Singapore’s go-to bank DBS must really want to change up their mundane, workaday image — just look at the snazzy DBS Live Fresh Card. The cashback credit card has an attractive card design and fuss-free mechanics to appeal to the millennial crowd.
Let’s see if the DBS Live Fresh Card has the substance to match its style.
DBS Live Fresh Card terms & conditions
| DBS Live Fresh Card | |
| Annual fee & waiver | $192.60 (waived for 1 year) |
| Supplementary annual fee | $96.30 |
| Interest free period | 25 days |
| Annual interest rate | 26.80% |
| Late payment fee | $100 |
| Minimum monthly repayment | 3% or $50, whichever is higher |
| Foreign currency transaction fee | 3.25% |
| Cash advance transaction fee | 8% or $15, whichever is higher |
| Overlimit fee | $40 |
| Minimum income | $30,000 (Singaporean/PR) / $45,000 (non-Singaporean) |
| Card association | Visa |
| Wireless payment | Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay |
How the DBS Live Fresh Card works
The DBS Live Fresh Card is a basic cashback credit card, but it’s not one my parents will appreciate. There are absolutely no perks for necessities like grocery shopping, petrol or utilities.
100% targeted at millennials, the DBS Live Fresh Card offers up to 5% cash rebate on online and Visa contactless spend. Everything else earns 0.3% — almost negligible in my opinion.
Total monthly cashback is capped at $60; adding to that, the cap is further split into 3 categories: $20 for Online Spend, $20 for Visa Contactless Spend and $20 for all other spend.
There’s an additional 5% cashback (capped at $15 a month) for sustainable spending, if you can be bothered to game that. This category includes public transport, bike/car sharing and selected F&B and retail outlets.
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- Cash Back on Online Spend & Visa Contactless
- Up to 5%
- Min. Spend
- S$600
- Cash Back Cap
- Up to S$75
Who should use the DBS Live Fresh Card?
If you haven’t already guessed, the DBS Live Fresh Card belongs in the pockets of Gen Z and millennials who rely on the internet to get stuff done.
There aren’t any specific bonus rebates for key categories (like groceries, dining and the likes), but in this day and age, you can pay for everything with just a click or wave right?
If it can’t be ordered online, cardholders can make use of the 5% cashback on contactless payment methods to still earn some rebates when spending on those necessities. But bear in mind — cashback is capped at $20.
When the card was re-launched in 2017, the DBS Live Fresh Card had a super generous bonus cashback promotion (think 5+5% cashback), but those days are gone.
You can also expect hassle-free rides when you take the bus and train with your DBS Live Fresh Card. Never bother about topping up the value in your EZ link card again. Actually, you won’t even need it anymore.
Alternatives to the DBS Live Fresh Card
Almost all the banks in Singapore are fighting over millennial dollars — after all, young Singaporeans have zero brand loyalty (how many credit cards do you have?) and can be easily persuaded to part with what little money we have.
So as expected, the DBS Live Fresh Card has some serious competition. Let’s see how it stacks up against the others:
UOB EVOL Card – Another credit card obviously targeting the same demographic as the DBS Live Fresh Card, the UOB EVOL Card offers a more attractive 8% cashback for online shopping and PayWave transactions, but with the same cashback cap of $60.
OCBC FRANK Card – Similar to DBS and UOB’s offerings, the OCBC FRANK Card lets you earn 6% on online shopping and mobile contactless (Apple Pay etc.) payments. The same minimum spend of $600 applies, but the cap is higher at $75.
- Cash Back on Online Spend
- 6%
- Cash Back Cap per month
- S$75
- Min. Spend per month on Total Purchases
- S$600
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