Complete Guide To Choosing
Credit Cards in Singapore.

 

 

FACT: Choosing a credit card isn’t as straightforward as it should be.
Often, the “best credit card” is a function of your income level, spending habits, and type of rewards/benefits you want.
We created this guide to explain all you need to know when choosing a credit card to apply.

What Cards Do You Qualify For?


There is no point researching extensively on what are the best cards if you are unable to apply for it.

For example, the Citibank Premier Miles Card is one of the most popular miles card in Singapore. However to qualify for it, you need an annual income of $50,000. If your annual income is below it, you won’t qualify for the card.

Instead, what you can do instead is to apply for other miles cards such as the American Express KrisFlyer Card, which has a minimum annual income requirement of $30,000.

In general, most credit cards require an annual income of at least $30,000. However, there are some cards which are available for those who earn below $30,000.

Here’s an example of cards that you can apply for based on different level of annual income.

Annual Income
Cards You Qualify For
$0
Citibank Clear Card, Maybank eVibes
$18,000
Bank of China F1RST Card
$30,000
American Express Krisflyer, Standard Chartered Unlimited
$50,000
Citibank PremierMiles Visa, American Express KrisFlyer Ascend
$80,000
MayBank World Mastercard, Bank of China World Mastercard
Above $80,000
OCBC Voyage Card ($120,000), Standard Chartered Visa Infinite ($150,000), HSBC Visa Infinite ($250,000)

 

Know Your Spending Habits

Different credit cards provide perks for different types of spending. A card that works well for someone else may not necessarily be a good card for you if the type of spending you make is different. Here are some factors you should consider.
Minimum Spending

Some cards require you to hit a minimum spending before they become valuable.

If you are not confident of achieving the minimum spend, it may make more sense to use a card that gives you a rebate with no minimum spending.

Spending Pattern

It’s important to understand what you tend to spend on. That’s because benefits such as cash rebates may differ depending on the kind of spending you make.

For example, the OCBC 365 provides a rebate of 6% for weekend dining, while only offering a 3% rebate for online and grocery shopping.

 

 

Miles or Cashback?




Miles – You can use a credit card that gives you miles for every dollar you spend. These miles can be used to redeem for flights. If you travel at least once every two years, using a miles card like the Citibank PremierMiles Card will be useful.



Cashback – You can use a credit card that gives you a cashback for every dollar spent. If you are someone who may not travel often, maximising your cashback return through a card like the Standard Chartered Unlimited Card will be a sensible choice, since you are enjoying definite cash savings for every purchase you make.

Apply at the Right Time to Maximise Rewards


Some credit cards give you very attractive sign-up benefits if you accumulate a minimum spend in the first few months of signing up.


For example, new Citi Credit Cardmembers can earn up to 42,000 miles through the Citibank PremierMiles Card if they spend $10,000 within their first three months of receiving the card. While $10,000 is no small sum, it can easily be attained if you are looking to pay for a big-ticket item, such as your wedding banquet, a European getaway, or new furniture for your BTO.


Most credit cards also give some form of welcome offers. These include cashback, gifts or bonus miles. At times, they may give additional promotions on top of the regular welcome offers.


 




SingSaver Credit Card Promotion

SingSaver is exclusive sign-up perks on top of welcome bonuses by individual banks. Offer good till 30 November 2018.

If you are looking to sign up for a credit card for your end-of-year shopping trips or overseas holidays, SingSaver has a wide range of cards that you can choose from. From now till 30 November 2018, if you apply for a credit card through SingSaver, you can receive additional reward for every successful application.

You can choose credits cards from American Express, UOB, Citibank and many others. Do note, you must apply for your credit card(s) and complete your redemption form to qualify for the additional rewards.

American Express

For every successful American Express credit card sign up, you will receive $150 in cash from SingSaver. These are the eligible American Express cards. Click on the link below to sign up through SingSaver.

  1. American Express Singapore Airline Krisflyer Card ($150 cash voucher)
  2. American Express True Cashback Card ($150 cash voucher)
  3. American Express Krisflyer Ascend Card ($150 cash voucher)
  4. American Express Capitacard ($100 cash voucher)

UOB

For every successful UOB credit card sign up, you will receive $50 in cash from SingSaver. These are the eligible UOB cards.Click on the link below to sign up through SingSaver.

  1. UOB One Card ($50 cash voucher)
  2. UOB YOLO ($50 cash voucher)
  3. UOB Delight Credit Card ($50 cash voucher)
  4. UOB PRVI Miles Card ($50 cash voucher)

Citibank

For every successful Citibank Card sign up (New Citi Customers Only), you will receive $200 in NTUC, Takashimaya or Grab Voucher from SingSaver. For existing customers, you will receive $50 in NTUC Voucher.

These are the eligible Citibank cards. You can click on the link below to sign up through SingSaver.

  1. Citi Cashback
  2. Citi PremierMiles
  3. Citi Reward
  4. Citi SMRT Card

For the full list of credit cards promotion including cards offered by HSBC, OCBC and Standard Chartered, you can check out the SingSaver website.

The above rewards are a SingSaver exclusive deal and you must apply for these cards through SingSaver AND complete the redemption form in order to qualify for them. Promotion ends 30 November 2018. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the graphics below on the steps required to apply for your credit and to redeem your promotion.