- The Amaze card allows you to link up to 5 mastercards— a way for you to eliminate the hassle of carrying multiple cards. This can help you pay and save locally or overseas, use it to earn rewards, and lastly, you can convert your offline to online transactions using the credit card of your choice without incurring foreign exchange fees + gaining the rewards (miles/cashback) on the credit card used
- When using overseas, there is a 2% spread on FX rate with amaze but you get the miles
- Instarem Amaze will impose a 1% fee (minimum S$0.50) for any local spendings above S$1,000 per month when amaze is linked to a card. This fee will only affect Citi Rewards with some inconveniences.
Overview of Best Cards to Pair with Amaze:
Cards | Rate | Why use with Amaze? | General Exclusions Apply | ||
Save on Foreign Currency Fee for Overseas Spending | Convert Offline to Online for Local Spending | Type of Transaction | Spending Cap | ||
Citi Rewards | 4 miles per dollar | ? | ? | Offline almost all spending | S$1k |
OCBC Rewards | 4 miles per dollar | ? | Offline retail spending | S$1.1k | |
Maybank Family & Friends | 8% cashback | ? | Any 5 of your chosen categories | S$312.5 per category | |
No limits for overseas spending | Above S$1k local spending monthly will incur 1% fee (minimum S$0.50) | ||||
Citi Rewards Card
- This is my top favourite card to pair with amaze.
- The Citi Rewards card offers 4 miles per dollar, but only up to S$1,000 per month (statement period). The Amaze card, however, charges a 1% fee for exceeding S$1,000 in local spending each calendar month.
- Key Difference: The Amaze card’s limit resets monthly, while Citi Rewards resets per statement period. This can affect your strategy for maximizing rewards without incurring the Amaze fee.
- If your spending is S$2,000 local online spending – Use Citi Rewards without Amaze
- If you need to spend S$2,000 back to back on offline spending, spend S$1,000 on Instarem Amaze Card + Citi Rewards between 12th of June to 30th June and another S$1,000 between 12th of July to 31st of July. (see below for visual representation)
Citi Rewards Sign Up Promotion:
Option 1: Bank Promotion
Receive 40,000 bonus Points Welcome Offer when you spend S$800 in the first 2 months of account opening.
- Valid til 28 Febrary 2025
- Read Terms and Conditions here
Option 2: SingSaver
- Receive an Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.9 wifi 64GB (worth S$479) or Hinomi H1 Classic V3 Ergonomic Office Chair (With Headrest) (worth S$659) or Dyson Micro 1.5kg Vacuum (worth S$599) or 50,000 Yuu Points or S$370 Cash via PayNow upon activating and spending a min. S$500 within 30 days of card approval.
- Valid until 02 January 2025
- Promotion is valid for new to bank credit card holders
- Read Terms and Conditions here
- Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
- Remember to check for SingSaver email and complete the registration to secure your reward!
Read More in the Citi Rewards Review
OCBC Rewards Card
- with the decent bonus earn rate of 4 miles per dollar, you can earn by spending in these categories:
| Merchant Category Codes (MCC): | Description | Examples (not exhaustive) |
|---|---|---|
| 5309 | Duty Free Stores | DFS Singapore Changi |
| 5311 | Department Stores (will earn 6 mpd until December 31, 2024) | BHG, Isetan, Metro |
| 5611 | Men’s and Boys’ Clothing and Accessories Stores | Benjamin Barker |
| 5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores | Love, Bonito |
| 5631 | Women’s Accessory and Speciality Stores | Pandora, Swarovski |
| 5641 | Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores | Mothercare, Kiddy Palace |
| 5651 | Family Clothing Stores | Uniqlo, H&M, Cotton On |
| 5655 | Sports and Riding Apparel Stores | Decathlon, Lululemon |
| 5661 | Shoe Stores | Aldo, Charles & Keith |
| 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores | Zara, Topshop, Muji |
| 5699 | Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops | Typo, Miniso, Daiso |
| 5941 | Sporting Goods Stores | Royal Sporting House |
| 5948 | Luggage or Leather Goods Stores | Samsonite, Tumi |
Not to be used with Amaze:
Alibaba | Guardian | *Shopee (exclude Shopee Pay) |
AliExpress | Lazada | Taobao |
**Amazon | **Mustafa Centre | TikTok Shop |
Daigou | NTUC Unity | Watsons |
Ezbuy | Qoo10 | |
*Shopee Pay transactions under MCC 5262 are not eligible to earn any OCBC$ **Transactions under MCC 5411 (Groceries, Supermarket) is not eligible to earn any Bonus OCBC$ | ||
OCBC Rewards Sign Up Promotion:
Read More in the OCBC Rewards Review
Maybank Family & Friends Card
- Earn 8% cashback for 5 of your chosen spend categories across 10 options:
- You can change the categories every quarter. Default categories are chosen for you when you first receive your card. Then you can change it afterward.
- Each category is capped at S$25 per month; which would max out at S$312.50 of spending per category
- Monthly minimum spend of S$800 required
- Pair with Amaze Card to convert offline overseas spending under your chosen categories to online to earn 8% cashback
- Rule of thumb: use AMAZE when spending overseas for chosen categories
Maybank Family & Friends Sign Up Promotion:
SingSaver Reward:
- Receive S$50 Cash via PayNow with no minimum spend
- Valid until 20 December 2024
- Promotion is valid for new to bank credit card holders
- Read Terms and Conditions here
- Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
- Remember to check for SingSaver email to secure your rewards after you have applied!
Stackable with Bank Rewards:
Receive Samsonite ENOW SPINNER 69/25 EXP (worth S$570), or S$200 cashback as a new-to-bank customer, when you apply for a new Maybank Credit Card and charge a minimum of S$1,300 within the first two months of card approval. Alternatively, you may apply for CreditAble and a new Maybank Credit Card, and charge a minimum of S$1,200 within the first two months of card approval.
- Fill up this google form after signing up to qualify for rewards
- Read Terms and Conditions here
Read More in the Maybank Family and Friends Review
Frequently Asked Questions about Amaze:
Q: Can i use amaze with DBS Women’s World Mastercard?
A: No. It’s excluded.
Q: Can i use it with a Visa card?
A: No. Only mastercard.
Credit cards change their T&Cs every so often and it is difficult to stay updated. That’s why I created a Telegram Broadcast where you can receive timely bite-sized updates to get the most out of your spending.
Can UOB krisflyer card still be paired with Amaze? I thought I saw somewhere that it’s not allowed now.
Yes. It’s already written in the subheader. 🙂