Best Credit Card for Telco Bills (Singtel, Starhub, M1 & SIM Only Data Plans)
Singaporeans own 2 to 3 screens on the average. Of course, a mobile smartphone is a must. That means that virtually everyone pays telco bills, either to Singtel, Starhub, M1 or the new MVNOs. But you can be smart (MoneySmart!) about it. Charging your recurring telco bills to a suitable credit card can generate anywhere between 1.5% and 8% worth of cashback.
Best Credit Cards for Paying Telco Bills (2024)
You're someone who doesn't want to blindly pay your telco bills month after month. You're thinking there must be a way to earn cashback or miles. You're right!
Check out these credit cards for paying telco bills
Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card Telco Bill Cashback
Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card
- Cashback from Netflix, Spotify, fast food joints and more. *T&Cs apply.
- 6%*
- Annual Fee
- S$0
- Minimum Spend
- S$0
Get a Sony LinkBuds S Earbuds (worth S$309) or a Lenovo Tab M10 Gen 3 (worth S$299.01) or up to S$230 Cash via PayNow when you apply and meet the relevant spend criteria! T&Cs apply.
HSBC Advance Credit Card Telco Bill Cashback
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HSBC Advance Credit Card
- Base Cashback
- 1.5%
- Cashback when you spend more than S$2,000
- 2.5%
- Bonus Cashback with HSBC Everyday+
- 1%
Get a Hinomi Q1 Ergonomic Chair (worth S$499) or a Samsung 27-inch Smart Monitor M5 (worth S$432) or an Apple AirPods 3rd Gen + S$50 Cash (worth S$313.80) or S$150 Cash via PayNow when you apply and spend a min. of S$500 from Card Account Opening Date to the end of the following calendar month. T&Cs apply.
For HSBC Advance Credit Card, you can get a maximum cashback of 3.5% if you are also an HSBC Advance Banking customer and consistently spend $2,000 a month.
UOB One Card Telco Bill Cashback
UOB One Card
- Cashback on McDonald's, DFI Retail Group, Grab, Shopee, SP and more
- Up to 10%
- Cashback Cap per quarter
- Up to S$500
- Min. Spend per month
- S$500
[Amazing April Promotion | CASH BONUS]
Stand a chance to get an Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Chip, 2023) (worth S$2,320.25) when you apply through MoneySmart! T&Cs apply.
PLUS get S$350 Cash Credit from UOB when you are the first 200 new-to-UOB customers who successfully apply for an eligible UOB Credit Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 per month, for 2 consecutive months from the card approval date. T&Cs apply.
UOB One Card offers up to 5% cash rebate on all spend (with some exclusions) if you can spend a minimum of $2,000 every month consistently. This “up to 5%” is actually a flat quarterly rebate based on minimum spending. Telcos and SPH subscriptions qualify.
Spend $500 or $1,000 every month in the quarter earns you $50 and $100 rebate respectively, which translates to up to 3.33%.
OCBC 365 Telco Bill Cashback
OCBC 365 Credit Card
- Cashback on Everyday Dining
- 5%
- with min. spend of $1,600 per month
- Unlock up to $160 Cashback
- with min. spend of $800 per month
- $80 Cashback per month
Maybank FC Barcelona Visa Signature Telco Bill Cashback
Maybank FC Barcelona Visa Signature
- on All Local Spend
- 1.6% Unlimited Cashback
- on Spend in Foreign Currency
- S$1 = 2X Points
- Min. Spend per month
- S$0
Best Credit Cards for Recurring Bill Payments (2024)
| Credit Card | Recurring Bill Payments | Min spend |
|---|---|---|
| UOB One | Up to 5% cash rebate on all spend including recurring telco and electricity, excluding town council and insurance premiums | $500 / $1,000 / $2,000 |
| UOB Delight | 3% cash rebate on telcos, town council, Singapore Power, SPH, UOI insurance | $800 |
| OCBC 365 Credit Card | 3% cashback on recurring bills from Starhub, Singtel, M1, Circles Life, MyRepublic 3% cashback on recurring electricity bills from electricity retailers 1.6% cashback on all local spend, no exceptions | $800 |
| Maybank FC Barcelona Visa Signature card | 1.6% cashback on all local spend, excluding town council and insurance premiums | None |
| HSBC Advance Credit Card | 1.5% cash back on recurring telco and utility bill payments with no min. spend 2.5% Cash Back on on recurring telco and utility bill payments with $2,000 minimum spend per month Max 3.5%: Additional 1% for HSBC Advance banking customers | None |
How do you choose a good credit card for telco bills?
Generally, there are two types of credit cards that are suited for paying telco bills. The first type only rewards you for the incumbent companies: Starhub, Singtel and M1. The second covers other SIM Only Data Plans. Usually, the higher the minimum spend, the higher the cashback. Maybank Friends & Family Card offers you up to 8% off recurring bills from Starhub, Singtel, M1, Circles Life and MyRepublic if you spend a minimum of $800. It’s 5% cashback if you only hit $500. OCBC 365’s minimum spend is $800 and it offers 3% off telco, utility and electricity bills. HSBC Advance gives you 1.5% cashback on your telco bills with no minimum spend. It’s suitable for cardholders who already use a powerful catch-all credit card that excludes bill payments.
Singtel, Starhub, M1 Bills
SIM Only Data Plan (Circles Life, My Republic) Bills
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I use credit card to pay my phone bills?
- You can use your credit card to pay your phone telco bills (Singtel, M1 or Starhub) by setting up a recurring payment. Either do it from the bank side using a bill payment service like Citi One Bill and UOB Bill Pay, or download the recurring credit card payment form from your telcos. If you have already input your billing details when signing up for a plan from a digital MNVO like Circles Life or MyRepublic, the charges are automatically charged to your credit card.
Which credit card is best for paying bills?
- Some of the best credit cards for paying bills overall are: UOB One, UOB Delight, HSBC Advance and Maybank Friends & Family Card. Of course, you need to know whether the card suits your lifestyle by checking out the different spend categories they reward you for as well as each card's minimum spending requirement.
Is it better to pay telco bills with credit or debit?
- When you use a debit card, you are paying from your savings balance. This makes it easy to budget and you won't get into credit card debt. On the downside, debit cards generally don't reward you for spending. Of the few debit cards that offer cashback, telco bills do not qualify. So, our recommendation is to use a credit card if you are disciplined about usage as you get cashback.
