If you spend money overseas, Amaze is one of the most useful cards to carry, especially if you want to earn miles or cashback on your credit cards, while reducing the exchange rate fee.
Below, I’ll walk you through what it is, which card to link depending on how you spend, and how to set it up.
What Amaze Is
Amaze is a free Mastercard from Instarem. There is no income check, no annual fee, and no credit application — you download the Instarem app and order the card.
It has two different functions:
- Wallet function: a multi-currency wallet, like YouTrip or Wise. You top up Singapore dollars or hold foreign currencies and spend from the balance. This does not earn credit card rewards, but it does earn InstaPoints — Instarem’s own rewards currency, which you can convert to KrisFlyer miles.
- Linked-card function: every Amaze payment is charged to a credit card you link to it. This is the function that earns credit card rewards, and it is what most of this guide is about. You can link up to 5 Mastercards. Visa and American Express cards cannot be added at all.
The Wallet and InstaPoints
The Amaze wallet is a separate multi-currency wallet like YouTrip. It holds a balance of up to S$15,000 and up to S$75,000 of transactions a year. Wallet spend earns 0.5 InstaPoints per dollar (minimum S$10 per transaction), which works out to about 0.25 to 0.5% in value. Linked-card transactions earn no InstaPoints at all. InstaPoints only convert to KrisFlyer miles at 1,200 points for 400 miles, which is poor value, so treat the wallet as a plain multi-currency card rather than a rewards tool. If you want rewards, use the linked-card function with one of the cards below.
The Linked Card Function and Credit Card Rewards
With the linked card function, when you pay with Amaze overseas, it converts the foreign currency to Singapore dollars, then charges your linked card as an online SGD transaction. Two things happen to that charge:
- It is billed as an online transaction, even though you tapped at a physical shop. This is what lets a card like Citi Rewards, which only gives its bonus rate on online spend, earn 4 miles per dollar on an overseas tap.
- It keeps the merchant’s original category code. So a card that gives its bonus by category, like OCBC Rewards on shopping, still earns — as long as that category is on the card’s bonus list.
Here is what that looks like in practice. Say you tap S$100 of dining in Bangkok with Amaze (linked to Citi Rewards). It lands on your Citi Rewards bill as an online SGD transaction, so it earns 4 miles per dollar (400 miles) while the foreign exchange conversion spread costs about 2% instead of the 3.25% foreign currency fee your bank would charge. Just remember the 4 miles per dollar is capped: on Citi Rewards, only the first S$1,000 of spend each month earns at that rate.
The Key: Use It Overseas with Specific Cards Only
Since March 2025, Amaze charges 1% (minimum S$0.50) on every Singapore-dollar transaction on the linked card. Before that, local spend under S$1,000 a month was free. Now every dollar is charged, yes, even a S$1 authorisation hold. Even though there are times where the 1% fee might be worthwhile for an SGD transaction if your purchase is large, it is better to use other cards that can give you equally good earn rate without incurring the 1% fee.
Because of this, my default advice would be to use Amaze + the correct credit card for foreign currency spend only, and only up to your card’s monthly bonus cap. And once you hit your card’s monthly cap, switch to another card.
Which Cards Work With Amaze
| Card | Earn Rate | What It Earns On | Min Spend & Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
 Citi Rewards | 4 mpd | Almost all spend except travel (airlines, hotels, car rental, trains, cruises and tour agencies are excluded; some transit payments are also excluded) | Min: none · Cap: S$1,000/statement month |
 OCBC Rewards | 4 mpd | Shopping — clothes, shoes, bags, department stores, duty-free and sporting goods | Min: none · Cap: S$1,110/calendar month |
 Maybank XL Rewards | 4 mpd | Dine, Shop, Travel and Play (SGD); for all other foreign currency, do not use Amaze. Ages 21–39 only | Min: S$500/calendar month · Cap: S$1,000 bonus spend/calendar month, shared across categories |
 Maybank Family & Friends | 6% or 8% cashback | 5 chosen categories | Min: S$800/calendar month (6%) or S$1,600 (8%) · Cap: S$120 or S$180/calendar month |
When will Amaze Not Work?
I get regular questions on whether a particular card works with Amaze. Beyond the ones mentioned here, whether a card works comes down to two things:
- Not a Mastercard. Amaze can only link Mastercards, so any Visa or American Express card cannot be added at all. This rules out popular cards like HSBC Revolution.
- Blocked by the bank. Some banks have explicitly excluded Amaze transactions. Here are some known ones:
- All DBS and POSB cards (since June 2022), including popular cards like DBS Woman’s World
- All UOB cards, including popular cards like UOB Lady’s
- DCS (Diners Club) cards
The Best Card to Link, by Situation
Almost Everything Overseas: Citi Rewards
Using Amaze with Citi Rewards earns 4 miles per dollar on overseas spend. Amaze makes an overseas tap look like online spend at a reduced fx spread. That covers most of what you pay for abroad — dining, shopping, taxis, supermarkets — up to S$1,000 per statement month. The one thing to avoid is travel: airlines, hotels, car rental and tour agencies are excluded, so pay for those on a card that earns on travel directly. You can refer to my Best Cards for Flights or Best Cards for Hotel Bookings guides.
- 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.
Overseas Shopping: OCBC Rewards
OCBC Rewards, linked to Amaze, earns 4 miles per dollar on shopping — clothing, shoes, bags, department stores and duty-free — up to S$1,110 a month. Because Amaze keeps the merchant’s category code, an overseas department store still counts. Use this one if most of your overseas spend is retail rather than general.
- You qualify if: you have no OCBC credit card right now, AND haven't cancelled any OCBC credit card in the last 12 months
- Spend min. S$400 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 are under 40, Willing to Track Categories: Maybank XL Rewards
Maybank XL Rewards, through Amaze, earns 4 miles per dollar, but on Singapore-dollar spend only in its bonus categories – Dine, Shop, Travel and Play. All other foreign currency spend already earns 4 miles per dollar on the card directly, so you do not need Amaze for foreign currency here at all. It needs S$500 minimum spend a month to qualify for the 4 miles per dollar earn rate and is only open to ages 21 to 39. I cover this card in detail in my Maybank XL guide.
If You Want Cashback Instead of Miles: Maybank Family & Friends
Maybank Family & Friends gives cashback on 5 categories you choose: 6% if you spend at least S$800 a month (capped at S$120), or 8% if you spend at least S$1,600 (capped at S$180). Linking it to Amaze lets you earn that cashback on overseas spend in your chosen categories.
One thing to note for Malaysia and Indonesia Spend: the card has a separate cashback category for Malaysian ringgit and Indonesian rupiah spend, with its own cap of S$20 or S$30 a month. For spend in those two currencies, you can use the card directly rather than through Amaze — that way it earns in the ringgit-and-rupiah category on its own cap, instead of eating into your five chosen categories.
Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up and Using Amaze
Setting up Amaze takes a few minutes in the Instarem app, and linking your card is a one-time step. Here is how to do it.
What You'll Need
- The Instarem app, on iOS or Android
- The Mastercard you want to earn on — one of the cards above (Citi Rewards, OCBC Rewards, Maybank XL Rewards or Maybank Family & Friends)
Stage 1: Download the App and Order Your Card
- Download the Instarem app and create an account
- Order the Amaze card from inside the app — it is free, with no income check and no credit application
- You get a virtual card to use straight away, and the physical card arrives by post
Stage 2: Link Your Credit Card
This is the step that decides whether you earn rewards.
- In the app, add your card as the linked payment source, not the wallet
- Choose the Mastercard you want to fund your spending — this is the card that earns the miles or cashback
- You can link up to 5 Mastercards and switch between them in the app before you pay
Stage 3: Pay With Amaze Overseas
- Set the linked card you want to use before you tap, so the charge goes to the right card
- Pay with the physical Amaze card, or add it to Apple Pay or Google Pay and tap your phone
- Use Amaze only for foreign currency spend.
In Short
Amaze is worth setting up if you spend overseas and want miles or cashback on that spend. Link Citi Rewards if you want one card that covers almost everything abroad, or match OCBC Rewards, Maybank XL Rewards or Maybank Family & Friends to how you spend. Use it for foreign currency only, up to your card’s monthly cap, and pay everything in Singapore dollars on your card directly. That way, Amaze saves you the foreign currency fee while earning miles or cashback on spend that would otherwise earn almost nothing.
💳 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.
