Card Combos: How to Match Credit Cards to Your Spending Patterns

With the sheer number of credit cards out there, figuring out what card to use and when can feel like a bit of a brain teaser. And using the right card at the right time can be the difference between a big rebate or going home empty-handed, the stakes are high indeed!

But there’s no reason it needs to be this stressful. In this post, we’ll look at five common types of profiles, the cards that would suit each of them best, and how they can earn the most miles on their spending.

If dining out is your vice, then there’s plenty of cards that will take away some of the guilt (though perhaps not the calories).

The UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card will earn 6 mpd on dining, capped at S$1,000 and S$3,000 per calendar month respectively. You will need to declare Dining as your quarterly bonus category, although this can be changed in subsequent quarters if you wish.

However, the UOB Lady’s Cards are only open to females. If you’re a male, your next best option is the HSBC Revolution Card, which earns 4 mpd on dining, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month. Do note that you must pay via contactless spend (i.e. tapping the physical card or adding it to your mobile wallet and tapping your phone) or online in order to qualify for the 4 mpd rate.

Alternatively, there’s also the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature, which earns 1.2 mpd on dining, subject to a minimum spend of S$800 per calendar month (which can be on dining or non-dining spend).

While it may be tempting to just focus on the earn rates, here’s an important PSA: definitions matter too! Inside the T&Cs, you’ll learn how each card defines “dining” (based on Merchant Category Codes, or MCCs), which can make a big difference to how many miles you earn.

To illustrate, the HSBC Revolution Card has the widest definition of dining, including not just restaurants, but nightclubs, caterers, bakeries, and confectionery stores. This means you can earn 4 mpd whether you’re at Crystal Jade, Cinnabon, or even at places you wouldn’t typically think of as restaurants like The Coca Tree, Famous Amos or Bengawan Solo.

The UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card narrow the definition a bit, excluding nightclubs, bakeries and confectionery stores. This means you can’t earn bonuses when you visit a Paris Baguette or Brewerkz, for example.

And the Maybank Visa Signature has the narrowest definition of all, defining dining as only sit-down restaurants. This means it’s the wrong card to use for your KFC or Popeye’s fix, much less any of the other categories mentioned here.

Shopaholics can use the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card to earn 6 mpd on shopping, capped at S$1,000 and S$3,000 per calendar month respectively. You will need to declare Fashion as your quarterly bonus category.

UOB defines fashion as any department store, retail store or shopping website that sells clothes, shoes and bags as its main business activity. This includes Adidas, ASOS, Chanel, Charles & Keith, H&M, Qoo10, Takashimaya, TANGS and ZARA, just to name a few.

Alternatively, if you prefer to shop online, then the DBS Woman’s World Card could be right for you. Cardholders earn 4 mpd on all online transactions, capped at S$2,000 per calendar month. This includes Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, Qoo10, or pretty much any e-commerce website you can think of.

Big spender? If you’re buying an expensive bag or laptop computer, you’re almost certainly going to bust the monthly bonus caps for the other cards here. Use the OCBC Titanium Rewards instead, because its 4 mpd cap is based on S$13,335 per membership year. The OCBC Titanium Rewards defines shopping as men and women’s fashion stores, shoe stores, computer and electronics stores, as well as Amazon, Courts, Ezbuy, IKEA, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee and Taobao.

If you find yourself regularly on the road, then you need a card that rewards you for petrol spending.

The UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card will earn 6 mpd on petrol, capped at S$1,000 and S$3,000 per calendar month respectively. You will need to declare Transport as your quarterly bonus category, and do note that Shell and SPC are excluded.

If Shell and SPC are your preferred petrol stations, then the Maybank World Mastercard might be a better choice. Cardholders enjoy 4 mpd on all petrol transactions, regardless of which station they visit.

If you like hopping overseas for vacations short or long, then the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card will earn 6 mpd on air tickets, hotels, cruises, and travel agencies, capped at S$1,000 and S$3,000 per calendar month respectively. You will need to declare Travel as your quarterly bonus category.

What about spending when you’re physically overseas? The Citi Rewards Card + Amaze is a potent combination. How it works is that you pair your Citi Rewards Card to your Amaze Card, then use the latter for spending when overseas. Amaze will convert the foreign currency transaction into Singapore dollars at competitive rates, then charge the Citi Rewards Card. You’ll still earn points from the Citi Rewards Card, and since Amaze transactions count as online, that’s an easy 4 mpd!

See also: Digital Multi-Currency Account Comparison 2023 - YouTrip vs Revolut vs Instarem vs Wise vs Wirex

There’s one caveat, however: the Citi Rewards Card does not offer bonuses on travel transactions, so this isn’t the right card to use for your air tickets, hotels, car rental, train tickets, or tours.

If you need a card for that, you can consider the UOB Visa Signature. This will earn 4 mpd on all foreign currency transactions, provided you spend at least S$1,000 overseas per statement month, and capped at S$2,000 per statement month. Assuming you plan to spend at least S$1,000 on your holiday, then this would be a simple solution- just remember you’ll have to pay a 3.25% foreign currency transaction fee (Visa cards cannot be paired with Amaze).