Best American Express Credit Cards in Singapore
Interested in American Express credit cards in Singapore? See all your options and find the best one for you.
Many people can be put off American Express credit cards because they are not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercards. But that is changing.
And there are so many reasons why an American Express card can be a valuable asset to have. No longer are they the preserve of the rich and famous. Anyone can get one and they are a valuable way of building a good credit score, getting good AmEx customer service and accessing a number of perks.
It is well worth your time building up the points to get the rewards that you need.
But American Express doesn’t just offer one credit card. It has a number of products that suit a variety of different needs. With this list, you can pick which one is right for you.
Best American Express Card
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Kris Flyer Amex: The Beginner’s Card
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If you’re new to American Express or to credit cards in general then the Kris Flyer Amex is probably the best card to go for. There are many good reasons for having a credit card.
But if you are thinking about getting one anyway, this one might be a good way of racking up air miles to reduce the price of your next holiday or to get an upgrade.
Kris Flyer is the official air miles scheme of Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines was recently voted the best airline of 2019 in the world. They are well known for the luxury they offer in their higher tier cabins as well as on their economy service.
So if you really want to travel in style this is the airline to fly with and the Kris Flyer Amex can help you get there.
Crunching the Numbers: How Many Miles Can I earn?
You get Kris Flyer miles added directly to your airline account for every purchase you make to the value of 1.1 miles to $1. This is the bog standard rate and means you will get 1 mile accredited to your account for every $1 you spend. But if you spend $10 then you would get 11 miles so an extra mile because the rate is 1.1.
Some of the more premium cards will offer you 1.5 miles for every $1 you spend.
To entice you in, however, there are a number of incentives. These include an opening balance of 5,000 miles when you use your card for the first time to see you well on the way to meeting your first goal.
Then if you spend over $3,000 in the first three months you will get an extra 7,500 miles on top of the miles you’ve earned in those months.
Do the same again and at the end of the sixth month, you’ll get the same again: another 7,500 miles.
If you were to take advantage of all of these bonuses and just spent the minimum to get them ($6,000), you could be a looking at a combined total of 26,000 miles. This is almost enough for a one-way ticket from Singapore to Sydney in economy class.
American Express card Singapore and Kris Flyer have also partnered with other services to increase your air miles. Taking a taxi with Grab, pay with your Amex and you could earn 3.1 Krismiles for every $1 spent, up to $200 a month.
You also earn double miles (2 to the dollar) if you spend abroad or in a foreign currency in the months of June and December
How Much Does the Card Cost?
To sign up you have to have a minimum income of $30,000 if you are from Singapore or $60,000 if you are from a foreign country.
On top of that, there is a yearly fee. This is $176.55 but it is waived for you in the first year.
Kris Flyer Ascend
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Ready to ascend into the clouds sooner rather than later? Then the Kris Flyer Ascend card is for you.
Remember though, if you are travelling soon you are going to need travel insurance before you leave in case the worst happens.
The main difference with this card is that you get more Kris Miles for your dollar. The standard rate is 1.2 miles for every dollar you spend. This means that if you spent $10 you’d get 12 miles rather than the 11 you would get on the basic Kris Flyer card. If you spent $100 you’d get 120 rather than 110. So for big spends, it is a marginally better rate that could stack up over time.
You get the same rate (2 miles for every $1) for spending abroad in June and December as the basic card and the rate for Grab is slightly higher at 3.2 to the dollar, rather than 3.1.
There is a higher income threshold of $50,000 for a local from Singapore and $60,000 for a foreigner and the annual fee is a lot higher at $337.05. This is not waived for your first year.
To make up for it though you are offered 4 free airport lounge passes and a free night’s stay at a Hilton Hotel. When you consider the cost of buying those perks separately then it makes the fee seem more reasonable.
But in terms of the improved mile rates that the card offers over its more basic rival, it does not seem worth it unless you are a high earner and are prepared to do all of your regular spendings through the card.
Go Platinum
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The platinum Amex card is less about travelling and seeing the world but more about checking out Singapore and indulging in all of the high-end culinary experiences it has to offer.
The Platinum card gives you 50% off at high-end restaurants as part of the love dining programme that comes attached to the card.
Some of the restaurants included with the love dining programme are the Atrium Restaurant, Escape Resturant and Lounge, many branches of Harry’s, Masons, Sen of Japan, The Song of India and many more.
You can even have afternoon tea at Swissotel, The Stamford as part of the deal.
If this wasn’t enough you can also get access to the exclusive Zouk club, which has a 1,195 square foot social space and bar that is symmetrical and envokes the 1920s prohibition jazz age with its art deco decor.
Finally, there are discounts for golf courses and spas galore.
The Drawbacks
What perhaps sets this card back from some of the others is the annual fee of $321. To really get your money’s worth from this card you would have to be sure you wanted to eat at some of the bars and restaurants at least a dozen times a year.
The best way to decide if this card is for you is to decide how much money you would spend eating out at some of the places listed anyway, without the card. If it adds up to quite a bill then the $321 can perhaps seem worth it.
With this card, like the Kris Flyer Ascend, there is a minimum income threshold of $50,000 for locals to Singapore and $60,000 for non-locals.
Amex Capita Card – The Card for Shop-a-Holics
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This card is for those who spend a lot of money in CapitaMalls. If you’re always finding yourself in these malls anyway then this credit card could be a good investment. Here’s what you get.
- Vouchers Galore. This card ensures you always get the best price when you go shopping. You get $60 worth of vouchers after an initial spend of $1,500 in the first three months.
- Free Parking. Space is always at a premium when you live in a big city like Singapore so knowing you always have a place to park your car for free when you go shopping is very handy. You need to be spending $1,200 on the card to take advantage.
- Triple Reward Points. The more you spend at CapitaMalls, the more you will save in the long run. So you get three times as many points for every $1 you spend here compared to other stores. You also earn a massive 13 times the normal amount for purchases made at StarExtra.
American Express Credit Cards: Decide What Your Needs Are
In order to get the best credit card for you, you need to decide what your needs are and what you plan to spend your money on for the next year. Are you looking to go travelling somewhere relatively soon? Or is high dining more your thing?
Make your decision and then use one of your American Express credit cards to pay for as many of your normal expenses as you can.
If you make sure you pay off your bills straight away using the app and only spend what is in your current account then there is no way of you getting into debt or having to pay interest charges.
Be sure to click here to check out our credit card comparison tool.
