Despite the various nerfs we’ve seen over the past couple of years, Instarem’s Amaze Card continues to be an essential tool for any miles chaser, earning up to 6 mpd on overseas transactions with lower foreign currency (FCY) transaction fees than regular credit cards (~1.8% above Mastercard).
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| Apply here |
| Use code 7HK2A2 for 225 bonus InstaPoints |
| 💳 tl;dr: Amaze Card |
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Frankly, there’s no knowing how long more this will continue for. Amaze survives on the good graces of the banks, and if they decide to collectively stop rewarding Amaze transactions, it’s game over.
But hey, enough depressing talk. We make hay while we can, so until that day, here’s the cards you should be pairing with Amaze.
What card should I pair with Amaze?
First, a brief reminder of the ground rules:
- All Amaze transactions code as online
- All Amaze transactions will be billed in SGD
- All Amaze transactions retain the original MCCof the underlying transaction
- Amaze can be paired with any Mastercard credit or debit card
- You can save a maximum of five cards to Amaze
- DBS/POSB cards no longer award points for Amaze transactions
This rules out pairing the DBS Woman’s World Card, or some otherwise excellent options like the HSBC Revolution or UOB Preferred Platinum Visa.
Fortunately, there’s still numerous alternatives:
| 💳 Amaze Pairings | ||
| Card | Earn Rate | Cap |
 UOB Lady’s Card | 6 mpd1 | S$1K per c. month |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire | 6 mpd2 | S$3K per c. month |
 Citi Rewards Card | 4 mpd3 | S$1K per s. month |
 OCBC Titanium Rewards | 4 mpd4 | S$13.3K per m. year |
 KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card | 3 mpd5 | None |
 UOB PRVI Miles MC | 1.4 mpd | None |
 Citi Prestige | 1.3 mpd | None |
 OCBC 90°N MC | 1.3 mpd | None |
 Citi PremierMiles Card | 1.2 mpd | None |
| 1. Pick 1: Beauty & wellness, dining, entertainment, family, fashion, transport, travel (T&Cs) 2. Pick 2: Beauty & wellness, dining, entertainment, family, fashion, transport, travel (T&Cs) 3. All transactions except travel (airlines, hotels, rental cars, tour agency, cruises etc.) (T&Cs) 4. Electronics, clothes, bags, shoes and shopping (T&Cs) 5. Dining, shopping, travel, transport. Must spend at least S$800 on SIA Group transactions in a membership year (T&Cs) | ||
#1: UOB Lady’s Card/ UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card
 UOB Lady’s Cards | |
| Apply | |
| Earn Rate | 6 mpd |
| Eligible Transactions | Pick 1 (Lady’s) or 2 (Lady’s Solitaire) bonus categories from beauty & wellness, dining, entertainment, family, fashion, transport, travel |
| Capped at | S$1,000 per calendar month (Lady’s) S$3,000 per calendar month (Lady’s Solitaire) [cap is shared across all bonus categories] |
UOB’s recent enhancement of the UOB Lady’s Cards make these hands down the best option to pair with Amaze, assuming you have the right, er, equipment.
Cardholders can select one (Lady’s Card) or two (Lady’s Solitaire Card) bonus categories to earn 6 mpd, capped at S$1,000 (Lady’s Card) or S$3,000 (Lady’s Solitaire Card) per calendar month. Selections can be changed every quarter.
| 💳 UOB Lady’s Card Bonus Categories | ||
| Category | MCCs | Description |
| (1) Beauty & Wellness | 5912, 5977, 7230, 7231, 7298, 7297 | Discount, Mass and Drug Stores, Cosmetics Stores, Barber and Beauty Shops, Health and Beauty Spa, Massage Parlours |
| (2) Dining | 5811, 5812, 5814, 5499 | Caterers, Eating places and Restaurants, Fast food restaurants and food deliveries |
| (3) Entertainment | 5813, 7832, 7922 | Bars, Taverns, Lounges and Nightclubs, Motion Picture Theatres, Theatrical Producers and Ticket Agencies |
| (4) Family | 5411, 5641 | Grocery stores, Children and Infants wear store |
| (5) Fashion | 5311, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5651, 5655, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5948 | Department Stores, Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Accessories Store, Women’s Ready-to-wear Stores, Women’s Access and Specialty, Family Clothing Stores, Sports and Riding Apparel Stores, Shoes Stores, Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores, Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessories Shops, Luggage and Leather Stores |
| (6) Transport | 4111, 4121, 4789, 5541, 5542 | Local Commuter Transport, Taxi, Cabs, Limousines and Travel Service, Service Stations and Automatic Gas Dispensers |
| (7) Travel | Credit card retail transactions made at major airlines and/or hotels with their main business activity classified as flights and/or hotels only. Refer to this post for more details | |
| Both local and FCY spend is eligible for bonuses | ||
Assuming you have two bonus categories to choose, my choices would be:
- Dining
- Travel
These are likely to be the largest overseas expense items for most people (if you’re a shopaholic, it might be a better idea to pair the OCBC Titanium Rewards, since it uses an annual 4 mpd cap of S$13,335).
Do note that UOB does not define “travel” bookings, but on its landing page, it specifically lists the following merchants:
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However, I’ve since learned that the relevant MCCs are:
- MCC 3000-3299 (Airlines)
- MCC 3500-3999 (Lodging)
- MCC 4411 (Cruise Lines)
- MCC 4722 (Travel Agencies and Tour Operators)
- MCC 5309 (Duty-free Stores)
- MCC 7011 (Lodging- Hotels, Motels, Resorts Not Elsewhere Classified)
It does not include taxis (MCC 4121), bus liners (MCC 4131), rental cars (MCC 3000-3499) or trains (MCC 4111/4112).
If your overseas trip happens to span two calendar quarters, you can make this work to your advantage by timing your expenses. For example:
- For the preceding calendar quarter, pick Fashion as your bonus category and earn 6 mpd and frontload all your shopping
- For the subsequent calendar quarter, pick Travel as your bonus category and earn 6 mpd when you check-out from the hotel and pay the bill
#2: Citi Rewards Card
 Citi Rewards Card | |
| Apply | |
| Earn Rate | 4 mpd |
| Eligible Transactions | All online transactions except travel and mobile wallet |
| Capped at | S$1,000 per statement month |
If you’re ineligible for a UOB Lady’s Card, or simply don’t want to fiddle with specific categories, the Citi Rewards Card is an excellent alternative.
Amaze converts all transactions into online spending. This means that when paired with the Citi Rewards Card, you earn 4 mpd on the first S$1,000 per statement month spent in Singapore or overseas.
One exception: travel-related transactions, which Citi defines as the following:
| ✈️ Travel Transactions (Ineligible for 4 mpd on Citi Rewards Card) | |
| MCC | Description |
| MCC 3000 to 3350 | Airlines |
| MCC 3351 to 3500 | Car Rental Agencies |
| MCC 3501 to 3999 | Lodging- Hotels, Motels, Resorts |
| MCC 4112 | Passenger Railways |
| MCC 4411 | Cruise Lines |
| MCC 4511 | Airlines (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
| MCC 4722 | Travel Agencies and Tour Operators |
| MCC 5962 | Direct Marketing- Travel-Related Arrangement Services |
| MCC 7011 | Lodging- Hotels, Motels, Resorts (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
| MCC 7512 | Car Rental Agencies (Not Elsewhere Classified |
In other words, avoid using your Amaze + Citi Rewards Card to:
- Buy flight tickets
- Pay for a hotel stay
- Pay a tour agency or activities provider
- Buy train tickets
- Book a rental car
- Book a cruise
Yes, I know. These are some of the most common things you’ll do when overseas, but there’s still dining, shopping, and transport (e.g. taxis, ride-hailing- those don’t come under Citi’s definition of travel) to be paid.
#3: OCBC Titanium Rewards
 OCBC Titanium Rewards | |
| Apply | |
| Earn Rate | 4 mpd |
| Eligible Transactions | Clothes, bags, shoes and other shopping |
| Capped at | S$13,335 per membership year (Blue and Pink cards have their own cap) |
If you’re a big spender on shopping, then the OCBC Titanium Rewards is a natural pairing for Amaze, thanks to its use of an annual rather than monthly cap on 4 mpd.
Once paired, you’ll earn 4 mpd on the first S$13,335 per membership year spent on the following transactions.
| 🛍️ Shopping Transactions | |
| MCC | Description |
| MCC 5311 | Departmental Stores |
| MCC 5611 | Men’s and Boys’ Clothing and Accessories Stores |
| MCC 5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores |
| MCC 5631 | Women’s Accessory and Speciality Stores |
| MCC 5641 | Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores |
| MCC 5651 | Family Clothing Stores |
| MCC 5661 | Shoe Stores |
| MCC 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| MCC 5045 | Computers, Peripherals and Software |
| MCC 5732 | Electronics Stores |
| MCC 5699 | Misc. Apparel and Accessory Shops |
| ❓ What about specific merchants? | |
4 mpd will also be earned on selected merchants specifically mentioned in the T&Cs, such as Amazon, Courts, Ezbuy, Lazada, Qoo10 and Taobao. However, these are based on transaction descriptions rather than MCCs, and you will not get 4 mpd via Amaze. That’s because Amaze keeps the MCC while changing the transaction description to AMAZE*[merchant-name]. | |
Some examples would be buying shopping at factory outlets, buying a new gadget, or visiting a mall.
Remember, both the Blue and Pink Titanium Rewards Cards each have their own 4 mpd cap. If you’re a regular shopaholic, getting both wouldn’t be the worst idea.
#4: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
 KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card | |
| Apply | |
| Earn Rate | 3 mpd with min. S$800 spend on SIA Group merchants in a membership year |
| Eligible Transactions | Dining, food delivery, online shopping, travel and transport |
| Capped at | No cap |
If you have big ticket spending planned that’s beyond even the cap of the OCBC Titanium Rewards, then the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card would be the right choice.
Cardholders who spend a minimum of S$800 on KrisShop, Singapore Airlines or Scoot transactions in a membership year will earn an uncapped 3 mpd on the following transactions:
| Category | MCCs |
| Dining & Food Delivery | 5812, 5813, 5814 |
| Online Shopping | 4816, 5262, 5306, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732, 5733, 5735, 5912, 5942, 5944-5949, 5999, 7278 (only for Shopee, Lazada and Qoo10) |
| Online Travel | Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel |
| Transport | BUS/MRT, 4121 |
The catch is: of the 3 mpd, 1.2 mpd will be awarded upfront. The remaining 1.8 mpd will be credited two months after the card membership year (you might get lucky, but there’s no basis for arguing if you don’t).
If that’s not an issue for you, then this card could soak up most of your overseas spending needs: dining, food delivery, transport and travel (note that travel is limited to specific OTAs), without any concerns about overspending (well, from a rewards point of view at least).
In fact, this might be an excellent option for those buying luxury goods like jewellery and watches (MCC 5944), or luxury bags (MCC 5948). These purchases could bust even the OCBC Titanium Reward’s S$13,335 annual cap, but by charging them to an Amaze x KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card combo, the transactions will code as online and earn an uncapped 3 mpd.
#5: General spending cards
 General Spending Cards | |
| Earn Rate | 1.2-1.4 mpd |
| Eligible Transactions | All spend |
| Capped at | No cap |
Assuming all your bonus caps have been exhausted (and you don’t want to use the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card), then your next best course of action is to pair Amaze with a general spending card:
- UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard (1.4 mpd)
- Citi Prestige Card (1.3 mpd)
- OCBC 90°N Mastercard (1.3 mpd)
- Citi PremierMiles Card (1.2 mpd)
It’s important to remember that Amaze converts all transactions into SGD, therefore the applicable earn rates are the local ones, not overseas ones (e.g. 1.4 mpd for UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard and not 2.4 mpd).
Other points you might want to consider:
- OCBC and UOB cards earn miles in blocks of S$5, while Citi cards earn miles in blocks of S$1. Therefore, you might earn more miles with Citi cards on smaller transactions, despite the lower headline rate
- Citi cards have many more transfer partners than OCBC (at least until the new partners come round) and UOB
Conclusion
While DBS/POSB cards no longer offer rewards for Amaze transactions, the good news is the rest of the market still does. This makes it possible to earn up to 6 mpd on overseas spending, while enjoying FCY fees lower than the banks.
It won’t last forever, so enjoy it while you can.