Air miles are one of our favourite rewards earned through credit cards. When you earn miles – which is actually deposited as rewards points to your account and need to be converted to miles when you want to use it – you can redeem them for flight tickets and hotel accommodations. If you are a frequent traveller nothing is better for you than an air miles credit card – more commonly known as travel credit cards – which give you travel perks in addition to convertible miles. Though most rewards credit cards allow you to convert points to miles, travel credit cards help you enjoy your travel with privileges such as airport lounge access, limo transfers to airports, overseas shopping and dining perks, and free travel insurance.

Let us look at some of the best air miles credit cards in Singapore and help you find your credit card soulmate.

Best miles credit cards in Singapore

Some of the top miles credit cards in Singapore are listed below:

1. Citi PremierMiles Visa Credit Card:

This card gives you A LOT of bonus miles, in addition to an earning rate of 1.2 Citi Miles per dollar on local spends and 2 miles per dollar on overseas expenses. It is an ideal travel credit card in every way. The Citi PremierMiles also comes in an American Express iteration.

Advantages

The following are the advantages of having the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card:

• Miles earned: You earn 2 Citi Miles for every S$1 you spend outside Singapore and 1.2 Citi Miles per S$1 spent in Singapore. These miles have no expiry date, which means you can accumulate them and redeem them for you dream holiday any time in your life!
• Bonus miles: You get a welcome bonus of up to 30,000 Citi Miles if you spend at least S$10,000 in the first 3 months of getting the card. You also get 10,000 miles every time you pay your annual fees.
• Travel privileges: You are automatically enrolled into IHG and Hilton HHonors membership programs, giving you special rates at their hotels. Travel perks such as two Priority Pass airport lounge entries per year, concierge services, free travel insurance of up to S$1 million, medical assistance program, Citi World discounts, Visa Signature benefits and Visa Luxury Hotel Collection perks can also be enjoyed. And all this comes at an annual fee of just S$192.60!
• Other benefits: You can save up to 14% at Esso and Shell petrol stations, and get discounts through Citi Rebates.

Disadvantages

Here are some cons of having this card:

• High income requirement: Though the annual fee of the card is just S$192.60, at par with several cashback and rewards credit cards, the minimum income required to apply for the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card is S$50,000 per year.
• Miles conversion cost: Though 1 Citi Mile is equal to 1 KrisFlyer or Asia Miles, there is a conversion fee of S$25 for each points-to-miles conversion. Apparently, the process of conversion takes long – up to 5 days.

2. American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card

Miles redemption with the KrisFlyer Ascend Card is one of the easiest in Singapore. The miles earning rate is similar to that of the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card, but there are several additional exclusive perks, this being an American Express credit card.

Advantages

The advantages of owning an American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card are:

• Miles earned: You get 1.2 KrisFlyer miles per dollar spent in Singapore and 2 miles for every S$1 spent overseas in the months of June and December as well as for transactions made at Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, KrisShop or SkyShop (both online and in flight). These miles are directly credited as KrisFlyer Miles and hence have no redemption fee or waiting time.
• Bonus miles: You earn 5,000 KrisFlyer miles when you use your credit card for the first time, and another 15,000 miles if you spend S$6,000 within 3 months of getting the card. If you refer a friend to this card, you will get a referral bonus of 2,000 miles. You can also get a Double KrisFlyer Miles Accrual Voucher if you spend at least S$15,000 at Singapore Airlines, and get a chance to get up to 5,000 KrisFlyer Miles more. Your first taxi ride with Grab can earn you 500 bonus miles.
• Travel privileges: You can enjoy 4 free airport lounge entries, one night’s free stay at participating Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties, expedition to the KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership tier, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program, travel concierge services, free travel insurance of up to S$1 million, and emergency card replacement overseas.

Disadvantages

Some aspects where the card isn’t too great are:

• High annual fee: The annual fee for the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card is S$337.05, which is a bit pricey. There is no fee waiver or bonus miles when you pay the annual fee. And the minimum annual income required for you to apply for this card is S$50,000.

3. Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card

This card gives you infinite travel privileges along with a chance to earn higher miles. It welcome bonus miles are also very attractive.

Advantages

Some of the benefits of having the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Card are listed below:

• Miles earned: If you spend at least S$2,000 per month on your card, you will earn 1.4 miles per dollar on local spends and 3 miles per dollar per S$1 spent abroad. If you spend lower than S$2,000 per month, the earn rates will be 1 mile and 2.5 miles in the respective categories. The minimum spend requirement of S$2,000 per month should not be hard to achieve if you can afford to have this card!
• Bonus miles: You can get 35,000 miles or 15,000 miles plus a 28-inch Samsonite Lite-Shock Spinner luggage worth S$950 on an approved application. The card is also offering another 15,000 miles if you make transactions of a minimum of S$12,000 within 2 months of getting the card. The miles have no expiry period, which means you can accrue points till you are ready to jet off to your favourite destination.
• Travel privileges: The Visa Infinite perks on this card include: 6 free entries to Priority Pass airport lounges, 10% concession on all Uber rides globally, a free 4-hour yacht ride for up to 14 people if you spend S$75,000 in the whole of 2017, concierge services, discounts with Auto Europe car rentals, free travel insurance cover of up to S$1 million, Hilton HHonor Gold status, golfing perks, and discounts and special rates at selected Fullerton spas and hotels, Swissotel, Fairmont, Raffles, and Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
• Other benefits: You can also enjoy The Good Life discounts and deals, CardSafe card protection plan, and extra rewards on paying your taxes with this credit card.

Disadvantages

If there are any reasons why you might need to reconsider your decision about this card, they are as given below:

• High annual fee: The annual fee for this card is S$588.50, which is even higher than that of the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card. There are no bonus miles on paying the annual fee either.
• High income requirement: If you are a Priority or Private Banking customer, you need to earn only S$30,000 per year, but if you don’t have either of these special relationships with the bank, your annual income will have to be at least S$150,000 to apply for the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Card!

4. UOB PRVI Miles World MasterCard Credit Card

This card gives you higher miles than many other travel credit cards, and exclusive UOB travel privileges. The UOB PRVI Miles also comes in American Express and Visa versions.

Advantages

The following privileges are available to users of the UOB PRVI Miles World MasterCard:

• Miles earned: You earn 1.4 miles per S$1 spent in Singapore, 2.4 miles on overseas spends, and 6 miles when you make bookings with major airlines and hotels through Agoda, Expedia, or UOB Travel. UOB PRVI Miles American Express cardholders can also earn 20,000 loyalty miles if you spend at least S$50,000 per year. The points-to-miles conversion rate is pretty high with UOB – 2 miles per UNI$.
• Travel privileges: You are eligible for travel butler services, limo transfer to Changi airport, complimentary travel insurance of up to S$1 million, free Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status, free access to JetQuay Quayside single trip service, and World MasterCard perks such as overseas dining deals, hotel stays, golfing privileges, shopping delights and lifestyle rewards.
• Other benefits: You also get discounts on movie bookings, and exclusive perks at entertainment destinations such as Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark.

Disadvantages

Here are some disadvantages of getting this credit card:

• Earning rate: The miles are credited in the form of UNI$ in spending blocks of S$5 only. So if you spend S$4.99 on an item, it’ll add nothing to your miles account.
• Conversion fee: To convert UNI$ to miles, you need to pay a conversion fee of S$25 per conversion. You can convert from UNI$ to miles only in blocks of 5,000.
• High annual fee: Paying an annual fee of S$256.80 every year seems too much considering there is no way to earn bonus miles, and the travel perks are fewer compared with the other cards. Thankfully, the fee is waived for the first year.
• High income requirement: You need to earn at least S$80,000 to own a UOB PRVI Miles World MasterCard. A little too high for the limited privileges the card offers.

5. DBS Altitude Visa Signature Credit Card

This card is pretty similar to the Citi PremierMiles Visa card in terms of miles earning rate. It also offers good miles bonuses and travel perks. This card too comes in two kinds – the Visa Signature and American Express.

Advantages

The DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card is awesome because of the following reasons:

• Miles earned: This card gives you 3 miles per dollar on hotel and flight bookings online for spends of up to S$5,000 per month, 2 miles on foreign currency transactions, and 1.2 miles on local payments. An ongoing promotional offer (up to 31st July, 2017) allows you to earn double the miles under each category if you spend between S$2,501 and S$5,000 on the card, in addition to 13 miles per dollar on Kaligo and 9 miles on Expedia transactions. And these miles do not expire.
• Bonus miles: You can get a bonus of 10,000 miles no paying your annual fee, though there is no welcome bonus. Otherwise, you can get your annual fee waived by spending S$25,000 in a year.
• Travel privileges: You can access airport lounges for free twice a year through Priority Pass membership, enjoy DBS Altitude Butler services, travel insurance of up to S$1 million, a discount of 30% on TravellerShield Annual Plans, exclusive JetSetter destination deals, and other DBS dining, travel and hotel promotions.

Disadvantages

In some ways, the Altitude doesn’t work too well. Those ways are:

• High annual fee: For the comparative minimalistic perks offered by the card, an annual fee of S$192.60 seems high. Mercifully, the first-year fee is waived. The minimum annual income requirement, though, is only S$30,000.

Compare & Review Best Miles Credit Cards in Singapore

Here’s a quick summary of the privileges of owning the top miles credit cards in Singapore:

How to choose the best miles credit card for you

To choose the best air miles credit card, you need to consider the following factors:

• A miles credit card makes sense only if you are a frequent traveller. Even though you can redeem the rewards points on other vouchers or cash credits, the privileges are very travel-specific.
• You need to know how much you spend in order to know which card you need to get. You need to know which card will give you higher miles for the average amount you spend in a month.
• You need to consider whether you will be able to take advantage of all the benefits of the card with your spending and travelling patterns.
• You need to look at the annual fee for each card. If you are not a big spender, paying high annual fees might not make sense unless there is a benefit (such as bonus miles) on paying the fee.

Other Travel Specific Credit Card that you May Like

• OCBC Voyage Credit Card
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card
• HSBC Visa Infinite Credit Card
• Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card
• Maybank World MasterCard Credit Card
• Citi Prestige Credit Card