Credit Card Welcome Offer: A Comparison of The Best Gifts

When should you get a new card

• When you are new-to-bank 

Being new to the bank is one of the main criteria to be eligible for a credit card’s sign up reward. To be classified as a new-to-bank customer, you cannot have owned the bank’s credit card in the last 12 months. This means that fortunately, you are not limited to receiving just one sign-up bonus from the bank in your lifetime. 

If you play your cards right, you can enjoy welcome gifts from the same bank every few years. If you are an existing customer, you will not be eligible for most of the bank’s welcome promotions. You can instead consider applying for the credit cards from other banks to make the most of sign up promotions. 

• When you have a big spending coming up

Most credit card welcome bonuses require a minimum spending within the first three to six months. It often ranges between S$500 to S$6,000. 

If you know you have a big ticket purchase coming up, such as home furniture, wedding expenses or multiple travel bookings, you can consider getting a new credit card beforehand. This allows you to hit the spending requirement with ease. From Apple Airpods to ErgoTune Chairs, keep your eyes peeled for SingSaver's slew of credit card welcome bonus rewards.

List of cards eligible for this promotion here.

Best Credit Card Sign-up Promos in Singapore 2023

Credit card preferences also differ based on lifestyles. Some prefer to chase miles, while others might opt for monetary returns in the form of cashback. Here are the credit card welcome offers currently available. 

Miles Credit Cards

For the globetrotters, having a miles card (or a wallet full of miles cards) is a given. Earning miles on all your spending can go towards paying for your next travel (whenever that will be). You can even earn yourself a luxurious experience by flying first class with your miles. 

Here are the miles card for you to consider to help you get a headstart on your miles journey.

Credit Card	Welcome Offer	Requirements	Key highlights of card
American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card Apply Now	Receive 21,500 KrisFlyer Miles (worth 1x return trip to Bali on SIA)	Spend S$1,000 and pay annual fee within 1st month of card approval   Apply and receive approval by 31 May 2023	1.1 mpd on local spend   3.1mpd on Grab (capped at S$200 every month)   12,000 Bonus KrisFlyer miles or S$150 Statement Credit upon upgrade to KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card   Receive S$80 Statement Credit when you successfully refer a friend
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply Now	Receive either: Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2" Wifi 64GB (worth S$503.65) Nintendo Switch (worth S$469) Dyson V8 Slim Fluffy™ (worth S$509) S$300 Cash via PayNow!	Spend S$500 in the 30 days of card approval   Apply by 17 May 2023	1.2 mpd on local spend   Earn 7 miles per S$1 on Agoda   Earn 10 miles per S$1 on Kaligo   Two complimentary visits every year to airport lounges worldwide   Citi Miles never expire
Citi Rewards Card Apply Now		Spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval   Apply by 17 May 2023	Earn 10X Rewards Points (4 mpd) on:    - Online and retail purchases - Rides with Grab, Gojek etc. - Online food delivery - Online groceries
DBS Altitude Card	Receive S$150 cashback with promo code <150CASH>	Spend S$800 within 30 days of card approval   Apply by 30 Jun 2023	1.2 mpd on local spend   2 mpd on overseas spend   3 mpd on online flight and hotel transactions   8mpd on flight and accommodation transactions at Expedia   10mpd on hotel transactions at Kaligo
HSBC Revolution Card Apply Now	Receive a Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale (worth S$670)   OR   S$150 cashback	Spend S$1,000 & give marketing consent within the qualifying period following card approval   Valid till 31 Aug 2023	10X Reward points (4 mpd) on contactless payments and online purchases   1 Reward point (0.4mpd) for all other spends   Enjoy complimentary ENTERTAINER with HSBC access
HSBC Visa Platinum Card Apply Now			5% cash rebate on family spend, including dining, groceries, and petrol   1 Reward Point per S$1 on all spend   Extra 1% cashback if you hold an HSBC Everyday Global Account and qualify for HSBC Everyday+   Enjoy complimentary ENTERTAINER with HSBC access
The American Express® Platinum Credit Card Apply Now	Earn up to 33,750 Membership Rewards Points	Spend S$3,000 and pay annual fee within first 3 months of card approval   Valid till 31 May 2023	Earn 2 Membership Rewards Points for every $1.60 spent   Up to 50% off your food bill at over 50 restaurants   Receive S$120 statement credit when you successfully refer a friend
DBS Woman's Card DBS Woman's World Card	DBS/POSB Credit Card Welcome Gift: Receive S$150 cashback when you key in the promo code 150CASH upon application and make a minimum spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. If you're not a new DBS/POSB credit cardmember, consider these promotions instead. Pick your DBS/POSB Credit Card now!		e-Commerce protection on all online purchases   Extra 5% cashback on overseas shopping and dining   DBS Woman's Card 2 mpd on online spend   0.4 mpd on all other spend   2 mpd rate capped at S$1,000 spend per month DBS Woman's World Card 4 mpd on online spend   1.2 mpd on overseas spend   0.4 mpd on all other spend   4 mpd rate capped at S$2,000 spend per month
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card Apply Now UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card Apply Now	UOB PRVI Miles Amex Card Welcome Gift: Get 45,200 miles when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months from card approval date plus first year annual fee payment and SMS enrolment. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. Also get another 4,800 miles (for a total of 50,000 miles) when you make a min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card Welcome Gift: Get 45,200 miles when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months from card approval date plus first year annual fee payment and SMS enrolment. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. Also get another 4,800 miles (for a total of 50,000 miles) when you make a min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply.		1.4 mpd on local spend   2.4 mpd on overseas spend (including online shopping on overseas website)   6 mpd on major airlines, hotel bookings on Agoda, Expedia, and UOB Travel   1 mpd on monthly bills, rent, taxes, and one-time big-ticket purchases (with UOB PRVI Miles Payment Facility)   Up to S$500,000 complimentary travel insurance coverage   UOB AMEX only: 2 complimentary airport transfers per quarter ✈️🌍 with min. S$1,000 overseas spend within same quarter
UOB Lady's Card Apply Now UOB Lady's Solitaire Card Apply Now	UOB Lady's Card Welcome Gift: Get S$350 worth of Grab vouchers when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months from card approval date. Applicable to the first 200-new-to-UOB credit card customer. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. UOB Lady's Solitaire Card Welcome Gift: Get S$350 worth of Grab vouchers when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months from card approval date. Applicable to the first 200-new-to-UOB credit card customer. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply.		e-Commerce protection on online purchases   UOB Lady's Card 6 mpd on preferred category (Beauty & Wellness, Fashion, Dining, Family, Travel, Transport, Entertainment)   0.4 mpd on all other spend UOB Lady's Solitaire Card 6 mpd on two preferred categories (Refer to above)   0.4 mpd on all other spend   Up to S$100,000 complimentary travel insurance coverage

If you have plans to spend close to S$5,000 over the next few months, you can consider the American Express cards. However, if you aren't a big spender, you can instead consider the KrisFlyer UOB or the Citi Rewards card.

Otherwise, the UOB Lady's series or DBS Woman's series are great choices if you minimally spend between S$1,000 to S$2,000 a month. In particular, the UOB Lady's series got a recent boost this year, rewarding cardmembers with up to 6 miles per S$1 spend on their eligible category(ies) – for context, only UOB PRVI Miles Card offered this rate and it was only for specific travel transactions.

Do note, however, that UOB Lady's and UOB Lady's Solitaire are for females only. Men are prohibited from applying.

On the other hand, DBS Woman's and DBS Woman's World have no such restrictions and are open to both genders.

See also:
Best Women's Credit Cards in Singapore (2023)

Cashback Credit Cards

The most generous welcome gifts tend to be offered for miles cards, in the form of miles or reward points. However, if you prefer receiving cashback or cash rebate to go towards offsetting your credit card bills and the such, here are a few that do offer welcome gifts. 

Credit Card	Welcome Offer	Requirements	Key highlights of card
DBS Live Fresh Card	DBS/POSB Credit Card Welcome Gift: Receive S$150 cashback when you key in the promo code 150CASH upon application and make a minimum spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. If you're not a new DBS/POSB credit cardmember, consider these promotions instead. Pick your DBS/POSB Credit Card now!	Spend min. S$800 within the 30 days of card approval    Valid till 30 Jun 2023	5% cashback on public transport via SimplyGO, online, and mobile contactless spend   Up to 10% cashback on select eco-merchants   0.3% cashback on all other spend   Min. S$600 monthly spend, capped at S$75 cashback: - S$20 on online spend - S$20 on mobile contactless spend - S$15 on select eco-merchants - S$20 on all other spend
POSB Everyday Card			No min. spend 5% cash rebates on Sheng Siong groceries, utility bills, and public transport via SimplyGO   3% cash rebates at Watsons, Pet Lovers Centre   0.3% cash rebates on all other spend 10% cash rebates on food delivery   3% cash rebates on dining   5% cash rebates on online shopping   8% cash rebates at POPULAR physical and online stores   3% cash rebates on phone bills   Bonus: Up to 20.1% fuel savings at SPC and extra 2% fuel savings at SPC
OCBC 365 Card Apply Now	OCBC 365 Card Welcome Gift: Receive a Samsonite Polygon Spinner 28" (worth S$640) when you make a min. spend of S$500 within 30 days of card approval. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply. Alternatively, get up to S$250 cashback when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive 30-day periods (total 60 days) after card approval. Valid till 30 June 2023. T&Cs apply.	Spend min. S$500 within 30 days of card approval   Valid till 15 May 2023	Min. S$800 monthly spend, capped at S$80 cashback per month   6% cashback on food delivery & dining, and all petrol   3% cashback on groceries, private hire rides, utility bills, online travel transactions   0.3% cashback on all other spend   Bonus: Up to 22.92% fuel savings at Caltex, and up to 21.04% fuel savings at Esso
HSBC Visa Platinum Card Apply Now	HSBC Credit Card Welcome Gift: Receive a Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale (worth S$670) or S$150 cashback when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 within the qualifying spend period and provide marketing consent during application. Valid till 31 August 2023. T&Cs apply. Alternatively, receive 20,000 miles when you make a min. spend of S$800 within the first month of card approval and annual fee payment with the HSBC TravelOne Card. Valid till 31 August 2023. T&Cs apply. Pick your HSBC Credit Card now!	Spend S$1,000 & give marketing consent within the qualifying period following card approval   Valid till 31 Aug 2023	5% cash rebate on family spend, including dining, groceries, and petrol   1 Reward Point per S$1 on all spend   Extra 1% cashback if you hold an HSBC Everyday Global Account and qualify for HSBC Everyday+   Enjoy complimentary ENTERTAINER with HSBC access
Citi Cash Back+ Card	Get up to S$300 cashback (10% cashback)	On up to S$3,000 spend in the first 2 month   Valid till 31 Jan 2023	1.6% cashback on all spend   No min. spend required, no cap
HSBC Advance Card	Receive a Samsonite Prestige 69cm Spinner Exp with built-in scale worth S$670   OR   S$200 cashback	Spend minimum S$500 within the first month   Valid till 31 Dec 2022	1.5% cashback on all purchases (if you spend S$2,000 or less)   Up to 2.5% cashback (if you spend more than S$2,000)   1% bonus cashback if you're an HSBC Everyday Global Account holder and meet the monthly criteria   Enjoy ENTERTAINER with HSBC perks
OCBC FRANK Card	Get a year-long Burpple beyond premium membership worth S$99	Apply and make at least 5 qualifying spend within the first 30 days   Valid till 31 Dec 2022	6% cashback on online purchases   6% cashback on mobile contactless payment and foreign currency spending   You can read our review of the OCBC FRANK's revamp here

The American Express True Cashback, Citi Cash Back+, and HSBC Advance cards have competitive offers but act fast because these all end later in the month. The cards' cashback rates are nothing to scoff at either and might prove to be more valuable than air miles in this environment.

Read more:
Credit Card Comparison: AMEX True Cashback vs Citi Cash Back+ vs SCB SimplyCash
Best Unlimited Cashback Cards in Singapore
Best HSBC Credit Card Promos: HSBC Revolution vs HSBC Advance vs HSBC Visa Platinum Comparison Review

Exclusive SingSaver promotions

On top of these welcome gifts, SingSaver also offers exclusive promotions from time to time. You can earn yourself items such as wireless earbuds, Grab vouchers or cash via PayNow. Check out the current promotions available for the different banks below.

Read these next: 
Cashback vs Miles vs Rewards: Which Is The Best Type Of Credit Card For You?
Credit Card Housekeeping: 3 Reasons To Cancel Unused Credit Cards
6 Credit Cards Which Give Free Access to Airport Lounges
Best Cashback Credit Cards In Singapore
Top 6 Air Miles Credit Cards In Singapore