DBS Woman’s & Woman's World Card Review: Do They Deliver What Women Want?

When life gets tough, there's always retail therapy to provide a quick pick-me-up. While it feels wonderful to indulge in yourself and enjoy your money, it’s never a good idea to spend beyond your means.

That’s why the DBS Woman's Card and DBS Woman’s World Card are such tempting choices. With up to 5X and 10X DBS Points respectively per S$5 spend and the option to convert big purchases into flexible 6-month payments at 0% interest, shopping becomes a guilt-free experience.

But does it really deliver what women want in a credit card? Here’s our take on the DBS Woman's and Woman’s World Card, and whether you should get it or not.

Or, for more credit card options, check out our blog, which lists the best DBS credit cards in Singapore!

If you can't stand shopping at malls, this card gives is not stingy on points for your online purchases.

The DBS Woman's Card and DBS Woman's World Card are generous in their miles earn rate – offering up to 5X DBS Points (2 mpd) and up to 10X DBS Points (4 mpd) respectively to spur every shopaholic's online shopping addiction! Talk about enabling! All your shopping can be done with a few clicks of a button, and voila!

But that's not all. If you're a DBS Woman's World cardholder specifically, you'll be very incentivised to shop overseas too. All eligible overseas spend will net you a decent 3X DBS Points (1.2 mpd) on your foreign receipt.

Basically, regardless of whether you're in Singapore or across the border, your shopping will be rewarded everywhere you go!

We always encourage people to pay credit card bills promptly and to never carry over a balance. Credit cards have high-interest rates, and it’s very easy for debt to snowball because the interest compounds daily.

But let’s say your laptop breaks down beyond repair and you don’t have the cash for a new one. Or you need furniture for your new flat but can’t afford to buy a bed and sofa at the same time.

The DBS Woman’s World Card is great for that sort of thing because of the 0% interest repayment for up to 24 months on retail items.

So even if you can’t make the full payment of your purchases by the due date, you don’t have to worry about getting charged interest for the next three months.

Take note that this does not cover Cash Advances, Balance Transfer, or payments made via iBanking. This also isn’t an excuse to skip payments — you need to keep paying the amount in your statement on the due date!

While the DBS Woman's Card has a standard MAS-mandated annual income requirement of S$30,000, the DBS Woman’s World Card poses a higher annual income requirement of S$80,000.

💡 Fun fact: If you've read our review, you'd realise that this follows the same pattern as the UOB Lady's / Lady's Solitaire Card – albeit UOB Lady's Solitaire Card has a significantly higher income requirement at S$120,000 than the entry-level UOB Lady's Card at S$30,000.

That's why, when compared to the UOB Lady's Solitaire Card, the barriers to entry in applying for the DBS Woman's World Card are relatively more achievable at S$80,000. It's even more affordable if we're discussing premium cards (see: metal credit cards).

Thus, we'd classify the DBS Woman's / Woman's World Cards as entry-level to mid-tier credit cards.

For the DBS Woman's Card, its accelerated 5X DBS Points on online spend is only valid on the first S$1,000 spend per calendar month. Meanwhile, for the DBS Woman's World Card, its accelerated 10X DBS Points on online spend is only valid on the first S$1,500 spend per calendar month.

Moreover, the bonus DBS Points from online spend are awarded differently for each card; the DBS Woman's Card awards additional 4X DBS Points and the DBS Woman's World Card awards additional 9X DBS Points.

Moreover, these additional points are only awarded in the next calendar month.

In the meantime, you'll get 1X DBS Point for every S$5 spent online a day after the transaction was made. 

Also, these extra DBS Points only apply to the first S$1,500 online spend every month.

It would be great if there were no limit to the points you can earn. On the bright side, at least you’re not encouraged to spend a ridiculous amount just to chase rewards.

If you prefer to shop at malls, you’re going to be disappointed by the earn rate. For all other retail purchases outside of online and overseas shopping, you only get 1 DBS Point for every $5 spent. That's equivalent to 0.4 mpd.

Think carefully before you use this feature. You can only take advantage of this perk with a minimum purchase of S$100 within a single transaction, and it only applies to a maximum of 10 purchases. Also, you don’t earn points on purchases with deferred payments.

More details on DBS' instalment plan can be found here.

Any DBS Points you earn within the first year of getting your DBS Woman’s World Card should be redeemed within 12 months from the quarterly period in which they were earned. After that, your points expire and your point balance drops to zero.

Here’s an idea of what you can get with the DBS Points you can earn in a month, assuming you spend heavily on online retail. Remember, you have 12 months to collect and spend your DBS Points. Save them for something really good, but they’ll expire if you wait too long.

Visit http://rewards.dbs.com/ or refer to their DBS Rewards 2024 Catalogue to find out more redeemable rewards.

• Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year waived)

• Late payment charge: S$100 (For outstanding balance above S$200)

• Minimum monthly payment: 3% of statement balance (or S$50, whichever is greater) plus any overdue amount exceeding your credit limit

• Overlimit fee: S$40 if outstanding balance exceeds credit limit

• Interest charged on card transactions: 26.80% p.a. chargeable on a daily basis (Subject to compounding)

• Cash advance fee: 8% of amount withdrawn per transaction or S$15, whichever is greater

• Interest on cash advance fees: 28% p.a. (Subject to compounding)

More information can be found in this FAQ.

• At least 21 years old

• Annual income requirement:

  • DBS Woman's Card: S$30,000 (Singaporeans/PRs), S$45,000 (Foreigners)

  • DBS Woman's World Card: S$80,000 for everyone

• Click on any of the 'Apply Now' buttons found in this article

• Fill up the card application form on our SingSaver site

• Prepare the following documents during application:

  • Front and back of NRIC/Passport/Employment Pass

  • Salaried employees

    • For less than 3 months: Latest original computerised payslip or company letter certifying employment and salary

    • For more than 3 months: Latest 3 month's original computerised payslip (otherwise 1 month's) or latest 3 months' salary crediting bank statements, or latest 12 months' CPF statements (otherwise 3 months')

  • Self-employed / Commission-earners: Latest 2 years' Income Tax Notice of Assessment

So does the DBS Woman’s Card and/or DBS Woman's World Card really give what women want? Well, that depends on what kind of woman you are.

If you’re the kind of woman who spends several hundred dollars every month on online stores, the DBS Woman’s World Card is worth looking into. With a decent earn rate for every S$5 spent, and a variety of vouchers to redeem your points with, this card can help you save while you splurge.

If you’re the kind of woman who foresees making several large purchases in the future, and would like to spread payments across 3 months, definitely get the DBS Woman’s World Card.

But if you’re the kind of woman who prefers shopping at malls or department stores, the DBS Woman’s World Card just doesn’t give enough rewards.