The DBS Vantage Credit Card is positioned as a premium miles-earning card, offering strong general spend earn rates, exclusive travel perks, and access to luxury privileges. Cardholders enjoy 1.5 miles per dollar (mpd) or 1.5% cashback on local spend and 2.2 mpd or 2.2% cashback on foreign currency spend, along with a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership and 10 Priority Pass visits.

Since its launch in 2022, the card has targeted affluent travellers looking for both value and lifestyle benefits. With a high income requirement of S$120,000 annually, DBS Vantage sits above entry-level miles cards like DBS Altitude, but remains one of the more accessible “premium” cards in Singapore compared to competitors such as Citi Prestige or Standard Chartered Visa Infinite.

Here’s a summary of the key features:

• Choose your reward style: Earn either 1.5 miles or 1.5 % cashback per S$1 locally, and 2.2 miles or 2.2 % cashback per S$1 on overseas spending.

• Strong general-spend earn rates: Among DBS’s premium cards, it offers one of the highest everyday earn rates. 

• Annual fee with waiver condition: The non-waivable annual fee of S$599.50 can be waived if you spend at least S$60,000 a year. 

• Generous lounge access: Includes 10 free Priority Pass lounge visits annually.

• Accor Plus Explorer perks: Enjoy an Accor Plus membership, including one complimentary night at select Accor hotels, plus dining and stay discounts. 

• Welcome bonus miles: New-to-DBS applicants can earn up to 60,000 bonus miles with S$4,000 spend in the first 30 days, including 25,000 miles just for paying the fee and 35,000 bonus miles. 

• FCY fee makes overseas earns a bit costly: While the overseas earn rate is strong, the 3.25 % FX fee means your cost per mile overseas is around 1.56 cents, which is average—not exceptional.

• No bonus categories (beyond sign-up): Once the previous bonus categories (like travel or dining) end, the Vantage currently offers no special category multipliers on spending.

The DBS Vantage card offers strong earn rates on general spend, premium perks such as Accor Plus membership, 10 lounge visits, and DBS Points with no expiry. However, its drawbacks include a high annual fee, a lack of bonus categories, and limited transfer partners. Overall, it's a solid entry-level miles card for affluent travelers, although heavy spenders might find more comprehensive perks with cards like Citi Prestige or UOB Reserve.

Rewards and perks

Fees

Eligibility

Launched in 2022, DBS Vantage was designed to bridge the gap between entry-level miles cards and ultra-premium cards. With an accessible annual income requirement of S$120,000, it provided affluent customers an option to enjoy premium benefits without the S$250,000-S$500,000 barriers of ultra-high-end cards.

Over time, DBS Vantage has emphasised lifestyle privileges such as Accor Plus Explorer membership and Priority Pass visits. While the card has retained its core rewards structure, competitors like Citi Prestige and HSBC TravelOne have pushed DBS to enhance lounge access and maintain competitive earn rates.

• DBS Points expire in 3 years.

• Renewal bonus miles are not awarded if the annual fee is waived.

• Foreigners can apply with proof of S$120,000 annual income.

The DBS Vantage Card offers an annual fee waiver (S$599.50) for cardholders who achieve a minimum annual spend of S$60,000. This feature distinguishes it from many other premium cards in its income bracket.

For instance, if a cardholder meets the S$60,000 spend requirement through platforms like CardUp (assuming a promotional fee of 1.85%), the associated costs and benefits would be:

• CardUp Fee: S$1,110 (S$60,000 x 1.85%)

• Miles Earned: 91,665 miles (calculated at 1.5 miles per dollar on S$61,110 including the CardUp fee, noting that no renewal miles are awarded when the fee is waived).

• Annual Fee Waived: S$599.50

In this scenario, the cost of S$1,110 provides:

• 91,665 miles

• Complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership

• 10 Priority Pass lounge visits

• Other standard DBS Vantage benefits

Valuing these benefits (e.g., miles at 1.5 cents/mile, Accor Plus at S$250, and lounge visits at S$33.50 each) suggests a total value of approximately S$1,960. This potential value positions the DBS Vantage Card as a potentially attractive option for general spending, especially when the annual fee is waived.

DBS Vantage cardholders earn DBS Points, which can then be converted into frequent flyer miles or other redemption options. Here’s how the mechanics work:

• Local spend: Each transaction is divided by 5, multiplied by 3.25, and rounded down to the nearest whole number.

• Foreign currency spend: Each transaction is divided by 5, multiplied by 5.5, and rounded down.

• Points crediting: DBS Points are credited within 1–3 working days after the transaction posts.

This calculation means you can earn miles with relatively small transactions — as low as S$1.54 locally or S$1.00 overseas. However, DBS Points earned on Vantage expire after 3 years, so you’ll need to plan your redemptions accordingly. Once converted to KrisFlyer or other airline programmes, miles are also subject to their own expiry rules (e.g. 3 years for KrisFlyer).

Do note that since only whole DBS Points can be awarded, earnings are always rounded down, which can result in a slightly lower miles per dollar rate than advertised.

Example calculation:

For a S$37.99 local transaction:

• S$37.99 rounds down to 37

• 37 ÷ 5 = 7.4 × 3.25 (local earn rate) = 24.05

• 24.05 rounds down to 24 DBS Points

24 DBS Points = 48 miles, which works out to 1.26 mpd (slightly below the stated 1.5 mpd).

Pooling is another benefit: points from your Vantage card can be combined with points from other DBS cards to make redemptions easier. But if you cancel the Vantage card, any unredeemed points tied to it will be forfeited.

Earn rates at a glance

• Local spend: 1.5 miles per dollar

• Foreign currency spend: 2.2 miles per dollar

• Conversion: 3.25 DBS Points per S$5 local, 5.5 DBS Points per S$5 FCY (1 DBS Point = 2 miles)

Overall strong earn rates, plus the flexibility to redeem as cashback if preferred.

Bonus spend categories

The DBS Vantage has no evergreen bonus categories, though there are occasional partner promos (Expedia, Kaligo, DBS Travel campaigns).

Comparison to other cards

DBS Vantage offers superior local earn rates but slightly trails UOB PRVI Miles and HSBC TravelOne on foreign currency.

Bonus opportunities

While not an evergreen offer, from 1 Aug to 30 Sep 2025, cardholders have the luxury of purchasing up to 150,000 DBS Points to redeem for rewards later.

DBS Points features

• Expiry: DBS Points earned on the DBS Vantage Card expire after 3 years from the date of accrual. This makes long-term hoarding less attractive, so it’s best to plan redemptions within that window.

• Pooling: Points can be pooled across different DBS cards — for example, DBS Vantage, DBS Altitude, and DBS Woman’s World Card — making it easier to consolidate balances for redemptions.

• Cancellation impact: If you cancel your Vantage Card, any unused points tied to it will be forfeited. Always redeem or transfer your points before cancelling the card.

DBS Points conversion

• Transfer minimum: Points must be converted in blocks of at least 5,000 DBS Points (equivalent to 10,000 miles).

• Transfer fees: Each conversion costs S$27.25.

• Partners and transfer time: DBS Points can be transferred to four airline partners — KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Points, and AirAsia Points. KrisFlyer transfers usually take 1–3 working days, while other partners may take up to 10 working days.

Excluded transaction categories

Not all spending earns DBS Points. Some common categories that are excluded include:

• Charitable donations

• Education institutions

• Government services (e.g. tax payments, postal services)

• Hospitals and healthcare payments

• Insurance premiums

• Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay, YouTrip)

• Utilities bills

How DBS Points are credited

• Credit timeframe: Points are credited within 1–3 working days after the transaction posts.

• Points calculation method: Points are awarded based on spend in increments of S$5, and calculated per transaction.

• Local spend: (Transaction ÷ 5) × 3.25 DBS Points, rounded down.

• Foreign currency spend: (Transaction ÷ 5) × 5.5 DBS Points, rounded down.

• Non-rounded transaction: Because calculation is based on the actual spend, you can earn with as little as S$1.34 locally or S$0.91 overseas.

DBS Points expiry

DBS Points earned with Vantage expire 3 years from accrual. Once converted, KrisFlyer miles or other partner miles follow the respective programme’s rules (e.g. KrisFlyer miles expire in 3 years as well).

>> MORE: Credit card rewards: Do points and miles expire?

Points accumulation examples

This indicates that DBS Vantage's calculation method sometimes yields more points for smaller transactions compared to UOB PRVI Miles.

Other important details

• Formula for calculating points:

  • Local = ROUNDDOWN((X/5) × 3.25, 0)

  • Foreign currency = ROUNDDOWN((X/5) × 5.5, 0)

  • X = transaction amount

• Expiry policy for points: When redeeming, DBS uses points closest to expiry first, ensuring older points are consumed before fresher ones.

Transfer partners

DBS Vantage cardholders can convert DBS Points into four frequent flyer programmes: KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer Points, and AirAsia BIG Points. This provides good flexibility for travellers across different airlines. 

Unlike the DBS Altitude Card, the Vantage does not come with an automatic KrisFlyer conversion option. All transfers must be made manually.

>> MORE: How to get started with frequent flyer programmes

Conversion ratios

Transfer costs

Each transfer comes with a flat fee of S$27.25. This applies regardless of the partner airline and means frequent small transfers are less cost-efficient.

Minimum transfer amount

Transfers must be made in blocks of at least 5,000 DBS Points (10,000 miles) for KrisFlyer, Asia Miles and Qantas. For AirAsia, the minimum transfer block is smaller at 500 DBS Points (1,500 BIG Points), making it easier to use up small balances.

Transfer time

• Official timeframe: DBS quotes 1–2 weeks for transfers. In practice KrisFlyer transfers usually complete within 1–3 working days.

• Instant transfers via Kris+: Through the Kris+ app, cardholders can instantly move 100 DBS Points into 170 KrisPay miles, which can then be converted into KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio with no extra fee.

Transfers via Kris+ come at a cost — the conversion represents a 15% devaluation compared to the standard 1 DBS Point = 2 KrisFlyer miles ratio. While the feature is useful for last-minute top-ups, it is generally best reserved for emergencies or small balances.

Points expiry

• DBS Points: 3 years from accrual

• KrisFlyer miles: 3 years from accrual

Transfer issues to watch out for

Cardholders should exercise caution when using Kris+. If DBS Points are first converted into KrisPay miles, they must be transferred into KrisFlyer within seven days, or they will remain locked in KrisPay, where they expire in six months. Furthermore, if even a small portion of KrisPay miles is spent at a Kris+ merchant, the entire batch will be trapped in KrisPay and can no longer be transferred to KrisFlyer.

Foreign currency fees

The DBS Vantage Card charges a 3.25% foreign currency fee on overseas transactions. This fee slightly reduces the value of the miles you earn, as part of your spend goes towards covering conversion and processing charges. With an earn rate of 2.2 miles per S$1 spent overseas, the effective cost per mile works out to about 1.48 cents per mile.

Cost per mile for overseas transactions

Factoring in the 3.25% FCY fee, DBS Vantage delivers a cost per mile of ~1.48¢. While this is competitive, it isn’t the lowest in the market. For example, UOB PRVI Miles and HSBC TravelOne both achieve ~1.43¢ per mile, giving them a slight edge for overseas spend. Still, Vantage’s additional perks (Accor Plus membership, lounge access) can make it worthwhile if you value benefits beyond pure mileage accumulation.

Comparison of foreign currency fees by issuer

UOB PRVI Miles and HSBC TravelOne currently offer the best cost per mile for foreign currency spend, while DBS Vantage sits just behind.

Recommendations

Use DBS Vantage overseas if you want a blend of earn rates and lifestyle perks. The card is especially suited for travellers who also make use of the 10 complimentary lounge visits and Accor Plus membership. However, if your only goal is to maximise miles at the lowest cost, UOB PRVI Miles or HSBC TravelOne are better alternatives.

H3 Income tax payment facility

DBS Vantage cardholders can use the card to settle their annual income tax through DBS’s dedicated payment facilities. Tax payments earn 1.5 miles per S$1, slightly higher than the standard local earn rate. However, this comes with a 2.5% processing fee applied to the transaction, which increases the overall cost per mile to about 1.67¢.

Comparison with other providers

DBS Vantage’s in-house facility is convenient and slightly boosted at 1.5 mpd, but third-party services like CardUp or ipaymy usually offer better value thanks to lower fees and competitive earn rates. If you’re looking purely for the cheapest miles, these alternatives are more efficient. DBS Vantage’s facility works best for those who prefer the simplicity of staying within DBS’s ecosystem.

Accor Plus membership

One of the standout perks of DBS Vantage is the complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership, which comes bundled with the annual fee. This membership offers both hotel and dining privileges, which can easily offset the card’s cost if used effectively.

1-night complimentary stay at Accor hotels

Cardholders enjoy one free night’s stay each year at participating Accor hotels across Asia-Pacific. This includes well-known brands such as Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel and Swissôtel. Depending on the hotel and location chosen, the value of this free stay can range from S$200 to S$400 or more, making it one of the most valuable perks.

Accor dining privileges

The Accor Plus membership also unlocks up to 50% off dining at over 1,400 restaurants within the Accor network across Asia-Pacific. Discounts scale depending on the number of diners — 50% off for two people, 33% off for three, and 25% off for four. 

Priority Pass membership

DBS Vantage cardholders also receive a Priority Pass Digital Membership. This benefit includes 10 complimentary lounge visits per membership year, which can be used at more than 1,300 lounges worldwide. These visits may be shared with guests, but doing so will use up multiple entitlements at once.

After the 10 free visits are used, additional entries are charged at US$35 per visit. While not unlimited, this allocation is generous compared to many other premium cards in the same income tier.

Other DBS Vantage benefits

Beyond Accor Plus and lounge access, DBS Vantage provides a suite of additional travel and lifestyle perks:

• Travel benefits: Discounts on hotel and flight bookings through DBS Travel & Leisure Marketplace, travel insurance coverage when trips are charged to the card, and exclusive offers with travel partners.

• Dining benefits: Access to selected dining promotions across DBS’s partner restaurants in Singapore and abroad, complementing the savings from Accor Plus.

*These benefits are not exhaustive. Cardholders should always check the official DBS website for the most up-to-date list of perks and detailed terms and conditions.

Overseas spending promotions

Historically, new-to-bank customers have been able to earn between 60,000 and 85,000 miles with a minimum spend of S$4,000 within the first 60 days of card approval. These offers typically run during peak travel seasons and are among the most generous sign-up bonuses in the market for a premium card with an income requirement of S$120,000.

In addition, DBS has occasionally offered targeted overseas spending campaigns. These promotions can significantly increase the effective miles earn rate, although they usually come with minimum spend requirements and caps.

Recurring promotions

Recurring promotions for DBS Vantage tend to centre on travel and lifestyle categories. Cardholders may encounter deals such as extra miles on hotel and airline bookings made through DBS’s travel partners, or enhanced cashback-style rebates on luxury retail spend.

As with most premium cards, these campaigns are not evergreen and change throughout the year. To maximise value, cardholders should monitor DBS’s promotions page regularly and register for relevant campaigns when they are announced.

In conclusion, the DBS Vantage Card is a “take-it-or-leave-it” option, because of its strong general spend earn rates, premium lifestyle perks like Accor Plus and lounge access, and high annual fee with points that expire in three years.

For affluent travellers who can fully utilise the free Accor hotel stay, dining discounts, and 10 complimentary lounge visits, the card’s value can easily offset its S$599.50 fee. It also works well for cardholders who want a reliable 1.5 mpd on local spend and 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spend, without worrying about bonus category caps.

However, if your primary goal is to maximise miles at the lowest cost, other cards such as the UOB PRVI Miles or HSBC TravelOne may be better suited. DBS Vantage shines when lifestyle benefits are factored in, making it best for professionals or frequent flyers who will actively use its bundled privileges.