NTUC Trust Card 2024 Review: Benefits, Transaction Fees & More

Is the rising cost of living, especially from inflation, a constant source of worry in your life? Or perhaps you’re also concerned about overspending on your year-end holiday.

Unless you have a way to bring in additional income, what else can be done to help defray the rising cost of living?

Well, that’s where Trust’s newly launched credit card can help you out. Trust – which is one of Singapore’s newest digital banks – has introduced a credit card that could be a game changer for everyday Singaporeans, especially for those who shop frequently at NTUC FairPrice or are avid travellers.

With an array of innovative card features, the Trust credit card is designed to provide you with a better banking experience to help you maximise your savings.

What is the NTUC Trust Link Card?

The NTUC Trust Link Card is a combined credit and debit card offered by Trust Bank Singapore. Designed exclusively for NTUC Union members, the card features no annual fee and allows cardholders to accumulate Linkpoints as well as enjoy savings when they shop at FairPrice. 

Trust Bank Singapore is a digital bank jointly created by Standard Chartered Bank and FairPrice Group. Unique amongst digital banks, Trust Bank operates under a full banking license issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and has 20 ATMs islandwide.

Earn Rates

The Trust Link Card transforms your shopping experience by offering the ability to earn Linkpoints with every dollar spent. The earn rate differs based on whether it is a credit or debit card spend.

Credit Card Spend: Earn up to 21% in Linkpoints for every $1 spent on FairPrice groceries and food when you hit a minimum spend of S$350 monthly on purchases outside the FairPrice Group.

Debit Card Spend: Earn up to 11% in Linkpoints for every $1 spent on FairPrice groceries and food whe n you hit a minimum spend of S$200 monthly on purchases outside the FairPrice group.

All other eligible spend outside of the FairPrice group will earn 0.22% in Linkpoints for every $1 spent. For every 100 Linkpoints you earn, you will be able to redeem $1. 

Transaction Fees

The Trust Link Card is advertised as a “fee-less” card, offering peace of mind for its users. One of the benefits of the Trust Card is zero foreign transaction fees, which includes waiving the typical 1% fee associated with Visa cards. This makes the card a preferred choice for overseas use, especially for those who wish to avoid additional costs while spending abroad.

In addition to its travel-friendly features, the Trust Link Card also has the added benefit of no annual fees, cash advance fees, or card replacement fees. For those wary about unexpected card-related expenses, the Trust Link Card is an excellent worry-free option.

Foreign Exchange Rate

The Trust Link Card offers straightforward, honest, foreign exchange rates that are as close as possible to what you would find on Google, ensuring that you get the most value for your money when spending abroad. Trust Bank is able to offer attractive rates due to their transparent approach with no hidden markups or fees.

Moreover, the Trust Link Card offers additional benefits for overseas use beyond favourable foreign exchange changes. The Trust Card is an excellent travel credit card as it simplifies travel finances by allowing you to pay directly instore or online, allowing you to receive better rates without having to deal with money changers or manage multi-currency wallets. 

Sign-on Bonus

All new Trust customers who sign up using the referral code 2GQEAM81 are eligible for a S$10 FairPrice e-voucher. New cardholders who make their first transaction of any amount will also receive an additional S$25 FairPrice e-voucher. These e-vouchers are valid for four months, have no minimum spend and can be used online or offline at various FairPrice outlets.

What Are the Features of the Trust Link Card?

Designed for convenience and savings, let’s review the features on the Trust Link Credit Card: 

• No annual fees
• No foreign transaction fees
• No cash advance fees
• Competitive foreign exchange rates
• Up to 21% savings on groceries and food at FairPrice Group merchants
• Up to 20% off on fuel at Caltex
• Trust app to track rewards and get payment reminders

Reward Points

The NTUC Trust Link Card rewards cardholders with Linkpoints, which is earned as a percentage of spending. There are three tiers of rewards: a base tier, a monthly bonus and a quarterly bonus. The following rates for reward points are based on the exclusive Trust Link Card for NTUC Union members.

• Base Reward Points: Cardholders earn 2% bonus (up till 12,000 Linkpoints) and an additional 0.5% on all transactions at FairPrice Group. Earn 0.22% Linkpoints for Visa transactions. 
• Monthly Bonus Reward Points: An extra 6% is earned on FairPrice Group purchases when you spend at least S$350 per month outside of FairPrice Group, with a cap of 5,500 Linkpoints. 
• Quarterly Bonus Reward Points: By spending S$350 monthly outside FairPrice Group for three consecutive months, cardholders can earn an additional 9.5% on their FairPrice Group transactions, capped at 7,500 Linkpoints.

Linkpoints

LinkPoints are a form of rewards points earned with the Trust link card. They can be accumulated and used for rebates at various FairPrice Group merchants, offering additional savings and benefits on purchases.

Dining Discounts

The Trust app offers a coupon section where cardholders can access various dining discounts and other offers from participating merchants. Some of these dining discounts include:

• $2 off Starbucks with $10 min spend (8,000 redemptions)
• $2 off Burger King with $12 min spend (5,000 redemptions)

There is also an engaging rewards system through the Trust Link Card’s stamp feature. Each time you shop with your Trust card at participating merchants, you earn stamps. Accumulating these stamps leads to unlocking special rewards at your favourite establishments

Benefits for Travellers:

#1: No foreign transaction fees when spending overseas

Travel inflation can put a damper on holiday plans, but with the Trust card, foreign transaction fees will be one less thing to worry about. Made for those who love to travel (or frequent business travellers), Trust waives the usual costs when you use your card overseas, such as credit card markups or the standard 1% Visa fee.

In comparison, other banks will likely charge a 3.25% to 3.5% markup or fee whenever you use your credit card overseas.

Foreign transaction fees charged by banks (Visa cards)

With Trust, your purchasing power while on holiday will never be eroded – allowing you to save more while travelling abroad.

While one may argue that other platforms (such as YouTrip) do not charge transaction fees, users may find it a hassle to top-up their e-wallets. Also, using a Trust credit card means that you can have up to 45 days of interest-free credit.

What’s more, you can save yourself a trip to the money-changer, because an additional benefit of the Trust Link Card includes competitive foreign exchange rates!

#2: Your card acts as both a debit and credit card

Yes, you read that right! Your Trust card offers dual functionality as both a credit and debit card (if you have both a Trust credit card and Trust savings account), allowing you to declutter your wallet while travelling, making it a great choice for overseas use. Don’t forget to use it to purchase your travel insurance as well!

The Trust Link card’s dual functionality is particularly useful if you need to withdraw funds from an ATM (that’s enabled by Visa) while overseas, so you’ll never be caught without funds during solo travel. 

Users can simply select the preferred debiting account, which is either “Savings” or “Credit” on the ATM to draw funds overseas. Remember though, while your Trust card does not charge any foreign transaction fees or withdrawal fees, overseas banks may levy fees!

Besides that, your transactions are also updated in real-time on the Trust App, making it extremely easy to track your spending while overseas.

If your card goes missing (and we hope that does not happen of course), you can simply lock the card through the Trust App for added peace of mind. Getting a card replacement is free as well, so that is one less worry too!

[Update] Trust Bank releases new supplementary card feature

If you have any other avid grocery shoppers in your family, good news! Trust Bank recently rolled out their fully-digital supplementary cards. No signatures, no paperwork needed – just a few clicks of a button and the supplementary card is yours.

Supplementary cardholders will have access to view transactions and Linkpoints accumulated but only primary cardholders can adjust and set the spending limit. So no worries about overspenders here! Just think of it more as a debit card for your dependents. 😉

#3: You get to choose your repayment date

One feature that travelers will certainly enjoy is the ability to choose your repayment date when you apply. What this means is that you can align your Trust Link Credit Card repayment date with when your pay comes in. 

This feature is a first in Singapore and will be particularly useful for travellers who have racked up significant travel bills during overseas use.

To ensure that you don’t miss your crucial repayment date, the Trust app even sends you smart reminders to pay on time to avoid late payment charges on your card!

Benefits For Grocery Shoppers:

#4: Combat the rising costs due to inflation and GST hike

With the 4.8% inflation rate in 2023 and a second planned hike raising GST to 9% in 2024, it is no wonder that Singaporeans are feeling the pinch. Prices of services, food, groceries and other everyday essentials have been steadily rising over the past few years. 

While inflation is eroding our purchasing power, the Trust Link Credit Card can actually help defray the pains of rising costs.

How exactly? For example, customers who are also NTUC Union Members can enjoy up to 21% savings (through Linkpoints) with the Trust card when you shop for food and groceries at FairPrice Group (FPG)*. For everyone else, you’ll get up to 15% savings!

Worried about rising petrol prices? With your Trust card, you’ll also get to enjoy up to 20% in fuel savings when you pump at Caltex. 

Here’s a simplified illustration of how much you’ll stand to save with your Trust card (NTUC Link credit card) assuming you have met minimum monthly and quarterly spend:

Based on the illustration above, you already save more than 14% on your overall spends! 

#5: Better rebates compared to existing grocery credit cards

As mentioned earlier, when you use your Trust Link Credit Card, you’ll be able to earn the highest rebate of up to 21% on your FPG transactions (for NTUC Union Members). 

This rebate comes in the form of Linkpoints, which can be used to offset future purchases or converted to your preferred loyalty points such as KrisFlyer and AirAsia rewards, among other merchants. 

Grocery rebates: Trust credit card VS other grocery credit cards

In case you aren’t already convinced, here is a review of the NTUC Trust Link Credit Card in comparison to other grocery credit cards.

NTUC/Trust Link Credit Card Vs other grocery credit cards

Information accurate as of 31 October 2022

The Winner: Trust Credit Card

From the table, we can see that the review shows that the Trust credit card offers the best-in-market rewards for shopping at FPG – allowing you to save up to 21% with the NTUC Link Credit Card (for NTUC Union Members) and 15% with the Trust Link Credit Card for non-NTUC Union Members.

#6: Save even more at your favourite merchants with exclusive rewards 

Did you know you’ll receive a S$25 FairPrice E-Voucher when you sign up and make your first Visa transaction on your Trust Link credit card?

That’s not all; you’ll also enjoy a myriad of other rewards, which you easily track via the Trust App. That way, you’ll never miss out on the latest promotions and savings. 

Some of the existing rewards and bonuses include:

• Free 4-piece chicken nuggets with purchase of any meal at Burger King
• Original Recipe Burger for $3 at KFC
• $5 off a Gojek ride for new customers
• Get FairPrice E-Vouchers for every successful referral, and there’s no cap on how many people you can refer and earn!
• And many more!

Differences in Benefits Between NTUC Union vs Non-union Members

The benefits of the Trust Link Credit Card vary depending on whether you are a NTUC Union member. Let’s review the differences: 

Base reward points

• Trust Link Credit Card (For NTUC Union Members): Earn a base rate of 2.5% in Linkpoints on all your FPG spend (2% up till 12,000 Linkpoints, on top of 0.5% base), and 0.22% on all other eligible transactions. 

• Trust Link Credit Card (For Everyone Else): Earn a base rate of 0.5% in Linkpoints on all your FPG spend, and 0.22% on all other eligible transactions.

Bonus reward points

• Trust Link Credit Card (For NTUC Union Members): Earn 6% up to 5,500 Linkpoints monthly, and 10.5% up to 7,500 Linkpoints quarterly, requiring S$350 monthly spend on non-FPG transactions to unlock.

• Trust Link Credit Card (For Everyone Else): Earn 5% up to 5,500 Linkpoints monthly, and 9.5% up to 7,500 Linkpoints quarterly, requiring S$450 monthly spend on non-FPG transactions to unlock.

Potential savings

• Trust Link Credit Card (For NTUC Union Members): Up to 21% savings on credit card spend, up to 11% savings on debit card spend.

• Trust Link Credit Card (For Everyone Else): Up to 15% savings on credit card spend, up to 5% savings on debit card spend.

Linkpoints redemption

• Both cards: Redeem S$1 off with every 100 Linkpoints at participating Linkpoints partners

FairPrice Annual Member Bonus

• Trust Link Credit Card (For NTUC Union Members): Earn an additional 2% once a year on FPG groceries, capped at 12,000 Linkpoints.
• Trust Link Credit Card (For Everyone Else): Not eligible

Putting Your Trust in the Trust Link Credit Card

Whether you’re using it for your next overseas adventure or an avid FairPrice shopper, the Trust Link Card can be a rewarding addition to your wallet to help defray the rising costs of living. With savings up to 21% in the form of Linkpoints, cardholders have the flexibility to use these points for immediate rebates on future purchases or convert them to your preferred loyalty points or miles.

With its intuitive and user-friendly app design and seamless sign-up process, it’s no wonder that the Trust Link credit card is currently the talk of the town. Download the Trust Bank SG App today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store!

This article is written in partnership with Trust Bank. 

*FPG groceries and food spend will be referred to as FPG spend. FPG food includes participating stalls at Kopitiam and Kopitiam top-up cards.

FPG groceries include:

• FairPrice
• FairPrice Finest
• FairPrice Xtra
• FairPrice Xpress
• FairPrice Online
• Warehouse Club
• Unity
• Cheers stores (excluding FairPrice Xpress and Cheers outlets located within Esso stations)