6 Best Cards to Pair with Amaze 2025 (Miles & Cashback)

The Amaze card has gone through multiple nerfs in the past 4 years, with the most recent one in March 2025. Despite the endless turbulence, an Amaze pairing continues to be mildly useful for foreign currency transactions in my credit card strategy.

Let’s have a look at which Miles and Cashback cards are the best cards to pair with Amaze in 2025.

Key Points to Note About the Amaze Card

• Link up to 5 Mastercards (no Visa cards!) in the Instarem mobile app
• Choose 1 of those cards before your next Amaze transaction
• All Amaze transactions will be charged in SGD, directly to the linked card (no need to send money to the Amaze wallet)
• All Amaze transactions are seen as online transactions by the linked card
• All Amaze transactions will retain the actual Merchant Category Code (MCC) and will be seen by the linked card
• UOB, DBS and DCS cards do not award miles/points for Amaze transactions
• Amaze avoids Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fees
• Amazes foreign currency spread currently stands at around 2%, resulting in an FX loss (fee + spread) that is about 1% lower than Singapore credit cards
• When Amaze is linked to a card, all SGD spending will incur a 1% fee (min. 50 cents), making it really poor for SGD transactions under S$50

Amaze

Minimize foreign transaction fees, turn offline transactions online

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🎁 Sign-up bonusGet 225 InstaPoints (worth $2.25) when you sign up as a new cardholder.

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Amaze Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
Amaze is a Debit Card that does not require topping up of an e-wallet to enjoy its key benefits:

1. Turn offline transactions online (great for credit cards that have better earn rates for online spending)
2. Lower foreign currency fee (~2% instead of 3.25% on more credit cards)

❗️ Warning: This card charges a 1% fee (min. 50 cents) on card-linked SGD transactions. Because of the min. fee, cardholders will pay a higher percentage in fee for transactions under $50. So, when using this card for SGD spending of $50 and above, with an earn rate of 4 mpd, is like buying miles for 0.25 cents each (view calculations).

There are currently 6 good cards to pair with Amaze:

1. Citi Rewards: Turn offline transactions online to earn 4 mpd on in-person spending like dining, groceries, general shopping and fuel. Plus, save ~1% on foreign currency fees.
2. Maybank XL Rewards: Save ~1% on foreign currency fees on SGD bonus categories (e.g. flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment etc.) while earning 4 mpd.
3. OCBC Rewards: Save ~1% on foreign currency fees on online/offline shopping (e.g. clothing/shoes, toys, duty free, luggage etc.) while earning 4 mpd.
4. Maybank XL Cashback: Save ~1% on foreign currency fees on SGD bonus categories (e.g. flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment etc.) while earning 5% cashback.
5. Maybank Family & Friends: Turn offline transactions online to get 8% cashback on in-person shopping at merchant categories like departmental stores, clothings, shoes, duty free and luggages. Plus, save ~1% on foreign currency fees.
6. Citi Cash Back: Save ~1% on foreign currency fees while receiving 6-8% cashback on petrol, groceries and dining.

Key points to note about the Amaze card:

• Link up to 5 Mastercards in the Instarem mobile app
• Choose 1 of those cards before your next Amaze transaction
• All Amaze transactions will be charged in SGD, directly to the linked card
• All Amaze transactions will be seen as online transactions by the linked card
• All Amaze transactions will retain the actual Merchant Category Code (MCC) and will be seen by the linked card
• UOB, DBS/POSB and DCS cards do not award miles/points for Amaze transactions
• Avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fees (if any)
• Amazes foreign currency spread currently stands at around 2%, resulting in an FX loss (fee + spread) that is about 1% lower than Singapore credit cards
• When Amaze is linked to a card, all SGD spending will incur a 1% fee (min. 50 cents). Because of the min. fee, it is recommended to use this card only for SGD transactions above $50. Refunds and pre-authorisations are also liable for this fee.

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🔗 Great cards that can be linked to Amaze
Citi Rewards (4 mpd)
Maybank XL Rewards (4 mpd)
OCBC Rewards (4 mpd)
Maybank XL Cashback (5% cashback)
Maybank Family & Friends (8% cashback)
Citi Cash Back (6/8% cashback)

💸 Annual fee
No annual fee, ever

💼 Income requirement
No income requirement

🤑 Foreign currency fee
No foreign currency fee. However, Amaze’s foreign exchange spread currently stands at around 2% more than the Mastercard rate. This is about 1% lower than the ~3.25% fee that most credit cards charge.

⏰ Points expiry
1 year from transaction

💯 Conversion ratio
2,000 InstaPoints = $20

📜 Terms & conditions

Best Miles Cards to Pair with Amaze

Let’s have a look at the best Miles cards to pair with Amaze.

1) Citi Rewards Card

The Citi Rewards Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee on non-travel spending like dining, groceries, petrol and shopping.

You’d earn 4 mpd with about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd for online spending (except travel-related)

Benefits with Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd for online spending (except travel-related)
• Earn 4 mpd for in-person spending (except travel-related) like dining, groceries, petrol and shopping
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

Citi Rewards

4 mpd on online spending

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🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Citi Rewards Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary

This card gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on online spending, up to $1,000 per statement month, with no minimum spending requirement. This covers a wide range of spending categories like online shopping, ride-hailing, food delivery and even phone/internet bills.

Cardholders can also earn 4 mpd on in-person shopping at stores that sell shoes and bags and clothes as their main business activity.

Take note that cardholders will only earn 0.4 mpd on travel-related categories (e.g. flights and hotels) and spending above $1,000 per statement month.

Having many transfer partners and up to 5-year expiry term gives you fantastic flexibility. However, take note that your points’ expiry term starts from the date the card is opened (i.e. not from the transaction date).

Pro tip: Link this card to the Amaze card to also earn 4 mpd on in-person spending like dining, groceries and shopping. This pairing turns all your offline transactions “online” (to earn 4 mpd) and lowers your foreign currency charges. But take note that SGD transactions through Amaze will incur a 1% fee (min. 50 cents).

📄 Read our complete review of the Citi Rewards Card.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%
(Lower this fee by linking this card to Amaze)

⏰ Points expiry
Every 5 years from card opening date (+3 months grace period)

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

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

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

💲 Transfer fee
$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
Earn 1 base point per dollar spent, plus 9 bonus points for online spending (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base and bonus points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

2) Maybank XL Rewards Card

The Maybank XL Rewards Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee on SGD bonus categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries and entertainment.

You’d earn 4 mpd with about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd on SGD bonus categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment
• Earn 4 mpd on any foreign currency spending (overseas & online)

Benefits with Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd on selected SGD categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

Maybank XL Rewards

4 mpd on flights, hotels, dining, shopping, foreign currencies

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🎁 Sign-up promos

+ Card Summary

Mini review of the

Maybank XL Rewards Card

Suitesmile rating:

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This card gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on selected spending categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment and foreign currencies (overseas & online), when spending at least S$500 and up to S$1,000 per calendar month.

But oldies beware, this card is only available to those aged 21 to 39 years old.

Qualifying transactions:
Only whitelisted Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for each spending category qualify for the bonus earn rate. Unsure about the MCC? Check before making the payment.

However, if you’re spending in a foreign currency, it doesn’t matter what the MCC is, provided it doesn’t fall under the general exclusions stated in the t&c. What’s great is that typically-excluded spending categories like Utilities, Medical and Education qualify for the 4 mpd earn rate, when paying in a foreign currency.

All other transactions earn just 0.4 mpd (uncapped).

The biggest drawback of this card is its short points expiry term of just 1 year. Cardholders should set yearly reminders to transfer out the points before they expire. Pro tip: Qualify for the Rewards Infinite programme to ensure that points earned across all your Maybank cards doesn’t expire.

Cardholders can reduce the foreign currency fee by about 1% by pairing this card to Amaze. IMPORTANT: Only do this for the non-foreign currency bonus categories (flights, hotels, dining etc.) made in foreign currency (not SGD).

📄 Complete review of the Maybank XL Rewards Card

Also check out the highly-rated Maybank XL Cashback Card.

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💸 Annual fee
S$87.20
(First 2 years waived)

👶 Age requirement
21 to 39 years old

💼 Income requirement
S$30,000/year (S’porean/PR),
S$45,000/year (Malaysian),
S$60,000/year (Foreigner)

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

⏰ Points expiry
1 year from transaction quarter
(No expiry if you qualify for the Rewards Infinite programme)

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles and Enrich

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer blocks
KrisFlyer: 25,000 points (10,000 miles)
Asia Miles & Enrich: 12,500 points (5,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
S$27.25 per transfer

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

❓How points are credited
Earn 5 base TREATS point per $5 dollar spent, plus 45 bonus TREATS points for eligible transactions (equivalent to 4 mpd in total).

📜 Terms & conditions
📜 Terms & conditions of Maybank TREATS points

3) OCBC Rewards Card

The OCBC Rewards Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee at specific merchant categories.

You’d earn 4 mpd with about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd for online and in-person shopping at specific merchant categories

Benefits with Amaze
• Earn 4 mpd for online and in-person shopping at specific merchant categories
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

OCBC Rewards

4 mpd on online & offline shopping

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

OCBC Rewards Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar at specific online/offline shopping merchants (e.g. clothing/shoes, toys, duty free, luggage etc.), up to $1,000 per calendar month, with no minimum spending requirement.

Related: How to check Merchant Category Code (MCC) before paying

Cardholders will only earn 0.4 mpd on other categories and spending above $1,000 per calendar month.

However, at the moment, OCBC only has 2 transfer partners with decent transfer ratios; KrisFlyer and Flying Blue. As flexibility is very important in the Miles Game, I recommend maximizing the limits of other 4 mpd cards first, before using this one.

Not into Miles or travel-hacking? Redeem your points for 2.78% cashback instead, on the aforementioned spending categories.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First 2 years waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%
(Lower this fee by linking this card to Amaze)

⏰ Points expiry
2 years from transaction

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Flying Blue

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 OCBC$ = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 OCBC$ (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
$25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
OCBC$ from this card cannot be combined with those from other OCBC cards.

❓How/When points are credited
Earn 5 base point per $5 dollar spent, plus 45 bonus points for eligible shopping transactions (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted, while bonus points are credited by the end of the following calendar month.

📜 Terms & conditions

Best Cashback Cards to Pair with Amaze

Now, let’s have a look at the best Cashback cards to pair with Amaze.

4) Maybank XL Cashback Card

The Maybank XL Cashback Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee on SGD bonus categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries and entertainment.

You’d earn 5% cashback with about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Earn 5% cashback on SGD bonus categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment
• Earn 5% cashback on any foreign currency spending (overseas & online)

Benefits with Amaze
• Earn 5% cashback on selected SGD categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

Maybank XL Cashback

5% cashback on flights, hotels, dining, shopping, foreign currencies

Apply

🎁 Sign-up promos

+ Card Summary

Mini review of the

Maybank XL Cashback Card

Suitesmile rating:

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This card gives you a strong 5% cashback on selected spending categories like flights, hotels, dining, shopping (in-person & online), food deliveries, entertainment and foreign currencies (overseas & online), when spending at least $500 and up to $1,600 per calendar month.

But oldies beware, this card is only available to those aged 21 to 39 years old.

Qualifying transactions:
Only whitelisted Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for each spending category qualify for the bonus earn rate. Unsure about the MCC? Check before making the payment.

However, if you’re spending in a foreign currency, it doesn’t matter what the MCC is, provided it doesn’t fall under the general exclusions stated in the t&c. What’s great is that typically-excluded spending categories like Utilities, Medical and Education qualify for 5% cashback, when paying in a foreign currency.

All other transactions earn just 0.2% cashback (uncapped).

Cardholders can reduce the foreign currency fee by about 1% by pairing this card to Amaze. IMPORTANT: Only do this for the non-foreign currency bonus categories (flights, hotels, dining etc.) made in foreign currency (not SGD).

If you’re into the Miles, check out the highly-rated Maybank XL Rewards Card.

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💸 Annual fee
$87.20
(First 2 years waived)

👶 Age requirement
21 to 39 years old

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

❓When cashback is credited
Cashback amount will br credited to the card at the end of the next calendar month.

📜 Terms & conditions

5) Maybank Family & Friends Card

The Maybank Family & Friends Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee on chosen bonus categories like dining, groceries, online shopping and petrol.

You’d earn 8% cashback, minus about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Get 8% cashback on 5 bonus categories
• Get 8% cashback on Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) and Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) spending

Benefits with Amaze
• Get 8% cashback on 5 bonus categories
• Get 8% cashback for in-person spending under the “online shopping” category (e.g. departmental stores, clothings, shoes, duty free, luggages)
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

Maybank Family & Friends

6-8% cashback on chosen categories

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🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Maybank Family & Friends Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
Cardholders can earn 6% or 8% cashback on their 5 chosen categories via two cashback tiers.

Tier 1 (6% cashback): Spend at least S$800 per calendar month. Cashback is capped at S$20 per category (S$333 worth of spending).

Tier 2 (up to 8% cashback): Spend at least S$1,600 per calendar month. Cashback is capped at S$30 per category (S$375 worth of spending). However, take note that the Groceries category will still only earn 6% cashback on up to S$500 worth of spending.

Cardholders can choose 5 bonus categories (via Maybank’s TREATS SG app) from a list of 10:

1. Automotive (default)
2. Dining & Food Delivery (default)
3. Kids & Pets (default)
4. Online Shopping (default)
5. Telco & Streaming (default)
6. Beauty & Wellness
7. Commute
8. Entertainment
9. Groceries
10. Sports & Sports Apparels

Additional Bonus Category
Cardholders can also earn 6% or 8% cashback on eligible purchases made in Malaysian Ringgit or Indonesian Rupiah, but not if they fall under the cardholder’s chosen spending categories. If a transaction overlaps with the chosen categories and exceeds the cashback cap, only the amount spent beyond that limit will qualify for this additional category. Cashback earned in this category is also capped at S$20 and S$30 per calendar month for Tier 1 and Tier 2 respectively.

Get just 0.22% cashback if you fail to meet the minimum spending requirement and for other spending categories.

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💸 Annual fee
S$196.20
(First 3 years waived)

💼 Income requirement
S$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

❓When cashback is credited
Cashback amount is credited into the card at the end of the statement month.

📜 Terms & conditions

6) Citi Cash Back Card

The Citi Cash Back Card is best used with Amaze for foreign currency transactions (in-person or online) to save about 1% in foreign currency fee on bonus categories like petrol, dining and groceries.

You’d earn 6-8% cashback, minus about 2% FX loss with this strategy.

Usual benefit without Amaze
• Get 8% cashback on petrol & ride-hailing
• Get 6% cashback on dining & groceries

Benefits with Amaze
• Get 8% cashback on petrol (no ride-hailing*)
• Get 6% cashback on dining & groceries
• Save about 1% in foreign currency fee

^{*Pairing this card to Amaze will not earn 8% cashback on ride-hailing, as the system looks for exact transaction description (Grab, Gojek, Comfort, TADA etc.), instead of MCC.}

Citi Cash Back

8% cashback on ride-hailing & petrol, 6% cashback on dining & groceries

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Citi Cash Back Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you a strong 8% cashback on Ride-Hailing and Petrol spending and 6% cashback on Groceries and Dining upon meeting the minimum spend of $800 per statement month. Cashback is capped at $80 per month.

Using this card for fuel purchases at Esso and Shell will get you 20.88% in savings, while using it at Sinopec can get you up to 31% in savings (depending on station discount).

Eligible purchases in foreign currency counts too! Remember to link the card to Amaze to lower foreign currency charges.

Pro tip: Can’t meet the $800 monthly spending requirement? You can purchase supermarket vouchers in store to make up the difference. These voucher purchases will be eligible for 6% cashback and can be used for grocery shopping in future.

Get just 0.25% cashback for other spending categories.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%
(Avoid this fee by linking this card to Amaze!)

❓How/When cashback is credited
Cashback amount is credited into the card at the end of the statement month. Cardholders are required to redeem it via SMS.

📜 Terms & conditions