Metal credit cards offer more than just a status symbol, but with hefty annual fees are they worth it? Here, we pit them against each other to help you find the best.
After all, the first-ever metal card was the American Express Centurion Card, issued in 1999 and held by celebrities and ultra-high net worth individuals. To own one was a statement in itself, and a symbol of the holder’s status and wealth.
Today, though, the metal card trend has diffused downwards. It’s not quite mass market territory, but a number of high-end credit cards have switched to metal cardstock, providing a way for affluent-but-not-quite-loaded individuals to get in on the action too.
- Metal cards you can apply for in Singapore
- Which metal card is right for you?
- Mile earning rates
- Miles with annual fee
- Airport lounge access and limo benefits
- Dining benefits
- Other card benefits
Metal cards you can apply for in Singapore
| Metal Card | Annual Income Requirement | Annual Fee |
 |
S$80,000 | S$695.50 |
 |
S$120,000 | S$535 |
 |
S$120,000 | S$488 or S$3,210 |
 |
S$150,000 | S$642 |
 |
S$200,000 | S$1,712 |
*Other metal cards in Singapore include the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card, Citi ULTIMA, American Express Centurion, DBS Insignia and UOB Reserve. However, since these are invite-only offerings, we won’t cover them in this article. If you want to learn more about these cards, you can read this article.
At the time of writing, the metal cards with the lowest income requirement and annual fee are the SCB X Card (S$80,000 p.a) and OCBC VOYAGE (S$488 a year) respectively. Do bear in mind that unlike regular plastic cards, it’s almost impossible to get an annual fee waiver on a metal card – the annual fee is part of the cost of entry.
So there are more than a few options when it comes to metal cards. But how do they measure up in terms of features?
Which metal card should you get?
With options comes the need to take your pick. While these metal credit cards are all fancy to look at and packed to the brim with exclusive perks befitting those who enjoy the finer things in life, they aren’t created the same. Your wallet will thank you if you take the effort to pick one that best suits your lifestyle.
Standard Chartered Bank X Card: Most accessible metal card
The Standard Chartered Bank X Card is the most accessible metal card amongst the crowd here. With an S$80,000 annual income requirement, this metal credit card is the one for you if you’re an affluent millennial who’s not quite there yet in terms of your salary — most metal cards on the market are targeted at folks who make over S$120,000 annually.
If you’re a Standard Chartered Bank Priority or Private Banking customer, the annual income requirement drops right down to S$30,000!
Welcome Gift: Receive 30,000 miles upon card approval and activation. T&Cs apply.
Citi Prestige Card: Best for avid travellers and Citigold/ Citigold Private Client customers
As its name may suggest, the Citi Prestige Card offers spectacular travel and lifestyle perks that could possibly pay for itself in no time. Just to highlight a few, cardmembers can enjoy benefits such as unlimited airport lounge access worldwide, unlimited complimentary 4th night free hotel or resort stay globally, complimentary golf games, annual renewal bonus of 25,000 miles and more.
While its miles earning rate stands at 1.3mpd for local spend and 2mpd for overseas spend, Citi banking customers with Citigold/Citigold Private Client relationship can receive up to 30% additional ThankYou Points, depending on their spending and depth of relationship with the bank.
Another point to note? You can earn unlimited, flexible, expiry-free ThankYou Points with the Citi Prestige Card.
SingSaver exclusive promotion: Get a Nintendo Switch (worth S$499) or an Ergotune Supreme (worth S$599) or S$350 cash when you apply and make a qualifying spend of S$500 within 30 days of card approval. Existing cardmembers receive S$30 cash. Valid till 30 September 2021. T&Cs apply. Pick your Citibank card here!
OCBC Voyage Card: Most affordable metal card
Want to dip your feet into the world of metal cards but aren’t quite ready to splurge on it just yet? Consider the OCBC Voyage Card. All you have to do is pick the S$488 annual fee option which comes with 15,000 VOYAGE miles. The S$3,210 option comes with a whopping 150,000 VOYAGE miles!
Apart from being the most affordable metal card in this crowd, the OCBC Voyage Card offers the most generous miles earning rate for overseas spend: it lets you earn 2.2mpd on foreign currency spend and 1.3mpd locally. OCBC Premier, OCBC Premier Private Client and Bank of Singapore VOYAGE Card will earn 1.6mpd locally and 2.3mpd on foreign currency spend.
Welcome Gift: Snag 15,000 VOYAGE miles and S$300 The Warehouse Hotel vouchers when you make a min. spend of S$1,500 from card approval date till the end of the following month. Valid till 31 August 2021. T&Cs apply
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card: Best for concierge and support services
Among the slew of benefits you can enjoy with the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card, you can count on top-notch concierge and support services anywhere, anytime. Your dedicated UOB Visa Infinite Concierge is available 24/7 no matter where you are to assist you from reserving seats at Michelin-starred restaurants to purchasing luxury items.
The UOB Travel Concierge can help you with anything travel-related while the UOB Medical Concierge offers 24-hour toll-free access to premier medical concierge services supported by Parkway Hospitals Singapore. Say hello to fast-tracked appointment scheduling, finding proper medical specialists and more.
You can even consult a doctor without leaving the comfort of your home via the WhiteCoat app whenever you are feeling under the weather. How does this work? You’ll be connected to an in-house Singapore-registered GP in no time. The convenience doesn’t stop there. Within 90 minutes, you can expect to receive your prescribed medication at your doorstep. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what else is.
Welcome gift: Receive 25,000 miles upon payment of annual fee. T&Cs apply.
AMEX Platinum Card: Best for tangible, money-saving luxury perks
The AMEX Platinum Card is undeniably the priciest metal card in this bunch but this charge card is one to consider if you are on the lookout for tangible, money-saving luxury perks.
For starters, it’s hard to beat the S$800 travel credits you’ll receive yearly, Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits worth S$750, and complimentary elite status for Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and Radisson Rewards hotel loyalty programs. Its free airport lounge access perk is one of the most generous on the market, too.
Apart from exclusive golf privileges and complimentary access into the elite, members-only Tower Club Singapore and 67 Pall Mall in London, the AMEX Platinum Card also lets you enjoy all-day free parking at Great World City from Friday to Sunday.
Besides 1-for-1 drinks with the Chillax programme, you can also look forward to saving up to 50% on your food bills with the Love Dining programme.
Welcome Gift: Receive a 48″ Omnidesk Pro 2020 (worth S$840) upon annual fee payment. Valid till 30 September 2021. T&Cs apply.
Mile earning rates
Let’s first look at how many miles each of these cards earns for local and overseas spending. The numbers are quite tight here (except for the AMEX Platinum Charge, which clearly isn’t a miles-earning powerhouse), with local earn rates between 1.2-1.4 mpd, and overseas rates between 2.0-2.2 mpd.
| Metal Card | Local Miles per Dollar | Overseas Miles per Dollar |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Citibank Prestige | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| OCBC Voyage | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | 0.78 | 1.95 (if you spend on SQ or Scoot) |
Miles with annual fee
In addition to earning miles from your everyday spending, you can also receive miles by paying the annual fee on most of these cards.
| Metal Card | Annual Fee (Miles) | Cents per Mile |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | S$695.50 (30,000) | 2.32 |
| Citibank Prestige | S$535 (25,000) | 2.14 |
| OCBC Voyage | S$488 or S$3,210 (15,000 or 150,000) | 3.25 or 2.14 |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | S$642 (25,000) | 2.57 |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | S$1,712 (None. Spend S$20,000 in the first 6 months to get 46,875 bonus miles) | N.A |
The Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage offer the lowest cost miles at about 2.14 cents per mile. This is followed by the SCB X Card at 2.32 cents per mile, and the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card at 2.57 cents per mile.
It’s worth mentioning that the AMEX Platinum Charge doesn’t actually offer miles with the payment of the annual fee. Instead, you’ll be able to earn 46,875 bonus miles (75000 MR points) when you spend S$20,000 in the first six months of card membership approval.
Airport lounge access and limo benefits
Complimentary airport lounge access can be a great perk, especially when you’re flying economy or on a budget airline. But again, not all metal cards are made equal in this respect. Some offer extremely anemic benefits (like the SCB X Card with only two free visits), while others offer access to multiple lounge networks, complete with guest privileges.
| Metal Card | Lounge Network | Free Lounge Visit |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | Priority Pass | 2 |
| Citibank Prestige | Priority Pass | Unlimited + 1 guest |
| OCBC Voyage | Plaza Premium | Unlimited |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | DragonPass | 4 |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | – Priority Pass – AMEX Lounges – Centurion Lounges – Delta SkyClub – Plaza Premium | Unlimited + Supplementary Member + 1 guest each |
The strongest card here is undoubtedly the AMEX Platinum Charge card. Cardmembers get to enjoy unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits as well as access to American Express and Centurion airport lounges, and Delta SkyClubs when flying on Delta Air Lines. What’s more, supplementary cardholders (the first two supplementary cards are free) enjoy the same lounge benefits.
Complimentary airport transfers are another useful perk, although only two metal cards offer them at the moment – the Citi Prestige and OCBC VOYAGE.
| Metal Card | Free Limo Rides | Spending Requirements |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | 0 | N.A |
| Citibank Prestige | 2 per quarter | S$12,000 per quarter |
| OCBC Voyage | 2 per month | S$5,000 per ride |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | 0 | N.A |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | 0 | N.A |
The OCBC VOYAGE has a much lower spending requirement than the Citi Prestige and allows for more trips over the course of the year.
Dining benefits
Dining benefits can take the form of discounts on F&B or outright dining credit through vouchers.
| Metal Card | Dining Benefits |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | Up to 30% off dining at participating restaurants at Marina Bay Sands |
| Citibank Prestige | Dining offers locally and abroad with Citi World Privileges |
| OCBC Voyage | Visa Infinite dining privileges |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | – Visa Infinite dining privileges – Up to 50% off dining at Grand Hyatt Singapore – Clink Clink’s private wine concierge service |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | – American Express Selects dining offers – Up to 50% off dining with Love Dining benefits – 1-for-1 drinks with Chillax |
Cardmembers can enjoy up to 50% off dining at selected hotels and restaurants with Love Dining benefits. This includes A-list restaurants like Brasserie Les Saveurs, SKAI Restaurant, Lantern, The Landing Point, Basilico, Yan Ting and Wooloomooloo Steakhouse.
To cap it off, they can get complimentary drinks under the Chillax program at Botanico, Club 5, Portman’s Bar, Smoke & Mirrors, Horse’s Mouth Bar, Monti and other drinking holes.
Other card benefits
All cards offer complimentary travel insurance (although the quantum and scope of coverage can differ significantly, so be sure to read the T&Cs!), but some go beyond that by offering unique perks.
For example, the Citi Prestige gives you the fourth night free on hotel stays, which can potentially help to pay for the annual fee. The OCBC VOYAGE allows you to redeem VOYAGE miles for any cabin on any flight at a fixed cash value. The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card offers preferential yacht chartering packages with Valencia Yachts.
| Metal Card | Other Benefits |
| Standard Chartered Bank X Card | – Complimentary travel insurance – The Good Life® dining, shopping, travel and lifestyle privileges – eCommerce purchase protection – Exclusive hotel and resort benefits at The St. Regis, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and Mandarin Oriental – Golf privileges |
| Citibank Prestige | – 4th night free on hotel stays – Complimentary travel insurance – Exclusive relationship bonus of up to 30% additional ThankYou Points – Preferential rates for luxury tours and cruises, private jet charters and chauffeured car services |
| OCBC Voyage | – Redeem miles for any cabin on any flight – Complimentary travel insurance – eCommerce purchase protection – HealthPass health and wellness deals – Instant 19% off on Caltex fuel spend – S$25 KrisFlyer Miles redemption admin fee waiver |
| UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card | – Priority booking and complimentary wine at global top restaurants – Clink Clink’s private wine concierge service – Visa Luxury Hotel Collection privileges – Up to additional 6 bonus KrisFlyer miles with KrisFlyer UOB Account – Preferential Valencia Yachts charter rates – Complimentary travel insurance – UOB medical concierge |
| AMEX Platinum Charge Card | – S$800 hotel and airline credit – Complimentary elite gold status with Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and Radisson Rewards – Up to 50% off dining with Love Dining benefits – 1-for-1 drinks with Chillax – AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts program – Tower Club access – Exclusive AMEX events – Complimentary travel insurance |
But it’s hard to compete with the AMEX Platinum Charge card, which offers S$800 of airline and hotel credits, Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits worth S$750, elite status with hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott, complimentary green fees, complimentary access into the elite, members-only Tower Club and much more.
The S$1,712 annual fee is the most expensive of all the metal cards here, almost three times as expensive in some cases. But if you’re willing to shell out that money, you’ll find the benefits to be pretty substantial — especially if you’re looking forward to regular leisure travel again.
If you choose to get a metal card, always remember the hefty annual fees that it comes with. This means it’s a good idea to do an analysis of the costs and benefits of owning one. A metal card is meant to make your pocket heavier, not lighter after all.
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By Denise Bay
While Denise has a thing for travel, K-dramas, 0% sugar bbt (with boba!), Japanese cuisine and flat white, her curious nature means all sorts of random tabs are open on her phone 24/7. She doesn’t like to pay full price for anything, too.
By Aaron Wong
Aaron started The MileLion to help people travel better for less and impress “chiobu”. He was 50% successful.
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