Credit cards in Singapore

For most people in Singapore, the Citi Cash Back+ Card and the UOB One Card are the strongest cash back picks, the UOB PRVI Miles Card and the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card lead for miles, and the HSBC Revolution Credit Card is the pick if you want no annual fee. All figures on this page are as of September 2026 and come from each issuer's official site. Fees and offers change, so confirm the details on the issuer page before you apply.

How credit cards work in Singapore

Credit cards in Singapore are regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). MAS sets the income floor: you need an annual income of at least S$30,000 if you are 55 or younger, or S$15,000 if you are older than 55. Banks can set higher bars, and most do for foreigners (see below). If your income is below the floor, the usual options are a supplementary card on a family member's account or a debit card.

Most mainstream cards cost S$196.20 a year including 9% GST. Banks often waive the fee at the start: one year on the Citi Cash Back+, UOB One and Standard Chartered Simply Cash cards, two years on the OCBC 365 Credit Card and three years on the Maybank Family & Friends Card. After that you pay unless you meet a spend target or the bank agrees to a waiver. Spend-based waivers can also disappear: DBS stopped granting the S$25,000-spend fee waiver on the Altitude card from 1 August 2026.

You get an interest-free period on purchases only if you pay the full statement balance by the due date. OCBC, for example, gives 23 days from the statement date, and Citi gives 25 days on the PremierMiles card. If you carry a balance, interest is charged daily from each transaction date. Published rates are 27.78% a year at OCBC, 27.8% at DBS, UOB and HSBC, and 27.9% at Citi and Standard Chartered. Miss the minimum payment and the rate rises: OCBC moves you to 30.78%, Citi to 30.9%, and UOB adds 3% a year until you make three on-time minimum payments in a row.

The minimum payment is usually 3% of the balance or S$50, whichever is higher (UOB, OCBC and American Express use this formula). Paying only the minimum is expensive, and MAS rules require your statement to show how long it would take to clear the debt that way.

Best credit cards in Singapore by need

Miles vs cash back

Cash back is simpler. Flat-rate cards such as Citi Cash Back+ (1.6%), SC Simply Cash (1.5%) and Amex True Cashback (1.5%) pay the same rate on almost everything, with no minimum spend and no cap. Category and tiered cards pay more only when you hit a monthly target: S$800 for OCBC 365 and Maybank Family & Friends, and S$600 plus 10 purchases each statement month for UOB One. Miss it and the rate drops; OCBC 365 pays 0.25% in a month under S$800.

Miles cards earn points you convert into programmes such as KrisFlyer, Asia Miles or Qantas Points. Local rates run from 1.2 miles per S$1 (Citi PremierMiles) to 1.4 (UOB PRVI Miles), and overseas rates from 2.2 to 2.4. Points on DBS Altitude and Citi PremierMiles miles do not expire.

If you fly at least once or twice a year and will redeem for flights, a miles card can beat cash back. If you would rather not track conversions and award seats, a 1.5% to 1.6% cash back card is hard to regret. Overseas spend on almost any card carries a foreign currency fee of around 3.25%, which eats into the extra miles you earn abroad.

Getting approved: income and your credit report

Banks check that you meet the income floor and that your credit record is clean. Applying with Singpass MyInfo, which issuers such as Standard Chartered support, fills in your details from government records.

Your credit record sits with Credit Bureau (Singapore), known as CBS, which is the only credit bureau listed as licensed in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory. CBS scores run from 1,000 to 2,000 and map to risk grades from AA (lowest risk) to HH (highest risk). DBS notes that a report bought online costs S$8 including GST, and that the bank processing your card application may share the report it pulled at no charge.

Two MAS rules can stop you getting new credit even if your income qualifies:

• If any unsecured balance with a bank is more than 60 days past due, you cannot charge new amounts with that bank, and you cannot get new cards or credit limit increases from any bank.
• If your interest-bearing unsecured debt across all lenders exceeds 12 times your monthly income for three consecutive months, your cards and credit lines are suspended at every lender until you bring it back under the limit. Balances paid in full by the due date and interest-free instalments do not count, and the rule does not apply if you earn S$120,000 or more or have net personal assets above S$2 million.

Fees to watch

• Foreign currency transaction fees. OCBC, UOB and American Express charge 3.25%, and DBS and Citi charge up to 3.25%. HSBC and Maybank charge 2.25% plus a Visa or Mastercard charge of up to 1%. Standard Chartered charges 2.5% plus 1%, or 3.5% in total.
• Paying in Singapore dollars abroad. Choosing SGD at an overseas till (dynamic currency conversion) or buying from a merchant that processes payments overseas can still trigger a 1% fee at Citi, OCBC and UOB, on top of the exchange rate the merchant sets.
• Late payment charges. S$100 at DBS, OCBC, UOB, Citi, HSBC and Standard Chartered and on the American Express True Cashback Card, plus the higher interest rate that some banks apply after a missed payment.
• Annual fee after the waiver. Note when your waiver ends, then ask for a waiver or cancel before the fee is charged.
• Cash advances. Citi, UOB, HSBC, OCBC and Standard Chartered charge 8% or S$15, whichever is higher, plus interest from the day you withdraw.

Consumer protections

Singapore banks follow the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) Code of Practice for credit cards, alongside MAS rules:

• Lost or stolen cards. Before you report the loss, your liability for unauthorised charges is capped at S$100, as long as you did not act fraudulently or with gross negligence and you reported it as soon as reasonably practicable. If your card was not lost but its details were misused, you are not liable unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence.
• Clear pricing. Issuers must quote the effective interest rate on credit card products, and your statement must show what paying only the minimum will cost you.
• Disputes. Complain to your bank first. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can take the dispute to the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC).
• Online payments. The MAS E-Payments User Protection Guidelines set out how banks handle unauthorised and mistaken payments. For credit cards, losses are shared under the ABS code rather than the Guidelines' own liability split.
• Debt help. If you are struggling with repayments, ask your bank for a repayment plan or contact Credit Counselling Singapore (CCS).

Credit cards for expats and foreigners

Foreigners can apply for most cards, but income bars are higher. As of September 2026 they are S$40,000 for UOB cards, S$42,000 for Citi PremierMiles and Cash Back+, S$45,000 for DBS Altitude and OCBC 365, over S$60,000 for the Amex True Cashback, S$65,000 for HSBC Revolution and S$90,000 plus an Employment Pass for Standard Chartered Simply Cash. Maybank asks S$45,000 from Malaysians and S$60,000 from other foreigners, with at least a year in employment.

CBS holds data reported by Singapore lenders, so new arrivals usually start without a local credit history. A card with a lower foreigner threshold, paid in full every month, is the usual way to build one. Once your card arrives, see our card activation guides. For more on how cards work, browse our credit card guides or go back to all Singapore credit cards.