Best Credit Cards to Save Money on Gym Memberships in Singapore

Some may argue that gym memberships can hardly be considered “essential” spending. For the modern desk warrior, having a fitness routine is not simply a stress reliever - it can literally be a lifesaver. We take a look at the best cards to optimise spending on gym membership.

If you're a gym rat, congratulations on taking charge and prioritising your health! Studies have shown that those who exercise regularly enjoy better health benefits, including lower mortality rates.

So there’s no arguing the benefits of being fit and healthy, and utilising a gym membership certainly puts you on the right path. But let's also take a look at the best credit cards for shelling out for that gym membership. 

Table of contents

• Should I use my debit or credit card for gym membership?
• What is the MCC for gym membership?
• Best credit cards for gym membership

To debit or credit?

With the enticing rewards and rebates to be earned from using the right credit cards, there's little doubt that credit beats debit. This is in addition to fraud protection for credit cards, which is important, especially for overseas spend. 

Did you also know that for wrong transactions/deductions, it is easier and quicker for the bank to roll back the transactions on credit cards but not for debit cards?

Lastly, be mindful that interest on late payment can quickly add up! Avoid credit card debt from spinning out of control by monitoring your card spending and pay your bill in full before each due date. 

Read more:
What Should You Do If You Can't Pay Your Credit Card Bill?
Credit Card Minimum Payments: Are They A Trap?
Debit Cards vs Credit Cards: Which Should You Use?

What is the MCC for gym membership?

The MCC for gym memberships is coded as MCC 7997 (Clubs – Country Clubs, Membership (Athletic, Recreation, Sports), Private Golf Courses). So you'll want to ensure that your credit card considers this as eligible spending before you start paying with it.

If you don't know what an MCC is, this post will help.

Long story short, an MCC is basically a 4-digit number that credit card issuers use to classify a business and the type of services or goods it offers. It's also used to identify transactions made by consumers.

Knowing the MCCs can help you determine which credit card to use for a particular transaction, helping you to maximise your cashback, rewards, or miles.

But if you want to err on the side of caution, the next best bet is to opt for unlimited cashback cards to pay for gym memberships. They come with low minimum spends and typically don't have merchant category code (MCC) restrictions. 

A popular choice for low spenders (< S$600 per month) is the Citi Cash Back+ Card, with 1.6% cashback and no spend requirements. 

With that, below are the best credit cards for gym memberships. 

Best credit cards for gym memberships

Credit cards	Cashback/miles earn rate	Notes
Maybank Family & Friends Card Apply Now	8% monthly cashback on five chosen categories; capped at S$25 per category and S$125 per month	- S$800 monthly minimum spend; otherwise 0.4% cashback - 3-year annual fee waiver - Must select ‘sports and sports apparel’ as one of the five categories
HSBC Revolution Card Apply Now Apply Now	10X rewards (4 mpd or 2.5% cashback) on qualified online and offline contactless payments	- Bonus rate of 10X reward points only applies to first S$1,000 per calendar month - No monthly minimum spend - No annual fee
UOB One Credit Card Apply Now	3.33% cashback (capped at S$50, S$100, or S$300 per quarter)	- Monthly minimum spend of S$500, S$1,000, or S$2,000 for three consecutive months in a quarter - S$194.40 annual fee (first year waived)
UOB PRVI Miles Card Apply Now Apply Now Apply Now	UNI$3.5 per S$5 spend (1.4 mpd) for local spend   UNI$6 per S$5 for overseas spend (2.4 mpd)	- S$259.20 annual fee (first year waived)
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply Now	1.2 mpd on local spend   2 mpd on foreign spend	- Citi Miles don’t expire - S$194.40 annual fee (first year waived)
DBS Altitude Card  Apply Now Apply Now	1.3 mpd on local spend   2.2 mpd on overseas spend	- DBS Points don’t expire - S$194.40 annual fee (first year waived)
Citi Cash Back + Mastercard Apply Now	- 1.6% unlimited cashback on all spending	- No minimum spend - S$194.40 annual fee (first year waived)
AMEX True Cashback Card Apply Now	- 1.5% unlimited cashback on all spending (including education fees, insurance, healthcare, utilities and telco)	- No minimum spend - S$172.80 annual fee (first year waived)

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