Citi SMRT Card
Earn 5% cashback on supermarkets, online shopping, taxi rides, and SimplyGo
Citi SMRT Card Overview:
Citi SMRT Card is an everyday groceries and commuting cashback credit card with great benefits like it doubling up as an EZ-Link card. This Visa card requires a low minimum spend of just S$500 per statement month for you to earn maximum cashback, while also offering you the option to redeem points for either cash rebates or rewards.
Check out my TikTok video explaining the features of Citi SMRT Card where I talk about the benefits, rewards, and tips!
Eligibility & Fees:
- Minimum Age: 21 years old
- Minimum Annual Income: S$30,000 (locals/PRs); S$42,000 (foreigners)
- Don’t worry if you income is below this threshold, there is a more secured version of this card where you can do a S$10,000 fixed deposit
- Annual Fee: S$196.20, waived for the first two years. Afterwhich, you can call in for a waiver – watch my video here.
Key Benefits:
- Earn 5% savings on supermarkets & groceries, online shopping, taxi rides (including private hire operators) and SimplyGo
- Minimum spend S$500 per statement month
- Earn 0.3% savings on other retail spend island-wide
- Spending cap of $12,000 per year (because cashback is capped at 600SMRT$ per year, giving you $600 in cashback goodness – every S$1 spent gives you 1 SMRT$), you could max that out in a single transaction or month.
- The flexibility of this card is that you don’t have to be forced to spend unnecessarily. When you need to spend in that month, then be sure to hit $500 in that statement month (not calendar month). There are workarounds, see “Any Hacks/Promos” below.
How to Best Optimise it:
Best Used For Large Online Shopping Up to S$12,000
- This card is an excellent card for those who need to make big purchases online in a single transaction like a Rolex, etc.
- Large expenses like home furnishing purchases when moving into a new home can also benefit from the 5% cashback on this card. Watch this TikTok video on large online purchases like iPhone.
- Note: Many users have noted that they were not awarded 5% cashback for their purchases from Courts online. I’d avoid that if i were you.
- Note that you will not earn cashback for mobile wallet transactions and travel-related transactions – See “What to Avoid” below
Good For Grocery Shopping:
- You can earn 5% cashback when you spend on groceries or supermarkets, although, there are better cards that you can use for grocery shopping— check out the Best Credit Cards for Grocery Shopping post.
Good For Transportation:
- I would not recommend using it for SimplyGo unless you are sure that you can hit S$500 monthly minimum spend on the card. On the other hand, you can also earn 5% savings on MCC 4121 (Taxicabs & Limousines) like Grab, Gojek, TADA, and Comfort/ Citycab Taxi. Make sure to charge your rides directly to your card since Grab ride transactions paid via GrabPay Wallet linked to the Citi SMRT card are not eligible for bonus SMRT$. For the avoidance of doubt, GrabPay and any other mobile top-ups are also excluded from earning the bonus rate.
Best For Paying For Medical Bills via HealthHub/Health Buddy/ OneNUHS App:
- Using this card, you can pay your government hospital bills via HealthHub/Health Buddy/ OneNUHS and get 5% cashback— because it has different MCC code which is not under exclusion list so it works for now; this may change hereafter. It was featured on Best Credit Card For Hospital Bills post. Check out my TikTok for the latest information.
Remember To Track Your Spending Within Statement Month
- Remember, your Citibank card rewards are based on your statement month, not the calendar month. This means you could miss out on cashback if you don’t spend enough within a statement period.
- While you don’t need to have a minimum spending amount every month, it’s a good idea to aim for the minimum spend to maximize your rewards if and when you use the card.
- Here’s how to do it:
- Look at the statement date on your statement. If it’s 11th of the month (see picture below), it means the spending for the qualifying month will run from 12th of the month to 11th of the following month. This means your monthly spending resets on the 12th of each month. It matters because, let’s say you have a spending of S$200 + S$300 in a month, to make sure your hit the minimum spend within the month, you should make payment of both transactions, between 12th to 11th of the following month – if not, you will not get 5% cashback for that S$500 spending.
Any Hacks/Promos:
If you have spent a little on the card but are struggling to hit the minimum spend for that month, there are workarounds:
- You can buy fairprice gift cards via fairprice app. Alternatively, buy vouchers like Capitaland vouchers on wogi.com.
- Even though travel category is excluded from cashback, you can buy KLOOK gift cards via shopback or heymax to be eligible for 5% cashback.
What to Avoid:
Exclusion List:
MCC | Description |
6529 | Quasi Cash – Remote Stored Value Load – Financial Institute |
6530 | Quasi Cash – Remote Stored Value Load – Merchant |
6534 | Quasi Cash – Money Transfer – Member Financial Institution |
6540 | Non-Financial Institutions – Stored Value Card Purchase/Load |
7349 | Cleaning and Maintenance, Janitorial Services |
7511 | Quasi Cash – Truck Stop Transactions |
7523 | Parking Lots, Parking Meters and Garages |
7800 | Government-Owned Lotteries (US Region only) |
7995 | Betting, including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, OffTrack Betting, and Wagers at Race Tracks |
4829 | Wire Transfer Money Orders (WTMOs) |
4900 | Utilities – Electric, Gas, Water, and Sanitary |
5199 | Nondurable Goods(Not Elsewhere Classified) |
5960 | Direct Marketing – Insurance Services |
6012 | Financial Institutions – Merchandise, Services, and Debt Repayment |
6050 | Quasi Cash – Financial institutions, Merchandise, Services |
6051 | Non-Financial Institutions – Foreign Currency, Money Orders (Not Wire Transfer), Stored Value Card/Load, Travelers Cheques, and Debt Repayment |
6211 | Securities – Brokers and Dealers |
6300 | Insurance Sales, Underwriting and Premiums |
6513 | Real Estate Agents and Managers – Rentals |
8211 | Elementary and Secondary Schools |
8220 | Colleges, Junior Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
8241 | Correspondence Schools |
8244 | Business and Secretarial Schools |
8249 | Vocational and Trade Schools |
8299 | Schools and Educational Services(Not Elsewhere Classified) |
8398 | Charitable and Social Service Organizations |
8062 | Hospitals |
8651 | Political Organizations |
8661 | Religious Organizations |
9211 | Court Costs Including Alimony and Child Support |
9222 | Fines |
9223 | Bail and Bond Payments |
9311 | Tax Payments |
9399 | Government Services(Not Elsewhere Classified) |
9402 | Postal Services – Government Only |
9405 | U.S. Federal Government Agencies or Departments |
9754 | Quasi Cash – Gambling – Horse Racing, Dog Racing, State Lotteries |
5993 | Cigar Stores and Stands |
Additional things that will not earn 5% cashback on online transactions:
- Mobile wallet transactions: Since Citibank cards exclude mobile wallet transactions, you should remember NEVER to tap this card or mobile payment app at Paywave terminals at retail shops or dining restaurants. Even though it gives 5% cashback for groceries and bus/mrt rides via SimplyGo, the best use case is to use other cards for those transactions and reserve this card for large online purchases (e.g. Harvey Norman Online, IKEA, Taobao). You should then take note that transactions via Apple or Google Pay at payment terminals will not be eligible for cashback. Instead, you should key in the credit card details directly to ensure you get 5% cashback on online purchases.
- Travel-related transactions:
MCC | Description | Examples |
3000 to 3350, 4511 | Airlines, Air Carriers, Airlines, Air Carriers (Not Elsewhere Classified) | Airlines, Air Carriers, Airlines, Air Carriers (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
3351 to 3500, 7512 | Car Rental Agencies, Car Rental Agencies (Not Elsewhere Classified) | Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise |
3501 to 3999, 7011 | Lodging – Hotels, Motels, Resorts, Lodging – Hotels, Motels, Resorts (Not Elsewhere Classified) | Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Four Seasons |
4112 | Passenger Railways | Amtrak, Eurostar, JR East, SMRT |
4411 | Cruise Lines | Royal Caribbean,Carnival, Norwegian, Princess |
4722 | Travel Agencies and Tour Operators | Expedia, Booking.com, Klook, Chan Brothers |
5962 | Direct Marketing– Travel-Related Arrangement Services | Airbnb, Agoda, Trip.com, Hotels.com |
Is it Worth it:
Advantages:
- Offers up to 5% cashback on online purchases, supermarket and groceries, as well as on transportations.
- No monthly spending cap, but a yearly spending cap of S$12K which is great for above mentioned use case.
Disadvantages:
- Minimum spend of S$500 required to get 5% cashback for that month. So some planning is required if you are not able to hit the S$500 consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I use it with Amaze overseas:
-
- No. It’s a visa. Amaze only works with Mastercard.
- When is my SMRT$ credited:
- SMRT$ will be calculated on the amount of qualifying spend made on a monthly basis. The accumulation of SMRT$ shall be specified in your monthly statement of account.
- How long are my SMRT$ valid for:
- Points expire every 12 + 3 months from card approval – remember to set an alarm in your phone ?
- (eg. Card Approval Date: Dec 2023— Points earned this 12 month period will expire on March 2024, But Card Renewal Date is still Dec 2024; Points (the following year) will expire on March 2025.
- Points expire every 12 + 3 months from card approval – remember to set an alarm in your phone ?
- How to redeem cashback:
- To redeem SMRT$ for cash rebate, the Basic Cardmember must have at least SMRT$10 in their Card account.
- Basic Cardmembers may redeem their SMRT$ for cash rebates via SMS by sending “RWDS ” to 72484. The keyword that corresponds to each cash rebate amount is set out in the table below:
| Amount | SMRT$ Required | Keyword |
|---|---|---|
| S$10 | 10 | SMRT10 |
| S$50 | 50 | SMRT50 |
| S$100 | 100 | SMRT100 |
- For example, to redeem $10 cash rebate, SMS to 72484: RWDS Last 4 Digits of Your Citi SMRT Card number SMRT10
Final Thoughts:
This card is a VERY VERY GOOD card with a unique use case that not many cashback cards can offer. I would get it if i am doing large bulk online shopping or payment for bills on HealthHub.
💳 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.
💡 We believe in always paying our credit card bills on time and in full. It is only by doing that, can we fully maximise our credit card benefits.
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