Debit card rewards and ATM

[Pilieich]

Hello:
I have been browsing the forum and the internet before deciding which bank are we going to use in Singapore. I have 2 questions:

1. Debit card rewards: is there one that has rewards in miles (what I found was cash back and discounts).
2. ATMs: if I have a debit card from my account in a Singapore bank, can I use it to withdraw money in any ATM in Singapore ? I understand using debit cards outside Singapore is no problem but it seems that the banks there "owe" the ATMs ?

Thanks for your help.

[aster]

Debit card rewards in terms of air miles are practically non-existent, and even if there is something available it's probably the worst deal of all, as every Top 5 or Top 10 list I've seen listed only CCs.

As for ATMs, that would be a no.

DBS/POSB have their own, UOB and OCBC share theirs, and then some of the others like Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered and a few others have combined into their own ATM network. The strange thing is that you cannot use a DBS card to withdraw from UOB, even at a fee.

[Pilieich]

Thanks Aster. so I guess I'll keep on comparing credit cards for the miles. It's a long flight back home.
Have a nice day

[zzm9980]

POSB Everyday card lets you collect miles, but you need to pay an additional ridiculous annual fee on top of the normal one for that program.

The very best miles card in terms of $ -> Mile in Singapore is the Amex Gold Kris flyer card. The only issue acceptance is pretty limited.

The next best card would be Citi Premier Miles, which is the card I wound up getting. It's a VISA, so you can use it everywhere. The income requirement for it is something like $7k/month, which I guess is considered relatively high for Singapore. Anyway, it earns points at a nice rate for most airlines (such as SIA), although they just gimped the exchange rate to Cathay. Citibank also seems to have quite a few decently aggressive promotions through-out Singapore, better than most of the other local banks I've noticed. Lastly, it gives you membership into some world-wide airline lounge club, and includes two free entries per year. The lounge list is extensive and includes some pretty decent lounges too. Better than Tiger, but not the Silver Kris or Marco Polo lounges

[Pilieich]

Very useful info zzm,thanks. I am leaning to citibank for bank account and credit card then.

[zzm9980]

The strange thing is that you cannot use a DBS card to withdraw from UOB, even at a fee.

This drove me nuts for the longest time. I thought my card was broken or every ATM I visited was busted. Even though my card had the same network logos as the ATM, it still wouldn't work.

[zzm9980]

The very best miles card in terms of $ -> Mile in Singapore is the Amex Gold Kris flyer card. The only issue acceptance is pretty limited.

Also when I say "acceptance", I mean the number of merchants/vendors that take Amex is pretty low.

[ecureilx]

The strange thing is that you cannot use a DBS card to withdraw from UOB, even at a fee.

This drove me nuts for the longest time. I thought my card was broken or every ATM I visited was busted. Even though my card had the same network logos as the ATM, it still wouldn't work.

years ago, DBS was part of the ATM network as OCBC, UOB, OUB, and HR-TAT-Lee Bank.

And the bigger network of POSB ATMS only for POSB ATMS.

If you use a UOB ATM with a DBS Card, there was a fee for using the other banks atm .. and vice versa ...

Then DBS bought POSB and left the network and formed their own 'cartel' ..

and even though the OCBC/UOB and others have the same "LOGO" they don't allow local cards to be used unless they are in he same network .. so that is CORRECT.

This was, apparently, to avoid disputes of charges and all ..

[aster]

[quote="zzm9980"]The very best miles card in terms of $ -> Mile in Singapore is the Amex Gold Kris flyer card. The only issue acceptance is pretty limited./quote]

Actually no, your best bet is the DBS Altitude Amex. Or the Citi PremierMiles card if you prefer Visa.

The Citi Platinum card is also great when it comes to supermarket or department store spend.

[zzm9980]

The very best miles card in terms of $ -> Mile in Singapore is the Amex Gold Kris flyer card. The only issue acceptance is pretty limited.

Actually no, your best bet is the DBS Altitude Amex. Or the Citi PremierMiles card if you prefer Visa.

The Citi Platinum card is also great when it comes to supermarket or department store spend.

Never looked too deeply into the DBS Altitude Amex as it has the same problem as the Kris Gold Amex... Limited acceptance of Amex. PremierMiles is what I settled on.

I also have the Citi Platinum SMRT card. I got a nice iPhone case that holds a credit card, and just tap my phone everywhere that takes Visa PayWave and for MRT. Who needs NFC?

https://www.speckproducts.com/candyshel ... one-4.html

[Hidy Ho]

I also signed up for Citi Premier Miles and SMRT cards. I was told it will be same account??? I haven't got the cards yet so who knows.

I was told to use the SMRT card at grocery stores, in addition to public transportation, as there are some discounts given for using the card and the rest on my Premier card to earn rewards toward mileages.

I also leaned toward these cards as they are Visa which is more widely accepted card.

[aster]

I got a nice iPhone case that holds a credit card, and just tap my phone everywhere that takes Visa PayWave and for MRT. Who needs NFC?

https://www.speckproducts.com/candyshel ... one-4.html

Is it a hard case on the outside? For some reason I prefer the slightly rubbery ones to the hard plastic ones.

How is the card holder, does it prevent cards form falling out or do they come out easily?

[zzm9980]

I also signed up for Citi Premier Miles and SMRT cards. I was told it will be same account??? I haven't got the cards yet so who knows.

I was told to use the SMRT card at grocery stores, in addition to public transportation, as there are some discounts given for using the card and the rest on my Premier card to earn rewards toward mileages.

I also leaned toward these cards as they are Visa which is more widely accepted card.

And everyone knows Visa is the best.

It is the same account. The PANs are different, but they draw from the same credit limit. Depending which card you use you receive different rewards. If you have Citibank for your banking, it's all linked via your banking web login.

I use my PremierMiles for big purchases, and the SMRT for everything that is every-day such as groceries and Starbucks. Lots of places give pretty nice discounts with that card. Starbucks is always 10%. The only annoyance is that the discount goes to a rebate balance, and the POS terminal will prompt the cashier as to whether or not to use your rebate credit towards the total. Half the cashiers have no idea whats going on, and will randomly choose for you. Or, they'll stare at it while it beeps for the next minute until it times out and just adds to your rebate total.

[zzm9980]

I got a nice iPhone case that holds a credit card, and just tap my phone everywhere that takes Visa PayWave and for MRT. Who needs NFC?

https://www.speckproducts.com/candyshel ... one-4.html

Is it a hard case on the outside? For some reason I prefer the slightly rubbery ones to the hard plastic ones.

How is the card holder, does it prevent cards form falling out or do they come out easily?

This case is both soft rubber and hard plastic. The black part is all soft grippy rubber. The blue part (I have the blue and black one) is hard but flexible plastic. (Allegedly this design is the best for protecting from drops) If I lay the phone down face up, it can slide a bit. If I put it face down, the black rubber keeps it in one spot.

The card slot is very tight. It looks like it will hold ~3 credit cards, but I only have one. There is a tension plastic spring holding up the black rubber to press the card into place. And since that rubber is grippy, the card doesn't go anywhere without a lot of effort.

[aster]

Many thanks, is it really thick and bulky or does it feel quite streamlined?

Did you pick it up locally, is there a store where I can go and check it out?