Review: Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles LAX Airport

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income: S$120,000
Annual fee: S$651.82 (no waiver; always comes with 32,000 miles)

 Get 12 free airport lounge visits per calendar year ^{Get 12 free airport lounge visits worldwide via Priority Pass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guests. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 4th night free on hotel bookings
 No minimum spending
 Uncapped earn rates
 Miles don’t expire
 9 useful miles transfer partners

⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.3 mpd on local spending
• 2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
⚠️ Many unfavourable rules on 4th night free benefit <sup>Must book via Citi Prestige Concierge. Must be prepaid at the time of booking. Get credited on room rate only (you'll still have to pay taxes/fees on the 'complimentary night').

Ineligible bookings include: Back-to-back stays in the same city, suites, villas, apartments and packaged rates.</sup>

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Citi Prestige Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you an uncapped earn rate of 1.3 miles per dollar on SGD spending and 2 miles per dollar on foreign currency spending.

Having many transfer partners and miles that don’t expire gives you fantastic flexibility.

Cardholders are also entitled to 12 free airport lounge visits per calendar year (via Priority Pass) and 4th Night Free on prepaid hotel bookings made through the Citi Prestige Concierge.

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💸 Annual fee
S$651.82
(Strictly no waiver, always comes with 80,000 points, equivalent to 32,000 miles)

💼 Income requirement
S$120,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

🛋️ Airport lounge access
12 free lounge visits per calendar year
(via Priority Pass)

⏰ Miles expiry
Miles/Points earned on this card never expire

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Infinity MileageLands, BA Club and more!

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲 Transfer fee
S$27.25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card cannot be combined with those from other Citi cards and can only be transferred out separately.

❓ How/When points are credited
Base miles are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

🎁 Sign-up promo

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000 – S$65,000 ^{Income requirement depends on your Total Relationship Balance (TRB) with HSBC. S$30,000/year if TRB is S$50,000 and above; S$65,000/year if TRB is below S$50,000.}
• Foreigner: S$65,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waivable; always comes with 12,000 miles)

 Get 4 free airport lounge visits per calendar year ^{Get 4 free airport lounge visits worldwide via DragonPass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guests. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 No minimum spending
 Uncapped earn rates
 3-year miles expiry term
 7 useful miles transfer partners
 Free miles transfers to frequent flyer programs
 Instant miles transfers

⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.2 mpd on local spending
• 2.4 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ Poor transfer ratio to KrisFlyer
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee

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HSBC TravelOne Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you an uncapped earn rate of 1.2 miles per dollar on SGD spending and 2.4 miles per dollar on foreign currency spending.

This is a great backup card, if you have exhausted all your specialized cards with better earn rates.

Having many transfer partners gives you fantastic flexibility. However, this card has a poor transfer ratio to KrisFlyer, a great frequent flyer program for travels to regions like Australia, New Zealand, Mainland China, India and Istanbul.

Cardholders are also entitled to 4 free airport lounge visits (via DragonPass) per calendar year. For example, if you apply for the card in March 2023, you will get 4 free visits for the current year, plus 4 more free visits from 1 January the following year.

Cardholders also get complimentary access to the ENTERTAINER with HSBC app, where there are over a thousand 1-for-1 deals on dining, entertainment and hotels.

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💸 Annual fee
S$196.20
(Get 30k points (12k miles) when you pay the annual fee from the 2nd year onwards. Get first-year waiver, if you don’t want the sign-up bonus.)

💼 Income requirement
S’porean/PR: S$30,000 – S$65,000
Foreigner: S$65,000

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

🛋️ Airport lounge access
4 free visits per calendar year
(via DragonPass)

⏰ Points expiry
3 years from transaction
(37 months to be exact)

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
Asia Miles, Infinity MileageLands, BA Club and more!

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 points
(10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
Free

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other HSBC cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

🎁 Sign-up promo

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$42,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; always comes with 10,000 miles, but request waiver every year ^{Paying S$196.20 for 10,000 miles is not worth it, unless if you need the miles urgently.})

 Get 2 free airport lounge visits per calendar year ^{Get 2 free airport lounge visits worldwide via Priority Pass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guest. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 No minimum spending
 Uncapped earn rates
 Miles don’t expire
 9 useful miles transfer partners

⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.2 mpd on local spending
• 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000 ^{S$30,000/year if aged 55 and below; S$15,000/year if aged 56 and above.}
• Foreigner: S$45,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; always comes with 10,000 miles, but request waiver every year ^{Paying S$196.20 for 10,000 miles is not worth it, unless if you need the miles urgently.})

 Get 2 free airport lounge visits per card membership year ^{Get 2 free airport lounge visits worldwide via Priority Pass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guest. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 No minimum spending
 Uncapped earn rates
 Miles don’t expire

⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.3 mpd on local spending
• 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ Only 3 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee

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DBS Altitude Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you an earn rate of 1.3 miles per dollar on SGD spending, and 2.2 miles per dollar on foreign currency transactions.

There are 2 variants of the DBS Altitude Card (Visa and AMEX). Both offer similar earn rates and benefits but only the Visa version comes with 2 free airport lounge visits per card membership year.

Miles earned on this card do not expire.

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💸 Annual fee
S$196.20
(First year waived, always request for a waiver after that)
Note: Annual fee payments come with 10,000 miles (not worth it)

💼 Income requirement
S$30,000/year (S’porean/PR aged 55 and below),
S$15,000/year (S’porean/PR aged 56 and above),
S$45,000/year (Foreigner)

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

🛋️ Airport lounge access
2 free lounge visits per card membership year
(Visa version only, via Priority Pass)

⏰ Points expiry
Points earned from this card do not expire

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer

💯 Transfer ratio
1 point = 2 miles

🧮 Transfer block
5,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
S$27.25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other DBS cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

🎁 Sign-up promo

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$90,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; always comes with 10,000 miles, but request waiver every year ^{Paying S$196.20 for 10,000 miles is not worth it, unless if you need the miles urgently.})

 Get 2 free airport lounge visits per card membership year ^{Get 2 free airport lounge visits worldwide via Priority Pass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guest. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 Earn 3 mpd on groceries, food deliveries and ride-hailing, up to S$1,000 per statement month
 No minimum spending
 Miles don’t expire

⚠️ Low earn rates on non-bonus spending (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.2 mpd on local spending
• 2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.5% foreign transaction fee

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Standard Chartered Journey Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
Cardholders can earn 3 miles per dollar on groceries, food deliveries and ride-hailing, up to S$1,000 per statement month.

For other spending categories, this card gives you an uncapped earn rate of 1.2 miles per dollar on SGD spending and 2 miles per dollar on foreign currency spending.

Cardholders are also entitled to 2 free airport lounge visits (via Priority Pass) per card membership year.

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💸 Annual fee
S$196.20
(First year waived, get 10,000 miles with subsequent annual fee payments)

💼 Income requirement
S’porean/PR: S$30,000/year,
Foreigner: S$90,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.5%

🛋️ Airport lounge access
2 free lounge visits per card membership year
(via Priority Pass)

⏰ Points expiry
Points earned on this card never expire

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer and Asia Miles

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲 Transfer fee
S$27 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other Standard Chartered cards and transferred out together at once.

❓ When points are credited
Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

🎁 Sign-up promo

Card rating ^{Suitesmile's overall rating of this card (out of 5), all things considered. This includes how it compares against alternative miles/cashback cards, its annual fee, and how easy (or hard) it is to achieve the advertised benefits.}:
Ease of use ^{A rating (out of 5 stars) of how easy it is to achieve the maximum earn rate and other benefits advertised by this card.}:
Minimum annual income: S$120,000
Annual fee: S$599.50 (no waiver; always comes with 25,000 miles)

 Get 10 free airport lounge visits per card membership year ^{Get 10 free airport lounge visits worldwide via Priority Pass. Entitlement can be used for lounges, restaurants and spas, for the principal cardholder and guest. Supplementary cardholders do not have any airport lounge entitlement.}
 2 free nights in Asia Pacific via Accor+ Explorer membership ^{Pay 1 night, get 1 night free, up to 2 times.}
 No minimum spending
 Uncapped earn rates

⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.5 mpd on local spending
• 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ 3-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 3 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee

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DBS Vantage Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you an uncapped earn rate of 1.5 miles per dollar (or 1.5% cashback) on SGD spending and 2.2 miles per dollar (or 2.2% cashback) on foreign currency spending.

This is a great backup card, if you have exhausted all your specialized cards with better earn rates.

Cardholders receive complimentary Accor+ Explorer membership, which comes with 2 complimentary hotel nights in Asia Pacific (pay 1 night, get 1 night free, up to 2 times). Accor+ Explorer members also get up to 50% off hotel room rates via Red Hot Rooms and 30% off dining at participating restaurants across Asia Pacific.

Cardholders are also entitled to 10 free airport lounge visits (via Priority Pass) per card membership year.

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💸 Annual fee
S$599.50
(Strictly no waiver. Comes with 12,500 points, equivalent to 25,000 miles)

💼 Income requirement
S$120,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

🛋️ Airport lounge access
10 free lounge visits per card membership year
(via Priority Pass)

⏰ Points expiry
3 years from transaction

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer

💯 Transfer ratio
1 point = 2 miles

🧮 Transfer block
5,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
S$27.25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other DBS cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

🎁 Sign-up promo