Compare the Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Singapore 2023

Compare the best credit card for air miles to see which one benefits you the most based on your spending habits. Read More
We found 23 Credit Cards for you!
HSBC logo
Online Promo
Instant Rewards Redemption
on Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 miles
on Foreign Currency Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Exclusive launch welcome gift till 31 Aug 2023. T&Cs apply
Receive 20,000 Miles (awarded in the form of 50,000 Reward Points)
Online Promo:
Receive up to 20,000 Miles (in the form of 50,000 Rewards Points) when you successfully apply for the HSBC TravelOne Card, pay the Card Annual Fee of S$194.40 (including GST), and spend a min. of S$800 in qualifying transactions! T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 Aug 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
Standard Chartered logo
Online Promo
Up to 45K Miles Welcome Offer
for every S$1 spend on Transportation, Food Delivery & Online Grocery merchants. Capped at 3,000 Miles in a statement cycle
S$1 = 3 Miles
for all Eligible Foreign Spends
S$1 = 2 Miles
for all Eligible Local Spends
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Online Promo:
Earn up to 45,000 miles when you sign up for the Journey Credit Card. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Sep 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
American Express logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Convenience & Perks for Frequent Flyers
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
on Eligible Grab transaction, capped at $200 per month
S$1 = 3.2 Miles
Get up to 21,500 worth of KrisFlyer Miles (worth a return trip to Bali or 1-way trip to Perth/Darwin via Singapore Airlines) from Amex when you apply. Min. spends of S$1,000 within first month of card approval and payable annual fee required. T&Cs Apply.
Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Promotion ends in
Apply Now
HSBC logo
Online Promo
Earn Points for Everyday Spending
on Online Spend and Contactless Payments
S$1= 10X Points
on All Other Spend
S$1= 1X Point
Rewards to Miles Conversion for Selected Airline Partners
1 Point = 4 Miles
Online Promo:
Receive Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale (worth SGD670) or SGD150 cashback for new HSBC cardmembers. Existing HSBC cardmembers receive $50 cashback. Min. spends of S$1,000 upon card approval required. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 Aug 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
UOB logo
Online Promo
Earn Miles on Everyday Spending | FLASH DEAL
on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot and KrisShop
S$1 = 3 Miles
on dining, food delivery, online shopping and travel, and transport spend
S$1 = 3 Miles
on all other spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Online Promo:
Get up to 31,000 Miles plus first year annual fee of S$194.40 (inc GST) waived when you successfully apply for a UOB personal KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card and spend a min. of S$2,000 within 60 days from card approval date on their new KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. T&Cs apply. 
Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
DBS logo
Online Promo
Miles or Cashback – you decide
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.5 miles or 1.5% cashback
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.2 miles or 2.2% cashback
when you pay the Card's Annual Fee
25,000 Bonus Miles
Online Promo:
[FLASH SALE]
For a limited time only till 06 June 2023, get up to 80,000 Miles when you sign up with promo code FLASHVTG and make a min. spend of S$5,000 within 30 days of card approval and payable annual fee required. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 06 Jun 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
DBS logo
Online Promo
Earn Miles That Never Expire
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Staycation bookings
S$1 = 10 Miles
Online Promo:
Welcome Gift: Get S$150 Cashback when you apply with promo code 150CASH and make the min. spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Jun 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
OCBC logo
Earn Miles That Don't Expire
on Agoda accommodations worldwide
S$1 = Up to 7 Miles
on Foreign Currency spend
S$1 = 2.1 Miles
on Local spend
S$1 = 1.3 Miles
Apply Now
OCBC logo
on Agoda accommodations worldwide
S$1 = Up to 7 Miles
on Foreign Currency Spend
S$1 = 2.1 Miles
on Locan Spend
S$1 = 1.3 Miles
Apply Now
Citibank logo
$1 = Up to 4 Miles (Limited Time Only)
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
All Foreign Currency Spend including Retail and Online (Limited Time Only*)
S$1 = up to 4 Miles*
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = Up to 10 Miles
Apply Now
UOB logo
Online Promo
FLASH DEAL
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
Online Promo:
Get up to 50,000 miles when you successfully apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 on their new UOB PRVI credit card for 2 consecutive months from card approval date, payable first-year annual fee and SMS registration required. Receive an additional 4,800 miles with min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
HSBC logo
Local Spend
S$1 = Up to 1.25 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = Up to 2.25 Miles
Welcome Gift
35,000 Miles
Apply Now
DBS logo
Online Promo
N/A
N/A
N/A
Online Promo:
Welcome Gift: Get S$150 Cashback when you apply with promo code 150CASH and make the min. spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Jun 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
UOB logo
Online Promo
FLASH DEAL
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
Online Promo:
Get up to 50,000 miles when you successfully apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 on their new UOB PRVI credit card for 2 consecutive months from card approval date, payable first-year annual fee and SMS registration required. Receive an additional 4,800 miles with min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
UOB logo
Online Promo
High Miles Earn Rate | FLASH DEAL
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
Online Promo:
Get up to 50,000 miles when you successfully apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 on their new UOB PRVI credit card for 2 consecutive months from card approval date, payable first-year annual fee and SMS registration required. Receive an additional 4,800 miles with min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
Maybank logo
on Dining, Petrol, Taxi and Hotel Bookings at Agoda
S$1 = 3.2 Miles
on Air Tickets, Travel Packages and Foreign Currency Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Rewards to Miles Conversion for Selected Airline Partners
1 Point = 0.4 miles
Apply Now
American Express logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Upsized Rewards Points (Limited Period Only)
for every S$1.60 spent with Singapore Airlines and Scoot
Earn 5 Membership Rewards® Points
Rewards to Miles Conversion for Singapore Airlines and more
1 Point = 0.625 Miles
on Membership Rewards® Points
No Expiry Date

[FLASH DEAL]
Apply and pay the annual fee to receive S$300 worth of Adeva e-Vouchers applicable at participating Adeva Spa outlets in Singapore!

PLUS get up to 113,750 worth of Membership Rewards® points (equivalent to a 1-way Suites/ First Class trip to Maldives via Singapore Airlines) from Amex when you apply, spend a min. of S$15,000 within first 3 months of card approval and pay the  annual fee. T&Cs Apply.

Valid until 31 May 2023 - See more details below
Promotion ends in
Apply Now
DBS logo
Online Promo
Earn Miles That Never Expire
Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Staycation bookings
S$1 = 10 Miles
Online Promo:
Welcome Gift: Get S$150 Cashback when you apply with promo code 150CASH and make the min. spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Jun 2023 - See more details below
Apply Now
Bank of China logo
Local Spend
S$1 = 1 Mile
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Rewards to Miles Conversion
1 Point = 0.33 Miles
Read More
UOB logo
FLASH DEAL
on Selected Categories
S$1 = 6 Air Miles
Capped per calendar month
2,800 UNI$ (or $1,000 spent)
Min. Spend
0
Apply Now

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Best Air Miles Credit Cards 2023

Whether you’re an avid globetrotter, adventurous explorer, business traveller or occasional tourist, you’ll be tempted to peek at MoneySmart's curated list of best air miles credit cards in Singapore and pick the most suitable credit card for your needs as a traveller.

We’re here to give you a hand at comparing a wide range of air miles credit cards in Singapore in terms of miles earn rate, lifespan of active miles accumulated, flexibility to redeem miles for other rewards, frequent flyer programme benefits, and more.

We have also compiled a short guide on the best overseas spending and air miles credit cards for you to choose the ones that suit your travel needs best. Now, let’s take a look at the best credit cards for air miles in Singapore, plus some useful tips on how they work so you can pick the right card.

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Which is the Best Credit Card For Air Miles in Singapore?

This really depends on how much is your annual income, your monthly expenditure, what makes up the bulk of your expenditure, what are the ideal earn rates that can give you the best value, annual fees, conversion fees, lifespan of your earned miles, and many other factors. Competition is stiff in the area of miles credit cards, and it can be mind-boggling to sift through them all. Since miles credit cards don’t always offer waivers off their annual fees, it is worth knowing what you’re signing up for.

Best ForEarn RateAnnual Fee
Miles that don’t expire: Citi PremierMiles Card

2 miles for every $1 spent on foreign currency spending

1.2 miles for every $1 spent locally

$194.40
Miles that don’t expire: DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card

3 miles for every $1 spent on online flight and hotel transactions

2 miles for every $1 spent overseas

1.2 miles for every $1 spent locally

$194.40
Miles that don’t expire: OCBC 90°N Card

2.1 miles for every $1 spent on foreign currency spending

1.3 miles for every $1 spent locally

$154
KrisFlyer Miles for frequent flyers: Amex KrisFlyer Ascend Card

2 miles for every $1 spent on foreign currency spending

1.2 miles for every $1 spent locally

3.2 miles for every $1 spent on Grab locally (up to $200 per month)

$340.20
Everyday local spending: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card3 KrisFlyer miles for every $1 spent on dining, online shopping, online travel and transport (minimum $800 spent per year on Singapore Airlines-related transactions, including KrisShop)$194.40
Everyday local spending: Maybank Horizon Card

3.2 miles for every $1 spent on restaurant dining, petrol, public transport locally (minimum $300 spent per month)

2 miles for every $1 spent overseas on air tickets, travel packages and foreign currency transactions

$180
Highest mile per dollar spend ratio: UOB PRVI Miles Card

2.4 miles per $1 spent overseas

1.4 miles per $1 spend locally

6 miles per $1 spent on Agoda, Expedia and UOB Travel

$259.20

Travelling soon? Get covered with travel insurance starting as low as $17!

What Is An Air Miles Credit Card?

Before you jump into things and start signing up for any air miles credit cards, you’ve got to know what an air miles credit card is. Miles credit cards, sometimes known as air miles credit cards or frequent flyer credit cards, allow you to accumulate frequent flyer miles with purchases made on your cards, such as online shopping, travel and even transport like Grab. You can then put these towards your next holiday’s airfare.

It’s no surprise that credit cards with air miles are one of the most popular types of cards. Who wouldn’t want to earn flights to Hokkaido while buying rice and diapers at Income? Of course, air miles do take significant spending to accumulate, so don’t expect to get round-the-world tickets with a few miserly transactions.

3 Tips To Use Air Miles Credit Cards Effectively

Earn miles via your day-to-day expenses

One of the fastest and easiest ways to earn miles with your air miles credit card is to spend locally on your daily dining and transport costs like Grab rides, deliveries and petrol.

Utilise your air miles for travel accommodations

Accommodation is among the top expenses for many of us when we travel overseas, So by using our accumulated credit card miles to book hotels or serviced apartments, we can offset some of our travel costs.

For example, KrisFlyer Vroom enables customers to book hotels and car rentals by redeeming KrisFlyer miles and similarly, Expedia allows you to redeem frequent flyer miles for your hotel bookings via their platform too.

Pick better deals on either the airline’s or a third-party site

Usually airline miles and points can only be redeemed for flight tickets booked directly through your selected airline’s website. At times, any better promotions offered by third-party sites, such as Expedia or Agoda may be missed out.

So, it’ll be wise to compare promotions on a third-party site with the amount of points or miles required if you book directly with your preferred airline, then select the option that provides the most value for you and your travel companion.

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How Much Is 1000 KrisFlyer Miles Worth?

The value of 1000 KrisFlyer miles will differ for different destinations as per SIA's redemption chart, so naturally, the average value of a mile if you were to redeem a Saver Award return ticket will differ according to the destination you pick.;

Let's use an example to illustrate: If you're planning to go to Bangkok, Thailand for a short 4D3N holiday, the cheapest Singapore return Economy flight to Bangkok (as of SIA's available flight bookings on their website on 29 March 2023) will be about S$378.40.

So we'll take the base fare (exclusive of airport/government taxes) of $378.40 and divide it by 27,000 miles (calculated with SIA's online Miles calculator) which is the number of miles required to redeem the same flight.

Value per KrisFlyer mile for a Bangkok Economy round-trip ticket:

$378.40/27,000 = $0.014 (rounded off to 2 decimal places)

*Promotional deals for air fares and mileage redemption might vary from time to time which might result in different value for a KrisFlyer mile with the same calculation method.

Thus, the result is 1.40 cents for 1000 miles per mile if we were to make a redemption for a return Economy flight to Bangkok. Note that $378.40 is the cheapest promotional base fare (Economy Lite) listed under Singapore Airlines flight deals while 27,000 miles is the required number of miles for a Saver Award redemption.

Pros & Cons of an Air Miles Credit Card

Pros

  • Earn miles on everyday spending
  • Complimentary seat selection
  • Flexibility in redemption
  • Priority boarding and check-in
  • Additional baggage allowance
  • Booking flexibility waiver
  • Perks through reward points or cashback
  • Express upgrade of exclusive airline class

Cons

  • Can only be redeemed for flights
  • No cashback or limited cashback benefit
  • Limited airline choices
  • Annual fees
  • Conversion fees

Best Credit Cards For Air Miles vs Cashback vs Rewards

As you compare the various kinds of credit cards that offer air miles, cashback and reward points, you may start thinking which is the best for you. Should you spend more using your air miles credit card or cashback credit card or rewards points credit card to convert your points to air miles?

To make things easier to understand, let’s break it down in simpler terms. ashback cards are pretty straight forward – you earn some cashback when you use your credit card to pay your bills, such as telco, medical and utilities bills. Air miles cards reward travel-related spending, while rewards cards reward general local spending e.g. shopping and dining.

Rewards credit cards that are worth getting often give you high bonus points for the latter, making it possible to earn air miles more quickly – for example, $1 = 4 miles on your online shopping spending, but there are usually caps on these. So, the best card (or combination of cards) really depends on your spending habits.

Air Miles

Miles Credit Cards

  1. Citi PremierMiles Card: Use for online hotel bookings and petrol
  2. UOB PRVI Miles Card: Use for general local spending, online flight and hotel bookings
  3. DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card: Use for staycation bookings and overseas spending

Cashback

Cashback Credit Cards

  1. Citi Cash Back Card: Use for grocery shopping, dining and petrol
  2. UOB One Card: Use for shopping at Cold Storage, Giant, 7-Eleven, Guardian and other Dairy Farm merchants, online shopping via Grab, pumping petrol at SPC and Shell
  3. Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card: Use for fast food dining, coffee and toast, digital subscriptions and public transport

Reward Points

Reward Points Credit Cards

  1. Citibank Rewards Card: Use for online retail and grocery shopping to earn extra miles
  2. Standard Chartered Rewards+ Credit Card: Use for online shopping and overseas spending
  3. DBS Woman’s World Card: Use to redeem Apple products, shopping vouchers, and for online hotel and staycation bookings with Agoda and Klook

Is It Worth To Get A Miles Card?

Depending on how often you travel and your spending habits and lifestyle, it’ll determine if it’s really worth getting a miles card.

Frequency of flying

For those who travel frequently, it is definitely worth it because you’ll be able to take advantage of the airline miles, hotel points and flexible rewards system offered by your air miles card to redeem for travel-related expenses.

Level of spending

Flying frequently goes hand-in-hand with spending more frequently as well, because if you fly frequently, you’ll naturally spend more. The more you spend with your air miles credit card, the more miles you can accumulate or be rewarded with.

However, if you’re looking for more straightforward and easy-to-redeem rewards that have greater long-term value, then perhaps a cashback credit card may be more suitable for you.

Ways To Earn Air Miles

Pick a card with the most welcome bonus air miles

One of the quickest ways to earn miles is to get an air miles card that offers you a generous amount of air miles for signing up, spending a minimum amount, or paying the annual fee.

Some of the more attractive offers with the highest welcome bonus air miles include those by Citi PremierMiles, DBS Altitude Card, and Amex KrisFlyer Ascend which offer up to 45,000 miles, 38,000 miles and 21,000 miles respectively, each with a different minimum spend requirement.

Tap on the benefits of multiple air miles credit cards

Different cards have different benefits, i.e. some will offer you bonus air miles upon your annual fee payment like Standard Chartered Visa Infinite X Card (30,000 miles upon annual fee payment), while others offer sign-up bonus air miles like the ones mentioned above.

In order to maximise your credit card rewards, it is often a good choice to combine multiple credit cards with each card specialising in a particular spending type or card feature that best suits your lifestyle. Avoid pairing air miles credit cards with cashback credit cards since these reward types are incompatible.

Convert your Reward Points to air miles

On the other hand, reward points credit cards are more flexible as they can be used to either get cash rebates on specific merchants or have your reward points converted into miles to redeem free tech gadgets, shopping vouchers, hotel bookings, flight tickets or other perks.

Cards like the Amex Rewards Card offer 17,500 rewards points as long as you spend $5,000 in a calendar year, which you can convert to 17,500 miles on one of Amex’s many frequent flyer programmes, including KrisFlyer.

You can even use platforms like CardUp to split your payments over multiple cards to maximise your benefits so that you can gain reward points and air miles at the same time while using all of your cards.

Disclaimer: The above information are updated on 14 April 2023.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I get a miles credit card?

You should definitely get one if you travel a lot, whether for business or pleasure, as such credit cards are typically set up to reward frequent flyers, making it easy to rack up miles or points with overseas spending and (in some cases) spending with travel-related merchants and on airlines. However, note that air miles credit cards usually have higher income requirements, so it might not be a suitable entry-level card.

How do I earn a free air ticket as quickly as possible?

Base earn rates are typically rather low, so it does take a while to earn sufficient miles for a trip if you use it for small transactions like grocery shopping. For local spending, a large purchase would get you a lot closer to your next getaway. You can also rack up the miles a lot more quickly if you use your credit card while travelling, since many cards offer better earn rates for overseas transactions. Also, make full use of the bonus miles offered in tandem with partner merchants.

What’s the difference between KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, etc.?

The confusing thing about miles credit cards is that they use different programmes to let you accumulate points. There is no one universal air miles account, so banks often use their own proprietary point systems (like Citi Miles), which you will need to familiarize yourself with. Certain cards credit miles directly into an established frequent flyer programme like Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer, which eliminates the hassle of conversion.

Citi PremierMiles vs UOB PRVI Miles vs DBS Altitude: Which is best?

Finding the best air miles credit card is quite subjective. Why? Because it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you like access to airport lounges and miles that don’t expire, go for Citi PremierMiles. However, they don’t offer the best miles earning rate. Now, if you’re an overseas spender, you might want to consider UOB PRVI Miles because you can get 2.4 miles per dollar spent overseas. With DBS Altitude card, you get higher miles earning power than as Citi PremierMiles, as you can get 5 miles for travel-related expenses such hotel and flight bookings.

How to redeem KrisFlyer miles?

Before you can redeem KrisFlyer miles, you should sign up for KrisFlyer membership. Then, convert your reward points. Remember to take note of the expiry date, denominations, conversion fee and lead time. For the actual redemption, choose from Star Alliance airlines and SQ partner airlines. Take note, your flight won’t be 100% free. You need to shoulder taxes and miscellaneous charges.

Can miles be transferred between airlines?

You can only transfer miles between partner airlines. If you have Citi PremierMiles, your options are wider – KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas and others.

Do I need to pay any fees for my air miles credit card?

Most credit cards including airline-specific cards charge annual fees which are usually for the convenience of using the card to make your purchases as well the administrative costs of maintaining your credit card account. You often get a free credit card replacement if your card is lost or stolen, or if it’s damaged and you need a new one. All these costs add up and your annual fee is what goes into paying for them. Another fee to note is the conversion fee.

What are conversion fees for air miles credit cards?

Conversion fees are charges for converting the miles on your card into miles with a frequent flyer program. Several cards like Citi PremierMiles Card and UOB PRVI Miles Card have a conversion fee of $25 per conversion while other cards charge different rates. Most credit cards are linked to more than just one frequent flyer program, so you’ll get to pick from a wider range of countries to travel to.

Which credit cards offer miles with no expiry?

Some of the credit cards that offer miles with no expiry date include Citi PremierMiles Card, DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card, and OCBC 90°N Card.