2025 Beginner’s Guide: The Best 4-6 mpd Credit Cards in Singapore
- MilesWise
- Feb 10
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 6
Introduction: General vs Specialized Spending Cards
There are two main types of miles cards available:
1. General Spending Cards: Earn a flat rate of ~1.x mile per dollar (mpd) on all transactions. Does not have a monthly spend cap, thus making it easy to use without tracking.
2. Specialized Spending Cards: Earn 4-6 mpd on specific spending categories. Will always come with a monthly cap.
Considering the substantial earning potential of specialized spending cards, opting for the lower earn rates of general spending cards seems like a missed opportunity. In other words, a person who regularly uses cards that offer 4-6 miles per dollar will gather enough miles for a free flight much quicker than someone who only uses a card offering 1.2 miles per dollar.
Example:
A one-way Business Saver flight from Singapore to Frankfurt requires 103,500 miles.
With a 4 mpd card: 103,500 ÷ 4 ÷ 12 = ~$2,100 of qualifying spend per month.
With a 1.3 mpd card: 103,500 ÷ 1.3 ÷ 12 = ~$6,600 of qualifying spend per month.
Your Goal: Maximize the use of specialized spending cards wherever possible and you can reach your travel objectives more quickly and effectively.
List of all the most popular 4-6mpd cards in Singapore
4 mpd on a choice of up to two bonus categories (I picked Dining + Travel)
Upsize it to 6mpd if you deposit $10k into Lady Saving’s account ( Interest= 0.05% p.a.)
No S$5 earning block issue as bonus is calculated at the end of the month
Key Exclusions: Amaze (no pairing for lower FCY)
No problems getting an annual fee waiver
4 mpd on all contactless + Online shopping, Supermarket, Dining, Entertainment
Capped at S$1,110 per calendar month
4 mpd on all online transactions
Capped at S$1,500 per calendar month (Transaction date, not posting date)
Points pool with rest of DBS cards ( Notable, DBS Alt Visa/Amex)
No S$5 earning block issue as bonus is calculated at the end of the month
Examples: Amazon, Travel, Grab, Netflix, Kris+, Fairprice App, Shopback, Atome
Exclusions: FavePay (no bonus miles), Amaze (no pairing for lower FCY)
No problems getting an annual fee waiver
Points expiry in 1 year
Beware of refunds! Bonus rates applies for first S$X, which means getting a refund does not "reset" the monthly limit.
4 mpd on all local petrol & contactless, Foreign Currency Spend (FCY)
Min Spend: S$1K, Max Spend: S$2k
No S$5 earning block issue as bonus is calculated at the end of the month
Minimum spend and caps for the UOB Visa Signature are tracked by statement month, not calendar month. ( You can get your statement month changed to calendar month)
No problems getting an annual fee waiver
1.2 mpd general spending
3mpd uncapped for SIA and Scoot tickets, Kris+, dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel, and transport
Bonus miles delayed by up to 14 months
Spend at least S$800 on SIA Group transactions (excluding Kris+)
Key Exclusions: Amaze (no pairing for lower FCY)
Went through a series of major nerf: 5814 Food, Travel Agency, AirBnB & Some Hotels
Can only reliably get 2.86-4 mpd on Shopping, need to check MCC closely for others
Capped at S$1,000 per calendar month.
Can only be online transactions (e.g, Cannot use as paywave)
No $5 block problem
Points pool with other HSBC card ( e.g, T1)
4 mpd for online, extendable to offline via Amaze with an 1% fee
No in-app use e.g, Apple/Google pay
Exclude: Travel
Capped at S$1,000 per calendar month.
No $5 block problem, No points pooling
4 mpd for shopping (restricted whitelist), 6mpd (till Jun-25) on department stores, Duty Free, Watsons
Buy vouchers on Heymax (MCC:5311) via this cc, and get 6mpd for sure!
Not on HeyMax yet? - Get 250 Max Miles as a welcome bonus by using my referral link here.
10/9.58 mpd on Yuu Merchants
Yuu Merchants: Cold Storage, Giant, Guardian, foodpanda, Gojek, and the rest of the yuu ecosystem
Minimum spend of S$600 per calendar month, which is also the cap. E.g., spending beyond S$600 will not yield you more bonus miles.
Both the DBS yuu AMEX and DBS yuu Visa have their own bonus cap,
Not on Yuu yet? - Get 2,000 Yuu points as a welcome bonus by using the code "VKFG2AJE"
Notable mentions for non 4-6mpd cards, though occasionally useful.
These cards are not included in our standard 4-6mpd cards, but could be utilized for seasonal special use cases or targeted campaigns.
DBS Altitude Visa/ Amex ( Amex has a separate acquisition bonus)
HSBC Travel 1 ( Acquisition bonus, instant transfers)
Citi PremierMiles ( Separate acquisition bonus from CP)
SCB Journey ( Miles for utilities, Possible FCY promos )
Citi Prestige ( Attractive SUB, Use my promo code: z9794216259i)
UOB Priv Visa/MC/Amex (uncapped 3mpd for regional spend)
Chocolate Finance Visa ( 2mpd on income tax)
Non-Credit card Travel hacks
CardUp
Enables you to pay for various expenses, such as bills, invoices, and other services, that traditionally do not accept credit card payments. Allows you to earn miles on general spending cards
Use my promo code and get $30 off your admin fee, equivalent of $1154 of (income tax, or anything) bills. Don’t waste this opportunity to get ‘free’ miles.
Various promo codes available all the time, check the latest promotion here
ABTC Travel Card
Skip the immigration queues and avoid visa/ETA requirements
$100 to apply, able to use fast track path in most APAC country
According to the rules, it's 1 card per person. However, I've managed to use the priority lane in Malaysia with an additional person accompanying me.
Link to check application Status ( Make sure Passport # in caps)
Easy way to gain +9mpd if you pay via Kris+ on their partners
F&B would be the easiest
Pair with UOB KFCC, DBS WWMC to stack on the miles
Not on Kris+ yet? - Get S$5 worth of miles as a welcome bonus by using my refe
"But I only want to use 1 card for everything..."
One Card Strategy - “I just want miles with 1 card”
UOB Krisflyer: Most bonus categories (3mpd) for a single card, no caps.
Two Card Strategy - “ 1 for paywave, 1 for your most common category of spend”
UOB Lady Solitaire : 4/6mpd for 2 categories
UOB PPV: 4mpd for Paywave
Three Card Strategy - “ Paywave, Online, Common Category”
UOB Lady Solitaire : 4/6mpd for 2 categories
UOB PPV: 4mpd for Paywave
DBS WWMC: 4mpd for online transaction
Four Card Strategy - “ Full suite, maximizing out 4mpd”
UOB Lady Solitaire : 4/6mpd for 2 categories
UOB PPV: 4mpd for Paywave
DBS WWMC: 4mpd for online transaction
UOB VS: 4mpd for paywave, Min spend 1k, Max Spend 2k Or Amaze*CRMC Or HSBC Revo
Or DBS Yuu
Which credit cards are you planning to apply for? Share your opinions and choices in the comments below!
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