Compare the Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Singapore 2022

Compare the best credit card for air miles to see which one benefits you the most based on your spending habits. Read More
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Citi PremierMiles Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
All Foreign Currency Spend including Retail and Online
S$1 = 2 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = Up to 10 Miles

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Valid until 31 Aug 2022 - See more details below
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American Express logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Convenience & Perks for Frequent Flyers

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.1 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Grab rides
S$1 = 3.1 Miles
Get up to 17,050 worth of KrisFlyer Miles (worth a return trip to Bali via Singapore Airlines) from Amex when you apply. Min. spends of S$500 upon card approval required. T&Cs Apply.
Valid until 31 Aug 2022 - See more details below
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American Express logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Convenience & Perks for Frequent Flyers

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Grab Rides
S$1 = 3.2 Miles
Get up to 27,100 worth of KrisFlyer Miles (worth a return trip to Bangkok via Singapore Airlines) from Amex when you apply. Min. spends of S$500 upon card approval and payable annual fee required. T&Cs Apply.
Valid until 31 Aug 2022 - See more details below
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UOB logo
Earn Miles on Everyday Spending

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

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
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HSBC logo
Online Promo
Earn Points for Everyday Spending

HSBC Revolution Credit Card

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:
Get Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale (worth SGD670) or SGD200 cashback for new HSBC cardmembers. Existing HSBC cardmembers receive $50 cashback. Min. spends of S$500 upon card approval required. T&Cs apply.

Supplementary Card Promo:
Get up to S$150 cash back (S$30 per supplementary card, up to maximum of 5 cards).
Valid until 31 Dec 2022 - See more details below
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DBS logo
Online Promo
Miles or Cashback – you decide

DBS Vantage Visa Infinite Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.5 miles or 1.5% cashback
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.2 miles or 2.2% cashback
Dining and Petrol Spend (capped at S$2,000 per calendar month till 31 Dec 2022)
S$1 = 4 miles or 4% cashback
Online Promo:
For a limited time only till 30 September 2022, get up to 60,000 miles when you sign up with promo code VANMILES and make a min. spend of S$8,000 within 60 days from Card Approval Date. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Sep 2022 - See more details below
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DBS logo
Earn Miles That Never Expire

DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Staycation bookings
S$1 = 10 Miles
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UOB logo

UOB PRVI MASTERCARD Miles Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
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HSBC logo
Online Promo

HSBC Visa Infinite Credit Card

Local Spend
S$1 = Up to 1.25 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = Up to 2.25 Miles
Welcome Gift
35,000 Miles
Online Promo:
Get 35,000 miles awarded as 87,500 HSBC Rewards points redeemable with over 40 airlines. T&Cs apply.

Supplementary Card Promo:
Get up to S$150 cash back (S$30 per supplementary card, up to maximum of 5 cards).
Valid until 31 Dec 2022 - See more details below
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DBS logo
Online Promo

DBS Woman's World Card

N/A
N/A
N/A
Online Promo:
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. Valid till 31 August 2022. T&Cs apply.

Valid until 31 Aug 2022 - See more details below
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UOB logo

UOB PRVI Miles American Express Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
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UOB logo
High Miles Earn Rate

UOB PRVI VISA Miles Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Selected Online Hotel and Flight bookings
S$1 = 6 Miles
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OCBC logo
Earn Miles That Don't Expire

OCBC 90°N Card

Cash Back on Eligible Spend
1.2%
on Overseas spend
S$1 = 2.1 Miles
on Local spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
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Maybank logo
Online Promo

Maybank Horizon Visa Signature

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
Online Promo:
Get Samsonite Harts 68/25 Spinner worth S$550 with Maybank Credit Cards and CreditAble^
Simply apply for a new Maybank Credit Card and CreditAble, and charge to your Credit Card and/or withdraw from your CreditAble Account a minimum of S$300 for each of the first two consecutive months upon approval. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 31 Aug 2022 - See more details below
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American Express logo

American Express The Platinum Card®

Rewards to Miles Conversion for Singapore Airlines and more
1 Point = 0.625 Miles
at Priority Pass, Centurion Lounge, and more
Complimentary Lounge Access
on Membership Rewards Points
No Expiry Date
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DBS logo
Earn Miles That Never Expire

DBS Altitude American Express Card

Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Staycation bookings
S$1 = 10 Miles
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Bank of China logo

BOC Elite Miles World Mastercard®

Local Spend
S$1 = 1 Mile
Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Rewards to Miles Conversion
1 Point = 0.33 Miles
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UOB logo

UOB Lady's Card

on All Categories
S$5 = 10X UNI$
on All Categories
S$1 = 4 Air Miles
Min. Spend
0
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Citibank logo
Shipping Rebates on Lazada

Citi Lazada Credit Card

on Lazada
10X Reward Points
on Dining, Travel, Entertainment & Commute
5X Reward Points
on Everything else, no cap
1X Reward Points
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Standard Chartered logo
Frequent Travellers

Standard Chartered X Card

on Local Spend
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
on Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Promotional Gift
30,000 Miles
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Disclaimer: At MoneySmart.sg, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific product’s site. All financial products and services are presented without warranty. Additionally, this site may be compensated through third party advertisers. However, the results of our comparison tools which are not marked as sponsored are always based on objective analysis first.

Best Air Miles Credit Cards 2022

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

$192.60
Miles that don’t expire: DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card

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

5 miles for every $1 spent overseas (at point of sale)

2 miles for online spending and 1.2 miles for every $1 spent locally

$192.60
Miles that don’t expire: OCBC 90°N Card

2 miles for every $1 spent on foreign currency spending

1 mile for every $1 spent locally

$193
KrisFlyer Miles for frequent flyers: Amex KrisFlyer Card

2 miles for every $1 spent on foreign currency spending

1.1 miles for every $1 spent locally

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

$176.55
Everyday local spending: UOB KrisFlyer Card3 KrisFlyer miles for every $1 spent on dining, online shopping, online travel and transport (minimum $500 spent per year on Singapore Airlines-related transactions, including KrisShop)$192.60
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

$257

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 NTUC? 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.

How to pick the best air miles card

When it comes to choosing the most suitable air miles card, the benefits that come with it have to suit your preference, spending habits and lifestyle needs. Here are a few things to look out for while you’re still contemplating which card to get.

Miles Earn Rate

Firstly, check that you are getting a good dollar-to-mile conversion rate on your miles credit card. Usually, banks offer a lower rate on local spending and a higher one for overseas or foreign currency spending, so bear that in mind. Some cards offer attractive bonus rates with partner merchants so you can rack up miles more quickly.

Miles Redemption Programmes

While some airline-specific cards will credit your earned miles directly into an established frequent flyer programme, certain miles credit cards award points in other types of “currency” such as DBS points or Citi Miles. Converting these points into an actual air ticket will take a longer time and may cost more.

Frequent flyer programme T&Cs

Always, always check the terms and conditions of any frequent flyer programme for any unsavory details the credit card issuer would rather you not know. These include when your miles will expire and whether there is a cap on the miles you can earn.

Annual fees

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. Many banks do offer waiver of your annual fee but you’ll need to call them up to make this request.

Conversion fees

There are often charges for converting the miles on your card into miles with a frequent flyer program and these are known as conversion fees. 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.

Lifespan of earned miles

Cards like Citi PremierMiles Card, DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card and OCBC 90°N Card offer earned miles that don’t expire, which is a benefit that is important given uncertain situations like the COVID-19 pandemic that made travelling impossible at times.

If your card requires you to accumulate and then convert miles, remember to check the expiry date so you can convert them as late as possible.

Try MoneySmart’s new KrisFlyer miles calculator

Use our new KrisFlyer miles redemption calculator and find out which destinations you can travel for free on a travel class of your choice!

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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

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 22 April 2022.

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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.