If you commute daily, your bus and MRT fares add up to about S$100 a month — and on a regular debit card, that spend earns almost nothing. Many banks specifically exclude EZ-Link and TransitLink top-ups from earning rewards or cashback to prevent system gaming. However, direct transit usage (tapping your credit card directly on the gantry) is typically rewarded or eligible for transport-specific cashback provided by your specific bank. So here are the top cards that cover the best rewards for Singapore public transport when you tap your card directly at the gantry.
How Bus/MRT Fares Post to Your Card
Most of the times, fares aren’t charged per ride: they accumulate and post as one BUS/MRT charge on your statement (monthly for Visa and Amex, every 5 days or S$15 for Mastercard). That accumulation matters — For e.g. UOB cards earn points per S$5 block, and a single fare on its own typically cost around S$1+ would earn nothing, but the consolidated spending accumulated within the month that exceeds S$5 would earn some level of cashback or miles, depending on the card you choose.
EZ-Link top-ups or concession passes will likely not earn rewards. If you want rewards, tap the card itself. You should only use this method if you spend less than S$122 per month on bus/mrt rides. If you spend more than that, you should just go for a monthly adult concession pass that gives you unlimited bus and mrt rides for S$122 per month.
Miles Credit Cards (in order of preference)
| Card | Earn Rate | Min Spend & Cap | How to Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
 DBS yuu (Visa or Amex) | 10 mpd if conditions are met | Min: S$800/calendar month across at least 4 yuu merchants · Cap: 28,800 bonus points/calendar month | Card or mobile wallet |
 UOB Lady’s | 4 mpd (Transport chosen as the quarterly bonus category) | Min: none · Cap: S$1,000 bonus spend/calendar month | Card or mobile wallet |
 UOB Preferred Visa | 4 mpd (mobile-contactless category) | Min: none · Cap: S$600 spend/calendar month, shared with your other mobile-wallet spend | Mobile wallet only — a card tap earns no bonus |
 UOB Visa Signature | 4 mpd (contactless category) | Min: S$1,000 contactless spend/statement month · Cap: S$1,200 spend/statement month | Card or mobile wallet — fares alone can’t reach the minimum, so it only works inside a bigger card strategy |
My Take
DBS yuu is the clear winner if you can clear the S$800 minimum spend. UOB Lady’s covers taxis and petrol as well as bus and MRT rides once Transport is your chosen category — pick it only if those run through the card too, because fares alone won’t come near the S$1,000 cap. The UOB Preferred Visa is the only 4 mpd option with no minimum spend and no category selection, which makes it the simplest pick if commuting is all you want the card for. The catch: its 4 mpd sits in the mobile-contactless category, capped at S$600 a month and shared with everything else you pay by mobile wallet, so you may want to save that cap for dining and other in-person shopping.
For the fares themselves, UOB Visa Signature, Lady’s and the Preferred Visa all earn the same 4 mpd once each card’s conditions — minimum spend, category choice, caps — are met. The difference is only in how UOB does the math. Visa Signature and the Preferred Visa total the month’s SimplyGo spend and round it once, crediting the miles by the 7th of the following month. Lady’s adds up the whole month’s spend in your chosen category and rounds that once. Either way, you lose almost nothing to rounding.
Latest Sign-Up Deals
- 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 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.
Cashback Credit Cards
| Card | Earn Rate | Min Spend & Cap | How to Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
DBS yuu (Visa or Amex) | 18% rebate if conditions are met | Min: S$800/calendar month across at least 4 yuu merchants · Cap: 28,800 bonus points/calendar month (~S$144) | Card or mobile wallet |
 Maybank Family & Friends | 8% (Transport selected); 6% at the lower tier | Min: S$1,600/calendar month for 8% (S$800 for 6%) · Cap: S$30/category/month at 8% (S$20 at 6%) | Card or mobile wallet |
 Citi SMRT | 5% SMRT$ (0.3% if minimum not met) | Min: S$500/statement month · Cap: SMRT$600 per 12-month card year | Card or mobile wallet |
 UOB EVOL | 10% on mobile contactless & online — effective 6.36% overall at the minimum | Min: S$800/statement month · Cap: S$30/month on the mobile & online bucket | Mobile wallet only |
| OCBC FRANK | 10% (8% mobile contactless + 2% green-merchant bonus, which covers SimplyGo) | Min: S$800/calendar month · Cap: S$25/category/month | Mobile wallet only |
 POSB Everyday | 10% cash rebates on SimplyGo | Min: S$800/calendar month · Cap: Daily$20/month | Card or mobile wallet |
 DBS Live Fresh | 6% on shopping and transport | Min: S$800/calendar month · Cap: S$20/month on transport | Card or mobile wallet |
 DCS Flex | Up to 6% (contactless category) | Min: S$600/calendar month · Cap: S$25/category/month | Card or mobile wallet — both count as contactless |
My Take
Every cashback option here carries a minimum spend, so these only work if the card is already your main card. For UOB EVOL, the bonus cashback applies to mobile contactless only, so tap your mobile wallet at the gantry — the card earns 0.3%. Even though Citi SMRT earns you 5% cashback, your bus and MRT rides should not exceed about S$122 a month, and the Citi SMRT needs S$500 of monthly retail spend before the 5% kicks in — so you must be able to fill the S$500 with other spend, mainly online, to confidently earn 5% every month. That’s why I prefer this card for large online spend.
Latest Sign-Up Deals
- Eligible for new main Citi Cardmembers only (no existing Citi card, no Citi card closed in the past 12 months)
- Spend S$800 in the first 2 months of card approval
- You qualify if: you have no Citibank credit card right now AND haven't cancelled any Citi credit card in the last 12 months
- 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 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 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.
Quarterly-Commitment Cards: UOB One and Trust Cashback
These two work differently from everything above: the bonus is earned per quarter, not per month, and one weak month wipes out the whole quarter’s bonus. They’re only worthwhile if you’re willing to play the quarterly game.
| Card | Earn Rate | The Quarterly Rules | How to Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
 UOB One | ~8.33% total on SimplyGo (3.33% base + 5% bonus); ~10% at the top tier | Min: S$600 / S$1,000 / S$2,000 spend every month of the quarter, plus at least 10 transactions/month → S$60 / S$100 / S$200 per quarter · Cap: S$120/month on the bonus | Card or mobile wallet |
 Trust Cashback | 1% on all local spend with no conditions; the advertised “up to 15%” category bonus works out to about 5% at best | Min: S$500 / S$2,000 total spend every month for 3 consecutive months → 5% / 15% on your preferred category · Cap: S$30 / S$250 cashback per quarter | Card or mobile wallet |
Latest Sign-Up Deals
- 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.
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- Download the app from the App Store or Google Play
- Copy the referral code above and enter into the app when prompted
- Sign up with your details
For Retirees and Students
If you don’t meet the income requirement for the cards above, the Chocolate Visa card is an option — it’s a debit card funded from a Chocolate Finance account, with no minimum income requirement and no fees. You earn 1 Max Mile per S$1 on the first S$1,000 spent each calendar month (0.4 mpd after that), and bus/MRT rides count.
- Download the app from the App Store or Google Play
- Copy the referral code above and enter into the app when prompted
- Sign up with your details
💳 Credit cards change their T&Cs every so often and it’s difficult to stay updated. That’s why I created a Telegram Broadcast where you can receive timely bite-sized updates.
