In 2025, Standard Chartered boldly invites you to “turn every swipe into sky-high rewards” with their SC Journey Credit Card. Whether it’s grabbing your daily coffee, hailing a Grab ride, or even booking a hotel, they promise you’ll earn miles with every swipe.
“But wait a minute, isn’t that what every other miles card is offering?” Look, we hear you, and that’s where we come in.
In this article, we’ll find out whether the SC Journey Credit Card is truly your ticket to easier travel or just another card crowding your wallet. Let’s dive in.
See our credit card ranking rubric to find out how we rank credit cards.
Contents:
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- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Summary
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Eligibility
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Annual fees
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn rates
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Bonus earn categories
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Rewards Points redemption
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Benefits and privileges
- Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Sign-up promotion
- Should I get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card?
- Alternatives to the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
1. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Summary
In 2025, the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card continues to position itself as an accessible and versatile option for everyday spenders, leaving behind the legacy of its predecessor, the Standard Chartered X Card.
In 2019, the SC X Card garnered attention with its impressive 100,000 miles sign-up promotion, but ultimately fell short of maintaining momentum. The X Card, with its premium positioning and steep annual fee of nearly $700, targeted affluent consumers. However, despite its hefty cost, the earn rates of $1 = 1.2 miles locally and $1 = 2 miles overseas didn’t offer the exceptional value that high spenders craved. Consequently, Standard Chartered chose to retire the X Card, paving the way for the more wallet-friendly SC Journey Credit Card.
Fast forward to today, and the SC Journey Credit Card has established itself as a practical choice for consumers who value a balanced approach to earning rewards without the burden of excessive fees. Unlike the X Card, the Journey Credit Card sports a more reasonable annual income requirement of $30,000 and retains the same earn rates—$1 = 1.2 miles locally and $1 = 2 miles overseas. While these rates may not dazzle in 2025’s competitive credit card landscape, they are consistent and reliable, offering a straightforward path to reward accumulation.
When it comes to perks, the SC Journey Credit Card doesn’t stray far from industry norms, offering features like complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges. It’s not a groundbreaking set of benefits, but for many everyday users, it strikes a comfortable balance between affordability and utility. If you’re looking for a card that delivers consistent value without overpromising, this one might just fit the bill.
One key point to keep in mind: despite the card’s branding and marketing as a miles-focused product, the SC Journey Credit Card actually earns 360 Rewards Points rather than miles directly. These points can be converted into air miles, but also offer flexibility for cash rewards and shopping vouchers. This versatility means you’re not locked into travel redemptions, which could be a decisive factor for those who prefer having multiple options.
2. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Eligibility
The Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card is definitely in entry-level credit card territory. These are its eligibility conditions and income requirements:
- Minimum income for Singaporeans: S$30,000
- Minimum income for non-Singaporeans: S$00,000
- Age: 21 and above
The only condition that might make the SC Journey Credit Card less friendly is its income requirement for foreigners, who need to earn at least $90,000 a year to be eligible for the card. Comparatively, many other miles cards with a $30,000 income requirement for Singaporeans only impose a $40,000-$45,000 income requirement for non-Singaporeans. Here’s a quick look at the minimum earn rates of miles cards with similar earn rates:
Minimum income requirements | ||
Air miles credit card | For Singaporeans | For non-Singaporeans |
SC Journey Credit Card | $30,000 | $90,000 |
Citi PremierMiles Card | $30,000 | $42,000 |
HSBC TravelOne Card | $30,000 (salaried worker) / $40,000 (self-employed or commission-based) | $40,000 |
DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card | $30,000 | $45,000 |
OCBC 90°N Card | $30,000 | $45,000 |
3. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Annual fees
Thank goodness Standard Chartered has come to realise that no one in their right mind is going to pay ~$700 in annual fees for a credit card that gives you a very average 1.2 miles per S$1 earn rate. Now, this current version of the SC Journey Credit Card gives…the same average earn rate. But! At least it’s brought its annual fees down to an equally average amount of S$196.20, with the option of waiving the annual fee for (at least) the first year. There’s also no annual fee for any supplementary card(s), all in all making the SC Journey Credit Card the next best thing after a no-annual-fee credit card.
4. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn rates
The SC Journey Card works just like many other air miles credit cards—charge money to the card, and earn rewards points that you can turn into miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. That’s right—although the SC Journey Credit Card is advertised and categorised as a miles credit card, it actually earns you 360 Rewards Points that give you the flexibility to choose what you want to redeem them for. This sets it apart from, say, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which earns you KrisFlyer miles directly.
Here’s what you can expect to earn with the SC Journey Credit Card:
Earn rates with the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card | ||
Per $1 spent on | 360 Rewards Points | Air Miles |
Online Transactions: Transportation, Grocery and Food Delivery Merchants | 7.5 Rewards Points (of which 4.5 Rewards Points are considered bonus points) | 3 miles |
Overseas spend | 5 Rewards Points | 2 miles |
Local spend | 3 Rewards Points | 1.2 miles |
Do note that there is a cap on the number of bonus Rewards Points you can earn. In each month, you can only earn a maximum of 4,500 Rewards Points, which means a spend cap of S$1,000. This cap only applies to the S$1 = 4.5 Rewards Points bonus earnings, and doesn’t apply to the regular S$1 = 3 Rewards Points earnings you get from local spend. So, past the S$1,000 mark on the bonus earn categories, further spending will continue to earn you the usual 3 Rewards Points (1.2 miles) per dollar.
5. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Bonus earn categories
To get the most out of your SC Journey Credit Card, you’re going to want to max out the bonus earn categories that give you the highest earn rate on the card of S$1 = 7.5 Rewards Points. These apply only to online transactions in 3 categories: Transportation, Groceries, and Food Delivery. Here are the eligible merchant category codes and merchant examples:
Bonus earn rate transaction categories | Qualifying MCCs (online transactions only) | Examples of merchants with those MCCs |
Transportation |
|
Gojek, Cabcharge Asia (they work with ComfortDelGro), Tada, Ryde Technologies, Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Food Delivery |
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Foodpanda, Deliveroo, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza |
Groceries and Food
stores |
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NTUC FairPrice Online, NTUC FairPrice app, Nespresso |
Once again, there’s a spend cap of S$1,000 for the categories above. Past the S$1,000 mark, further online transactions under the categories above will just earn you the usual rate of S$1 local spend = 3 Rewards Points / 1.2 miles.
6. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Rewards Points redemption
With the SC Journey Credit Card, you’ll earn 360 Rewards Points that can be redeemed for air miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. The miles conversion rate is 2.5 Rewards Points = 1 mile, while the shopping voucher conversion rates vary by merchant, and you’ll need to log in to the online Standard Chartered 360 Rewards Points catalogue to view the cash reward details. You’ll also use this platform to redeem your Reward Points. But for now, to give you a rough idea, here are the conversion rates for everyone’s favourite, good old trusty Capital Mall vouchers:
- 6,900 points = S$20 eCapitaVoucher
- 17,250 points = S$50 eCapitaVoucher
You’d need to spend $920 via online food delivery/grocery/transport transactions to amass the 6,900 reward points needed for a $20 eCapitaVoucher. Essentially, that’s like getting a 2.17% “cashback” rate—not too shabby compared to an unlimited cashback credit card with very general spend categories, but falls short of other cards’ cashback rates for specific categories.
ALSO READ: 12 Best Cashback Credit Cards in Singapore (2024)
It may seem quite troublesome to some to have to log in and convert the points to miles/vouchers/cash rewards, but that’s the price we pay for flexibility.
7. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Benefits and privileges
If the SC Journey Credit Card were a burger, it would be a McChicken. It’s no limp and flat hamburger, but it’s a far cry from the hearty, juicy Big Mac everyone’s got their eye on. The SC Journey Credit Card has 2 main permanent benefits that are guaranteed to stick around:
- 2 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges worldwide each year
- Complimentary travel insurance coverage of up to S$500,000
Aside from these, there are also some limited-time privileges that we can only hope will either be extended or replaced with an equivalent perk:
- Stand a chance to win a yacht trip when you refer a friend from 1 Mar to 31 May 2025
- Enjoy up to 30,000 welcome miles between Apr to Jun 2025
- 45% off all single-trip plans with MSIG TravelEasy Insurance
See what I mean about the McChicken? These aren’t benefits you’d crave and long to have, and you probably won’t be getting the SC Journey Credit Card solely for the perks above. But things like lucky draws and discounted insurance are certainly complimentary add-ons that anyone would welcome. Plus, the knowledge that you don’t have to pay a cent in foreign transaction fees while travelling is as reassuring as the knowledge that you’re always going to get to enjoy McDonald’s signature burgers all over the world.
8. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Sign-up promotion
From now till 30 Jun 2025, Standard Chartered is offering up to 30,000 miles for those who sign up for the SC Journey Credit Card. But before you get too excited at the prospect of 30,000 miles, it’s important to break this down to see what conditions it comes with:
Gift condition | Rewards Points awarded | Equivalent KrisFlyer Miles |
Pay the annual fee of S$196.20 | 25,000 | 10,000 |
With a minimum spend of S$800 worth of Eligible Transactions within the first 60 days of card approval | 50,000 | 20,000 |
Total | 75,000 | 30,000 |
So to hit the 30,000-mile welcome gift, you’ll need to spend/pay a total of S$996.20.
If you don’t fancy paying the annual fee, you’re looking at only 20,000 miles—assuming you spend $800 in a month. Not impossible, but definitely not as enticing as it appears in the first place.
On the plus side, it’s also worth mentioning that Standard Chartered isn’t going to give you miles directly, but 360 Rewards Points that can be converted to miles. So if you would prefer converting these points to cash rewards or shopping vouchers instead, go ahead!
9. Should I get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card?
The SC Journey Credit Card is a good entry-level rewards card with decent earn rates, especially for its 3 miles per S$1 earn rate on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That’s perhaps its biggest draw— it’s definitely not a credit card you’re going to get for its lacklustre travel benefits or difficult-to-attain welcome points. Here’s a summary of why you should or shouldn’t get it:
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card | |
Pros | Cons |
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Our advice is to only get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card if you know you can make full use of the 3 miles per S$1 spend on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That means maxing out the spend cap of S$1,000 each month. Otherwise, consider these alternative cards below.
10. Alternatives to the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
Here are some air miles credit cards with similar or slightly higher earn rates:
Citi PremierMiles Card: Similar earn rates (1.2 Citi Miles per S$1 local spend/ 2.2 Citi Miles per S$1 overseas spend) but a sign-up bonus that’s a lot easier to get. Plus, Citi Miles also never expire.
OCBC 90°N Card: Slightly higher earn rates (2.1 miles per S$1 foreign currency spend, 1.3 miles per S$1 local spend), with no cap on miles earned per month.
UOB PRVI MASTERCARD Miles Card: Higher earn rates (Up to 3 miles per S$1 foreign currency spend, 1.4 miles per S$1 local spend) and exclusive discounts on SimplyGo transactions and Grab rides.
P.S. Here’s our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric
In case you’re wondering, here’s how we decide on our credit card rankings.
Is that credit card MoneySmart? Our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric | |
Category | Our rating |
Overall | The average rating for the credit card on the whole, calculated from the ratings for the individual categories below. Plus, we’ll give you a one-liner on who we think the credit card is best suited for. |
Earn rates: Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points | Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points. This category looks at the depth rather than breadth of earn rates.
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Earn categories | This category looks at the breadth rather than depth of your earnings.
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Annual fees and charges |
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Accessibility | Minimum income requirements:
Exclusivity: We dock 1-2 stars if there is/are another category/categories that make the card exclusive and very specific to a certain clientele. |
Extras/periphery rewards | These include:
We count the number of benefits and award between 0.5 to 2 stars for each, depending on how good the perk is. |
Sign-up bonus |
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Check out all our MoneySmart credit card reviews: The Ultimate List of Credit Card Reviews in Singapore.
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