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How to Redeem DBS Points to Air Miles?

Emma Lam

Emma Lam

Last updated 08 April, 2024

Got a bunch of DBS Points lying around but don't know what to do with them? Here's how to redeem them for KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, and more!

Anyone familiar with credit cards, especially rewards credit cards, would know that DBS offers a great selection. From shopping credit cards like DBS Woman's Card and DBS Woman's World Card to miles credit cards like DBS Altitude Card and DBS Vantage Card, they all accumulate air miles or cash rebates in the form of DBS Points.

Essentially, if cash is king, DBS Points are the backbone of DBS rewards. 🙌🏻 So what better rewards to redeem for than frequent flyer miles like KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, and more to "sponsor" your next flight abroad? 

Here's the lowdown on how to make your DBS Points work smarter by converting and redeeming them for air miles.

Table of contents


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What are DBS Points?

DBS Points are rewards points earned through spending with specific DBS credit cards such as DBS Woman's Card, DBS Woman's World Card, DBS Altitude Card, and DBS Vantage Card.

Besides optimising your card spending and savings, DBS Points can also be exchanged for a wide array of rewards via DBS' Rewards programme. Here are the various redemption options available:

  • Offset your purchases and bills on PayLah! instantly
  • Offset retail purchases in person at stores
  • Enjoy discounts on online brands such ahttps://www.singsaver.com.sg/credit-card/products/dbs-womans-world-cards ZALORA, AXS, Shopee, etc.
  • Either offset Apple purchases in full or opt for flexi-pay option
  • Offset travel bookings and enjoy twice the redemption value
  • Redeem cash credits, miles, or vouchers for retail, dining, and others via their Rewards Catalogue

If it isn't apparent yet, the DBS' Rewards programme also offers great flexibility – allowing you to either redeem DBS Points on the spot for your purchases or even days later through DBS PayLah!.

For reference, 1 DBS Point is earned for every S$5 eligible retail spend (rounded down to the nearest whole number) charged to your DBS credit card. Meanwhile, DBS Points won't be awarded for the following transactions:

Source: DBS

Best DBS credit cards on SingSaver

Check out our ongoing promo for the best DBS credit cards earning DBS Points, only on SingSaver!

  • DBS Altitude Card: 3.25 DBS Points per S$5 on local spend, 5.5 DBS Points per S$5 on foreign spend
  • DBS Vantage Card: 1.5 mpd or 1.5% cashback on local spend, 2.2 mpd or 2.2% cashback on foreign spend
  • DBS Woman's Card: 5 DBS Points per S$5 on online purchases, capped at S$1,000 per month
  • DBS Woman's World Card: 10 DBS Points per S$5 on worldwide online spend, capped at S$2,000 spend per month

DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.20 miles per dollar

DBS Altitude American Express Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.20 miles per dollar

DBS Vantage Visa Infinite Card open_in_new

Rewards Points Local Spending: 3.75 DBS Points

DBS Woman's Card open_in_new

Rewards Points Online Shopping: Up to 5 DBS Points

DBS Woman's World Card open_in_new

Rewards Points Online Shopping: 10 DBS Points per S$5

 

DBS/POSB Credit Card Welcome Gift: Receive up to S$388 cashback or 85,000 miles when you apply for select DBS credit cards and fulfil the relevant promotion criteria. T&Cs apply.


Why should you convert DBS Points into KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, etc.?

Although redeeming DBS Points to offset retail purchases, travel bookings, and more are useful, we'd argue that converting your DBS Points into miles is more worth it – particularly if you're using the DBS Altitude Card.

This is because of one simple good reason: DBS Points earned via other DBS credit cards typically expire after one year. Frequent flyer miles like KrisFlyer Miles expire after two years. In contrast, DBS Points earned via the DBS Altitude Card never expire

The DBS Altitude Card earns 3.25 DBS Points per S$5 on local spend (1.3 mpd) and 5.5 DBS Points per S$5 (2.2 mpd) on foreign spend.

You can earn and rack up DBS Points on the DBS Altitude Card for as long as your heart desires. Once you feel you've accumulated enough points, you can convert them into miles at one go and maximise their miles validity period in the process.

DBS Altitude Visa Card
DBSAltitudeVisaSignatureCard-e1568109609752
DBS Altitude AMEX Card
dbs-altitude-v1-300x189

Subsequently, these miles can be redeemed for plane tickets or flight upgrades.

For instance, you can enjoy a Singapore Airlines Economy Class Saver Ticket from 8,500 KrisFlyer Miles onwards. More details can be found on our Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles redemption guide here.

Note: "Mpd" refers to "miles per S$1 spend".


Who are DBS' loyalty and transfer partner programmes?

DBS Points can be converted into the following frequent flyer miles:

Loyalty programme
Minimum conversion rate
Conversion fee (incl. GST)
KrisFlyer Miles
5,000 DBS Points = 10,000 KrisFlyer Miles
S$27.25 per conversion
Asia Miles
5,000 DBS Points = 10,000 Asia Miles
Qantas Points
5,000 DBS Points = 10,000 Qantas Points
Air Asia Points
500 DBS Points = 1,500 Air Asia Points
Waived until 31 Dec 2024

 


How to convert DBS Points into KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, and more?

In total, there are four ways DBS Points can be converted into miles.

DBS Rewards Website

Step #1: Log in to DBS Rewards website via digibank User ID and PIN.

Source: DBS digibank online


Step #2: Verify your login by entering a 2FA verification code.

DBS / POSB Authentication Screen

Source: turtleinvestor.net


Step #3: Upon login, the summary of your DBS Points will be displayed on the Redemption Details menu on the right side. At a glance, you should be able to check your Current Total, Current Redeemed Total, and Balance of DBS Points.

DBS Rewards Website After Signing InSource: turtleinvestor.net


Step #4:
From the top navigation bar, select Travel > click on your preferred frequent flyer programme (in this case, Singapore Airlines).

✈️ 5,000 DBS Points = 10,000 KrisFlyer Miles

DBS Rewards Website display loyalty programs that we can transfer our points for miles

Source: turtleinvestor.net


Step #5:
Drag and drop item into the shopping card on the right. Enter desired quantity > key in your Frequent Flyer membership number, First Name, and Last Name (according to KrisFlyer account) > Add to cart.

DBS Rewards Website redemption page. Each block of 5000 DBS Points for 10000 Miles.Source: turtleinvestor.net


Step #6:
Select View shopping cart > Redeem to complete the miles redemption.

💡 Note: A transaction fee will be charged to your designated DBS card upon successful redemption. This entire miles redemption process can take up to 14 working days and an email will be sent notifying of successful or unsuccessful redemptions.


KrisFlyer Miles Auto-Conversion Programme

All you have to do is enrol in the auto-conversion programme and your DBS Points will be automatically converted into KrisFlyer Miles. The conversion will be done in blocks of 500 DBS Points per quarter (e.g. start of January, April, July, and October).

The annual enrolment fee is S$43.60 (inclusive of GST).

However, this programme is only available for DBS Insignia, DBS Black Treasures Elite, and DBS Altitude principal cardholders.


Kris+ by Singapore Airlines

If you're an avid Kris+ app user, good news! You can convert your DBS Points to KrisPay Miles via the Kris+ app.

Step #1: Log in to your Kris+ app.

Step #2: Select the Wallet icon > Transfer

Step #3: Choose DBS Rewards > Log in with your digibank User ID and PIN

Step #4: Enter the amount of DBS Points to convert into KrisPay Miles (where 100 DBS Points = 170 KrisPay Miles).

Subsequently, if you wish to convert your KrisPay Miles to KrisFlyer Miles and transfer to your KrisFlyer account, that's possible too. 

1 KrisPay Mile is equivalent to 1 KrisFlyer Mile.


DBS Customer Service Hotline

DBS Points can also be converted via DBS' customer service hotline at 1800-221-1111. If you choose this method, you can expect the DBS Points-to-miles transfer process to take about one to two weeks.

 


Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

#1: How many miles is a DBS Point?

This is how much each DBS Point is worth in miles:

  • 1 DBS Point = 2 KrisFlyer Miles
  • 1 DBS Point = 2 Asia Miles
  • 1 DBS Point = 2 Qantas points
  • 1 DBS Point = 3 Air Asia points

#2: How much DBS points to KrisFlyer Miles?

The minimum conversion rate for DBS Points to KrisFlyer Miles is 5,000 DBS Points to 10,000 KrisFlyer miles. Apart from KrisFlyer Miles, this conversion block applies to Asia Miles and Qantas Points too. Keep in mind that an admin fee of S$27.25 (inclusive of GST) applies per conversion.

As for Air Asia, the minimum conversion rate is 500 DBS Points to 1,500 Air Asia Points. The admin fee for converting DBS Points to Air Asia points is currently waived until 31 December 2024.


#3: What’s the best way to use DBS Points?

There is no "best" way to utilise DBS Points. It's all up to personal preferences and spending habits. If you're an avid traveller and fly by Singapore Airlines or Scoot often, it makes sense to redeem your DBS Points for KrisFlyer Miles.


Read more:
How to Upgrade Your Singapore Airlines Ticket For Less?
How to Make The Most of KrisFlyer's 25th Anniversary Promotions?


#4: When do DBS Points expire?

The validity of DBS Points varies according to the credit card's rewards programme. In most cases, DBS Points expire one year from the quarterly period in which they've been earned. 

When DBS Points were earned
DBS Points expiry date
1 Jan - 31 Mar 2023
31 Mar 2024
1 Apr - 30 Jun 2023
30 Jun 2024
1 Jul - 30 Sep 2023
30 Sep 2024

This is fairly straightforward to track and remember compared to other bank rewards systems like HSBC Points (expire after 37 months).

Meanwhile, an exception to DBS Point's 1-year expiry period is the DBS Altitude Card. Regardless of whether Visa or AMEX version, DBS Points earned on this travel credit card never expire


#5: When do frequent flyer air miles expire?

Every frequent flyer mile differs in expiry. 

Frequent flyer miles
Expiry
KrisFlyer Miles
After 36 months from month of accrual
Asia Miles
After 18 months of inactivity
Qantas Points After 18 months of inactivity
Air Asia Points After 24 months from crediting into account / flown date

#6: How many miles is a business class ticket? 

Again, each frequent flyer mile has a different minimum amount required to redeem a business class ticket. This amount also largely depends on the departure city, arrival city, whether it's a one-way or return ticket, and whether you're redeeming a flight directly or upgrading a flight class.

For example, a Business Saver Award return ticket from Singapore to Sydney starts from 137,000 KrisFlyer Miles to redeem.

Source: Singapore Airlines

 Meanwhile, upgrading from an Economy Class to a Business Class (Saver/Advantage Award) return ticket for the same flight route starts from 97,000 KrisFlyer Miles onwards.

Source: Singapore Airlines

While upgrading your flight from Economy to Business class might seem cheaper, remember to factor in the cost of the initial class ticket. So choose your miles redemption option wisely!


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Read these next:
How to Transfer and Use Miles For Others: KrisFlyer Miles, Asia Miles, and Others
How to Convert Credit Card Points to Miles?
7 Common Mistakes People Make When Redeeming Miles
8 Best Way to Redeem Expiring KrisFlyer Miles
Should You Redeem KrisFlyer Miles on Scoot?

Although she struggles *slightly* in resisting good deals and sales, Emma is on a lifelong journey to understand what financial independence as a Z-llennial means. That said, her inner child is still very much alive… with animals and gaming being her weaknesses.

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