Best Dining Credit Cards in Singapore 2024
Best Cashback Credit Cards for Dining & Food Delivery
Rewards Points
The best rewards credit cards for dining are culinary connoisseur's dream companions. Whether you're a foodie who loves exploring new restaurants or enjoys indulging in a good buffet, these rewards credit cards will snag you the most rewards points on all your dining bills.
For those with a more sophisticated palate, the AMEX Platinum Credit Card will probably be your best friend for fine dining establishments. Under its Platinum 10Xcelerator Merchant programme, you can earn 10 Membership Rewards®️ points for every S$1.60 spent. Plus, you will also enjoy up to 50% savings at selected restaurants and hotel dining under its Love Dining by Platinum programme.
Otherwise, the HSBC Revolution Card and UOB Lady’s Card series reign supreme for rewards credit cards. The former awards 10X Rewards Points per S$1 spend on eligible online dining or food delivery transactions while the latter awards UNI$10 per S$5 spend on dining when chosen as a preferred category.
In terms of spending limits, the HSBC Revolution Card and UOB Lady’s Card share the same S$1,000 spend per calendar month while the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card has a significantly higher threshold of S$2,000 spend per calendar month.
Cashback
Dining credit cards offering cashback are the darlings of food enthusiasts. These cashback cards reward you for your love of dining out, offering a percentage of cashback on all your dining bills to make each meal a little more satisfying.
For the highest cashback, we recommend the UOB EVOL Card since it earns 10% cashback on eligible online and mobile contactless spend. This means that you can conveniently leave the physical card at home. The only caveat is that its minimum spend requirement recently increased from S$600 to S$800 per month – with cashback caps of S$30 on online and mobile, S$20 on overseas, and S$30 on other spend.
Honourable mentions go to the new HSBC Live+ Card, netting an impressive 8% cashback on dining with minimum S$600 spend per month for three consecutive months. But do keep in mind, this bonus cashback rate is only applicable from now till 31 December 2024. After which, this rate will drop back to the original 6% cashback.
Miles
Dining credit cards offering miles provide the best of both worlds for food lovers and wanderlusters alike. These miles cards let you earn miles on your dining bills, including buffets, allowing you to indulge at your favourite dining spots just a little bit more.
So far, the best miles cards to earn on dining are the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card. Both reward 4 miles per S$1 (mpd) or UNI$10 per S$5 spend on one or two quarterly bonus categories respectively, capped at S$1,000 and S$2,000 spend per calendar month; in this case, if you want to earn miles on dining, the preferred category would be “Dining”. Thereafter, once their spend caps are hit, the cards will revert to earning the base 0.4 mpd rate.
Other than the UOB Lady’s, the Citi Rewards Card (paired with the Instarem amaze Card) or DBS Woman's World Card are also excellent dining credit card options. They reward 4 mpd on all online transactions coded under their respective eligible dining MCCs. This includes online food delivery too.
Meanwhile, for overseas dining, peruse our travel credit card options in this list to see how many miles you can potentially earn.
Improve your dining experience with our guides below:
Why get a Dining Credit Card?
A dining card gives additional bonuses – cashback, miles, or rewards – when you make dining-related transactions. They include fast food restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, caterers and takeaways.
Things to look out for when choosing a Dining Credit Card
When selecting a dining credit card, there are several key factors to consider to ensure it suits your preferences and needs. Here's what to look out for:
Dining rewards and cashback
Check the card's rewards or cashback rates specifically for dining expenses. A higher rebate rate can help you maximise your benefits when dining out.
Promotions and discounts
Look for promotions, discounts, and offers the card provides at dining establishments, including special deals on buffets, high tea, and online food delivery.
Types of dining
Consider the types of dining the card covers – from fine dining to fast food – to make sure it matches your dining preferences.
Partner merchants
See if the card has partnerships with specific restaurants, cafes, or food delivery platforms you frequent.
Exclusions/limitations for merchant or dining promotions
Be aware of any exclusions, limitations, or blackout dates for promotions, as well as minimum spending requirements to qualify.
Online food delivery benefits
Assess the card's annual fee and evaluate whether the dining benefits and rewards justify the cost.
What are the types of dining promotions you can enjoy?
Credit cards have tie-ups with restaurants to offer exclusive deals. Some even have their own program of special gourmet privileges. You can enjoy perks on dining such as:
- 1-for-1 deals
- Buffet promotions
- High Tea promotions
- Online Food delivery promotions
Who should get a Dining Credit Card?
A dining credit card is suitable for individuals who frequently dine out, order food delivery, or have a passion for exploring culinary experiences. Here are some types of people who can benefit from getting a dining credit card:
Frequent diners
Individuals who eat out regularly, whether for business or pleasure, can make the most of a dining credit card's rewards and cashback benefits.
Online food delivery users
If you often order food delivery, a dining credit card with promotions tailored to online food orders can help you save on your favourite meals.
For those with frequent social gatherings
If you frequently meet friends, family, or colleagues for meals, a dining credit card can make these gatherings more cost-effective and enjoyable.
Frequently asked questions for Dining Credit Cards
What if I don’t spend that much on dining?
You can consider credit cards that give you rewards for multiple categories besides dining, such as transport, petrol and groceries. Examples of such credit cards include Citi Cash Back Card, OCBC 365 Credit Card, and UOB EVOL Card.
How do dining credit cards work?
- Minimum spend required to qualify for the cashback
- Monthly cap on the cashback or bonus miles/rewards points you receive from dining or food delivery
- Merchant category code (MCC) eligibility of dining/food delivery vendors
- Different rates for weekday or weekend dining
What are the advantages of using a credit card for dining?
Dining credit cards usually offer cashback, miles, or reward points for your dining spend, in which you can redeem vouchers, air miles or cash rebates. These credit cards also offer exclusive dining deals with special restaurants and bars they partner with.
Do all dining credit card rewards apply to online food delivery services as well?
Most dining credit card rewards apply to online food delivery services, although this can vary from bank to bank. Do check the fine prints before you apply.
Can I get rebates on overseas dining spend?
This varies depending on the dining credit card you get. For example, the Citi Cash Back Card gives you 6% cashback on dining at restaurants and cafes worldwide, while the Citi Rewards Card gives you 4 miles per S$1 spent on all online dining or food delivery transactions.
If you plan to spend more on dining overseas, check on the eligible dining transactions in the terms and conditions before you apply. Moreover, foreign transaction fees (of around 3.25%) will apply to overseas transactions like overseas dining.
In that case, you can consider travel credit cards like Citi PremierMiles (2 mpd), DBS Altitude (2.2 mpd), OCBC 90°N (2.1 mpd), and others. Even though their miles earn rates might not be the highest compared to other miles credit cards, they help you avoid unnecessary foreign transaction fees and earn miles on overseas spend directly instead.
What are the fees involved when using dining credit cards?
Dining credit cards may charge annual fees and late payment fees if you’re not disciplined in paying your monthly bills on time. That said, these fees are similar across all types of credit cards, rather than being a charge specific to dining credit cards.
How many dining credit cards should I have?
This depends on the size of your dining expenditure, and your ability to pay your credit card bills on time.
For most, one dining credit card is enough to cover individual dining and food delivery expenses.
However, you can consider having multiple dining credit cards if you tend to spend more on dining and frequently hit the rebate cap of your dining card. Or perhaps, you pay for all your family’s dining and food delivery expenses and exceed the rebate cap of one credit card alone. In that case, multiple dining credit cards will make sense too.
But as a general recommendation, avoid spending beyond your means – especially if you decide to take up an extra dining credit card or two.