If you are an avid online shopper, this guide will help you maximize your online spending with the best credit cards. I’ve ranked top cards based on cashback rewards, ease of use, and minimum spending requirements. Here’s the Best Cards for Online Shopping!
For example, while some cards offer high cashback rates, they might have strict spending conditions. Others may have lower rewards but more flexible terms, perfect for big-ticket items like electronics or furniture from platforms like Taobao.
I’ve broken down the details so you can choose the card that best suits your shopping habits.
Note: Standard exclusions like government services and insurance payments apply.
From now tiil 31st Dec 2024, HSBC Live+ actually offers a great 8% cashback for selected online shopping categories. Therefore, it ranks top because of the potential cashback. After 31st Dec 2024, HSBC Live+ will offer 5% cashback. You may choose a card like Citi SMRT which has a lower minimum spend required of S$500 and lower cashback of 5%, but you can basically use this in one single month for large online purchases of up to S$12,000 in a single year. This gives you a good S$600 cashback off your purchase. For example, you can buy electronics or furniture on Taobao and get 5% cashback without bursting any monthly cashback cap.
Cashback Cards | Earn Rate | Minimum Spend | Cashback Cap | Notes (Best Used In) |
8% cashback (till 31st Dec 2024); thereafter 5% cashback | S$600 per month; need to fulfill min. spend for 3 months per quarter | S$250 per quarter on one category spend is possible | Dining, retail or online shopping like Shopee, Lazada. Able to buy electronics & furniture at Amazon.sg, Courts, Best Denki or IKEA via heymax. Read Review for details | |
5% cashback | $500 per month | S$600 worth of SMRT$ per year | groceries, online shopping, taxi rides (including private hire operators) and SimplyGo; Best for large online purchases up to S$12K per year as cashback cap is an annual cap. | |
2% cashback | No Min Spend | capped at S$200 per month | all purchases | |
10% cashback | S$800 per month | capped at S$20 cashback per category per month | online supermarket spends & online shopping (Selected MCCs) |
Miles Cards | Earn Rate | Minimum Spend | Spending Cap | Notes (Best Used In) |
4 miles per dollar | No min spend | S$1,000 | most online spends except travel; use with Amaze card for offline payments | |
4 miles per dollar | No min spend | S$1,500 | online local and foreign spends & *in-app spend (apple pay or google pay) | |
4 miles per dollar | No min spend | S$1,100 | online spends on specific categories | |
4 miles per dollar | No min spend | S$1,000 | online spends on specific categories | |
*keep in mind that sometimes, apple pay or google pay can count as "contactless spend" on some transactions | ||||
Conclusion:
The “best” card ultimately depends on your individual spending habits and priorities. I have just provided the options which I think are best in terms of its use and the cashback/miles you’ll get! Overall, if you value miles, you can consider Citi Rewards Card for its massive array of online categories with minimum exclusions, plus, you can pair it with Instarem Amaze as it converts your offline transaction into online, giving you the same rewards! For cashback, Citi SMRT will be good choice for reasonable cashback with unique proposition that can help you maximise your cashback or savings.
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.
