If you're like most people in Singapore, each time a long weekend rolls around you frantically search for ways and means to get out of the country. In recent years, Singaporeans have been making more than 8 million trips abroad per year.
If you're frequently fleeing the country on overseas holidays, there are scores of credit cards that can get you a discount on your air ticket or accommodation, as well as other freebies like lounge access that will make your trip even more enjoyable. Here are four types of benefits that credit cards give travellers.
Cash back or frequent flyer miles for bookings
Air tickets and accommodation are likely to be the most expensive parts of your overseas trip, and there's a high chance you're going to be booking yours online. In fact, if you are flying to another continent, you will spend more than $1,000 or $2,000 on online bookings. Using a credit card that gives you generous cash rebates on your bookings or rewards you with frequent flyer miles can make your current or future trip a little cheaper.
- OCBC Frank – Get a 6% cash rebate when you make online bookings. When you book a $1,000 air ticket, this means you get a $60 rebate.
- DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card – Get a very generous 3 miles on every $1 spent online on flight and hotel transactions.
If you're not sure which credit cards you would benefit most from, check out MoneySmart's credit card wizard, where you can compare the best credit cards for cash back and air miles.
- Cash Back
- Up to 10%
- Cash Back Cap per month
- S$100
- Min. Spend per month on Total Purchases
- S$800
- Local Spend
- S$1 = 1.3 miles
- Overseas Spend (made in foreign currency)
- S$1 = Up to 2.2 miles
- on DBS Points earned
- No Expiry
Use of the airport lounge
If you've never ever chilled out in an airport lounge, you might not realise how much comfort and convenience they can offer before or after a long flight. There's a free buffet at most airport lounges, as well as free workstations with wifi.
You can read the newspapers, charge your phone or take a nap while waiting for your flight. Some lounges also have free shower facilities. Many credit cards give you free access to airport lounges. Here are some to check out.
- American Express KrisFlyer Ascend Card – Get four free passes to SATS Premier Lounges all over the world each year.
- Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa – Access selected lounges in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong when you charge $400 in a single transaction on air tickets or travel packages.
- Citi PremierMiles Visa Card – Gain two complimentary visits to Priority Pass airport lounges.
- on eligible Singapore Airlines, Scoot flight bookings, KrisShop & Pelago purchases, with no cap
- S$1 = 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on eligible Grab Singapore transactions
- S$1 = Up to 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on all other eligible purchases
- S$1 = 1.2 KrisFlyer miles
- on Air Tickets and Foreign Currency Spend
- S$1 = 7X Points
- on local Shopping, Groceries, Dining, Hotel Bookings
- S$1 = 3X Points
- Rewards to Miles Conversion for Selected Airline Partners
- 1 Point = 0.4 Miles
- Local Spend
- S$1 = 1.2 miles
- All Foreign Currency Spend including Retail and Online
- S$1 = Up to 2.2 miles
- Selected Online Hotel Bookings
- S$1 = Up to 10 miles
Get Upsized S$400 Cash Reward or 6,140 SmartPoints (worth up to S$499 of Gifts) when you charge a min. of S$500 within 30 days!
PLUS, win a S$15,000 Dream Holiday to your preferred destination! T&Cs apply.
Discounts on booking sites
If you frequently book accommodation and air tickets on websites like Agoda and Expedia, before you enter your credit card details to pay for your purchase, always do a quick google search to determine if you are eligible for any discounts. Some bank or other is almost always offering seasonal discounts on such sites.
- POSB / DBS credit cards – Until 31 Dec 2015, all Platinum cardholders get 7% off hotel reservations, while all other POSB / DBS cards get you 5% off.
- UOB credit cards – Get 10% off Expedia hotel bookings by entering the coupon code and paying with a UOB card.
Free travel insurance
Probably the last thing you want to see before you're about to board
We certainly hope you're not foolhardy enough to travel without insurance. Nobody should travel without adequate protection, especially when there are so many credit cards that will have you insured during your travels for free.
- Citibank PremierMiles Card – Pay for your tickets using your card and you get up to $40,000 coverage for medical expenses, amongst others.
- HSBC Revolution – Free personal accident insurance offering up to $300,000 of coverage when you book your flights on the card.
- Local Spend
- S$1 = 1.2 miles
- All Foreign Currency Spend including Retail and Online
- S$1 = Up to 2.2 miles
- Selected Online Hotel Bookings
- S$1 = Up to 10 miles
Get Upsized S$400 Cash Reward or 6,140 SmartPoints (worth up to S$499 of Gifts) when you charge a min. of S$500 within 30 days!
PLUS, win a S$15,000 Dream Holiday to your preferred destination! T&Cs apply.
- on Contactless & Online Spending for cardholders who maintain at least S$50,000 average daily balance in your HSBC EGA SGD Account
- S$1 = 20X Points (8 miles)
- on Contactless & Online Spending for all other cardholders
- S$1 = 10X Points (4 miles)
- on All Other Spend
- S$1 = 1X Point
Get S$420 UPSIZED Cash or 6,140 SmartPoints (worth up to S$499 of Gifts) when you spend S$500 from Card Account Opening Date to end of the following calendar month!
PLUS, win a S$15,000 Dream Holiday to your preferred destination! T&Cs apply.
Free airport transfer
It can be a nightmare trying to get to Changi Airport from the West or North of Singapore, especially if you've decided to brave public transport with a giant suitcase. Taking a cab to the airport can cost a pretty penny if you live on the other side of the island, and someone in Jurong West can expect to pay over $40 during peak hour.
- CIMB Visa Signature – Spend $500 on the card within 3 months of your trip and you are eligible for a free airport departure transfer.
- OCBC Titanium – Travel on a full cost airline and enjoy the use of JetQuay lounges.
Credit Cards That Incentivise Overseas spending
While using your credit card to pay for every single expense you incur overseas is rarely a smart choice, when you do pay using plastic, use a card that rewards you generously for overseas spending. You might be charged currency conversion and admin fees, but if you get generous cash rebates or a high air mile accrual rate in exchange,
- POSB Everyday Card – Get 2% rebates on overseas spending when you spend $1,000 within a calendar month.
- American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card - Get 2 miles for every $1 spent overseas during the holiday season of June and December, as well as when you make bookings on singaporeair.com
- on Online Food Deliveries & Dining*
- Up to 10% Cash Rebates
- on in-store spend in Malaysian Ringgit
- Up to 10% Cash Rebates
- on bus and train rides with SimplyGo
- Up to 10% Cash Rebates
- on eligible Singapore Airlines, Scoot flight bookings, KrisShop & Pelago purchases, with no cap
- S$1 = 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on eligible Grab Singapore transactions
- S$1 = Up to 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on all other eligible purchases
- S$1 = 1.2 KrisFlyer miles
Which credit cards do you use for travel-related expenses? Tell us in the comments!
Image Credits: MIKI Yoshihito, fredo, Brian Costelloe
