Turn Every Swipe Into Miles: Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card (MoneySmart Review 2025)

standard-chartered-journey-credit-card-review

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.

 

Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card Review—Is it MoneySmart?
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card 2023 | Earn up to 3 Miles per $1

Overall: ★★★☆☆
Best for: Those looking for an entry-level rewards card with extra earn rates for online transport, food delivery and grocery transactions. Don’t hold your breath when it comes to the card’s sign-up bonuses and other privileges.

Category Our rating The deets
Earn rates: 360 Rewards Points ★★★★☆

– 360 Rewards Points do not expire, and can be redeemed for miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers
7.5 Rewards Points / 3 miles = S$1 spend on online transactions: Transportation, Grocery and Food Delivery Merchants
5 Rewards Points / 2 miles = S$1 overseas spend
3 Rewards Points / 1.2 miles = S$1 local spend

Earn categories ★★★★☆
Annual fees and charges ★★★★☆ S$196.20 (first year waiver available) / No fee for supplementary cards
Accessibility ★★★☆☆ Minimum income requirement: $30,000 (Singaporeans) / $90,000 (non-Singaporeans)
Extras/periphery rewards ★☆☆☆

2 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges worldwide each year
Complimentary travel insurance coverage of up to S$500,000
45% off MSIG TravelEasy Insurance with first 8 digits of card number
– Exclusive access to over 3,000 participating merchants and privileges under The Good Life® programme

Sign-up bonus ★★☆☆☆

Up to 30,000 miles:
– For 20,000 miles: Spend $800 in first 60 days of card approval
– For 10,000 miles: Pay the annual fee of $196.20

See our credit card ranking rubric to find out how we rank credit cards.

 

Contents:

    1. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Summary
    2. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Eligibility
    3. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Annual fees
    4. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn rates
    5. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Bonus earn categories
    6. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Rewards Points redemption
    7. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Benefits and privileges
    8. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Sign-up promotion
    9. Should I get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card?
    10. 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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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 
  • 4111
  • 4121
  • 4411
  • 4789
Gojek, Cabcharge Asia (they work with ComfortDelGro), Tada, Ryde Technologies, Royal Caribbean Cruises
Food Delivery
  • 5814
  • 5811
  • 5812
Foodpanda, Deliveroo, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza
Groceries and Food

stores

  • 5411
  • 5462
  • 5499
  • 5921
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.

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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.

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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:

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:

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.

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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!

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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
  • Higher than average earn rates on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery: 7.5 Rewards Points / 3 miles per S$1 spend
  • Reasonable annual fee with first year waiver available, and no annual fee for supplementary cards
  • Low minimum income requirements for Singaporeans (a bit higher for non-Singaporeans)
  • Travel and other benefits fall short
  • The 30,000 miles welcome gift is pretty underwhelming, compared to their previous offer of 45,000 miles

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.

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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.

Citibank logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
FASTER REWARD FULFILMENT | EARN CITI 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
MoneySmart Exclusive:

[SURE WIN S$450 CASH]
Get S$400 Cash or 5,040 SmartPoints, and a S$50 Trip.com Hotel Coupon in as fast as 5 weeks when you spend S$500 within 30 days. Plus spend monthly on your card for 3 months and get EXTRA S$50 Cash!

Stand to get additional prizes like a Panerai Quaranta 40mm PAM01572 (worth S$8,500) or S$5,000 Cash or an Apple 14" MacBook Pro (worth S$2,199) on top of your baseline gift when you sign up through MoneySmart! T&Cs apply.

Valid until 31 May 2025

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.

OCBC logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Earn Miles That Don't Expire
on Agoda accommodations worldwide
S$1 = Up to 7 Miles
on Foreign Currency spend
S$1 = 2.1 Miles
on Local spend
S$1 = 1.3 Miles
MoneySmart Exclusive:

Get S$150 Cash or 1,960 SmartPoints, PLUS a 5GB Eskimo eSIM (worth US$25) for new OCBC Cardmembers only when you apply and charge at least 1 qualifying transaction within 30 days from card application approval.

Plus stand to get an additional Apple iPad 10th Gen (worth S$499) on top of your baseline gift! T&Cs apply.

Valid until 31 May 2025

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.

UOB logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
Earn up to 8 Miles per S$1
on agoda and Expedia bookings via UOB PRVI Miles website.
S$1 = Up to 8 miles
on Overseas Spend
S$1 = Up to 3 miles
on Local Spend
S$1 = 1.4 miles
MoneySmart Exclusive:

Get a Nintendo Switch OLED + Apple Watch SE (worth up to S$788) or up to S$100 Cash for new-to-card applicants when you meet the criteria! T&Cs apply.

Valid until 31 May 2025

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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.

  • 5 stars means this card’s got the highest earn rates within that credit card type.
  • 3-4 stars mean it’s average
  • 1-2 stars reflect earn rates that are below average.
Earn categories This category looks at the breadth rather than depth of your earnings.

  • 5 stars: Earn with ANY spend.
  • 3-4 stars: Earn on a large number of categories (e.g. all dining, transport and retail, but not telco bills) OR earn on 1 very broad category (e.g. all contactless/mobile payments).
  • 1-2 stars: Earn a decent rate only on selected categories, such as fast food only.
Annual fees and charges
  • 5 stars: $0 
  • 4 stars: $1-200
  • 3 stars: $201-500
  • 2 stars: $501-$999
  • 1 star: $1,000 and up
  • We dock a star if fee waiver is NOT allowed.
Accessibility Minimum income requirements:

  • 5 stars: Less than $30,000 a year
  • 4 stars: Around $30,000 a year for Singaporeans and $40,000-$45,o00 for non-Singaporeans
  • 3 stars: $30,000-$60,000 a year for Singaporeans, $40,000-$70,000 for non-Singaporeans
  • 2 stars: $60,000-$120,000 a year for Singaporeans, $70,000-$120,000 for non-Singaporeans
  • 1 star: $120,000 and up for either, or both

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:

  • Travel benefits, such as airport lounge access
  • Lifestyle benefits, such as spa privileges
  • Dining benefits, such as complimentary AMEX Love Dining or Entertainer with HSBC subscriptions

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
  • 5 stars: The gift(s), cash, or miles are the highest we see out there compared to other credit cards of the same type (miles, cashback, etc). Also easy to attain these welcome bonuses.
  • 3-4 stars: Average but not disappointing sign-up bonus compared to other credit cards. You aren’t losing out.
  • 1-2 stars: You are probably losing out in terms of the welcome bonus you’re getting; there are other similar credit cards with sign-up bonuses that are better or easier to attain.

Check out all our MoneySmart credit card reviews: The Ultimate List of Credit Card Reviews in Singapore.

 

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