Best Credit Cards for Overseas Spending 2020

Find the latest credit cards have the lowest foreign transaction fees and the best rewards for overseas spending. Read More
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Standard Chartered logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Earn Points on Dining & Travel

Standard Chartered Rewards+ Credit Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 10X Points
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3.50%
Get a Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (worth S$349) delivered to your doorstep or $200 Cash via PayNow when you apply and spend on your card!
Valid until 06 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
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Citibank logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Earn Miles That Don't Expire - Annual Fee Applies

Citi PremierMiles Card - New Customer (45,000 Welcome Miles)

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = Up to 2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3.25%
Get $350 Cash via PayNow when you apply and spend on your card! 
Valid until 06 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
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Citibank logo
Earn Miles That Don't Expire

Citi PremierMiles Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = Up to 1.2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3.25%
Apply Now
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American Express logo
Online Promo
Convenience & Perks for Frequent Flyers

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.50%
Online Promo:
Get $120 Vouchers from Amex on top of their BAU acquisition offers when you apply and spend on your card!
Valid until 14 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
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UOB logo

UOB YOLO Credit Card

on Overseas Spend
8% Cashback
Min. Spend per month
S$600
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
Apply Now
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UOB logo
High Miles Earn Rate

UOB PRVI VISA Miles Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2.4 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3.25%
Apply Now
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DBS logo
Earn Miles That Never Expire

DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.50%
Apply Now
More Details
DBS logo
Earn Miles That Never Expire

DBS Altitude American Express Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 1.2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.50%
Apply Now
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OCBC logo
High Spend on Dining

OCBC 365 Credit Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
6% Cashback
Min. Spend per month
S$800
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Apply Now
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OCBC logo
Earn Miles That Don't Expire

OCBC 90°N Card

on Overseas spend
S$1 = 2.1 Miles
Min. spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Apply Now
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HSBC logo

HSBC Visa Infinite Credit Card

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2.25 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.80%
Apply Now
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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
Min spend per annum on Singapore Airlines Group
S$500
Foreign Currency Transaction Fee
3.25%
Apply Now
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CIMB logo
Bank Promo

CIMB Visa Signature

Cash Back on Cruises
Up to 10%
Min. spend per month
S$800
Foreign Transaction Fee
2%
Bank Promo:
Get $100 cash credit when you apply and spend at least S$350 per month for the first 2 months from approval!
Valid until 31 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
Apply Now
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CIMB logo
Bank Promo

CIMB Platinum Mastercard

Cash Back on hotels and flights in Foreign Currency
10%
Min. spend per month
S$800
Foreign Transaction Fee
2%
Bank Promo:
Get $100 cash credit when you apply and spend at least S$350 per month for the first 2 months from approval!
Valid until 31 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
Apply Now
More Details
Standard Chartered logo
Frequent Travellers

Standard Chartered X Card

on Overseas Spend
S$1 = 2 Miles
Min. spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3.5%
Apply Now
More Details
Bank of China logo

BOC Elite Miles World Mastercard®

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Read More
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Bank of China logo

Bank of China Family Card

Overseas Dining Spending
10% Cashback
Min. Spend per month
S$800
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Read More
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Maybank logo
Online Promo

Maybank DUO Platinum Mastercard

Cash Rebate on foreign currency spend
1.5%
Min. spend per month
S$0
Foreign transaction fee
2.75%
Online Promo:
Get S$100 Cash Credit with Maybank Credit Cards and CreditAble!
Valid until 31 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
Apply Now
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Maybank logo
Online Promo

Maybank Manchester United Platinum Visa Card

on ALL spend
S$1 = 1X Point
Min. spend per month
S$0
Foreign transaction fee
2.75%
Online Promo:
Get S$100 Cash Credit with Maybank Credit Cards and CreditAble!
Valid until 31 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
Apply Now
More Details
Maybank logo
Online Promo

Maybank Horizon Visa Signature

Overseas Spending Rewards
S$1 = 2 Miles
Min. Spend per month
S$300
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.50%
Online Promo:
Get S$100 Cash Credit with Maybank Credit Cards and CreditAble!
Valid until 31 Dec 2020 - See T&Cs below
Apply Now
More Details

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 Credit Card in Singapore 2020

Best ForCredit CardReward Type
Savings on dining, grocery and grab spendingsCiti Cash Back CardCashback
Earning bonus miles that do not expireCiti PremierMiles Visa CardMiles
Convenience and perks for frequent flyersAmerican Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit CardMiles
Unlimited cashback with Ez-link capabilitiesStandard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Credit CardCashback
Card and Savings Account BundleUOB One CardCashback
Highest cashback on any contactless paymentDBS Live Fresh CardCashback
Newlyweds and married couplesHSBC Advance Credit CardCashback
High Net-worth IndividualsAmerican Express The Platinum Card®Reward Points
Dining and EntertainmentUOB YOLO Credit CardCashback
Business TravelerStandard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit CardMiles

Compare Credit Cards for Everyday Use

When comparing the best credit cards for rewards, it is often a good choice to combine multiple credit cards each specializing in a particular spending type or card feature that best suits your lifestyle. Avoid paring Miles credit cards with Cashback credit cards since these reward types are incompatible. Points credit cards, on the other hand, are more flexible as they can be used to either get cash rebates on specific merchants or convert points into miles to redeem free flight tickets.

Air MilesMiles Credit Cards

  1. Citi PremierMiles Visa Card: Use for online hotel and flight bookings
  2. UOB PRVI Miles Card: Use for general local spend
  3. Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card: Use for spending in foreign currency

CashbackCashback Credit Cards

  1. Citi Cash Back Card: Use for grocery shopping worldwide
  2. UOB One Card: Use for pumping petrol at SPC and Shell
  3. OCBC 365 Credit Card: Use for spending on everyday dining

Reward PointsReward Points Credit Cards

  1. Citi Rewards Card: Use for retail shopping to earn extra miles
  2. American Express CapitaCard: Use for shopping at CapitaLand Malls to earn cash rebates
  3. DBS Woman's World Card: Use for free gym memberships

Which Credit Card is the Best in Singapore?

With so many credit cards in Singapore to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down the best credit cards to suit your lifestyle. Unfortunately, there’s no single best credit card in Singapore. You’ll have to choose the best one for you. Here’s how:

Find a card that fits your spending habits

Think about your current lifestyle and spending habits. What are the things you spend the most money on? For example, if you’re a real foodie and love checking out new restaurants around town, then it makes sense to get a card with rewards points for dining out and useful perks like 1-for-1 buffet promotions.

Plan how to use your credit card benefits

Credit cards come with a whole bunch of benefits, so think about which benefits you actually want to use. Do you want to collect air miles and fund your upcoming travels? Or accumulate points for shopping vouchers? Or would you rather enjoy cash rebates? This is a deeply personal matter - only you can decide how you prefer to be rewarded.

Check the Terms & Conditions

Now that you’ve got a shortlist of credit cards, it’s time to dig deeper into the details of the rewards or air miles programmes. Find out all you can about terms and conditions like expiry dates, exclusions, minimum spend, credit limit, etc. Be sure to ask a bank rep to clarify if you don’t see answers anywhere.

Visa Card vs Mastercard vs American Express

At some point in your life, you’ll probably wonder if there’s a difference between a Visa card and Mastercard (and maybe American Express). Visa, Mastercard and Amex are the 3 big global payment networks. This means they handle all the technical back-end stuff that makes it possible to pay with your credit card anywhere in the world. Visa and Mastercard are extremely widely accepted worldwide, both online and offline. Both payment networks are easy and secure to use. Visa has a slight edge in terms of acceptance, but really, you’ll be fine with either. American Express is a bit less widely accepted globally. It’s in 140 countries compared to Visa and Mastercard’s 200+. However, many people still love using Amex because they have an excellent reputation for customer care. Whichever payment network you choose, you can get a credit card from a bank like DBS or UOB. Note that American Express also issues its own credit cards, even though it’s not a bank.

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Annual Fees are NOT the Only Credit Card Fee!

Annual fees aren’t the only type of credit card charges you might be paying. Many of these other common fees will impact the benefits you earn, so be mindful of them and actively monitor your spend.

Foreign Transaction Fees

This is a fee imposed on overseas spending - whether it’s while you’re traveling or even when making an online purchase on a foreign website. This is usually 2.5% to 3% on top of the prevailing foreign exchange rate.

Cash Advance Fees

Some credit cards allow you to withdraw cash from ATMs, using your credit line. Be prepared to fork out up to 6% of the transaction amount, plus 2%+ daily charges on unpaid withdrawn balance.

Balance Transfer Fees

Charged when you move a balance from one card to another, usually 2% to 4% of the amount transferred.

Minimum Balance Payment for Credit Cards

Is paying the minimum balance bad?

Because credit cards are effectively short-term loans, you are meant to pay off your bills in full every month. If you make only the minimum payment each month, you may accrue huge additional costs on top of your bill due to the credit card’s interest rate (typically 24%+)!

Does paying only minimum balance affect credit score?

Yes, If you plan to apply for any kind of credit or loan (such as a housing loan or car loan) in the future, be aware that any “bad behaviour” with your credit card can come back to haunt you in the form of a bad credit score.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do credit cards work?

A credit card is basically a way to borrow money from a bank to make purchases. Unlike a bank loan, a credit card “loans” money in smaller amounts and on a short-term basis, requiring you to pay the bank back monthly (or be subject to unpleasant penalties and interest fees). The biggest payment networks are MasterCard, VISA and American Express, but do note that merchants may not accept all types.

How do I apply for a credit card?

Simply fill out an application online or at a bank branch and submit the required documents such as proof of income. After approval, the bank will inform you about how much you are allowed to borrow and mail you your new credit card. You’ll need to activate the credit card as well as sign on the back.

What’s the difference between debit cards and credit cards?

Unlike credit cards, debit cards do not involve any borrowing. They are linked to your bank account, so purchases made on your debit card are paid for by deducting straight from your funds. You must have sufficient funds on hand to use your debit card. If you have a credit card, you can borrow the money for the time being and pay it back later.

How to prevent credit card fraud?

There’s no sure-fire way to prevent credit card fraud, so unfortunately holding a credit card also means being vigilant about making sure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Make use of credit card alerts, monitor your transactions closely, be wary of phishing scams and don’t make it easy for others to get hold of your credit card information.

What should I do with my credit card statement?

It might not be the most fun thing to read, but it IS super important to understand your credit card statement. So don’t throw it away without checking it. Of course, after reading the statement you will have to pay your bill – typically through online banking, though some people use ATMs, SAMs, AXS machines or go to the bank in person.

What if I only make the minimum payment on my bill?

Because credit cards are effectively short-term loans, you are meant to pay off your bills in full every month. If you make only the minimum payment each month, you may accrue huge additional costs on top of your bill due to the credit card’s interest rate (typically 24%+)