When it comes to picking a rewards credit card, the most important factor is the credit card rewards catalogue. I mean, I really don’t care if the bank says they’ll give me 100X rewards or something – what does that matter if there’s nothing I want to redeem the points for? Keep in my account as trophy meh?
Which credit card rewards catalogue is the best?
Most banks have several rewards credit cards, and unlike cashback credit cards, rewards cards usually have pretty competitive incentives of 5X to 10X earn rates for shopping and/or online purchases. So chill out, you don’t need to stress over which is the “best rewards credit card” per se.
What you do need to worry about is what vouchers and gifts you can swap your hard-earned points for. Here’s an overview of the popular rewards credit cards, plus a handy comparison of UOB, DBS and OCBC rewards catalogues. Take your pick!
Contents
- UOB Rewards (Island of Rewards, UNI$)
- DBS Rewards (DBS Points)
- OCBC Rewards (OCBC$)
- Conclusion – which is the best credit card rewards catalogue?
UOB credit card rewards (Island of Rewards, UNI$)
The UOB UNI$ is UOB’s rewards currency. How to earn UNI$?
In general, every $5 spend = UNI$ 1 for all UOB credit cards. For accelerated earning, there are 2 UOB rewards cards:
UOB Lady’s Card
How to earn UNI$ for UOB Lady’s Card: $5 = UNI$1o for a spending category of your choice
- Base Earn Rate
- S$5 = 1X UNI$ (or 2 miles)
- Category of Choice
- S$5 = 15X UNI$ (or 30 miles)
- Min. Spend
- S$0
PLUS be the first 50 eligible customers to sign up to receive a Limited Edition Silk Twilly exclusively designed by Tiffany Lovage. T&Cs apply.
UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card
How to earn UNI$ for UOB Lady’s Card: $5 = UNI$10 on online shopping, entertainment, and contactless payments
- on Online Shopping, Entertainment & Contactless Payments
- S$5 = 10X UNI$
- on All Other Spend
- S$5 = 1X UNI$
- Rewards to Miles Conversion
- 1 UNI$ = 2 Miles
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card is the better of two, offering double the earn rate (10X vs 5X). It’s especially useful because not only does the 10X rewards apply to online shopping, you can use it for offline purchases via contactless payment.
Do note, however, that UOB’s online spend category excludes travel- and service-related bookings.
UOB rewards catalogue review
UOB has a star-studded rewards catalogue, featuring over 200 rewards from popular merchants.
Aside from the usual shopping mall and departmental store vouchers, there are vouchers from luxury fashion retailers like Club 21 and Salvatore Ferragamo, and travel-related sites like Scoot, Jetstar and more.
There are also over 50 dining rewards from restaurant and hotel groups including Crystal Jade, Tung Lok, Les Amis and Marriott. If you’re into pampering treats, the rewards catalogue also has spa and beauty treatment vouchers from Atos Wellness Spa Elements and Spa Infinity.
You can also redeem your points in exchange for credit card cash rebates, but it doesn’t seem very worth it in my opinion.
It costs UNI$ 8,700 for $100 cashback on selected cards, which is $4,350 worth of points (assuming you use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card). For $20 cashback on any card, it’s UNI$2,000 ($1,000 spend). If you like cold hard cash you might want to consider a suitable cashback credit card instead.
Check out the full UOB rewards catalogue here.
UOB rewards redemption procedure
There are 4 ways you can redeem your UOB rewards (UNI$):
Web – Log into the UOB rewards portal (pib.uob.com.sg/rewards). You will need an internet banking log-in for this.
Mobile – Download the UOB Mighty app and tap on ‘Rewards’. Internet banking log-in required as well.
Phone – Call the UOB hotline (1800 222 2121, operates 24-7) and follow the instructions. You’ll need to key in your NRIC, credit card number and the 5-digit reward code of your selected redemption.
Instant rewards – For selected merchants, you can redeem your points directly in-store.
DBS Rewards (DBS Points)
For DBS, cardholders earn DBS Points. The standard earn rate is $5 = 1 DBS Point, with the exception of bonus categories on the following rewards cards.
DBS Woman’s Card
How to earn DBS Points for DBS Woman’s Card: $5 = 5 DBS Points on online spend, including travel bookings
- on Online Spend
- S$5 = 5 DBS Points
- on Other Spend
- S$5 = 1 DBS Point
- on Overseas Shop & Dine
- Extra 5% Cashback
DBS Woman’s World Card
How to earn DBS Points for DBS Woman’s World Card: $5 = 10 DBS Points on online spend, including travel bookings
- on Online Spend
- S$5 = 10 DBS Points
- on Overseas Spend
- S$5 = 3 DBS Points
- on all Other Spend
- S$5 = 1 DBS Point
The Woman’s World Card obviously offers better earn rates (10X), but it’s not an entry level card. Unless you earn over $80,000 yearly, you’re not eligible for it. The DBS Woman’s Card is a more common choice, but offers half the DBS Points earnings (5X).
The edge that DBS rewards cards have over UOB is that online travel bookings are eligible to earn the bonus rewards.
DBS rewards catalogue review
DBS/POSB seems to be Singapore’s favourite local bank, and I’m pleased to share that DBS’s rewards catalogue is on par with UOB’s. It used to be pretty lousy (with the exception of several popular merchants like P.S. Cafe and the likes), but it looks like the catalogue is actually not bad now.
They have the usual shopping mall and departmental store vouchers, and I noticed some overlaps with UOB (Crystal Jade, Tung Lok and Din Tai Fung). Other notable restaurants include P.S. Cafe (of course) and Sushi Tei.
They also have “cheaper” vouchers for fast food joints like Swensen and Polar Puffs & Cakes, because not everyone spends enough to redeem expensive hotel and chi-chi dining discounts. Some people – ahem, like me – are content with free ice-cream and cake.
I also noticed that they’ve added rewards for use at online sites like Chope.
Like the rest, you can exchange your DBS Points for credit card-related discounts too. You can get annual fee waivers and up to $200 cash credit (20,000 DBS Points). For the waivers, the DBS Points required depends on your credit card.
Check the latest DBS rewards catalogue here.
DBS rewards redemption procedure
Wondering how to redeem your DBS Points? Here’s a quick guide:
DBS digibank – Log in with your internet banking account and go to the DBS rewards home page. Add selected rewards to cart and tap ‘redeem’.
DBS Lifestyle app – Log in with your internet banking account and select a ‘rewards’. Pick your rewards item from the catalogue, add to cart, and checkout by tapping ‘redeem’.
DBS rewards website – Log into the portal with your credit card number and NRIC. Add the desired rewards item and quantity to cart, and click ‘redeem’.
DBS InstaRewards – InstaRewards is an immediate, in-store redemption that’s available at selected merchants.
Participating merchant’s website or app – Some merchants also allow you to offset your online purchases instantly via their websites or mobile apps.
OCBC Rewards (OCBC$)
OCBC only has 1 rewards credit card, but thankfully, it’s entry-level and the earn rate is 10X. I’m talking about the flashy pink or blue OCBC Titanium Rewards Card.
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- on Online, Offline, Local and Overseas spend
- S$1 = 10 OCBC$
- with 18,000 OCBC$
- S$50 Titanium cash
- Rewards to Miles Conversion
- 10 OCBC$ = 4 Miles
The 10X rewards is applied on online, offline, local and overseas spend, and the earn rate is $1 = 10 OCBC$. So unlike UOB and DBS, you don’t earn your reward points in blocks of $5. Every dollar entitles you to 10 OCBC$, so there’s less “wastage”.
OCBC rewards catalogue review
Sadly, the OCBC rewards catalogue looks like a brochure compared to the encyclopaedias that are DBS and UOB. There are only 57 vouchers and gifts for redemption.
I was going to say that “OCBC has the usual shopping malls and departmental store vouchers” but uh… They don’t.
They legit don’t even have Capitaland mall vouchers, which I’d say is a dealbreaker for most people. The CapitaVoucher is like Singapore’s second currency, some people even accept those as payment on Carousell ok. They do have KrisFlyer Miles and Robinsons vouchers though.
Check out the OCBC rewards catalogue here.
OCBC rewards redemption procedure
OCBC$ are redeemed online or via mobile. All vouchers can take up to 7 days to be sent to you.
OCBC rewards website – Log into the www.ocbc.com/rewards with your credit card number, NRIC and birthday. Add preferred reward to cart and check out.
OCBC mobile banking – Shop for rewards on the catalogue and add once you’re done, click ‘redeem now’ and enter your credit card number, NRIC and birthday.
OCBC internet banking – Log into your internet banking account and select ‘rewards’. Add reward to cart and tap ‘check out’.
OCBC phone banking – Call 1800 363 3333 (or (65) 6363 3333 if you’re overseas) and follow the instructions.
Conclusion – which is the best credit card rewards catalogue?
In general, I feel that UOB has the best deals of the lot. The rewards cards have great earn rates and the catalogue is meaty – it’s got all the usual suspects (mall vouchers, air miles, etc) plus a ton of other dining, entertainment and lifestyle merchants. The only thing is that UNI$ accrual is done in blocks of $5 (rounded down), but that’s a relatively small trade off.
DBS’s rewards catalogue is not bad either; in fact, I might actually say it’s comparable to UOB’s. The only reason why it doesn’t take the top spot is because their rewards cards make it harder for you to earn the rewards. The entry level card only gives you 5X DBS Points, and to be eligible for 10X, you need a much juicier monthly pay check.
Sadly, OCBC’s rewards programme is the most disappointing. The only “redeeming quality” is that OCBC$ are earned every dollar (not $5), but frankly, it’s not much use if there’s nothing to swap your OCBC$ out for.
But don’t take my word for it – go check the catalogues out to make sure there are offerings you would like.
Which rewards catalogue do you think is the best? tell us in the comments below!
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