Effective 10 March 2025, Instarem Amaze will be implementing key changes that significantly reduce its benefits:
- 1% Fee (min. S$0.50) on SGD Transactions – A flat 1% fee will be applied to all SGD-linked card transactions, eliminating the fee-free advantage Amaze previously offered for spending below S$1,000.
- InstaPoints No Longer Convertible to Cashback – This removes a key redemption option for users who preferred cashback over other rewards.
How Does This Impact You?
Currently, using Citi Rewards with the Amaze card allows us to convert offline spending into online spending, making it an easy way to earn 4 miles per dollar (mpd) on virtually all transactions—except for travel and excluded MCCs. We only incur a 1% fee (or S$0.50, whichever is higher) if we exceed S$1,000 spending per calendar month on Amaze when linked to Citi Rewards for SGD spending.
With the nerf implemented by Amaze, all SGD spend with Amaze + Citi Rewards will now incur a 1% fee (or S$0.50, whichever is higher) from the first dollar spend. This brings up the cost per mile:
Transaction Size | After Nerf | Cost per mile |
Below S$50 | min S$0.50 fee per transaction | max 12.5 cents per mile (too ex!) |
Above S$50 | S$0.50 onwards | 0.25 cents per mile |
Effective Earn Rate on Citi Rewards + Amaze (with 1% Fee for transactions above S$50):
Depending on Your Mile Valuation:
Mile Valuation | Adjusted Earn Rate |
1 cent per mile | 3 mpd |
1.25 cents per mile | 3.2 mpd |
1.5 cents per mile | 3.33 mpd |
(Shoutout to Thomas from my Telegram chat for pointing this out!)
As you can see, the nerf lowers the overall miles earned on any SGD transactions above S$50, making the Citi Rewards + Amaze combo much less attractive for local spending.
What’s Still Good? Citi Rewards Remains Strong
Despite the Amaze nerf, the Citi Rewards Card alone is still one of the best options for online and selected retail spending, offering 4 miles per dollar (mpd) on many everyday transactions.
Citi Rewards for SGD Spending (Without Amaze)
(1) Almost All Online Spending (Except Travel)
Eligible transactions include:
- Apps like FairPrice, ShopBack, FavePay
- Online food delivery & ride-hailing/taxi services
- Subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, Telco bills)
- BNPL transactions via Atome (MCC 5999)
- Any non-travel online spend
Remember to enter Citi Rewards card details directly, to be safe
What to Avoid:
- Kris+ app
- exclusion list
- Payments via Apple Pay or Google Pay (mobile wallet transactions)
- Travel-related online spending (including SMRT which is under Passenger Railways)
(2) Offline Retail Shopping
Here are the eligible MCCs:
Merchant Category Code (MCC) | Description |
5311 | Department Stores |
5611 | Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Accessories Stores |
5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores |
5631 | Women’s Accessory and Specialty Stores |
5641 | Children’s and Infant’s Wear Stores |
5651 | Family Clothing Stores |
5655 | Sports and Riding Apparel Stores |
5661 | Shoe Stores |
5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
5699 | Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops |
5948 | Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
Citi Rewards + Amaze for Foreign Currency Spend (Still Viable!)
Even after the nerf, Citi Rewards + Amaze is still useful for overseas transactions as it reduces FX fees from 3.25% to 2% while earning 4 mpd. This strategy remains unchanged.
In Summary, Here Are Changes To The Earn Rates For Citi Rewards
Scenarios | Before Nerf | After Nerf |
Offline Spend (e.g., dining, doctor’s visit) | 4 mpd (Citi Rewards with Amaze) or 0.4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze) | 3–3.33 mpd due to 1% fee (Citi Rewards with Amaze) (for transactions above S$50) (Only this is affected!) or 0.4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze)(unchanged) |
Online Spend | 4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze) | Still 4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze) (unchanged) |
Offline Shopping Spend (Selected MCCs) (MCCs include department stores, bags, shoes, clothes) | 4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze) | Still 4 mpd (Citi Rewards without Amaze) (unchanged) |
FCY Spend | 4 mpd, 2% FX fee (Citi Rewards with Amaze) | Still 4 mpd, 2% FX fee (unchanged) |
As you can see, only the offline spend is affected. Basically, we cannot blindly tap the Amaze card at every local payment terminal without thinking much anymore. Everything else is business as usual.
What Cards Can Replace The Citi Rewards Offline Spend:
Card | Best For | Rewards (Miles/Cashback) | Best for |
one or two of your chosen categories | No min spend; S$1,000 or S$2,000 cap per calendar month | Dining, beauty & wellness, travel, or shopping Fulfill spend criteria on UOB One Account to receive 4% p.a interest on savings | |
 UOB Preferred Platinum | 4 mpd on mobile contactless spend | No min spend; S$1,110 cap per calendar month | Apple Pay/ Google Pay/Samsung Pay transactions |
 UOB Visa Signature | 4 mpd on petrol, local contactless, and foreign currency spend | S$1,000 min spend; S$2,000 cap per statement month | Petrol & general contactless payments |
UOB Cards Combo: A Strong Alternative for Maximizing Rewards But We Still Need Citi Rewards
If you’re looking to maximize your rewards across UOB’s cards, the key advantage is that UOB points pool together across most of their UNI$ earning cards (excluding the UOB KrisFlyer Card). Here’s how to optimize your card setup:
- UOB Lady’s Card: Tailor this for your high-spend categories such as dining, beauty, and travel (no min spend)
- UOB PPV Card: Maximise miles on mobile contactless payments (just avoid in-app payments or physical card payments) (no min spend)
- UOB Visa Signature Card: Ideal for local contactless, overseas and petrol spend. (min spend required)
Unfortunately, these cards have limitations. They are not able to cover an extensive list of online spending in SGD. UOB Lady’s can only cover one or two categories at best. These cards need to be used alongside Citi Rewards for the best miles strategy.
What To Do If You Are New To UOB Cardholders?
To take full advantage of UOB’s rewards system, it’s actually best to apply for the UOB Lady’s, UOB PRVI Miles or UOB KrisFlyer Card (See below) first to maximise the sign-up bonuses. You can get minimally a S$60 Cash via PayNow or S$70 Lazada Voucher with no minimum spend if you sign up for any UOB Cards as a new-to-bank credit cardholder today (28th Feb 2025). Stay updated for the sign up promotions on my Telegram channel.
Once you’ve capitalized on the sign-up bonuses, you can then switch to cards like the UOB PPV, and UOB Visa Signature, which are better optimized for specific spending categories like dining, contactless payments, and overseas purchases. This strategy ensures that you maximize both your initial bonus and your long-term rewards without getting stuck with cards that aren’t as effective for your regular spending.
UOB Lady's Card
Earn 4 miles per dollar on 1 or 2 chosen categories
UOB PRVI Card
Earn 1.4 miles per dollar on local spend and up to 3 miles per dollar on foreign currency spend
4 Priority Pass visits per calendar year
UOB Krisflyer Card
Earn uncapped 3 miles per dollar on SIA group spend, dining, online shopping and selected travel
Final Thoughts
With the changes to Instarem Amaze coming into effect on 10 March 2025, it’s clear that the Citi Rewards + Amaze combo will no longer be as attractive for local spending. The introduction of the 1% fee on SGD transactions and the removal of InstaPoints conversion to cashback significantly reduces the value of this strategy, especially for smaller transactions.
However, Citi Rewards remains strong for online purchases and overseas transactions (via Amaze), where you can still earn 4 miles per dollar.
To replace offline spending, consider using UOB cards like the UOB Lady’s Card, UOB PPV, and UOB Visa Signature, which offer 4 mpd in specific categories with no extra fees.
Ultimately, while the Amaze nerf requires a shift in strategy, everything else is business as usual, except local offline spend which can be covered by the mentioned UOB Cards.
