Earn 4 Miles per Dollar on Foreign Currency Spend, Groceries and Eligible Online Spending with New OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card
OCBC Bank will be launching a new travel-themed credit card that you will definitely want to get ahold of if you are an avid mile-chaser. The bank has just launched a brand new OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card today on 15 October 2021 that will award 4 miles per dollar (in equivalent Travel$) for eligible foreign currency spend as well as popular daily spending categories such as groceries, online shopping, online streaming services (and more!) during the promotional period (15 October 2021 to 15 January 2022). With the new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangements announced last week, this enhanced earn rate (up to 6 miles per dollar) will allow you to supercharge your mileage bank for future travels.
Click HERE to sign-up for the latest OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card!
Not to be confused with the Mastercard version of the OCBC 90°N Card which was launched back in August 2019, the new OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card will spot a new look with a pretty cool feature - the physical card comes with a LED light that sparkles when making a contactless transaction (i.e. Visa payWave). More importantly, the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card will also earn Travel$ (which will pool with any existing Travel$ that you have already accrued on the Mastercard version of the card) that will not expire so long the card account is kept active - Travel$ can be converted into KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio with no administrative or transfer fees.
4 Miles per Dollar on Selected Spend Categories During Promotional Launch Period (15 October 2021 to 15 January 2022)
During the promotional launch period between 15 October 2021 to 15 January 2022, OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Cardholders will be able to earn 20 Travel$ per S$5 (equivalent to 4 mpd) on eligible transactions made in the following categories:
| Promotional Launch Period (15 October 2021 to 15 January 2022) |
|
|---|---|
| Spend Category | Merchants |
| Foreign Currency | - |
| Online Streaming/Entertainment | 1. Netflix 2. Disney+ 3. Spotify 4. Viu 5. Audible |
| Groceries (Online/Offline) |
1. NTUC FairPrice 2. Sheng Siong 3. Cold Storage 4. Giant 5. Redmart |
| Online Retail Stores | 1. Lazada 2. Shopee 3. Taobao 4. Amazon 5. Qoo10 |
| Food Delivery | 1. GrabFood 2. Foodpanda 3. Deliveroo 4. Oddle |
The OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card is a general spend credit card that earns bonus Travel$ across a number of categories, but it typically accrues Travel$ at the following rate:
Local Spend: 5 Travel$ per S$5 (1 mpd)
Foreign Spend: 10 Travel$ per S$5 (2 mpd)
Eligible transactions made in the categories listed above will earn Base Travel$ (which will post with the transaction), as well as Bonus Travel$ (which will be credited by the end of the following calendar month) that will amount to an equivalent earn rate of 4 miles per dollar. The maximum number of bonus Travel$ that a cardholder can earn during the promotional launch period is 5,000 Travel$ per calendar month (a total of 20,000 Travel$ from 15 October 2021 to 15 January 2022). Therefore, depending on the transaction currency of your spend in the aforementioned categories, you will reach the 5,000 bonus Travel$ limit by spending S$1,667 or S$2,500 in a local and foreign currency respectively (or a combination of both).
6 Miles per Dollar on Eligible Travel Spend Made on Expedia, Agoda, and KKDAY During Promotional Launch Period
OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Cardholders can earn 30 Travel$ per S$5 (equivalent to 6 mpd) on eligible travel spend made on Expedia, Agoda, and KKDay during the aforementioned promotional launch period. Do note that specific terms and conditions apply for each one of the platforms and eligible bookings will have to be made via the following landing pages for each site:
In the case of Expedia, eligible transactions (excluding void transactions) include:
An Eligible Hotel-only booking (exclusions apply); or
A flight-only booking on any Participating Airline; or
A flight booking on any Participating Airline + Eligible Hotel package booking; or
A local activity booking; or
A car rental booking.
OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card
Up to 6 Miles per Dollar on Travel, 4 Miles per Dollar on Selected Spend Categories during Promotional Launch Period
Free Conversion to KrisFlyer Miles and Travel$ Do Not Expire
While it is becoming popular for banks to offer credit card reward points that do not expire, the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card allows card members to transfer their Travel$ to KrisFlyer miles at no charge. In fact, cardholders will be able to transfer their Travel$ in blocks of 1,000 (as compared to 10,000 which most local banks adhere to), into their KrisFlyer accounts. As you may remember, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members can earn KrisFlyer status credits (which can get you KrisFlyer Elite Gold with complimentary airport lounge access) by converting credit card reward points into KrisFlyer miles by 28 February 2022.
No Annual Fee in the First Year for Sign-ups During Promotional Launch Period
Simply sign-up for the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card during the promotional launch period to receive an annual fee waiver in the first year - the card attracts a low annual fee of just S$53.50 in subsequent years (which can be waived by spending at least S$10,000 during the membership year). Cardholders may also choose to top up S$139 to the annual fee of S$53.50 in subsequent years to receive 10,000 Travel$ upon renewal.
What About People Who Like Cashback?
Converting Travel$ into miles gives you the best bang for your buck when you use them to redeem for free flights in First Class and Business Class. However, with that being said, it is unavoidable that some consumers still prefer cashback over airline miles - while I do have a personal preference, it is important to find something that works for you. With that being said, the Travel$ that you earn on the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card can be converted into cashback at the following rate:
1,000 Travel$ = S$10 Cashback
This means that you can effectively earn up to 6% cashback on the specific spend categories outlined above during the promotional launch period, or 1%/2% cashback on local and foreign currency spend on a regular basis. Alternatively, those who prefer to use their Travel$ directly can opt to convert their balance into shopping vouchers from various partners, or other reward currencies via OCBC STACK.
Should You Get the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card?
The 4 miles per dollar earn rate during the promotional launch period is definitely attractive - especially if you plan on taking a vacation via one of the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangements in the months ahead. While there are other credit cards in Singapore that offer an earn rate of 4 mpd, the OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card can add to that suite of cards and help you earn more miles once the other bonus caps have been maximised. Besides, with an annual fee waiver in the first year, there really isn't anything that should be stopping you from sign-up for the newest OCBC 90°N VISA Credit Card today (15 October 2021).
This post was created in collaboration with OCBC, but opinions remain those of The Shutterwhale.
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