Not all Singapore credit cards have the same miles/points system. As if that’s not bad enough, credit cards from the same bank can also have different systems!
Now you don’t have to memorize these boring details. Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference!
Summary of credit card miles/points expiry
This table of popular credit cards shows key information like the validity of miles/points, minimum transfer/conversion blocks, fees and pooling.
What is “pooling”?
Some banks combine miles/points earned across multiple cards so that they can be transferred out together. This is a great feature as you can save on transfer fees and only need to keep track of one transfer block.
Bank | Popular Cards | Expiry | Transfer Block | Transfer Fee | Pooling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citibank | Rewards | Every 5 years | 25k points = 10k miles | $26.75 | ✗ |
Prestige | Never | ||||
PremierMiles | 10k miles | ||||
DBS | Woman’s World | 1 year | 5k points = 10k miles | $26.75 or $42.80/yr | ✓ |
Altitude | Never | ||||
UOB | PRVI Miles | 2 years | 5k UNI$ = 10k miles | $25.00 | ✓ |
Visa Signature | |||||
Lady’s | |||||
Preferred Platinum | |||||
HSBC | Revolution | 3 years + 1 month | 25k points = 10k miles | $42.80/yr | ✗ |
OCBC | Titanium Blue | 2 years | 25k OCBC$ = 10k miles | $25.00 | ✓ |
Titanium Pink | |||||
90°N | Never | 1k miles | Free | – | |
Maybank | Horizon | 1 year | 12.5k points = 5k miles | $26.75 | ✓ |
Standard Chartered | Smart | Every 3 years | 3.5k points = 1,015 miles | $26.75 | ✓ |
American Express | Krisflyer | – | – | Free | – |
Platinum Charge | Never | 400 points = 250 miles | Free | ✓ |
Citibank
Miles and points from Citi cards do not pool but they have better validity. Points from Citi Rewards Card expire in 5-year cycles from the day that your card is approved, regardless of when they are earned.
DBS
Although Woman’s World Mastercard is a fantastic online spending card, DBS points from this card only have 1 year validity from the date they are earned.
You can also choose to pay an annual transfer fee or pay for each transfer.
UOB
UNI$ from all UOB cards are pooled together and they expire 2 years after they are earned.
HSBC
It doesn’t really matter that points from this bank do not pool as HSBC Revolution is the only HSBC card that is a must-have. Having a better-than-average points validity period of 3 years is also great!
HSBC points can only be transferred out by paying an annual transfer fee.
OCBC
OCBC$ from both Titanium cards can be pooled together. These cards are good for big spending online or offline.
Although Travel$ from OCBC 90°N can be transferred for free at lower blocks of 1k miles, they can only be transferred to Krisflyer. This card also has poor earn rates.
Maybank
TREATS points from Maybank cards can be transferred in smaller blocks of 5,000 miles but they expire only 1 year after they are earned.
Standard Chartered
SCB’s Rewards Points can also be transferred in smaller blocks of just 1,015 miles. However, the Smart card only has a good earn rate for a small number of merchants.
American Express
Unfortunately, AMEX Singapore does not have any good cards for earning miles and points. It doesn’t really matter that you can transfer for free and have multiple transfer options when earn rates are poor.
Another point to note is that miles from AMEX Krisflyer cards are automatically transferred to your Krisflyer account immediately on your statement date, after they are earned. This is not a good feature as Krisflyer miles will expire 3 years (with no easy option to extend) after they are credited into your account, if they are not used by then.
Where to transfer your miles and points?
Citi miles and points are more valuable and versatile as they can be transferred to 11 frequent flyer programs, far greater than what other banks offer. This flexibility gives you access to plenty of great business class seats, routings and better award availability.
Read more: Singapore Bank Transfer Partners of credit card Miles and Points
Transfer close to expiry date
If you are not ready to make an award redemption, it is advisable to delay your points transfer till you are about 2 months from the expiry date.
This would give you time to accumulate more miles/points before paying for a transfer to your preferred frequent flyer program (FFP).
By delaying the transfer, you will also delay the expiry of your hard-earned miles in FFPs with fixed miles-validity like Singapore Airline’s Krisflyer and Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles. This gives you more time to plan for an award redemption.
Related: Keeping track of your credit cards
Best credit cards in Singapore
Visit this page to learn about the best Miles and Cashback cards in Singapore to earn miles/points fast and maximize your cashback returns. Remember to take advantage of amazing sign-up bonuses before deciding on which cards to keep!