DBS Chromo Card Review: Up to 5% Cashback or 1.3 Miles per Dollar, Built for Ages 21–29

DBS Chromo doesn't ask you to pick a category. Instead, whichever two of Dining, Travel, Shopping, Transport, Entertainment, or Wellness you spend the most on in a given calendar month automatically earn the bonus rate — up to 5% cashback (1% base + 4% bonus) cashback, capped at S$30 bonus per category per month. Every other local spend category earns a flat 1% with no minimum spend required. Hitting at least S$500 in card spend that month unlocks the bonus tier. Your total cashback (base plus bonus combined) is capped at S$150 per month regardless of whether you hit S$500.

If miles suit your goals better, you can switch your Reward Preference to earn an uncapped 1.3 miles per S$1 on eligible local spend instead, credited as DBS Points, which do not expire. The switch is done through the DBS digibank app and applies retroactively to the previous month's spend, based on whichever preference is active as at the 10th of the current month — so if you forget to switch, your prior preference simply continues, rather than defaulting to nothing.

Customers have the flexibility to switch rewards once a month, allowing them to toggle seamlessly between cashback and miles as their spending needs evolve.

Both reward tracks come with 0% FX fees, useful whether you're spending overseas or shopping on a foreign-currency site, though keep in mind that foreign currency and overseas spend do not earn rewards.

What it costs

The headline annual fee is S$196.20, but it's waived for your first 5 years as a cardholder — effectively free for the entire window most people will hold this card, given the age-based eligibility. Beyond that, DBS's standard credit card cost structure applies: a S$100 late payment fee if the minimum payment isn't received by the due date, and finance charges of 27.8% p.a., compounded daily, on any revolving balance. Singapore doesn't cap credit card interest rates or late fees by law — MAS instead requires banks to disclose these charges clearly on your statement — so paying your bill in full each month is the only way to avoid the finance charge entirely, on this card or any other.

Converting DBS Points to airline miles (KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Points, or AirAsia Points) carries a S$27.25 administrative fee per conversion, so it's worth batching conversions rather than converting small amounts frequently.

Who can actually get one

This is where Chromo differs most from a typical cashback card: eligibility is age-gated to 21–29 at the point of application, alongside a minimum annual income of S$30,000 for Singaporeans and PRs, or S$45,000 for foreigners. That income floor isn't a DBS-specific quirk — Singapore's Banking (Credit Card and Charge Card) Regulations require banks to verify a minimum income before extending unsecured credit, and to keep your total unsecured borrowing across all banks within a multiple of your monthly income, enforced through the Credit Bureau Singapore. If you're a student or early-career professional who doesn't yet meet S$30,000, you won't qualify for Chromo (or most standard cashback cards) — a no-income-requirement digital bank card is the realistic interim option.