OCBC 90°N Credit Card Review: Seize the Globe With Attractive Foreign Currency Spending Rates

OCBC has pulled out all its stops for the OCBC 90°N Credit Card as it has increased the miles rate on local spending. Find out how else this miles card could serve your lifestyle needs, especially when it comes to travelling!

Best miles cards: UOB Lady’s Card | UOB Lady's Solitaire Card | HSBC Revolution | Citi Rewards | DBS Woman’s Card | DBS Woman’s World Card | UOB KrisFlyer Card | UOB PRVI Miles MasterCard | Citi PremierMiles Card | DBS Altitude Card

When it comes to rates, credit cards are always changing their terms and conditions without any prior notice. But thankfully, it’s good news this time! OCBC’s tweak in rates for their 90°N card is definitely great for us!

Offering higher rates for local currency makes local spending a little more rewarding.

What stands out is their higher miles when it comes to foreign currency spending, at 2.1 miles per dollar (mpd) and up to 7 mpd for bookings made with Agoda.

Planning your next vacation soon? Read on to find out why this card should be your new must-have!

Table of contents:

• Overview: OCBC 90°N Credit Card
• Reasons to get the OCBC 90°N Credit Card
• Is the OCBC 90°N Credit Card worth getting?
• Eligibility, fees & charges
• How to apply?

Overview: Uncover the hidden power of OCBC 90°N Credit Card's rewards

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OCBC 90°N card product summary:

• Up to 7 mpd on bookings made with Agoda
• 1.3 mpd on local spending
• 2.1 mpd on foreign currency spending
• No cap on miles earned
• Annual income requirement: S$30,000 for Singaporeans and PRs, S$45,000 for foreigners
• Annual fee: S$54 (First year waived)

What is the OCBC 90°N Credit Card?

The OCBC 90°N Card is OCBC's very own travel credit card that lets you earn miles that never expire! Enjoy bonus miles of 1.3 miles per S$1 on local spend and 2.1 miles per S$1 (mpd) on overseas spend. But that's not all, you'll even earn up to 7 mpd on dedicated travel bookings from Agoda.

What's more, these miles can be redeemed for a variety of perks – be it hotel or flight redemptions or cash rebates and vouchers for all your retail shopping desires. It's the perfect card for both frequent flyers and occasional travellers alike!

How are miles earned and redeemed?

90°N Miles are earned in blocks of S$5 per transaction.

This means that person A who spent S$14.90 compared to person B who spent S$10 would have earned the same amount as 13 90°N Miles. 

It also means that each transaction has to be at least S$5, if not you wouldn’t earn any miles on your purchase.

When it comes to redeeming miles, you can do so in blocks of as few as 1,000 miles.

There are countless ways to use your 90°N Miles via OCBC Rewards.

If you want to convert them to KrisFlyer miles, the conversion rate is 1 90°N Mile = 1 KrisFlyer Mile.

4 reasons to choose the OCBC 90°N Credit Card

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#1: Attractive rates for foreign currency spending

One of the biggest draws for the OCBC 90°N card is its significantly higher miles rates when you compare the rate for foreign currency spending and local spending.

At present, you’ll be able to earn 2.1 mpd on all foreign currency purchases, and 1.3 mpd for local spending, which has already increased from 1.2 mpd only recently. So it’s definitely a no-brainer that this card is much better at helping you earn miles when you’re overseas.

However, before you jump the gun and click “apply”, you’ll also need to remember that you’ll still have to pay for the foreign currency exchange rates when you spend on this card for overseas purchases, which stands at 3.25%. On top of that, there might still be other currency conversion fees charged by Visa or MasterCard on your transactions, usually at 1%.

💡Pro-tip: To negate the fees, you can pair your OCBC 90°N card (mastercard) with the Instarem amaze Card to pay for any overseas purchases. Do note that it only pairs with MasterCards at the moment.

Though overall it is a decent card for overseas spending, there are still other cards that offer higher miles earning rates. Here’s how it compares with the rest:

#2: Earn unlimited miles

Don’t you just hate it when you miss your minimum spending by a couple of dollars?

You could have hit it if you'd known, instead of wasting a whole month’s worth of expenses earning the base rate miles. 

With no minimum spend and no cap on miles earned features, the OCBC 90°N card has got your back.

This makes the perfect card to spend on big purchases locally or overseas.

Let’s see how this might be a game-changer when it comes to other miles cards:

#3: Miles won’t expire

What’s better than earning a high miles rate on all your expenses? Knowing that the miles earned will never expire.

Though miles are the best for redeeming flights because it feels like you’re getting a free ticket (but no, it doesn’t work that way), you can also redeem your miles on a ton of other things including: 

• Hotel purchases
• Car rental bookings
• Couchers from popular retailers
• Cash rebates on your credit card bills, and much more!

Check how else you can redeem your 90°N Miles!

Here is a comparison of other cards and their miles expiration periods:

#4: Suitable as an everyday card for general spending

Because the OCBC 90°N card doesn’t limit the categories you can earn bonus miles in (only in currencies), this makes it a great card for general spending. 

This is unlike UOB Lady’s, which requires you to choose a category to qualify for the bonus miles, or HSBC Revolution, which adopts a whitelist approach (meaning that they specifically list merchants that are eligible for the bonus rewards).

With the OCBC 90°N card, You won’t have to fish out the millions of cards in your wallet just to switch out to a different card every time you spend on dining, shopping or groceries since this card gives the same miles for all spending.

However, there are some exceptions that do not qualify for miles to be earned, like utilities, insurance, tuition fees, medical bills and dental expenses. You can refer here to the full list.

Read more:
UOB Lady’s & UOB Lady’s Solitare Credit Card Review
HSBC Revolution Credit Card Review

Your financial map: Navigating OCBC 90°N Credit Card fees & charges

Eligibility criteria

How to apply?

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Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button and complete the application form on SingSaver site. You might need to prepare the following documents for the application process:

• Front and back of NRIC/Passport/Employment Pass
• Salaried employees: Past 6 months' CPF statement (Singaporean/PR) or latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment and latest original computerised payslip
• Self-employed / Commission earner: Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment or latest 12 months' CPF statement
• Foreigners:
  • Passport
  • Employment Pass
  • Latest original computerised payslip and latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment or original company letter certifying employment and salary

Tailored for travellers: The OCBC 90°N Credit Card's ideal user

If you’re a frequent traveller who wants a no-frills travel credit card suitable for general spending, The OCBC 90°N card is for you!

The greatest perk is that it offers 7mpd for all bookings on Agoda, which means that you can earn a ton of miles through your accommodation alone. 

It also serves as a great travel card if you pair your OCBC 90°N (Mastercard version) with the Instarem Amaze card to eliminate all foreign currency exchange fees, as it offers 2.1 mpd on foreign currency expenses.

Nevertheless, there are indeed other miles cards that offer much higher earning rates. For example, the Citi Rewards Card (4 mpd), HSBC Revolution Card (4 mpd), and the UOB Lady's / Lady's Solitaire Cards (6 mpd) rank among the top miles cards available currently. However, it's important to note that this is not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison because they are not travel credit cards. 

See also: Credit Card Combo: Pair Citi PremierMiles & Citi Rewards

Instead, when considering the OCBC 90°N Card, it's more relevant to directly compare it with other travel credit cards like Citi PremierMiles Card, DBS Altitude Card, Standard Chartered Journey Card, UOB PRVI Miles Card, and HSBC TravelOne Card. These cards are specifically designed to earn miles on local and overseas spend, whilst providing a smattering of travel perks.

You can refer to the above section for their respective miles earn rates again.

Travel credit cards to consider

Enjoy fuss-free miles on local, overseas, and (sometimes) travel-related expenses, along with travel perks, with these cards for the ultimate economical holiday!

 

See More expand_more

Citi PremierMiles Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2 miles per dollar

Apply

DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.20 miles per dollar

Apply

DBS Altitude American Express Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.20 miles per dollar

Apply

Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2 miles per dollar

Apply

HSBC TravelOne Credit Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.40 miles per dollar

Apply

UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.40 miles per dollar

Apply

UOB PRVI Miles World MasterCard open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.40 miles per dollar

Apply

UOB PRVI Miles American Express Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.40 miles per dollar

Apply

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Taking flight with the OCBC 90°N Credit Card: Your passport to perks

In conclusion, the OCBC 90°N Card is an all-rounded, no-frills travel credit card. It's a great travel companion that helps you unlock new adventures and experiences all around the world.

For instance, apart from rewarding up to 7 mpd on Agoda accommodation bookings, you can also redeem your 90°N Miles with affiliated hotel chains under Accor Live Limitless, IHG One Rewards, and Marriot Bonvoy®️. Of course, the same redemption principle extends to partner airline carriers too such as Singapore Airlines, Air France, Cathay Pacific, and more.  

What's even more enticing is that you can commence your miles redemption journey with as few as 1,000 90°N Miles. This is a relatively low minimum block compared to other rewards points programmes (e.g. 25,000 HSBC Points = 10,000 miles).

So sign up for your OCBC 90°N Credit Card with us at SingSaver today to get the miles ball rolling!

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