💳 Flash deal: Get a S$100 Trip.com gift card and 30,000 bonus miles with a new Citi PremierMiles Card
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Kris+ Miles Rush: Earn up to 10 mpd at 26 dining and retail partners

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Kris+ has launched a new edition of Miles Rush, which offers a flat 6 mpd at 26 dining and retail partners across Singapore including Bengawan Solo, Krispy Kreme, Bacha Coffee, and llaollao.

On top of this, you can stack a further 4 mpd by paying with the right credit card, earning 10 mpd in total.

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

Details: Kris+ Miles Rush

From 1-31 August 2025, Kris+ will boost the earn rates at the following 26 merchants to a flat 6 mpd.

Merchant Regular rate Promo rate
(1-31 Aug 2025)
Bacha Coffee 3 mpd 6 mpd
Bengawan Solo 2 mpd 6 mpd
Benjamin Barker 2 mpd 6 mpd
Cherry & Oak 2 mpd 6 mpd
Chingu Dining 4 mpd 6 mpd
Chokmah 5 mpd 6 mpd
Crafune 3 mpd 6 mpd
Dancing Crab 5 mpd 6 mpd
Eater’s Market 4 mpd 6 mpd
For the Love of Laundry 2 mpd 6 mpd
Heveya 5 mpd 6 mpd
House of Traditional Javanese Massage 3 mpd 6 mpd
Joy Luck Teahouse 3 mpd 6 mpd
Kind Kones 4 mpd 6 mpd
Krispy Kreme 3 mpd 6 mpd
llaollao 3 mpd 6 mpd
Lynk Fragrances 4 mpd 6 mpd
Menya Kokoro 3 mpd 6 mpd
Perk by Kate 5 mpd 6 mpd
Rappu 4 mpd 6 mpd
Rave Karaoke 3 mpd 6 mpd
Sospiri 5 mpd 6 mpd
The Feather Blade 4 mpd 6 mpd
Toss & Turn 5 mpd 6 mpd
Workspace Grains and Cafe 5 mpd 6 mpd
Yue Hwa Chinese Products 3 mpd 6 mpd

No registration is required, and the upsized earn rates will already be reflected on the Kris+ app by default.

Even if you have no plans to spend at these merchants in August, you can “lock in” the bonus by purchasing vouchers during the promotional period, which can then be used any time before expiry.

Expiry dates will vary by merchant, so always check the fine print before pulling the trigger. 

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 (which is now part of SGQR)
  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 100 miles = S$1.

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+ (All Categories)
Card Earn Rate Remarks
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd Max. S$1K per c. month
Citi Rewards + Amaze
Apply
4 mpd A 1% admin fee applies if the payment is in SGD. Max. S$1K per s. month. No bonuses if you use the 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

For the month of August 2025, Kris+ will be offering a flat 6 mpd at 26 dining and retail merchants across Singapore. This is further stackable with up to 4 mpd from the right credit card, for a total of 10 mpd.

You can also purchase vouchers during this period to lock in the miles first, and spend the vouchers later.

AMEX Offer: S$60 back on S$300 spend with World of Hyatt

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American Express has launched a new AMEX Offer for World of Hyatt, which gives registered cardholders a S$60 statement credit with a minimum spend of S$300 at participating hotels, bars, restaurants and spas by 30 November 2025.

This isn’t quite as generous as the offer we saw last year, where cardholders received S$75 back for a minimum spend of S$300. That said, there’s still an extensive list of participating locations worldwide, including Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.

Alila Ubud
What are AMEX Offers?

AMEX Offers are opportunities to earn bonus miles/points, or statement credits. These can be found in the “Offers” section of the AMEX app or web portal. 

Registration is required, and some offers may be targeted. These are usually not applicable to DBS and UOB AMEX cardholders. For more on AMEX Offers and how they work, refer to this post. 

Get S$60 back on S$300 Hyatt hotels spend

From 1 September to 30 November 2025, American Express cardholders who register for this AMEX Offer will receive a S$60 statement credit when they spend at least S$300 in one or more transactions at participating World of Hyatt locations (see next section for the full list).

Do note that while registration has opened, the spending period only begins from 1 September 2025 onwards. 

Here are the key details to take note of:

  • An overall registration cap of 20,000 cards applies
  • The minimum spend of S$300 can be combined across different participating locations
  • Excludes payments made for events, meetings, conferences, banquets and/or wedding packages
  • Must pay in-person; online payments do not qualify

The offer is limited to a single use per registered card. In my case, I was only targeted on my AMEX Platinum Charge, but I was able to register twice by virtue of my A/C card.

Do note that the payment must be made by 30 November 2025 to be eligible for this offer. If your check-in date is before 30 November 2025 but your check-out date is after, I’d recommend asking the front desk to charge your card in full at the time of check-in (a pre-authorisation won’t count!).

Statement credits will post to your account within 15 business days, but are usually much faster. 

Which locations are participating?

Grand Hyatt Singapore

This offer is valid at participating World of Hyatt hotels, restaurants, bars and spas in:

  • 🇦🇺 Australia
  • 🇰🇭 Cambodia
  • 🇨🇳 China
  • 🇮🇩 Indonesia
  • 🇯🇵 Japan
  • 🇲🇾 Malaysia
  • 🇲🇻 Maldives
  • 🇳🇿 New Zealand
  • 🇵🇭 Philippines
  • 🇸🇬 Singapore
  • 🇰🇷 South Korea
  • 🇹🇼 Taiwan
  • 🇹🇭 Thailand
  • 🇻🇳 Vietnam

It’s a very healthy-sized list, with both the Andaz and Grand Hyatt participating in Singapore. You don’t even need to be an in-house guest to enjoy the offer, as spending at 665°F, Alley on 25, Straits Kitchen, Pete’s Place, Le Pristine Singapore and other F&B venues (including Brix, heh heh) qualifies. 

If you do plan to make a stay, be sure to check whether the hotel offers Hyatt Prive or Virtuoso rates, as these come with additional amenities like complimentary breakfast and a US$100 hotel credit. These price the same as the hotel’s best available rate, and can be booked through HoteLux or other luxury travel advisors. Paying at the front desk will trigger the AMEX Offer.

Conclusion

Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit

American Express cardholders can now register for a S$60 statement credit with a minimum spend of S$300 at a participating World of Hyatt hotel by 30 November 2025.

While the earn rate with AMEX cards may not be the best, the savings are likely to more than outweigh any foregone rewards.

Be sure to register for this offer before spending, and check whether the property you’re interested in is participating. 

Citi PremierMiles Card offering 30,000 miles welcome bonus & S$100 Trip.com gift card

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The Citi PremierMiles Card is a solid general spending option for miles chasers, and it’s once again renewed its generous 30,000 miles welcome offer. This is now valid for applications submitted by 28 February 2026.

On top of this, Citibank is further sweetening the deal for a limited time by adding a S$100 Trip.com gift card, while keeping the minimum spend attractively low at just S$800.

Apply

This is an opportunity to buy miles at a very attractive 0.65 cents each, or even less once the value of the gift card is taken into account.

Citi PremierMiles Card 30,000 miles welcome bonus

Apply

From 1 August 2024 to 28 February 2026, new-to-bank customers who apply for a Citi PremierMiles Card can choose from two different welcome offers. 

New-to-Bank Definition
 New-to-bank customers are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal Citi credit card, and have not cancelled one in the 12-month period before application. Debit cards, supplementary cards and corporate cards do not count.

Fee Paying Option: Spend S$800, get 30,960 miles

New-to-bank customers who pay the S$196.20 annual fee and spend S$800 within two months of approval will receive 30,960 miles:

  • 960 base miles for spending S$800 @ 1.2 mpd
  • 10,000 bonus miles for paying the S$196.20 annual fee
  • 20,000 bonus miles for meeting the spending requirement

The cost per mile in this scenario will be 0.65 cents each (S$196.20/30,000 bonus miles).

Fee Waiver Option: Spend S$800, get 8,960 miles

New-to-bank customers who choose a first year fee waiver and spend S$800 within two months of approval will receive 8,960 miles:

  • 960 base miles for spending S$800 @ 1.2 mpd
  • 8,000 bonus miles for meeting the spending requirement

Since there’s no annual fee to speak of here, the miles are essentially “free”.

In my workings I’ve assumed 960 base miles, based on S$800 spent at the local earn rate of 1.2 mpd. If you spend this in FCY instead, you will receive the FCY earn rate of 2.2 mpd, or 1,760 base miles.

Extra S$100 Trip.com gift card

New-to-bank customers who apply for a Citi PremierMiles Card between 1 August and 30 September 2025 will also receive a S$100 Trip.com gift card, in addition to the bonus miles.

This offer is available regardless of whether you choose the fee paying or fee waiver option.

Trip.com gift cards can be used to book flights, hotels, attraction tickets and more. Amounts can be utilised over multiple bookings if desired.

What counts as qualifying spend?

Successful applicants must spend at least S$800 within the first two months after approval, otherwise known as the qualifying period.

The qualifying period runs from the approval date and two full calendar months following that. For example, those approved on 15 November 2024 will have until 31 January 2025 to meet the minimum spend.

In other words, you actually have 2-3 months to hit the minimum spend, and should apply as early in the month as possible to maximise your time. 

Qualifying spend excludes the following:

❌ Qualifying Spend Exclusions
(i) any Equal Payment Plan (EPP) purchases,
(ii) refunded/disputed/unauthorised/fraudulent retail purchases,
(iii) Quick Cash and other instalment loans,
(iv) Citi PayLite/Citi Flexibill/cash advance/quasi-cash transactions/balance transfers/annual card membership fees/interest/goods and services taxes,
(v) bill payments made using the Eligible Card as a source of funds,
(vi) late payment fees and
(vii) any other form of service/ miscellaneous fees
(viii) Citi PayAll transactions where the customer is not charged the Citi PayAll service fee

Citi has previously clarified that even though transactions like education, insurance premiums, charitable donations and GrabPay top-ups will not earn base points, they will still count as qualifying spend for the purposes of welcome offers. 

For the avoidance of doubt, Citi PayAll transactions will count towards qualifying spend, but only if the admin fee is paid. Prior to 2 May 2023, even no-fee payments would count as qualifying spend!

Citi PayAll currently supports the following payments:

💰 Citi PayAll: Supported Payments
  • Education Fees
  • Taxes
  • Rent
  • Insurance Premiums
  • Renovation Fees
  • Property Agent Fees
  • Wedding Expenses
  • Condo Management Fees
  • Child Care Services
  • Domestic Helper Service Fees
  • Donation or Charity Payment
  • Electricity Bills
  • Event Management Fees
  • Membership Fees
  • Maintenance Fees
  • Medical Services
  • Payment for Retail Goods and Services
  • Parking
  • Professional Services Fees
  • Storage
  • Travel Expenses
  • Transport Fees
  • Utilities

When will the welcome gifts be credited?

If you choose the fee paying option, 10,000 bonus Citi Miles will be credited once the annual fee has been paid.

The 8,000 or 20,000 bonus Citi Miles will be credited within three months after the qualifying spend has been met.

The Trip.com gift card will be awarded via the Citi Mobile app, within four calendar months from the end of the qualifying spend period.

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs for this offer can be found below:

What can you do with Citi Miles?

Citi Miles do not expire, and Citi PremierMiles Cardholders can transfer points to 11 airline and hotel loyalty programmes at the following ratios.

Partner Transfer Ratio
(Citi Miles: Partner)
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000
10,000:10,000

A S$27.25 conversion fee applies for every transfer. Citi Miles do not pool with the ThankYou points earned on the Citi Prestige or Citi Rewards Cards, so you’ll need to redeem them separately.

SingSaver alternative

If this offer isn’t to your liking, an alternative option is available for applications made via SingSaver (you cannot stack the Citi and SingSaver offers).

Apply
T&Cs

New-to-bank customers who apply via SingSaver and spend at least S$500 within 30 days of approval can pick one of the following gifts:

  • Dyson Airwrap Origin
  • S$450 Shopee voucher
  • Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 Pro
  • S$400 cash

All applications will automatically receive a first year fee waiver. 

Be sure to follow the steps below:

  1. Apply through this link
  2. You will be directed to a SingSaver landing page. Enter your email address and click “confirm”
  3. Complete your application and take a screenshot of the Application Reference Number (for Citibank, it’s 12 alphanumeric characters)
  4. Fill in the SingSaver rewards form that will be sent to your email. It’s vital you fill in the form– no form, no reward.

Do note that the gifts above are accurate at the time of writing, but may change throughout the month. You’ll always see the latest gifts reflected on the landing page, and in the T&Cs. 

Overview: Citi PremierMiles Card

citi premiermiles card review
Apply
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a.  Points Validity No Expiry
Annual Fee S$196.20
(First Year Free)
Min.
Transfer
10,000 Citi Miles
(10,000 miles)
Miles with AF 10,000 Transfer Partners 11
FCY Fee 3.25% Transfer Fee S$27.25
Local Earn 1.2 mpd Points Pool? No
FCY Earn 2.2 mpd Lounge Access? Yes: 2x Priority Pass
Special Earn 7.2 mpd on Agoda
10 mpd on Kaligo
Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The Citi PremierMiles Card earns 1.2 mpd on local spend and 2.2 mpd on overseas spend, and comes with a Priority Pass membership that provides two complimentary visits per calendar year.

Paying the S$196.20 annual fee gets you 10,000 renewal miles each year.

Read a full review of the Citi PremierMiles Card below.

Review: Citi PremierMiles Card

Conclusion

Citibank has extended its welcome offer for the Citi PremierMiles Card, with 30,000 bonus miles for just S$800 spend and paying the annual fee. If you prefer an annual fee waiver, you can still receive 8,000 bonus miles.

Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll also receive a S$100 Trip.com voucher if you submit your application by 30 September 2025— making the deal even sweeter.

Despite its non-pooling points, I’d consider the Citi PremierMiles Card to be one of the better general spending cards on the market, thanks to its wide range of transfer partners and Priority Pass with two free visits. 

DBS Elevate Your Escape promo: Buy miles from 1.83 cents each

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DBS has launched a new promotion called “Elevate Your Escape”, which allows DBS Altitude and DBS Vantage Cardholders to purchase additional miles at a rate of 1.83 to 1.9 cents each. 

While this isn’t the worst price we’ve ever seen a bank sell miles at — OCBC usually sells them in excess of 2 cents each — there are much cheaper ways of earning miles through bill payment platforms like CardUp and Citi PayAll. 

DBS Points sale for Altitude and Vantage cardholders

Details

From 1 August to 30 September 2025, DBS Altitude (both AMEX and Visa) and DBS Vantage Cardholders can purchase additional DBS Points at the following rates. 

  DBS Points
(Miles)
Cost CPM
Tier 1 75,000 DBS Points
(150,000 miles)
S$2,850 1.9¢
Tier 2 150,000 DBS Points
(300,000 miles)
S$5,500 1.83¢

Here are the key details to note:

  • This promotion is only open to principal cardholders
  • Registration is required, and can be done via the DBS PayLah! app
  • Each tier is capped at 2,000 registrations
  • You can register for both Tiers 1 and 2 if you wish
  • Each customer may only register once per tier, regardless of how many cards they hold. In other words, the maximum DBS Points you can purchase under this promotion is 225,000 (450,000 miles)

DBS’s original stance was that customers could not withdraw from the promotion once registered, but they are now allowing withdrawals due to the Accor Plus goof-up (see below).

⚠️ Accor Plus membership not included!

When this promotion first went live on DBS PayLah!, an Accor Plus Explorer membership was mentioned as one of the perks.

Unfortunately, DBS has confirmed this was a mistake, and the line regarding the membership has since been removed. Customers who wish to cancel their registration should contact the DBS customer service hotline before 30 September 2025 to do so. More details can be found here. 

The T&Cs for this promotion can be found here, and FAQs here.

When will DBS Points be credited?

Registered customers will be charged the admin fee within 60 days from the end of the promotion period (i.e. by 29 November 2025), with DBS Points credited within the same time period.

The fee will reflect as “DBS Points Subscription Admin Fee” in the credit card statement. 

If you hold both a DBS Altitude Card and a DBS Vantage Card, the DBS Points will be credited to the Vantage Card. This isn’t ideal, mind you, because DBS Points on the Vantage Card expire after three years, while DBS Points on the Altitude Card never expire. But if you’re buying miles under this promotion, you’d be well-advised to burn them as soon as possible, as a KrisFlyer devaluation is all but certain to take place this year.

What can you do with DBS Points?

DBS Points can be converted to the following frequent flyer programmes, with an admin fee of S$27.25 per conversion.

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

However, KrisFlyer and Asia Miles will be the only realistic options for someone based in Singapore.

Is it worth it?

Not particularly, if you ask me.

The asking price of 1.83 to 1.9 cents per mile is definitely on the high side, given how you can easily generate miles for much less through bill payment platforms like CardUp and Citi PayAll.

Platform Cost Per Mile
From 0.95 cents
From 1.07 cents
1.44 to 1.63 cents

For example, a DBS Vantage Cardholder paying rent with CardUp could buy miles at 1.17 cents each (with the code SAVERENT179), and a DBS Altitude Cardholder making recurring payments with CardUp could buy miles at 1.4 cents each (with the code REC185).

Likewise, Citi PayAll’s current income tax season promotion offers Citi ULTIMA, Prestige, PremierMiles and Rewards Cardholders the opportunity to buy miles from 1.44 to 1.63 cents each, and if you have a StanChart Beyond Card, SC EasyBill offers miles from just 0.95 cents

That said, all these platforms require you to have an actual bill to pay (you can’t just pay money to yourself). And if you’re the sort who doesn’t mind paying out of pocket for commercial First or Business Class tickets, the convenience of this option might be alluring (though true whales may prefer the UOB Reserve Card, which can buy unlimited miles at 1.7 cents each via the UOB Payment Facility).

Conclusion

DBS Altitude and Vantage Cardholders can now purchase up to 450,000 miles at 1.83 to 1.9 cents each by opting in on the DBS PayLah! platform. That said, it’s possible to generate miles for much less through bill payment platforms like Citi PayAll and CardUp, and you should definitely look at those options first.

The main advantage this promotion offers is convenience, but I don’t think convenience is worth that sort of premium!

Earn up to 12 mpd on Pelago bookings for August 2025

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Back in October 2024, Pelago made its Kris+ debut, enabling users of Singapore Airlines’ lifestyle app to earn bonus miles when booking attractions, activities, tours and transportation worldwide.

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

To mark the launch, the usual 3 mpd earn rate for Pelago bookings via Kris+ was boosted to an excellent 10 mpd, and since then we’ve seen other promotional rates on offer:

Kris+ has now unveiled its deal for August 2025, which features a 6 mpd rate for all experiences. This is further stackable with up to 4 mpd with the right credit cards, for an overall earn rate of up to 10 mpd.

However, as part of the SG60 celebrations, you can also earn an extra 2 mpd for experience bookings in Singapore (with a minimum spend of S$100 per booking, and up to two bookings).

Kris+ offering extra 6 mpd on Pelago bookings

From 1-31 August 2025, all Pelago bookings made via the Kris+ app will earn an extra 6 mpd, on top of credit card miles. While the booking must be made during this period, the experience can be for any future date.

To make Pelago bookings via Kris+, update your app to the latest version, then look for the Pelago icon at the top of the screen. This will send you to the Pelago website (now with shopping cart functionality), where you’ll select your activity and make payment via the Kris+ app.

The 6 mpd rate is applicable to anything you can find on Pelago, whether it’s tours, attraction tickets, eSIMs, spa treatments, airport transfers, bus tickets, train tickets and more. 

Here’s a summary of the differences between booking Pelago activities via Kris+, versus the mobile app or website.

  Kris+ Website or Mobile App
Earn Rate 6 mpd# 3 mpd
Maximum Per Booking None^ 50,000 miles
Miles Credited 1 day after activity completion 7 days after activity completion
Promo Codes No Yes*
HeyMax / ShopBack No Yes (website)
#This is a promotional rate that changes every month
^The maximum payment that can be made via Kris+ is capped at S$20,000 per day
*Promo codes cannot be stacked with HeyMax or ShopBack. Using a promo code will result in your Max Miles or cashback failing to track

While Kris+ generally offers higher earn rates than the website or mobile app, the catch is that you cannot use any promo codes. For example, if you have a Singapore Airlines PNR, you won’t be able to enjoy the 10% discount offered to passengers.

Moreover, you will not be able to stack HeyMax or ShopBack miles/cashback with Kris+. These portals can only be used in conjunction with the Pelago website. Therefore, you’ll need to do your sums and figure out which booking channel is more worth it.

Do note that with effect from 1 August 2025, Kris+ will no longer offer instant miles crediting for Pelago bookings, so you won’t be able to use this as a quick way of topping up a KrisFlyer account.

Remember to transfer your miles!

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 relatively poor rate of 100 miles = S$1.

A big “Transfer to KrisFlyer” button appears after every transaction, so there’s no excuse! Alternatively, you can activate the new Kris+ auto-transfer feature, which ensures that any miles earned are automatically transferred to your KrisFlyer account.

Extra 2 mpd for Singapore activities

In addition to the 6 mpd promotion, Pelago is also offering an extra 2 mpd for any experience booking in Singapore. This requires a minimum spend of S$100 per booking, and is capped at two bookings for the month of August 2025.

Manual registration is required, and can be done via the Kris+ Challenges section (look for “Bonus Miles with Pelago”).

These bonus miles will be awarded within 31 days after the campaign period ends, and can be transferred to KrisFlyer. 

HeyMax alternative

👍 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

If you’re not insistent on earning KrisFlyer miles exclusively, the HeyMax alternative is worth exploring too.

HeyMax is currently offering 1-8 Max Miles per S$1 for Pelago website bookings, which can be stacked with the regular 3 KrisFlyer miles per S$1 and up to 4 mpd from the right credit card.

The catch, if you want to call it that, is that Max Miles cannot be converted into KrisFlyer miles. Indirect conversions via yuu Rewards Club are possible, but the rate is not very attractive outside of the 20% milesback offered during Max Miles day. 

But I really see this as a feature, not a bug, since you can convert Max Miles to 28 airline and hotel loyalty programmes at a 1:1 ratio. Why settle for KrisFlyer?

✈️ 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

What card to use with Pelago?

Pelago transactions made on Kris+ will code as MCC 4722 Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, so you can pay with the following cards to earn up to an additional 4 mpd.

Card Earn Rate Remarks
UOB Lady’s Solitaire
Apply
4 mpd Max S$750 per calendar month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
Review
UOB Lady’s Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1K per calendar month. Must choose Travel as bonus category
Review
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply
4 mpd Max S$1K per calendar month
Review
KrisFlyer UOB Card
Apply
3 mpd No cap
Review

Avoid using the Citi Rewards Card, as MCC 4722 is classified as a travel transaction and explicitly excluded from earning the bonus 4 mpd rate for online transactions.

Also, the HSBC Revolution is no longer an option, following the January 2024 removal of MCC 4722 from its bonus whitelist.

Conclusion

From 1-31 August 2025, all Pelago bookings made through Kris+ will be rewarded with an extra 6 mpd, on top of the usual credit card rewards of up to 4 mpd.

It will also be possible to stack an extra 2 mpd for experience bookings in Singapore, though a minimum spend of S$100 per booking is required, and a maximum of two bookings are eligible.

If you see something you’re interested in booking, consider doing so during this promotional period to maximise your rewards.

MileLion Weekly Deal Summary [26 Jul to 1 Aug 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

💳 [New] Get Shark EVOPOWER IQ+ Cordless Vacuum, 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 3 Aug 25]

💳 HSBC Premier Mastercard offering 65,000 miles welcome bonus with min. spend of S$4,000, for both new and existing HSBC customers [Expires 15 Aug 25]

💳 HSBC Premier Mastercard offering uncapped 1.8 mpd on selected SGD spend, and uncapped 2.8 mpd on all FCY spend [Expires 15 Aug 25]

💳 [Extended] Get S$138 (S$88 from CIMB, S$50 from SingSaver) with a new CIMB Visa Signature, CIMB Visa Infinite, CIMB World Mastercard  and a minimum spend of S$108 [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 [Extended] Get S$360 cash with a new StanChart Simply Cash Card and a min. spend of S$800, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 DBS Takashimaya AMEX offering S$80 welcome gift for existing DBS cardholders [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offering up to 80,000 miles for new sign-ups with S$4,000 spent within 30 days of approval and payment of S$654 annual fee [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 Get up to 33,600 bonus miles with a new HSBC TravelOne Card and a minimum spend of S$1,000 [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 StanChart Beyond Card offering 100,000 miles welcome bonus with payment of annual fee and S$20,000 spend in the first 90 days of approval [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 Buy unlimited miles from 1.7-2.2 cents each with the UOB Payment Facility [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 DBS Vantage Card offering 60,000 bonus miles with min. spend of S$4,000 in 30 days, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 DBS Altitude Cards offering 28,000 bonus miles with min. spend of S$800 in 30 days, for new-to-bank customers [Expires 31 Aug 25]

💳 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 customers 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]

💳 [New] Get 30,000 miles + S$100 Trip.com voucher 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 30 Sep 25]

💳 [New] AMEX Platinum Charge offering 80,000 bonus MR points and 45,000 bonus MR points for new and existing AMEX cardholders respectively [Expires 30 Sep 25]

💳 [New] AMEX Platinum Credit Card offering 23,750 bonus MR points and 15,000 bonus MR points for new and existing AMEX cardholders respectively [Expires 30 Sep 25]

💳 [New] AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering 15,800 bonus miles and 15,000 bonus miles for new and existing AMEX cardholders respectively [Expires 30 Sep 25]

💳 Get 50,000 miles with a new StanChart Visa Infinite Card and a minimum spend of S$2,000 within 60 days of approval, for both new-to-bank and existing customers [Expires 30 Sep 25]

💳 Get up to 30,000 bonus miles & Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24, 7,000 Max Miles, S$250 Shopee vouchers or S$180 cash when you sign-up for a StanChart Journey Card and spend S$800 within 60 days of approval. For new-to-bank customers only [Expires 30 Sep 25]

💳 [Extended] DBS yuu Cards offering S$300 cashback to new-to-bank customers who spend S$800 within first 60 days of approval [Expires 31 Oct 25]

💳 HSBC Revolution restores bonuses for travel and contactless spending, raises monthly bonus cap to S$1,500 [Expires 31 Oct 25]

💳 CardUp offering 2% admin fee with promo code RENO25ONE for one-off renovation payments. Valid for Visa cards [Expires 26 Dec 25]

💳 OCBC Rewards Card offering 6 mpd on Watsons, Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop and Taobao, capped at S$1,000 per month [Expires 31 Dec 25]

💳 Citi Prestige Card offering 57,000 miles welcome bonus with min. spend of S$2,000 [Expires 31 Jan 26]

💳 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]

💳 [Extended] 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 28 Feb 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

✈️ Get S$120 cashback on Singapore Airlines and Scoot tickets with DBS cards [Expires 31 Oct 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]

✈️ Kris+ offering extra 3 mpd at Esso, with 12% discount [Expires 30 Jun 26]

Hotel Deals

🏨 IHG One Rewards offering 80% bonus on points purchases [Expires 2 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]

🏨 Get an extra D$5 for booking stays via the GHA DISCOVERY app [Expires 30 Sep 25]

🏨 Get S$70 back on a minimum spend of S$300 at participating Pan Pacific Hotel Group hotels, restaurants, bars and spas with AMEX cards [Expires 14 Nov 25]

🏨 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]

🏨 Mastercard cardholders get instant upgrade to CentaraThe1 elite status [Expires 31 May 26]

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

🏨  Mastercard cardholders get upgrade to I Prefer elite status after completing just one stay [Expires 31 Dec 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] 

UOB One Account nerfing interest rates to 2.5% p.a. from September 2025

11

The UOB One Account is often considered the best bank account for miles chasers. Unlike other “hurdle accounts” which require customers to spend on cashback cards, purchase overpriced investment or insurance products, or take out a mortgage, the UOB One Account is refreshingly straightforward.

Customers can earn up to 3.3% p.a. on a maximum balance of S$150,000 by simply meeting two requirements:

  • Crediting a monthly salary of at least S$1,600
  • Spending at least S$500 per month on selected UOB cards

The list of eligible cards includes two popular miles-earning options— the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card— and the S$500 spending requirement easily fits within their monthly bonus cap.

Unfortunately, UOB is not immune to the global decline in interest rates, and after one round of reductions in May 2025, which saw the maximum interest cut from 4% to the current 3.3% p.a., UOB will further slash rates to 2.5% p.a. from September 2025.

🏦 UOB One Account
  Maximum EIR Balance
Prior to May 2024 5% p.a. S$100K
May 2024 to April 2025 4% p.a. S$150K
May 2025 to August 2025 3.3% p.a. S$150K
From September 2025 2.5% p.a. S$150K

UOB One Account cuts interest rates from September 2025

Current interest rates

The UOB One Account currently offers customers up to 3.3% p.a. on a maximum balance of S$150,000.

🏦 UOB One Account
(Till 31 Aug 2025)
  Card Spend + GIRO Card Spend + Salary Credit
First S$75K 1.5% 2.3%
Next S$50K 2.5% 3.8%
Next S$25K 0.05% 5.3%
Above S$150K 0.05% 0.05%
Max. Effective Interest
1.9% 3.3%
Cap S$125K S$150K

Revised interest rates

From 1 September 2025, UOB will be revising the interest rates on the UOB One Account as follows.

🏦 UOB One Account
(From 1 Sep 2025)
  Card Spend + GIRO Card Spend + Salary Credit
First S$75K 1% 1.5%
Next S$50K 2% 3%
Next S$25K 0.05% 4.5%
Above S$150K 0.05% 0.05%
Max. Effective Interest
1.4% 2.5%
Cap S$125K S$150K

If you’re a customer meeting the card spend and salary credit requirements, the maximum effective interest you can earn on the first S$150,000 will decrease from 3.3% p.a. to 2.5% p.a.

If you’re a customer meeting the card spend and GIRO requirements, the maximum effective interest you can earn on the first S$125,000 will decrease from 1.9% p.a. to 1.4% p.a.

What’s not changing?

For what it’s worth, UOB is keeping the One Account simple by not changing any of the activities required to unlock bonus interest:

  • Min. card spend of S$500 per calendar month, and
  • At least 3 GIRO debit transactions or credit salary of at least S$1,600 per month (with the transaction reference code “SALA” / “PAYNOW SALA”)

The list of eligible UOB cards remains the same.

  • UOB One Card
  • UOB Lady’s Card (all card types)
  • UOB EVOL Card
  • Lazada-UOB Card
  • UOB One Debit Visa Card
  • UOB One Debit Mastercard
  • UOB Lady’s Debit Card
  • UOB Mighty FX Debit Card

No prizes for guessing that most miles chasers will meet the minimum spend with either the UOB Lady’s Card or UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card, as the S$500 requirement is well within the monthly bonus cap of S$1,000 (Lady’s Card) or S$1,500 (Lady’s Solitaire Card- split into S$750 per bonus category).

Reminder: 6% rebate for tax payments

During the last round of interest rate nerfs, UOB softened the blow with a new promotion that offers a 6% rebate on GIRO income tax payments made between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.

This promotion continues unchanged, and as before, the rebate cap depends on the monthly average balance (MAB) in your UOB One Account.

UOB One MAB Monthly Cap
(Equivalent deduction based on 6% rebate)
Total Cap
≥S$30K and <S$75K S$10
(S$167)
S$120
≥S$75K and <S$150K S$25
(S$417)
S$300
≥S$150K S$50
(S$833)
S$600

To earn this rebate, customers will need to complete the following three steps:

  1. Register your mobile number for PayNow on UOB TMRW
  2. Activate Money Lock on UOB TMRW (minimum S$1 lock amount)
  3. Apply for GIRO Monthly Tax Payment Plan through IRAS portal, selecting UOB One Account for deduction

No further actions are required if you’ve already performed the above three activities prior to 1 April 2025. 

To illustrate, a customer who has a MAB of S$150,000 and completes the steps above will receive a 6% rebate (capped at S$50) on each month’s GIRO deduction. This is equivalent to an S$833 monthly tax bill.

Assuming you max out this promotion, the extra cash works out to an incremental 0.4% p.a. in interest. This, of course, assumes that you keep at least S$150,000 in your UOB One Account and have a personal income tax bill of at least ~S$10,000. 

Alternatives for miles chasers

If you’re pursuing a miles collection strategy and don’t want to take up a mortgage or buy insurance or investment products, here’s a quick rundown of the alternatives on the market: 

Account Max. Interest* Cap
Maybank SaveUp 1.17% p.a. S$75K
DBS Multiplier 1.8-2.2% p.a. S$50K
BOC SmartSaver 2.55% p.a. S$100K
OCBC 360 2.45% p.a.
S$100K
UOB One 3.3% p.a.
Till 31 Aug 25
2.5% p.a.
From 1 Sep 25
S$150K
*Assumptions: Max out salary credit and bill payment bonuses, where applicable, and spending only on miles-earning cards.

As you can see, things aren’t great. The UOB One Account will probably remain the best option for miles chasers, unless perhaps you want to dabble with BOC and its shenanigans for an extra 0.05% p.a. per year (hey, every little bit, right?).

I’m personally sticking to the UOB One Account and trying to limit the damage by taking advantage of the income tax payment promotion. But I also keep a secondary balance in Maybank SaveUp, because my home mortgage enables me to jump to the next rung of 3.08% p.a.

Conclusion

From 1 September 2025, the UOB One Account will cut its interest rates from 3.3% p.a. to 2.5% p.a. on a maximum account balance of S$150,000.

This is bad news for miles chasers, as the UOB Lady’s Card + UOB One Account combo was a great way of getting the best of both miles and interest. It also makes me wonder how long the UOB Lady’s Savings Account can maintain its current earn rates, though the nerf to the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card effectively nerfs the Savings Account too. 

Miles chasers: any change to your banking strategy?

PSA: Kris+ ends instant miles earning for Pelago

2

Back in October 2024, Pelago was integrated into Kris+, allowing users of Singapore Airlines’ lifestyle app to earn bonus miles when booking attractions, activities, tours and transportation worldwide.

Booking through Kris+ offered two major advantages over the Pelago website or app. First, the earn rates were significantly higher, with Kris+ awarding 5–10 mpd compared to the usual 3 mpd. Second, miles were credited instantly— even before the activity took place— rather than seven days after completion.

Unfortunately, Kris+ has now announced a change in the crediting timeline, which takes effect from today.

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+ ends instant crediting for Pelago bookings

No more instant miles earning for Pelago bookings made through Kris+

Starting 1 August 2025, Pelago bookings made through Kris+ will no longer receive instant miles crediting. Instead, miles will be credited one day after the activity is completed, with a push notification sent to confirm the successful crediting.

For what it’s worth, this will still be faster than bookings made via the Pelago website or mobile app, where miles are credited within seven days of completion.

As to why this change is happening, I hope I don’t need to spell it out for you. It’s quite obvious that instant crediting was ripe for abuse, with people booking refundable activities, getting the miles upfront, redeeming them and then cancelling their bookings.

While Kris+ would of course attempt to claw back the miles in such cases, there’s only so much it can do if people create single-use burner accounts with nothing else inside. 

Unfortunately, abuse like this is why we can’t have nice things. Instant crediting was a great way to quickly top up a KrisFlyer account for an award redemption—or even to get an “advance” from Kris+. You could book an activity today, redeem the miles immediately, earn the miles elsewhere, then cancel the activity later and let Kris+ claw back the miles from your balance (and I see nothing wrong with this, so long as you did indeed keep a balance to pay back Kris+).

How do Kris+ bookings differ from the website or mobile app?

With the change in crediting policy, here’s a summary of the differences between booking Pelago activities via Kris+, versus the mobile app or website.

  Kris+ Website or mobile app
Earn Rate 6 mpd# 3 mpd
Maximum Per Booking None^ 50,000 miles
Miles Credited 1 day after activity completion 7 days after activity completion
Promo Codes No Yes*
HeyMax / ShopBack No Yes (website)
#This is a promotional rate that changes every month
^The maximum payment that can be made via Kris+ is capped at S$20,000 per day
*Promo codes cannot be stacked with HeyMax or ShopBack. Using a promo code will result in your Max Miles or cashback failing to track

While Kris+ generally offers higher earn rates than the website or mobile app, the catch is that you cannot use any promo codes. For example, if you have a Singapore Airlines PNR, you won’t be able to enjoy the 10% discount offered to passengers.

Moreover, you will not be able to stack HeyMax or ShopBack miles/cashback with Kris+. These portals can only be used in conjunction with the Pelago website.

Therefore, you’ll need to do your sums and figure out which booking channel is more worth it.

Remember to transfer your miles!

If you’re making Pelago bookings through Kris+, don’t forget to transfer any KrisPay miles earned to KrisFlyer within 21 days of the transaction, in full.

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 relatively poor rate of 100 miles = S$1.

A big “Transfer to KrisFlyer” button appears after every transaction, so there’s no excuse! Alternatively, you can activate the new Kris+ auto-transfer feature, which ensures that any miles earned are automatically transferred to your KrisFlyer account.

This is especially important with the new delayed crediting arrangement, as it’s easy to forget about the miles. 

Conclusion

From 1 August 2025, Kris+ will no longer offer instant miles crediting for Pelago bookings. Instead, customers will only receive their miles one day after the activity is completed. It’s an unfortunate development, though perhaps unsurprising given the potential for abuse. 

Thankfully, there are still other quick or instant ways of topping up a KrisFlyer account, which I’ve highlighted in the article below.

Instant and quick ways to top-up a KrisFlyer miles balance

Extended: Citi Rewards Card 16,000 miles sign-up offer

12

In August 2022, Citibank boosted the welcome offer for its popular Citi Rewards Card to 40,000 bonus ThankYou points (16,000 miles) with a minimum spend of just S$800

Since then, the offer has been renewed every few months, and it’s now been extended once again—this time until 28 February 2026. Keeping the same welcome offer in place for over 3.5 years is remarkable indeed!

Apply here

The Citi Rewards Card is a key part of my overall credit card strategy, and if you don’t have one yet, this is a great time to hop onboard.

Citi Rewards 16,000 miles sign-up offer

Apply
T&Cs

New-to-bank customers who apply for a Citi Rewards Card by 28 February 2026 will receive 40,000 ThankYou points (equivalent to 16,000 miles) when they:

  • Apply online for a Citi Rewards Card
  • Get approved within 30 days from application
  • Make a qualifying spend of at least S$800 within the first 2 months of approval

The first year’s annual fee is waived. 

New-to-bank Definition

 New-to-bank customers are defined as those who:

  • do not currently hold a principal Citi card, and
  • have not cancelled a principal Citi card in the 12 month period before application

Debit cards, supplementary cards and corporate cards do not count. 

These bonus points are on top of the regular base earn rate, and the best way to maximise this is to clock the entire S$800 spend on the Citi Rewards Card’s 10X (4 mpd) categories. 

❓ What are 10X categories?

The Citi Rewards Card will earn 10X points (equivalent to 4 mpd) on the following categories of spend:

  • all spending at online merchants (excluding travel and mobile wallet), and
  • offline spending at merchants with the following MCCs:
    • MCC 5311: Department Stores
    • MCC 5611: Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Accessories Stores
    • MCC 5621: Women’s Ready to Wear Store
    • MCC 5631: Women’s Accessory and Specialty Stores
    • MCC 5641: Children’s and Infant’s Wear Stores
    • MCC 5651: Family Clothing Stores
    • MCC 5655: Sports and Riding Apparel Stores
    • MCC 5661: Shoe Stores
    • MCC 5691: Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores
    • MCC 5699: Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops
    • MCC 5948: Luggage and Leather Good Stores

For example, if you clock the S$800 minimum spend entirely on 10X categories, you’ll receive a total of 48,000 ThankYou points (19,200 miles), broken down into:

  • 8,000 ThankYou points for spending S$800 online (@ 10 points/S$1)
  • 40,000 ThankYou points for meeting the minimum spend for the welcome offer

An easy way of doing this is to pair your Citi Rewards with the Amaze Card. Amaze keeps the MCC the same, but converts all transactions into online spending.

The catch is that Amaze now charges a 1% fee (min. S$0.50) on all SGD-denominated spend, ever since 10 March 2025. The table below illustrates how the fee affects your cost per mile.

💳 1% Fee and 4 mpd
Trxn (S$) Fee (S$) Fee (%) CPM
S$3 S$0.50 16.7% 4.17¢
S$5 S$0.50 10% 2.50¢
S$10 S$0.50 5% 1.25¢
S$20 S$0.50 2.5% 0.63¢
S$30 S$0.50 1.7% 0.42¢
S$40 S$0.50 1.3% 0.31¢
S$50  S$0.50 1% 0.25¢

Mind you, the actual figure is higher once the opportunity cost is factored in. For example, if you could have spent the same amount on a 1.4 mpd card with no fees, then the Amaze x Citi Rewards pairing is really giving you an incremental 2.6 mpd, not 4 mpd.

Only you can decide whether the fee is worth it, but otherwise FCY spending with the Amaze Card remains free of fees. 

Should you still pair the Amaze Card with Citi Rewards?

What counts as qualifying spend?

Successful applicants must spend at least S$800 within the first two months of approval, otherwise known as the qualifying period.

The qualifying period for meeting the minimum spend runs from the approval date and two full calendar months following that. For example, those approved on 1 March 2025 will have until 31 May 2025 to meet the minimum spend.

In other words, you actually have 2-3 months to hit the minimum spend, and should apply as early in the month as possible to stretch that period.

Qualifying spend excludes the following:

❌ Qualifying Spend Exclusions
(i) any Equal Payment Plan (EPP) purchases,
(ii) refunded/disputed/unauthorised/fraudulent retail purchases,
(iii) Quick Cash and other instalment loans,
(iv) Citi PayLite/Citi Flexibill/cash advance/quasi-cash transactions/balance transfers/annual card membership fees/interest/goods and services taxes,
(v) bill payments made using the Eligible Card as a source of funds,
(vi) late payment fees and
(vii) any other form of service/ miscellaneous fees
(vii) Citi PayAll transactions where the customer is not charged the Citi PayAll service fee

For the avoidance of doubt, Citi PayAll transactions will count towards qualifying spend, but only if the admin fee is paid. Prior to 2 May 2023, even no-fee payments would count as qualifying spend!

Citi PayAll currently supports the following payments:

💰 Citi PayAll: Supported Payments
  • Education Fees
  • Taxes
  • Rent
  • Insurance Premiums
  • Renovation Fees
  • Property Agent Fees
  • Wedding Expenses
  • Condo Management Fees
  • Child Care Services
  • Domestic Helper Service Fees
  • Donation or Charity Payment
  • Electricity Bills
  • Event Management Fees
  • Membership Fees
  • Maintenance Fees
  • Medical Services
  • Payment for Retail Goods and Services
  • Parking
  • Professional Services Fees
  • Storage
  • Travel Expenses
  • Transport Fees
  • Utilities

I recently clarified with Citibank that transactions such as insurance premiums, charitable donations and GrabPay top-ups will count towards qualifying spend, even though they’re ineligible to earn base points.

Of course, there’s very little reason to spend on these categories, when Amaze makes it so easy to meet the minimum spend and earn 10X points in the process!

When will the miles be credited?

The 40,000 ThankYou points will be credited within three calendar months from the end of the minimum spend period.

What can you do with ThankYou points?

Citi ThankYou points are extremely flexible, with 11 different transfer partners to choose from. This includes some programmes with good sweet spots, such as EVA Air Infinity MileageLands and Flying Blue. 

Partner Transfer Ratio
(ThankYou Points: Miles)
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000
25,000:10,000

Transfers cost a flat S$27.25, regardless of the number of points converted.  Citibank does not pool points across cards, so if you have both a Citi Prestige and Citi Rewards, you’ll need to pay two conversion fees. 

Citi ThankYou points earned on the Citi Rewards Card are valid for up to five years. In practice, some points can be valid for as little as three months. It’s a bit confusing, but I’ve explained how it works in the article below. 

PSA: The Citi Rewards Card’s strange expiry policy

SingSaver alternative

If this offer isn’t to your liking, an alternative option is available for applications made via SingSaver (you cannot stack the Citi and SingSaver offers).

Apply
T&Cs

New-to-bank customers who apply via SingSaver and spend at least S$500 within 30 days of approval can pick one of the following gifts:

  • Dyson Airwrap Origin
  • S$450 Shopee voucher
  • Hinomi H1 Pro V2 Ergonomic Office Chair
  • S$400 cash

Be sure to follow the steps below:

  1. Apply through this link
  2. You will be directed to a SingSaver landing page. Enter your email address and click “confirm”
  3. Complete your application and take a screenshot of the Application Reference Number (for Citibank, it’s 12 alphanumeric characters)
  4. Fill in the SingSaver rewards form that will be sent to your email. It’s vital you fill in the form– no form, no reward.

Do note that the gifts above are accurate at the time of writing, but may change throughout the month. You’ll always see the latest gifts reflected on the landing page, and in the T&Cs. 

Overview: Citi Rewards Card

Apply
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a.  Points Validity Up to 5 Yrs.
Annual Fee S$196.20
(First Year Free)
Min.
Transfer
25,000 TY points
(10,000 miles)
FCY Fee 3.25% Transfer Fee S$27.25
Local Earn 0.4 mpd Points Pool? No
FCY Earn 0.4 mpd Lounge Access? No
Special Earn 4 mpd on online spend Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The Citi Rewards Card has a minimum income requirement of S$30,000 p.a., and a S$196.20 annual fee which is automatically waived for the first year.

Cardholders will earn 4 mpd on all online transactions, with the exception of travel and in-app mobile wallet payments.

Read a full review of the Citi Rewards Card below.

Review: Citi Rewards Credit Card

Conclusion

Citibank has once again extended its sign-up bonus for the Citi Rewards Card, which offers 16,000 bonus miles with a minimum spend of S$800. No annual fee is necessary, and if the minimum spend is clocked on eligible 10X categories, a total return of 19,200 miles can be earned.

Remember to submit your application by 28 February 2026 if you’re interested.

AMEX Platinum Charge cuts welcome offer to 80,000 bonus MR points

7

American Express has launched a new welcome offer for the AMEX Platinum Charge, valid for applications approved by 30 September 2025. 

Unfortunately, it’s the weakest offer we’ve seen in a long time. Not only has the bonus been cut significantly, American Express has also added a distinction between new and existing AMEX cardholders.

While both groups previously enjoyed the same welcome offer, new AMEX customers will now receive 80,000 Membership Rewards (MR) points, and existing AMEX customers will get only 45,000 MR points.

That’s not all. American Express has also tightened its eligibility criteria, excluding supplementary cardholders from the new-to-AMEX bonus, as well as anyone who has recently cancelled any principal or supplementary card.

AMEX Platinum Charge offering up to 80,000 bonus MR points

AMEX Platinum Charge
Apply
  New  Existing
Annual Fee S$1,744
(must be paid)
S$1,744
(must be paid)
Spend S$8,000
S$3,000
Spend Period 90 days 90 days
Base Points 10,000 MR points
(6,250 miles)
3,750 MR points
(2,344 miles)
Bonus Points 80,000 MR points
(50,000 miles)
45,000 MR points
(28,125 miles)
Total Points 90,000 MR points
(56,250 miles)
48,750 MR points
(30,469 miles)

New-to-AMEX customers

⚠️ Eligibility criteria
  • You do not hold an existing basic or supplementary consumer Card from American Express
  • You do not previously hold a basic or supplementary consumer Card from American Express that was terminated or otherwise cancelled in the last twelve (12) months prior to the application

New-to-AMEX customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval by 30 September 2025 will earn 80,000 bonus MR points (50,000 miles) when they spend S$8,000 within the first 90 days of approval. 

This bonus is on top of the regular 10,000 MR points (6,250 miles) earned from spending S$8,000.

Existing AMEX customers

⚠️ Eligibility criteria
  • You do not previously hold a basic or supplementary consumer Card from American Express that was terminated or otherwise cancelled in the last twelve (12) months prior to the application
Note: When first published on 31 July 2025, this clause readYou do not previously hold a basic or supplementary consumer Card from American Express that was terminated or otherwise cancelled in the last twelve (12) months prior to the application”

Existing AMEX customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval by 30 September 2025 will earn 45,000 bonus MR points (28,125 miles) when they spend S$3,000 within the first 90 days of approval.

This bonus is on top of the regular 3,750 MR points (2,344 miles) earned from spending S$3,000.

Eligibility criteria has been tightened

With this latest welcome offer, American Express has drastically tightened its eligibility criteria.

Previously, new-to-AMEX customers were defined as anyone who did not currently hold a principal AMEX consumer card. There was no “timeout period”, so in theory, you could cancel your last remaining AMEX card today, and apply for a new AMEX card tomorrow as a new-to-AMEX customer (the only restriction was that you couldn’t apply for the very same card you just cancelled for a 12 or 24 month period).

Now, American Express is saying that even a supplementary AMEX consumer card will disqualify you, and that is a very unwelcome development indeed (UOB tried it some time back, and thank goodness it didn’t stick). In addition to this, applicants must not have cancelled any principal or supplementary AMEX consumer card in the past 12 months.

What counts as qualifying spend?

A minimum qualifying spend of S$3,000 or S$8,000 must be made within 90 calendar days of approval.

Qualifying spend refers to all online and offline retail purchases, whether in Singapore dollars or foreign currency, excluding the following transactions:

❌ Qualifying Spend Exclusions

a) Charges processed and billed prior to the Enrolment Date or charges prepaid on any Card Account prior to the first billing statement for that Card Account following the Enrolment Date;
b) Cash Advances and other cash services;
c) Express Cash;
d) American Express Travellers Cheque purchases;
e) Charges for dishonoured cheques;
f) Finance charges – including Line of Credit Charges and Credit Card interest charges;
g) Late payment and collection charges;
h) Tax refunds from overseas purchases;
i) Balance transfer;
j) Instalment plans;
k) Annual Card fees and Membership Rewards fees;
l) Pay portion billed for a “Pay + Points” rewards, where the Card Member uses points along with paying a specific amount to redeem the reward;
m) Amount billed for purchase of Membership Rewards points to top-up your points balance;
n) Bill payments and all transactions via SingPost (e.g. SAM kiosks, mobile app, online portal);
o) Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channel);
p) Payments to Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (SPC) service stations;
q) Payments for public transit in Singapore, including transactions on public trains and buses, and all transactions bearing the merchant description “BUS/MRT” (with effect from 15 May 2025);
r) Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups;
s) Payments to utilities merchants (with effect from 12 February 2021);
t) Payments to public/restructured hospitals, polyclinics and other public/restructured healthcare institutions and facilities (with effect from 1 October 2022);
u) Transactions relating to education and other non-profit purposes (including charitable donations) (with effect from 1 October 2023*);
v) Charges at merchants or establishments that are excluded by American Express at its sole discretion and notified by American Express to you from time to time.

*Except AMEX Platinum Charge and AMEX Centurion Card

For the avoidance of doubt, CardUp, private and non-profit hospital bills, charitable donations, education, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. While American Express added charitable donations and education to its exclusions list on 1 October 2023, an exception was carved out for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

However, if you plan to use CardUp to meet the minimum spend, do note that there are certain restrictions on the type of payments that can be made with an AMEX card.

Spending by both principal and supplementary cardholders will be combined when determining whether the minimum spend threshold has been met. 

When will bonus MR points be credited?

Bonus MR points will be awarded within 12 weeks of meeting the minimum spend threshold.

Any questions about the crediting of bonus points should be directed to American Express.

Terms & Conditions

How does this compare to previous offers?

For the sake of comparison, here’s a summary of the recent welcome offers we’ve seen for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

New customers

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(New-to-AMEX)

Date Min. Spend Bonus MR Points & Gifts
Current S$8,000 80,000
29 May to 30 Jul 25
S$4,000 95,000 + FCY spend bonus
S$8,000 150,000 + S$50
17 Feb to 28 May 25 S$8,000 150,000 + S$100
3 Dec 24 to 16 Feb 25 S$8,000 88,000 + 2x Samsonite luggage or S$800 + 2x Samsonite luggage
1 Oct to 2 Dec 24 S$8,000 88,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900
6-30 Sep 24 S$8,000 131,000 + S$100 eCV
24 Jul – 5 Sep 24 S$8,000 131,000
1-23 Jul 24 S$8,000 93,000
30 May-30 Jun 24 S$6,000 132,500
9-29 May 24 S$6,000 127,500 + S$350 voucher or Samsonite luggage
1 Apr-8 May 24 S$10,000 137,500
1-31 Mar 24 S$6,000 127,500 + RC stay
29 Jan – 28 Feb 24 S$6,000 132,500 + S$200 voucher
27 Sep 23- 28 Jan 24 S$6,000 132,500
12-26 Sep 23 S$8,000 60,000 + Samsonite luggage
5-11 Sep 23 S$10,000 100,000
Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details

Existing customers

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(Existing AMEX customer)

Date Min. Spend Bonus MR Points & Gifts
Current S$3,000 45,000
29 May to 30 Jul 25 S$4,000 95,000 + FCY spend bonus
S$8,000 150,000 + S$50
17 Feb to 28 May 25 S$8,000 150,000 + S$100
3 Dec 24 to 16 Feb 25 S$8,000 88,000 + 2x Samsonite luggage or S$800 + 2x Samsonite luggage
1 Oct to 2 Dec 24 S$8,000 88,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900
6-30 Sep 24 S$8,000 120,000 + S$100 eCV
24 Jul – 5 Sep 24 S$8,000 120,000
1-23 Jul 24 S$8,000 93,000
30 May-30 Jun 24 S$6,000 85,000
5 Apr-29 May 24 S$6,000 127,500
29 Feb – 4 Apr 24 S$6,000 80,000
29 Jan – 28 Feb 24 S$6,000 85,000
12-26 Sep 23 S$8,000 60,000
5-11 Sep 23 S$8,000 60,000
Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details

What can you do with Membership Rewards points?

AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can convert MR points to airline miles or hotel points at the following rates:

💳 Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Frequent Flyer Programme Conversion Ratio
(AMEX: Partner)
400:250
asia miles logo 400:250
british airways logo 400:250
evaair logo 400:250
400:250
Temporarily unavailable
enrich logo 400:250
qantas logo 400:250
thai airways logo 400:250
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,250

Do note that AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders receive a preferential conversion rate of 400 points = 250 airline miles, compared to regular cardholders who get 450 points = 250 airline miles.

Membership Rewards points do not expire, and all conversions are free of charge.

AMEX Platinum Charge: Key benefits

AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders enjoy S$1,354 of annual statement credits, plus free hotel stays, dining vouchers, airport lounge access and more

AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can enjoy benefits such as:

The S$1,354 of statement credits are split into:

  • S$150 fashion credits at Mr Porter and NET-A-PORTER
  • S$200 dining credits at participating local restaurants
  • S$200 dining credits at participating overseas restaurants
  • S$400 lifestyle credits at participating retail partners
  • S$204 entertainment credits for news or music streaming services (disbursed as S$17 per month)
  • S$200 airline credits for Singapore Airlines or Scoot

It’s important to highlight that the statement credits are now disbursed on a half-yearly basis (e.g. S$100 local dining credits from Jan-Jun, and another S$100 from Jul-Dec), which makes them harder to fully utilise. I’d strongly encourage you to read this article in detail to understand the implications. 

Also, note that the first supplementary cardholder no longer receives unlimited Priority Pass visits. Instead, their entitlement has been cut to just eight per year, effective 13 February 2025.

Conclusion

AMEX Platinum Charge
Apply

The latest AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer is worth up to 80,000 bonus MR points, but American Express has dramatically narrowed the pool of eligible applicants with its new restrictions.

One particularly unwelcome one is that supplementary cardholders will now be excluded from the new-to-AMEX definition, and that sets a very bad precedent I hope other banks do not follow.

Given that the AMEX Platinum Charge is a significant investment, snagging a generous welcome offer was always key to making it worthwhile. Under the current conditions, I’d say it’d be quite hard to justify getting onboard now.