Pros & Cons
Pros
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2.2 miles per $1 for overseas spend and 1.3 miles per $1 for local spend.
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2 complimentary airport lounge visits a year.
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Your points will never expire.
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No cap on the amount of points you can earn.
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You get 10,000 bonus miles upon paying your annual fee, starting from your 2nd year.
Cons
- Annual fee of $196.20 cannot be waived after the first year, unless you charge a minimum of $25,000 in retail spend within a 12-month period. (Note: By doing this, you forfeit your 10,000 bonus miles.)
- Late fees and hefty finance charges. If your outstanding balance is more than $200, you may be charged a late fee of $100. Finance charges of 27.8% p.a. may also apply.
- If you do not travel frequently, it can take a while to accrue the miles needed to redeem your desired rewards.
Who is this card for
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Frequent flyers aiming to maximise their spending and rewards. The DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card is a great way for jetsetters to earn miles at home and abroad.
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Miles collectors and value seekers who want to accumulate the miles they need for discounted flights, hotel bookings and more. With miles that never expire and no cap on miles one can earn, this travel card is a choice pick for collectors looking to redeem big rewards.
Compare to other cards
In terms of rewards earned for overseas spend, the HSBC TravelOne Card tops the rest, with 2.4 miles per dollar—compared to the 2.2 miles per dollar you get with the DBS Altitude Signature Card and the Citi PremierMiles Card. For local spend rewards, however, the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card has its rivals beat with a marginally higher rate of 1.3 miles per dollar compared to the 1.2 miles per dollar offered by both Citi and HSBC.
Looking for the card with the most generous welcome offer for new cardholders? Last in place is the Citi PremierMiles Card, with only 30,000 miles for new sign-ups, followed by the HSBC TravelOne Card with 36,000 miles. The clear winner here is the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card with 38,000 bonus miles. It also helps that new members have 60 days to spend $800 to qualify for their bonus miles, which is identical to Citibank’s terms. This is in contrast to the HSBC TravelOne Card, which requires you to spend a total of $1,000 to qualify.
Now, let’s take a look at other benefits. All 3 cards offer 2 complimentary airport lounge visits a year and exclusive offers with their travel partners. For example, HSBC TravelOne Card members can enjoy a wide variety of 1-for-1 dining offers on the ENTERTAINER with HSBC app, while Citi PremierMiles Card members have access to Citi World Privileges. Though the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card has no shortage of offers, it cannot compete with the sheer quantity of promotions HSBC and Citi have on their side. Both the HSBC TravelOne and Citi PremierMiles Card also come with complimentary comprehensive travel insurance. All these points put the DBS Altitude Signature Card at a bit of a disadvantage.
Our last word: if you’re new to credit cards, or a young working adult looking for your first travel card, the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card is still a solid pick for earning fuss-free miles for life. Alternatively, you can consider the Citi PremierMiles Card, which also offers expiry-free miles.
DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card
Interest rate: 27.80%
Annual fee: $196.20 (First year waiver available)
Minimum annual income:
- $30,000 for Singaporeans and PRs
- $45,000 for foreigners
Benefits:
- Miles will be awarded in the form of DBS Points which gives the flexibility of choosing to redeem it for miles or other benefits
- 4.3 miles per $1 spent on Agoda
- 2.2 miles per S$1 spent overseas
- 1.3 miles per S$1 spent locally
- No expiry on earned miles
- Annual fee waiver for first year
- Offset bills or retail payments with DBS Points or redeem for shopping mall vouchers at any participating merchants
- Complimentary Priority Pass Digital Membership
- Earned DBS Points from valid local / overseas transactions will be credited to your card account on the next day after the retail purchase transaction is posted to your card
CitiPremierMiles Card
Interest rate: 27.90%
Annual fee: $196.20 (Waiver upon request for existing cardholders, first-year fee waiver available for new cardholders with a minimum spend of S$800)
Minimum annual income:
- $30,000 for Singaporeans and PRs
- $42,000 for foreigners
Benefits:
- 10 Citi Miles per S$1 spent on online travel bookings via Kaligo and Agoda
- 2 Citi Miles per S$1 spent overseas
- 1.2 Citi Miles per S$1 spent locally
- No minimum spend or cap for overseas spending
- Renewal bonus of 10,000 Citi Miles on your Card anniversary
- Up to 30,000 bonus Citi Miles when you spend S$800 in the first 2 months (subject to change in promotions’ terms and conditions)
- 2 complimentary airport lounge visits per year for primary cardholders
- Complimentary travel insurance coverage
HSBC TravelOne Card
Interest rate: 26.90%
Annual fee: $196.20 for Year 1 (second year waiver available only upon minimum annual spending of S$25,000)
Minimum annual income:
- $30,000 for Singaporeans and PRs
- $40,000 for foreigners
Benefits:
- 2.4 miles for every S$1 spent overseas
- 1.2 miles for every S$1 spent locally
- Complimentary travel insurance coverage
- 4 complimentary airport lounge visits for primary cardholders
Credit card application
Step 1: Apply via our DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card page
Click on our card application link to begin.
Is your income data and identity available and up to date on SingPass MyInfo? Consider applying with SingPass to streamline the process. Your approval-in-principal page should appear within minutes of submitting your application.
Step 2: Make sure you have all your documents
Prepping all your required documents can be a hassle and you can choose to skip the process by applying with SingPass. Otherwise, you’d need to provide your:
- The front and back of your NRIC
- Latest 3 computerised payslips or crediting bank statements
- Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment
Step 3: Say hello to your new card
Activate your shiny new card via the DBS digibank mobile app. You'll need to enter a One-Time-Password after entering your 6-digit online banking PIN to secure your credit card transactions. Now you can use it for any and all purchases your heart desires and track your rewards, credit card rewards and transactions with digibank!
Credit card application resources
Frequently asked questions
