Don’t click the ‘checkout’ button without these credit cards for online shopping!

Updated as of 15 July 2016

When it comes to online shopping, Singaporeans are spoilt for choice. And since we’re big fans of avoiding crowds and saving money, we want to share the three best Credit cards for online shopping in Singapore.

These cards are quite special because of the discounts and rewards they give when you shop at your favourite online brands. Without further ado:

1. Standard Chartered SingPost Platinum Card

Vying for top place is the Standard Chartered SingPost Platinum Visa Card.

This card was built with online shoppers in mind, with 7% cashback for online purchases and 2% cashback at supermarkets (with a minimum spend of S$600 a month).  

Don’t get too excited, though – cashback is capped at S$60 per month. It would be great if the cap were set a little higher, or if there were separate caps for online and supermarket spend. Still, S$60 is quite a lot, so we’ll gladly accept the savings.

The SingPost Platinum Visa comes equipped with great safety features to keep online shoppers protected. If within 30 days after making an online purchase, you find the same item on a different website at a much lower price, you can claim a 50% refund of the price difference through the card’s Online Price Guarantee feature. And with the card’s CardSafe Guarantee, you never have to worry about strangers getting ahold of your card number and charging thousands of dollars worth of transactions on it.

If you do the bulk of your online shopping on Amazon and other US-based stores, you might like the fact that it comes with vPost shipment discounts. New customers get 30% off their first shipment, while you get 20% off for subsequent shipments.

Qualifying Criteria & Costs

Check your eligibility before applying for the Standard Chartered SingPost Platinum Visa Card.

What We Like:

• 7% cashback on online purchases
• Online Price Guarantee feature, which refunds 50% of the price difference if you find a cheaper price elsewhere
• CardSafe Guarantee, which protects you from unauthorised online transactions on your card
• vPost shipment discounts
• 2% cashback on supermarket purchases

What We Don’t Like:

• S$60 cashback cap limits your savings
• 0.2% cashback on everything else

Get This Card If You…

• Make a lot of overseas online purchases that require a US address. The vPost discounts save you quite a bit on shipping costs!
• Also do the groceries. 2% cashback isn’t much, but you might as well take advantage of it and use this card for groceries to help you reach the minimum spend.

2. DBS Live Fresh Card

The DBS Live Fresh Card is a great all-in-one card that also happens to offer reward points and rebates for online purchases.

By default, this credit card offers 3 DBS Points per S$5 spent online or with Visa PayWave purchases. There’s no minimum spend required and no cap on the number of points you can earn.

Between 1 April 2016 and 30 September 2016, you can also earn 5% cashback on your online purchases if you spend at least S$700 that month (capped at S$70 per month). However, you need to meet a couple of criteria first.

If you don’t own a DBS Live Fresh card yet, you need to apply for the card before 30 September 2016. You must also not have a canceled card account within the last 12 months. If you’re an existing DBS Live Fresh cardmember, you need to register for the promotion online. Note that you have to be among the first 10,000 registrants to qualify.

One other thing worth noting is the sheer convenience brought by the Live Fresh card. Thanks to the EZ-Reload feature, you can use it as your EZ-Link Card and never have to queue to top up. If you have a DBS savings account, you can also link your card to it and use it as your ATM card.

Outside of online shopping and PayWave purchases, however, the DBS Live Fresh Card only earns you 1 DBS point for every S$5 spent. You’re better off using a different credit card for groceries or non-online retail.

Qualifying Criteria & Costs

Check your eligibility before applying for the DBS Live Fresh Card.

What We Like:

• 3 DBS Points per S$5 spent online and on PayWave purchases
• Additional 5% cashback online and on PayWave purchases
• All-in-one EZ-Link and ATM Card

What We Don’t Like:

• 1 DBS Point per S$5 spent on non-online or non-PayWave purchases
• No cashback earned from non-online or non-PayWave purchases

Get This Card If You…

• Have a DBS Savings Account. It’s incredibly convenient to have your credit card linked to your ATM account, especially when you can use it as your EZ-Link card too.
• Want a separate credit card just for online shopping. If you’d rather compartmentalise your online purchases to a single credit card, this is a good choice. Of the three, the DBS Live Fresh Card has the lowest annual fee, if you decide to renew it after the first two years.

3. HSBC Revolution Card

Of the three cards featured here, the HSBC Revolution Card is the most well-rounded.

Cardmembers get 5 Reward Points for every S$1 spent online, which includes air tickets, food orders, and movie tickets. There’s no minimum spend required to earn points. However, the number of points you can earn is limited to your monthly credit limit. (We like that this encourages responsible spending!)

Unlike most online shopping credit cards, the HSBC Revolution Card also gives 5 Reward Points for S$1 spent on dining and entertainment. Given that we love to eat and have a good time, it’s comforting to know that you’ll get rewarded for these types of spend.

Their 2016 Rewards Catalogue looks very promising, with a wide range of fashion, home, dining, and travel rewards to redeem your points with.

On top of getting 5X rewards on online shopping, cardmembers also get a 15% storewide discount at Zalora, 10% off Yoox, and up to 30% cashback at Shopback.

New applicants of the HSBC Revolution Card can choose from one of two awesome welcome gifts. If you apply online and make a minimum spend of S$600 during your first month with the card, you get a sexy red Samsonite Robo 65cm Luggage worth S$335 and a S$20 rebate.

Don’t want to spend that much just to get luggage? You’ll get an S$80 Starbucks Card if you spend just S$100 on your card during the first month!

Qualifying Criteria & Costs

Check your eligibility before applying for the HSBC Revolution Card.

What We Like:

• 5 Reward Points per S$1 spent online, local dining, and entertainment
• 1 Reward Point on all other transactions
• Great welcome gifts
• Storewide discounts at Zalora, Yoox, and up to 30% cashback at Shopback

What We Don’t Like:

• Minimum spend needed to claim welcome gifts
• No other rebates

Get This Card If You…

• Don’t do the groceries and don’t own a car. This card doesn’t offer much in the way of savings for groceries, petrol, and other “practical” things. So if you still live with your parents and don’t own a car, this card is ideal for you.
• Only want one credit card, With 5x Points on online shopping, dining, and entertainment, this credit card makes it easy to keep track of your “fun” purchases and earn rewards for them.

 Also Consider: OCBC Frank Card

At first glance, the OCBC Frank Card looks like a great choice for online shopping. With an attractive 6% rebate on online purchases (including flights and hotels) and a decent S$60 monthly cap, it seems like a no-brainer to pick this card.

The OCBC Frank Card also comes with a 5% weekend rebate and 3% weekday rebate on cafes, cinemas, and bars – giving you more ways to save money on fun.

However, you can only start earning online shopping rebates after you’ve spent S$400 offline. This makes it really useful if you’re having a night out in town, but not so much if you spend a lot on online shopping.

Qualifying Criteria & Costs

Check your eligibility before applying for the OCBC Frank Card.

What We Like:

• Up to 5% cashback on entertainment
• 6% cashback on online spend
• Over 120 awesome card designs
• Low annual fee

What We Don’t Like:

• S$400 offline spend required to earn rebates on online shopping

Get This Card If You…

• Spend a lot on cocktails, coffee, and movies. While the OCBC Frank Card does have generous rebates on online shopping, the S$400 offline spend requirement makes it a better choice if you spend on entertainment more than you shop online.

Read This Next:

How to Get Money Back on Purchases with a Cashback Credit Card
5 Types of Singaporeans Who Are Missing Out on Cashback Credit Cards

By Lauren Dado
Lauren is the Content Manager at SingSaver.com.sg. When she’s not finding ways to save time and money, she’s surfing, traveling, or doing yoga. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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