Although I grew up in an environment where it was instilled in me that ‘free things must take’, BUT I’ve also learnt that not every freebie is worth the effort.
BUT FREE LUGGAGE ALWAYS IS.
With every credit card sign up we, as Singaporeans, are conditioned to always think of the free gift that comes with it! This is one of the reasons why I do not own a credit card YET.
And it’s simply because I can’t find any free gift worth my signing up a card for. I mean… I have been waiting for DBS to offer a suitcase as a free gift but they just don’t seem to be offering any…
Maybe a little backstory is needed with regard to my insistence of getting a DBS card. The reason why I am so insistent on getting a credit card with DBS is that I am a DBS Multiplier account holder, and in order to qualify for a higher interest tier, one of the condition is to have a credit card with DBS (anddddd it doesn’t require minimum spend!)
Inspired by my need for a free suitcase, I decided to look around the internet to find out which banks are offering this perk. Sadly, it seems like only HSBC and American Express are offering free luggage now. Ah, damn it… Maybe next time! ?
I’ll still be looking around for DBS or POSB credit cards because I still have to own one in order to qualify for a higher interest with my DBS Multiplier account.
But hey, even though I can’t get a free piece of luggage yet, I’ve managed to scrounge up the best deals across popular credit card sign-up websites such as GoBear, MoneySmart, and SingSaver.
Wondering which website gives you the best perks and deals on top of existing bank credit card promos? I gotchu!
Also, a disclaimer that we are not sponsored by any of the platforms mentioned, we wanted to find out which platform offers the best credit card promotions on our own accord!
DBS Live Fresh Credit Card Sign Up Promotion
| SingSaver Promo | MoneySmart Promo | GoBear Promo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Exclusive Offers | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| DBS Bank Promotion | 1) Up to $120 Cashback (For new cardmembers) Existing DBS/POSB Cardmembers get up to $40 cashback |
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| 2) Win a limited edition Leica Sofort Stand a chance to win with every S$50 spend |
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| BEST CHOICE! | Apply from DBS Bank directly WITHOUT going through any middleman | ||
Regardless of which platform you applied for your credit card with, you will get the current promotion that the bank has.
In other words, if I applied for a credit card with SingSaver, despite SingSaver not having an exclusive promotion, I would still be entitled to an S$120 cashback (DBS promo) if I am a new cardmember of DBS.
Sigh, what a bummer. Nothing interesting when it comes to DBS and their credit up sign up promotions.
How about the other high interest yielding savings account commonly used by other Singaporeans such as UOB One and OCBC 365?
UOB One Credit Card Sign Up Promotion
| SingSaver Promo | MoneySmart Promo | GoBear Promo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Exclusive Offers | S$50 cash reward upon card approval | Nil | Nil |
| UOB Bank Promotion | Up to S$200 cash credit i) S$100 cash credit when you apply for a new credit card ii) S$100 cash credit when you open a UOB One Account |
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| BEST CHOICE | Yes | No | No |
OCBC 365 Credit Card Sign Up Promotion
| SingSaver Promo | MoneySmart Promo | GoBear Promo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Exclusive Offers | S$100 cash back | Nil | Nil |
| OCBC Bank Promotion | S$40 cashback when you sign up with Sembcorp Power, Senoko Energy, Keppel Electric or Geneco on your recurring electricity bill payment |
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| BEST CHOICE | Yes | No | No |
Citi Rewards Credit Card Sign Up Promotion
| SingSaver Promo | MoneySmart Promo | GoBear Promo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Exclusive Offers | New customers: Get $300 NTUC Fairprice vouchers, Takashimaya vouchers or Grab promo codes Existing customers: Get $30 NTUC FairPrice vouchers | New Customers: Get a free S$300 NTUC FairPrice or CapitaLand Vouchers Existing Customers: NIL | Nil |
| Citibank Promotion | Receive up to 30,000 Citi ThankYou Points when you spend S$3,000 in the first 3 months |
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| BEST CHOICE | Yes: More variation of vouchers | No | No |
It is almost a tie when it comes to promos when applying with either SingSaver or MoneySmart. However, for MoneySmart, the free gift is EITHER S$300 cash voucher OR 30,000 Citi ThankYou points. So SingSaver wins this round.
Out of the 4 credit cards I have reviewed, SingSaver provided the best promos for 2 cards, MoneySmart and the bank for 1 card each.
I guess the learning point here is that you don’t have to get through these platforms – especially in my case of DBS Live Fresh credit card.
How Many Credit Cards Do These Platforms Provide?
| Singsaver | Moneysmart | Gobear | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of credit cards | 99 | 52 | 51 |
Applying the credit card for the free gift is one thing, but receiving the free gift is another.
A friend of mine told me that collecting the free gift (even vouchers) from the various platforms can get quite ley chey (Singlish for troublesome) sometimes.
First, she had to fill up a form. Then she had to visit their collection point (which is super ulu) to pick up the vouchers.
And to make it worse, the collection timings didn’t fit according to her work schedule and she eventually felt that it was too much effort to just pick up S$20 vouchers. ?
What would you do in her situation? Would you forgo the vouchers like she did? What if it was more than S$20?
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