How Buy Now Pay Later Works
Buy Now Pay Later platforms pay the full amount to the merchant upfront. You pay the platform back in instalments (e.g. 3 months). This payment is then charged to your credit card.
But there’s a catch: many banks exclude recurring payments or in-house instalments from rewards. Since BNPLs are third-party platforms, they often escape that rule. On some cards you need to trigger the payments yourself; the table below says which.
Different BNPL Platforms have different ways of working and different MCC, therefore these are the most recommended ones that have been tried and tested.
Pro Tips to Maximise Rewards
Check MCC (Merchant Category Code)
Atome usually codes as MCC 5999 (Misc. & Specialty Retail). Some banks allow points for this, others don’t.
Check the specific instructions below for each card
On Citi Rewards, trigger each payment yourself in the app so it is not flagged as “recurring”. HSBC Revolution counts stored-card payments as online, so auto-deduction is fine there.
Track Your Caps
Most rewards cards have monthly limits on bonus categories. Use BNPL platforms for high-ticket items within your cap.
Best Cards to Use with Atome
Best Miles Cards for Atome
HSBC Revolution is the most fuss-free card for this as the MCC 5999 is an eligible MCC that rewards 4-8 miles per dollar.
On Citi Rewards, trigger your 2nd and 3rd Atome payments yourself manually in the app. Auto-payments can be flagged as recurring bills and earn nothing.
You would want to choose to “Pay in 3” as longer installment plans would incur extra charges. There are often vouchers on the app that you can use to offset the cost further.
A quick heads-up for those using these cards: Citi Rewards can be unpredictable — some users report that even after manually triggering their payments, the rewards don’t always get credited, while others have had no issues at all.
Meanwhile, for the DBS Woman’s World Card, even when payments were manually triggered, the transactions reportedly showed up as recurring, then updated to online after some time.
| Card | Earn Rate | Min Spend & Cap | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 HSBC Revolution | 4 mpd* | Min: none Cap: S$1,000/calendar month | Auto-deduction is fine: HSBC counts stored-card payments as online | |
| Earn Rate: 4 mpd; 8 mpd on S$1,200 spend cap if you hold S$50K of average daily balance in HSBC EGA account | ||||
 DBS Woman's World | 4 mpd* | Min: none Cap: S$1,000/calendar month | ||
| Earn Rate: 4 mpd (online spend) | ||||
 Citi Rewards | 4 mpd* | Min: none Cap: S$1,000/statement month | Trigger the 2nd and 3rd payments yourself in the app; some users report the rewards do not always get credited | |
| Earn Rate: 4 mpd (online spend) | ||||
 KrisFlyer UOB | 2.4 mpd* | Min: none Cap: none | Need to fufill S$1,000 of annual spend on Singapore Airlines, Scoot or KrisShop | |
| Earn Rate: 2.4 mpd (online) once you have S$1,000 of SIA-group spend in the membership year; 1.2 mpd before that | ||||
* rate depends on certain conditions — tap the row for the full wording.
mpd = miles per dollar.
Best Cashback Cards for Atome
| Card | Earn Rate | Min Spend & Cap | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 DCS Flex | 6%* | Min: S$600/statement month Cap: S$25 per category, S$100/month total | ||
| Earn Rate: 6% (online; Atome codes as MCC 5999) | ||||
 DBS Live Fresh | 6%* | Min: S$800/calendar month Cap: S$50/calendar month (about S$877 of spend) | Closed to new applications from 7 September 2026 — existing cardholders only | |
| Earn Rate: 6% (shopping; MCC 5999 is on the card's shopping list) | ||||
OCBC FRANK | 8%* | Min: S$800/month Cap: S$25 per category (about S$312 of spend) | ||
| Earn Rate: 8% (online; Atome codes as MCC 5999) | ||||
 Citi SMRT | 5%* | Min: S$500/statement month Cap: SMRT$600 per card year | Readers report the 5% not tracking on Atome; if you try it, trigger the 2nd and 3rd payments yourself in the app and check your statement | |
| Earn Rate: 5% SMRT$ (online spend) | ||||
 HSBC Advance | 1.5%* | Min: none Cap: S$70/calendar month | ||
| Earn Rate: 1.5% flat; 2.5% once you spend S$2,000 in the calendar month | ||||
* rate depends on certain conditions — tap the row for the full wording.
Latest Sign Up Deals
Each offer sets its own conditions: a minimum spend, a deadline, and for some, a redemption form to return. Open Details for the full steps on that card. The gift is paid only when every condition is met.
- You qualify if: you have no HSBC credit card right now, AND haven't cancelled any HSBC credit card in the last 12 months
- Spend min. S$500 by the end of the month after you're approved. Example: approved in May → spend by 30 June.
- During the application, tick the box to receive marketing messages from HSBC. Don't unsubscribe until your gift arrives — if you do, HSBC can cancel the reward.
- SingSaver will email you a Rewards Redemption Form — check inbox (and spam folder) after applying. Fill it in within 14 days to claim your gift, or you'll lose it.
- You qualify if: you have no DBS/POSB credit card right now, AND haven't cancelled any DBS/POSB credit card in the last 12 months
- Enter promo code SINGSAVER during application
- Spend min. S$500 within 30 days of card approval
- SingSaver will email you a Rewards Redemption Form — check inbox (and spam folder) after applying. Fill it in within 14 days to claim your gift, or you'll lose it.
- You qualify if: you have no UOB credit card right now, AND haven't cancelled any UOB credit card in the last 12 months
- Spend min. S$500 within the first 30 days from card approval
- SingSaver will email you a Rewards Redemption Form — check inbox (and spam folder) after applying. Fill it in within 14 days to claim your gift, or you'll lose it.
- You qualify if: you have no HSBC credit card right now, AND haven't cancelled any HSBC credit card in the last 12 months
- Spend min. S$500 by the end of the month after you're approved. Example: approved in May → spend by 30 June.
- During the application, tick the box to receive marketing messages from HSBC. Don't unsubscribe until your gift arrives — if you do, HSBC can cancel the reward.
- SingSaver will email you a Rewards Redemption Form — check inbox (and spam folder) after applying. Fill it in within 14 days to claim your gift, or you'll lose it.
Best Card to Use with Grab PayLater
Grab PayLater gives you two main ways to manage your spending: you can either pay the full amount the following month or split your purchase into instalments of 4, 8, or 12 months. The 4-month plan is interest-free, while the longer 8- and 12-month plans come with a small processing fee. Therefore, choose the interest free option. All transactions are tagged under MCC 6540, which is excluded by almost every credit card.
The big catch with Grab PayLater is that payments must go through your GrabPay Wallet balance. This means you’ll need to top up your wallet first, and since credit card top-ups to GrabPay generally don’t earn rewards, you miss out on miles, cashback, or points. In contrast to platforms like Atome, Grab PayLater isn’t ideal for stacking credit card rewards — it works better as a cashflow management tool.
For this, UOB Absolute Cashback Card is one of the very few that offers anything on GrabPay top-ups, though you can only earn 0.3% cashback.
Update: Shopee PayLater transactions now post under MCC 6540, the same code as a wallet top-up, so no card earns rewards on them. I covered the change in Shopee PayLater Reclassified to MCC 6540.
Final Thoughts
When used wisely, Atome can stretch your cashflow and rack up credit card rewards, while keeping it interest free. Shopee PayLater and Grab PayLater no longer earn, because both post as wallet top-ups. The key is knowing which card to use and how to pay.
However, as usual, it is very important to check the Merchant Category Code for every transaction.
