It’s lunchtime at the office. Across the table, your colleague - the one with a wallet crammed full of seven credit cards - is at it again.
This time, they’re showing off their first-class trip to the Amalfi Coast. All booked with miles. All completely free.
Tempted to turn green with envy? Don’t. Because those same free flights are within your reach too.
The secret?
Picking the right best miles credit cards Singapore has to offer.
In 2025, we’ll spotlight the best air miles cards around. And psst… even share tips and tricks on how to earn KrisFlyer miles without flying.
Whether you’re a fresh grad starting small or a seasoned pro, here are the top miles credit cards in town:
First Though, What Makes a Good Miles Credit Card in Singapore?
Well, that really depends.
It all starts with your spending habits and travel patterns. Once you’re clear on those, it’s much easier to figure out which card is the right fit.
So, How Do Miles Cards Actually Work?
At their core, credit cards that earn miles all have one thing in common: they reward you for every dollar you spend.
And those miles?
You can redeem them for hotel stays, car rentals, and yes - even those bucket-list business or first-class flights, whether it’s Los Angeles to London or Tokyo to Paris.
That’s the straightforward bit.
How Do You Accumulate Miles?
This is where cards differ. Some offer higher earn rates for specific categories like dining, groceries, or overseas spend.
Others team up with airlines or hotel partners for exclusive perks.
Many dangle juicy welcome bonuses.
And a few even let you transfer points to hotel loyalty programs or partner frequent-flyer schemes.
In the end, maximising your rewards comes down to the details. Every card has its quirks, so always read the terms and conditions before you sign up.
Pro tip: Racking up miles for every dollar depends on the earn rate. And that varies not just by card, but also by what you’re spending on.
And What Exactly Should You Look for in a Miles Card?
Where do we even begin?
You’ve got earn rates, sign-up bonuses, annual fees, lounge access, minimum spend requirements - the whole lot, really.
That’s how you figure out which card is right for you based on your lifestyle, spending habits, and travel goals.
Do you plan on spending low and earning slow? Or are you more of the fast-rewards type?
Here are the key things to watch out for:
Earn rate: Compare cards based on the miles-per-dollar (mpd) rate for local and overseas spend. Sometimes, categories like transport or groceries give you higher mpds.
Bonus spending categories: Some cards offer better earn rates in specific categories. Check if those match your everyday spending patterns.
Sign-up bonuses: Who doesn’t love a juicy bonus? The same applies to the best air miles credit cards. Just make sure you can hit the minimum spend before you get tempted.
Conversion flexibility: Look at how many airline partners the card works with - and whether they line up with the frequent flyer programmes you actually use.
Expiry of miles: Some cards give you miles that never expire. Others come with an expiry window, so always check the fine print.
Conversion fees: A few programmes charge you a fee when converting points to miles. It’s worth knowing upfront.
Annual fees: For some cards, paying the annual fee is worth it for the perks. For others, it makes sense to get the fee waived.
Perks: Lounge access, car rental deals, travel insurance - think about the perks that matter most to your trips.
Minimum income requirements: Some cards require a minimum annual income, so double-check you’re eligible before applying.
Bottom line: the best miles card for you will always depend on how you spend and how you travel.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the top options in Singapore.
So, What’s the Best Credit Card for Miles in Singapore?
Top Miles Credit Cards in Singapore (2025) at a Glance
If you haven’t gotten the picture already, you’d know by now that not all miles cards are created equal.
Here’s a quick look at the major players, with cards that work well for both locals and foreigners living in Singapore.
Quick Comparison Table of the Top Travel Credit Cards
Credit Card | Annual Fee | Base Earn Rate | Bonus Perks | Lounge Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi PremierMiles Card | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | Local: 1.2 mpd Overseas: 2.2 mpd | Up to 10 mpd on Kaligo & 7 mpd on Agoda hotel bookings Miles never expire | 2 visits per year |
DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | Local: 1.3 mpd Overseas: 2.2 mpd | Up to 5 mpd on retail spend Miles never expire | 2 visits per year |
OCBC 90°N Mastercard | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | Local: 1.3 mpd Overseas: 2.1 mpd | Up to 7 mpd on Agoda hotels worldwide Miles never expire | None |
UOB PRVI Miles Visa | SGD 261.60 (first year free) | Local: 1.4 mpd Overseas: 3 mpd | Up to 8 mpd on Agoda & Expedia via UOB site | Up to 8 mpd on Agoda & Expedia via UOB site |
DBS Woman’s World Card | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | Local: 0.4 mpd Overseas: 1.2 mpd | 4 mpd on online purchases | None |
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | General: 1.2 mpd | Up to 3 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+, Pelago Up to 2.4 mpd on dining, food delivery & online spend | None |
StanChart Journey Credit Card | SGD 196.20 (annual fee waiver option available) | Local: 1.2 mpd Overseas: 2 mpd | Up to 3 mpd on food delivery, transport & online groceries | 2 visits per year |
American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card | SGD 397.85 (first year fee payable) | General: 1.2 mpd SIA & Scoot: 2 mpd | 2 mpd on Grab & KrisShop 17,000 bonus miles (new users) | None |
HSBC TravelOne Credit Card | SGD 196.20 (waived if you spend ≥ SGD 25,000 per year) | Local: 1.2 mpd Overseas: 2.4 mpd | Complimentary travel insurance | 4 visits per year |
Citi Rewards Card | SGD 196.20 (first year free) | 1X Point per SGD 1 (0.4 mpd) | 10X Points (4 mpd) on online & shopping spend, capped at 9,000 points monthly | None |
UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card | SGD 192.60 (first year free) | SGD 5 = 1X UNI$ (≈ 0.4 mpd) | SGD 5 = 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) on online shopping, entertainment & mobile wallets (e.g. Apple Pay) | None |
Mpd = miles per dollar of spend. First-year fee often waived. All details accurate as of 28 August 2025.
Card Highlights (And Which Is Best for Whom)
Citi PremierMiles – Great if you value miles that never expire and flexibility across airlines. Perfect for long-term planners.
DBS Altitude Visa Signature – An entry-level favourite for young professionals. Good earn rates, simple perks, and points that don’t expire.
OCBC 90°N Mastercard – Solid starter card for travellers, with Agoda bonuses baked in. No lounge access, but decent earn rates.
UOB PRVI Miles Visa – The hardcore collector’s card. High base earn rates, plus up to 8 mpd on travel bookings, and 4 lounge visits a year.
DBS Woman’s World Card – Don’t let the name fool you. This is one of the best online shopping cards, offering 4 mpd on e-commerce.
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card – This credit card is a must for Singapore Airlines loyalists. Direct KrisFlyer miles, Pelago perks, and higher earn rates on SIA spending.
StanChart Journey Credit Card – Everyday-friendly, rewarding commuters and foodies up to 3 miles per dollar. Great if you want to turn daily habits into miles.
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend – Premium-feel card for frequent SIA travellers. Comes with lounge entries and an attractive sign-up bonus.
HSBC TravelOne – A well-rounded option with competitive overseas earn rates (2.4 mpd) and bundled travel insurance.
Citi Rewards Card - Online shoppers and families maximising groceries, food delivery, ride-hailing, and apparel
UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card - Everyday spenders maximising online buys, groceries, dining, and shopping via mobile wallets
How to Spot the Best Miles Card in Singapore
High earn rates: UOB PRVI Miles leads with 1.4 mpd locally, 3 mpd overseas, and up to 8 mpd on Agoda/Expedia — great for frequent travellers.
KrisFlyer-focused perks: KrisFlyer UOB and AMEX Ascend give up to 3 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+, and Pelago, plus attractive welcome bonuses.
Miles that don’t expire: Citi PremierMiles and DBS Altitude let you build miles long-term with no expiry — ideal for planners who save for big trips.
Lounge access: Most cards offer 2 Priority Pass visits per year, but UOB PRVI Miles and HSBC TravelOne raise that to 4 a year.
Best Ways to Earn KrisFlyer Miles Fast
Now, you don’t need a KrisFlyer card per se to stack up serious miles (although it definitely helps).
It’s really about using your travel credit card (or cards, for some folks) wisely.
Here are some tried-and-tested strategies to choose from:
Stack Your Bonus Categories
We’re sure you’ve noticed we’ve used the word stack a few times - and for good reason.
A miles collector typically carries multiple cards to capture as much spend as possible across certain categories, especially on local spend.
Online Shopping & E-payments
For example, cards like DBS Woman’s World Card and Citi Rewards give you 4 mpd for online shopping.
So if you’re the type who rarely steps into physical stores and defaults to online shopping, you can optimise your spend this way.
Contactless Spend
Contactless and mobile payments are the way to go these days in Singapore.
And the best way to maximise them?
Use Apple Pay or Google Pay at your neighbourhood Japanese bakery in Tanjong Pagar, or even at the bubble tea stall in the mall basement.
Remember, every tap racks up miles.
For instance, the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa earns 4 mpd on contactless payments.
For everyday spend like groceries and convenience store runs, this is a goldmine. Until you hit the card’s cap, of course.
Point Conversion & Pooling
This is typical of many miles cards. Many don’t earn KrisFlyer miles directly.
How they work is that you earn bank reward points first, which you can then convert.
It might seem troublesome at first, but think of it as added flexibility.
For example, with these points, you can transfer to multiple airlines. KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, just to name a few.
But if you’re dead set on Singapore Airlines flights and KrisFlyer miles, then look at cards with points that never expire.
That way, you can earn miles at your own pace. It’s pretty much like a “miles savings account” where you stash points away until you have enough for that dream round-trip business class flight to Barcelona.
A few things to note:
Banks charge a fee to convert points to miles, so convert in bulk.
Some cards have auto-conversion programmes (e.g. DBS Altitude converts to KrisFlyer miles if you pay the annual fee). Either option works.
Be mindful of bank pooling rules. For example, DBS points pool across your cards (except co-branded ones), while Citi keeps each card separate.
If you’re planning to juggle multiple cards, make sure you concentrate spend on each one before conversion.
Utilise Spend Accelerators & Promos
This is where deal hunters thrive.
If you can consistently catch limited-time promos like “5 mpd on overseas spend this June” or “10X points on travel bookings during this period,” you can easily supercharge your miles game.
Of course, these promos are never permanent.
But they’re always worth watching out for.
Especially since different banks roll them out at different times.
Don’t Ignore Partnerships & Big-Ticket Items
Beyond your regular earn rates, you can get even more value out of your miles by spending with the right partners.
Take Citi’s collab with Kaligo for up to 10 mpd, or UOB’s Travel Portal, which often runs boosted earn rates on hotel and flight bookings.
And don’t forget your big-ticket spend.
Got a new BTO or a renovation coming up? Those appliance purchases can work harder for you with the right sign-up bonuses.
For example, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card gives 25,000 bonus miles when you spend SGD 2,000.
Pair it with the Citi PremierMiles Card (spend SGD 800 to earn 30,000 bonus miles) and you’ve already unlocked 55,000 bonus miles.
And that's all before counting your regular earn rate.
That’s a serious boost towards business class redemption already. In any case, since you’re spending big anyway, why not milk those rewards?
To give you some earning motivation, here’s an example of the miles you’d need for round-trip business flights to select destinations with a Business Saver Award ticket:
Destination | KrisFlyer miles required |
|---|---|
Bali | 42,000 miles |
Bangkok | 48,000 miles |
Mumbai | 86,000 miles |
Shanghai | 86,000 miles |
Tokyo | 104,000 miles |
Seoul | 104,000 miles |
Barcelona | 207,000 miles |
London | 207,000 miles |
Not keen on saving up forever for a business class or first class flight?
No sweat.
It’s much better value to redeem KrisFlyer miles on Scoot flights now, thanks to their new one-way economy award chart.
Previously, one mile only offset about 0.95 cents of your ticket cost. Now, one-way economy redemptions start from just 1,500 miles. That’s a massive win for budget travellers or backpackers looking to convert into miles chasers.
If you want the full breakdown, check out our guide on why you should redeem KrisFlyer miles on Scoot in 2025.
Milking Miles on Bills
You can also earn extra miles on bills that normally don’t accept credit cards. Platforms like CardUp and ipaymy let you charge expenses like income tax, rent, or your kid’s tuition fees, for a small fee.
Even IRAS’s tax payment facility allows you to earn miles on income tax payments. Though it comes with an extra 1.9% fee, so weigh the cost against the miles earned.
Pelago & Kris+: Earn Miles on Your Adventures
Even without a credit card, Pelago has always been an easy way to rack up miles.
Since 2024, Pelago and Kris+ have been integrated into one platform. That means more chances to earn, plus regular promos right in the app.
For example, book Pelago activities through Kris+ and you’ll earn a generous 6 KrisPay miles per dollar, which you can then convert straight into KrisFlyer miles.
KrisFlyer Exclusives with Pelago
If you’re a KrisFlyer member, there’s even more to enjoy.
Pelago (part of the Singapore Airlines Group) also runs KrisFlyer Exclusives - special offers to help you earn faster and save on experiences.
This September, members can look forward to:
Up to 8 miles per SGD 1 spent
1-for-1 tickets on selected activities
Limited-time discounts across popular picks
Extra bonus miles on favourites like Universal Studios Singapore, Mount Batur Jeep Tours in Bali, and JR Rail Passes in Japan
On top of that, members get priority support with direct access to live agents.
Simply enter the promo codes when booking, and you’re good to go. Easy miles, fun adventures.
Pelago’s Singapore Airlines & Scoot Promo Codes to Earn More Miles
Flying with Singapore Airlines? Here’s a neat way to save on activities during your trip and boost your miles.
From now until 31 December 2025, you’ll get 10% off (capped at SGD 50) when you book any activity on Pelago. Even better, this SIA promo code can be used three times per PNR — so that’s triple the discount, triple the fun.
Note: This one’s for existing Pelago customers, so sign up before you book if you haven’t already.
Flying with Scoot instead? You’re covered too.
Until 31 December 2025, Scoot passengers can use a Scoot promo code to get 20% off (capped at SGD 15) on Pelago activities. Just enter your Scoot flight PNR and last name at checkout.
This offer:
Is valid for existing Pelago customers
Can be redeemed once per booking reference
Applies to activities in your destination or layover country
And here’s the best part: on top of the discounts, you’ll still earn 1 KrisFlyer mile per SGD 1 spent on Pelago.
Want more ways to save? Check out our full Pelago promo code guide for the latest discounts and bonus miles.
Birthday Bash: 9 Miles Per Dollar on Pelago
Think your miles card is doing all the heavy lifting? Think again.
This October, Kris+ is throwing a birthday party. And you’re getting the upgrade. Earn a whopping 9 miles per dollar (9MPD) when you book activities on Pelago via Kris+.
Here’s the scoop:
Valid 1–31 October 2025.
Earn 9 KrisFlyer miles per SGD 1 spent on Pelago bookings.
Applies to everything - from food tours to full-blown theme park days.
Miles go straight to your KrisFlyer account.
And here’s where it gets fun: use your favourite miles card to pay, and you’ll double-dip on rewards. Because stacking miles isn’t just smart - it’s next-level travel hacking.
Singapore Airlines Customers: Complimentary eSIM
Flying soon? Here’s a travel freebie worth claiming before take-off.
KrisFlyer members can now score a free 1GB global eSIM with 7-day validity - powered by Frewie and perfect for staying connected abroad. No queues, no SIM-swapping, no stress.
Here’s how to claim it:
Book your flight on singaporeair.com.
Log in or sign up to Pelago using your KrisFlyer account.
Search PELESIMKF or head to the eSIM page.
Choose one:
1GB for 7 Days → Redeem free, or
Apply the same code for SGD 6 off other Frewie data plans (up to 20GB).
Enter PELESIMKF at checkout and follow Frewie’s activation email.
Need more data? Top-up options are available at exclusive rates.
Redemptions close 31 October 2025 - so don’t sleep on it.
Cashback vs Miles: Which is Better?
Ooh, the perennial question. Cashback or miles - which should you chase?
Honestly, there’s no right or wrong. It might be annoying to hear this, but the truth is: it all depends on your preferences.
Cashback is perfect if you love immediate savings on your purchases.
It works best if:
You’re covering daily expenses
You don’t travel frequently
You spend smaller, consistent amounts
An air miles credit card makes more sense if:
You’re a jetsetter who travels often
You love luxury travel
You’re aiming for high-value flights or upgrades
You don’t mind putting in the time and effort to optimise your spend for the best redemption value (spreadsheet warriors, we see you)
Just take note: miles programs can be devalued. In a few years, you might need more miles to redeem the same flight. Cashback? No such thing.
Here are some of the best cashback credit cards in Singapore:
UOB EVOL Credit Card – up to 10% cashback on local online, mobile contactless, gym, telco, etc.
OCBC 365 Credit Card – up to 6% cashback on fuel
HSBC Live+ Card – up to 8% cashback on dining, shopping, and entertainment
DBS Live Fresh Card – up to 6% cashback on transport and shopping
UOB One Card – up to 10% cashback on Grab, McDonald’s, Shopee, etc.
CIMB Visa Signature – up to 10% cashback on groceries, online shopping, beauty & wellness
Final Take: Choosing the Best Credit Cards for Miles
Ultimately, the best credit cards are the ones that match your lifestyle.
Whether it’s a card that gives you 1.2 miles per dollar on everyday spend, or one that rewards you on foreign currency transactions when you’re overseas, the trick is knowing where each card will suit you and your lifestyle.
If you’ve already nailed down which credit cards to wield, take your planning one step further. Start looking into how to use KrisFlyer miles to your benefit.
A little head start goes a long way. Rack up those miles early, and you’ll be set for your next destination - pronto.
