IF YOU’RE GOING TO SPLURGE, MAKE THE MOST OF IT BY CHARGING YOUR PURCHASES TO YOUR CREDIT CARD IN RETURN FOR PERKS AND DISCOUNTS. HERE’S OUR LIST OF SINGAPORE’S TOP CARDS FOR YOUR NEEDS AND LIFESTYLE.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO SPLURGE, MAKE THE MOST OF IT BY CHARGING YOUR PURCHASES TO YOUR CREDIT CARD IN RETURN FOR PERKS AND DISCOUNTS. HERE’S OUR LIST OF SINGAPORE’S TOP CARDS FOR YOUR NEEDS AND LIFESTYLE.
AMERICAN EXPRESS TRUE CASHBACK
Why we love it:
• 3 percent cashback on anything you buy during the first six months
• No limit on the maximum rebate
• Wide variety of true cashback deals
If you need to buy something crazy expensive, this is the card you want. The “true cashback” refers to the fact that there’s no cashback limit, which is rare in the credit-card market. For the first six months after applying, you get an even higher cashback rate of 3 percent for a spend of up to $5,000 – the usual rate is 1.5 percent. So if you spend $5,000 on a piece of jewellery, this card gives you an effective discount of $150 via cashback, in addition to the usual reward points. (Again, this is within the first six months of applying. After that, the cashback would be around $75.) This card also comes with True Cashback deals, which change frequently – check http://promotions.americanexpress.com.sg for the latest offers. Examples include one-for-one breakfast sets at Starbucks, petrol discounts at SPC, and dining discounts.
CITI REWARDS CARD
Why we love it:
• A good reward rate
• Discount vouchers that still let you earn reward points
We consider clothes shopping a health-care expense – sometimes, retail therapy is the only thing stopping us from having a meltdown at work. Nearly all credit cards give you reward points you can redeem for goodies, but the Citi Rewards Card racks them up faster. The usual rate is 10x (that’s 10 Citi$ – which is what they call their reward points – or eight bonus miles) for every dollar charged on local and overseas shopping. Note that this is strictly for retail shopping (for other types of spending, like on petrol, you get one Citi$ for each dollar spent). In addition, applying for this card gets you discount vouchers offering up to 15 percent off at retailers such as Bread & Butter, Camper and True Religion. Get this: You’ll still receive your 10x reward points when using the vouchers.
DBS ALTITUDE
Why we love it:
• Fastest accumulation of bonus miles
• Get bonus miles as soon as you get your card
Designed for the frequent traveller, this card gives you three bonus miles for each dollar spent on online flight and hotel bookings. For retail spending, you will earn 1.2 miles for every dollar charged in Singapore, and two miles for every dollar of overseas spending. In addition, new customers get 8,000 bonus miles if they charge $1,000 a month to the card for the first two months after getting it (if you apply online). For the most accurate and updated details, it‘s best to check the air-mile award charts of your airline of choice, but just for reference, it takes about 32,500 bonus miles – which is around $20,000+ charged on the card – to score a business class ticket to Australia on Singapore Airlines.
STANDARD CHARTERED SINGPOST VISA PLATINUM
Why we love it:
• 7 percent cashback
• Discounts on shipping
• Refunds if you find the same item for less
This credit card gives you 7 percent cashback for all online purchases as long as you charge at least $600 to it each month, with a cashback limit of $60. If you’re having online purchases shipped to you, you also get 10 percent off Speedpost Priority Service packages, and 5 percent off Smartpac services (with a minimum purchase of three pieces). What’s best? The Online Price Guarantee by AXA Insurance Singapore gives you a refund of 50 percent of the price difference if you find a similar item for less within 30 days! The maximum refund is $250, and the price difference must be at least $50.
CIMB PLATINUM MASTERCARD
Why we love it:
• 10 percent rebate on health and beauty services, up to $60 a mont
• Currency exchange charges are waived if you get a treatment abroad
• Wide range of service providers
This card offers a 10 percent cash rebate on “travel, health, beauty and wellness-related spend”, which includes visits to doctors, dentists, opticians, chiropractors, hairdressers, and health and beauty spas. That’s a much broader range than offered by many other cards, which usually give extra points or rebates for a few specific brands. The rebate has a cap of $60, so it’s a good deal if you’re not spending more than $600 a month on these products and services. In addition, you must charge at least $500 to the card a month to get the rebate. All other expenses charged get a 0.2 percent rebate. This is unlimited and applies both locally and overseas. In addition, the 1.4 percent forex charge, if you need to pay in a foreign currency, is waived.
UOB LADY’S PLATINUM CARD
Why we love it:
• Redeem UNI$ for a huge range of discount vouchers
• Buy selected items at interest-free loan rates
This iconic ladies’ card sports a new design by fashion designer Vivienne Tam. Essentially a rewards card, it gives you 5x UNI$ for every $5 spent on taxi rides and shopping, and you can redeem the UNI$ for vouchers. For example, 1,630 UNI$ nets you a $20 voucher at 313@somerset, while 3,940 UNI$ gets you a $50 voucher at Takashimaya. You can access the UOB Lady’s Luxe Pay Plan to pay for large purchases ($500 or more) in six- or 12-month instalments with no interest or processing fees. Cardholders also enjoy free weekend parking with a minimum spend of $50 at selected Orchard Road malls.
AMERICAN EXPRESS TRUE CASHBACK
Why we love it:
• 1.5 percent rebate everywhere, on anything, at any time, no strings attached
• No maximum limit on rebates
• The world-famous concierge service that comes with your card
One of the rare cards that does not have a cashback limit. The 1.5 percent rebate applies everywhere – whether you’re booking a hotel in Berlin or paying a mechanic in Singapore. So if you spend $5,000 a month, you could get back $75 – enough to de-stress at a nice restaurant. Bonus fact: American Express’ legendary help desks are known for working miracles – from finding you an English-speaking doctor in Japan within the hour, to getting you an emergency flight home.
STANDARD CHARTERED VISA INFINITE
Why we love it:
• Accelerated miles accumulation
• Luxury travel perks • Discounts on Uber rides
• Access to traveller’s lounges in more than 850 airports
There are travellers, and then there are luxe travellers. If you’re horrified by the thought of anything less than a three-star hotel, the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite is the card for you. It has an accelerated miles accrual rate – three miles for each dollar spent abroad, or 1.4 miles a dollar spent locally (subject to a minimum spend of $2,000 a month). It gives you special rates on luxury travel too, such as yacht packages, and 10 percent off the hourly rate of a 10- or 12-seater private jet (hourly rates can be well in excess of $2,800 for midsized jets). You also get six complimentary Priority Passes a year for lounges in more than 850 airports. And we like the 10 percent rebate on Uber rides in nearly 400 cities, including Singapore.
AMERICAN EXPRESS PLATINUM CREDIT CARD
Why we love it:
• The hugest food discounts, some up to 50 percent
• Concierge service that can get you into almost any restaurant worldwide
For dining, this card is kind of like Tiger Woods at the height of his golfing prowess – there is no contest. It comes with Palate Dining Privileges, which give you 50 percent (yes, 50) off at selected restaurants like Argo, Buyan, and Dean & DeLuca. We could stop there, but cardholders also get The Far Card (classic membership), which usually costs about $425. This gives you a 50 percent discount at even more restaurants in hotels such as Fairmont Singapore, Swissotel the Stamford, and Swissotel Merchant Court. If you’re travelling, look for participating restaurants under the American Express Global Dining Program, which offers specials ranging from more discounts to free corkage. Also useful: the concierge service provided by American Express, which can get you reservations at impossibly snooty places. Try it out.
CIMB VISA INFINITE
Why we love it:
• Free travel insurance that saves you more than $100 on each trip
• Priority passes to relax in airport lounges
Travel insurance is a leading cause of stress if you’re not a patient woman. It’s already a nightmare to have to navigate and make claims, so you may as well minimise the premiums (as in make them free). When you charge your entire travel fare to this card, you will automatically get travel insurance (which could save you around $110, based on typical rates). As always, read the terms and conditions of each insurance policy. Cardholders also get Priority Pass Membership. This grants access to the VIP lounges in more than 700 airports, which should make the frequent flyers out there much happier.
MAYBANK WORLD MASTERCARD
Why we love it:
• Complimentary green fees at golf clubs
• Discount rates for your golfing companions
• Treats points (reward points) that never expire
With this card, you don’t need to fork out for a pricey golf club membership. From Feb 4 to Dec 31, 2016, principal cardholders can enjoy complimentary green fees at four Singapore golf clubs and 75 overseas clubs, if they charge at least $1,000 to this card in a month. In addition, the cardholder’s guests will receive 10 percent off the club’s walk-in rates. Separately, the rewards programme gives you 10x Treats points (or four bonus air miles) for every dollar spent at selected merchants. Treats points never expire, so you can accumulate them over a long time.
