-La Singapore) 9 mpd 6 mpd
OverEasy 9 mpd 4 mpd
P.S.O. Beach Club 9 mpd 4 mpd
Pastaria Abate 9 mpd 5 mpd
Penhaligon’s 9 mpd 5 mpd
Perk By Kate 9 mpd 5 mpd
Po Restaurant 9 mpd 4 mpd
Prego (Fairmont Singapore) 9 mpd 5 mpd
Restaurant JAG 9 mpd 5 mpd
RISIS 9 mpd 5 mpd
Si Chuan Dou Hua (PARKROYAL on Beach Road) 9 mpd 6 mpd
Si Chuan Dou Hua (TOP of UOB) 9 mpd 6 mpd
Singapore Sidecars 9 mpd 6 mpd
SKAI Bar (Swissôtel The Stamford) 9 mpd 5 mpd
SKAI Restaurant (Swissôtel The Stamford) 9 mpd 5 mpd
SO France Bistro 9 mpd 6 mpd
SO France Market 9 mpd 6 mpd
Solo Ristorante 9 mpd 4 mpd
Southbridge 9 mpd 5 mpd
State Property 9 mpd 5 mpd
Tandoor (Holiday Inn® Singapore Orchard City Centre) 9 mpd 4 mpd
Tapas,24 9 mpd 4 mpd
The 1872 Clipper Tea Co. 9 mpd 6 mpd
The Coconut Club 9 mpd 4 mpd
The Dining Room (Sheraton Towers) 9 mpd 5 mpd
THE EIGHT 9 mpd 5 mpd
The Line (Shangri-La Singapore) 9 mpd 6 mpd
The Par Club Singapore 9 mpd 6 mpd
The Ring Boxing Community 9 mpd 5 mpd
The Spot 9 mpd 5 mpd
The Stamford Brasserie 9 mpd 5 mpd
The White Tiffin 9 mpd 2 mpd
Tian Fu Tea Room 9 mpd 6 mpd
Timbuk2 9 mpd 6 mpd
TONITO Latin American Kitchen 9 mpd 5 mpd
Virtual Room 9 mpd 6 mpd
WAKANUI Grill Dining Singapore 9 mpd 5 mpd
Window on the Park (Holiday Inn® Singapore Orchard City Centre) 9 mpd 4 mpd
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse 9 mpd 5 mpd
Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant – Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium 9 mpd 6 mpd
108 Matcha Saro 6 mpd 3 mpd
808 Cycles 6 mpd 3 mpd
Adertek Baby & Kids 6 mpd 3 mpd
AIBI 6 mpd 3 mpd
Alegria Singapore 6 mpd 3 mpd
Andersen’s of Denmark 6 mpd 3 mpd
Anglo Indian Café & Bar 6 mpd 4 mpd
Babynatureco. 6 mpd 2 mpd
Bacha Coffee 6 mpd 3 mpd
Bee Cheng Hiang 6 mpd 3 mpd
Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery 6 mpd 3 mpd
Beppu Menkan 6 mpd 2 mpd
Bynd Artisan 6 mpd 2 mpd
Carv Artisanal Butchery 6 mpd 2 mpd
Cedele 6 mpd 5 mpd
Cheeselads 6 mpd 2 mpd
Chingu Dining 6 mpd 4 mpd
COCA 6 mpd 3 mpd
Coconut Queen 6 mpd 5 mpd
Cycle Project Store 6 mpd 3 mpd
Dancing Crab 6 mpd 5 mpd
Doco Donburi 6 mpd 3 mpd
Douraku Sushi 6 mpd 5 mpd
Dragon Brand Bird’s Nest 6 mpd 2 mpd
EA Detailer 6 mpd 5 mpd
Edith Patisserie 6 mpd 5 mpd
EGA Juice Clinic 6 mpd 3 mpd
Enjoy Eating House and Bar 6 mpd 5 mpd
Evan’s Kitchen 6 mpd 3 mpd
Flipper’s 6 mpd 5 mpd
For the Love of Laundry 6 mpd 2 mpd
Four Seasons Durians 6 mpd 3 mpd
Fried Chicken Master 6 mpd 3 mpd
Gaia 6 mpd 2 mpd
Garrett Popcorn Shops® 6 mpd 3 mpd
Geometry 6 mpd 3 mpd
Georges 6 mpd 2 mpd
Gong Cha 6 mpd 5 mpd
GUESS 6 mpd 3 mpd
Gyutan-Tan 6 mpd 4 mpd
Her Velvet Vase 6 mpd 2 mpd
HipVan 6 mpd 2 mpd
Huggs Coffee 6 mpd 5 mpd
Ikigai Izakaya the Riverwalk 6 mpd 3 mpd
In Good Company 6 mpd 3 mpd
Joy Luck Teahouse 6 mpd 3 mpd
Kam’s Roast 6 mpd 3 mpd
Kazo Singapore 6 mpd 3 mpd
Klarra 6 mpd 2 mpd
Krispy Kreme 6 mpd 3 mpd
Lao Beijing 6 mpd 5 mpd
LeCaine Gems 6 mpd 5 mpd
LingZhi Vegetarian 6 mpd 5 mpd
llaollao 6 mpd 3 mpd
Madame Tussauds SG 6 mpd 3 mpd
Mayer 6 mpd 5 mpd
Menya Kokoro 6 mpd 3 mpd
Mrs Pho 6 mpd 5 mpd
National Gallery Singapore 6 mpd 3 mpd
Neal’s Yard Remedies 6 mpd 2 mpd
Niku Kappo 6 mpd 3 mpd
Ola Beach Club 6 mpd 3 mpd
Old Seng Choong 6 mpd 3 mpd
Paris Baguette 6 mpd 5 mpd
PATISSERIE G 6 mpd 3 mpd
Polar Puffs & Cakes 6 mpd 5 mpd
Prestige Affairs 6 mpd 2 mpd
Sakunthala’s Food Palace 6 mpd 2 mpd
SIMONE PÉRÈLE 6 mpd 5 mpd
Simple Wellness 6 mpd 2 mpd
Slappy Cakes 6 mpd 5 mpd
Smeg 6 mpd 2 mpd
St. Gregory (PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering) 6 mpd 3 mpd
St. Gregory (PARKROYAL on Beach Road) 6 mpd 3 mpd
Straits Chinese Restaurant 6 mpd 2 mpd
Sushi Airways 6 mpd 2 mpd
TANOKE 6 mpd 2 mpd
The Experts Sound 6 mpd 2 mpd
The Little Gym Singapore 6 mpd 5 mpd
The Meatery 6 mpd 3 mpd
The Queen’s Pub 6 mpd 3 mpd
Tóng Lè Private Dining 6 mpd 5 mpd
Toss & Turn 6 mpd 5 mpd
TP Tea 6 mpd 3 mpd
Tsuta Japanese Dining 6 mpd 5 mpd
TUNG LOK HEEN 6 mpd 5 mpd
TUNG LOK PEKING DUCK 6 mpd 5 mpd
TUNG LOK SEAFOOD 6 mpd 5 mpd
TUNG LOK SIGNATURES 6 mpd 5 mpd
TUNG LOK TEAHOUSE 6 mpd 5 mpd
TWG Tea 6 mpd 3 mpd
USHIO Sumiyaki & Sake Bar 6 mpd 5 mpd
Vitakids 6 mpd 2 mpd
Waku-Shin Yakiniku Restaurant 6 mpd 2 mpd
WhyQ 6 mpd 3 mpd
Willow Stream Spa 6 mpd 3 mpd
Yakiniquest 6 mpd 4 mpd
Zaffron Kitchen 6 mpd 3 mpd
Kind Kones 5 mpd 4 mpd
Delsey Paris 4 mpd 3 mpd
L’Entrecôte The Steak & Fries Bistro 4 mpd 3 mpd
Riviera 4 mpd 3 mpd
Sabio 4 mpd 3 mpd
TAJINE Moroccan Tapas & Cocktail Bar 4 mpd 3 mpd
Travel Zone 4 mpd 3 mpd
Victorinox 4 mpd 3 mpd
8 Korean BBQ (The Central) 3 mpd 2 mpd
ASAP & Co. 3 mpd 2 mpd
Bangkok Jam 3 mpd 2 mpd
Barossa Steak & Grill 3 mpd 2 mpd
Beauty in The Pot 3 mpd 2 mpd
Benjamin Barker 3 mpd 2 mpd
Bottles & Bottles 3 mpd 2 mpd
Canadian Pizza 3 mpd 2 mpd
Canton Paradise 3 mpd 2 mpd
Capitol Optical 3 mpd 2 mpd
Carrie K. 3 mpd 2 mpd
Cherry & Oak 3 mpd 2 mpd
Chez Vous 3 mpd 2 mpd
Columbia 3 mpd 2 mpd
D’Cuisines Restaurant 3 mpd 2 mpd
De Arte Hair Studio 3 mpd 2 mpd
DrHair 3 mpd 2 mpd
DrSpa 3 mpd 2 mpd
Erabelle 3 mpd 2 mpd
Esso 3 mpd 0.5 mpd
Famous Amos 3 mpd 2 mpd
Fish Mart Sakuraya 3 mpd 2 mpd
Fresver Beauty 3 mpd 2 mpd
G2000 3 mpd 2 mpd
GINLEE 3 mpd 2 mpd
GRT Jewellers 3 mpd 2 mpd
Hansgrohe Singapore 3 mpd 2 mpd
Hook Coffee 3 mpd 2 mpd
iFly Singapore 3 mpd 2 mpd
Ikeda Spa 3 mpd 2 mpd
Joo Bar 3 mpd 2 mpd
Joyre TCMedi SPA 3 mpd 2 mpd
Kenko Wellness Spa & Reflexology 3 mpd 2 mpd
Kinohimitsu 3 mpd 2 mpd
Le Petit Society 3 mpd 2 mpd
Little Island Brewing Co (Gillman Barracks) 3 mpd 2 mpd
Little Island Brewing Co. (Changi) 3 mpd 2 mpd
Little Island Brewing Co. (South Beach) 3 mpd 2 mpd
Love & Co. 3 mpd 0.33 mpd
MANAM 3 mpd 2 mpd
Multiflora TCM Spa 3 mpd 2 mpd
Nailz Treats 3 mpd 2 mpd
Nalan Restaurant 3 mpd 2 mpd
Octapas Spanish Tapas Bar 3 mpd 2 mpd
Orchid Live Seafood 3 mpd 2 mpd
Outdoor Life 3 mpd 2 mpd
Overscoop 3 mpd 2 mpd
Paradise Classic 3 mpd 2 mpd
Paradise Hotpot 3 mpd 2 mpd
Paradise Teochew 3 mpd 2 mpd
Pianoland 3 mpd 2 mpd
QUEIC BY OLIVIA 3 mpd 2 mpd
Royal Sporting House 3 mpd 2 mpd
Ryan’s Kitchen 3 mpd 0.33 mpd
Sake+ 3 mpd 2 mpd
SARAI 3 mpd 2 mpd
Scent by SIX 3 mpd 2 mpd
Seafood Paradise 3 mpd 2 mpd
Shunji Matsuo 3 mpd 2 mpd
SK Jewellery 3 mpd 0.33 mpd
Social Place 3 mpd 2 mpd
Spa Rael 3 mpd 2 mpd
Splice Barbershop 3 mpd 2 mpd
Suki-Ya KIN 3 mpd 2 mpd
Sun & Sand Sports (SSS) 3 mpd 2 mpd
Sunday Staples 3 mpd 2 mpd
Swatow Restaurant 3 mpd 2 mpd
SYOUJIN 3 mpd 2 mpd
Tai Cheong Bakery 3 mpd 2 mpd
Tajimaya Yakiniku 3 mpd 2 mpd
Tanglin Cookhouse 3 mpd 2 mpd
Taste Paradise 3 mpd 2 mpd
The Art Nooq 3 mpd 2 mpd
The Assembly Ground 3 mpd 2 mpd
The Café & Bar 3 mpd 2 mpd
The Kind Bowl 3 mpd 2 mpd
Vineyard 3 mpd 2 mpd

This was always inevitable

While no one likes to see a nerf, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise. It was bound to happen once the rebasing of KrisFlyer miles was announced.

Think about it: suppose you’re a merchant who’s currently offering 9 mpd with Kris+ and paying X% commission. If Kris+ increase the value of KrisPay miles by 50%, it can’t be the case that you keep the same earn rates and commissions. Either you pay more to Kris+, or you cut your earn rate proportionately. 

In other words, the merchants are rebasing too. For example, we’re seeing a lot of merchants moving from the 9 mpd to 6 mpd category. That’s exactly what you’d expect to see, if the value of a KrisPay mile was increased by 50%.

If your end goal was always to take the miles earned from Kris+ and spend them at other Kris+ merchants, then you probably won’t mind this change too much— though not every rebasing reflects a 50% increase in value (i.e 33% reduction in earning); some merchants have taken the opportunity to cut their earn rates proportionately more.

But let’s be honest: how many people fall into that category? Practically everyone converts the miles earned from Kris+ into KrisFlyer, and in that case, these changes are going to sting something fierce. We’re seeing the number of 9 mpd merchants get cut from 95 to just four, and 6 mpd merchants from 114 to 48. 

Mind you, I don’t think this is the end of it. There are approximately 190 merchants whose earn rates have not changed, but I find it hard to believe they’ll be able to maintain those rates for long with the rebasing. My guess is that either this group has contracts with Kris+ that guarantee their current earn rates and commissions for a certain period, or they plan to do “off-cycle” earn rate adjustments.

Earning miles via Kris+

Kris+ miles can be earned at more than 1,500 partner outlets across Singapore

Earning miles at Kris+ merchants is simple. All you need to do is: 

  1. Scan the merchant’s Kris+ QR code
  2. Enter the amount to be paid, and press “Pay” to pay via Apple/Google Pay

Miles will be credited immediately upon completing the transaction, which makes Kris+ an excellent way of topping up a KrisFlyer balance.

Don’t forget to transfer any KrisPay miles earned to KrisFlyer within 21 days of the transaction, in their entirety. If you wait longer than 21 days, or spend any of the accrued miles, the balance will be stuck in Kris+. Miles in Kris+ expire after six months, and can only be spent at a rate of 150 miles = S$1 (or 100 miles = S$1 from 1 July 2025).

A big “Transfer to KrisFlyer” button appears after every transaction. Alternatively, you can turn on the new auto-transfer feature, which will automatically deposit any miles earned from Kris+ into your KrisFlyer account.

What card should I use with Kris+?

In general, Kris+ retains the MCC of the underlying merchant (though there are some exceptions, most notably for travel agencies), so you can use whatever card you’d normally use for that particular merchant.

When in doubt, the following cards are the safest to use with Kris+, as they earn 3-4 mpd regardless of Kris+ merchant.

💳 Best Cards for Kris+
Card Earn Rate Remarks
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd Max. S$1.5K per c. month
Citi Rewards + Amaze
Apply
4 mpd 1% admin fee if in SGD. Max. S$1K per s. month. No bonuses for Citi Rewards Card alone
KrisFlyer UOB Card
Apply
3 mpd No cap

However, there are also other cards you can use for dining or retail that will earn up to 4 mpd, such as the HSBC Revolution or UOB Lady’s Cards. Refer to the post below for more details. 

What’s the best card to use for Kris+?

Conclusion

From 1 July 2025, Kris+ will cut earn rates at more than 250 partners, all but eliminating the 9 mpd category and reducing average earn rate to an all-time low of 3.3 mpd. 

While this is no doubt unpleasant, it’s perhaps not unexpected. It was always going to be necessary to “rebase” the Kris+ earn rates in light of the decision to boost the value of KrisPay miles to 1 cent each, and the adjustments — for the most part— reflect this.

But so long as it costs nothing extra to use Kris+ (and be mindful of opportunity costs, because you can’t stack other promotions like Love Dining), then some miles are better than no miles at all. 

You still have a few days more to take advantage of the current earn rates, so try and do some shopping or dining out this weekend if you can. You might also consider buying vouchers from the Kris+ app, to lock in today’s earn rates for future consumption.

Max Miles Day: Transfer Max Miles to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio

4

HeyMax has launched the latest edition of Max Miles Day, a monthly promotion which offers 20% milesback on selected redemptions.

This month, like last, users can enjoy 20% milesback on Max Miles to yuu Points conversions and all voucher redemptions. This effectively allows for 1:1 conversions between Max Miles and KrisFlyer miles, though I’d personally prefer to keep my Max Miles for more “exotic” points currencies.

👍 250 Max Miles joining bonus
Sign up for a HeyMax account and get up to 250 Max Miles as a welcome bonus
250 bonus Max Miles

Get 20% milesback on yuu Points conversions

Max Miles yuu Points
1 mile
0.8 miles
3 points

On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, HeyMax users will enjoy 20% milesback when they convert Max Miles into yuu Points. 

As a reminder, Max Miles can be converted into yuu Points at a 1:3 ratio.

  • A minimum conversion of 1,000 Max Miles is required
  • All conversions are free of charge
  • Transfers will be processed within 3-14 working days (instant conversions will be possible in the future)

With 20% milesback, the conversion ratio is boosted to 0.8:3. For example, if you convert 1,000 Max Miles, you’d receive 3,000 yuu Points and a rebate of 200 Max Miles, for a nett outlay of 800 Max Miles.

Milesback is tracked instantly, and will be awarded within seven days. There is no cap on the maximum milesback you can receive. 

HeyMax and yuu accounts can be linked via the HeyMax app. Look for the yuu logo on the home screen and follow the instructions. The linking process is instant.

Each HeyMax account can only be linked to one yuu account (which must be your own), and once a yuu account is linked, it cannot be unlinked. 

Convert Max Miles to KrisFlyer miles at 1:1 ratio

The HeyMax x yuu partnership creates the possibility of converting Max Miles into KrisFlyer miles, via a two-step process:

  1. Convert Max Miles to yuu Points
  2. Convert yuu Points to KrisFlyer miles

Under normal circumstances, the prevailing conversion ratios would mean 1 Max Mile = 0.83 KrisFlyer miles. But with 20% milesback in play, the ratio becomes 1:1 (technically 1: 1.04 miles).

Max Miles yuu Points KrisFlyer Miles
1 mile 3 points 0.83 miles
1 mile

Should you be doing this?

While I’m sure there’ll be many who have eagerly awaited the opportunity to convert Max Miles into KrisFlyer miles, I’m not one of them.

Max Miles can be converted to 28 airline and hotel loyalty programmes at a 1:1 ratio, without any fees.

✈️ HeyMax Airline Partners
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Air France-KLM Flying Blue
  • Air India Maharaja Club
  • Alaska Mileage Plan
  • American Airlines AAdvantage
  • Avianca LifeMiles
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Emirates Skywards
  • Etihad Guest
  • EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
  • Frontier Miles
  • GarudaMiles
  • Hainan Fortune Wings Club
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Qatar Privilege Club
  • THAI Royal Orchid Plus
  • Turkish Miles&Smiles
  • United MileagePlus
  • Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
  • Velocity Frequent Flyer
🏨  HeyMax Hotel Partners
  • Accor Live Limitless
  • Hilton Honors
  • IHG One Rewards
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Radisson Rewards
  • Shangri-La Circle
  • World of Hyatt
  • Wyndham Rewards

Given this incredible versatility, I feel it’s a waste to convert them into garden variety KrisFlyer miles. You could enjoy Business Class sweet spots to Europe and North America with EVA Air Infinity MileageLands. You could fly First Class to Japan with American AAdvantage. You could accumulate incredibly rare (in Singapore, at least) World of Hyatt points. I could go on— and in fact I have, in this post.

Or, to put it another way:

Credit: EnzoComics

Even if you don’t have a critical mass of Max Miles for a redemption with one of these programmes, Max Miles can also be cashed out for 2 cents each via FlyAnywhere, with a minimum redemption of 1,000 Max Miles. All you need to do is submit a recent commercial air ticket on any airline, to anywhere in the world.

HeyMax FlyAnywhere guide: Redeem Max Miles for any seat, any airline, anywhere

This effectively sets a baseline value for Max Miles, and you shouldn’t be converting them to KrisFlyer unless you value a KrisFlyer mile at more than 2 cents.

But in spite of my protestations, I’m sure there’ll still be those who want to go down the KrisFlyer route. If that’s you, just make sure you get it done today.

20% milesback on voucher redemptions

In addition to yuu Points conversions, HeyMax users will also receive 20% milesback on all voucher redemptions.

The regular value offered for voucher redemptions is 1 cent per Max Mile, so 20% milesback improves that to 1.25 cents. 

However, HeyMax also offers flash deals on selected vouchers, so you could achieve an even higher value by stacking the two. For example, a S$300 Pelago gift card is currently being offered for 27,000 Max Miles, so with 20% milesback the nett cost is reduced to 21,600 Max Miles, or 1.39 cents each.

Still, I don’t feel this is particularly lucrative, since the presence of FlyAnywhere means that you shouldn’t be accepting anything less than 2 cents per Max Mile.

Conclusion

On 25 June 2025 only, HeyMax users can enjoy 20% milesback on conversions of Max Miles to yuu Points. This also allows for 1:1 transfers between Max Miles and KrisFlyer miles, and if that’s what you want to do, today’s the day to do it.

I would personally rather keep my Max Miles for “exotic” points currencies that are hard (or impossible) to earn with credit cards in Singapore. And even if not, I’d sooner choose to cash them out via FlyAnywhere, since my KrisFlyer mile valuation is lower than the 2 cents I’d otherwise receive.

Users can also enjoy 20% milesback on voucher redemptions, but again there’s little reason to do this with FlyAnywhere offering better value. 

Review: DBS Altitude Card

36

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the DBS Altitude Card, which once upon a time was a very solid general spending card. 

True, its local/overseas earn rates of 1.2/2 mpd weren’t very exciting, but cardholders could earn 3 mpd on air tickets and hotel bookings, for up to S$5,000 per month. And unlike its competitors, you weren’t forced to book on special OTA portals with inflated pricing and limited selections. Cardholders could book any airline or hotel, any way they wished.

Unfortunately, that all changed in August 2023, when DBS gave a chicken wing by boosting the local/overseas earn rates to 1.3/2.2 mpd, then took back the whole chicken by removing the 3 mpd on air tickets and hotels (not to mention the way they did so left a lot to be desired). In April 2024, DBS also removed the 6 mpd on Expedia flights and hotels and 10 mpd on Kaligo hotels, and since then the Altitude has slipped into a sort of ennui.

It’s not great, not terrible— and while the occasional overseas spending promotion does spice things up, it’s otherwise a rather staid offering. 

DBS Altitude Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☐ Take It
☑ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

What do these ratings mean?
Two free lounge visits and occasional overseas spending promos are welcome, but the DBS Altitude Card has little else to offer year-round.
👍 The good 👎 The bad
  • 2 free lounge visits for Visa version
  • Non-expiring points which pool with other DBS cards
  • Occasional overseas spending promotions
  • Unexciting earn rates and no bonus categories
  • Limited frequent flyer transfer partners
  • Minimum conversion blocks of 10,000 miles
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: DBS Altitude Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the DBS Altitude Card:

Apply (AMEX)
Apply (Visa)
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a. Points Validity No Expiry
Annual Fee S$196.20
(First Year Free)
Min.
Transfer
5,000 DBS Points
(10,000 miles)
Miles with
Annual Fee
10,000 Transfer
Partners
4
FCY Fee 3% (AMEX)
3.25% (Visa)
Transfer Fee S$27.25
Local Earn 1.3 mpd Points Pool? Yes
FCY Earn 2.2 mpd Lounge Access? Yes 
(Visa)
Special Earn N/A Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The DBS Altitude comes in two varieties: American Express, and Visa. The fees, earn rates and benefits of the two are almost identical, though historically speaking, the American Express had a more generous welcome offer than the Visa (at the time of writing, there’s no such differentiation).

The main advantage the Visa has is two airport lounge visits per year, which the American Express version lacks.

How much must I earn to qualify for a DBS Altitude Card?

dbs altitude income requirement

The DBS Altitude has a minimum income requirement of S$30,000 per year, the MAS-mandated minimum.

If you don’t meet the minimum income requirement, you can place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with DBS and get a secured version of the card. Visit any DBS branch for further information.

🤓 History Lesson

The DBS Altitude Card can probably take credit for democratising the miles game, because once upon a time, the minimum income requirement for any miles card was S$80,000, well beyond the reach of most fresh graduates.

Then in 2016, DBS became the first bank in Singapore to offer a miles card at the MAS-mandated minimum of S$30,000. This put pressure on the rest of the market, and eventually the Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles Cards reduced their income requirements to S$30,000 as well.

How much is the DBS Altitude Card’s annual fee?

  Principal Card Supp. Card
First Year Free Free
Subsequent S$196.20 S$98.10

The DBS Altitude Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for the principal cardholder, and a S$98.10 fee per supplementary card.

The first year’s fee is waived. Subsequent years’ fees are automatically waived if you spend at least S$25,000 in a membership year, though based on personal experience, it is possible to get a fee waiver even if you don’t meet the minimum spend.

Cardholders will receive 10,000 miles (in the form of 5,000 DBS Points) every year they pay the principal card’s annual fee, which is equivalent to buying miles at 1.96 cents each.

If the annual fee is subsequently waived, these DBS Points will be clawed back. Should you have an insufficient balance (because you already redeemed those points), then you’ll be charged S$0.0388 per DBS Point.

What welcome offers are available?

DBS Altitude Card
Apply
Promo Code ALT38 ALTW28
Bonus Miles 28,000 miles
Base Miles From S$800 Spend
(1.3 mpd local, 2.2 mpd FCY)
1,040 – 1,760 miles
Miles From S$196.20 Annual Fee 10,000 miles Fee waived
Total Miles 39,040- 39,760 miles 29,040- 29,760 miles

DBS is currently offering a 28,000 miles welcome bonus for new-to-DBS cardholders, defined as those who:

  • do not currently hold any principal DBS/POSB credit cards, and
  • have not cancelled any principal DBS/POSB credit cards in the past 12 months

Customers must apply for a DBS Altitude Card between 1 March and 31 August 2025, and receive approval by 14 September 2025. They must also spend at least S$800 within 60 days of approval, which will earn:

  • 28,000 bonus miles
  • 1,040 to 1,760 base miles, depending on how the S$800 spend is split between SGD/FCY

On top of this, there is the option of paying the first year’s S$196.20 annual fee for an extra 10,000 miles. This needs to be indicated at the time of application via a promo code:

  • ALT38: If you wish to pay the first year’s annual fee
  • ALTW28: If you wish to have a first year fee waiver

Make sure to enter one code or the other. No code, no bonus!

dbs promo code box

There’s nothing stopping you from signing up for both the DBS Altitude AMEX and DBS Altitude Visa cards. However, you will only enjoy the new-to-bank bonus on the first card that’s approved.

How many miles do I earn?

🇸🇬 SGD Spend 🌎 FCY Spend ⭐ Bonus Spend
1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd N/A

SGD/FCY Spend

DBS Altitude Card members earn:

  • 3.25 DBS Points for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars (SGD)
  • 5.5 DBS Points for every S$5 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

1 DBS Point is worth 2 airline miles, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.3 mpd for SGD spending, and 2.2 mpd for FCY spending. These are acceptable rates for a general spending card, though certainly not market-leading.

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards
(income req.: S$30K)
Cards Local Spend FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles Card 1.4 mpd 3 mpd
IDR, MR, THB, VND
2.4 mpd
All Others
HSBC TravelOne Card 1.2 mpd 2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude Card 1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card 1.3 mpd 2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles Card 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
StanChart Journey Card 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card 1.1 mpd 1.1 mpd
BOC Elite Miles Card 1 mpd 2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd

All foreign currency transactions on the DBS Altitude AMEX and Visa Cards are subject to a 3% and 3.25% FCY fee respectively. Therefore, using your DBS Altitude Card overseas represents buying miles at 1.36 cents (AMEX) and 1.48 cents (Visa).

💳 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

When are DBS Points credited?

DBS Points for local and overseas spending will be credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days.

How are DBS Points calculated?

Some people get anxious when they read in the T&Cs that DBS Points are awarded in S$5 blocks. That’s understandable, given how UOB’s S$5 earning blocks result in a lot of lost miles from rounding, especially for small transactions.

But DBS’s calculations aren’t nearly as penalising. Here’s how the DBS Points on your DBS Altitude Card are calculated:

Local Spend Divide transaction by 5 and multiply by 3.25. Round down to the nearest whole number
FCY Spend
Divide transaction by 5 and multiply by 5.5. Round down to the nearest whole number

Notice how the transaction is not rounded down to the nearest S$5; instead, it’s divided by 5 straight away. This means the minimum spend to earn points is not S$5, but rather:

  • SGD spend: S$1.54
  • FCY spend: S$0.91

To illustrate the point, here’s how the DBS Altitude compares to the UOB PRVI Miles. Note how it outperforms the ostensibly higher-earning PRVI Miles (1.4 mpd) on certain transaction sizes.

  DBS Altitude
Earn rate: 1.3 mpd
UOB PRVI Miles
Earn rate: 1.4 mpd
S$5 6 miles 6 miles
S$9.99 12 miles 6 miles
S$15 18 miles 20 miles
S$19.99 24 miles 20 miles
S$25 32 miles 34 miles
S$29.99 38 miles 34 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

Local Spend =ROUNDDOWN ((X/5)*3.25,0)
FCY Spend
=ROUNDDOWN ((X/5)*5.5,0)
Where X= Amount Spent

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, refer to these articles:

What transactions aren’t eligible for DBS Points?

The DBS Altitude Card will not earn points on the following transactions:

  • Amaze transactions (not that it matters here, because only Mastercards can be paired with Amaze)
  • Charitable donations
  • Education
  • Government institutions and services
  • Hospitals 
  • Insurance
  • Top-ups of prepaid accounts e.g. GrabPay
  • Utilities bills

A full list of transactions that do not earn DBS Points can be found at point 2.6 of the DBS Rewards Programme’s T&Cs.

All CardUp transactions are eligible to earn DBS Points. However, when it comes to qualifying spend for the purposes of welcome offers, only CardUp rental transactions which code under MCC 6513 (Real Estate Agents and Managers) will count.

If you plan to use CardUp to meet the qualifying spend for a welcome offer, do read the article below for greater clarity. 

Clarified: Using CardUp rental for DBS welcome offers

ipaymy transactions are explicitly excluded from counting towards qualifying spend.

What do I need to know about DBS Points?

❌ Expiry ↔️ Pooling 💰 Transfer Fee
No expiry Yes S$27.25 (per conversion) or
S$43.60 (per year)
⬆️ Min. Transfer ✈️ No. of Partners ⏱️ Transfer Time
5,000 DBS Points
(10,000 miles)
4 1-3 working days
(for KF)

Expiry

DBS Points normally expire after one year, but points earned on the DBS Altitude Card never expire.

Pooling

DBS Points pool across cards for the purposes of redemption. If you have 10,000 DBS Points on the DBS Altitude Card and 5,000 DBS Points on the DBS Woman’s World Card, you can redeem 15,000 DBS Points at one shot and pay a single conversion fee.

However, DBS Points are not pooled when it comes to card cancellations. If I have a DBS Altitude Card and DBS Woman’s World Card and decide to cancel the former, I’ll need to transfer my points out before cancelling, or else forfeit them. 

Partners and Transfer Fee

DBS partners with four frequent flyer programmes, though it’s arguably three because Air Asia Rewards offers such poor value it might as well not exist.

Frequent Flyer Programme Conversion Ratio
(DBS Points: Miles)
5,000: 10,000
5,000: 10,000
5,000: 10,000
500: 1,500

For KrisFlyer specifically, DBS offers an alternative “Auto Conversion programme”. This charges a flat fee of S$43.60 per membership year, and automatically converts DBS Points to KrisFlyer miles each calendar quarter in blocks of 500 DBS Points. 

How does the DBS KrisFlyer Miles Auto Conversion Programme work?

This reduces the minimum transfer block from 10,000 miles to 1,000 miles, but has the downside of starting the three-year expiry on your KrisFlyer miles early. 

Whether the Auto Conversion programme makes sense depends on your miles transfer patterns. If you make only one transfer to KrisFlyer per year, the “per transfer” model of S$27.25 would make more sense. However, if you find yourself making two or more transfers, the Auto Conversion programme would be better. 

Cardholders enrolled in the Auto Conversion scheme can make ad-hoc conversions from DBS Points to KrisFlyer miles without paying the usual S$27.25 fee, but the usual minimum block of 5,000 DBS Points applies.

💡Protip: Alternative to miles?
While I normally would advise against redeeming DBS Points for anything other than miles, the bank runs a monthly promotion that offers extra value for selected voucher redemptions. You can usually get around 1.8 cents per mile, which might interest you if you have orphan points.

Transfer Times

DBS quotes a points conversion time of 1-2 weeks, but in reality it usually takes about 1-3 working days at the very most for KrisFlyer (transfer times to other programmes may be longer).

If you need your points credited instantly, you can do so via Kris+. 100 DBS Points can be instantly transferred to 170 KrisPay miles, which can then be converted to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio with no fees. 

S$5 for new Kris+ Users
Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

However, those 100 DBS Points would normally have earned you 200 KrisFlyer miles, so you effectively take a 15% haircut. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend taking this option, unless you need a small top-up to redeem a flight, or have an orphan DBS Points balance (<5,000 points). 

If you choose to do so nonetheless, do remember that it’s a two-step process:

  1. Transfer DBS Points to KrisPay miles
  2. Transfer KrisPay miles to KrisFlyer miles

Do not forget the second step! If you wait more than 21 days, or spend any of the converted KrisPay miles via Kris+, the entire balance will be stuck in the Kris+ app. KrisPay miles expire after six months, and can only be spent at a poor ratio of 150 miles = S$1. 

Other card perks

Two free lounge visits (DBS Altitude Visa only)

Registration

Principal DBS Altitude Visa Cardholders enjoy two free Priority Pass lounge visits per membership year.

The two visit allowance is tracked by membership year, based on when they applied for their Priority Pass. Lounge entitlements can be shared with a guest, but once you exhaust your free visits you’ll be charged US$32 per additional visit. 

Here’s how this compares to other cards in its segment.

Card Network Free Lounge Visits
(per year)
HSBC TravelOne Card DragonPass 4X*
Share
UOB PRVI Miles Card Priority Pass 4X*
Citi PremierMiles Card Priority Pass 2X*
Share
DBS Altitude Visa Priority Pass 2X
Share
StanChart Journey Card Priority Pass 2X
Share
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend N/A N/A
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card N/A N/A
BOC Elite Miles Card N/A N/A
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card N/A N/A
OCBC 90°N Card N/A N/A
*Allowance tracked based on calendar year

Overseas spending promotions

The DBS Altitude Card usually offers two overseas spending promotions each year, to cover the June and December peak travel periods. You can usually expect to see a boosted overseas spend rate of 5 mpd, subject to meeting a certain minimum spend and with an overall earning cap.

Unfortunately, the most recent promotion (which ends on 30 June 2025) was rather weak, offering 5 mpd on in-store FCY spend made in the following countries:

  • 🇦🇺 Australia
  • 🇯🇵 Japan
  • 🇲🇾 Malaysia
  • 🇹🇭 Thailand

Cardholders had to spend at least S$2,000 per calendar month to be eligible, and the bonus was capped at S$1,200 of in-store FCY spend.

Past promotions were significantly more generous, with 5 mpd offered without any geographical restrictions, a lower minimum spend of S$1,000 per calendar month, and a higher bonus cap of S$2,000 per calendar month.

Income tax payment facility

DBS Altitude Cardholders can pay their income tax via DBS Payment Plans, earning 1.5 mpd (instead of the usual 1.3 mpd) with a 2.5% fee. The cost per mile works out to 1.67 cents each. This is decent, but you could buy miles for less through a service like CardUp.

The article below summarises the lowest-cost way of paying taxes with your DBS Altitude Card and other credit cards.

2025 Edition: How to earn credit card miles on IRAS income tax

Terms and Conditions

Summary Review: DBS Altitude Card

Apply (AMEX)
Apply (Visa)
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☐ Take It
☑ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

With the loss of its bonus categories, the DBS Altitude Card is a pure vanilla general spending card, and while there are situations which call for that, most of the time you’ll want to keep your spending on 4 mpd alternatives.

The two lounge visits offered by the Visa version are useful, especially if you’re trying to rack up free visits without paying annual fees, but otherwise I don’t see much here to get excited about.

Since I’m never going to be new-to-bank for DBS anyway (I value my DBS Woman’s World Card too much to go one year without it), I do keep the Altitude handy, if only to wait for its bi-annual 5 mpd overseas spending promotions.

So that’s my review of the DBS Altitude Card. What do you think?

Is a KrisFlyer devaluation coming soon?

34

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that the boy who cries devaluation will eventually be proven right.

That said, I’ve been hearing rumours for some time now that Singapore Airlines plans to adjust its award redemption charts soon, and in my mind, its latest email to members all but confirms it.

To be clear, nothing has been officially announced yet. But I trust my sources on this, and as much as I’d love to be proven wrong, I would be amazed if we made it to the end of 2025 unscathed.

Singapore Airlines hints at upcoming changes to KrisFlyer

Yesterday, Singapore Airlines announced that from July 2025, the value of a KrisFlyer mile will be standardised at 1 cent each for spending on Singapore Airlines and Scoot commercial flights, Kris+ transactions, KrisShop purchases and Pelago bookings.

  Until 30 Jun 2025 From 1 Jul 2025
Miles & Cash
(SIA and Scoot)
105 miles = S$1
0.95¢/mile
100 miles = S$1
1¢/mile
Kris+ 150 miles = S$1
0.67¢/mile
KrisShop 125 miles = S$1
0.80¢/mile
Pelago* 150 miles = S$1
0.67¢/mile
*Only full payment with miles allowed

On the one hand, this is a positive change because in every single case, the value of a mile will be higher than before. For Kris+ in particular, I imagine that those who transferred miles with the recent 35% transfer bonus will be chuffed to end up with a beefy 1.35 cents per mile, instead of the 0.90 cents they originally envisioned!

On the other, Singapore Airlines also took the opportunity to slip in this rather ominous sounding sentence.

In the coming months, we will be introducing new benefits for KrisFlyer members as well as changes to the KrisFlyer programme.

-Singapore Airlines

Now, you can tell me I’m reading way too much into that, but “changes to the KrisFlyer programme” is a euphemism the airline has historically trotted out whenever devaluations take place.

Besides, this is in line with what I’ve been hearing from sources inside Singapore Airlines, who tell me:

  1. A KrisFlyer devaluation is likely to take place this summer
  2. The return of fuel surcharges on SIA award tickets has been discussed, but no final decision has been made

I don’t have any information as to how severe the devaluation will be, but I have written a detailed article that tracks how KrisFlyer award prices have evolved since the programme started in 1999. 

KrisFlyer devaluations: How have award prices changed since 1999?

Given the generally inflationary nature of mileage programmes, it might surprise you to know that some awards are even cheaper today than 25 years ago!

Why do I think a devaluation is likely?

It’s been three years since the last devaluation

From its inception in 1999 till today, KrisFlyer has updated its award charts a total of six times.

✈️ A History of KrisFlyer Devaluations 
Devaluation
(One-way Business Saver award from SIN)
Changes
October 2003
(NRT 27.6K | SYD 36.1K | LHR 51K)
Fuel Surcharges
  • 12 award zones expanded into 23
  • One-way awards now available for redemption, at 70% cost of round-trip
  • Option to purchase KrisFlyer miles introduced
February 2007
(NRT 29.8K | SYD 38.2K | LHR 51K)
Fuel Surcharges
  • 23 award zones consolidated into 14
  • Price of Unrestricted awards increased to 2X Saver (previously: 1.25-2X)
  • Companion awards removed
  • Saver awards blocked for latest First & Business Class cabin products
March 2012
(NRT 34K | SYD 46.8K | LHR 68K)
Fuel Surcharges
  • Saver awards now available for all First & Business Class cabin products
March 2017
(NRT 43K | SYD 58K | LHR 85K)
No Fuel Surcharges
  • Fuel surcharges removed
  • 15% online redemption discount removed
January 2019
(NRT 47K, | SYD 62K | LHR 92K)
No Fuel Surcharges
  • Waitlist “filled or killed” 14 days before departure
  • 2 cabin upgrades from Y to J now permitted
July 2022
(NRT 52K, | SYD 68.5K | LHR 103.5K)
No Fuel Surcharges
  • “Stopover trick” killed; no more option to add paid stopovers
  • Complimentary stopovers capped at 30 days max
✈️ May 2016’s “Devaluation”
Technically speaking, there was another devaluation in May 2016, though relatively minor. Europe 1 and Europe 2 were combined into a single award zone, which used the higher Europe 2 pricing. This led to a price increase for the four cities in Europe 1, namely Amsterdam, Athens, Copenhagen and Rome.

Devaluations used to take place at a cadence of 4-5 years, but more recently it’s been happening every 2-3 years. And perhaps that’s not surprising. With KrisFlyer recently reaching 10 million members globally, and more miles than ever in circulation, something has to give.

Since the last devaluation took place in July 2022, there’s good reason to believe that 2025 will see another award chart adjustment. 

Capacity constraints increase the opportunity cost of award seats

It’s no secret that Singapore Airlines has nowhere near the number of planes it would like to have right now, as airline executives have acknowledged.

“To be very candid with you, our planning horizon is being controlled by Boeing and Airbus. Unfortunately, there have been a fair number of delays by the aircraft manufacturers, in part because of the pandemic, in part because some of them have production issues and constraints (strikes, etc.).

Our deliveries, like with many other airlines, have been delayed. At this point in time, we do not have very strong visibility on how the deliveries will come about, consequently impacting our expansion plans.”

-Singapore Airlines RVP for Europe

I suppose he was being diplomatic by not singling out a specific company (“Boeing and Airbus”), but everyone knows that the entire SIA backlog is with Boeing.

SIA currently has 48 Boeing aircraft on order: 5 B787-10s, 12 B737-8 MAXs, and, of course, 31 of the infamously-delayed B777-9s. However:

  • The airline only expects to receive seven aircraft by the end of the current financial year (31 March 2026), of which five will be narrow-body B737-8 MAXs— the most recent, 9V-MBQ, came after a 30-month gap in deliveries
  • Moreover, this isn’t so much growth as it is renewal, since the MAXs are replacing the aging B737-800s inherited from SilkAir.
  • The first of the 31 Boeing 777-9s won’t arrive until late 2026 at the earliest, and possibly (likely?) even in 2027

All that to say, when load factors are high and aircraft are in short supply, the opportunity cost of releasing seats for awards instead of selling them for cash is high. That then puts pressure on the award charts to be adjusted accordingly. 

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites

It doesn’t help that SIA only has 160 Suites and First Class suites in its fleet today, compared to more than double that pre-COVID. This is largely due to A380-800 retirements and refits, where the Suites cabin was cut from 12 seats to six. 

While it will improve in time with the arrival of the B777-9s (where the First Class cabin is rumoured to be 50% larger than the B777-300ERs) and the addition of a 4-seat First Class cabin on the A350-900 ULRs, we now have a lot of miles chasing very few seats, and I don’t have to tell you what that results in. 

New cabin products are coming

Singapore Airlines new Business Class | Credit: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines will unveil its next generation First and Business Class seats in early 2026, with the first refit aircraft expected to enter service in Q2 2026. We don’t know much about how the new seats will look, but what we do know is that historically, there has been a close correlation between new seats and award chart devaluations.

Singapore Airlines 2006 Business Class

For example, in October 2006, SIA debuted new First and Business Class seats on the B777-300ER. The following month, it announced that award charts would be devalued from February 2007, and Saver redemptions would not be allowed for aircraft with the new cabin products.

Another KrisFlyer devaluation took place about a year before the launch of the current generation First and Business Class seats in 2013, and further KrisFlyer devaluation took place in March 2017, ahead of the unveiling of the new A380 cabin products later that year. 

Rebasing KrisFlyer mile value to 1 cent each

Singapore Airlines’ decision to standardise the value of a KrisFlyer mile to 1 cent each across all platforms doesn’t feel like something you do in isolation. It has broader implications for how the company measures the value of its outstanding liabilities, and it stands to reason that award chart prices will also need to be adjusted to reflect this new valuation. 

Other mileage programmes have adopted a standardised value per mile as a precursor to fully dynamic award pricing, where the number of miles required is tied to the cash price of a ticket. Even though I highly doubt that KrisFlyer will go that far with its next devaluation, we might see a “dynamic-lite” model introduced with peak and off-peak award pricing.

What should you do when a devaluation happens?

Completely normal phenomenon

It really boils down to how bad the devaluation is.

If the price increases are mild, you might want to book a couple of speculative trips at the current prices, but otherwise keep the rest of your powder dry. If the award chart is gutted, then you’ll probably want to drain your entire balance.

For perspective, here’s how Saver award prices changed during the past six devaluations (with the caveat that past performance etc. etc.).

✈️ KrisFlyer Devaluations
Min Increase | Max Increase
  Economy Business First
Oct 2003 -32% 2% -31% 0% -19% | 13%
Feb 2007 -8% | 13% -10% | 13% -7% | 11%
Mar 2012 0% | 9% 0% | 45% 0% | 30%
Mar 2017 18% | 32% 18% 42% 18% | 59%
Jan 2019 0% | 0% 7% | 12% 6% | 10%
Jul 2022 8% | 16% 10% | 15% 10% | 15%
Based on Saver prices for SIA redemptions

Either way, you will have approximately one month to book awards at the existing prices, based on past experience. Remember, you don’t need to travel before the devaluation, but you must book before it comes into effect. 

Award tickets can be booked up to 355 days in advance, and new inventory is loaded daily at (all times SGT):

  • 8 a.m (All destinations except USA)
  • 1 p.m (EWR/JFK)
  • 4 p.m (LAX/SEA/SFO)

Do note that any waitlists which clear after the effective date of the devaluation will be charged at the new prices, even if you joined the waitlist prior to this date. Likewise, any changes made to award tickets after the devaluation that involve reissuance (e.g. changing route, cabin or award type) will require a top up of the miles difference.

Date changes and flight number changes on the same route (e.g. you want to take an earlier flight to Bangkok) do not require reissuance.

Conclusion

Will we see a KrisFlyer devaluation in 2025?

Singapore Airlines has hinted that the coming months will see “new benefits” for members as well as “changes” to the KrisFlyer programme. We’ll need to wait for the full details, though I can’t see that as pointing to anything other than an award chart devaluation.

This, of course, is simply part and parcel of the miles game. Nothing stays the same forever, and if the idea of a devaluation keeps you up at night, you’re probably keeping too large a miles balance on hand. 

What does your Spider Sense say about a KrisFlyer devaluation?

Enhanced: Redeem KrisFlyer miles at 1 cent each across SIA, Scoot, Pelago, Kris+ and KrisShop

7

In addition to redeeming award flights, KrisFlyer members can also spend their miles like cash to pay for Singapore Airlines and Scoot tickets, KrisShop purchases, Pelago experiences and Kris+ transactions. However, the value per mile can vary widely across these options, often causing confusion. 

But this will soon be a thing of the past, as Singapore Airlines will introduce a standardised redemption rate of 100 KrisFlyer miles = S$1 across all platforms on 1 July 2025— boosting the value per mile by 5-50%, depending on the use case.

“These enhancements to the KrisFlyer redemption rates deliver more value to members, while making miles redemption more intuitive and consistent. Members will get more from every mile when booking flights, dining out, shopping, or enjoying travel experiences. This is all part of our commitment to rewarding loyalty with meaningful benefits that truly enhance the KrisFlyer experience”

-Bryan Koh, DVP Loyalty Marketing, SIA

KrisFlyer to standardise redemption rates

  Until 30 Jun 2025 From 1 July 2025
Miles & Cash
(SIA and Scoot)
105 miles = S$1
0.95¢/mile
100 miles = S$1
1¢/mile
Kris+ 150 miles = S$1
0.67¢/mile
KrisShop 125 miles = S$1
0.80¢/mile
Pelago* 150 miles = S$1
0.67¢/mile
*Only full payment with miles allowed

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members can use their miles to pay for:

  • Commercial tickets with Singapore Airlines and Scoot
  • Purchases at Kris+ merchants 
  • Purchases on KrisShop 
  • Experience bookings with Pelago 

Members can mix miles and cash in whatever proportion they wish, with the exception of Pelago, where only full payments with miles are permitted.

The current redemption rate ranges between 105-150 KrisFlyer miles = S$1, or 0.67 to 0.95 cents per mile. Honestly speaking, there’s very little logic behind this— unless perhaps the goal is to incentivise some types of redemptions over others (or maybe you believe that KrisShop prices are naturally inflated, so a higher valuation is in order!).

From 1 July 2025, the redemption rate across the entire KrisFlyer ecosystem will be harmonised to 100 KrisFlyer miles = S$1, or 1 cent per mile, with the following minimum redemption amounts:

  • Miles & Cash with Singapore Airlines and Scoot: 1,000 miles (S$10)
  • Kris+: 10 miles (S$0.10)
  • KrisShop: 1,000 miles (S$10)
  • Pelago: 1,000 miles (S$10)

This is actually great news if you have miles that are stuck in Kris+, either because you forgot to transfer them to KrisFlyer or because they can’t be transferred (such as miles earned from referrals). By simply waiting a week, their value will appreciate by 50%!

And if you happened to take advantage of the recent 35% transfer bonus between KrisFlyer and Kris+ (or any transfer bonus in the past six months), your faith is going to be rewarded. For example, if you transferred 10,000 KrisFlyer miles into 13,500 KrisPay miles (35% bonus), that stash will soon be worth S$13.50, a very decent 1.35 cents per mile.

However, you might remember that prior to August 2021, the rate offered for Miles & Cash for Singapore Airlines flights was 980 miles = S$10, so even with the change we’re still slightly worse off than “the good old days”, though frankly the difference is marginal.

Interestingly enough, it seems like KrisFlyer vRooms (remember that?), Singapore Airlines’ portal for rental car and hotel bookings, has been forgotten completely. 

It’s not addressed in the press release that Singapore Airlines sent out, so I can only surmise that the current value of 0.8 cents per mile will continue until further notice.

👍 You can get >0.8 cents per mile with KrisFlyer vRooms!

0.8 cents per KrisFlyer mile refers to the incremental value offered through KrisFlyer vRooms. But it’s actually possible to get a higher valuation, provided you redeem just the minimum number of miles (1,500 miles) required.

For example, in this booking I’ve redeemed 1,500 miles, which takes S$23.99 off the total bill, or 1.6 cents per mile. As I start to redeem more miles, however, the average value will decrease (because the incremental value is just 0.8 cents per mile).

Is it worth spending miles this way?

It should be noted that even with the enhanced value, 1 cent per KrisFlyer mile is not exactly a great way of spending them.

Award flights continue to be the best way of using miles, with valuations of 4-5 cents easily achievable (it’s debatable whether you can really value a mile that high if you weren’t willing to pay for First or Business Class with cash, but that’s another topic for another time).

💰 KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Value
(from 1 July 2025)
Redemption Option Value Per Mile
✈️ Award Flights with SIA or Partner Airlines 2+¢
🛍️ Cash + Miles, KrisShop, Pelago, Kris+
🚘 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¢

However, if you’re dealing with a small number of expiring KrisFlyer miles, and don’t have plans to travel, then getting some value would be better than no value at all

What to do with expiring KrisFlyer miles

What this does at least is to draw a clear distinction between spending KrisFlyer miles within the core ecosystem, and outside of it. 

In other words, from 1 July onwards there’s really no reason why you should even consider converting KrisFlyer miles into yuu Points, or Accor points, or CapitaStars, or any of the other options available, when you can easily get 1 cent per mile through Kris+ with a minimum spend of just 10 miles.

Conclusion

From 1 July 2025, Singapore Airlines will standardise the value of a KrisFlyer mile to 1 cent each, whether you’re paying for SIA and Scoot flights, or spending them via Pelago, Kris+ or KrisShop.

There’s very little to dislike about this, since it represents a 5-50% enhancement in value over the status quo. That said, I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but it’s always a little concerning when mileage programmes begin to standardise the value of a mile. We have seen other programmes do this as the precursor to revenue-based redemptions, where award charts are removed and the number of miles required for a redemption flight varies depending on the cash price. I’m not saying that will definitely happen here too, but perhaps a decade of miles collecting has made me paranoid!

What do you make of this development?

How to turn offline spend into online spend

19

While online shopping is obviously more convenient, there are still situations that call for in-person purchases.

A merchant may simply not have an online storefront, or even if they do, visiting a brick-and-mortar location to negotiate can get you discounts or extras that you wouldn’t get online. I recently bought a display set TV from Courts at nearly 50% off the list price, something I wouldn’t have been able to do online.

But just because you’re spending in-store doesn’t mean you have to give up online spending bonuses!

Which cards earn bonuses for online spending?

The two cards that should instantly come to mind for online spending are the DBS Woman’s World Card and Citi Rewards Card, both of which earn 4 mpd for online spending.

Card Earn Rate Remarks
Citi Rewards Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1K per s. month, excludes travel and in-app mobile wallet spend
Review
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1.5K per c. month*
Review
*Reduced to S$1K per c. month from 1 August 2025

But there’s more than just these two. It’s easy to forget that there are other cards where spending must be online in order for bonuses to be awarded. 

Card Earn Rate Remarks
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Apply
2.4 mpd
No cap. Min. S$800 on SIA Group in a m. year*
Review
StanChart Journey Card
Apply
3 mpd Max S$1K per c. month
Review
HSBC Revolution Card
Apply
4 mpd
Max S$1K per c. month
Review
*Min. S$1,000 on SIA Group for membership years ending November 2025 onwards

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card earns an uncapped 2.4 mpd for online shopping transactions, defined as merchants with the following MCCs.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card bonus-eligible MCCs
MCC Examples
4816
Computer Network/ Info Services
GoDaddy, Twitch, Peatix
5309
Duty Free Stores
DFS, KrisShop, The Shilla
5310
Discount Stores
Lotte Mart
5311
Department Stores
Taobao, Isetan, Marks & Spencer
5331
Variety Stores
Muji, Mustafa, Miniso
5399

Misc General Merchandise
Iuiga, Japan Home, Comgateway
5611 
Men’s Clothing
Benjamin Barker, Dockers, Superdry
5621
Women’s Ready to Wear
bYSI, Coast, Forever21
5631
Women’s Accessories
Bimba Y Lola, Chomel, Coach
5641
Children’s and Infants’ Wear
Abercrombie Kids, Cotton On Kids, Kidstyle
5651
Family Clothing
ASOS, Bossini, Desigual
5661
Shoe Stores
ALDO, Bata, Birkenstock
5691
Men’s and Women’s Clothing
Prada, G2000, Ezbuy
5699
Accessory and Apparel 
LeSportsac, Crumpler, Esprit
5732-5735
Electronics, Music Stores, Computer Software
Apple, Audio House, MealPal
5912
Drug Stores and Pharmacies
Guardian, NTUC Unity, Watsons
5942
Book Stores
Book Depository, Kinokuniya, Books Actually
5944-5949
Jewelry, Watches, Toys, Camera, Gift Cards, Leather Goods, Sewing
Cartier, Action City, Canon
5999
Misc. and Specialty Retail
Atome, Amazon, eBay

The StanChart Journey Card earns 3 mpd for online groceries, food delivery, transport, though this only applies to transactions charged in SGD.

StanChart Journey Card bonus-eligible MCCs
MCC Examples
(non-exhaustive)
Groceries
MCC 5411

NTUC FairPrice Online, Lazada Redmart
Bakeries
MCC 5462
Bengawan Solo, BreadTalk, Four Leaves
Misc. Food Stores
MCC 5499
Bottles and Bottles, Famous Amos, Irvins Salted Egg
Liquor, Wine or Beer Stores
MCC 5921
1855 The Bottle Shop, The Oaks Cellars, Grand Cru
Food Delivery*
MCC 5811

MCC 5812
MCC 5814
GrabFood, Deliveroo, Foodpanda
Transport
MCC 4111
MCC 4121
MCC 4789

Grab rides, Comfort taxi, gojek
Cruise Liners
MCC 4411
Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise
*Despite the name, the bonus would be equally applicable in situations where a restaurant has online ordering for dine-in (e.g. scan a QR code menu and pay online before receiving your food)

Finally, the HSBC Revolution Card awards bonuses for online spending on department and retail stores, dining, transport and membership clubs (bonuses for offline spending were removed in June 2024).

HSBC Revolution bonus-eligible MCCs
Category MCCs
Department Stores & Retail Stores 4816, 5045, 5262, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5655, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732 to 5735, 5912, 5942, 5944 to 5949, 5964 to 5970, 5992, 5999
Dining 5441, 5462, 5811, 5812, 5813
Transport & Membership Clubs 4121, 7997

So if you’re spending with these five cards, the question then becomes: is it possible to turn an offline transaction into an online one?

⚠️ When you don’t want a transaction to be online
There’s actually one card which penalises you for turning offline transactions into online: the Maybank World Mastercard. Cardholders earn 4 mpd on petrol transactions in Singapore, but only when paying offline. If you pay online (e.g. via Kris+), you will not earn the bonus.

How to turn offline spend into online spend

Amaze

Apply here
Use code 7HK2A2 for 225 bonus InstaPoints
💳 tl;dr: Amaze Card
  • Overseas transactions are converted into SGD (no FCY transaction fees, but subject to FX spread) and charged to the underlying credit/debit card
  • Transaction MCC remains the same, offline transactions charged to Amaze become online transactions for the underlying credit/debit card
  • Earn 0.5 InstaPoints per S$1 on FCY transactions of at least S$10 (except exclusion categories) charged to a wallet-linked Amaze
  • Redeem InstaPoints for KrisFlyer miles in blocks of 1,200 InstaPoints= 400 miles

Any transaction processed through Amaze codes as online spend, while retaining the original MCC. 

However, there are two further considerations here:

  • Amaze can only be paired with Mastercards
  • Amaze is excluded from rewards by DBS and UOB
  • Amaze charges a 1% admin fee (min. S$0.50) for all SGD-denominated transactions

Therefore, the only card that really benefits from the offline to online conversion is the Citi Rewards Card.

Atome

Get S$10 off first Atome purchase

Atome transactions code as online, whether they’re performed on a website, in-app, or physically in-store. This not only lets you turn offline spend into online, it also allows you to use credit cards at merchants which might not otherwise accept them. 

Your payment will code as MCC 5999, and split into three interest-free instalments. The first payment is due at the time of the transaction, and it’s advisable to trigger the 2nd and subsequent payments manually via the Atome app as there have been reports that automatic payments do not trigger online spending bonuses.

For a recommended list of cards to use with Atome, refer to the post below. 

What’s the best card to use for Atome?

Gift cards

👍 250 Max Miles joining bonus
Sign up for a HeyMax account and get up to 250 Max Miles as a welcome bonus
250 bonus Max Miles

Gift card purchases through websites like Giftano, HeyMax, ShopBack and Wogi all count as online transactions.

You can then use those gift cards for in-store transactions at places including Best Denki, Challenger, Cold Storage, Courts, Giant IKEA, Natureland, Shell, and Sheng Siong. 

MCC 5311
MCC 5399
Amazon processes transactions over a range of MCCs, so use a card that awards bonuses for general online spend
  • Amazon
  • Courts
  • Challenger
  • Best Denki
  • Dairy Farm
  • Eu Yan Sang
  • IKEA
  • Klook
  • NTUC FairPrice
  • TADA
MCC 5999
  • Amazon
  • Best Denki
  • Cold Storage
  • Courts
  • Dairy Farm Group
  • eCapitaVoucher*
  • Eu Yan Sang
  • Giant
  • Grab
  • Guardian
  • IKEA
  • Lazada
  • NTUC FairPrice
  • Sheng Siong
  • TANGS
  • ZALORA
*Admin fee of up to 5% applies to purchases
MCC 5311
  • Amazon
  • Best Denki
  • Courts
  • Deliveroo
  • Foodpanda
  • Giant
  • Grab
  • IKEA
  • Klook
  • Lazada
  • Natureland
  • NTUC FairPrice
  • Oddle Eats
  • Pelago
  • Ryde
  • Shein
  • Shell
  • Sheng Siong
  • TADA
  • TANGS
  • ZALORA
MCC 5812
MCC 5814
MCC 5311
ShopBack processes transactions over a range of MCCs, so use a card that awards bonuses for general online spend
  • Amazon
  • Foodpanda
  • Gojek
  • Grab
  • IKEA
  • Lazada
  • NTUC FairPrice
  • Ryde
  • Shell
  • Shopee
  • TADA
  • Uniqlo
MCC 5947
  • Amazon
  • Best Denki
  • Caltex
  • Challenger
  • Cold Storage
  • Courts
  • Giant
  • GrabGifts
  • Guardian
  • IKEA
  • iStudio
  • Klook
  • Lazada
  • Muji
  • NTUC FairPrice
  • Shell
  • Shopee
  • TADA
  • TANGS
  • Trip.com
  • Watsons

I found this particularly useful when buying my TV from Courts, in a month when I’d already maxed out the 4 mpd caps with the UOB Visa Signature and UOB Preferred Platinum Visa.

I was still able to earn 4 mpd by purchasing Courts gift cards via HeyMax using my Citi Rewards Card and HSBC Revolution, then redeeming them in-store (yes, the OCBC Rewards Card would have offered 6 mpd, but I’d also maxed that out for the month).

Kris+

S$5 for new Kris+ Users
Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

Kris+ transactions code as online spend, whether you’re buying deals via the app or making in-store payments. The original MCC is usually maintained, though there are some very limited exceptions (mostly for travel agencies).

For a recommended list of cards to use with Kris+, refer to the post below. 

What’s the best card to use for Kris+?

ShopBack Pay or FavePay

ShopBack Pay transactions code as online, even if in-store

Payments made via Shopback Pay or FavePay will code as online spend, even when payment is made in-store.

These transactions usually (but not always) retain the MCC of the underlying merchant. However, do note that DBS cards explicitly exclude FavePay, so don’t use the DBS Woman’s World Card here.

Frasers Experience

FRx gift cards can be used at any participating store inside of Fraser malls

FRx Experience gift cards can be used to make payment at most merchants inside Frasers malls. This includes clinics, tuition/enrichment centres, and other places that might not otherwise be eligible for bonuses.

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

Gift card purchases will code as MCC 5965, and while this isn’t whitelisted by any particular card, it’s still eligible for 4 mpd with the Citi Rewards and DBS Woman’s World Card. 

Do Apple Pay and Google Pay count as online transactions?

Google Pay is online if it’s online, and offline if it’s offline!

I might as well address this too, given how often it comes up.

Asking “do Apple Pay and Google Pay count as online transactions” is a very strange question. It’s a bit like asking “do credit card payments count as online transactions”. They do, if you make payment online! 

When you use Apple Pay and Google Pay to make in-store payments, it’s conceptually similar to tapping your physical card to pay, and considered an offline transaction.

When you use Apple Pay and Google Pay to make an in-app or website-based payment, it’s conceptually similar to entering your card details in the app or website, and considered an online transaction.

Conclusion

While some cards will only award bonuses for online spending, that doesn’t necessarily mean that physical stores are off-limits. By buying gift cards, paying with certain apps, or using Amaze, you can convert that transaction into an online expenditure. 

I’m guessing there are probably other ways that I’ve missed out, so feel free to share other options in the comments too!

What other ways do you know of turning offline spend into online spend?

Review: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

96

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, aimed at those who want a co-branded Singapore Airlines card with broader acceptance than American Express. 

While I’m not a fan of its debit card sibling, the credit card offers two compelling features: uncapped bonuses on Singapore Airlines and Scoot tickets, KrisShop, Kris+, and Pelago, as well as dining, food delivery, online shopping, travel and transport (known as “Accelerated Miles”).

Unfortunately, the Accelerated Miles feature was recently nerfed. Previously, it offered an uncapped earn rate of 3 mpd, but this was reduced to 2.4 mpd from 1 June 2025. In addition, the minimum annual spend on Singapore Airlines Group transactions required to unlock this rate was increased from S$800 to S$1,000.

Despite these changes, the card remains a solid option for high spenders who regularly exceed bonus caps on other cards, or for those who prefer the convenience of using a single card for most of their spending.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☑ Take It
☐ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

What do these ratings mean?
The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card may not offer the highest earn rates in every category, but its uncapped bonuses make it a great choice for big spenders, or those who prefer to stick to a single card.
👍 The good 👎 The bad
  • Uncapped 3 mpd on SIA and Scoot tickets,  KrisShop, Kris+, and Pelago
  • Accelerated Miles feature offers uncapped 2.4 mpd on dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel, and transport
  • No conversion fees
  • 2x S$15 Grab vouchers for airport rides each year
  • Accelerated Miles rate cut to 2.4 mpd, with min. spend hiked
  • Accelerated Miles are only credited after the end of the membership year
  • Scoot privileges have been watered down
  • No bonus for general spending in foreign currency
  • No longer earns points on Amaze
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Apply
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a. Points Validity 3 years
Annual Fee S$196.20
(FYF)
Min.
Transfer
N/A
Miles with
Annual Fee
10,000 Transfer
Partners
1
FCY Fee 3.25% Transfer Fee N/A
Local Earn 1.2 mpd Points Pool? N/A
FCY Earn 1.2 mpd Lounge Access? No
Special Earn 3 mpd (SIA Group, Kris+, Pelago), 2.4 mpd (dining, online shopping & travel, transport) Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

Be careful not to confuse the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card with the KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card. The two sport similar designs and names, but the value proposition is altogether different.

  Credit Card Debit Card
Min Income Req. S$30,000 N/A
Annual Fee $196.20 S$54.50
Base Earn Rate 1.2 mpd 0.4 mpd
Requires KrisFlyer UOB Savings Account? No Yes

Simply put: if you earn enough to qualify for a credit card, there’s very little reason to consider the debit card option.

In fact, the only thing that debit card does that the credit card can’t is to earn miles on insurance premiums– and even then, just 0.4 mpd.

How much must I earn to qualify for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card?

dbs altitude income requirement

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has a minimum income requirement of S$30,000 per year, the MAS-mandated minimum.

If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, it may be possible to place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with UOB to get a secured version. Contact your nearest UOB branch for more details.

What welcome offers are available?

Apply

New-to-UOB customers who apply and are approved for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will enjoy up to 25,000 bonus miles when they spend at least S$2,000 in the first 60 days of approval.

This offer is currently scheduled to end on 28 February 2025, but has been renewed every month for more than a year now.

❓ New-to-UOB definition

New-to-UOB is defined as customers as those who:

  • do not currently hold a principal UOB credit card, and
  • have not cancelled a principal UOB credit card in the past six months

The welcome bonus is broken down as follows.

Bonus Min. Spend Cap
5,000 miles S$5 on first trxn. No cap
20,000 miles S$2,000 in 60 days First 100 per month

5,000 miles will be awarded to cardholders who make their first spend of at least S$5. 

20,000 miles will be awarded to the first 100 applicants each month (based on approval date) who spend at least S$2,000 within the first 60 days of approval. 

The first year’s annual fee of S$196.20 is automatically waived, so assuming you have spend coming up, these bonus miles are essentially “free”.

On top of this, SingSaver is offering S$60 cash or S$70 Lazada vouchers for customers who apply by 28 February 2025, with no minimum spend necessary. 

How much is the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s annual fee?

  Principal Card Supp. Card
First Year Free 1st free, S$98.10 for 2nd onwards
Subsequent S$196.20 1st free, S$98.10 for 2nd onwards

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for the principal cardholder, which is waived for the first year. The first supplementary card is free, but the second onwards will cost S$98.10 each.

Paying the principal card’s annual fee nets you 10,000 miles, which means buying miles at ~1.96 cents each. In my experience, it’s not too difficult to get an annual fee waiver either- refer to the article below for more details.

Credit card annual fee waivers: A bank-by-bank guide

How many miles do I earn?

🇸🇬 SGD Spend 🌎 FCY Spend ⭐ Bonus Spend
1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd 3 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+, 2.4 mpd on dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel, transport

General spend

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members earn:

  • 6 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars
  • 6 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

That’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.2 mpd for both.

It’s a bit unusual to see a general spending card without an FCY spending bonus (although to be fair, neither do the AMEX Singapore Airlines cobrand cards), and that puts it at the bottom of the pack. But, as we’ll see in the next section, this isn’t a card you get for general spending.

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards
(income req.: S$30K)
Cards Local Spend FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles Card 1.4 mpd 3 mpd
IDR, MR, THB, VND
2.4 mpd
All Others
HSBC TravelOne Card 1.2 mpd 2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude Card 1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card 1.3 mpd 2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles Card 1.2 mpd 2.2 mpd
StanChart Journey Card 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
BOC Elite Miles Card 1 mpd 2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card 1.1 mpd 1.1 mpd

All FCY transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee, so using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card overseas represents buying miles at an unattractive 2.71 cents apiece- unless of course you spend in its bonus categories. 

💳 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

Kris+, Pelago & SIA Group

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will earn 15 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent (3 mpd) on:

  • Kris+
  • Pelago
  • SIA Group transactions, defined as:
    • Singapore Airlines
    • Scoot
    • KrisShop

This includes using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card to pay for taxes and surcharges on a KrisFlyer award redemption, or paying for add-on services with Scoot like luggage, seat selection and meals.

The bonus rate applies to both online and offline transactions, whether in SGD or FCY. No minimum spend is required, and there is no cap on the maximum bonus miles that can be earned.

Dining and food delivery, online shopping, online travel, transport

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders are eligible to earn 12 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent (2.4 mpd) on the following transactions:

  • Dining and food delivery
  • Online shopping
  • Online travel
  • Transport

The extra 6 KrisFlyer mile for every S$5 spent (1.2 mpd) over the base rate is referred to as the “Accelerated Miles bonus”, and applies to both SGD and FCY spending.

To be eligible for Accelerated Miles, cardholders must satisfy the following minimum spend on SIA Group transactions. 

Card Membership Year End SIA Group Min. Spend
April 2023 to October 2025 S$800
November 2025 onwards S$1,000

Do note that for cardholders whose membership years end from November 2025 onwards, the minimum SIA Group spend has been hiked by 25% to S$1,000.

❓ When does my membership year end?
If you’re not sure when your membership year ends, simply look at the expiry date on your card. For example, if your expiry month is March, then your membership year runs from 1 March to 28 February each year.

The last increase to the SIA Group minimum spend was in 2022, when it rose from S$500 to S$800. Now, it’s being raised again, and just like last time, the way it’s being implemented will likely frustrate some cardholders.

To put it another way, the new minimum spend applies to anyone whose membership year starts from December 2024 onwards. That means if you recently applied for or renewed the card expecting the S$800 threshold to remain in place, you’re now faced with a higher requirement mid-cycle. If you’re unhappy about the change, your only options are to spend the additional S$200, or forgo the Accelerated Miles benefit for this year.

While a S$200 increase isn’t catastrophic, a more equitable approach would have been to apply the new threshold starting from membership years ending May 2026 onwards. That way, all applicants would know upfront that the minimum spend is S$1,000, instead of having the rules shift after the fact.

Accelerated Miles will be awarded on these transactions from the start of the membership year, not just from the time the minimum spend was met.

While you could earn 4 mpd on most of these categories with other cards, the key advantage of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is the absence of a cap. This makes it ideal for big ticket purchases that would bust the cap of other cards like the DBS Woman’s World Card or UOB Lady’s Card.

For more on how the Accelerated Miles feature works, refer to the post below. 

How does the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s Accelerated Miles feature work?

Dining & Food Delivery

MCC Examples
5812
Eating Places and Restaurants
Crystal Jade, Imperial Treasure, Paradise Dynasty, Deliveroo*, Food Panda*, GrabFood*
5813
Bars, Cocktail Lounges, Discotheques, Nightclubs and Taverns
Brewerkz, Harry’s, Jigger & Pony
5814
Fast Food Restaurants
Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, 
*Deliveroo, Food Panda and GrabFood may also code as MCC 5814

Dining is defined as restaurants, bars, and fast food outlets. The bonus also applies to food delivery platforms such as Deliveroo, Food Panda and GrabFood.

However, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s definition of dining is more narrow compared to other cards on the market, and does not include MCC 5811 (Caterers), MCC 5441 (Candy, Nut, Confectionary Stores), MCC 5462 (Bakeries), or MCC 5499 (Misc. Food Stores). Restaurants within hotels may also not qualify for this bonus, to the extent they code as hotel spend.

Online Shopping

MCC Examples
4816
Computer Network/ Info Services
GoDaddy, Twitch, Peatix
5309
Duty Free Stores
DFS, KrisShop, The Shilla
5310
Discount Stores
N/A
5311
Department Stores
Taobao, Isetan, Marks & Spencer
5331
Variety Stores
Muji, Mustafa, Miniso
5399

Misc General Merchandise
Iuiga, Japan Home, Comgateway
5611 
Men’s Clothing
Benjamin Barker, Dockers, Superdry
5621
Women’s Ready to Wear
bYSI, Coast, Forever21
5631
Women’s Accessories
Bimba Y Lola, Chomel, Coach
5641
Children’s and Infants’ Wear
Abercrombie Kids, Cotton On Kids, Kidstyle
5651
Family Clothing
ASOS, Bossini, Desigual
5661
Shoe Stores
ALDO, Bata, Birkenstock
5691
Men’s and Women’s Clothing
Prada, G2000, Ezbuy
5699
Accessory and Apparel 
LeSportsac, Crumpler, Esprit
5732-5735
Electronics, Music Stores, Computer Software
Apple, Audio House, MealPal
5912
Drug Stores and Pharmacies
Guardian, NTUC Unity, Watsons
5942
Book Stores
Book Depository, Kinokuniya, Books Actually
5944-5949
Jewelry, Watches, Toys, Camera, Gift Cards, Leather Goods, Sewing
Cartier, Action City, Canon
5999
Misc. and Specialty Retail
Atome, Amazon, eBay

Online shopping covers a wide range of MCCs, including Amazon, Ezbuy, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee, and Taobao for instance. You can also expect most major fashion retailers to be on this list, along with some unexpected ones like MealPal and hosting providers.

Remember, these transactions must be carried out online. In-store spending will not count. It used to be possible to circumvent this restriction by pairing the card with Amaze, but unfortunately Amaze was excluded in 2024. 

Online Travel

MCC Examples
Online Travel Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel

Unlike the other categories, online travel is not defined by specific MCCs, but rather a specific list of merchants.

The whitelist includes Agoda, Airbnb, Hotels.com and Trip.com. For obvious reasons, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card can’t explicitly let you earn bonus miles with any airline outside the SIA Group, but you can still book them indirectly via Expedia or UOB Travel instead.

Transport

MCC Examples
4111
 Local Commuter Transport
BUS/MRT only
4121
Taxi and Limo
Grab, Gojek, Comfort

Transport refers to Grab, gojek, Comfort and other taxi operators. It also includes SimplyGo transactions made on buses and the MRT. 

Do note that you won’t earn any bonus miles (or base miles for that matter) if you use your card to top-up your EZ-Link balance, or pay at the General Ticketing Machines. You must tap your card (or phone, if you’ve added your card to your mobile wallet) at the gantry in order to qualify for the bonus. 

No bonuses if you do this

When are KrisFlyer miles credited?

The full 3 mpd from Kris+, Pelago and SIA Group transactions will be directly credited to your KrisFlyer account once per month. In my experience, this usually happens on the 4th of every month. 

It’s a different story for the Accelerated Miles, i.e. the bonus miles from dining, food delivery, online shopping, online travel and transport transactions. Of the 12 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 spent:

  • 6 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 (1.2 mpd) will be credited on the 4th of the following calendar month (just like all other regular transactions)
  • 6 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 (1.2 mpd) will be credited two months after the end of the membership year, assuming the minimum spend on SIA Group transactions has been met

This means you could be waiting up to 14 months to receive your bonus! The delayed crediting arrangement gives rise to four problems. I’ve expounded on them in this post, but to summarise:

  1. You’re locked into the card, because all pending bonus miles are forfeited if you cancel.
  2. Reconciling bonus points will be a nightmare. It’s already hard enough to check transactions on a month to month basis. Imagine doing it for an entire year’s worth.
  3. Because your pending bonus miles take anywhere from 2-14 months to reach you, you’re especially exposed to devaluation risk. If Singapore Airlines announces an award chart devaluation, other cardholders can rush out to burn their miles before it happens. You can’t, because they’re in limbo.
  4. Your miles will age at different rates. Some will be credited each month and start their 3-year expiry countdown immediately, the rest will follow in 2-14 months

UOB will argue that this is necessary because there’s no way of knowing, at the point of transaction, whether the cardholder will go on to hit the specified minimum spend required for the bonus. But there surely has to be a better way of doing this, because the current mechanism holds you hostage- if you cancel your card early, you lose your pending bonuses.

How are KrisFlyer miles calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the KrisFlyer miles earned on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. 

Local & FCY Spend Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 6
Bonus Component Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 6

Since all transactions are rounded down to the nearest S$5, the minimum spend required to earn miles is S$5. Anything less than that earns nothing!

A simple illustration: Suppose you spent S$9 on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. You might figure that’s 10.8 miles (@ 1.2 mpd), but in reality:

  • The S$9 is rounded down to S$5
  • S$5 is divided by 5 and multiplied by 6 to yield 6 miles

You actually earn 6 miles, yielding a mere 0.67 mpd.

This is an extreme example, of course, and the effect of rounding gets smaller as your transaction size increases. But it’s exactly why you should think twice about using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card for small transactions that aren’t in S$5 blocks.

To show how rounding affects you, let’s compare the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card to the Citi PremierMiles Card. On paper, both of them earn the same 1.2 mpd on all local spending. In reality, however, the Citi PremierMiles performs much better because of its favourable rounding policy. 

  KrisFlyer UOB
Earn rate: 1.2 mpd
citi premiermiles card reviewCiti PremierMiles
Earn rate: 1.2 mpd
S$5 6 miles 6 miles
S$9.99 6 miles 11 miles
S$15 18 miles 18 miles
S$19.99 18 miles 23 miles
S$25 30 miles 30 miles
S$29.99 30 miles 35 miles
S$35 42 miles 42 miles
S$39.99 42 miles 47 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

Local & FCY Spend =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0) *6
Bonus Component =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0) *9
Where X= Amount Spent

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

What transactions aren’t eligible for KrisFlyer miles?

A full list of transactions that do not earn KrisFlyer Miles can be found in the T&Cs. I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

  • Amaze
  • Charitable Donations
  • Education
  • Government Services 
  • GrabPay top-ups
  • Insurance
  • Real Estate Agents & Managers
  • SPC Service Stations
  • Utilities

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will earn miles for CardUp transactions (1.2 mpd), but not ipaymy. 

What do I need to know about KrisFlyer miles? 

❌ Expiry ↔️ Pooling ✈️ Transfer Fee
3 years N/A None
⬆️ Min. Transfer ✈️ No. of Partners ⏱️ Transfer Time
N/A 1 Automatically transferred each month

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card credits KrisFlyer miles directly to your account on a monthly basis, with no conversion fees. 

This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you save on the usual S$25 conversion fee that most banks charge. On the other, direct crediting means the three-year KrisFlyer expiry countdown starts immediately (contrast this to non-cobrand cards where you enjoy “two validities”: one on the bank side, and one on the airline side).

In case you were worried, cancelling your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has no impact on KrisFlyer miles already in your account. 

Other card perks

Instant KrisShopper Insider status

KrisShopper Insider status

KrisShopper is KrisShop’s free-to-join loyalty programme, and awards a bonus of 2-4 mpd on KrisShop purchases depending on membership tier. 

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will enjoy instant KrisShopper Insider status, which awards a bonus 2.5 mpd on all KrisShop purchases. Be advised, however, that this upgrade only applies if you have not already signed up for KrisShopper.

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

Registration is required, and can be done via this link. Status will be upgraded within three months of registration, and valid for a 12-month period following that. You will subsequently need to requalify through regular means, i.e. spending S$5,000 on KrisShop within a membership year.

The T&Cs of the status match can be viewed here. 

Discounts for KrisFlyer Experiences

KrisFlyer Experiences is a platform that allows members to redeem their KrisFlyer miles for money-can’t-buy-experiences. We’ve seen F1 Sky Suites, a KrisFlyer cruise-to-nowhere and a specially-chartered points plane to Langkawi.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members occasionally enjoy a 10% rebate on the number of miles required, which can be substantial depending on the experience. This is normally offered in limited quantity, so subscribe to The MileLion’s Telegram Channel and get alerted when new deals go live.

KrisFlyer UOB Account

The supposed “killer feature” of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is its ability to earn a bonus 5-6 mpd when paired with the KrisFlyer UOB account. This sounds phenomenal, but I’d strongly advise you against it.

krisflyer uob deposit account

First of all, this account pays a measly 0.05% interest. That’s an almost derisory rate. 

krisflyer uob interest rates

Second, you should know that the KrisFlyer UOB account caps the bonus miles you can earn at a mere 5% of your monthly average balance.

For example, if you put S$50,000 inside the account, the maximum bonus miles you could earn each month is just 2,500 (5% of 50,000), which you’d hit after spending just S$500 on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

MAB Monthly Cap
(5% of MAB)
Card Spending Cap
No Salary Credit
(5 mpd)
With Salary Credit
(6 mpd)
S$1,000 50 miles S$10 S$8.33
S$10,000 500 miles S$100 S$83.33
S$20,000 1,000 miles S$200 S$166.67
S$50,000 2,500 miles S$500 S$416.67
S$100,000 5,000 miles S$1,000 S$833.33

This means that unless you have a ridiculously high miles valuation figure, the opportunity cost is simply too high to be worth considering. 

To learn more about the KrisFlyer UOB Account, refer to the article below.

KrisFlyer UOB Account Review: Do not resuscitate

Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has a fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold, but KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members will have to settle for KrisFlyer Elite Silver. 

Cardmembers who open their cards from 1 May 2022 and spend a minimum of S$5,000 on SIA Group transactions (excluding Kris+) within the first card membership year will receive an upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Silver.

This is referred to as a “fast track”, but in reality is anything but. Qualifying cardholders will receive their status upgrade within 6 weeks from the last month of the first membership year. You could hit the qualifying spend on your first day, and still have to wait 13+ months to get your status!

Status earned through this “fast track” scheme is only valid for the first year; subsequently, you’ll have to requalify by flying at least 25,000 elite miles in a 12-month membership period.

KrisFlyer Elite Silver received a small upgrade to benefits in 2024, with members now enjoying:

  • A 25% bonus on KrisFlyer miles
  • Complimentary Standard Seat selection on Singapore Airlines and Scoot
  • Priority check-in
  • Priority boarding
  • Extra 10kg baggage allowance
  • Discounted service fees

Unfortunately, there’s no lounge access nor priority baggage handling.

Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Silver benefits

Scoot Privileges

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders enjoy the following benefits when booking Scoot tickets with their card.

✈️ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards
  For Principal Cardholder For Companions
(on same booking)
Complimentary Priority Check-in and Boarding
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance
(with purchase of min. 20 kg allowance)
Complimentary Standard Seat selection
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver

These benefits used to include a one-time booking flexibility waiver, but this was removed in June 2024. 

To enjoy these benefits, you need to book your Scoot tickets via this dedicated portal.

KrisShop Privileges

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders enjoy a single-use promo code KFUOBKS2024 that gives S$20 off a minimum spend of S$120 (before GST).

Unfortunately, there is an extensive brand exclusions list. It might be easier to just publish a list of inclusions instead!

2x S$15 Grab voucher to/from Changi Airport

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will receive a biannual S$15 Grab voucher valid for rides to/from Changi Airport.

This can be redeemed once per half yearly (i.e. Jan to Jun/ Jul to Dec), with the promo code KFUOBCC. Redemptions are capped at the first 1,000 uses per month. 

2x S$15 off Changi WiFi

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will receive a biannual S$15 ChangiWiFi voucher.

This can be redeemed once per half yearly (i.e. Jan to Jun/ Jul to Dec). Cardholders can generate a e-redemption code by SMSing KFUOBCC<space>16-digit card number to 77862. 

Redemptions are capped at the first 1,000 uses per month. 

Complimentary travel insurance

Accidental Death Medical Benefits Travel Inconvenience
S$500,000 S$50,000 None

Customers who use their KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card to book their air tickets will enjoy complimentary personal travel insurance which covers up to S$500,000 for accidental death or permanent disablement, and S$50,000 for emergency medical assistance. 

However, there is no coverage for things like lost luggage, flight delays, damaged bags or personal liability. Therefore, I’d highly advise you to get alternative coverage instead.

Do note that you must activate your complimentary coverage at least five working days before travel, which can be done via this link. 

Summary Review: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Apply
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☑ Take It
☐ Take It Or Leave It
☐ Leave It

If you’re the type who regularly exceeds the bonus caps on specialised spending cards, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card might be the answer. The catch is that 50% of your miles (1.2 mpd) will only arrive 2-14 months later, but those who are willing to wait will be richly rewarded. I can’t think of any other card on the market that will pay out its full bonus rate on a S$30,000 handbag or watch (assuming you buy it online!).

Alternatively, if you’re someone who insists on using one card for everything, then this would be the best form of damage minimisation. I can’t think of any other general spending card with so many different bonus categories: dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel and transport will cover the bases for a lot of people.

Throw in the other perks like the ability to save on KrisFlyer Experiences and the occasional discount on Grab airport rides, and I’d reckon this is a solid “Take it”.

HSBC Premier Mastercard offering uncapped 2.8 mpd on FCY spend

7

In October 2024, HSBC relaunched the HSBC Premier Mastercard by converting it from a cashback card into a miles-earning option. This came with a new look and additional benefits, such as airport lounge access, complimentary limo rides, and a badge upgrade to World Elite Mastercard.

HSBC subsequently launched a foreign currency (FCY) spending promotion for the HSBC Premier Mastercard, which allows cardholders to earn an uncapped 2.8 mpd for a period of three months. This offer was originally set to lapse on 30 June 2025, but has been renewed till 15 August 2025.

As a reminder, HSBC is also offering an uncapped 1.8 mpd on local travel, dining and entertainment merchants. This has likewise been extended till 15 August 2025.

HSBC Premier Mastercard FCY spending promotion

From 1 December 2024 to 15 August 2025, HSBC Premier Mastercard customers will earn 2.8 mpd on both in-person and online FCY transactions, comprising:

  • The regular 2 mpd on FCY spend (awarded in the form of 5X HSBC points per S$1)
  • A bonus 0.8 mpd on FCY spend (awarded in the form of 2X HSBC points per S$1)

No minimum spend is necessary, and there is no cap on the maximum miles that can be earned. Transactions must be made during the promotional period and be posted by 22 August 2025 to qualify. 

Spending on supplementary cards will also be eligible to earn 2.8 mpd, with the points awarded to the principal cardholder.

All FCY transactions are subject to a 3.25% FCY fee, so a 2.8 mpd earn rate works out to 1.16 cents per mile, before factoring in any spread charged by Mastercard (which can vary depending on currency and date, but is usually <0.5%). 

At this juncture, I want to point out that the rate may be more accurately described as “up to” 2.8 mpd. Why? HSBC has different conversion ratios for different partners, and the actual earn rate depends on which partner you choose.

✈️ HSBC TravelOne Airline Partners
Frequent Flyer Programme Conversion Ratio
(HSBC Points : Partner)
50,000 : 10,000
35,000 : 10,000
35,000 : 10,000
35,000 : 10,000
35,000 : 10,000
35,000 : 10,000
30,000 : 10,000
krisflyer logo 30,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
asia miles logo 25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000
🏨 HSBC TravelOne Hotel Partners
Hotel Programme Conversion Ratio
(HSBC Points : Partner)
30,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 5,000
25,000 : 10,000
25,000 : 10,000

So the 2.8 mpd rate we’ve been referring to only applies if you choose a partner with a 25,000 points : 10,000 miles ratio. Otherwise, the earn rates change as follows:

Transfer Ratio
(Points : Miles)
HSBC Premier MC
(Local)*
HSBC Premier MC
(FCY)^
25,000 : 10,000 1.2 mpd 2.8 mpd
30,000 : 10,000 1 mpd 2.33 mpd
35,000 : 10,000 0.86 mpd 2 mpd
40,000 : 10,000 0.75 mpd 1.75 mpd
50,000 : 10,000 0.6 mpd 1.4 mpd
*3 points per S$1 on local spend
^7 points per S$1 on FCY spend

Note in particular that the transfer ratio for KrisFlyer has been devalued from 16 January 2025, and if you choose to convert HSBC points to KrisFlyer miles, the earn rate with this promotion is 2.33 mpd, instead of 2.8 mpd.

What counts as qualifying spend?

Qualifying spend refers to both in-person and online FCY transactions, excluding the following:

  • Charitable donations
  • Education
  • Government services
  • Hospitals
  • Insurance premiums
  • Utilities

The full list of exclusions can be found at point 3 of the T&Cs.

While Amaze transactions are eligible to earn miles with the HSBC Premier Mastercard, remember that Amaze converts all transactions into SGD, so you’ll only earn the local rate of 1.2 mpd.

When will the bonus miles be credited?

Cardholders will initially earn the regular 2 mpd on FCY spend, with the bonus 0.8 mpd awarded within two months of the transaction.

Spending Period Bonus Points Posted
1-31 December 2024 1-28 February 2025
1-31 January 2025 1-31 March 2025
1-28 February 2025 1-30 April 2025
1-31 March 2025 1-31 May 2025
1-30 April 2025 1-30 June 2025
1-31 May 2025 1-31 July 2025
1-30 June 2025 1-31 August 2025
1-31 July 2025 1-30 September 2025
1-15 August 2025 1-31 October 2025

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs of this offer can be found here.

HSBC rewards points are among the best in Singapore

It’s worth noting that 2.8 mpd isn’t the highest possible uncapped earn rate for FCY spend. If you’re a Maybank Visa Infinite or Maybank World Mastercard customer, you can enjoy up to 3.2 mpd on FCY spend. 

However, one could argue that 2.8 mpd with HSBC is worth more than 3.2 mpd with Maybank, because HSBC rewards points are extremely valuable, and probably the best rewards currency in Singapore right now.

So any opportunity to earn HSBC rewards points at an accelerated rate should be welcomed, and for the duration of this promotion, the HSBC Premier Mastercard becomes the highest-earning general spending HSBC card in Singapore.

Card SGD Spend FCY Spend
HSBC Visa Infinite 1 mpd 2 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card 1.2 mpd 2.4 mpd
HSBC Premier Mastercard 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
2.8 mpd

Overview: HSBC Premier Mastercard

HSBC Premier Mastercard
Card T&Cs
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a. Annual Fee
S$490.50*
Local Earn
1.2 mpd FCY Earn 2.8 mpd^
FCY Fee 3.25% Transfer Partners 20
Points Pool? Yes Transfer Fee Waived
*Waived so long as HSBC Premier status maintained with a min. AUM: S$200,000
^Temporary upsize till 15 August 2025

The HSBC Premier Mastercard is the companion card for the HSBC Premier priority banking programme. It has an annual fee of S$490.50, which is  waived if the cardholder has a HSBC Premier relationship and maintains a total relationship balance of at least S$200,000.

Principal cardholders enjoy four (Premier) or six (Premier Elite) free lounge visits per membership year, provided by Priority Pass. They also enjoy one (Premier) or two (Premier Elite) free airport limo rides per calendar quarter, subject to a minimum spend of S$12,000 in the preceding calendar quarter.

As a World Elite Mastercard, cardholders enjoy elite status upgrades and other perks, including:

🏨 Hotel Elite Status
🚗 Rental Car Elite Status
👍Other Perks

Conclusion

From now till 15 August 2025, HSBC Premier Mastercard customers can enjoy an uncapped 2.8 mpd on FCY transactions, with no minimum spend required.

Given how flexible HSBC rewards points are, it’s great to have an opportunity to rack them up at an accelerated rate. However, do remember that KrisFlyer was nerfed on 16 January 2025, and is no longer a good option for transferring HSBC points. Instead, you should be looking at alternative frequent flyer programmes!

2025 Edition: Best Cards for Car Rentals

11

Singaporean drivers are renowned for being well-mannered, considerate, and not-at-all-impatient on the road, so it’s always great to share our driving culture with the rest of the world when on holiday.

If you’re planning to rent a car for your next trip, here are the credit cards that will earn you the most miles, as well as some pitfalls to watch out for.

💳 What’s the Best Card for…
❓ Overall Guide
✈️ Air Tickets
🌎 Amaze  🛍️ Atome
💰 CardUp 🚗 Car Rental 💗 Charity
🍽️ Dining 🏫 Education ⚡ EV Charging
🥡 Food Delivery 🏨 Hotels ☂️ Insurance
📱 Kris+ ⚕️ Medical 🏖️ Overseas
💊 Pharmacies Petrol 🚍 Public Transport
🛒 Supermarkets 🚰 Utilities 💒 Weddings

How do car rentals code?

The MCC for car rentals depends on how you make your booking, but in general will be:

  • For direct bookings: MCC 3300-3499 for the larger agencies, or MCC 7512 for the smaller ones
  • For OTA bookings: MCC 4722

In case you’re uncertain about the MCC, here are three ways of looking it up before making a purchase:

Method Ease of Use Reliability
HeyMax ●●●
📱 Instarem app ●● ●●
🤖 DBS digibot
●●●
Note: “Ease of use” and “reliability” are all relative. HeyMax already provides a solid baseline for reliability, and the DBS digibot is still simple enough to use, despite requiring more steps than the other two methods.

Booking car rentals directly

Most major car rental companies have their own MCC

Most major rental car companies will code in the MCC 3300-3499 range. For example, Sixt is MCC 3355, Hertz is MCC 3357 and Avis is MCC 3389. Those interested in seeing the full list of rental car MCCs can consult this document.

However, there’s also the possibility of it coding under MCC 7512 if it’s a smaller or non-traditional agency, like Centauro, Omega Car Rentals, or Turo (where pre-authorisations code as MCC 4789 but final bills code as 7512).

For rental car bookings made directly with the agency, you can use any of the following cards.

🚗 Best Cards for Rental Cars
(Direct)
Card Earn Rate Remarks
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd
Online only
Max S$1.5K per c. month*
Review
UOB Visa Signature 
Apply
4 mpd
FCY only
Min S$1K, max S$2K FCY spend per s. month
Review
Maybank Visa Infinite
Apply
3.2 mpd
FCY only
Min. S$4K spend per c. month
Review
Maybank World Mastercard
Apply
3.2 mpd
FCY only
Min. S$4K spend per c. month. 2.8 mpd with min. S$800 spend per c. month
Review
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature
Apply
2.8 mpd
FCY only
Min. retail spend of S$800 per c. month. No cap.
Review
*Capped at S$1,000 per c. month from 1 August 2025
❓ Where’s the Citi Rewards Card?
The Citi Rewards Card earns 4 mpd on all online transactions, except travel (defined as airlines, cruises, hotels, rental cars, trains) Therefore, it wouldn’t be the right card to use here, as you’ll earn just 0.4 mpd.

Note how there isn’t any card that explicitly whitelists rental car MCCs (before someone asks, the UOB Lady’s Cards do not include rental cars in their definition of travel). Therefore, you’ll be earning bonuses by virtue of the transaction being charged online (which is only the case for prepaid rates), or in foreign currency.

Booked via OTA

If you’re booking your rental car through an online travel agent (OTA) like Expedia or Trip.com, the transaction will code as MCC 4722.

In that case you can use the following cards to maximise your miles.

🚗 Best Cards for Rental Cars
(OTAs)
Card Earn Rate Remarks
UOB Lady’s Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1K per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
Review
UOB Lady’s Solitaire
Apply
4 mpd Max S$2K per c. month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
Review
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd
Online only
Max S$1.5K per c. month*
Review
UOB Visa Signature 
Apply
4 mpd
FCY only
Min S$1K, max S$2K FCY spend per s. month
Review
Maybank World Mastercard
Apply
3.2 mpd
FCY only
Min. S$4K spend per c. month. 2.8 mpd with min. S$800 spend per c. month
Review
Maybank Visa Infinite
Apply
3.2 mpd
FCY only
Min. S$4K spend per c. month
Review
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature
Apply
2.8 mpd
FCY only
Min. retail spend of S$800 per c. month. No cap.
Review
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Apply
2.4 mpd
Online only
Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel
Review
*Capped at S$1,000 per c. month from 1 August 2025

Be careful with Amaze!

When collecting your car, you’ll often need to provide a credit card as a guarantee against any damage. This is not the right time to provide your Amaze. 

Amaze, you’ll recall, is actually a debit card (even if it passes transactions through to a credit card). When the rental car company puts an authorisation hold on Amaze, that becomes an actual transaction billed to your credit card. When the hold is later released, the amount credited may not be the same as the amount debited due to FX charges and movements (it really boils down to how the reversal is done).

I’ve written about this problem in the article below.

PSA: The pitfalls of using Amaze for hotels or rental cars

It’s always better to provide a credit card at the time of rental, and then provide your Amaze when the rental is over for final billing. This will mean you need to visit the counter after dropping off your car, however, and may not be an option for after-hour drops or contactless drop-offs. 

Beware of DCC!

Rental car companies are fond of DCC scams, and I’ve been hit more than a few times. 

Googling “rental car automatic DCC” will turn up plenty of reports of companies automatically opting customers into DCC, hiding the option to opt-out in the fine print or making it overly complicated to do so. Why? It makes them money, of course. The rates offered via DCC are vastly inflated over what you’d pay through your bank.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do about this, except to be extra vigilant or use an American Express card for rentals because AMEX does not support DCC. On the flip side, you won’t earn quite as many miles with AMEX cards; the best option would be the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX at 2.4 mpd.

Alternatively, you can consider booking your rental car through an OTA and paying at the time of booking, so the rental car company has no further charges to make.

What about car rental insurance?

Unlike credit cards in the USA, cards in Singapore do not offer automatic rental car coverage. 

Given how expensive it can be to purchase insurance from the car rental company itself, I often look at getting third party insurance from a company like Worldwide Insure or Allianz. I’ve never had to make a claim before, however, so I can’t vouch as to how smooth the process is.

Conclusion

While there are no cards which explicitly reward rental car transactions, you can take advantage of the fact that they’re usually in FCY to earn up to 4 mpd with several other cards too. 

Just be careful about the ever-present DCC scam, as well as authorisation holds if you’re using Amaze (or any other debit card for that matter, including Revolut and YouTrip).