CardUp
Overview:
- CardUp is another third-party site that lets you use your credit card to make numerous forms of payments. This allows you to earn credit card rewards for payments made to normally excluded merchant category codes (MCC). The goal is to minimize the cost per mile, which we accomplish by using the highest-earning general spending card.
- Since this can be used to earn miles, do note that you’ll be getting the most out of this when you use the card that gives the lowest cost per mile; both the amount charges and the admin fee can earn you miles
One of the best miles card with Cardup earn rate at the moment: OCBC Voyage
Sample Computation:
Say, you pay for a S$1,000 transaction, given that there is a 1.5% admin fee, and an earn rate of 1.3 miles per dollar.
To get the cost per mile:
(amount x admin fee)
amount x (1 + admin fee) x earn rate
S$1,000 x 0.015 = 15
S$1,000 x (1+0.015) x 1.3 miles per dollar = 1,319.5
= 15/1,319.5 = 0.01136 or 1.14 cost per mile
Restrictions:
- AMEX and Citi cards cannot be used for car loan or mortgage payments
- AMEX cannot be used to pay:
- Car loans
- Miscellaneous
- Renovation
- Mortgage
- Helper Salary
- Electricity
Sign up promo:
Get $30 off for new sign ups using my code PINING,AGNESN515 (including the comma “,”)
iPayMy
Overview:
- iPayMy simplifies bill management and allows clients to earn frequent flyer points on regular expenses.
- To clarify, iPayMy offers a ‘Points Guarantee‘ claim. In essence, if you follow its terms and conditions but do not earn the appropriate credit card rewards, ipaymy will reimburse the cost paid for that transaction. Overall, this will give you more confidence in making a payment using iPayMy.
Best card to pair with iPayMy to earn miles:
| Card | Earn Rate |
|---|---|
| Citi PremierMiles | 1.2 miles per dollar (local) 2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| Citi Prestige Card | 1.3 miles per dollar (local) 2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| DBS Altitude | 1.3 miles per dollar (local) 2.2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| DBS Vantage Card | 1.5 miles per dollar (local) 2.2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| OCBC 90ºN Card | 1.3 miles per dollar (local) 2.1 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| OCBC Voyage | 1.3 miles per dollar (local) 2.2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
| KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card | 1.2 miles per dollar (local) 1.2 miles per dollar (overseas) |
Which is not eligible on iPayMy:
| Non-Eligible Miles Cards | Non-Eligible Cashback Cards |
|---|---|
| Citi Rewards Card | CIMB Visa Signature |
| DBS Woman’s Card | DBS Live Fresh Card |
| DBS Woman’s World Card | HSBC Advance Credit Card |
| HSBC Revolution Credit Card | HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card |
| HSBC Visa Infinite Credit Card | UOB EVOL |
| OCBC Rewards Card | |
| UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card |
Pros:
- You can receive points on bills and expenses where credit cards are not accepted
- A single wallet to keep all your credit cards, allowing you to choose the right card for the right purchase.
- You get an email confirmation when the payment has been made
- iPayMy keeps the details for recurring payments
Cons:
- There is a two day delay to pay your bills with iPayMy; although it can be expedite with an additional fee of S$25 ( only applies on Singapore domestic payments, excluding payments made with AMEX and UnionPay cards)
- iPayMy does not accept American Express Cards
- Does not support BPAY (but supports ATO)
Sign up promo:
Sign up to receive $30 off as a NEW user (if you sign up from the website itself, you only get $20 off as a NEW user)
Citi PayAll
Overview:
- Citi PayAll is for anyone who has a Citibank credit card. In particular, you can earn Citi Miles, Citi ThankYou Points, or Cash Back when you use your Citi Credit Card to pay for expenses including rent, insurance premiums, education expenses, and taxes.
- Miles Chaser? Flying in First and Business Class can be significantly cheaper with Citi PayAll than paying with cash! Your Citi Miles or ThankYou points can be converted through these transfer partners:
| Transfer Partner | Conversion Partner (Citi Miles) | Conversion Partner (ThankYou Points) |
|---|---|---|
| KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Asia Miles | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| British Airways | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Eva Air | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Flying Blue | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| IHG | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Qatar Airways | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| THAI | 1:1 | 5:2 |
| Turkish Airlines | 1:1 | 5:2 |
Which can earn miles:
| Card | Regular Miles Per Dollar Earn Rate | Regular Cost per Mile (with 2.2% fee) | *Promotional Miles Earn Rate | Promo Cost per mile (Feb 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Prestige | 1.3 | 1.69 cents | 1.8 | 1.22 cents |
| Citi PremierMiles | 1.2 | 1.83 cents | 1.8 | 1.22 cents |
| Citi Rewards | 0.4 | 5.5 cents | 1.8 | 1.22 cents |
*note that there will be a time difference between the time you use Citi payall and the time by which the bonus miles will be credited to you during promotional period.
Supported Payments:
| Category | Monthly Cap |
|---|---|
| Insurance | S$200,000 |
| Education | S$100,000 |
| Rent | S$30,000 |
| Electricity Bills | S$30,000 |
| Utilities | S$30,000 |
Restrictions:
- loan or debt repayments (mortgage, credit cards etc.)
- cryptocurrency-related transactions
-
- can only be used to transact an amount not exceeding 95% of your permanent credit limit
- In a calendar month, you can make a maximum of:
- 3 Citi PayAll payments to the same beneficiary
- 10 Citi PayAll payments (excluding taxes)
Summary:
| Citi PayAll | CardUp | iPayMy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible Cards | Citi Rewards Card, Citi Lazada Card, Citi Cash Back Card, Citi Cash Back+ Card, Citi PremierMiles Card, Citi Prestige Card and Citi ULTIMA Card (by invitation only) | Selected credit cards from: AMEX Mastercard Visa | Selected credit cards from: AMEX Mastercard Visa UnionPay |
| Supported Payments | Income tax Property tax Other IRAS fees and taxes Insurance premium payments Rent and rental deposit Education expenses Utility bills Condominium management fee Miscellaneous expenses (e.g. wedding, renovation, storage, donation or charity, parking and transport, domestic helper service fee etc.) | Mortgage payments Income tax Property tax Stamp duty, GST, corporate tax Rental payments or deposits Condominium maintenance fee School or tuition fees Insurance premium payments (except NTUC income) Car loans Electricity bills Miscellaneous expenses (e.g. renovation Supplier invoice fees | Invoices for goods or services rendered Taxes (Income, Property, and GST)* Insurance (excluding NTUC Income) School Fees MCST Renovation Car loan Mortgage loan |
| Processing Fee | Fee will be disclosed during application | 2.6% or promotional rate | 1.99% local visa, mastercard, amex 2.25% local unionpay 3.30% international visa, mastercard, unionpay |
| Types of rewards earned | Miles, Citi ThankYou Points or cashback | Miles, rewards points or cashback | Miles, rewards points or cashback |
| Processing Time | 4 Business Days | 3 Business Days (you may choose to expedite the processing time by paying an extra 0.3% fee) | 2 Business Days |
💳 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.
