Personal Finance

6 Best Travel Credit Cards in Singapore - 2024 Review

Hannes Ausmees

29.01.24 (last updated)

Read time 6 minutes

If you’re planning a trip overseas, you might be looking for the best travel credit card Singapore has to offer, so you can save money or earn more points when you’re abroad. Overseas credit cards have a few different features, depending on which you pick, and can offer some great travel perks like lounge access or extra rewards on foreign currency spending.

This guide walks through 4 of the best credit cards for overseas travel. And, because credit cards aren’t right for everyone, we'll also look at two debit cards - the YouTrip card and the Wise card, which can be ideal for travel, thanks to their flexibility and low fees.

Table of contents
How to choose a travel credit card Overview of 6 best travel credit cards in Singapore DBS Altitude Visa Card UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card Citi PremierMiles Visa Card OCBC Rewards Card YouTrip card Wise Card Conclusion

What to look out for when choosing a credit card for travel in Singapore?

There are travel credit cards on offer from all of Singapore’s major banks, which can offer rewards in the form of air miles or higher levels of cash back on foreign currency spending. Some also offer additional travel benefits like travel insurance or airport lounge access.

Usually to get the highest levels of travel rewards from a credit card you’ll also find you have to pay an annual fee. Travel credit cards also tend to charge foreign transaction fees of around 3.25% - extra fees every time you spend when you’re overseas. That means you’ll need to weigh up all the benefits you get from your preferred travel credit card against the extra costs you’ll run into when you use it.

It’s worth comparing your preferred credit card with some debit cards which have been optimised for international use, like YouTrip or Wise card, as these tend to have lower fees, which can mean better value overall. To help you identify the best travel card for your needs, we’ll look at some key features and fees of popular Singapore travel credit cards, plus a couple of top debit cards, next.

6 best travel credit cards in Singapore - comparison

Before choosing a travel card you’ll need to double check you meet the eligibility requirements, and consider if the fees you pay will be matched by the rewards you can access.

Here’s an overview of the key features and fees of some of the most popular travel credit cards in Singapore to help you research.

	Annual fee	Foreign transaction fee	Rewards	Income required
DBS Altitude Visa Card¹	196.20 SGD (may be waived if you meet eligibility criteria)	Up to 3.25%²	Up to 10 miles per SGD spent Additional bonus points, travel deals and lounge access also available	30,000 SGD for Singapore citizen, 45,000 SGD for foreigner
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card³	261.60 SGD (waived in year 1)	Up to 3.25%⁴	Up to 6 miles per SGD spent Additional bonus points available for new customers	30,000 SGD for Singapore citizen, 40,000 SGD for foreigner
Citi PremierMiles Visa Card⁵	196.20 SGD	Up to 3.25%⁶	Up to 4 miles per SGD spent Additional bonus points available for new customers, plus travel insurance and lounge access	30,000 SGD for Singapore citizen, 42,000 SGD for foreigner
OCBC Rewards Card⁷	196.20 SGD (waived for the first 2 years)	Up to 3.25%⁸	Up to 4 miles per SGD spent Bonus cash rebates, bonus points with selected providers, Mastercard privileges and more	30,000 SGD for Singapore citizen, 45,000 SGD for foreigner
YouTrip Card (debit card)⁹	No fee	No fee - currency exchange uses the YouTrip rate	Get perks and rewards depending on how you use your card¹⁰	No minimum income
Wise Card (debit card)¹¹	No fee	No fee - currency exchange uses the mid-market exchange rate with low fees from 0.43%	Get perks and rewards depending on how you use your card	No minimum income

Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

DBS Altitude Visa Card

DBS offers the Altitude travel credit card on either the Visa or American Express network. Card holders can earn reward points with a healthy return rate of up to 10 points per dollar spent, plus extra perks that could appeal to frequent travellers. Points don’t expire, and while there’s an annual fee this may be waived if you spend over 25,000 SGD on your card over the course of the year.

Visa or American Express cards offered Apply online or in the DBS app using Singpass Up to 10 miles per SGD spend on everyday purchases and up to 10 miles per dollar on travel spending Points never expire and can be redeemed for travel perks and benefits Up to 3.25% foreign transaction fee applies on all foreign currency spend

UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card

UOB’s PRVI travel cards are available on Visa, Mastercard or Amex networks. Promotions are available for new card holders which mean you can earn additional points easily, with up to 6 points per dollar spent when you use your card. Other travel perks like free airport transfers are also available which can make this card a good bet if you’re looking to earn points and unlock extras as you spend.

Cards available on the Visa, Mastercard or Amex networks Complimentary travel insurance may be available if you apply prior to your trip Earn on local and international spending, with higher return rates on travel related spend Apply easily online or in app Up to 3.25% foreign transaction fee applies on all foreign currency spend

Citi PremierMiles Visa Card

The Citi PremierMiles Visa Card offers a new starter bonus reward payment, plus options to earn up to 4 miles per dollar spent after that. Points don’t expire and can be used to pay for treats or claimed as cash back depending on what you’d prefer. The Citi PremierMiles Visa Card can also offer perks like lounge access and some travel insurance if you buy your travel tickets by card.

Visa card for global acceptance Up to 4 reward points per dollar spend, with rewards for local and international card use Travel perks like 2 lounge visits per year and some travel insurance offers Claim points to pay for rewards, or as cash back Up to 3.25% foreign transaction fee applies on all foreign currency spend

OCBC Rewards Card

OCBC’s Titanium Rewards Credit Card has 2 years of automatic annual fee waiver, and a relatively low minimum spend of 10,000 SGD per year to have your card fee waived after that. You’ll be able to earn 4 miles per dollar when you spend in foreign currencies and 1 mile per dollar when you spend here in Singapore.

Mastercard network card for spending and withdrawals globally Earn on your spending at home and abroad, with double rewards on foreign currency spending Have annual fees waived when you spend 10,000 SGD a year Up to 3.25% foreign transaction fee applies on all foreign currency spend

YouTrip card

YouTrip is a multi-currency e-wallet that can be used to hold and exchange 10 currencies and spend in 150 currencies. You can order your YouTrip card from Singapore or Malaysia, top up, and spend up to the balance amount. As this is a debit card, rather than a credit card, there’s no need to worry about running into interest or late payment charges, and no minimum salary requirement.

YouTrip cards don’t offer cashback and rewards in the same way that some travel credit cards do, but there are still some YouTrip perks you might want to look into, including discounts at major retailers and on travel bookings.

Learn more about the YouTrip card in our full YouTrip review.

Mastercard network - can be used for spending around the world Hold and exchange 10 currencies and spend in 150 currencies No foreign transaction fee to pay Few fees to pay - although there’s a charge to make ATM withdrawals

Wise Card - the most international debit card with no annual fee

Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app from more or less anywhere in the world, and order your Wise card for easy spending and withdrawals in person, on the move and online. It’s easy to open your Wise account and once you’re up and running you can manage your money from your phone, and add your card to Google Pay or Apple Pay for mobile spending wherever you are.

You can hold 40+ currencies in your Wise account and there's no fee to spend any currency you have in your account. If you don’t have the currency you need, Wise will convert your balance with the mid-market rate and low fees from 0.43%.

There’s no minimum income, no minimum balance, and no maintenance fee, which makes this a great card to hold alongside your travel credit card, to access low cost currency conversion and convenient global spending.

Hold and exchange 40+ currencies with the mid-market exchange rate Spend and withdraw in 150+ countries No foreign transaction fees to pay Some free ATM withdrawals every month, with low fees after that¹²

Get a Wise card today 💳

Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Conclusion

Travel credit cards can be a good way to spread out the costs of your spending, and to earn rewards and cash back as you spend. However, they do tend to come with annual fees and extra charges like fees for overseas spending - plus interest and penalties if you don’t clear your bill on time, every time.

Before you choose a travel credit card consider looking at travel debit cards like the Wise card instead. You’ll get a card with no annual or monthly fee, and easy ways to hold, send, spend, receive and exchange currencies from all over the world. That can make travel more convenient - and cheaper, too.

Sources:

DBS Altitude Visa Card
DBS card fees
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card
UOB card fees
Citi PremierMiles Visa Card
Citi card fees
OCBC Rewards Card
OCBC card fees
YouTrip Card
YouTrip perks
Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information
Wise will not charge you for these withdrawals, but some additional charges may occur from independent ATM networks.

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.