American Express Credit Cards Overviews in Singapore

American Express Provides Some Best Featured Credit Cards in Singapore

American Express is one of the leading banks across the world. In Singapore alone the bank offers a variety of 9 different credit cards with a host of benefits specific to each card. In addition to offering such benefits, loyalty to the brand is rewarded through the “Preferred Loyalty Program” where cardmembers will earn miles, STAR$ and membership reward points.

What benefit strikes your fancy for American Express Credit Card?

Cashback

The American Express True Cashback Card rewards you from the day you own this shiny piece of plastic. You will earn 3% cashback on all your purchases for the first 6 months when you spend up to S$5,000 on this card. This is a welcoming that all cashback fanatics dream of. After you complete 6 months, you will earn 1.5% cashback on everything you spend on. And guess what? There is no minimum spend required to qualify for this cashback. There is also no cap to how much cashback you will earn. So tighten your purse strings and let your AMEX card lose instead. If you are in the mood to spread the love, you can gift your friends and family supplementary cards where the fee for the first 2 cards are waived perpetually. Gifting doesn’t get cheaper or better than this. As a member, you will also enjoy AMEX privileges including Global Assist and Global Dining Programs.

Dining

You can choose between 2 dining credit cards offered by American Express – The American Express Platinum Credit Card and the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. With both these cards you will enjoy up to 50% savings on your dining and related payments across 60+ restaurants. They are also the official Card Partner for the Michelin Guide Singapore. With these dining credit cards you will be a member of the Platinum Dining Programme which will include “Love Dining @ Restaurants” and “Love Dining @ Hotels” dining progammes as well as “The Far Card Classic Membership”. The AMEX Platinum Reserve Credit Card offers additional platinum lifestyle benefits including “Luxury Yacht Privileges”, exclusive invitations to events, complimentary drinks at some of the best Singapore bars and more.

Travel

American Express offers a range of credit cards specifically to those who travel frequently. The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card offers 2 KrisFlyer miles per S$1 spent on specific airlines and cashback of S$150 at Singapore Airlines. The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card also offers 2 KrisFlyer miles per S$1 spent on specific airlines + complimentary airport lounge access across the world. The American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card offers 2 KrisFlyer miles per S$1 spent on specific airlines + up to 1.4 KrisFlyer miles on all other eligible purchases and The American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card offers up to 1.5 KrisFlyer miles on all other eligible purchases. Additionally, all AMEX Travel Credit Cards offer a “Welcome Bonus” of 5,000 KrisFlyer miles when you charge your card for the very first time.

Shopping

With the American Express Capital Card you will earn 3X STAR$ per S$1 spent and additional 10X STAR$ on eligible purchases at CapitaLand Malls. Shop with peace of mind because you will get complimentary parking every day at the mall when you spend S$1,200 per calendar month. You will receive 1 STAR$ on all your other expenses. As a welcome offer, you will receive up to 50,000 STAR$ if you spend S$888 within the first 6 months.  The American Express True Cashback Card will also fetch you 1.5% cashback on all your shopping escapades with no minimum spend required and no cap to how much cashback you can earn.

Entertainment

The American Express Rewards Card allows you to choose 5 of your favorite places in Singapore where you will earn 1 Membership Point for every S$1 that you spend. You will also earn bonus points on all eligible purchases and enjoy exclusive travel offers, dining privileges and much more. Other AMEX cards that offer you entertainment and lifestyle privileges include The American Express Platinum and Reserve Platinum Credit Cards, The American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card and The American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card.

Golf

Enjoy platinum golf privileges at more than 40 golf clubs across the world and all year long complimentary green fees in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia with the following AMEX Credit Cards - The American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card, The American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card and The American Express Platinum Credit Card. With The American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, you can still enjoy tee off in 40 of the region’s best golf clubs and country clubs.

Concierge

Top AMEX Credit Cards also offers its customers concierge services. If you choose between The American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, The American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card and The American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card, you will enjoy 24 hour concierge service for recommendations, reservations and more.

American Express also categorizes their credit cards according to “Preferred Loyalty Program” benefits where credit cards will enjoy the following loyalty program benefits:

• KrisFlyer Miles – The KrisFlyer miles earned on eligible purchases will be credited into your KrisFlyer Account directly where they can be used for future purchases. The AMEX Credit Cards that offer KrisFlyer Miles include The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card, The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card, The American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card and The American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card.
• STAR$ - The STAR$ that you earn on The American Express CapitaCard will be converted into CapitaVouchers that can be redeemed in the following ways:
• 5,000 STAR$ = S$5 CapitaVoucher.
• 10,000 STAR$ = S$10 CapitaVoucher.
• 50,000 STAR$ = S$50 CapitaVoucher.
• Membership Rewards – Under this programme, specific AMEX Credit Cards will earn Membership Reward points that never expire. You can then use these reward points to choose from more than 200 rewards in the Membership Rewards Catalogue. AMEX Credit Cards that offer Membership Rewards include The American Express Platinum Credit Card, The American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card and The American Express Rewards Card.

No matter which American Express Credit Card you choose, you will reap the benefits of “American Express Selects”, “Preferred Loyalty Program” and more. You need to be 21 years to own a principal credit card and 18 years to own a supplementary credit card. Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents and Foreigners are eligible to apply for American Express Credit Cards. The minimum income criteria will depend on the credit card you choose.

Best Petrol Credit Cards by Banks in Singapore

While Singapore may be a relatively small island, petrol prices aren’t very cheap. With more people opting for public transport, it becomes necessary to justify the price paid towards not just the car, but also the petrol that goes into it. Credit cards have come a long way since their inception and nowadays, given the large competition amongst credit card issuers, catering to the expenses and lifestyle of a cardholder is a common strategy. From women to frequent flyers, from keen savers to the elite spenders, there’s a credit card for everyone and it comes as no surprise that there are credit cards aimed at those who spend considerable amounts on fuel. Most of these credit cards are not marketed as petrol cards but rather daily use cards. Their goal is to cater to the common everyday expenses and petrol being one such expense, is also taken into consideration. The best credit cards for fuel expenses in Singapore are as follows.

OCBC 365 Credit Card

Card Benefits

This card is aptly named as it offers cashback year long. The minimum spend requirement to avail cashback is quite low at S$600 a month. The card offers cashback on almost every type of expense including 6% cashback on weekend dining, 3% on weekday dining, 3% on groceries, online shopping, and recurring telco bills. The petrol savings one can get from this card is one major cause for its popularity. The card provides savings of up to 23.9% when used at select petrol stations and a cashback of 8% when used at any other petrol station.

Eligibility Criteria

The card has an annual fee waiver of two years post which the card charges a fee of S$192.60 for the primary card and S$96.30 for the supplementary card. The card requires a minimum annual income of S$30,000 for Singaporean nationals or permanent residents and S$45,000 for foreign applicants.

Citi Cashback Card

Card Benefits

The Citi Cashback card is among the top contenders for best cashback credit card in Singapore. It offers a high rate of cashback on grocery expenses and dining expenses incurred anywhere in the world, at 8%. The petrol benefits of the card include savings of up to 20.88% at Esso fuel stations, savings of 20.8% at Shell petrol stations and a cashback of 8% on petrol expenses incurred at any other station. The cashback provided on dining, groceries, and petrol is 0.25% and the additional 7.75% is awarded when the minimum spend charged to the card in a calendar month is above S$888. The 7.75% cashback awarded on petrol, dining, and groceries is capped at S$25 per month.

Eligibility Criteria

The card has an annual fee waiver of one year for the primary card and two supplementary cards post which, the card charges a fee of S$192.60 for the primary card and S$96.30 for the supplementary card. The card requires a minimum annual income of S$30,000 for Singaporean nationals or permanent residents and S$42,000 for foreign applicants.

HSBC Visa Platinum Card

Card Benefits

The card provides a cash rebate of 5% on recurring mobile bills, cable TV bills and internet bills. The card offers cash rebates on dining and grocery expenses as well. Petrol expenses, in addition to cash rebates, are also awarded instant discounts. When the card is charged with a minimum amount of S$400 every month for all 3 months in a calendar quarter, the card provides a cash rebate of 3% on petrol and up to 16% instant discount. If the card is charged with S$800 or more every month for all 3 months in a calendar quarter, the cash rebate provided is 5% for petrol and an instant discount of up to 16%.

Eligibility Criteria

The card has an annual fee waiver of two years for the primary card and a lifetime waiver on the supplementary card. Subsequent annual fees of the primary card is S$192.60. The card requires a minimum annual income of S$30,000 for Singaporean nationals or permanent residents and S$40,000 for foreign applicants.