For the longest time, OCBC merely didn’t have a good air miles bank card of their lineup. Simply how this makes any enterprise sense in travel-crazed Singapore, I don’t know.
Positive, there’s the OCBC Voyage Visa Infinite, however that’s for these with super-high incomes and out of attain for many. The closest factor to a far card for normal individuals is the OCBC Titanium, which is an excellent bank card for incomes rewards factors, however not precisely a far card.
All that has modified now that OCBC has launched its first miles card in current reminiscence — the OCBC 90°N Miles Card. Rejoice!
Regardless of its impossible-to-remember title (I’ve heard it known as the “OCBC 90 Diploma Card” and even “OCBC N90 Card”… you assume what? Haze masks ah?), the brand new OCBC miles card has some glorious options that ought to make any wanderluster sit up and take word.
Let’s dive in.
1. As much as 10% cashback on journey bookings, once more with no cap
The OCBC 90°N Card additionally will get you an unimaginable 10% cashback once you make journey bookings on Reserving.com
Whereas that is for lodging, it’s additionally doable to earn 10% reductions on lodges by way of Expedia, so long as you key within the OCBC voucher code
2. Miles don’t have any expiry, no conversion charge, low minimal for conversion
Though I simply promoted the heck out of the OCBC 90°N Card’s “headline advantages”, most miles chasers would additionally pay shut consideration to the boring back-end particulars equivalent to expiry dates and conversion course of.
In truth, that’s the place OCBC’s miles card stands out as a sustainable long-term miles card that you just’ll wish to maintain round even after the beneficiant promos finish.
OCBC allows you to earn miles in Journey$ (Journey$1 = 1 KrisFlyer mile), they usually by no means expire, so you may earn them for so long as you want.
This places the OCBC 90°N Card in the identical class because the beginner-friendly air mile playing cards DBS Altitude and Citi PremierMiles bank cards, whose miles additionally don’t expire.
However OCBC’s miles card is definitely higher in a number of methods. There’s additionally no conversion charge for redeeming miles (this usually prices $25 with different playing cards) and miles may be redeemed in blocks of 1,000 (versus 10,000 sometimes).
Right here’s a fast comparability of the three entry-level miles playing cards. All 3 playing cards have the identical minimal earnings ($30,000) and annual charge ($192.60, first 12 months waived):
| OCBC 90°N | DBS Altitude | Citi PremierMiles | |
| Earn price (native) | $1 = 1.2 miles | $1 = 1.2 miles | $1 = 1.2 miles |
| Earn price (abroad) | $1 = 2.1 miles | $1 = 2 miles | $1 = 2 miles |
| Minimal for redemption | 1,000 miles | 10,000 miles | 10,000 miles |
| Conversion charge | Free | $26.75 | $25 |
| Miles expiry | None | None | None |
The OCBC 90°N Card is certainly the perfect when it comes to redemption flexibility. However in relation to the opposite advantages, OCBC shall be loads much less aggressive when the opening promotion ends subsequent 12 months.
3. Main drawbacks: Solely KrisFlyer miles supported, no lounge advantages
Though the OCBC 90°N Card definitely seems like a dream come true, it does have a number of weaknesses.
First, OCBC Journey$ just isn’t significantly versatile as miles foreign money. The solely frequent flyer programme it helps is KrisFlyer, so you can’t redeem miles underneath some other programme.
It is a disgrace, as a result of you may redeem flights for fewer miles with different frequent flyer programmes, equivalent to Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles. SQ has additionally been recognized to devalue KrisFlyer miles now and again, which may make incomes miles irritating in case you have no different choices.
The OCBC rewards catalogue additionally isn’t incredible, so if you happen to ever resolve to cease accumulating miles or wish to redeem your orphaned miles, hm… Not superb lah. Can’t even redeem CapitaLand vouchers.
A second doable dealbreaker: No airport lounge advantages. It’s now normal for even probably the most entry-level of miles playing cards (just like the DBS Altitude and Citi PremierMiles talked about above) to offer 2 x free entry to airport lounges a 12 months.
The OCBC 90°N Card solely provides you paid entry to the LoungeKey community at US$32 per go to. … Nah.
A last objection I’ve is that a lot of the key advantages of the OCBC 90°N Card are restricted to the promotion interval (as much as 29 Feb 2020). So if OCBC doesn’t renew its accelerated miles for travel-related spending after that, it’s going to fall a bit flat.
OCBC 90°N Miles Card phrases & circumstances
| OCBC 90°N Miles Card | |
| Annual charge & waiver | $192.60 (waived for 1 12 months) |
| Supplementary annual charge | $96.30 (waived for 1 12 months) |
| Curiosity free interval | 23 days |
| Annual rate of interest | 26.88% |
| Late fee charge | $100 |
| Minimal month-to-month compensation | 3% or $50, whichever is larger |
| Overseas foreign money transaction charge | 3.25% |
| Money advance transaction charge | 6% or S$15, whichever is larger |
| Overlimit charge | 3% + extra |
| Minimal earnings | $30,000 (Singaporean) / $45,000 (non-Singaporean) |
| Card affiliation | MasterCard |
? Apply for the OCBC 90°N Card via MoneySmart right here:
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