With COVID-19 still lurking, and traditional travel as we know it being close to none, how do you continue racking up miles in today’s new norm? DBS Altitude Card might just be the answer you’ve been searching for.
For many, being able to travel freely and stress-free seems like a distant dream in this new normal. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot work on earning and accumulating Miles on the ground while you wait things out and hope for further positive news regarding vaccines and the reopening of borders around the world.
DBS Altitude Card lets you earn Dbs Points on basically everything – groceries, shopping, movies, online food delivery and, of course, staycations. What’s more? You can redeem some serious cash rebates and vouchers with them as well. DBS Points – they were never just restricted to travel.
Here, we break down the reasons why DBS Altitude Card deserves to be your go-to miles credit card even amidst the harrowing new normal that all of us are trying to embrace as one.
- Earn miles in DBS Points on practically everything
- Dozens of ways to earn miles
- Earn bonus miles
- A hack to earn quicker miles
- Expiry-free miles
- Redeem for things beyond travel
#1 You earn miles on practically everything you spend on
The sweetest thing about DBS Altitude Card is possibly the fact that you can earn miles on basically everything you spend on – with or without COVID-19, with or without travel.
Just to put things into perspective, there is no minimum spend required in order to start earning miles and there is no limit to how many miles you can chalk up per month.
This means you can earn miles on things that you need on the ground — groceries, food delivery orders, staycations, dining, clothes and shoes, and even petrol if you’re holding the DBS Altitude Card which has a baseline miles earn rate of 1.2 miles per $1 spent.
Why should DBS Altitude Card be your go-to miles credit card when you have big ticket purchases on the horizon? To reiterate, miles are awarded in the form of DBS Points that do not expire. There is no cap on how many DBS Points you are eligible to earn, whether it’s home furnishing, home appliances, that special engagement ring for your significant other, or even designer goods. Some rewards credit cards on the market place a cap on the amount of rewards one can earn per month, making these cards quite a turn off especially if you have pricey things to pay for.
#2 You have plenty of ways to earn and accumulate miles
DBS Altitude Card frequently runs spend promotions that allow customers who spend and meet requirements rack up miles faster. I know because DBS Altitude Card is my primary miles credit card. This is a #TrueStory — I took advantage of the double miles promotion on foreign spend sometime back which let me earn a whopping 4 miles per $1 spent upon meeting the spend criteria.
Right now, those who enjoy shopping and dining can take advantage of the card’s newest promotion and earn up to 2.8 miles per $1 spent.
Current up to 2.8mpd spend promotion at a glance
| 2.4mpd Promotion | 2.8mpd Promotion | |
| How it works | Earn an additional 1.2 miles per $1 on eligible transactions when you spend a min. of $3,500 per month during the promotion period (i.e. 1.2 + 1.2 = 2.4 miles per dollar spent) | Earn an additional 1.6 miles per $1 on eligible transactions when you spend a min. of $7,000 per month during the promotion period (i.e. 1.2 + 1.6 = 2.8 miles per dollar spent) |
| Note | Additional miles will be awarded on the first $550 eligible spend each calendar month | Additional miles will be awarded on the first $1,200 eligible spend each calendar month |
- Valid from now till 31 January 2021
- Available to first 12,000 cardmembers who successfully register for the promotion, spend on shopping (online and in-store) and dining (outside and delivery)
- Eligible spend must be charged in local currency (i.e. Singapore Dollars); excludes retail transactions made overseas in Singapore Dollars
- Eligible spend refers to online and in-store retail transactions made at defined Merchant Category Code as illustrated in the promotion T&Cs here
Other ways to earn and accumulate miles
- Sign-up bonus for new DBS Credit Cardmembers
- 1.2 miles per $1 spent locally — Great for everyday spend; no limit to how many miles you can earn
- 2 miles per $1 spent on overseas purchases in foreign currency — Fabulous for when you’re shopping online from international stores (Note: foreign transaction fees and charges apply)
- 3 miles per $1 spent on online flight & hotel transactions, capped at $5,000 per month — Ideal for all your spontaneous vacations right in the backyard
- Up to 10 miles per $1 spent on Agoda, Expedia, and Kaligo — Incredible for all your Singapore staycation dreams in this new normal
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#3 Ability to earn one extra mile on all your spend, at a fee
This is definitely a unique credit card feature exclusive to DBS Altitude Card, the bank’s well-loved travel-oriented miles credit card. With an admin fee of 2% of your retail spend, you can earn one extra mile on everything you spend on, up to 4 miles per $1 spent! Registration for this promotion is required, as is a minimum spend of $2 per calendar month.
#4 Quickest hack to rack up miles: Pay the annual fee
While it’s always nice to enjoy annual fee waivers when it comes to our credit cards, a lesser known but smarter hack to rack up miles in no time is to simply pay your annual fee.
No matter if you choose the DBS Altitude Visa Signature or DBS Altitude American Express variant, you can snag the membership renewal bonus of 10,000 bonus miles in a jiffy simply by paying the annual fee of $192.60 (including GST). Your 10,000 bonus miles will be awarded in the form of 5,000 DBS Points.
Need more convincing? Think of it this way. If you were to spend $192.60 locally, you would have earned around 115 DBS Points (i.e. 230 miles) for this particular transaction. But by paying the annual fee, you would have bagged a whopping 5,000 DBS Points (i.e. 10,000 miles) all while spending the exact same $192.60.
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#5 Your miles do not expire
Nobody knows for sure when we can travel like we used to pre-COVID-19.
But here’s one thing you could know for sure: the miles you earn on your day to day expenses do not have an expiration date. The same applies to miles that you have already earned if you’re an existing cardmember — they stay valid no matter how long the pandemic drags on, so long as your account is in good standing.
Having rewards that do not expire is super important in one’s miles collecting journey as it takes time to earn and accumulate sufficient miles for drool-worthy rewards like free Business Class or First Class flights (excluding airport taxes and fees). With DBS Altitude Card, there’s absolutely no need to deal with the added rush and stress associated with expiry dates. Convert your DBS Points to miles only when you feel comfortable to resume your travel plans!
This is also fantastic news especially if you’re gunning for award flights in the future for when things taper off post-COVID.
#6 Your miles can be redeemed for things beyond travel
Just to be very clear, keep in mind that your miles are awarded in the form of DBS Points that do not expire. This means that you have utmost flexibility in using your DBS Points for things other than travel — a boon for sure as not everyone is keen to travel right now thanks to all the swab tests and extra fees.
Your DBS Points do not have an expiry date. And your DBS Points can be redeemed for shopping and other vouchers, instant cash rebates, charity donations and more.
Simply put, your DBS Points are more than just air miles. They are flexible rewards points perfect for cardmembers who fancy travelling, as well as those who belong to the camp on the other end of the spectrum. Your DBS Points are certainly not limited to just air miles redemption.
Time to make DBS Altitude Card your go-to miles card?
Although DBS Altitude Card remains a fabulous travel-oriented credit card with its slew of perks like Visa travel benefits, DBS Altitude Card isn’t limited to just travel. It is a rewarding credit card for those who know the ways to play their cards right.
Here’s a quick refresher: DBS Altitude Card lets you earn DBS Points on essentially everything you spend on, such as dining, shopping, staycations, transportation, petrol, groceries, movies, online food delivery, and, of course, staycations.
There’s no limit to how many DBS Points you can earn per month, and no minimum spend is required to start chalking up miles. As for the tips and tricks we’ve shared, there are truly many ways you can rack up DBS Points even with the travel slump.
Don’t have a DBS Altitude Card yet? Apply online now.
This article is written in partnership with DBS Bank.
Read these next:
DBS Multiplier Is The Most Pandemic-proof Savings Account Yet. Here’s Why.
Loyal DBS/POSB Customers: Which Credit Card Should You Add To Your Wallet?
DBS/POSB Credit Card Promotions and Deals
Cashback vs Miles vs Rewards: Which Is The Best Type Of Credit Card For You?
Top Credit Card Promotions And Deals On SingSaver
By Denise Bay
While Denise has a thing for travel, K-dramas, 0% sugar bbt (with boba!), Japanese cuisine and flat white, her curious nature means all sorts of random tabs are open on her phone 24/7. She tries to be healthy by doing HIIT exercises at home fairly regularly.
The post 6 Ways DBS Altitude Card Is Still Your Go-To Miles Credit Card For The New Travel Norm appeared first on SingSaver Blog - We Compare, You Save.
